Would you like to see a magic trick? Don't blow it out of proportion. Watch this short clip:
I'm sure many of you have seen this film already. Honestly, I didn't enjoy the film the first time around. There were too many things I looked for and didn't receive. However, I was able to absorb everything that was happening the second time around and gained a much greater appreciation for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glWUlkgjg-c
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Dr. Giggles is at it again
Georgia's 10th congressional district congressman, Republican Dr. Paul Broun and unfortunately my representative, was at it again yesterday. This is the first time I think I favor Nurse Ratchett's character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. "It's time for your medication, Dr. Broun. Medication time, medication time..." Based on my previous posts, Broun is out-of-touch on practically every single policy position and panders to the lunatic Evangelical Right. This is the makeup of this district's majority. Yesterday, in an interview with the Associated Press, Broun is the symbol of The Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. Here is the article:
Georgia congressman warns of Obama dictatorship
By BEN EVANS – 1 day ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican congressman from Georgia said Monday he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist or fascist dictatorship.
"It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he's the one who proposed this national security force," Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "I'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism."
Broun cited a July speech by Obama that has circulated on the Internet in which the then-Democratic presidential candidate called for a civilian force to take some of the national security burden off the military.
"That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did," Broun said. "When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."
Obama's comments about a national security force came during a speech in Colorado about building a new civil service corps. Among other things, he called for expanding the nation's foreign service and doubling the size of the Peace Corps "to renew our diplomacy."
"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set," Obama said in July. "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
Broun said he also believes Obama likely will move to ban gun ownership if he does build a national police force.
Obama has said he respects the Second Amendment right to bear arms and favors "common sense" gun laws. Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he'll at least enact curbs on ownership of assault weapons and concealed weapons. As an Illinois state lawmaker, Obama supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons and tighter restrictions on firearms generally.
"We can't be lulled into complacency," Broun said. "You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential."
Obama's transition office did not respond immediately to Broun's remarks.
O.k. This is just completely absurd to compare anyone to Adolf Hitler. Obama said this statement to help rebuild America's infrastructure and repeatedly has used the Peace Corps as a gateway for those wanting to attend college. Here's the gotcha' part. This wasn't the first time Broun made these statements about Obama.
It was reported hours after Broun made these statements, he issued an apology and used the old: I didn't mean it, my comments were taken out of context, or I regret my harsh comments and look forward to working with President-elect Obama. This is the same as a child getting caught lying to a parent. Back in July, Broun spoke to his sheep at the Augusta Rotary Club and made these same statements. So, it's scary he truly believes this. He can try all the mental gymnastics he can muster and believe he's scoring 10s from this point forward. His colleagues should ignore his extremely out-of-touch mainstream views.
Oh, the 2nd amendment reads like this: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." I don't see individual right used in this original text. It was written to protect Americans from the British militia. Broun is on an island of his own along with Justice Antonin Scalia.
Yes, Broun made it on Olbermann's Worst Persons in the World last night
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27669754#27669754
Georgia's 10th congressional district congressman, Republican Dr. Paul Broun and unfortunately my representative, was at it again yesterday. This is the first time I think I favor Nurse Ratchett's character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. "It's time for your medication, Dr. Broun. Medication time, medication time..." Based on my previous posts, Broun is out-of-touch on practically every single policy position and panders to the lunatic Evangelical Right. This is the makeup of this district's majority. Yesterday, in an interview with the Associated Press, Broun is the symbol of The Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. Here is the article:
Georgia congressman warns of Obama dictatorship
By BEN EVANS – 1 day ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican congressman from Georgia said Monday he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist or fascist dictatorship.
"It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he's the one who proposed this national security force," Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "I'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism."
Broun cited a July speech by Obama that has circulated on the Internet in which the then-Democratic presidential candidate called for a civilian force to take some of the national security burden off the military.
"That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did," Broun said. "When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."
Obama's comments about a national security force came during a speech in Colorado about building a new civil service corps. Among other things, he called for expanding the nation's foreign service and doubling the size of the Peace Corps "to renew our diplomacy."
"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set," Obama said in July. "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
Broun said he also believes Obama likely will move to ban gun ownership if he does build a national police force.
Obama has said he respects the Second Amendment right to bear arms and favors "common sense" gun laws. Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he'll at least enact curbs on ownership of assault weapons and concealed weapons. As an Illinois state lawmaker, Obama supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons and tighter restrictions on firearms generally.
"We can't be lulled into complacency," Broun said. "You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential."
Obama's transition office did not respond immediately to Broun's remarks.
O.k. This is just completely absurd to compare anyone to Adolf Hitler. Obama said this statement to help rebuild America's infrastructure and repeatedly has used the Peace Corps as a gateway for those wanting to attend college. Here's the gotcha' part. This wasn't the first time Broun made these statements about Obama.
It was reported hours after Broun made these statements, he issued an apology and used the old: I didn't mean it, my comments were taken out of context, or I regret my harsh comments and look forward to working with President-elect Obama. This is the same as a child getting caught lying to a parent. Back in July, Broun spoke to his sheep at the Augusta Rotary Club and made these same statements. So, it's scary he truly believes this. He can try all the mental gymnastics he can muster and believe he's scoring 10s from this point forward. His colleagues should ignore his extremely out-of-touch mainstream views.
Oh, the 2nd amendment reads like this: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." I don't see individual right used in this original text. It was written to protect Americans from the British militia. Broun is on an island of his own along with Justice Antonin Scalia.
Yes, Broun made it on Olbermann's Worst Persons in the World last night
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27669754#27669754
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Barack Obama and Ronan Harris are two guys I'd have a beer with and moving to An Age of Tolerance
My Republican friends were very gracious and optimistic about Barack Obama after his historic victory. They did share their concerns, and we discussed them at length. I love these guys, and we've been there for one another through difficult times and transitions. We agree that we share an unabated enthusiasm for football, music, and hot chicks.
Barack is a symbolic representation of tolerance. In a time when interracial marriage was frowned upon, Barack gained an appreciation and understanding of his parents' backgrounds. He has fought many battles as a community organizer and civil rights attorney to ensure Americans are given equal opportunities. His victory, along with an increasing majority of Democrats in Congress, still hasn't completely sunk in yet. I'm optimistic he represents the best qualities of all of us.
Ronan Harris
It's strange how I discovered Ronan Harris' band, VNV Nation. It's eerily similar to how I discovered Live. I hadn't heard a single song by the band. The album cover of Mental Jewelry attracted me. First, mental jewelry to me meant how the mind is very precious and can contribute so much to others. Second, Ed Kowalczyk is shown bare-chested with his arms folded as a cross burns in the background. Finally, my symbolic interpretation was moving forward from all the divisiveness narrow-minded people use. The burning cross was purposely placed in the background to demonstrate the past and Ed's picture in the foreground served as a promise for moving ahead with a humanitarian mindset. Sure enough, the music and lyrics were like nothing I heard before and did touch on my initial interpretations.
One day, Robin wanted to look around inside Hot Topic, a trendy clothing store in the mall. There was a small rack for CDs. A few were on display for shoppers to listen to with headphones provided. By coincidence or fate, I was attracted to the band name, VNV Nation and its album entitled Truth+Matter+Form. I listened to a few tracks and was immediately hooked. There was a great mixture of melodic sounds meshed with hard dance rhythms.
My creativity has been greatly inspired by my subconsciousness. Dreams are a perfect example. Some early poems I wrote focused on postmodern architecture I saw in these dreams. These buildings often were made out of glass and slanted from its base to apex. Ronan touches on this similar observation and other creative outlets that has inspired him to write beatiful music and lyrics. Here's a link to an article written several years ago. Yes, there's poor grammatical usage in it, but it's easy to overlook:
http://www.mk-magazine.com/interviews/archives/000117.php
Olbermann's Special Comment
Like Keith Olbermann, I don't have any gay friends. However, one of the core principles of liberalism is tolerance. Keith delivered a powerful special comment last night on religion's divisiveness and how it dilutes simple kindness to EVERYONE. This includes the gay community. Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y04wYfgWxeA
My Republican friends were very gracious and optimistic about Barack Obama after his historic victory. They did share their concerns, and we discussed them at length. I love these guys, and we've been there for one another through difficult times and transitions. We agree that we share an unabated enthusiasm for football, music, and hot chicks.
Barack is a symbolic representation of tolerance. In a time when interracial marriage was frowned upon, Barack gained an appreciation and understanding of his parents' backgrounds. He has fought many battles as a community organizer and civil rights attorney to ensure Americans are given equal opportunities. His victory, along with an increasing majority of Democrats in Congress, still hasn't completely sunk in yet. I'm optimistic he represents the best qualities of all of us.
Ronan Harris
It's strange how I discovered Ronan Harris' band, VNV Nation. It's eerily similar to how I discovered Live. I hadn't heard a single song by the band. The album cover of Mental Jewelry attracted me. First, mental jewelry to me meant how the mind is very precious and can contribute so much to others. Second, Ed Kowalczyk is shown bare-chested with his arms folded as a cross burns in the background. Finally, my symbolic interpretation was moving forward from all the divisiveness narrow-minded people use. The burning cross was purposely placed in the background to demonstrate the past and Ed's picture in the foreground served as a promise for moving ahead with a humanitarian mindset. Sure enough, the music and lyrics were like nothing I heard before and did touch on my initial interpretations.
One day, Robin wanted to look around inside Hot Topic, a trendy clothing store in the mall. There was a small rack for CDs. A few were on display for shoppers to listen to with headphones provided. By coincidence or fate, I was attracted to the band name, VNV Nation and its album entitled Truth+Matter+Form. I listened to a few tracks and was immediately hooked. There was a great mixture of melodic sounds meshed with hard dance rhythms.
My creativity has been greatly inspired by my subconsciousness. Dreams are a perfect example. Some early poems I wrote focused on postmodern architecture I saw in these dreams. These buildings often were made out of glass and slanted from its base to apex. Ronan touches on this similar observation and other creative outlets that has inspired him to write beatiful music and lyrics. Here's a link to an article written several years ago. Yes, there's poor grammatical usage in it, but it's easy to overlook:
http://www.mk-magazine.com/interviews/archives/000117.php
Olbermann's Special Comment
Like Keith Olbermann, I don't have any gay friends. However, one of the core principles of liberalism is tolerance. Keith delivered a powerful special comment last night on religion's divisiveness and how it dilutes simple kindness to EVERYONE. This includes the gay community. Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y04wYfgWxeA
Friday, November 7, 2008
Fear, Fear, Fear
Our country is faced with enormous challenges. Based on what I've learned about many Presidents, George W. Bush can arguably go down as the worst President ever. He has served with the utmost incompetence and arrogance. Now, Joe Biden delivered a very powerful statement a few years ago at a breakfast held somewhere in New England (might've been New Hampshire but can't remember): "When George Bush fails, my country fails."
People around me with varying opinions have expressed their fear about an upcoming Obama administration. It doesn't help they're Republicans, but that's not an excuse to end our friendships. Here are samples of what I've heard: "He's just going to give handouts to other blacks." "How is he going to help homeowners? You had too many sorry people who bought homes and couldn't afford them." "There are still too many racists out there. If someone shoots him, you better get ready to buy a gun."
I'll try my best to convey exactly how I responded to colleagues and friends who shared the aforementioned sentiments. Let's start with the first statement about handouts and welfare. NAFTA was an unpopular policy passed during the Clinton administration. This wasn't the main problem though. During his final years, corporate welfare continued to take a front seat, as Clinton pandered more and more to the Republicans. More and more jobs were getting shipped overseas and unions increasingly lost their memberships. I still pull out the Noam Chomsky line: "The wealthy elite are always first in line for public services." Look at how much we recently spent on corporate welfare.
In Augusta, the consolidated government is divided half black and half white. They answer to their churches and communities first and Augusta as a whole last. This is dysfunctionality at its worse. On this first point, I kept reiterating how Barack will reward teachers with higher pay for performance. He's also asking for self-reliance similar to John F. Kennedy. Government can't solve all the problems. His ad nauseum stump speeches reiterated this when he continued saying parents (or guardians) are going to have to put away the T.V., computer, and video games and get their children to do their homework.
The mortgage meltdown is the second concern. Barack pledged he will go back to the recent economic bailout bill and revise it so taxpayers will be given breaks. Also, he's proposing to have a 90 day moratorium on those facing foreclosures.
Yes, the economic bailout was widely unpopular. We've still seen CEOs and top executives spending lavish amounts of money through their pensions on our dime. And yes, part of the blame can go to some who were in over their heads and reckless with their finances. The blame also goes to many unscrupulous lenders who deliberately juxtaposed the language in the contracts to obtain higher commissions.
Finally, I'm scared to death something tragic might happen just like the next person. Ronald Wilson Reagan -- 666. Six leters in each name. Some nut thought he was the antichrist and tried to take Reagan's life. There were plenty of poor decisions made during Reagan's administration: Failing to acknowledge how AIDS is contracted and informing what the virus was for nearly three years that led to mass hysteria for people thinking it could be contracted by simply touching someone who had it, war on drugs and giving users outrageous prison sentences when it was spread to the streets by corporate titans and other influential people, enormous tax dollars spent on the military industrial complex, and empowering the Religious Right who continue to defy Jefferson's vision of our Democracy.
I was told Barack will side with the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Barack is much more sympathetic for gay rights and rights for all than Jackson and Sharpton. I spoke with Jackson and interviewed one of Sharpton's chief surrogates. They don't represent Martin Luther King's vision. Sorry. Include the late Coretta Scott King. MLK and Coretta believed in equal rights for all. Unfortunately, Sharpton's chief surrogate was reluctant to acknowledge rights for the gay community when I spoke to him. This was an event for Social and Economic Equality and how the Bush administration used gay discrimination as a distraction. I quickly learned this man was also indifferent to gay rights. Finally, he gave a politically correct answer by saying he doesn't fully adhere to the Holy Bible. I asked a few minutes later for a business card in case I wanted to follow up with him. Nope. Hmm.
There's lots to fear, but Franklin Delanor Roosevelt lifted a nation before we headed into another World War. I'm sure you're familiar by now, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." We can just hole ourselves up for the remainder of our lives. That would be easy, right? I'm confident we've turned another page in our history, and the vast majority of us have risen above petty prejudices and discrimination. Who knows? My outlook is no matter how bad things are around me, there's always someone else out there who has it worse.
Our country is faced with enormous challenges. Based on what I've learned about many Presidents, George W. Bush can arguably go down as the worst President ever. He has served with the utmost incompetence and arrogance. Now, Joe Biden delivered a very powerful statement a few years ago at a breakfast held somewhere in New England (might've been New Hampshire but can't remember): "When George Bush fails, my country fails."
People around me with varying opinions have expressed their fear about an upcoming Obama administration. It doesn't help they're Republicans, but that's not an excuse to end our friendships. Here are samples of what I've heard: "He's just going to give handouts to other blacks." "How is he going to help homeowners? You had too many sorry people who bought homes and couldn't afford them." "There are still too many racists out there. If someone shoots him, you better get ready to buy a gun."
I'll try my best to convey exactly how I responded to colleagues and friends who shared the aforementioned sentiments. Let's start with the first statement about handouts and welfare. NAFTA was an unpopular policy passed during the Clinton administration. This wasn't the main problem though. During his final years, corporate welfare continued to take a front seat, as Clinton pandered more and more to the Republicans. More and more jobs were getting shipped overseas and unions increasingly lost their memberships. I still pull out the Noam Chomsky line: "The wealthy elite are always first in line for public services." Look at how much we recently spent on corporate welfare.
In Augusta, the consolidated government is divided half black and half white. They answer to their churches and communities first and Augusta as a whole last. This is dysfunctionality at its worse. On this first point, I kept reiterating how Barack will reward teachers with higher pay for performance. He's also asking for self-reliance similar to John F. Kennedy. Government can't solve all the problems. His ad nauseum stump speeches reiterated this when he continued saying parents (or guardians) are going to have to put away the T.V., computer, and video games and get their children to do their homework.
The mortgage meltdown is the second concern. Barack pledged he will go back to the recent economic bailout bill and revise it so taxpayers will be given breaks. Also, he's proposing to have a 90 day moratorium on those facing foreclosures.
Yes, the economic bailout was widely unpopular. We've still seen CEOs and top executives spending lavish amounts of money through their pensions on our dime. And yes, part of the blame can go to some who were in over their heads and reckless with their finances. The blame also goes to many unscrupulous lenders who deliberately juxtaposed the language in the contracts to obtain higher commissions.
Finally, I'm scared to death something tragic might happen just like the next person. Ronald Wilson Reagan -- 666. Six leters in each name. Some nut thought he was the antichrist and tried to take Reagan's life. There were plenty of poor decisions made during Reagan's administration: Failing to acknowledge how AIDS is contracted and informing what the virus was for nearly three years that led to mass hysteria for people thinking it could be contracted by simply touching someone who had it, war on drugs and giving users outrageous prison sentences when it was spread to the streets by corporate titans and other influential people, enormous tax dollars spent on the military industrial complex, and empowering the Religious Right who continue to defy Jefferson's vision of our Democracy.
I was told Barack will side with the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Barack is much more sympathetic for gay rights and rights for all than Jackson and Sharpton. I spoke with Jackson and interviewed one of Sharpton's chief surrogates. They don't represent Martin Luther King's vision. Sorry. Include the late Coretta Scott King. MLK and Coretta believed in equal rights for all. Unfortunately, Sharpton's chief surrogate was reluctant to acknowledge rights for the gay community when I spoke to him. This was an event for Social and Economic Equality and how the Bush administration used gay discrimination as a distraction. I quickly learned this man was also indifferent to gay rights. Finally, he gave a politically correct answer by saying he doesn't fully adhere to the Holy Bible. I asked a few minutes later for a business card in case I wanted to follow up with him. Nope. Hmm.
There's lots to fear, but Franklin Delanor Roosevelt lifted a nation before we headed into another World War. I'm sure you're familiar by now, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." We can just hole ourselves up for the remainder of our lives. That would be easy, right? I'm confident we've turned another page in our history, and the vast majority of us have risen above petty prejudices and discrimination. Who knows? My outlook is no matter how bad things are around me, there's always someone else out there who has it worse.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Keith Olbermann to Conservatives: 'You don't matter anymore'
Keith Olbermann had a humerous Worst Persons in the World last night. Basically, it was the Conservative all-star team featuring William "The Bloody" Kristol, Rush "Where's my Oxcontin?" Limbaugh, and Bill O' The Clown. Simply, Keith said about each, "You don't matter anymore." Let's hope these divisive, anti-enlightening hacks will lose more and more attention in these upcoming years. Here's the video clip and I had to pull it from another seemingly fellow liberal blogger:
http://gordspoetryfactory.blogspot.com/
Keith Olbermann had a humerous Worst Persons in the World last night. Basically, it was the Conservative all-star team featuring William "The Bloody" Kristol, Rush "Where's my Oxcontin?" Limbaugh, and Bill O' The Clown. Simply, Keith said about each, "You don't matter anymore." Let's hope these divisive, anti-enlightening hacks will lose more and more attention in these upcoming years. Here's the video clip and I had to pull it from another seemingly fellow liberal blogger:
http://gordspoetryfactory.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Barack's win is a mandate for change and why I support the Democratic Party
In 2004, I worked as a journalist for a small community newspaper about 40 miles away. It was exciting. Each day, you didn't know what to expect. Journalists are also empowered to investigate and dig deep creatively for engaging stories. This was my first stint and unfortunately, I worked under two bullies who controlled the newspaper. It wasn't pleasant, had to bite my tongue on a few occasions, retaliated with some sarcasm on some others, and worked under an intolerable authoritarian who felt it was o.k. to discuss another employee's performances to me when it was my second day on the job. This is a very cutthroat business, but I have no regrets with my many fond, memorable experiences I was able to gain.
One of my first stories was based on a local attorney's strong fan support for the University of Georgia's football team. He received his Bachelor's and Juris Doctorate from the school. Inside his small office, there were numerous framed posters of famous moments throughout the football program's history. For a brief time, he was also an amateur golfer. It was a shrine of Masters Tournament and University of Georgia football memorabilia. After the story, he was extremely gracious I had written it and wanted to introduce me to others in town. I joined the Lions Club and quickly formed a friendship with him. Like myself, he was probably the only liberal in this town.
When I began my employment, his wife worked as an advertising executive at the paper. She was one of the sweetest women I met there. One day, I was jotting down on my notebook story ideas. All of a sudden she said there should be coverage of seniors at the local nursing home. Stop. My heart began racing. This was a wonderful idea, so I was granted permission by Atilla the Hun, oh, sorry my boss, to feature each Sunday a senior citizen's story.
Each story was unique. I enjoyed the woman who loved playing Bingo and placing on her bedroom walls several collage pictures. There was another man from Texas who was a diehard football fan, and we spent a few hours talking about our favorite football memories. However, each story wasn't rosey or positive.
One woman described how she was abused as a child by her mother. It was gut-wrenching and most of our time together was spent with her continuing with this narrative. I had to write something positive and eventually, it was limited to some friendships she gained with her neighbors.
I went on to another newspaper where I questioned the powerful elite in town and lost my job over it. If I had to do it all over again, there's not a damn thing I would change. Legally, I could've sued this publication for wrongful termination but didn't. This was where I interviewed Jesse Jackson, an innovative foot orthotics doctor who makes special foot inserts for household name athletes and those stricken with arthritis, a world renowned artist, and one of the tobacco whistle-blowers. I trade all this away in a heartbeat for those moments I spent with the seniors. They paved a way for us, and their contributions shouldn't be ignored or forgotten.
My outlook on government is this: Government should always serve those who can't fend or serve for themselves. People first in line should be veterans, seniors, and the disabled. Like myself, these guys don't ask for handouts. They just want a little more and unfortunately, these seniors weren't able to benefit from the opportunities provided to us today. Barack has said it best a few times: Am I my brother and sister's keeper?
Even though I support the Democratic Party, this doesn't mean I won't ride Barack's ass like I did on some policies Clinton made during his last term. Inevitably, there will be some disagreements. I know he's a great human being and shows a very compassionate spirit for those around him. Last night's event was unique in so many ways. One theme you could see in the faces from the crowd at Grant Park in Chicago was a hopeful optimism that we can do better. Here is a replay of last night's Presidential victory speech Barack delivered:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll5baCAaQU
In 2004, I worked as a journalist for a small community newspaper about 40 miles away. It was exciting. Each day, you didn't know what to expect. Journalists are also empowered to investigate and dig deep creatively for engaging stories. This was my first stint and unfortunately, I worked under two bullies who controlled the newspaper. It wasn't pleasant, had to bite my tongue on a few occasions, retaliated with some sarcasm on some others, and worked under an intolerable authoritarian who felt it was o.k. to discuss another employee's performances to me when it was my second day on the job. This is a very cutthroat business, but I have no regrets with my many fond, memorable experiences I was able to gain.
One of my first stories was based on a local attorney's strong fan support for the University of Georgia's football team. He received his Bachelor's and Juris Doctorate from the school. Inside his small office, there were numerous framed posters of famous moments throughout the football program's history. For a brief time, he was also an amateur golfer. It was a shrine of Masters Tournament and University of Georgia football memorabilia. After the story, he was extremely gracious I had written it and wanted to introduce me to others in town. I joined the Lions Club and quickly formed a friendship with him. Like myself, he was probably the only liberal in this town.
When I began my employment, his wife worked as an advertising executive at the paper. She was one of the sweetest women I met there. One day, I was jotting down on my notebook story ideas. All of a sudden she said there should be coverage of seniors at the local nursing home. Stop. My heart began racing. This was a wonderful idea, so I was granted permission by Atilla the Hun, oh, sorry my boss, to feature each Sunday a senior citizen's story.
Each story was unique. I enjoyed the woman who loved playing Bingo and placing on her bedroom walls several collage pictures. There was another man from Texas who was a diehard football fan, and we spent a few hours talking about our favorite football memories. However, each story wasn't rosey or positive.
One woman described how she was abused as a child by her mother. It was gut-wrenching and most of our time together was spent with her continuing with this narrative. I had to write something positive and eventually, it was limited to some friendships she gained with her neighbors.
I went on to another newspaper where I questioned the powerful elite in town and lost my job over it. If I had to do it all over again, there's not a damn thing I would change. Legally, I could've sued this publication for wrongful termination but didn't. This was where I interviewed Jesse Jackson, an innovative foot orthotics doctor who makes special foot inserts for household name athletes and those stricken with arthritis, a world renowned artist, and one of the tobacco whistle-blowers. I trade all this away in a heartbeat for those moments I spent with the seniors. They paved a way for us, and their contributions shouldn't be ignored or forgotten.
My outlook on government is this: Government should always serve those who can't fend or serve for themselves. People first in line should be veterans, seniors, and the disabled. Like myself, these guys don't ask for handouts. They just want a little more and unfortunately, these seniors weren't able to benefit from the opportunities provided to us today. Barack has said it best a few times: Am I my brother and sister's keeper?
Even though I support the Democratic Party, this doesn't mean I won't ride Barack's ass like I did on some policies Clinton made during his last term. Inevitably, there will be some disagreements. I know he's a great human being and shows a very compassionate spirit for those around him. Last night's event was unique in so many ways. One theme you could see in the faces from the crowd at Grant Park in Chicago was a hopeful optimism that we can do better. Here is a replay of last night's Presidential victory speech Barack delivered:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll5baCAaQU
Monday, November 3, 2008
Make Election Day a Federal Holiday and simplify the process
Election days are set on Tuesdays. Tuesday? This is a very daunting task for many registered voters who set aside their time from work, despite the unexpected events that might transpire. Your boss might tell you if you're gone for more than a few hours, your job will be eliminated. If this is the case, the employer doesn't deserve your services. You might have an important meeting with key clients while still waiting in line at a precinct. Why not mandate this day as a holiday?
Many Americans no longer work the traditional 9-5 Monday through Friday work weeks. So, it's even difficult to just say let's hold the election day on Saturday or Sunday. Democrats want full participation every election cycle. The higher the turnout, the more this favors the Democrats. If we had the high numbers like France with 90+ percent, Republicans wouldn't win a general election unless Democrats practiced gross incompetence during their last terms.
Voting Machines
Have any of you seen Man of the Year? One thing writers like Kurt Vonnegut have taught us is absurdity and science fiction eventually turn into reality. Bill Maher said it best: Voting machines would be cool if this was 1969. As we know, computers are just giant fuck up machines. They're like a silicon version of Gary Busey. You never know when it's going to explode. This is how I look at these Diebold machines.
I never understood what was wrong with just old-fashioned paper ballots. You receive one, punch a hole next to the candidate's name you choose, and that's it. Computers are vulnerable to viruses and glitches like anything else. Complaints have already been voiced at some precincts about these machines. Additionally, many lines can easily be avoided by simplifying the process and going back to paper ballots. This way your not having to stand there pushing your finger against the screen, scrolling down it, and finally picking your selection. It's silly some of these precincts only have a few machines for hundreds who wait. This is one area where I always will be old-fashioned.
Election days are set on Tuesdays. Tuesday? This is a very daunting task for many registered voters who set aside their time from work, despite the unexpected events that might transpire. Your boss might tell you if you're gone for more than a few hours, your job will be eliminated. If this is the case, the employer doesn't deserve your services. You might have an important meeting with key clients while still waiting in line at a precinct. Why not mandate this day as a holiday?
Many Americans no longer work the traditional 9-5 Monday through Friday work weeks. So, it's even difficult to just say let's hold the election day on Saturday or Sunday. Democrats want full participation every election cycle. The higher the turnout, the more this favors the Democrats. If we had the high numbers like France with 90+ percent, Republicans wouldn't win a general election unless Democrats practiced gross incompetence during their last terms.
Voting Machines
Have any of you seen Man of the Year? One thing writers like Kurt Vonnegut have taught us is absurdity and science fiction eventually turn into reality. Bill Maher said it best: Voting machines would be cool if this was 1969. As we know, computers are just giant fuck up machines. They're like a silicon version of Gary Busey. You never know when it's going to explode. This is how I look at these Diebold machines.
I never understood what was wrong with just old-fashioned paper ballots. You receive one, punch a hole next to the candidate's name you choose, and that's it. Computers are vulnerable to viruses and glitches like anything else. Complaints have already been voiced at some precincts about these machines. Additionally, many lines can easily be avoided by simplifying the process and going back to paper ballots. This way your not having to stand there pushing your finger against the screen, scrolling down it, and finally picking your selection. It's silly some of these precincts only have a few machines for hundreds who wait. This is one area where I always will be old-fashioned.
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