The Flaccid Sword of Justice

Just In Case…you had the impression that there were still institutions of our society left that deserve our respect, let me tell you about the Penis Pump Judge here in Oklahoma.

Yes, this really happened. A district judge in Sapulpa, OK used a penis pump on himself DURING a murder trial, on the bench, every day! The court reporter made notations of the time on each occasion that she heard the swoosh-swoosh. The pumping sounds can be heard on her audio tapes. Actually, he exposed himself during three separate 2003 cases, two of which were murder cases.

This is no joke. I wish it were. One of those cases was the murder of a 21-month-old baby girl by her mother’s boyfriend.

BTW, he spent 23 years on the bench and served as a state legislator before that. This guy who obviously lacks any JUDGMENT sat in judgment over others for a reeeeeeally, long time…

Well, he was convicted in 2006, served his ridiculously soft sentence (fined $40,000 and sentenced 4 years of which he actually served 20 months), and then volunteered to be the guest speaker at Farnsworth’s annual statewide Youth & Government banquet. The kids thought this was a pretty limp proposition, and booked the mayor instead.

So far, he has cost taxpayers $340,000 in two separate retaliation (wrongful discharge?) suits by former female employees he fired for testifying against him.

In rare instances of Things Working the Way They’re Supposed To, he was disbarred AND lost his generous state pension (more than $100,000/year).

He has since been arrested for DUI in 2008. Life is apparently really hard for him now. We Oklahomans are still hanging our heads in shame.

Here Cums the Judge...

Octopussy?

"Damn those East European beauties with their sexy accents..."

Maybe I’m missing something here, but is this “Russian spy ring” not the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard? It’s just so “yesterday.” How is it possible to “spy” on us when we put just about everything there is to possibly know out there on the web, tv, radio, blogs, youtube, facebook…

I remember a recent story about a foreign leader’s wife made to shut down her facebook page after posting status updates kvetching about her husband. Spying seems like an unnecessary expense.

And they’re posing as “ordinary citizens”! Aghast. Isn’t just about everybody these days? I mean, a terrorist can sign up for plane-flying lessons as long as he’s got cash. Who gives a damn about Russian spies – we’ve got real problems, people. Terrorists shooting people on military bases, posing as US flag-waving members of the military, oh wait, never mind. Bombers parking vans in Times Square, posing as US citizens, oh wait, dang I’m confused. Can we get the Russian spy-guys to help us by spying on the terrorists? They probably all go to the same universities as “ordinary citizen” students, the same anti-America rallies, the same Young Democrats meetings and parties. They’re probably cheering on the Nats at Nationals Park Stadium or waiting in line for free medical at the local ER. Who the hell can tell the difference these days? My point being: How does one “POSE AS AN ORDINARY CITIZEN”?

The Japanese make the “most American” car with the most American-made parts assembled here, the Chinese are buying up the steel factories and attending neighborhood barbecues in Corpus Christi. One hilarious line in the Wall Street Journal article: “Last month, the German government accused Russia and China of industrial spying on its territory, saying it posed a threat to Germany’s interests.” Hmmm, they forgot the checkbook? And forgot to call it "foreign investment"?

This kinda reminds me of the villain in Austin Powers spy spoof movies who hilariously demands ONE MILLION DOLLARS or else. Then his aides explain to him that he needs to adjust up for inflation. In today’s world, we pay Somali pirates more than that to go away and leave us alone. And of course, a little more than that to Kim Jong Il.. “Spying” is just so hilariously behind-the-times.

So, what information are they “spying” to get (that let’s assume is not readily available on the Internet or found in a pamphlet or discussed by a round table or panel at a conference in Vegas)? The article also states: “The FBI said it tracked the alleged Russian agents for years and accused them of being part of a program aimed at infiltrating US policy-making circles while posing as ordinary Americans.” You’re kidding, right. Policy? When I stop laughing, we can all explain to them (the Russians AND the FBI) that really all that takes is money, too. We call it “campaign donations.”

Just Say No

I think Grover Norquist is one of the coolest guys on the planet. We all need his o-fficial Obama Tax Hike Exemption Card.

https://www.atr.org/obama-tax-hike-exemption-card-a5140

Bookmark It!

It is so hard to find decent discourse on the Internet. Why is this too much to ask, considering the assumed potential of the web? I want to be informed of news without constant worry of hidden agendas and inaccuracies. I also want to read the opinions of intelligent, thoughtful people to:

1. Challenge my own ingrained positions – it will either confirm my leanings or provide me new perspective, but it better be damn well-documented and well-stated.
2. Learn something new, connect some new dots for me. If I’m not learning, I’ll become as stagnant and rancid as the other purveyors of rhetoric.
3. Find the truth. I believe in my heart that truth is often found in the middle. For example, one side may make an outrageous claim. The other responds with valid reasons for their outrageous behavior. The whole story is not found on one side or the other but squarely in the middle where the two meet. And additional pieces of truth may come from other third parties, other “sides.”

This is arduous work, this truth seeking. And finally I’ve found some help! The June 2010 issue of the Mensa Bulletin asked Mensans to select their favorite websites. I have been playing on the four listed under News & Politics for the last hour! I can’t wait to tell everyone I know about them!

1. www.factcheck.org Awesome! Example: Did Obama turn down foreign offers of assistance in cleaning up the Gulf Oil Spill? No. Five were accepted, one rejected... They’re calling bulls*** on both sides.
2. www.alternet.org Story links today offer “Why Do We Feed Our Kids Crap?” “Anyone Noticed That We’re Turning into a Nation of Blood-Sucking Vampires?” and “100,000 Americans Die Each Year from Prescription Drugs”
3. www.aldaily.com Link offerings include “The Culture of Exposure” (excellent essay on McChrystal), “Rent a White Guy” (Chinese companies hiring stand-in white guy management types), and “After Big 1979 Spill, a Stunning Recovery” (a really different take on what’s happening in the Gulf from historical perspective)
4. www.drudgereport.com A mixture from several sources, updated hourly. Most people already have this one on their ticker.

Finally...Term Limits!

Dale Jr. has done everything he can to talk me off the ledge of dissing on Senator Robert Byrd from West Virginia, who died early this morning. But, I just can't help myself. I do apologize in advance.

I hope they wrap him up in some nice white sheets and maybe we can "bury" a secret earmark in random legislation for old-time's sake, to appropriate him a gold, engraved coffin. I'm sure we've already funded several times a park in his name where he can be planted.

Now he'll answer to God for what he has done. Wish the American people could rest in peace, but I'm sure West Virginia has someone else just as special to unleash on us. The Public Dole -- there's always more where that came from! ;^)

During his life, this former Head Cyclops of the KKK has diverted $1 BILLION in Americans' tax money to personal pet projects back in his home state. Absolutely barbaric.

Stoopid Products

I just subjected myself to three back-to-back episodes of "Hoarding." The people featured in this program are, of course, extreme shocking cases dealing with eviction, jail, social isolation. They've all suffered trauma, loss of some kind -- death, fire, etc. And they comfort themselves with things.

However, I don't know anyone who doesn't do this to some extent. People who can't park their cars in their garages. People with boxes still unpacked from their last move. People who moved in together and couldn't bear to part with the duplications. People taught to never waste anything. People who compulsively shop to feel good and fill a void. Creative people with an overwhelming number of projects.

Add to our own psychological issues the constant bombardment of an advertising world telling us we must have the latest new and improved or we will not be beautiful, popular, hip and up-to-the-minute.

We are being buried alive by our own crap, folks, and I sense that we are reaching critical mass. Our credit cards certainly have. You can insert here astonishing facts regarding Americans' individual debt. We've all heard it before.

This is the ugly Big Picture: We're going into debt to acquire more and more crap we don't need to self-medicate. And a lot of this crap is plastic made in China in attractive shapes and colors, masquerading with a purpose, and sold in Wal-Marts in every city, town and burb. The plastic was made with oil drilled from the ocean. China, in the midst of an Industrial Age on 'Roids, is trashing its land, air and water at an unbelievable pace.

As is my habit, I often deal with serious issues with sarcasm and humor. I'd like to help everyone begin a new life of NON-acquisition by presenting ridiculous products I see advertised that YOU REALLY DON'T NEED. I hope you will add to my post little treasures you've seen pushed on the American people as well.

At some point, we will all begin to see that there's really very little one needs to be happy in this world.


The Bubbler: You fill this thing with bubble bath liquid, add batteries, and it floats around agitating the water and releasing bath gel. Someone has got to be reeeeeeeally lazee to use this instead of their hand to swish the soap around or reeeeeeeally stoopid to not pour the soap directly under the faucet where the water is running. Batteries? Come on people, think of the planet.

S'Mores Maker: Brought to us by our friends at Hershey's who understand how tired we are of smoke, ash, mosquitoes, you know, Real World Experience stuff, yet we still want the one-of-a-kind treat shared across the campfires of our childhoods. And we're going to need it SO often. Really people, all you still need is a wire clothes hanger. Provide your own graham crackers, marshmallows and Hershey's chocolate bars.



Toilet Tattoos: This is a vinyl film that fits over your toilet lid. Why? Because your bathroom needs some Christmas cheer, too. And so will the landfills for generations to come. And the wildlife on the coast. They could use a good chuckle.

Priorities

And here we've got Mrs. O thanking all the lawyers for all their hard, hard work and long, long hours put in on the BP Oil Crisis BEFORE any of the actual workers on the ground or the volunteers are thanked. Just another major PR gaffe in the days of the Reign of Obama. Who he really needs to fire is HIS media relations person. Gack.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/politics/2010/06/23/sot.flotus.holder.doj.cnn.html

Maybe there was a thank-you and pep talk for the little people doing real work and I just missed it...like so much other vital public communication that should be happening right now. "Accountability" is important, sure, but is it the priority right now?!

Perhaps we can send all the DOJ lawyers to the coast. They can stand along the beaches and argue with the oil to not wash ashore and kill the birds and stuff.

By the way, the oil is still leaking.

Outrageous!

I am seriously starting to love this guy. He's up to his ass in oil while the Feds are yammering about hypotheticals to him. The CNN story lead reads that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal had "harsh words" for government authorities after they ordered sand-dredging to stop. Gee, hope Obama doesn't "fire" him for it -- he can't do that yet, right? We still get to elect our own state governors, correct?

I'm with Bobby -- every hour counts. Who needs a hurricane when we've got the Big Hawaiian O. It's the Perfect Storm. Come on, O, call off your bureaucrats, and let Bobby get back to saving what he can.

Chinese Backflips

Just read an article in a May 2010 issue of TIME celebrating the influx of Chinese business investment in America, more specifically “Companies from China are spending billions to build factories in the U.S. and creating new jobs for American workers.” Yes, you read that right. Just how much are we talking about? Five billion dollars’ worth in 2009; previous annual investment averaged $500 million.

Who wrote this and why is she so happy? Sheridan Prasso, who wrote The Asian Mystique: Dragon Ladies, Geisha Girls & Our Fantasies of the Exotic Orient, is considered an expert on All Things Asian. Fair enough.

But I’m not nearly as excited as she is, and I’d be glad to tell you why. Too much control on a national level. Strategically speaking, this could be disastrous.

1. China holds the biggest chunk of our national debt.
2. We love to buy “Made in China” crap because it’s cheap. I present you the Wal-Mart Model: higher quality, non-China suppliers have been or are being ran out of business because Americans have chosen crap over spending a few extra pennies. This also encompasses all the cheap-ass components our American manufacturers have chosen to use in their products.
3. We are now allowing Chinese entrepreneurs to build new and ACQUIRE existing non-profitable American factories. It would appear that China has made them non-profitable (with their notorious low-balling labor costs) and is now swooping in to “save” them in their desperate under-valued state.

Sound like a recipe for disaster? China is becoming our daddy in all ways that matter, economically. Our debtor, our boss, our mother’s breast milk, our daddy. Sorry to be so blunt. We owe them, we work for them, we depend on them for our substandard stuff. Maybe a little too much power held by our new Commie friends? Just a thought.

Maybe I’m a xenophobe, business is business, if we’re yoked together, no one can nuke the other, right? Let’s all join hands now and sing “Kumbaya” in Mandarin. And wracking my brain, I can’t think of anybody they’ve attacked in modern history.

I’m no China Expert; I’m just One Stoopid American. But knowing the very little I know about the Chinese Mindset, this is what I think. Americans are greedy and focused on the short-term gain. (But I can get the Chinese version 3¢ cheaper today!) Meanwhile, the Chinese concept of long-term spans generations…we hand over all power to them, willingly, without a shot ever fired, and they defeat us and our way of life the exact way we’ve defeated other countries – ECONOMICALLY.

And our government is helping them through tax credits and other business incentives (a state payroll tax credit of $1500 per employee!). Sometimes I think we’re so stoopid, we get everything we deserve. Theoretically, we could be paying them to take complete economic control over us.

Just what factories/ companies are we talking about here? Oh, a $1 billion plant in Corpus Christi making seamless pipe for oil drilling (makes us a little more slave-like in the whole big OIL picture, if that’s even possible), a wind-energy turbine plant/ wind farm in Nevada (another small vulnerability in the utility area), four factory acquisitions for machine tool-makers, under four different brands.

Of course, Rush Limbaugh followers rant about Chinese flags flying higher on the pole out front than the U.S. flag…which frustrates me. People, who gives a damn about what flags are flying, KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE MONEY! Another annoying distraction: the positive spin the media gives anyone who deighns to give us a dime today, pocketing dollars later. In Corpus Christi, they're throwing backyard barbecues to welcome their new neighbors.

Call me suspicious. I may not have to deal with the fall-out in my lifetime, but my sons will.

Generally Speaking Or: “No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair.” – General George S. Patton

Well, I have returned from a short vacation in Texas (where the men are known for their braggadocio machismo) to find that just such a man is on the verge of being canned.

I speak of General Stanley McChrystal, the career military badass in charge of our war effort in Afghanistan (I wish I could say “in charge of winning the war in Afghanistan for us,” but that initiative hasn’t really been thought-through as of yet).

According to the popular media, a Rolling Stone profile of the general is going to reveal a general who is critical of his Commander in Chief and his administration. He has been summoned to Washington for his spanking in person. Many assume he will be removed from command. What an interesting little pile of dog poo. You know how such things fascinate me. Let’s break it down together.

The Rolling Stone? Really? This vehicle is not known for stellar, fact-based journalism…it did used to be known for giving birth to an irreverent, wildly fun, sort of stream-of-conscientiousness writing that became known as Gonzo Journalism (under the enormous and outrageous intellect of Hunter S. Thompson then perpetuated by guys like P.J. O’Rourke). Unfortunately, these days the rag is just boring. And they’ve got talentless hacks like the writer of this article trying to recreate the glory days. I read the entire article, and I’m kinda amazed he followed the general for months doing one of the most interesting jobs on earth, and this is all he had to say about it?

The comments in the article that the media has positioned as offensive enough to get a guy fired over begin like this: “According to sources familiar with the meeting…” and “According to those close to the two men…” Hmmm. SOOOO, the general didn’t say these disrespectful things, but some unnamed sources did…I see. Also, some of the critical comments were made by the general’s staffers, who also were unnamed. I think as a former journalist, I would have made the decision to not include anything I can’t attribute to real people with real names. Just call it an integrity thing. No matter how desperate I was to paint myself as Hunter or P.J. with worthy entertaining observations and opinions (notice I avoid the word “facts”).

Point being, I really wouldn’t be comfortable firing a guy over what is “reported” in a Rolling Stone article.

But I am VERY curious why a general in this position granted the RS access to do a “profile”? That’s the real question any journalist worth his salt would be asking himself. What did he stand to gain? Did he really want to get himself out of this frickin’ quagmire in Afghanistan and hoped to accomplish that with the ever-helpful stoopid media? A guy doesn’t get this job on a lark…McChrystal is wily and well-known for his strategy skills. AND he is well-known for being a wise-ass who thumbs his nose at authority. Obama knew what he was getting with this guy. Or maybe he did not. He could have easily found out by talking to former West Point classmates, etc. The guy spent entire weekends marching the Area and ran up an impressive number of demerits.

I love these bad boy types, frankly, don’t we all? These mavericks are the ones we want to follow into battle. By the very nature of their work and personality traits required to excel in that work, they do not kiss ass and mince words.

According to the RS article (and trust me, I’m pondering whether it’s really reference-worthy), the reporter observed the following discussion between the general and his staff regarding his attendance at a fancy state dinner.

“I’d rather have my ass kicked by a roomful of people than go out to this dinner,” McChrystal says. He pauses a beat. “Unfortunately,” he adds, “no one in this room could do it.”

Hmmm. Now, remember this general is not an idiot. Does he hope to further his reputation as a badass to improve morale among the fighting men and women in Afghanistan, get some sort of political benefit, nail down a book deal, what? Why has he let this RS dude into his inner circle to witness this sort of obvious scripting? It’s like those reality-based TV shows – did he forget the cameras were rolling for a minute? I think not.

And who were the staffers to which the general let the RS reporter have access? Here’s a paragraph from the article itself:

“The general's staff is a handpicked collection of killers, spies, geniuses, patriots, political operators and outright maniacs. There's a former head of British Special Forces, two Navy Seals, an Afghan Special Forces commando, a lawyer, two fighter pilots and at least two dozen combat veterans and counterinsurgency experts. They jokingly refer to themselves as Team America, taking the name from the South Park-esque sendup of military cluelessness, and they pride themselves on their can-do attitude and their disdain for authority.”

I’m thinking nothing was said in front of this reporter that was not analyzed and weighed for effect seven ways to Sunday.

So, to can him or not? Obama-haters are yelling no, wondering aloud why our prez can call a tough-talking general on the carpet, but can’t meet with the BP CEO in two months’ time over fouling our shoreline and destroying an industry and food source. Obama-lovers are yelling yes, off with his head, how dare he disrespect the Commander in Chief (who has never served and can’t even manage to organize a proper clean-up of a beach).

Well, let’s look at the guy’s effectiveness in his job. Let’s go back to the article itself:

“During the Iraq surge, his team killed and captured thousands of insurgents, including Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq.”

Also in the article, a British officer in Kabul remarked on how “the f***ing lads love Stan McChrystal. You’d be out in Somewhere, Iraq, and someone would take a knee beside you, and a corporal would be like ‘Who the f*** is that?’ And it’s f***ing Stan McChrystal.” He apparently “went out on dozens of nighttime raids during his time in Iraq, unprecedented for a top commander, and turned up on missions unannounced, with almost no entourage.” I love this anecdote, describing a commander who follows the leadership doctrine of the great General George Patton, one of the original Military Badasses. (But I’m also trying to get over my disbelief that a British officer said “would be like.”)

The RS writer shares another anecdote. McChrystal passes a Navy Seal in the hallway at headquarters and said, “You better be out there hitting four or five targets tonight.” Then added, “I’m going to have to scold you in the morning for it, though.”

One last piece of insight brought to us by the RS writer involves creative thinking on McChrystal’s part.

“He systematically mapped out terrorist networks, targeting specific insurgents and hunting them down – often with the help of cyberfreaks traditionally shunned by the military. ‘The Boss would find the 24-year-old kid with a nose ring, with some f***ing brilliant degree from MIT, sitting in the corner with 16 computer monitors humming," says a Special Forces commando who worked with McChrystal in Iraq and now serves on his staff in Kabul.”

This Stoopid American thinks: McChrystal gets the job done. His men love him. He inspires. He’s creative and forward-thinking. And he wants the hell out of running a war he can’t win because a “win” hasn’t been defined yet for him. The most upsetting line in the entire article is a quote from Obama himself.

“’I want the American people to understand,’ he announced in March 2009. ‘We have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan.’”

Typical Obama-speak. He did not articulate a clear and focused goal, but he precedes his gibberish with the assertion that he will do just that thing. We need a goal we can measure, see and hear…a set number of Al Qaeda training camps destroyed, for example, or specific sources of money destroyed. The president’s goal doesn’t say anything about helping to set up a new government and culture, which I think is the “counterinsurgency” strategy McChrystal has been charged with executing. Well, heck yeah, I would want out of that deal, too.

And that brilliant general found a macho way to do it, without losing face, actually gaining face, considering who the Commander in Chief is. Maybe he should run for president in 2012.

How Can We Get This Guy to Be President?

Our Growing Vocabulary

Farnsworth thinks we should add "oil math" to our ever-growing vernacular. Right under "Enron accounting."

And, So…What’s The Problem?

As President Obama began his address to the nation on the Oil Spill Crisis, words kept flashing through my head. “You’re a liar.” “Ohmigod, I cannot believe you are LYING.” “I can’t believe YOU think you are going to get away with lying.”

I am referring to all his actions he outlined that he supposedly took immediately when the crisis began. I am specifically focused on his claim that he formed a team of industry experts and academic types to brainstorm solutions. Granted, he did not state the exact problem they were to solve (plugging the damn hole OR lessening its effects on wildlife, Mother Earth, a food source, industry, economy, a people’s way of life).

BTW, the first task for any team should have been determining WHAT is the problem, because many Americans thought those stated above were the obvious problems BP was working. Instead BP viewed “the problem” as how to capture the oil and sell it to salvage what profit they could from the situation. They focused on this aspect, which is valid, because they are in the business to make money and stay in business. Our POTUS mistakenly believed their perspective would prioritize our shoreline or the ocean.

In business, we call this a rookie mistake. Before a business team begins brainstorming, it identifies the problem and then articulates how any potential solution will be measured and thus viewed as a success or failure. I am amazed at how many organizational mistakes are made by our government and even our military, when it comes to just evaluating and picking a strategy! People with business experience have been around this mulberry bush so much, that this is an accepted and understood way of organizing work.

And another BTW: a real leader is in the same room with the brainstormers, sleeves rolled up, asking questions, learning, helping reach consensus, looking for any hidden agendas…he trusts no one else’s interpretation.

Returning to my main point, I just had this powerful intuition that the whole thing is a lie, and then a feeling of sadness, as a result.

I sincerely hope there is a Real Journalist somewhere today tracking down the team members’ names, when they met, and what they did, so this can be communicated to us. It should have been reported when it happened, to help us feel that something was being done. I need some proof that he was not lying, to counteract my depressing suspicion that we have a leader who is a disgusting, gutless liar.

This is the situation, my friends. We have a POTUS who needs to be told what to do. He can look handsome, he can speak with the aid of a teleprompter, he can write, he can create new bureaucracy (commissions, panels, czars, departments – oh, my), he can get outrageous bills passed and new taxes levied, BUT he cannot figure out what to DO in a crisis when real action is called for. TWO MONTHS AFTER THE OIL BEGAIN SPEWING, HE IS FINALLY MEETING WITH THE BP CEO. Does anyone else see how crazy this is? Hate Ronny Reagan all you want, but he woulda been on the horn with Maggie (Britain’s Margaret Thatcher) within an hour into the situation, discussing possible scenarios and restitutions. Reagan understood relationships are everything.

Dammit, it is just NOT SMART to create an us-versus-them vibe, when the TRUTH is we’re all in this together. (We need a commission to determine the cause of this crisis? Really? My analysis took about 5 minutes. See previous postings. We’re all at fault ultimately, with some particularly terrible transgressions committed by BP and our federal government who did not oversee BP as it was supposed to. Love that emergency plan our government approved from BP that involves protecting the walruses in the Gulf Coast.)

So, it would appear that to solve the problem of corrupt, lazy, ineffective government is to create more, but slightly different, corrupt, lazy, ineffective government (like give it a new name or something or a new head guy). THEN it will do its job of overseeing the corrupt, lazy, destructive Big Business. Right?

Us-versus-them: I’ve seen all the public outrage smeared all over my facebook, demanding BP’s assets be seized (okay, how do we do that? Maybe Ronnie has already discussed this problem with Maggie, no wait, we have a guy named Barry now…). Seriously, how does bankrupting BP help us? Girlfriend, it’s like when you throw your ex in jail for paying his child support late and then he can’t work and pay your child support at all…maybe we can garnish their paychecks before they buy that new car, er I mean $50 million TV PR campaign…oh, damn, too late.

Actually, the people’s outrage is the only honest thing I’ve seen in the whole scenario, and it is exactly what is supposed to happen in a free market. They choose to boycott BP, if we can figure out exactly where all their oil ends up and good luck with that. I love the idea of boycotting plastic Wal-Mart bags. I’m okay with BP going bankrupt to be replaced with other far more conscientious oil companies. Live and die by the sword. That’s all long-term, though, kind of down-the-road and we have an immediate fire burning in our face. Oil spewing. Who knows how many gallons a day.

Throughout the speech, I did NOT hear HOW the oil gush will be stopped or how we will deal with the spill. I heard: “NOW IS THE MOMENT” and “SEIZE THE MOMENT.” Huh? Is NOW finally a good time for you, B, to contain the leak and minimize damage or is NOW a good time for you to further push along your anti-business agenda? Others heard: “Your taxes on energy use are going to go through the roof in the near future.” But, I did definitely hear that millions will be spent on creating new bureaucracy and more millions spent discussing and litigating to pin blame in an awesome PR war of which we’ve not seen the likes before. All pretty damn irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

Alright, I’ll tell you what I’m really thinking and quit tip-toeing around. I’m thinking Obama is not just a “dreamer,” a stoopid idiot, clueless in managing situations and solving problems. I’m beginning to see something far uglier and even sinister. Nothing significant was done for two months to minimize the leak’s impact in order TO CREATE A BIGGER CRISIS, an environment where he can push his short-sighted policies.

He made a choice a long time ago as a new graduate of Harvard law school. He could follow the path of corporate riches and make a ton of money with his fancy law degree. Or reach for a “nobler” path and use his abilities and education to create public policy and fight for the little guy. What he did not understand and still does not understand is WHO PAYS for that public policy is Corporate America. Business. Trade. Commerce. Nothing happens without money. All that public policy is supported by TAXES.

There is a yin-yang relationship between Corporate America and Public Policy and when one becomes stronger than the other, we are thrown into a frightening imbalance. And that’s where we are now.

Public Policy and Corporate America – neither is all evil or all good. They cannot exist without each other, and right now Public Policy is killing Corporate America, with the people squeezed in the middle.

The Squeezing sounds like this: Wow, now it costs $300 to fill my gas tank so I can get to work. I didn’t have time to find a job closer to home so I can ride my bike or walk. Well, my employer just dropped my health insurance. My heating/ cooling bill was what this month?!! The base cost of my groceries just went up again (due to transportation costs of moving goods).

Who is strong enough to become the Corporate Champion? Better yet, who is smart enough to be both Corporate Champion and Public Policy Enforcer? Who indeed.

SIDE NOTE: I’ll just bet Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida LOVED being referred to as our NEIGHBORS. Hmmm. We definitely have a POTUS who has NO idea who the hell he is. I hate being a nit-picker playing “Gotcha” but come on! The president is supposed to BE Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. Don’t worry, he’ll have all this figured out by the time he presents us taxpayers with the bill for fixing the coastal shore and preserving “our” way of life (after BP has gone under and can’t contribute anything).

North Carolina: A Better Place to Be (Really?)

Outrageous. Straightforward case of assault. You DON'T EVER put your hands on someone else for any reason. If this Congressman is not facing charges immediately, we can assume more game-playing bull****. I am appalled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oqIP9yagkQ

"I Like Money."

Democrats' puppet? Republican plant? Why are we putting up with this? I am sick of the games being played with the gift of self-government that we received from our fore fathers. This is like a gut-wrenching scene from "Idiocracy."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntlp4fTell4

Leadership 101 – Require It!

Okay, this is my proposal. Before anyone gets to even run for president, they have to do two things.

1. Participate in a Boy Scout-type leadership program. They are made “patrol leaders” and given tasks to accomplish and problems to solve with patrol members of different personalities and skill levels. The tasks can be as simple as getting camp set up, water made available, and everyone fed. Make sure some lazy patrol members and bullies are thrown in for some real-life conflict problems to solve that will hopefully ignite a sense of fairness in the leader. The program culminates with leading a large-scale conservation-type project. The candidate is given no resources to do this other than his/ her own abilities. The leader will have to research solutions, communicate his vision, recruit and motivate a workforce, get funds and materials, adapt to changing conditions, and MOST importantly, MAKE DECISIONS and get it done.

2. After graduating from the type of program many kids complete when they’re 14-18 years old, the candidates move on to a Celebrity Apprentice-type program. 8 weeks. On TV. Are they creative thinkers? Do they delegate well? Do they listen to others with respect? Do they foster unity or divisiveness? Again, most importantly, do they MAKE DECISIONS, provide direction, and get it done, in usually 48 hours?!

This is how you choose a POTUS, not by listening to a bullshit debate and trying to figure out who shaved the most recently or who has had more plastic surgery.

And if I may add, we used to get politicians/ leaders who were Eagle Scouts before we hit the late 1970s-80s, when being a Scout who could lead a troop of canoes 8 miles down a river became UNCOOL. And ridiculed.

Pah. I know kids who can do a better job leading our country right now. I’m not kidding.

Why Can’t We Elect Somebody Smart?

I came across a very disturbing comment while reading about Houston’s new Mensan mayor, Annise Parker, in the latest issue of the Mensa magazine. “Espousing being smart is essentially political suicide.” That certainly explains a lot, doesn’t it.

Why does our society not value intelligence? Is it a sort of Julius Caesar Syndrome? Caesar was murdered by fellow politicians because they felt the people revered him so much that it threatened their ideal of a future democracy. The people loved Caesar to the extent that the amount of power he had over them was unacceptable for one man to have, so he was killed for the good of society, the people’s own good.

Love equal power. Intelligence is a different kind of power, but just as strong. Do we mistrust all people with power? And yet, we love, willingly allowing those we love a power over us.

I think the answer is even more complicated because there are so many types of intelligence. Those that win elections, score the best jobs, and advance in our society, have high “emotional intelligence,” also known as “people skills.” Those with straight “book smarts” don’t do so well; they may even fall far short in the “people skills” area. They do not win popularity contests.

I am reminded of a depressing little ditty of John Lennon’s, “A Working Class Hero Is Something to Be.” Look at the political ads that appeal to us. This is what we like to elect.

“They hurt you at home and they hit you at school,
They hate you if you’re clever and they despise a fool,”

Granted, sometimes we’re fooled and elect someone wily as a fox who talks a good dumb game i.e. Clinton. And this may be the exact thing we fear as a populace – the duplicity. But mostly, we get stoopid because that’s who we feel comfortable with handling the “reigns.”

They can’t be too powerful.

New Ways of Thinking

The June 2010 issue of the Mensa Bulletin came in the mail yesterday, which is a real pleasure for me. Lately, the magazine’s issues revolve around a theme or question posed to the membership i.e. how would you solve the nation’s education problem.

The result is usually a wide assortment of varying opinions, with the problem viewed from scientific, economic, humanitarian, social, political, or practical perspectives. There can even be some solution involving crazy math analysis thrown in, as well. And on the rare occasion, someone with actual first-hand experience will respond!

Regardless, the discussion never fails to open my eyes in some new regard.

This month’s question (How many people can we optimally support, and should we even shoot for that number?) attracted some fascinating responses – three of which I’d like to share.

The first had to do with OIL. The responder argues that the Earth’s 2010 population of 7 billion has been made possible by harnessing cheap and abundant energy – OIL. In only 150 years, the population has increased by a factor of 3 due to increased food and transportation capabilities. Well, I’ve certainly never looked at oil in such a positive light before. Yeah, we’re talking about companies like BP. But, here’s the kicker: IT CANNOT BE SUSTAINED. And people can only be supported by the resources available.

Stoopid American Thots: Consider all the GOOD and all the BAD oil has accomplished, and realize for 7 billion people, there’s no going backward – only forward. Sobering, indeed. I’m seeing pictures in my head – starving babies, people killing over food, water, ammo, meds – and realizing that’s happening now in some parts of the world. (Maybe even here?)

As the richest country in the world (or most in debt), we can’t seem to get resources moved to the needy areas fast enough. And in the long run, should we? It only seems to boost the population in an area that can’t sustain itself without help.

The second fascinating magazine response deals with this very idea of SOCIALISM and thus economics. From a strictly textbook economics perspective, we tend to REWARD people FOR procreating, the more money the more they produce. “Society” fills the void because we can’t let the people of Mogadishu starve, for example. However, that doomsday scenario in Mogadishu is its population trying to establish the correct equilibrium with its available resources. Someone with an empty belly is more apt to develop and use birth control and stop adding to the population burden on resources. Or be dead.

I couldn’t help but smile wryly at the third magazine response of note: From a standpoint of the health of the planet, the optimal number of humans is zero. Yes. So, before we point the finger of blame at greedy, scum-sucking companies like BP, let’s consider our own greedy, scum-sucking human nature. Maybe, we’re going to have to let some people die in the world, some acts of socialistic humanitarianism slide by, in order to make more “ethical” decisions for others and the planet? Remember: resources support population and resources are not endless. Resources involve huge impact on the earth.

Let’s revisit that idea of our not being able to move resources to areas of need fast enough…what if they COME HERE to get the resources. Now, we’ve moved to the emotional, hot topic of immigration into the U.S.

And let’s ask the hard questions of ourselves. Many of the world’s 7 billion don’t have the wherewithal to come here, many do, and how many can our existing resources support? Yes, I’m talking about socialized healthcare, food, shelter. The strain on our socialized education system has reached the point that it is failing for MOST of the students and thus society as a whole. (And again, we’re so eager to point the finger at teachers, policy, this party, that party, merely details in the mechanism of the system.) At what point, do we shut the door?

Racism, TEA party demonstrations, crime – all are just symptoms of the much bigger REAL problem which is RESOURCE STRAIN.

We don’t expect our politicians to grasp the big picture. They are to deal with the symptoms we can all see and feel, handle those details in the system, push this cog, pull that lever harder, move the grease around. (No, not that lever, that’s the lever important to me!) And maybe this is why real problems never get solved.





Yeah, I'd just go golfing, too.

Awesome Stupidity

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." — Albert Einstein

Read the Labels! Especially those that don’t look like they’re in Chinese…

My recipe calls for tilapia. The only tilapia for sale at the local Wal-Mart grocery store comes frozen in a bag, pretty cheap price, farm-raised…wait…does that say “China”???? Noooooooo! What do they think I am? Some kinda Stoopid American? I DO NOT want the frozen fish farm-raised in China!

An article on how clean and healthy that farm in China probably is…

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/blogs/the-most-polluted-city-in-the-world-linfen-china

China: Home of 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities. More than half the rivers, one-third of the lakes, and 80-90% of the groundwater are polluted. Here’s a photo of a beautiful village called Linfen.

Justice for Joran

The Netherlands Embassy in Peru is “not comfortable” with the way Joran van der Sloot has been presented to the media, according to a CNN.com article.

Stoopid American Thots: Man, people need to take responsibility for themselves, ya’ know. If you look like an inbred, eye-crossing, Nazi-loving skinhead, you just need to own it. I think the bullet-proof vest was a thoughtful gesture on someone’s part. Although, I bet Dale Peterson from Alabama (isn’t that where Natalee Holloway was from?) can still put a bullet in his big, fat head with his Winchester rifle. He’s available right now to go to Peru. Which reminds me…I (heart-shape) Marines. :^)

Let’s all send up a big ol’ prayer that this lying punk-ass kid gets his just desserts, now that his judge-dad is dead. Or at the very least, he’s put in a room alone with the mamas of Natalee and Stephany while Nancy Grace watches the door. Maybe the men just need to get out of the way completely.

Heroes and Villains

I just watched a wonderful program on the Tennis Channel profiling Martina Navratilova.

In 1978 at age 14, I picked up a racquet for the first time. That racquet was wooden with baby blue glossy paint and the signature of Chrissie Evert mass produced on the side. Chrissie was a hero among young American girls and Martina was her arch rival. I had some awareness that Martina was from a weird Commie country. She rarely smiled, had a dark intensity about her, but our Sunshine Girl Chrissie always beat her in the end.

Martina asked the U.S. for political asylum in 1975 at age 18. In her home country of Czechoslovakia, she lived under oppression, control, and discrimination, since her family was not a member of the Communist Party. She also knew as a gay woman, she would be imprisoned. Czech tennis officials were becoming hostile toward her as a young player because they felt she was becoming too “American” and had plans to not let her compete. This very young girl made a hard life choice, left her family and all that was familiar behind, and set her feet on a new path – ALONE.

Well, she went on to be who many feel is the greatest female player in the history of the game in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Her 9-time Wimbledon singles record still stands. She only recently retired from doubles play at age 50.

She became a U.S. citizen 30 years ago. "Whenever people go into politics and they try to say that Communism was a good thing, I say, 'Go ahead and live in a Communist country then, if you think it's so great,' “ she has said.

During the program, she described two events that deeply affected her. Soon after revealing her sexuality to the press in 1981, she lost at the U.S. Open. When her name was announced as the one defeated during award ceremonies, she received a momentous, long, thunderous applause that brought her to tears. She felt the love, acceptance, and respect from America, and it was not contingent upon winning a medal or trophy.

The second event: After her record 9th win at Wimbledon, Margaret Court, an old tennis champion biddy no one remembers, said to the press that Martina was not a good role model for girls because she is a lesbian. (Apparently, Margaret was a childhood idol of Martina’s, and the criticism hurt.)

Martina has felt both the love and the hate, the acceptance and rejection that life has to offer. And understands how complicated human nature is. In a book that examines the famous on-court rivalry between Chrissie and Martina (they faced each other 80 times), Martina stated “I still have a closeness with her that I will never have with another human being because of what we went through together on and off court." (Among many things, Martina introduced Chrissie to her husband.)

Chrissie may have been a hero for American girls, but Martina is surely one for American women. Then again, are there really such simple things as heroes and villains?

Pepper Pride

I had this pepper in my dinner tonight. And it was DELICIOUS. It's the first time I've successfully grown something to eat. I am one proud Stoopid American.

War – Does It Ever End?

What do you think is the best all-time political movie? Some titles pop out: “All the President’s Men,” “Citizen Kane,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” – I’d like to suggest “Charlie Wilson’s War.”

This movie is genuinely funny, sad, heroic, features three of the best actors of our time – Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. But, I put it at the top of the list because of the lesson it ultimately tries to illustrate, which is we never really know the consequences of an action…until much later. And that should give pause to every politician for every program they ever thought to push to solve a so-called problem.

The story, in a nutshell, involves U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson funneling weapons to Afghanistan soldiers fighting the Soviets in the 1980s, turning that conflict into the Soviet Union’s “Viet Nam” – the one they couldn’t win and had to walk away from, after a huge drain on resources. This contributed heavily to the eventual break-down of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War. Awesome, right? Then we did not follow up with economic aid for the Muslims in Afghanistan and that set the table for the Taliban to take control and Osama bin Laden. Crazeeee, huh.

Hoffman’s CIA operative character shares an anecdote during the movie:

A boy is given a horse on his 14th birthday. Everyone in the village says, “Oh how wonderful.” But a Zen master who lives in the village says, “We shall see.” The boy falls off the horse and breaks his foot. Everyone in the village says, “Oh how awful.” The Zen master says, “We shall see.” The village is thrown into war and all the young men have to go to war. But, because of the broken foot, the boy stays behind. Everyone says, “Oh, how wonderful.” The Zen master says, “We shall see.”

Director Mike Nichols explains "You don't know good things from bad things when they're coming at you, and sometimes [you don't know] for 10 or 20 years, or ever — because good and bad things keep turning into one another.”

I know it’s not a popular stance, but I think it’s really important that after we’ve been involved in a conflict, we stick around and help re-build.

Idiocracy

If you’ve not seen this Mike Judge (“Office Space”) film yet, I’d like to recommend it. I thought it was just another stoopid comedy Cooter was watching on the Comedy Channel, typical Hollywood crap served on a platter of hilarity. Actually, this movie is not funny at all. It’s a cautionary tale. One reviewer even said that “Idiocracy” will be viewed as historical documentary in 10 years.

The movie is about the rapid deceleration of IQ levels in the future U.S. based on dysgenic pressure, a sort of “reverse natural selection” where intelligence has been bred out. Stoopid people have simply outnumbered and overwhelmed genetically intelligent ones, since there are no natural predators.

Flim narrator: “Some had high hopes the genetic engineering would correct this trend in evolution, but sadly the greatest minds and resources were focused on conquering hair loss and prolonging erections.”

There are so many ideas packed into this movie..the people wear synthetic clothing covered by advertising slogans and brands, they subsist on junk food and a mush of processed chemicals and watch mindless TV programming, the president is a former pro wrestler and porn movie star. The House of Representin’ won’t be able to save the conomy or prevent the garbage ambulanches! The people are starving and no one can remember how to grow food.

It’s an important film.

Day 44 Gulf Oil Spill: Rolling….Action!

Well, we have the White House arguing with BP over who released more accurate info in the beginning of this oil spill crisis. We have every politician hopping on board claiming responsibility for the idea of launching a civil and criminal investigation. Lots of political hay being made. We’ve got guys over in Florida letting us know the spill is a few miles off shore now. They’re calling authorities to come pick up the sticky pelicans. It’s already hit Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. There’s Anderson Coop-ah floating around the marshes in a boat. We’ve got political pundits postulating about Mr. Cool’s inability to emote rage. Even Hollywood film director Spike Lee is encouraging Mr. P to do a little fist-shaking.

What we don’t have: a US-led team of crack experts working the GD problem (scientists, engineers, drilling experts, oceanographers, hell, other US oil companies) and a stream of communication about this to assure us that THEY’RE ON IT!! This is so basic!!

I am so disgusted. The lack of leadership here is appalling. Would someone please hand our president a bullhorn? Is he in denial about what is happening?



No, this is Bobby, not Barry -- (Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal)