The World Awaits Leadership From Our Man-Boy

Isn't it at least curious that just a month ago, merely days since clinching his victory, Obama found no problem in issuing at least a couple of comments concerning the murder and mayhem that lasted for days during a terrorist attack in Mumbai, yet now, when the US press has practically demanded that President Bush just do us all a favor and drop dead so that O may finally steer this ship out of the dangerous waters in which we find ourselves, our pleas to The Annointed One to offer some guidance on what we can expect from the US regarding what could easily be a precursor to nuclear holocaust...

is just noise to him right now:

Yep. He's too busy "kickin' it" to be bothered right now. There are already reports coming out that the pressure of the job is starting to have adverse affects on him, and the real pressure hasn't even started yet.

The foreign press is ready to pull the veneer off of Barry's facade (read London's Daily Mail on this curiosity) . I wonder how long it will be before the US press does the same.

Al Jazeera Portrayal Of Obama During ME Crisis

Obama Reacts To Missile Attack From Hamas

When the cease-fire ended last week, Hamas wasted no time at all: they sent upwards of 70 missiles into Israel. Israel has replied to this unprovoked attack for the past 3 days, and all Obama has had to say is that he is deferring comment since he's not President yet:

"Obama’s views on the Israeli action remain opaque. Even as the attack continued into its third day Monday, with a Palestinian death toll topping 300 and Israel threatening a ground invasion, Obama had yet to say a word about the crisis, on the grounds that President Bush (who has also been silent) must take the lead." (source)

Great. This is what we can expect from this man-boy for the next few years, apparently. Duck and weave your way through the first term, trying to please all sides as you keep everyone unable to read you.

Meanwhile the rest of the world watches Barry speak out of both sides of his mouth. We leave the era (the last 8 years) of "Say What You Mean, And Mean What You Say" leadership. Say what you will about President Bush, but he didn't try to force some "peace settlement" on Israel or any other Arab nation, as both Clinton and Carter did, both times resulting in the assasination of those nations' rulers.

We shouldn't fool ourselves to think that we can solve the "Middle East Question". We should think first about who's been a better partner to us and represents Western values in the Middle East.

Great Video: Asteroid Impact With Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig In The Sky" As Score

Caroline Kennedy of Massachussets Seeks The NY Senate Seat Vacated By Arkansan Hillary Clinton

Winter In Florida

We've needed more rain for the past three years, but the colors are still turning out ok.

It's hard to believe the amount of new growth, budding flora, and vibrant tapestry that Florida has year-round. According to the texts of some of the earliest Europeans here in the 16th century, the first thing you notice when coming off the ocean after weeks of nothingness are the rich flowers and vegetation as you sail your caravel or nau up one of these rivers. The Spanish were the first European power to lay claim to this peninsula, and the name Florida ("flower") stuck from a time before the first colony in North America had even been established.

The one above is a Hibiscus. To see these blossoms in December-March still leaves me slightly disoriented, having been raised in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia, along the 37th parallel. There is snow and freezing temperatures where my mind's eye is tuned, but these are the only images I survey at this time of year. I took these all today:

BLAGOGATE: When The Cover-Up Is Worse Than The Crime

This video does a good job of illustrating the problem, here. The criminals who sell out the public trust are guilty, of course, but what about the complicity of those who tried to pay to play?

Democrat Politics 2.0 : The Obama Upgrade

Let’s admit: the comparisons are real. Bill Clinton brought in a cloud of scandals when he and Hill schlepped their way into our lives, just like Barry and Michelle are about to accomplish.

With Bill Clinton, the White House was home to a pair of Arkansas lawyers who had their hands in as many shady (corrupt) schemes you can get away with, seeing them snowball from the ‘92 primary to the ‘94 subpoena of Rose Law Firm records, which held clues if they hadn’t already been thoroughly sanitized.

After dodging repeated subpoenas for 2 years [could you or I get away with ignoring a court-ordered subpoena for 2 years?], in 1996, Hill made history as the only First Lady ever called to testify before a Grand Jury inquiry.

Despite dodging would-be scandals in the two-year primary season, we see in Barry the emergence of “candidate-with-a-past”, starting with what seems innocent, almost quaint concerns: Is he a secret Muslim?, Did he get sworn in to the Senate with his hand on the Quran?, What’s up with that name? etc, then graduating to deeper, more character-defining choices he made along the way: If you can sell out to Bill Ayers, is there anything you won’t sell out? How can you say you never knew of your spiritual mentor’s core message if you sat in his audience for 20 years, named one of your life-lesson autobiographies after one of his speeches, and walked past the lobby kiosks in his church that were peddling the very dvd videos of the reverend’s hate-filled message?

Soon after the primary season was over, Hill and Bill set forth on erecting their legacy. Some of it not so good (”Don’t ask, don’t tell”, Waco, the 1993 WTC bombing), but there, nonetheless, for the press to ignore. (How often do we hear of the innocent people that Janet Reno and Bill Clinton killed in that Justice Dept/Army tank engagement? It seems lost to history.) Their spree ended up graduating from billing fraud, bimbo eruptions, and travelgate to darker, more sinister levels: Vince Foster, James McDougal, Ron Brown, Mary Mahoney, to name just a few. (see a list here)

It looks like our election-season scandalizing caps off with a “pay-to-play” embroglio which, at this writing, seems to be a whirlpool of Chicago Politics which hasn’t YET caught our man-boy Barry in it’s undertow. I say yet because federal prosecutor Fitzgerald acted just in time to contain the contanimation to only the Illinois governor’s office. Patrick may know that the Obama office had contacted the Blagojevich office in order to “play”, but both parties, that is Emanuel and Patrick, are keeping quiet. Throw the governor overboard in a string of Resko-type associations that we will have to brace ourselves for during the next four or eight years.

Flaws and overspending aside, George W Bush, his father, and Reagan never brought in this kind of darkness to the White House. For the past US generation, we have been treated to deeply flawed, corrupt, and murderous Democrats. Obama is simply continuing the pattern.

BLAGOGATE: What Did Obama Know And When Did He Know It?

The story is simple, yet it could have legs that stretch into the Obama presidency for years. Illinois Democrat governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested yesterday, along with his top aide, in what federal prosecutors are calling a "pay-to-play" racket, where Blagojevich would sell the vacated US Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Wiretapping reveals Blagojevich to say that the Illinois Senate seat is a "a bleeping valuable thing. You just don't give it away. ... I've got this thing, and it's bleeping golden."

Thanks to Patriot Act-like maneuvers, the eavesdropping from US Justice Department officers yielded further highlights of how Democrats, at least in Illinois, eat each other:

Rod Blagojevich said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to "suck it up" for two years and do nothing and give this "motherf***er [the President-elect] his senator. F*** him. For nothing? F*** him." Rod Blagojevich states that he will put "[Senate Candidate 4]" in the Senate "before I just give F***ing [Senate Candidate 1] a F***ing Senate seat and I don't get anything." (Senate Candidate 4 is a Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois). Rod Blagojevich stated that he needs to find a way to take the "financial stress" off of his family and that his wife is as qualified or more qualified than another specifically named individual to sit on corporate boards. According to Rod Blagojevich, "the immediate challenge [is] how do we take some of the financial pressure off of our family." Later in the phone call, Rod Blagojevich stated that absent getting something back, Rod Blagojevich will not pick Senate Candidate 1. (source)

It appears that Federal Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald acted quickly enough to keep this new president elect from any deeper involvement with the entreprenuer extroidinaire Blagojevich, but the second shoe hasn't dropped yet. Names in the Obama camp who may have been engaged in "lower-level" negotiations haven't been divulged. Yet.

Hill Finds A New Man To Serve

From a year ago: Dec 13, 2007. This was the beginning of Hillary's "taking off the gloves" bit with Obama:



Of course, that smug cackle of hers we hear in this clip not even one year old has suddenly dropped off the ether, never to be fired in Barry's direction again. This Hillary 2.0 update has deep respect for the NEW Man From Hope, Barack Obama.

And why shouldn't she? Maybe, just maybe, Hill sees a better man in Barack than the one she married 30 years ago. From her woman's perspective, she can look at the two men who cost her the presidency, and with studied observation know just what she lost out on when she hitched her wagon to Bill Clinton: authenticity.

Bill is a back-slapping good ol' boy in disguise. What he hides is his band camp/Rhodes Scholar/draft-dodging side, which he whips out with ease according to whatever setting he's in. Folksy Arkansas drawl one second, lawyerly the next. Willing to get involved in shady land deals with ease one moment, then sell the participants down the river the next.



The only problem is that Barack is no fountain of authentic ANYthing, but he is more real than Bill Clinton. And he beat HER in a popularity contest! What does that say about her likeability? (or lack, thereof)

Her attempted catapult to the Presidency occupied her best years, from age 40-60. Now that she has accepted Barry's offer of Secretary of State, she will, in effect, be castrated from seducing the candidacy for at least 4 years, and probably 8. She will be over 70, and the country will be moody and anxious for a change from the many years of Democratic rule.

It is a sad realization for ol' Hill, now that she has to turn around at the end of her life, and accept that all of her time and efforts have been spent for the desires of empty men.

Her time to be president has now passed.

Now, she must spend her days listening to yet ANOTHER man boldly tell his staff what directions to take, what issues need watching,...and be secretly furious that it isn't HER telling the staff what directions to take, what issues to watch, etc. She must now smile and do Barry's biding, lest she is portrayed by an already-jaundiced news industry as "not a team player", "power-driven", or "seeking revenge".

Obama is the angry black man in one setting, and the lawyerly, thoughtful deliberator the next. Raised by an atheist into adulthood, then proclaim newfound desire for Reverand Wright's version of Christianity when you need to establish some street credentials as a young adult before you run for office from that district.



Is this the position Hillary envisioned when she dreamed at night, before the 3am call would come in?

America's Education System Fails For Reasons Like This

I heard about this from one of the radio shows I listen to--Glenn Beck. This highlights the problem with letting the college education Intelligentsia turn out generation after generation of ill-equiped imposters to teach our children:

So Long, Alan

This clip is fascinating by itself, as it confirms most of the encounters I've had with not only Obama supporters, but also with liberals for the past 20 years. But besides that, it was significant to watch the performance after learning a few days ago that Alan would be exiting Hannity And Colmes in a month or so.

I am not looking at Alan from only his television incarnation of the past 12 years, but from his earlier days of radio syndication from 20 years ago. He is and was a sharp wit on the air, which helped him keep the pacing going throughout his show. "Good radio" we would say.

I remember his usage of a show-ender segment called "radio graffiti", where the call bank was dumped, line by line, with each caller getting only 5 seconds to make their statement, their 'graffiti on the walls', so to speak. That was 20 years ago. In fact, Sean encorporated the same bit in his radio show only after it had been made famous by Alan many years before.

I am a fan of Alan Colmes from a radio professional's perspective, and that includes his punchy, off-putting questions used when he didn't have anything else along the idea of substance and logic to draw from. It worked on radio, because he could always rely on a caller when his own bank was dry, then rail on something else in an incendiary manner. Great radio.

But as we can see, Alan, without his radio props, always comes across as mean-spirited, vengeful, and devoid of substantive questions.

As Alan performs, here, it is obvious that his style wouldn't allow him to take a more holistic angle from which to question Zeigler, but instead goes immediately to the reactionary response of, "Well, so are you", and then "You're calling us bad names". Alan has to make his 2 minutes with the subject, Zeigler, seem a breathless flurry of attacks from what is really fluff.

Sad waste of anything, like, for instance, what a calm, reasoned, more clinical conversation might have allowed. Instead, we are treated to the mud-slinging it usually reduces to, adding nothing to the conversation from the left, other than the sentiment, "You called us stupid".

This is usually the same flacid, inconsequential argument most things of depth and substance break down to when dealing with liberals. Alan just happened to be a little more entertaining about it.

Homosexuals Send White Powder To Mormon Churches

When these protestors took their rage out on the Westwood Mormon Temple in Los Angeles last week, they inspired maniacal elements in their fold to take the action just one step further: they sent white powder, disguised as anthrax in envelopes not only to the LA church, but also to a Mormon temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Does it matter to these cowards who sent the fake anthrax that the Mormons aren't to blame for the way Prop 8 failed? No. If these deranged malcontents had any sense of right and wrong in them, they would target the groups that are most responsible for the failure of Prop 8: African Americans and Latinos.

But that would take bravery.

Instead, these reactionary zealots decide to target a non-violent, peaceful, tiny group of believers who never did anything wrong to homosexuals, or anyone else for that matter. How easy it is to throw rocks and epithets at the meek, God-fearing people in our society. How can anyone look at the misplaced anger of these militant punks and not come away thinking one word: bully.

Veteran's Day 2008

This is a day that is set aside to recognize all men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of America. It means a lot to those of us who wore the uniform when someone actually stops to make a gesture to you on that day.

I can tell you right now that in the 22 years since I joined the U.S. Army, someone has thanked me on Veteran's Day less than 5 times, easily. In fact, only my mother calls me to say "Thank-you" on Veteran's Day.

She's a very concientious person, very giving, and was raised by a career Army Infantry soldier. She knows what kind of a sacrafice it is for any man or woman to sign up.

Check out this great Power Point display from Military.com

Preview Of Destruction: Obama's Big Bang

The transition team chief, John Podesta, has divulged that Obama is planning to use executive powers to reverse certain Bush era policies, besides waiting on Congress to initiate his other agenda items. (source)

With an election that brought out only as many voters as the election of 2004, this is clearly not a mandate that Obama has been given, but the tone of his rhetoric suggests that this new president thinks it wise to look at Bush policies as "pre-reversed".

With a world awaiting leadership due to the many chaotic eruptions that have recently arrived, it will take a deft leader to keep us from being "bled dry" by the many demands of foreign nations. From Darfur's China connection to Syria and Iran's Russian connection, we have been wise to steer away from potential conflicts that could have spread our forces out wider, stretching more thinly, thanks to President Bush.

If Obama thinks himself too wise for President Bush's reasoning on many things related to foreign policy, he performs a disservice to this country.

Election Over, Press Now Admits Bias

Deborah Howell, Washington Post Ombudsman, finally acknowledged what most of us who read newspapers regularly already knew: the Washington Post is not objective and gave Obama overwhelmingly biased reports for over a year, leading to the election of 2008.

Here's an excerpt from her report, dealing with only one part of any newspaper, the opinion page:

"The op-ed page ran far more laudatory opinion pieces on Obama, 32, than on Sen. John McCain, 13. There were far more negative pieces (58) about McCain than there were about Obama (32), and Obama got the editorial board's endorsement. The Post has several conservative columnists, but not all were gung-ho about McCain." (source)

Obama And The Ghosts Of The Past

President Elect Obama, only hours after mesmerizing the nation to choose him, is trying his best to be coy, funny, and mocking of the Right. This is his attempt to be cute with the reporters assembled for his first official press conference since being elected just 3 days before:


The poor thing had to call Mrs. Reagan himself and apologize for his stupidity and bad manners. You see, when trying to cast Republicans as loony people who hold seances, his deep, analytical mind switched the women in the famous seance episode: It wasn't Ronald Reagan's wife who "held seances", it was Bill Clinton's.

Lesson learned, I guess, little boy. We're going to have to brace ourselves for years' worth of cutesy remarks, hidden middle fingers, and the like from this man-boy. (source)

Pink Riots At A Church In LA

Everything went the Left's way on Tuesday except for one thing: Proposition 8. For some reason, all of those Hispanics in California aren't buying everything being sold to them these days. It's well enough to be courted for your vote of Democratic candidates, they seem to be saying, but don't tell us where to put our genitals.

And it wasn't just Hispanics who overwhelmingly defeated this desperate ballot referendum in 2000 AND 2008 (Moonbeam Attorney General Jerry Brown had a fit of activism this year, as he decided to name the Proposal, "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry" in an effort to shame anyone who reads it into "doing the right thing", by voting NO on Prop 8), it was the African American community leading the charge.

According to The Nation, here are the breakdowns of those who voted YES on Prop 8:

Demographic Pctg
African American 70

Latinos 52

Asians 49

Los Angeles county total 50

On the same ballot, here's how they voted for Obama:

Demographic Pctg

African American 94

Homosexuals in California woke up Wednesday feeling like they were left out of the show, and got their clubs and bullhorns to show that they ARE UPSET.

So what do they do? Mass at city hall to demand justice? Form a parade?

Nope.

They are thousands strong right now, threatening, screaming, and protesting against a church in Los Angeles. According to their reasoning, since they found out that the Los Angeles chapter of the LDS spent money on promoting the definition of marriage as meaning only one man and one woman, the Mormon Temple, where meek, quiet, Christians are shuffling in and out, should be the focus of their fury:

These lovers who "LOVE NOT H8" are screaming at attendees of a LDS temple as they go in to worship. The whole state voted, but instead of heckling African Americans or Latinos, these revolutionary activists turn violent towards WHOM?

A Christian church of Mormons.

My, my, how brave.

Too bad that the minds and hearts of the LARGER COMMUNITY in California, who probably aren't Mormon, aren't getting your message, o pink rioter.

According to you, they're the ones who need it.

You've got more of a problem on your hands than pelting the walls of the church, I would say to them if they would listen. You break your necks to usher in illegal workers and give them not only sanction, but registration to vote, and you're so patriarchal that you think they're supposed to do your bidding when it comes to deeper issues, like sexuality? Just who do you think you are?

This driver put a huge "Yes On 8" sign in his car window. The activists surround him, stopping traffic.

The same can be said of the African American community. Just because you work and work to get their voter participation up, it doesn't mean they will end up feeling the way they're supposed to, I guess. Perhaps they didn't get the memo--"Stay on the plantation and vote the way we tell you to."

The Numbers

After the initial dust has settled, it looks this way: Obama 52%, McCain 46%

Welcome Chicago Politics

The man who learned politics first from Leftist agitators in Hawaii, then moved to join the remnants of 50 years' worth of corrupt politics still being run by the likes of Rezko, picked his Chief Of Staff today--Chicago Representative Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel was a former aide to President Clinton before running for US Congress.

When The Al's Demand Recounts

Leftist comedian Al Franken wasn't able to laugh away the many voters who weren't buying what he was selling last night.

I remember first seeing Al Franken. It was during the skit, "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live, back in the late 70's. Al was doing a commentary during the faux news skit, where he ends up saying that despite everything that was relevant to talk about, he lamented that it all served to take away from...HIM. After all, he told us with his cheeky smile, "It's the ME generation."

The whole schtick of the bit was that he ends every sentence with "...me, Al Franken."

On record as losing by 475 votes, Al is left to contest the results, demanding a recount. The recount will start in two weeks, and is likely going to take many weeks to complete.

For people like Al Gore, Al Franken, accepting a loss, no matter HOW close, is impossible.

The Market Reacts To Obama Presidency

Today's U.S. stock market reaction to President Elect Obama's win last night were the worst in history: (source)

Here is a breakdown of the U.S. market reactions to every president we've elected since the the data was collected:

Year Dow S&P Nasdaq President elect
2008 -5.05 -5.27 -5.53 Barack Obama
2004 +1.01 +1.12 +0.98 George W. Bush
2000 -0.41 -1.58 -5.39 No decision: G.W. Bush v Al Gore*
1996 +1.59 +1.46 +1.34 William Clinton
1992 -0.91 -0.67 +0.16 William Clinton
1988 -0.43 -0.66 -0.29 George H. W. Bush
1984 -0.88 -0.73 -0.32 Ronald Reagan
1980 +1.70 +1.77 +1.49 Ronald Reagan
1976 -0.99 -1.14 -1.12 James Carter
1972 -0.11 -0.55 -0.39 Richard Nixon
1968 +0.34 +0.16 --- Richard Nixon
1964 -0.19 -0.05 --- Lyndon Johnson
1960 +0.77 +0.44 --- John Kennedy
1956 -0.85 -1.03 --- Dwight Eisenhower
1952 +0.40 +0.28 --- Dwight Eisenhower
1948 -3.85 -4.15 --- Harry Truman
1944 -0.27 0.00 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1940 -2.39 -3.14 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1936 +2.26 +1.40 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1932 -4.51 -2.67 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1928 +1.20 +1.77 --- Herbert Hoover
1924 +1.17 --- --- Calvin Coolidge
1920 -0.57 --- --- Warren Harding
1916 -0.35 --- --- Woodrow Wilson
1912 +1.83 --- --- Woodrow Wilson
1908 +2.38 --- --- William Taft
1904 +1.30 --- --- Theodore Roosevelt
1900 +3.33 --- --- William McKinley
1896 +4.54 --- --- William McKinley
[source]

In The Aftermath of Election Day 2008

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

The 44th President Of The United States Of America

It is done.

Election Day 2008

[The Clash, Jail Guitar Doors, The Singles]

I was explaining my emotions to my girlfriend last night: "It's like it's my version of Christmas coming up for the next couple of days. I'm gonna be glued to the internet, and tv and radio for the next two days, like a kid would be focused on the Christmas tree in the living room with all of his presents."

"Really?" she said, almost incredulously. "Oh, yeah, babe." I returned, full of resolve and history on my side.

I've always been like this, and eat it up with a fork and spoon during election seasons. Of course, this one is most historic, if not for the high-minded reasons I prefer, such as the struggle between good and evil, communism versus freedom, socialism versus free market, etc,...then for the simple reason of the possibility that America might be the first advanced nation in the world to freely elect a black man as president.

[Strange Town, The Jam, Setting Sons]

I got over that kind of thrill when I was 22 years old. I voted from Ft Campbell, Ky that year, casting my choice for Virginia Governor with candidate Doug Wilder. I remember being attracted to the prospect of being part of the historic irony, helping the once-capital of the South to elect the nation's first African American governor. For my generation and below, there is a clear break with our parents' generation, the Baby Boomers, in how we view race relations.

I often hear self-admitted proud liberals such as Chris Matthews, Bill Moyers, etc, marvel at how this election came from nowhere, for them, and it has left them somewhat bewildered, maybe even dizzy.

They can't believe that a black man may actually WIN the presidency. You can just watch their dreamy-eyed realization of the prospect. Oh, sure, they're ALL in his pocket, now.

Hell, who can ever forget the way Chris said that he felt something "crawling up his leg" in excitement over listening to The Annointed One? It was an embarrassing moment, seen by at least 6 or 7 people out there, somewhere.

[Bone Machine, Pixies, Surfer Rosa]

But just a little over a year ago, these same dignified, important, agents of Journalism were casting his likelihood of procuring the Democratic candidacy as unlikely, for sure.

They weren't as catatonic over the mesmerizing Obama, as they are, now. Indeed, many of them peddled that all-important "street-credo" factor, actually citing polls upon the African American community whether or not Obama was "black enough".

Of course, that was still while all the oxygen in the room was being sucked up by Hillary Clinton. Her ascendency was the template that the mainstream media was operating from for the first 10 months of 2007. Hell, for many, all the way until early summer of this year was spent on Hillary-as-frontrunner. Chris' leg-thrill didn't strike until late spring of this year, only AFTER Hill's time had passed.

I am more aware of politics, now, compared to my Wilder days, including the historic struggle of tyranny over freedom, America's exceptionalism, and America's Founding Principles, all of which, because of a liberal-dominated public school system, combined with being raised in a poor mountainous community that didn't attract better teachers, were lesser-known to me at the time of my youth.

[Modest Mouse, Float on, Good News For People Who Love Bad News]

It took some time to see things from a different perspective. But not too long. Within a couple of years from then, I was proceeding on my political science degree, accumulating much love and awe of our Founding Fathers, and learning, for the first time, just how special those men were; what a grand, noble, and unique thing they crafted in the U.S. Constitution, and how eternally lucky I was to have been born at a time such as now, within the borders of this great country, enjoying the bounty of this divine experiment.

I voted two weeks ago, before I moved across the county. Florida allows for early voting to help alleviate the big crowds on election day. It was a significant day for me, despite having been laid off only days before, and feeling somewhat despondant from the whole realization that such a surprise brings. I celebrated by stopping at Mugs & Jugs for a 7.99 meal of fried steak and fake potatos.

[Warsaw, Joy Division, Substance]

I also took some pictures:

Are Literacy Tests Needed?

It's scary to listen to the average Obama supporter:

The October Surprise Comes Late

We all remember how much of a circus the media kicked up just days before the presidential elections of the last two terms: both negative "surprise" stories reflected badly on George W. Bush.

There was the original one from 2000, just three days before the election, and all three networks broke, for the first time, that George Bush, running against Al Gore and Lieberman,indeed, had received a...*gulp*...DUI more than 20 years ago!

The one from 2004 was a little less disguised, and came a lot earlier than three days out. CBS and Dan Rather wanted to make sure that a proper beating of this man called Bush would have to start 3 months before. Out came the now-infamous MemoGate, where Dan and his producer had a fake Army document drawn up, citing George W. Bush as AWOL more than 25 years ago.

Well, it just came out that Obama's grandmother, the one he refered only a few months ago, as just another "typical white person", has died. The timing could not have been more dramatic, in my humble opinion.


Almost mythological in its symbolism. The death of the personification of Obama's conflict in his Black identity. The loss of the one who's opinion may have mattered the most, on the night before judgement day.

On The Eve Of Destruction

Does it really look like Barack Obama is flipping off John McCain here? We're left to wonder, for sure. We can't be certain. This man-boy we know as Obama is capable of manipulating the truth to such a crafty level, that any protestation he might offer against this video above could actually sound plausible.

What if he has done this in the past?:

(He'd still try to laugh and condescend to you, remarking that "a man can't even scratch his face anymore without a crazed Republican claiming I'm sending hidden messages!")

He is cut from the same cloth as another trained lawyer, Bill Clinton, who was able to look straight into the national cameras, wagging his finger as he lectured us to not believe that he could have had sex with "that woman". Because the Arkansas lawyer was another man-boy who liked to play with the truth, we learned later, after the revelation of the blue dress, that he couldn't have been lying in that famous press conference, because in his mind, getting oral stimulation of his genitals to the point of ejaculation wasn't really sex.

Remember how the lawyer Clinton could actually look the prosecutor in the eye and make the case that "that depends on what the definition of 'is' is"? Well, if you can't wrap your mind around that one, don't worry. You're probably like me, who's had to live a life of 'meaning what you say, and saying what you mean'. Where I come from, trying to commit one of these smart-alek lies would easily get you slapped by your mother, or worse from your father. "Don't try to be cute with me!" she would say as she held back her arm, ready to unleash a harsh slap across the face if you didn't "get right" real quickly.

It's obvious that little man-boys like Clinton and Obama are the types who never had their faces slapped enough times, if at all. You can't go through life with this kind of disregard for the truth and keep all of your teeth from being knocked out or from landing in jail if you're like me.

What untruths has Obama committed? Well, it's not that easy when you're dealing with a trained mind, combined with an untrustworthy character. Obama is both. He has had his eye on the presidency for at least 20 years, and has muted his inner rage enough to conduct himself in the shadows, where meanings and intent are murky. There are professors who worked with him for years who scratch their heads and don't know where his core really lies.

Why?

Because he would talk one way with one crowd, then turn around to contradict what he had just said with another. This is what a politician does on his/her way to elected office. Never wanting to divulge their hand, and be loved by as many people as possible. It's what allows Obama to glad hand and back-slap in Pennsylvania, then turn around and demean and besmirch those same rural, mountain folk while in front of a bunch of San Francisco donors.

Or how about this recent case-in-point: Obama actually comes to woo one of the patriarchs from my Appalachian home, Ralph Stanley. Now, if you've never heard of Dr Stanley, just understand that he is pure mountain folk, artist extraordinaire, and still plucking along at 81 years old. Stanley originally cast his support (Ralph has been a lifelong Democrat) behind John Edwards, but when the North Carolina politician fell by the wayside a few months ago, Ralph allowed Barack to film a tv spot, endorsing Obama for president:

What Ralph Stanley, a man who came from coal mining all around him, didn't know was this:

The southwest Virginia families that Ralph Stanley speaks of so endearingly in that above spot will be the most heavily hurt by his man Obama. Ralph is a smart man, and wouldn't have made it this far if he wasn't. You can rest assured that Obama concealed his intentions to bankrupt the coal mining industry from Dr Stanley when he came calling to get his endorsement.

It is only hours before the polls open tomorrow, and I still don't know who's going to emerge. I do think it will be close, but beyond that, I can't hazzard a guess as to which will win. But if it is Obama, we have to get ready for another president who tries to be all things to all people, lives a life of nuance instead of clarity, and hides his real intentions at all times, leaving this great nation to struggle and decipher his true meaning.

Pre Destruction

[Listening to King Crimson now, "Matte Kudasai"]

It's three-thirty am going on two-thirty am Sunday morning, a mere two days away from the selection of our next president, either Barack Obama, or John McCain. I say 'selection', too, as a distinction of the possibility that this election COULD land itself in the courts upon completion, compounded by the many stories of voter registration fraud by Acorn et al in various cites of key swing states.

In saying that, I catch myself. I only believe that a near-loss by ONE of these candidates would result in a selfish struggle to contest it's outcome:
For John McCain, my guess is that he would concede the election, without drawn-out protestation, lawsuits, etc., if the margin separating these two candidates is anything close to that of 2000 or 1960. Nixon was wildly urged to contest the outcome of that election against Kennedy, separated by some 200,000 votes, but he coolly declined, saying that he didn't want to put the nation through that kind of anguish. McCain is cut from similar cloth.

[Sara Malachlan in the room, "Angel"]

I am acutely aware of the world's condition right now, particularly from my own place in it. I have led a great life so far, and despite whomever becomes our next President, it will never diminish the full life I've led up to this point.

And a home-made hip-hop video from one of the guys from my regiment at Bragg:

I've jumped out of soaring airplanes at midnight with the best of America's men in the 82nd Airborne while under Reagan's last two years in office, and the next two under Sr Bush 41. Rest assured, it was an extraordinary thing to withhold. The life of an infantry soldier is spent in the field, sleeping on the ground, and being around many different men, their tempers, their drunkeness, and their flaws for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for many years. The life-threatening things we were doing together there will last a lifetime in my mind's eye.

This is what it looked like most of the time (notice the amount of gear on each one of the men, compared to daylight jumps in the videos above):



To have survived the four excellent years of trainning, from Bragg to camp Hovey, and finally, Hopkinsville, KY, all of which were light infantry units that I was graced to have been assigned, seems only a gift of fortune from God above. To have landed in the best-trained fighting force that the world has ever known, at America's apex of cold war threat with its arch enemy, the murderous U.S.S.R....and to be on the tip of that spear, as an 11C 1p, constantly trained and rigged to deploy anywhere in the world in 18 hour's notice, to be dispatched by parachuting out of a C-131 or by rapelling out of a UH-60 Blackhawk at 4 am is the proudest accomplishment I have yet to surpass in my 41 years.

God's grace got me through it, to be sure, including the eternally great luck to have not been born into any of the billion other possibilities that any of us might in a similar life: a Hindu in a war-torn village on the Pakistani-Indian border; a Mayan youth chased down by Aztec warriors for temple sacrafice in 1520; a Burmese farmer with a tattoo as a brand of the feudal lord he serves in 1780.

No outcome in two days will take away from the satisfaction I feel since I patroled the DMZ on the 38th parallel in 1988. I was part of a once-great nation that sent a totally volunteer force to stand guard against tyranny, despotism, and total ruin for a people I'd never met, and would never see again. Who else can claim such an experience? Chances are, it's one of my brothers who was with me when I did it, and he is around you now, quietly facing each day with you, never too brash or presumptive to get freaked out about civilian life. He is quiet and resolved because he has been through things which thoroughly tested his steel.

I was with this great beauty when it mattered, this American experiment, in ways in which ALL other men want, but only few are brave enough to win it. And I came back from it all a better man. It is a spiritual endeavor to have served something bigger than yourself, because your life and the guy next to you is dependent upon your focus, your courage, and your discipline. It is a life which forces you to put your money where your mouth is, and it stays with you forever.

[Morcheeba, "Trigger Hippie"]

The most meaningful accomplishments were available to me, (like a college degree [two], a career as an FM radio announcer in many diferent cities, states), an American, because men sacraficed to create a free market nation, where the notion of competition, education, and merit meant more to us than probably any other nation in this world.

I was able to compete for entrance into four-year colleges on the merit of my test scores; I was able to compete for skilled positions in radio stations based on my talent and gifts; I was able to contract for work from area car dealerships based on how well I could paint their automobiles. Only in America could I have had this much opportunity to develop a skill, to learn a new craft, and actually compete in the marketplace of ideas. Try that in Sudan, North Korea, or the Ukraine.

It keeps you (mostly) honest, having to produce something in this world of consummerism, today. And it still is true, even if you work for yourself or someone else, as there is always some alternative to the product or service for which you get up every day. Being thankful for what you have while in America is a precious thing, I believe. Being a citizen of America affords you the best chance to enjoy the best that life has to offer.

This is the music of my people, filmed in Norton, Va, just a few minutes down the road from where I grew up. Ralph Stanley is performing "Stone Walls & Steel Bars", originally made popular by Ralph & Junior Brown:

Growing up in the mountains of southwest Virginia was a somewhat lonely experience, as my father's people had been there for over 200 years, progressing from farmer to farmer, many drunk a lot of the time, living in the remote reaches of the Appalachian mountains. I've done well, and so far, what I've come to think about my place in this world can be summed up thusly: It's been a great life so far, and I hope that I get another 41 years on this wild ride, but if I am stopped short of that, it won't have been a lesser experience.

Unfortunately, my beloved Dr Ralph Stanley is just as capable of disappointing me when it comes to a particular artist opening their mouth to offer political wisdom:

I have just moved back to a small hurricane room in a small fishing community in south Florida. I have lived here before, as it was the same room I lived in while taking care of my frail grandparents from 2005-2008. My grandfather passed a year ago, I moved across the county, and my grandmother moved to Virginia to be around the rest of my family, my mother, my brother, his 4 yr-old girl, and wife. She will be back for the winter months, trying to sort out the details of this widow's house.

I was laid off three weeks ago, and couldn't afford the rent on the duplex I was living in for the past year.

The neighborhood wasn't great, but for my salary it was the best I could afford: (Just left it for good, yesterday.)

Now I'm back, and this is the look of my surroundings before I mess them up from cramming stuff in every corner and nook of this 12 x 12:
My network:

My girlfriend gave me the great bamboo plant for my birthday. She's great:

(Web url is a tech's site for diy radios. Pretty kewl)

Had to find room to complete my 5.1 dolby surround sound with my Polk center speaker--stand came in handy to allow for heat transference from my Onkyo a/v receiver.

Phoebe decides to look off-camera for dramatic effect. She's been my best friend since I got her 9 years ago. She's made every move with her father, never complaining once along the way, whether she had a place with 6 rooms and a backyard to romp around in, or just 2 in this case.

Bedside reading and security.

Bathroom/espresso bar/dog-feeding station:

Shower stall:

These pictures are what my world looks like, "Pre Destruction", while things are newly in their place, relatively neat.

This is what our nation is like, "Pre Destruction", before what may be the election which hastened her fall.