Is Bush an Idiot?

Linda Ronstadt has been quoted as saying that President Bush is, "an idiot. He's enormously incompetent on both the domestic and international scenes." The host of Scarborough Country disagrees. He contends that the President is simply inarticulate. Except when it counts. Like last night's State of the Union.

Did anyone else notice that he didn't stumble once? He seemed almost Presidential. As long as you didn't listen to the bullshit coming out of his mouth. Why is it that he can do so well with this speech when the others are such disasters? Is he playing stupid, or is he, as Ronstadt suggests, actually stupid? OR Will this inarticulate President simply come out some day (as SO MANY others have) and announce (with deep regret) that he had fallen off the wagon sometime during his Presidency and all of his blunders were due to drink? Because, of course, he can't be held accountable for his actions if his thinking was impaired. After all, alcoholism is a disease.

Either way, his public (and more likely his private) gaffes have effected diplomatic relations both here and abroad. No one wants to be seen with our dear leader. Who willingly invites a PR nightmare into their midst? Republicans are jumping ship left and right. And you have to ask yourself, why is this man still President?

3,063 US Soldiers killed in Iraq
23,114 US Soldiers wounded in Iraq

The Seventh Generation

The Iriquoi people believed that with action you must consider it's impact on the next Seven Generations. Every major decision should be made that way. Hell, even the minor ones should be made with the future in mind. Things as small as the kind of laundry and dishwashing detergent you use have huge impacts on the environment immediately around you as well as on the world as a whole. Even if you don't believe in Global Warming (though if you don't, you're insane), you have to know that the oil from your car and the chlorine you put into your pool make it back into the water supply. UPDATE: Tonight on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams the Global Warming claim was put to rest "once and for all" with a statement from the meterologist that we are just in an "El Ninno" weather pattern and it will be getting cold soon. He forgot to mention that even when it does "get cold" temperatures will still be at record highs, the ice shelf will still be melting and polar bears will still be drowning.

Let's think about the impact this war will have on our next seven generations. Our children are watching us. They see how we respond to minor threats, and how we refuse to response to major ones. Are we teaching them anything useful by continuing to fight? What about what we're teaching them by dismissing corruption in our government with the phrase, "Everyone's doing it." Would we accept that kind of excuse from our children? Our mission in 2007 is to ensure that at the end of it our children are better off than they were at the start of it. What are YOU going to do?

If you are an American Soldier and you want to register as a Conscientious Objector, visit Peace-Out before you end up like one of these people:

3,004 US Soldiers killed in Iraq - How has the loss of their lives helped our country?
22,565 US Soldiers wounded - How will the cost of their care effect our children?

What's Your Number?

If you have traveled internationally lately, you have a number you don't know about. It was assigned to you by federal agents and the ATS (Automated Targeting System) based on your in-flight meal, seat preference, where you're from, your motor vehicle records, and other factors. This number is designed to give airport security an at-a-glance view of who they should be watching, frisking, denying the right to travel, etc... But don't worry - privacy advocates are on it, just like they were on the Patriot Act and the mandatory fingerprinting at Disney. Secure Flight, a similar program designed for domestic travel, has been banned by the courts until it can be proven that it is accurate and private. These numbers are not made available to the people they're assigned to, nor is there any way to know whether you have been assigned one at all.

We are quietly losing our civil liberties and no one seems to care. People just allow these things to happen without question, though President Bush and his Administration have used every trick in the book to make these things happen without arousing any suspicion from the public. Is anyone watching? Why isn't the media calling attention to these things? Why aren't more people calling for impeachment? The more I watch the news, the more I see a clear conservative bias. The liberal media is dead - if it ever existed at all.

2,888 US Soldiers dead
21,921 US Soldiers wounded

Your Best Weapon

In our consumerist society money is the best weapon you have against whatever it is you have chosen to fight. People tend not to use it because of the convenience. Who cares if Wal-Mart is exploiting its workers? As long as they have low prices, people will continue to shop there. Well, not I! In America your money is an extention of who you are. Marketing companies figured out years ago that what you buy says a lot about your lifestyle. What the majority of Americans haven't figured out yet is that where you shop is equally as important. If a corporation you give money to, even through purchases, supports a particular cause, you are giving money to that cause whether you agree with it or not. Unfortunately, many Americans are too lazy to research these companies and decide how comfortable they are about buying clothes that were made in a 3rd world sweat shop or food that has so many antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides in it that the flavor has to be replaced with artificial substances.

Even if you don't have the time or patience to only patronize establishments that support all of your pet causes, you CAN choose one or two that are most important. If you support domestic partnerships for homosexuals, don't buy gas from Exxon or contribute to the Salvation Army. If you are anti-Mormon, stay away from your local Albertsons or ACME, and keep your son home from Boy Scouts. If you support independent artists, step away from the Jessica Simpson CD and buy your music online. If you think not enough people are speaking up or speaking out, make sure you buy tickets to see political comics, buy books by authors who are trying to tell the truth, and get your news online.

Donate to THIS cause because:
2,879 US Soldiers have been killed in Iraq
21,778 US Soldiers have been wounded in Iraq

Who Won?

I originally started this blog because I was fed up with the Republican Administration and I needed an outlet for my anger and frustration. Over the past two years I have learned that the Republicans and Democrats are not all that different. This election day I was disappointed to find that I was right. The American people elected Democrats who are opposed to gay marriage, who are anti-abortion, etc... Even Tom DeLay agrees that the Democrats didn't win, the Republicans lost. Democrats are really just govern with a more sensitive imperialism, but there were some "wins" for those of us who have been begging to get out from under the thumb of Lord Bush and his Cabal. As 200 Socialist members of the European Parliament said in an unprecedented joint statement, "this is the beginning of the end of a six-year nightmare for the world." The American people seem to agree, as Democrats now control the House, the Senate, and a majority of state Governorships. Someone might even call for impeachment!

This election day was also a win for diversity. Hopefully this election day was a win for women. Nancy Pelosi will take over as Speaker of the House, a mere two seats away from the Presidency. If we're luck, this will open minds and prepare people for more women running for high-level positions in government. It's a long time coming, but it is coming. Minnesota elected the first Muslim to the US House of Representatives (Keith Ellison), and Massachusetts has elected the first African American Governor since reconstruction (Deval Patrick). Perhaps the best news was the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, most likely for this reason:

2,843 US soldiers killed in Iraq
21,572 US soldiers wounded in Iraq

They're Gay, Stupid, or Both

Last week New Jersey decided that homosexuals have the the same domestic rights as the rest of us, which is great because now their former Republican governor (Tim McGreevey) can live the life he had been denying for so long. After the Foley scandal and now Ted Haggard, I'm beginning to wonder if all Republicans in government are just hiding the flames coming out of their asses - not that there's anything wrong with being gay, it's just nice if you admit to it (and stop trying to legislate against it). Soon instead of saying someone's "a little light in the loafers" we'll all say, "He's a little Republican." Additionally, why does anyone feel bad that these guys are having their personal lives brought into the campaign? Wouldn't it be better to ask why they're so insensitive to a topic or a group of people they're so familiar with?

In funnier news, Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) said that an employee of his opponent, "unfortunately ate a banana laced with marijuana and had to go to the hospital." Seriously. That's what he said. This presents several problems. First, how, exactly, do you lace a banana with marijuana? My husband and I spent a good deal of time trying to figure that out. Second, why would you eat a banana that had already been peeled? Bananas are like condoms. When you see the wrapper, you pretty much assume that you're the first one to get there. Third, do you have any idea how much THC it would take to actually send someone to the hospital? The banana would have to be pure THC. It would keep you regular, but you'd forget where the bathroom was.

It seems to me that the Republicans (of all sexual orientations) are getting a little nervous about the election. Maybe it's because of these numbers:
Two thousand, eight hundred and twenty two US Soldiers won't be voting in next week's elections.
Twenty one thousand, four hundred and nineteen US soldiers have been wounded in Iraq
Possibly over six hundred thousand Iraqis killed
Does it have more impact if I SPELL IT OUT for you???

Something to Run On

On the day that the National Intelligence Estimate went public stating that the war in Iraq has created more Islamic radicals, former President Bill Clinton criticized Fox News for not being a balanced news source. He had been asked if he had done enough to fight terrorism and before saying no, he chastised the commentator for not asking the same question of President Bush and his Adminsitration, who had done NOTHING to fight or acknowledge terrorism in the 8 months they were in office prior to 9/11. President Clinton also explained that he had tried to kill Bin Laden, that he had authorized the CIA to do so if possible, and ended the interview by criticizing the small number of troops in Afghanistan looking for the actual mastermind of 9/11 and the overblown importance placed in Iraq.

By making these statements publicly, Former President Clinton gave the Democrats, including his wife, something to run on. Though he is nearly invincible politically at the moment, he showed the Democrats that not only is it okay to have a backbone, it's actually preferred to the wishy-washy, fake, no-substance answers we have been hearing for the past 6 years. I hope that the Democrats finally start standing up and hitting back on these issues, especially since they have the political and moral upper-hand. All we need now are impeachment proceedings.

2,711 US Soldiers have been killed in Iraq
20,486 US Soldiers have been wounded in Iraq

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DEMAND THAT THIS ENDS??? or at least that we be told why this was begun?

Unanswered Questions

One year after the most devastating hurricane to hit New Orleans and almost five years after the towers came crashing down, WE KNOW NOTHING. We've been distracted, disinformed, and obviously disinterested. Not only do we not know the answers, we haven't even asked the questions. We have collectively failed the people of New Orleans, New York, and New Baghdad. Our nation has an attention span of about 10 minutes. We're told more about John Mark Karr (who DID NOT kill JonBenet Ramsey) and what he ate on his first class trip from Thailand than we are about Ray Nagin's constant struggle, exactly what happened on 9/11, and why, OH WHY, we are fighting a war in Iraq. And it seems like that's okay with us because we don't ask. I am ashamed of us. Maybe we deserve what we get.

2,633 US Soldiers killed in Iraq
19,733 US Soldiers wounded in Iraq

Updated Title: Polygyny - It's Better for the Kids

I wonder how many people stay together for the sake of the children. In this country it's not many since we have a divorce rate so high it's embarrassing, like everything else Americans do., but I think it might be better for the kids if divorced parents continued to live in the same home but carried on slightly separate lives. There's no reason why consenting adults can't come to an agreement on how to date, when to introduce a new member of the family, and how to live, compound style, if need be, so that the kids have access to both of their parents every day. Someone would be able to stay at home with the younger kids at all times, and schedules could be arranged so that an adult is home by the time the kids are back from school. That leads to more supervision for the children, equaling a better education (because someone can make sure their homework is finished), more parental involvement in school (because someone will have the time), and fewer instances of children getting access to things they shouldn't have (like video and computer games, music parents disagree with, TV shows that are inappropriate, etc...) Besides all of that, with several adults paying the bills, more children would have access to private schools.

Update: For the less liberal, click here for information on housing cooperatives.

Use Less Oil

Why is it that no one can seem to use this phrase? Whenever anyone is interviewed about the current crisis in the Middle East or the reduced number of barrels from Alaska, their response is that Americans will have to import more oil from overseas, causing a rise in gas prices. They never say, "Americans will have to use less oil". Obviously no one but Al Gore wants to put a kink in our consumer chain (but who listens to him anyway?), and NO ONE wants to see the oil companies make less money, but how hard is it to say, "Take a walk. Take the bus or train. Build green. Cut down on your use of plastics. Recycle. Put on a sweater. Use cloth diapers. STOP DRIVING SUV's!!!"

They won't say these things because Americans don't want to hear that in order for us to do better individually, we need to make sacrifices as a nation. Americans aren't really good at that word: sacrifice. They're much better at dealing with or repressing the guilt that comes with not sacrificing, if it comes at all. Isn't it our patriotic duty to use less oil, especially when we're at war with one of the major producers of it, and every country that harbors terrorists gets most of their money from oil? This is not a game, people, and it is certainly not a dress rehearsal. THE WORLD IS NOT ENDING. We can reverse the damage we've done and do better in the future.