And if you don't know

Well, now you know.

Moore to Come, Part 2

(This post continues sentiments uttered in previous posts - or reiterates. Or something. Probably not.)

Again, I draw your attention to the Urban Dictionary.

suggested definitons for:

Liberal
a: A word used to describe someone who tells you how they "feel" instead of what they think.

b: Someone who wants to help the poor and downtrodden WITH YOUR MONEY. They never volunteer THEIR time or money, they leave that to the churches they so detest. They also want to see the wealthy and powerful to be unseated because they are jealous. An American communist. If a liberal ever does have money, he is a politician that could not cut muster with the Republican party and is only an opportunist who is lying to the hordes of ignorant poverty stricken who believe he will save them from the bed which they themselves pissed in.

Many liberals are just baby boom hippies who are too self-righteous to rethink their dated teenage rebellions. They have made many songs and movies glorifying an anti-war position, and this media deluge of philosophical masturbation has won over much of the younger generation.

c: Jealous, whiny, and loudmouthed (on the internet).

Loves to talk about opinions, but gets all upset when other people's opinions differ from their own. Owns a tinfoil hat.

Though I found the most telling to be this one:

1) One who espouses a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties.

2) Somebody for whom the Democratic Party no longer speaks.

(I hope I haven't found my way into a "What exactly is a liberal, anyway?" essay. Damn.)

It strikes me as amazing how those who promote broad change scare people. Moveon.org describes itself as:

MoveOn is a catalyst for a new kind of grassroots involvement, supporting busy but concerned citizens in finding their political voice. Our nationwide network of more than 2,000,000 online activists is one of the most effective and responsive outlets for democratic participation available today.

Now that's democrat - small d. Which is a tough sell when the main page invites you to:

A) Investigate the Vote - that being the Ohio vote which gave Bush the 2004 election
B) Take on Fox - because "24 hours a day, Fox News Channel turns Republican talking points into news headlines."
C) A link to the Daily Misleader - an article showing you Bush "gaffes"

That's democrat. Small d.

I emphasize this sentiment because those claiming to offer opportunities of information and activism on this side of the spectrum tend to alienate as opposed to incorporate. Which is why Jack Matthews of the NY Daily News claims Farenheit: 9-11 won Bush the election. Get a mob mad enough, and you'll motivate them to do everything possible to beat you down.

A professor from my freshman Political Science course introduced the term politics as "a conversation about how we should live." If that's the case, we liberals do as much damage to the conversation with our collective whining and search to sound smarter as conservatives with their war cries and silence of opposition. I thought David Brooks nailed it on the head the other day in the Times:

You have to remember that Republicans have a different relationship to ideas than Democrats. When Democrats open their mouths, they try to say something interesting. If the true thing is obvious and boring, the liberal person will go off and say something original, even if it is completely idiotic. This is how deconstructionism got started.

Republicans are less concerned with displaying their own cleverness. When they actually stumble upon an idea, they are so delighted they regurgitate it over and over again. Where others might favor elaboration, Republicans favor repetition.

If that's the case, I'm gonna go think things through some more. Moore to Come.

Moore to Come

This morning, I came across a post on Michael Moore's web site, known to the masses as MichaelMoore.com. It lead with a post that starts with good intentions, that despite referring to Republicans as "sore winners" and such, he offers stats to show optimism in the Democratic party:

*Total members of Move On: More than 2,000,000
*Total Attendance at Vote for Change Concerts: An estimated 280,000
*Total Union Members in U.S.: Around 16,000,000
*Total Number of People Who Have Seen “Fahrenheit 9/11”: Over 50 million
*Total number of you reading this: Perhaps 10 million or more

(Well, no one ever questions Moore's ego.)

Then, it goes in a very strange place.

"We lost a very close election (a one-state difference) by running the #1 liberal in the Senate. Not bad. The country is shifting in our direction, not to the right. But the country was attacked and people were scared. They were manipulated with fear. And America has never thrown a sitting president out during wartime. That’s the facts."

Fact check time:

- Kerry: #1 Liberal in the Senate? Right.

- "The country is shifting in our direction, not to the right." Good. More red state v. blue state. Yeah, we need more of that.

- "And American has never thrown a sitting president out during wartime." Uhh... Lyndon B. Johnson, anybody? Granted, he didn't seek a second term, but a 30 percent approval rating in an election year, and competition from a Kennedy will scare you off... and out of office in a year we were engaged in Vietnam.

I'm not looking to take pot shots at Moore here. I actually admire his work (you can't do much better than Roger & Me as far as his work goes). And I do agree that if you can forgive the liberties he takes, Farenheit 9-11 is a must-see. But, this guy officially frightened me on this one. Why? This post goes here:

"In the meantime, while we reflect on what went wrong, I would like to pass on to you an essay that a friend who works with abuse victims sent to me. It was written by a woman who has spent years working as an advocate for victims of domestic abuse and she sees many parallels between her work and the reaction of many Democrats to last month’s election. Her name is Mel Giles and here is what she had to say…"

Those parallels?

"Watch them awkwardly quote the bible, trying to speak the ‘new’ language of America. Surf the blogs, and read the comments of dismayed, discombobulated, confused individuals trying to figure out what they did wrong. Hear the cacophony of voices, crying out, "Why did they beat me?"

And then ask anyone who has ever worked in a domestic violence shelter if they have heard this before.

They will tell you: Every single day.

The answer is quite simple. They beat us because they are abusers. We can call it hate. We can call it fear. We can say it is unfair. But we are looped into the cycle of violence, and we need to start calling the dominating side what they are: abusive. And we need to recognize that we are the victims of verbal, mental, and even, in the case of Iraq, physical violence."

(I'll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the ground.)

I mean, holy batshit. Democrats as victims of domestic abuse? I mean... I'm still flabbergasted, and I read this post almost 12 hours ago. Isn't the best advice to a victim of domestic abuse to just leave? Get up and go? Get out of the bad situation, as painful as it may be to leave? Should we all up and move to Canada?

I've got more to say on this, but I just wanted to put this out there first.

Honesty is Such a Lonely Word

London's Daily Mirror reports that one in four upgrade their internet to broadband for downloading pornography. The survey asked over 5,000 participants in face-to-face interviews. Meaning 1,250 said straight faced, "I like fast internet cause I download porn." No statistics available on heavy breathers, Joe Garnevicus.

Downloading porn ranks second behind downloading music. Masturbating to porn still ranks a strong first over masturbating to music, though.

Also making the list?
Music Videos (12%)
Listening to online radio (9%)
Downloading movie trailers (8%)
Share information with family and friends (5%)
Photos of Ian Ziering (2%)
That QVC Ladder Video (1%)
Culture (1%)
Mental Masturbation (-0.1%)

Yeah, Go Reach Out and Touch Yourself

Could Drunk Dialing be a thing of the past?

Perhaps, according to Virgin Mobile. The Australian-based Virgin Mobile designed a blacklist for cell phones, essentially to prevent you from drunk dialing. This came as a result of a study performed by the good folks at Virgin Mobile:

A survey of 409 people by Virgin Mobile, a joint venture of The Virgin Group and Optus, found 95 percent made drunk calls.

Of those calls, 30 percent were to ex-partners, 19 percent to current partners, and 36 percent to other people, including their bosses.

I'm taken aback by the 10 percent unaccounted for in that study. What could the Virgin population being up to with that remaining 10 percent? Maybe that drunken lot merely took advantage of good phone service? Perhaps those inebriated fellows engaged in acts so heinous, so insulting, so unbearable that we as citizens of humanity would request it cease to be immediately?

It's Like 10,000 Spoons When All You Need is a Knife

The Supreme Court declined to hear the case over the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Supreme Court approved the legalization, and conservative groups in favor of creating a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage appealed to the US Supreme Court before being declined.

The Supreme Court currently listens to Ashcroft v. Raich, the case of a California woman fighting to keep the use of marijuana in California for medicinal purposes (which she defends as single-handedly saving her life after trying 35 other forms of medical treatment) legal. Acting Solicitor General Paul Clement, representing John Ashcroft (yes, that John Ashcroft) in this case, argues that California's legalization of marijuana undermines the federal legislation outlawing it. Needless to say, Clement fights for the Supreme Court to overrule the California state government and essentially make marijuana illegal once again.

Now, to put this in perspective...

In George W. Bush's remarks at the 2000 Republican National Convention, he mentions "big government" as putting up walls that divide us, stating:

"On one side are wealth and technology, education and ambition.

On the other side of the wall are poverty and prison, addiction and despair.

And, my fellow Americans, we must tear down that wall.

Big government is not the answer."

Bush later goes on to say about government's ability to fix what ails us all:

"Government cannot do this work. It can feed the body, but it cannot reach the soul."

And, just for good measure, Bush reiterates in his 2004 Republican National Convention remarks, although spin and pot shots at Democratic Candidate John Kerry help Bush dance around the exact words:

"(Kerry's) tax and -- His policies of tax and spend, of expanding government rather than expanding opportunity are the politics of the past."

And yet, with a Constitutional amendment and a Supreme Court ruling, this now conservative "big" government would be "doing this work." Which is noteworthy, considering the Republican platform in 2000 clearly stated:

"We must acknowledge that the federal government’s role should be to set expectations in policies, then get out of the way and let the states implement and operate those policies as they best know how. Washington must respect that one size does not fit all states and must not overburden states with red tape attached to its policies."

I suppose alot can change in four years. I also suppose that by "expectations," Republicans now mean "mandates."

Republicans, champions of limited government and states' rights, use the machine to quash what they fought so long to defend. I'm not faulting them. Just saying... To every thing, turn, turn, turn...

Geography, brought to you by Rice Krispie Treats

Bonus points for the food stuffs mimicking the unhealthy terrain of the Garden State. 


(Honorable mention to Kyle's birthday cake resembling a Native American sacrifical altar, or for resembling a birthday cake with matches for candles.) 

You are Now Free to Move About the Country.

Just stay north of the Equator.

A controvery's a brewin' in regards to new pat-down searchs at airports, implemented in response to two Russian planes taken down by bombs allegedly smuggled onboard a little over a month ago. These searches include potential strip searches as well as full pat-downs, including the breasts on females and the groin area on both males and females. They're randomly selected, and in private if requested. (Should I insert the 1-900 number now or wait?)

Kind of a touchy subject, but I bring this to your attention after reading the plight of 27-year old graduate student Sommer Gentry described in US News.com. Read the specifics here.

I swear, I needed a cigarette afterwards.

From the "Now Why Didn't I Think of That?" Files

A 13 year old boy from Virigina Beach is currently held in custody at a detention center after forcing a stripper to perform at gunpoint. He allegedly lured her by saying his older brother had hired the "dancer," then as she grew restless, pulled out a shotgun and forced her to dance. She eventually fought her way out, and the police apprehended him shortly thereafter.

(It's worth mentioning that Virginia Beach resides in a red state. Ya know, pro-guns and not so hot on women's rights. Sounds to me that they're a' raisin' that boy gooder 'n y'all...)

Dream a Little Dream

Well, you know...

Artest is done for the season, O'Neal and Jackson are gone for a while, Reggie Miller is terrible... and the debate goes on: Who's fault?

I'm not here to declare fault (fans shouldn't throw beer, period. Players don't go into the stands, period.), but it's worth mentioning another topic...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Yeah, yuck it up all you want, but think of the children! I personally experienced such horrors in the aftermath that it's clearly all but coincidence that this Pistons-Pacers brawl inspired it. I thought I'd be fine. Heck, after watching the footage Friday night, I promptly went to sleep.

I counted sheep, and while that happened, one sheep was a little late jumping over the fence. He bumped into another sheep. Then, a mug of sheep grog came out of nowhere, and Ron Artest appeared and started beating up the sheep AND the farmer to which the sheep belonged. All the surrounding sheep started throwing grog at Artest as the Sheep police carried him away. The deluge went on all night.

I woke up in a cold sweat, and couldn't sleep Saturday. In search of refuge, I went to Sunday Mass. Listening to some familiar words, I found solace. Then, one of the altar servers bumped into the priest as he distributed Communion. One of the Eucharistic Ministers flung the wine out, and Ron Artest came out and started beating the hell out of the 80 year old ladies in the first row, screaming, "Did you throw it? Did you throw the blood? Do I look like some kind of vampire to you?" Jermaine O'Neal backed him up, beating up the second row with the collection baskets. A folding chair came from nowhere. It was ugly.

Is there no end to the horror?

Smoke 'em if ya got 'em...

A British schoolteacher informed her high school students that they faced impending doom in the form of a meteor destroying the planet Earth, and they should offer their goodbyes to family and friends. "Seize the day," she later explained to defend her rationale as the fear-stricken students recovered from her hoax.

Clever, lady, but that meteor hit over two weeks ago...

You Ask Me for a Contribution... Well, you know, We're All Doing What We Can.

It would appear another blogger's made the papers.

Ellen Simonetti, known in the blog world as Queen of Sky, got herself fired from her stewardess... ahem, flight attendant position at Delta Airlines for posting some "racy" photos of herself on her blog (which can be viewed here - not bad, like a strong 7-weak 8, but part of me thinks the allure comes from an innate desire to join the Mile High Club).

For those of you who didn't look, she's posing on grounded airplanes in her Delta uniform, showing a little skin and eating a little pizza.

This isn't the first time I've heard of a case like this, either. Jessica Cutler, former Washington, D.C. staffer and Syracuse University alum (oh, I'm swelling with pride over that), essentially got blacklisted in Washington for keeping a side job as a Hill whore and recording her antics as Washingtonienne. Granted, her blog consisted of "racy" encounters she may or may not have had with prominent Washington socialites (rumored to be more likely not, though she never names any names), but it's the principle of the thing. These blogs are hazardous to your job health.

Now, why should anyone give a crap, you ask? I'll tell you. These blogs we've adopted in our times on this feeble planet can be held against us (in Ellen's sense, potentially in a court of law). Her Aerial Majesty wasn't aware anyone from Delta knew about her blog, let alone checked it. However, with over a recorded 500,000 hits, ya had to believe SOMEBODY was reading it. Granted, her blog essentially tells of her day-to-day escapades as a flight attendant, and her 15 minutes now will presumably make her a martyr to some, but I find this story a little more telling than that.

Express yourself, and you may get screwed for it. Due to ignorance? Perhaps. Neglect? Maybe. But it just strikes me in how we who express ourselves in this format feel to be hopefully leaving something personal, and just the potential that someone misunderstand it, and worse yet, use it against us, I imagine says something about the human condition.

Or, it says people think too highly of the Internet. One or the other.

Looking for the Perfect Gift for that Special Someone this Holiday Season?

God, you've saved us again...

City of Brotherly Love (Kept at a Safe Distance)

Visited Philadelphia on Saturday to observe Syracuse get beat by a team so bad, they're being kicked out of the Big East at the end of the season.

(No, Pat, it's not Rutgers.)

Still, I write because after the game, I visited a local landmark in Philadelphia.


No, not this one.

I meant this one.


And what got me about it was not this history surrounding it, nor its location, but rather the security precautions.

As a result of security, the Liberty Bell Center was fenced off, and visitors need to pass through metal detector screening before being allowed in the facility. You're also not allowed to enter unless you have a timed ticket (that's a ticket assigning you a time you can visit), and they recommend that you arrive at least 45 minutes early to get through OK. Timed tickets, of course, are distributed early and run out quickly. Needless to say, they're long gone before I roll out of bed.

Nowhere in the history or security is it mentioned anywhere that it's a GODDAMN BELL. Though I have issues with the security measures for visiting, say, the White House, I understand that a little more than all this trouble to see the Liberty Bell. The White House got me out of bed at 7AM on a Saturday. This... oy.

So, alas, I'm left with nothing more than just the ability to view it...


from a safe distance... 

...and crush it between Alex's fingers.


I believe the terrorists have won. 

I'm Confident Enough in My Masculinity to Admit That...

I'm impressed by Maureen Dowd, columnist for the New York Times.

The Liberal answer to Ann "I hate you" Coulter, Ms. Dowd provides wit and intelligence in all her work.

Still, she's a columnist, a straw designed to stir the drink. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's comical when she can draw the ire of make-believe, crotchety old "Democrats" of Georgia, (see: Zell Miller), who stated:

"The more Maureen Loud [sic] gets on 'Meet the Press' and writes those columns, the redder these states get. I mean, they don't want some high brow hussy from New York City explaining to them that they're idiots and telling them that they're stupid."

Maureen Dowd's response?

"I'm not a highbrow hussy from New York. I'm a highbrow hussy from Washington. Senator, pistols or swords?"

Don't sing it, baby...

So, Should I Call You or What?

Nothing more romantic than a sunrise over the Manhattan bridge on your morning commute. Nothing more pathetic than getting shot down to the embarassment of your fellow commuters...

So I witnessed a rejection of epic proportions. A young gentleman, unassuming, with a small satchel slung over his shoulder, had been standing in front of a lovely young dame, seated. With the new day Sun at his back and a glimmer in his eye, our hero said something to our heroine on the D train over the Manhattan bridge. Our heroine, with the sun in her eyes and his satchel in her face, gave him a stare and said something back. Our hero reciprocated, said something else. He then walked toward me on the subway and proceeded out the door at the first stop in Manhattan, as our heroine looked on in bewilderment. I thought I'd seen the worst.

I hadn't. Two stops later at West 4th Street, I departed the D train for a transfer. Much to my dismay, I'd been cut off by our hero, who had disembarked the very same D train, though now two cars back.

He had no trouble walking up the stairs, as it was apparent his small sack provided no impediment.

I... uh... yeesh... um...

I mean, sure it's not as bad as it sounds, but yowza...

Looking for a Good Time, Baby?

Tired of looking for that special someone in clubs and parties in metropolitan areas? Longing for a good Christian boy who has no problems making females subservient, or a good Christian girl who doesn't mind being your bitch? Want to guarantee no sex with a neat-o guy who sleeps in pajamas? Want to make sure that your new life partner is of the opposite sex, and will stay with you should God bless you with a child a little too soon?

Well, checkout ConservativeMatch.com. Get a life before your 9PM bedtime.

Enough of this Jibba Jabba

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear...

Frankly, it's getting a little frustrating with the media pundits professing how "moral values" won the election. Karl Rove himself claims Dubya's more in touch with the common man, stating:

Well, I think more importantly, the president is in touch. People of faith who are concerned about the coarseness of our society, about a culture that seems unfriendly to the vulnerable, the weak, and the young, who are concerned about there being a place in the public arena for people of faith, saw in the president somebody who shared their values.

See, the President's really just like you and me. He's one of us. Or, stupid.

See, the thing about moral values is that it's a load of crap. Peter Steinfels of the New York Times argues that the phrase "moral values" exists merely as some good ol' fashioned SPIN. Describing moral values as "an ambiguous, appealing and catchall phrase," Mr. Steinfels explains:

It is true that if the exit polls had constructed an equivalent catchall economic category adding concern about health care and taxes to that about jobs and growth, it would have been the top concern of 33 percent of the voters. If the poll findings had combined concern about terrorism with concern about Iraq, as apparently many voters did, the resulting category would have ranked first with 34 percent of the voters.

So if you want to continue to buy in on the "moral values" horseshit, feel free. Bush did campaign to repeal abortion laws and ban gay marriage, but for those of you who have any sense of history should realize that regulating morality didn't work out so well in the past.

I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

However, that doesn't change our immediate dilemma. This "moral values" beast will need to be fed. And God knows that Bush has no problems sticking by his faith-based initiatives (small pun intended). The mere sentiment of "tougher, less secular, Scripture-guided society with the guts to take the fight to the international terrorists" (which we're one step closer to today) goes against everything we as Americans have stood for thus far.

It's also worth mentioning that John Kerry is a Roman Catholic. You can't get much more conservative religion-wise than Catholic, as even Kerry learned with threat of excommunication. So not only are we being mobilized to be a good Christian society, but a very particular good Christian society. See - you can't win. It really is "us vs. them." This, my friends, is dangerous.

We'll continue to lick our wounds as we can't pin this one on Nader. As we brace ourselves for the unknown to be summarized in the annals of history mearly as "Dubya's 2nd term," remember what we've learned here today:

- Spin, spin, spin.
- If you should stumble across the right person for the job, defend him or her from character assassination with every fiber of your being.
- Canada has a one year wait to become a citizen.
- We are so fucked.

...and then I'll shout the name back to you. Savvy?

Governors' Island almost fell today to a fate worse than George W. Bush.

41-year old David Nash of Amherst, VA claimed the island in the name of the Blue Tulip Party. He hoisted a pirate flag on a pole at the center of the island, and told harbor patrols, "Put down your weapons, and go in peace."

After his capture, Mr. Nash reportedly told police that he swam to the island, despite not having an oxygen tank nor mask nor was his wet suit damp.

And what does this have to do with you be American? Citing a threat to national security, the NYPD and US Coast Guard were called out to apprehend Mr. Nash.



Score one for the good guys?

Fell on Black Days

Well, you know...

I've since come to terms with Bednarik not winning (not that I voted for him nor did I consider it even briefly), but I guess what stings most is how Kerry essentially took it in stride, almost routinely.

I think Kerry should've stepped up to the podium in Boston and said one of two things:
1) "It doesn't matter what Ohio thinks!" Then throws up an eyebrow and sniffs in the Boston hysteria, OR
2) "To all my peeps: one love," taps his chest, pulls out a 40, pounds it, then throws up middle fingers and rolls off the stages in flurry of obscenity.

4 more years of George W. Bush. Well, at least the Yankees lost...

Food for thought...

Vote or die, indeed...

But you better promise me I'll be back in time...

Returned to the Savage Land today. Which is fine, except for the Halloween parties. Which were fine, except for the guests. Young'ns, mostly. The evening included:

- TWO (2) Police raids
- ONE (1) short chubby kid laughing at everyone's jokes at the party
- ONE (1) Waldo
- TWO (2) games of beer pong
- INFINITE (?) students who I had to refrain from punching in the throat simply for behaving like college students

I do miss the college camaraderie. I never was a fan of the early last call, though.

Why You Should Vote: Libertarian

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a Libertarian as "an advocate of the doctrine of free will; a person who upholds the principles of absolute and unrestricted liberty especially of thought and action "

The Urban Dictionary defines a Libertarian as "A former Republican who grew larger balls and decided to say fuck the establishment."

(Question the Urban Dictionary's credentials all you want, but once you see the definition of a Double Date, you'll think again.)

The 50-year old Michael Badnarik may not have the name recognition of Kerry or Bush, but he does have the bare necessities to make a run at the White House. With a background including joining the Cub Scouts at age 6 and being elected Executive Vice President of his dormitory in college, you can punch a ballot for Badnarik in 49 of 50 states (and let's be serious - nobody likes Oklahoma anyway). Badnarik, with Vice Presidental Candidate Richard Campagna, have the bare necessities to succeed.

So why vote Libertarian?

- Leave you alone. The Badnarik/Campagna platform encourages a laissez-faire government, including a call for "national defense... not international offense," defending civil liberties, a reduction in corporate regulations (they cite one study in which "regulations that do more harm than good cost 60,000 American lives each year"), ending regulation of health care, deregulation of immigration standards, ending affirmative action, and legalizing drugs and arms.

- Against the War. Badnarik argues that the Middle East "hates us because we have spent many years attempting to force them to emulate our lifestyle." As such, he calls for the speedy recall of US troops home. He explains that "A Libertarian president would not have sent the military trampling about the world, racking up a death count in the thousands, wasting tax money on destroying and re-building infrastructure, creating more enemies, and doing the kinds of things that led to 9/11 in the first place." He remains steadfast against war as its an inconvienience for taxpayers, explaining, "Here at home, war leads to a decline in civil liberties, higher taxes, and wartime economic measures that blur the line between business and state, allowing politically favored corporations to profit at the expense of taxpayers." Badnarik is against the draft.

- Reestablishing civil liberties. Badnarik argues that government has essentially made a mockery of the Bill of Rights, and that the role of government in making laws are "The first is that government does not grant rights it acknowledges them... The second is that government is a servant to whom we delegate powers, not a master who dispenses privileges." He encourages enforcing the Bill of Rights as written and not a word more, and threatens prosecution to those who violate that. He also argues that prisoners of war should be given basic rights awarded any prisoner and enforcing due process.

- Deregulation and privitization of health care. The argument being that deregulation would cut prices, cause health care companies wouldn't have to pay for all that litigation. Talk about blind faith.

- Legalize it. I became truly introduced to the Libertarian plight of legalization through the story of Steve Kubby, which played at the 2004 Libertarian National Convention. He unsuccessfully ran for governor of California (73,845 votes for Kubby out of 8.4 million cast for governor in 1998). He was arrested for growing marijuana, fled to Canada, and was declined refugee status there. I got a laugh, only because the movie juxtaposed clips of his story with him smoking marijuana, making comments like, "Mmm... that's smooth." Medicinal, indeed.

- OK with Gay Marriage. Libertarians want as little control on moral as well as finanical behavior, so they profess no problems with gay marriage. I just got caught on the Badnarik platform about gays that he makes the pledge: "AIDS patients should be able to choose for themselves to use experimental medications or marijuana without interference from the FDA or DEA." AIDS and marijuana on the "Gays" page? Oh boy...

Criticims include the distinct possibility that you'd never would've known Libertarians existed had you not read this right now. Also, it's tough to say Badnarik exudes confidence, recalling this story from his acceptance speech at the 2004 Libertarian National Convention:

So I went back to Austin and I called a friend of mine and the first thing out of his mouth was, "We want you to run for president." And I said, "Of what?" He said, "Of the United States." And I said, "What have you been smoking?" I really thought they were kidding and didn't understand why they thought I should be out here representing the party.

For more information, check out:
The Libertarian Party
Badnarik/Campagna '04 for President
World's Smallest Political Quiz

Why You Should Vote: Socialist

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines socialism as "any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods."

The Urban Dictionary defines a socialist as "Lasy types (often soap-dodgers) who think that more successful people must have got their money by subterfuge and therefore owe them a living. Often think that the dole is a valid career choice."

(Criticize the Urban Dictionary's credentials all you want, but once you read about the Philly Fake Out, you'll change your tune.)

Needless to say, the 78-year old Socialist Party Presidential Candidate Walt Brown has his work cut out for him. On the polls in a meager 8 states, repesenting a lowly 98 electoral votes, things look bleak. Despite essentially needing an election catastrophe the likes of which we'll never see, Brown, along with his 69-year old female running mate, Mary Alice Herbert (whose greatest claim to date is running against Howard Dean in the 1996 Vermont Gubernatorial Election), plow on.

So why vote Socialist?

- Change. Brown's platform introduces socialism as a method to "new social and economic order in which workers and consumers control production and community residents control their neighborhoods, homes, and schools." A revolution by the people, for the people, and of the people can bring about this change, as the platform states "By revolution we mean a radical and fundamental change in the structure and quality of economic, political, and personal relations. The building of socialism requires widespread understanding and participation, and will not be achieved by an elite working "on behalf of" the people."

- Strong defense of civil liberties. This includes calling for "the abolition of the covert operations of the Central Intelligence Agency and of the political activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation" as well as opposing "so-called anti-terrorist measures and criminal code reforms that restrict legitimate dissent." Brown pledges to expand "community release programs and other alternatives to prisons, and for a moratorium on new prison construction." Also included is legalization of drugs, calling for "the decriminalization of victimless crimes including substance abuse, and the decriminalization of marijuana." On gay marriage, Brown calls for "the repeal of all sodomy laws and anti-lesbian and gay restrictions, and the legalization of same-sex unions or marriages." Also worth mentioning that they support "children’s allowances in order to satisfy every child’s basic rights and needs in a stimulating, empowering, and caring environment."

- Against the War. Brown calls for "the United States to immediately and unconditionally withdraw its forces in Iraq and Afghanistan." Also, Brown calls for cuts in military spending, requesting "an immediate cut of 50% in the military budget, followed by additional cuts, with the aim of rapidly reducing the military budget to less than 10% of its current level, with the “peace dividend” directed to essential social services and to the cost of cleaning up contaminated military sites."

- Pro-Unions. A Socialist in favor of unions? Get out of here.

- Universal Health Care.

- Pro-Choice. This includes "one year’s paid leave to be shared by new parents or in its entirety by a single parent" and a repeal of the Hyde Amendment.

Criticisms of socialism reach far back, and essentially criticize a lack of incentives and a creation of a welfare state. Just read the Urban Dictionary definition of socialist again. Many feel a socialist state would eliminate rewards for efficency and instead maintain mediocrity with no incentives to improve. The government would give you your house, and you wouldn't worry about pay rates, which essentially refutes the Puritian ethic of hard work and reaping the benefits of that work that this country masks as "the American way."

For more info, check out:
Socialist Party USA
Walt Brown for President
The World Socialist Movement
For the young'ns: Young People's Socialist League

The Final Countdown...

7 days until Election Day. Should be groovy.

In fairness, P-Diddy has inspired me. So, over the next few days, I'll present to you the prime candidates and why you should vote for them. Why you should be informed about your candidates, so that you may vote wisely.

Why would I waste my time when I don't live in a swing state and will presumably vote for John Kerry?


Because P-Diddy would've wanted it that way.

Or, let them eat cake...

P-Diddy has been pressing the American public hard, encouraging them to vote or die trying. Cited as an organization dedicated "to make voting hot, sexy and relevant to a generation that hasn't reached full participation in the political process," P-Diddy's organization enlists the help of prominent contemporary figures to mobilize the youth as well as providing inside access to the inner workings of the US government so that you might make an informed decision.

Well, kudos to you, P-Diddy. I can think of no better non-partisan way to get people to the polls next Tuesday. Keep on keepin' on...

We now return to your regularly scheduled programming...

No blog this weekend. Just a warm, happy feeling.

If the Red Sox win the World Series, I guess the terrorists truly have won...

Like everybody in the New York Yankee organization, Joe Torre passed the buck on the most humiliating defeat in franchise history, stating, "There's nothing I'd re-do, with the information we had at the time."

Perhaps if he had listened to his advisors beforehand, including reports of operatives working in the United States, poor preparation of domestic forces, and an August memo entitled, "David Ortiz determined to attack inside Yankee Stadium," maybe all of the embarassment could've been averted.

Do you really want four more years of this?

So, let's drink, drink, this town is so gray...

Well, I guess there is truth to the claim that there ain't no party like an East Coast party cause an East Coast party don't stop...

I mean, sure, give a city of college students alcohol and they're going to act like college students. You can't ban it because of that, though.

Besides, what if some good could come of it?

Hell freezes over (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Sell Out...)

I sold out.

I swore I wouldn't, but I did.

I've joined the legions of the bored and started my own blog.

And I've been rationalizing this to myself for a while now... and this is the best I could do for my reasons why I should do this.

1) If you want to write, then write.
2) People are genuinely concerned about your day-to-day existence,
3) People mostly stare blankly at the computer screen anyway. Now, they stare at the screen which hosts your thoughts regarding you staring blankly at the screen.
4) You need a better excuse to act pretentious than your affinity for jazz music.
5) Or lesbian pornography.
6) You've been looking for an excuse to profess your love to rapper Fabolous, and now you have an opportunity.
7) The internet is closer than the Moon, and tastier than Kansas.

So here goes.... embarking on this new quest across this vast frontier filled with pop-up ads, pornography, and pop culture references by and for 16 year old girls. For realz!!! LOL OMG!

So bear with me. And buckle up... this could be a bumpy ride...