One Last 'Blame Bush'

Ever since GW Bush was elected as President of the USA, things have been falling apart. The environment has been especially hit hard. If you don't already know, the global mean temperature has been declining since 1999, and this year the impact is finally being realized. In Canada, 200 whales have been trapped in the Arctic sea ice because it froze at an unforeseen rates in October due to record low temperatures around the world (even James Hansen's GISS had to admit its numbers for October were wrong (that' because they cut and pasted September numbers to October)). The whales will be slaughtered and it is all Bush's fault. If he would have signed onto Kyoto, this would have been averted! The signers of Kyoto have been expading CO2 output faster than the USA and if the US had toed-the-line and increased its CO2 output the whales would be swimming south instead of feeding families in Canada.

What?! Don't they know any better?!

Last night Mac and I went with friends to go see Quantum of Silence the latest installment of the new 007 series. As we were driving home we saw something that made me seriously wonder about the sanity of some drivers. While on I-295 we saw a car in the left hand shoulder up ahead of us shooting off sparks from the driver's front tire. Initially I thought that perhaps they had hit the barrier. Then without warning (or signaling!) the car shot across the highway (luckily at 11:30pm there was very little traffic) towards the exit ramp. They swerved around a car that was parked on the shoulder and continued to drive down the exit ramp -- shooting off sparks all the time. Initially it looked like the car was riding on its rims. But as we passed the car we realized the driver must have removed the front tire -- there was no tire, no inner tube, no rim ... no tire -- and then continued to drive the car. Ummm can we say unsafe?? I think that the tow truck fees would be less costly than all the damage that woman did to her car by driving it without a wheel. But who am I to judge?

TheThing the Electorate Knows

Now that the media has admitted it was favorably reporting for Obama in the election, John Ziegler is attempting to find out just how much impact media bias had for Obama. Using the Zogby Polling firm, a bunch of people were asked some question concerning politics and politicians. Some of the results are as follows.

When asked which candidate said they could "see Russia from their house," 87% chose Palin, although the quote actually is attributed to Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey during her portrayal of Palin during the campaign

Nearly half (47%) did not know that Biden was the one who predicted Obama would be tested by a generated international crisis during his first six months as President.

Interesting. An SNL joke is mistaken for fact and a no-kidding real-life potential situation is unknown by the majority. Or, a non-gaffe is attributed to the person who said no such thing and a real gaffe is shrugged off. Another example.

[94%] of Obama voters correctly identified Palin as the candidate with a pregnant teenage daughter.


57% of Obama voters were unable to correctly answer that Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate.

Wow, that is either a condemnation of a voyeuristic country or a round indictment of what the media feeds people as important to making a p0litical decision. I find it uncomfortable how much people know about Palin and how little they know about Obama and Biden due to media coverage. Watch as Tom Brokaw and Charlie Rose attempt a little CYA on media bias. To his credit, I think Brokaw saw this coming for the past year. He was instrumental in having Olbermann relieved of anchor duties as MSNBC. But, the damage has been done.

Is Atlas Shrugging?

State budgets are suffering. Many of the most progressive states in the Union are burdened by huge budget deficits this year. The question is based on Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged, the thesis of which is the wealthy who support most of the weight of society's expenses will one day 'shrug' the weight of the world from their back. The idea is that there is a breaking point where the demands far exceed the gratitude. I wonder if this is a back door version of the author's premise? The rich are not actively shrugging, but because our republic has tethered the majority of its financial burden to the wealthy, is it appropriate to relying on the rich getting richer to pay the government's bills? Heaven knows, we sure do tear down 'the rich' during political debate while we rely upon their largess to fund government. Indeed, asking 5% of the population to pay 50% of the taxes is a recipe for disaster in an economic slowdown.

I don't agree with Rand's overall thesis, but perhaps she swerved into something. I am probably wrong in my question because of my limited research in past economic slowdowns, but I do know that the tax burden has been steadily transferred to the 'wealthy' over the past 20 years.

Disturbing News

This from BC Canada, close to where I lived and real close to where Melissa lived.

This from Michigan. I wonder how violence and intimidation are soft peddled as 'action'. Sounds like fascistic bullying to me.

Double Standard

The left is demanding post-partisanship from the right now that a Democrat will be President. Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh is being roundly criticized for his comments about the new President Elect. It has even made the news in Canada! Whilst I disagree with the sentiment, some research has shown that Limbaugh was quoting Bill Clinton when calling Obama a Chicago thug. When Limbaugh stirs the pot, there is a reason. Now, I don't remember the outrage at Clinton. Indeed I don't remember the outrage at all the agitprop with side by side of Bush and Hitler. Thanks to Newsbusters, Joy Behar represents the face of hypocrisy:

"View" co-host Joy Behar seems to have trouble seeing her own hypocrisy when issuing condemnations of other individual’s comments. On the November 10 edition, Behar objected to Rush Limbaugh, whom she baselessly labeled a "terrorist," labeling Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel "thugs." After Barbara Walters promised to question Rush on that issue in an upcoming interview, Behar exclaimed "he needs to apologize."

Joy Behar, under her own standards, ought to issue several apologies. Beyond the Rush Limbaugh "terrorist" smear, Behar also made such outrageous charges as labeling the Bush administration "liars and murderers," accused Republican presidential candidates of attending "Klan meetings," and called former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld a "Hitler type."

History

I have seen something that I will never forget. America, the country that continues to lead the rest of the western world in what it means to truly reflect freedom and equality, has just elected as its leader a minority, a black man who 50 years ago held little hope for any sort of equality. I am proud of what America has stood for, and I believe that the fundamentals of American governance has allowed for today's historic outcome. As a conservative, I can truly stand upon the rule of law and the principles of opportunity and freedom that have given this great country the admiration of the world.

My wife has informed me that I must clarify this next paragraph. First, I hold out a Utopian dream that the likes of Daily K_s, Guardian UK, Der Speigel, and Le Figaro writers come to read my posts to understand the pulse of America. I know it's silly, but I'm unemployed and need my fantasies. Second, I believe the cartoonish stereotyping by these publications tries to break down civil discourse and foment hate. Finally, I hope the right wing fringe will heed the critique and be as classy as McCain was in his concession speech.

To the detractors of this country, both internal and external, I would like to say that your assessments are wrong. As you hunker down in your bigotries, the wind of freedom blows strong and unhindered regardless of your slanders. You have proven yourselves to be empty cans, and your rattle has become annoying. Your hubris has been tolerated with grace; it is now your responsibility to recognize reality. I hope you are mature enough so to do.

I may disagree with many aspects of President Elect Obama's politics, but I am proud to be living in the USA today. Barack Obama is my president (elect).

All Eyes on PA, FL, and OH

If Pennsylvania goes McCain, that would be the story of this campaign. I think Florida and Ohio have broken for McCain. Virginia is also a question, but the trend is for McCain. Obama's desire to Bankrupt the coal industry may be the issue the turns Pennsylvania red.