I am really not sure what to do now, Turd Blossom and I agree on something
I think its really spooky and could just be a Halloween trick, but I just watched a video that relates to another post about Sarah Palin going over the edge and I was making all kinds of bullet points that help prove my point when I saw it.
Karl Rove agreed with me. At 2:23 it happens. He says sure it might be a good tactic but its way too late in the process to try to Obama’s ‘known associations’ against him now. I’m in a state of shock and denial.
Oh yeah, and that latest known associate Palin tried to turn into a rally point? McCain helped fund an organization for which Khalidi was a (known) founder. I wonder if someone forgot to tell her or she just thought it was good to get Obama’s known relationship out there. That again goes to my point to stick to the talking point this late in the game.
For reference on McCain’s known involvement with this questionable person of interest, check out the group, on which McCain sat on the Board of Directors, The International Republican Institute’s financial statement, page 14, line item West Bank, CPRS. Yes, that is over $400,000 given to that group.
Michael Vick, who will sign him when he’s released?
A judge has denied Vick’s guilty plea to be done via video conferencing, what a shame. I guess the poor soul will have to actually APPEAR before the judge like us normal folk do, ahee ahee.
The way things are going, he may reach a plea deal here soon which allows him to spend the final six months of his sentence in a halfway house. Face it dog lovers, he ain’t no Dog Whisperer but he’ll be playing football here soon, it’s a no brainer.
But who cares about that…please let us know which sad NFL team you think will sign this pathetic excuse for a player once he’s released.
Lions? Chiefs? Seahawks?
Did you hear the one about how the rich are educated and the poor are not?
Stop the insanity, and demand education!
I do not remember how the whole joke goes, but it ends with the poor uneducated person being taken advantage of, and the rich better-educated person laughing all the way to the bank. It is a real hoot. The problem with any good joke is there has to be a grain of reality for it to resonate with the audience, and this one has more than a grain it has the entire wheat plant and the stems.
Education should be the number one cause in America. Education should be the first thing voters demand reform for, and it should be the primary reason they cast their vote for a candidate. Education is the foundation for which all of the good in America is created, and the lack of education is the foundation for all of the bad. This may seem like a simplistic view, but I believe with all my heart that it is not simplistic, but rather just that simple.
Starting today “We The People” should demand education reform from the highest offices to the council members of our towns and cities. We must demand that testing not be the priority, but rather the real and comprehensive knowledge of subject matter should be the objective. Most children can be programmed to answer yes or no questions, and to fake it until they make it, but not all children are made alike and therefore they should not be tested the same way.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but little Johnny may not have the same capacity to learn as little Matthew, so it is unfair to insist that Johnny be educated in the same manner as Matthew. I do not want to create a Brave New World type of culture, but I do think it is time that we realize that real change takes multiple generations to materialize, and although it is unfortunate that little Johnny will most likely not be a world leader or a titan of commerce, it is encouraging to think that little Johnny’s children will have a shot at these accomplishments, as opposed to the current trend in society which is little Johnny’s kids will more than likely be cast in the same stone as the now big Johnny and the whole cycle will repeat itself.
Let me try and paint a picture of just how strongly I agree with myself. I am actively involved in every aspect of my child’s life. I spend countless hours making certain my son is provided every advantage a child with 30x his means has. In fact I have dedicated my life to making sure my son is educated and well rounded, certainly more educated and well rounded than I am. I make that statement so you understand my son will have advantages that most children will not. I further make that statement so you realize I have in essence sacrificed my life and lifestyle to insure he skips a generation of hardness, because based on the current system that is the sacrifice I need to make in order to get him and his children one or two rungs above where they should be. I have come to this belief through sure will and determination. I forced myself to take on careers that were well outside of my social and economic boundaries, because I had the great fortune of attending great public schools as a child, and interacting with children who were by all accounts destined for greatness. I saw children growing up whose parents made the same sacrifices I am making to give their children the “upper hand”, and I was enlightened enough to learn from their example.
Our probable future President also benefited from this belief. Barack Obama was put on a path for greatness through his foundation in education. Whether it was his Grandmother’s desire for him to excel in secondary education, or his accomplishments at Harvard that distinguish him from other never-do-wells is unclear, but one indisputable fact is that his education makes him viable for his current role, and without Harvard or an equally stellar educational background behind him, he would simply be Barry from Chicago who needs to focus on his daughters chances to succeed, because his journey would be over before it started.
I am going to draw this post to a close for now, but I will continue with my beliefs on education in the future. It is a passion of mine, and I hope in some subtle way my passion could grow through you all, and who knows, maybe one day the United States will lead the way in education.
Stairway to nowhere…a Plantless Zeppelin reunion?
With their alcohol induced history dating back to the late 1960’s, the London based classic rock quartet are not riding motorcycles down hotel hallways anymore, but they are minus a lead singer. Led Zeppelin, who’s name is rumored to have been coined by Who drummer Keith Moon’s comments regarding the success of the band floating over like one, have been toying with the media since early summer in regards to a potential reunion tour. This is fresh off the heels of a well received London concert last winter. What is even more nuts is that god knows how many eager fans tried to get tickets for this juggernaut performance only to fail and end up watching fuzzy, distorted snippets of it on the web.
Well, all you basement bongers and tie dye ruffians, you can kiss your favorite curly haired rock screamer goodbye. It has been once again announced…ahem…excuse me…confirmed…(whatever) that Robert Plant is not on board for the lead singing duties as the Zep prepares for a world tour in 2009. To make matters even more comical, and this is comical, the remaining or often referred to as “surviving” members (must be an age thing) are actively pursuing a replacement singer for Plant. (Oh Steve Perry…where art thou?) Give it a rest guys…
There could be a hidden message underneath all of this, and that would be that we all buy into this madness. The madness being the music biz and its ability to use name recognition to seduce millions of fans to throw money at something that they really can’t afford to begin with. I don’t know if it’s worth the hard earned loot to ride this 70’s wave considering a major puzzle piece is missing here. Would you settle for a peanut butter and guacamole sandwich? Spaghetti and chocolate balls? Peter Paul and Maggie? Hall and Olsen? We’ve seen this done before and it’s fallen flat on its black, leatherpanted rump (i.e. Journey, Van Halen w/ Gary Cherone). Okay…well maybe AC/DC is the exception.
Keep the sanctity of this prized classic rock band intact and please don’t set out on the road with a watered down version.
History lessons, well kind of
I love history – I love learning about it, reading about and it and I really like talking about it. I’ve run across some history GOLD with these videos. I’ll include one every few days or so, for our learning pleasure.
Overview: apparently someone is getting college History majors drunk, and then asking them to re-tell an event from history. They are then taking these history lessons taught by the drunk history majors and then hiring actors to re-enact the fabulous stories and then for our viewing and learning pleasure, making them available to the masses.
Enjoy. (warning, this has some NSFW and NSFK language and its mostly ‘mature’ content)
Grasping at straws or going down swinging?
Over the course of this week, I have read several articles that describe the Republican candidate for Vice President as ‘going rogue’, ‘going off topic’, or ‘pushing her own agenda’. I’ve read many of these reports and perhaps because I’ve never seen one her stump speeches in its entirety, I’ve fallen victim to the media’s ability to provide selective reporting, but I’ve been given the impression that Mrs. Palin is pushing the envelope on maturity.
Today she accused Obama of having ties to an extremist professor who she says was a high-ranking PLO spokesperson. Her quote:
“It seems that there is yet another radical professor from the neighborhood who spent a lot of time with Barack Obama going back several years,” Palin said at an event in Bowling Green, Ohio.
“This is important because his associate, Rashid Khalidi … in addition to being a political ally of Barack Obama, he’s a former spokesperson for the Palestinian Liberation Organization.”
From CNN’s FactCheck: The Verdict: Misleading. While Khalidi eight years ago hosted a political fund-raiser for Obama, the two men strongly disagree over the Israeli-Palestinian issue and there’s no evidence of a continuing political relationship.
Of course we all remember a few weeks ago, she brought up Obama’s acquaintance William Ayers, claiming that he ‘pals around with known terrorists’.
She seems to be choosing some pretty strong language to get across a moot point. Being this late in the campaign process, spouting off these types of not-even-half-truths, to me, seems less of an educational ’so you know’ discussion and more of a ten year old’s approach when caught doing bad. “Oh yeah!? Well he hangs out with the bad kids!” Give us some credit, please. We’ve just endured YEARS of campaign rhetoric from both parties really going at their own during the primaries, and now here we are in the homestretch – we’re over the childish tactics. The undecided voters need to hear how her team is going to be better than the other guys and she’s surely not giving them that.
These seem to be such cheap, unvetted thoughts that, in my opinion are taking away any credibility she had earned through her short time on the campaign. I’m afraid she’s hurting herself, maybe not so much crying wolf, but just plain distracted. From the quotes being given to the news outlets, many of the McCain campaign staffers are not happy with the way she has been going off topic and getting fast and loose with the talking points.
I understand that she has to play the politics, but I think she would do her campaign more good by sticking to her team of Mavericks and keeping her hockey team inline.
Joe, please go back to being a plumber
Our favorite champion for the upper class who is not actually in the upper class, Joe the Plumber, is at it again, putting a new meaning into the term “stumping”.
As if we didn’t see this coming, Joe now campaigns for John McCain, basing his fame on what seems to be a delusion (remember, he makes considerably less than the $250,000 he was worried about being taxed -Side note: Mr. Joe would be better off under Obama’s proposed economic plan, but I digress) and is squeezing every second out of his 15 minutes of fame to now dip into International Relations.
When asked by a McCain supporter (why are these guys asking for each others’ opinions?) if a vote for Obama is a vote for the death of Israel, he responded – and I kid you not – “I’ll go ahead and agree with you on that.” (reported by the AP)
Of course he couldn’t elaborate on how this would come about since Obama has clearly said his stance on Israel’s security is “nonnegotiable”, which means pretty much the opposite of Mr. The Plumber’s interpretation. Even Fox news anchor Shepard Smith had to call him out and point out how ridiculous he sounded. The discussion was full of back-peddling on Joe’s part, telling Smith, that he doesn’t really know the facts behind these issues, but if the viewers want to know what they are, they should look them up for themselves.
Suggestion to you Joe Six Pack: listen to the campaign briefers and stick to their talking points, or go back to being a plumber. Distorting the facts is one thing, but now you’re just making yourself look like an ignorant bully who is picking fights just for the sake of argument. Remember the old saying, “better to keep your shut and let people think you a fool, rather than open you mouth and remove all doubt.”
I wonder which one wants to spread the wealth?
For an even bigger giggle, read his insight on how Obama = Marx. Its precious. (do you think he knows which of the Marx brothers Karl was?) In a nutshell he said, “I love America. I hope it remains a democracy, not a Socialist society. … If you look at spreading the wealth, that’s honestly right out of Karl Marx’s mouth.” (Joe Biden’s response)
What have we learned, Joe:
1. Before we spout off our own interpretation of (ANY) policy, let’s a) find Israel on the map 2) look up both the candidate we like and the other guy’s policy on Israel c) ask what that means d) don’t take foreign policy questions
2. Review terms a) democracy and 2) socialism. Understand the difference between the two (and maybe review both candidates’ proposed economic policy while we’re at it)
3. If you realize you might have said something outside your comfort zone, go to www.google.com, do a search on the unfamiliar terms and be a little prepared for your next national news interview.
4. If you get asked a question that is not within your wheelhouse, take a page from Sarah Palin’s playbook and redirect. Try this: “Before I answer that question, I would really like to emphasize that I’m a Maverick, and I’m joining a team of Mavericks. Together, we’ll zig while everyone thinks we’re gonna zag…” Then run away like Phoebe in ‘Friends’.
Republicans for Common Sense Gun Control
OK, due to the recent posts by my colleagues on this topic I felt the need to reply. The title of this post is my name for a group that I have wanted to start for a long time.
We all know that the National Rifle Association (NRA) holds a special and powerful place within the Republican party.
As a Republican, my views on this issue stop short of the proposal posted on this site to ban all weapons that fire a projectile.
But, I largely agree with the sentiment expressed that the founders did not comprehend the notion of automatic weapons, certain types of ammunition, etc.
Possession of small arms by individuals in no way protects our rights. The ballot box is the only effective means of protecting our rights. Against a modern military no useful purpose outside legitimate sporting and self defense requirements is served by individual possession of firearms. Small arms do not prevent tyranny.
In fact, any reasonable cost / benefit analysis of the issue will prove the point that for every crime stopped by an individual with a handgun, many more are committed with them by those more willing to use them – criminals.
Now, an outright ban on guns is not going to happen in this country in my life time (which I hope is at least 30 more years!). Also, I am not sure that I am supportive of eliminating legitimate sporting uses. I am not a hunter, but I do enjoy shooting skeet and trap from time to time.
I do think the mass shootings and crime statistics however compel us as a nation to deal with this issue.
I think that when they think about it (”they” being the average person and “when” being after the immediate economic crisis is over and we as a nation can think about issues such as this again) most people would agree on the following as a starting point:
1) Automatic and semi-automatic weapons (along with ammunition specifically designed for killing human beings) should be banned completely. This includes assault-type rifles and handguns;
2) Shotguns, hunting rifles (bolt and lever action) and revolver type handguns should continue to be permitted but only with strict training requirements, serious penalties for committing a crime with such weapon and the provision that anyone who has ever been convicted of a violent crime will immediately be deemed to have committed a parole violation if caught in possession of such a weapon and required to serve out the full term of their sentence.
With respect to revolving handguns, these would further be restricted to certain individuals who can demonstrate a need for such a weapon (certain private security guards, perhaps individuals living in remote rural locations, etc).
From a political standpoint, I think the issue of gun control is one which will increasingly alienate the swing voter in this country who decides elections.
I think that while the NRA may be of some importance to securing the nomination of the party, the extreme positions supported by it will also serve to marginalize the Republican party in national elections.
This will be a tough issue for the Republican party to address internally, although, they are going to have the time to do it starting a week from today.
Sheldon Adelson lost $16.7 Billion his life style will not change, how about yours
Damn it feels good to be a gansta
ABC news reports that Sheldon Adelson lost $16.7 BILLION dollars betting on his ability to run a casino giant – http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=6121043&page=1 – unfortunately he was partially wrong. You see it turns out the downturn in the economy has cost Sheldon over $16 billion in losses as his stock LVS has plummeted from a 52-week high of $148.76 to, most recently, below $5. The most interesting factoid about the drastic lost in net worth is how much he has left. You see Sheldon still has a net worth of over $11 billion dollars. That’s right. He lost $16 BILLION and he still has $11 BILLION, so we are not going to cry for him. In fact he is not even crying for himself. Sheldon told the Associated Press that it has not changed his lifestyle, which is really saying something for a man who is known for buying expensive clothes, art and building billion dollar casinos.
Sheldon told The Associated Press that it “hasn’t changed my lifestyle.”
The story is not so delightful though for the working class folks whose primary savings and retirement money is in mutual funds. The list below provides the names and positions of the major mutual fund holders in LVS. You may want to check your financial statements and see if the LVS drop has affected you.
Owners of these funds have lost
Click here for part II of the story.
Thank you for running us into the ground, here is $350,000 for your efforts
Stay away from my nuts
I was watching the Today show this morning, hoping Al Roker would provide me with another silly anecdote for me to regurgitate and use as my own this morning to crack up my coworkers. I’m sitting there on the couch, drinking my Folgers (Starbucks is way too expensive now!) and there was Tom Costello from CNBC enlightening Matt Lauer on the latest news from Wall Street. Well, let’s just say now I have to get Scotch Guard for my couch because when I heard this little snipet, I lurched and burned my leg with my hot java and sloshed a good amount on my sofa.
These financial institutions which are on the receiving end of the monumental bailout package being doled out this week have set aside the funds to pay bonuses to their employees. We’re not talking about jelly of the month club memberships (although it IS the gift that keeps on giving, Clark) we’re talking about BILLIONS of dollars earmarked for the very people that mismanaged the companies that need the bailout.
I have a limited understanding of how financial-institution employment agreements work – they get a base salary which is usually enough to provide a decent standard of living and then get performance-based bonuses at the end of the year that usually equal about 60% of their annual income. I really think the key words here should be performance-based, not attendance based. For Goldman Sachs, the average bonus, if they stick to the $6.85 billion they’ve currently aside, will be $210,000. I would also like to note that this is the average, and most likely the employee that NEEDS that bonus will get a very little amount while the higher ups will be rewarded commensurate to their base salary.
Other averages, as reported by Bloomberg:
Goldman Sachs – $210,300 ($6.85b total)
Morgan Stanley – $138,700 ($6.44b total)
Merrill – $110,000 ($6.6b total)
So, to be more than a simple complainer about this issue, I tried to find some sort of oversight committee that has been put in place to oversee the use of the bailout money. Tried as I might, I couldn’t find it. I found Rep. Barney Frank calling for a bonus moratorium, which I totally support, but I couldn’t find any language that established a committee that would dole out the bailout money in the most appropriate way. I couldn’t even find language that mandates the money be used to lend to consumers, not just inflate a company’s worth.
This bonus payout seems parallel to the AIG Conference at the St. Regis at Monarch Beach. Is this the best way to reward those who were so cavalier with their stewardship of these institutions? I do get that bonuses are a huge source of income, but in this economy, I’m not on board with using taxpayers’ money to reward a failing process.
If I’m missing a big point, please enlighten me.
Heard It In A Bar RSS Feed- Texas – what the hell is wrong with you!? September 3, 2010I’m going to be honest with you, it is going to be very difficult for me to be calm about this. First, we had the Rep. Barton apologizing to BP for the Obama “shakedown”. Even his own party rolled their eyes and popped their Tums. I was up in arms over this and even got [...] […]She
- Lost is over and I actually miss it… September 3, 2010Six years of roller coaster loop de’ loops, dozens of undeveloped characters, and a story line that was as easy to follow as a chicken in a barnyard. If you didn’t watch Lost, you missed a show which challenged the fan to no end. Season after season of questions, theories, hypotheses’, cliff hanging plots, and a [...] […]kansasview
- Teetering on the edge…how does Bret Michaels do it? September 3, 2010I have to give Bret Michaels credit, he has battled a life of disease and he keeps bouncing back. At the age of six, he was diagonosed with Type I diabetes and has struggled to maintain his health all the while becoming an 80’s glam metal rock god, a history of hard hard partying, and what [...] […]kansasview
- A softball player who just happens to know the law, sign her up… September 3, 2010Does this woman really matter to you? If you look deep into the background of a possible supreme court justice, do you want actual bench experience or do you prefer someone who knows the law and has written a few hundred papers on well…the law? Princeton graduate, Harvard Law Dean,…on the surface at least Elena Kagan [...] […]kansasview
- When it rains for Tiger, it pours… September 3, 2010The muscle of this man has shrunk and shows more sign of atrophy as each new story surfaces. This blog did a pretty good job of leaving Tiger alone and I have to say after the recent events, I still stick to that credo. The bomb of the last couple months has dropped, the shrapnel has [...] […]kansasview
- Where have we been? September 3, 2010Well, a few good men and an even better woman started the idea of this blog and we owe it to someone to unspill the contents of our head, or at least mine. The time has come to once again say all the things I want to say and it’s an invitation for you as well! It’s [...] […]kansasview
- Brittany Murphy’s death is troubling September 3, 2010Not that it’s another tragic celebrity death, not that it’s another young life taken so early…these are all troubling and sad in their own right. It’s another tragic case of someone getting caught up in the web of drugs…the legal type! It truly saddens me that so many of these stars seek out more and more prescription [...] […]kansasview
- Internet fun for the weekend… September 3, 2010By far one of my favorite websites of late is called GraphJam.com. Essentially, the website attempts to break down the world and how we interact with it in a series of graphs. It is hilarious when you see how the world around us can be so easily summed up in a pie or bar chart. [...] […]kansasview
- So why are more companies not yet hiring? September 3, 2010U.S. Workers are still filing a large amount of unemployment claims and this is after five weeks of declines in this area. Where are the culprits and which industries are still hurting? It’s apparent as we have seen over the last year is that a gradual stabilization of the economy does not naturally translate to a increase [...] […]kansasview
- Facebook is down…Facebook is down…5:42 (cst) September 3, 2010This website is not a help desk for Facebook but it’s a civic duty to keep the American public aware of all possible natural disasters!! Facebook is down! Facebook is down! Don’t toss your Iphone in the river or hurl it at your wife and complain that it doesn’t work worth a s***. Here is the current [...] […]kansasview
- Texas – what the hell is wrong with you!? September 3, 2010
