I enjoyed this with every smug bone in my body…
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Sour Gropes | ||||
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Stewart’s Awesomely Smug Beck Beatdown
March 11th, 2010The Republican Candy Store
March 2nd, 2010While Republicans may tout their strength on matters of military protection and protecting our freedoms, I’ve never seen a more hypocritical movement. If they were really going to protect freedom for Americans, wouldn’t they, hands down, want to protect gay rights? If they wanted to forge a path for everyday citizens to reap the benefits of a free-market society, wouldn’t they be first in line to make sure that those citizens weren’t being abused by profiteering corporate thugs? If they were so interested in deficit reduction, wouldn’t they recognize that unpaid for tax breaks for the wealthiest 10% of Americans would be a terrible idea?
It must be so easy to rail against big government and taxes and effectively kick the serious issues that face this country down the road. Anyone could win if they promised over and over again to give you all the candy that you wanted for free. It’s an affliction that seems to be quintessentially American. “If I want to eat as much as I want, I will, and no one but me will suffer…me and the tax payers that will end up paying for my Medicare bills when I’m bed ridden with heart disease. If I want to drive the biggest car I can and I will, no matter the origin of the oil that fuels it and the inability to provide that fuel for myself.” Aren’t Republicans all about self-reliance? If so, wouldn’t it figure that energy bills that help to make America more self-reliant would be a great thing? Or are corporate profits more important than the difficult task of building a strong country with a sustainable healthcare system, a self-reliant energy grid, a military and inclusive social fabric.
That is unless they really don’t believe the things that their entire platform is built on. It seems to me that there are many smart people in the Republican party. Smart enough to recognize that most people are sheep and are easily manipulated. It takes a true coward to twist trusting people’s thoughts and feelings into passionate ignorance. It takes real guts to make the hard decisions that are absolutely necessary for a sustainable future. We’re a very myopic bunch. We want what we want and we’re used to getting what we want at the speed of light. That’s why the idea of less taxes makes us shake with anticipation, but also keeps us from the reality that huge, unnecessary wars, tax cuts that wipe out revenues, out-of-control military spending, a failing healthcare system all begin to take their toll on American education, economy and security. I’d be willing to bet if Republicans had not done some of the unsustainable things that they’ve done over the last 30 years, we’d not be being strangled by a powerful and ever-growing China.
Why take on the tough decisions when it’s easier to rot America’s teeth slowly with loads and loads of candy that tastes great but, in the long run, leave you sucking on a straw and licking the wounds your once powerful self.
Do you KNOW “The Pledge of Allegiance”?
February 24th, 2010I recently saw a bumper sticker that said “One Nation. UNDER GOD!” It got me thinking. Who wrote that anyway? I didn’t remember that being among the founding father’s collection of country birthing texts so I did a simple search. Yahoo Answers had an interesting blurb about it. We all grew up saying it, but I doubt many of us even knew why and who wrote it. The answer may be a bit disheartening to the folks crying themselves to sleep over socialism’s great takeover of America…
| Dear Yahoo!: |
| Who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance and when was it written? |
| David |
| Dear David: |
| The Baptist Minister Francis Bellamy wrote the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892. He was forced to leave his Boston church the previous year because of the socialist bent of his sermons. (He shared the political sentiments of his first cousin, Edward Bellamy, who wrote two socialist utopian novels, Looking Backward and Equality.) Francis Bellamy was later hired by the The Youth’s Companion, a popular family magazine at the time. His writings reflected a Christian Socialist vision of a government-managed economy with “political, social and economic equality for all.”While writing for the journal, he was also on the Massachusetts State Education Board and was charged with organizing the state’s Columbus Day celebrations in 1892. He decided to craft a pledge that school children would say aloud in front of the flag — a pledge that would reflect his socialist beliefs. As published in Youth’s Companion, the first version read, “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Mr. Bellamy considered using the word “equality” as well, but was aware that several members of his education committee were firmly against equal rights for women and African Americans. The phrase “under God,” which was added by President Eisenhower in 1954, would not have met with Mr. Bellamy’s approval. In his later years, Mr. Bellamy stopped attending services, dismayed by the openly racist sentiments of his church. |
Eisenhower’s Military Industrial Complex
February 7th, 2010This video showcasing Eisenhower’s foresight should be studied by all. We’re approaching this moment very quickly.
Uh, oh, the government blows
January 23rd, 2010I understand that a largely held conservative belief is that government is the enemy and should be limited at every turn, but that’s not how I feel. The middle ground would be to recognize that the country is in pain at the moment and needs a government that is truly dedicated to serving the PEOPLE of this country and not increasing the power of the people who just raped us financially and will continue to do so. Read the rest of this entry »
President Joe Exxon
January 21st, 2010Today the Supreme Court overturned a law limiting corporate donations to candidates. Basically this treats corporations, entities that are run by a relatively small board of directors, as individuals. So just as you and I have a single voice and a single paycheck to sway opinion and policy in “our” Senators and Representatives, corporations now have unlimited power to sway them. I wonder who they’ll listen to. Read the rest of this entry »
Afghanistan and US in a Nutshell
December 29th, 2009I mean not to tell the people that read my blog things that they already know and I definitely don’t intend to talk down to those who are nice enough to indulge me. I simply find so many things fascinating, infuriating or downright ridiculous about so many things in our world.
When we were attacked on 9/11, at first I was shocked and saddened. But, secondly I was incredibly intrigued. My naivté on the issues of Muslim fundamentalism led first to anger, but then on a quest to find out why. And why it had all festered in Afghanistan? Over most of the past decade I figured out some fascinating things pertaining to some of the history of America’s involvement in Afghanistan. My abridged understanding is ridiculously surface, but it may just help to understand why we are where we are. Read the rest of this entry »
Happy Holidays!…yep, I said it.
December 23rd, 2009Why healthcare at hyperspeed?
December 21st, 2009If you don’t have concerns over this healthcare bill, check your pulse. While discussing it the other day, I finally conceded that I just didn’t know what was happening. This bill is so complex, and so involved, if you know exactly what’s in it, you’re lying. I’ve been asked by several people recently why this has to rushed through? Why does it have to happen right now? Read the rest of this entry »
Katrina’s Global Warming Fluke
December 18th, 2009
Ha! Isn't this a funny global warming joke?
Just to clear up any misguided cynicism on global warming—just because we still experience snow and cold weather every once and awhile, doesn’t mean climate change isn’t occurring. Incremental increases in temperature raise ocean surface temperatures. This in turn causes unstable weather patterns and glacial melting. This in turn causes disasters like increases in large storm systems (i.e. Katrina and the Indonesian Tsunami) and the droughts that fuel massive wild fires. Read the rest of this entry »