THE UGLY NEW MCCAIN

The Ugly New McCain By Richard Cohen
Wednesday, September 17, 2008;

Following his loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 South Carolina primary, John McCain did something extraordinary: He confessed to lying about how he felt about the Confederate battle flag, which he actually abhorred. "I broke my promise to always tell the truth," McCain said. Now he has broken that promise so completely that the John McCain of old is unrecognizable. He has become the sort of politician he once despised.

The precise moment of McCain's abasement came, would you believe, not at some news conference or on one of the Sunday shows but on "The View," the daytime TV show created by Barbara Walters. Last week, one of the co-hosts, Joy Behar, took McCain to task for some of the ads his campaign has been running. One deliberately mischaracterized what Barack Obama had said about putting lipstick on a pig -- an Americanism that McCain himself has used. The other asserted that Obama supported teaching sex education to kindergarteners.

"We know that those two ads are untrue," Behar said. "They are lies."

Freeze. Close in on McCain. This was the moment. He has largely been avoiding the press. The Straight Talk Express is now just a brand, an ad slogan like "Home Cooking" or "We Will Not Be Undersold." Until then, it was possible for McCain to say that he had not really known about the ads, that the formulation "I approve this message" was just boilerplate. But he didn't.

"Actually, they are not lies," he said.

Actually, they are.

McCain has turned ugly. His dishonesty would be unacceptable in any politician, but McCain has always set his own bar higher than most. He has contempt for most of his colleagues for that very reason: They lie. He tells the truth. He internalizes the code of the McCains -- his grandfather, his father: both admirals of the shining sea. He serves his country differently, that's all -- but just as honorably. No more, though.

I am one of the journalists accused over the years of being in the tank for McCain. Guilty. Those doing the accusing usually attributed my feelings to McCain being accessible. This is the journalist-as-puppy school of thought: Give us a treat, and we will leap into a politician's lap.

Not so. What impressed me most about McCain was the effect he had on his audiences, particularly young people. When he talked about service to a cause greater than oneself, he struck a chord. He expressed his message in words, but he packaged it in the McCain story -- that man, beaten to a pulp, who chose honor over freedom. This had nothing to do with access. It had to do with integrity.

McCain has soiled all that. His opportunistic and irresponsible choice of Sarah Palin as his political heir -- the person in whose hands he would leave the country -- is a form of personal treason, a betrayal of all he once stood for. Palin, no matter what her other attributes, is shockingly unprepared to become president. McCain knows that. He means to win, which is all right; he means to win at all costs, which is not.

At a forum last week at Columbia University, McCain said, "But right now we have to restore trust and confidence in government." This was always the promise of John McCain, the single best reason to vote for him. America has been cheated on too many times -- the lies of Vietnam and Watergate and Iraq. So many lies. Who believes that in Afghanistan last month, only five civilians were killed by the American military in an airstrike, instead of the approximately 90 claimed by the Afghan government? Not me. I first gave up on the military during Vietnam and then again when it covered up the death of Pat Tillman, the Army Ranger and former NFL player who was killed in 2004 by friendly fire.

McCain was going to fix all that. He was going to look the American people in the eyes and say, not me. I will not lie to you. I am John McCain, son and grandson of admirals. I tell the truth.

But Joy Behar knew better. And so McCain lied about his lying and maybe thinks that if he wins the election, he can -- as he did in South Carolina -- renounce who he was and what he did and resume his old persona. It won't work. Karl Marx got one thing right -- what he said about history repeating itself. Once is tragedy, a second time is farce. John McCain is both.

The Ugly New McCain By Richard Cohen
Wednesday, September 17, 2008;

Maybelline, Revlon or Loreal... the choices are endless!

I have heard that the "Lower 48" does not understand Alaska and its culture at all. Well, with all due respect I think that some of the issues below do deserve at the very least a few raised eyebrows.

For those of the other Lower 48 frenzied, starry eyed "we got ourselves a really hottie" supporters that feel we don't know about Sarah Palin because we don't live there and we are just being "mean", take a gander at Anchorage Daily New's comments to the editor regarding our "heartbeat away" VP candidate.

Now get out of the liptick jungle and on to some thoughts:

1. She offered a bounty of $150 for each right front leg of freshly killed wolves


2. She is presently under investigation in Alaska for abuse of power


3. She strongly supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge


4. She promotes aerial hunting of wolves and bears even though Alaskans voted twice to ban the practice (VIDEO)


5. She supports the Alaskan Independence Party which seeks independence from the United States (VIDEO)


6. She is a champion for big oil and her campaign slogan has become "Drill, baby, drill!"


7. She believes creationism should be taught in public schools


8. She believes man-made global warming is a farce


9. She is opposed to listing the polar bear as an endangered species because it might limit oil exploitation


10. While mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire the city librarian because the librarian refused to censor books


11. She used $400,000 of state money to fund a propaganda campaign in support of aerial hunting


12. As mayor of Wasilla, she made rape victims pay for their own forensic evidence kits


13. She obtained her first passport just last year (2007)


14. She touts her "experience" as Mayor of a city no larger than some of the minor Chicago suburbs as qualifying for VP even though Wasilla is known as the Meth Capital of Alaska . Seems her own backyard needs a bit of cleaning up!

And on to another interesting tidbit, with friends like these how can Sarah go wrong! Can we say Billy Carter anyone?

Religion and Politics

I do not understand why the Republican candidates have to prove which of them loves Jesus more. I thought there was a separation of church and state but as usual I must live in a dream world.

Hey don't get me wrong I think it is great if you have faith in your religion - more power to you but WOW it shouldn't dominate the issues!

Now I know that the picture above is a tad bit on the irreverent side but then I am a little scamp in that department.

Mexico's Sin

MEXICO CITY -- President Felipe Calderon blasted U.S. immigration policies on Sunday and promised to fight harder to protect the rights of Mexicans in the U.S., saying Mexico does not end at its borders."

The criticism earned Calderon a standing ovation during his first state-of-the nation address.
"We strongly protest the unilateral measures taken by the U.S. Congress and government that have only persecuted and exacerbated the mistreatment of Mexican undocumented workers," he said. "The insensitivity toward those who support the U.S. economy and society has only served as an impetus to reinforce the battle ... for their rights."

He also reached out to the millions of Mexicans living in the United States, many illegally, saying: "Where there is a Mexican, there is Mexico." He also said Sunday that Mexico has created 618,000 new jobs since January.
_______________

Well goody for you Felipe! But here is a little newsflash for you El Presidente. In the past two years Calderon, your country has just not had an exodus of its citizens, but your manufacturing businesses are flying the "Pollo" Coop to China. Seems your own country's manufacturers won't pay the $2.50 an hour you criminally allow to be paid to your own people as their only living wage!

And he brags about new jobs? What new jobs? KFC, Burger King and McDonald's? These types of businesses know a good thing when they see it - cheap labor and a government that prefers that their people stay in the US illegally so that they don't have to worry about spending their ill-gained profits on ensuring a better life for their countrymen and Calderon can share his spoils with his little cronies like Fox.

Calderon and his politico cronies are criminal in how they allow their people wallow in poverty while they pat each other on the back. They are the ones that are committing the greatest sins - ignoring their poor, casting blame on other countries, and greedily gobbling up any profits that are bled out of their people.

I don't think Calderon should be so hasty in his bravado! He may just fall on his grasiento culo!

Clinton Hostage Crisis

Eisenberg, who is mentally unstable, initially walked into the building and ordered all of the hostages onto the floor, said one official. Here, a SWAT team member escorts a hostage from the office.

Oh my God! How much would that suck to know that your volunteers were taken hostage! I am not Monster Huge fan of Hilary but I can feel for her and her concern for her campaign volunteers. It is hard enough to get people fired up for your cause then to have to warn them of possible crackpots taking them hostage. Yikes! This world is going nutso!

Hastert - Cut and Run King

Hastert stepping down early is just another example of the GOP cuttin' and runnin' His BS of an excuse saying it will not inconvenience the voters and keep down expenses. WHAT!?!?! Put down the bong pipe Denny! You inconsiderate idiot. It is going inconvenience a hulluva lot of voters who now have to vote in TWO elections. And expenses being kept down? You Crack Addict!!! Who did consult for that load of cowpies?

According to Jack Cunnigham, Kane County Clerk, Hastert’s decision to step down from the 14th Congressional District seat will cost Clerk's office an extra $400,000 to $800,000 next year, Cunningham said. To the eight counties that fall partially or entirely in the district, the extra cost will be between $1.1 million and $2.2 million, not counting costs to municipalities that handle their own voting, Cunningham said.

Those costs – $400,000 per extra election in Kane County, $1.1 million per extra election in all eight counties – are only working numbers, and they are likely to change over the next few months, weeks or even days.

And according to Kane County Chronicle's Editor "Essentially, there will be two election processes occurring: One to fill the remainder of Hastert’s current term and one to elect a new representative in November. Truly conscientious individuals might end up casting votes four times because there will be two different primaries and two different elections."

This is saving money and not causing an inconvenience to the voters?? Hastert! You are the inconvenience to the voters! Just because you can't take the heat you are taking your toys and going home. Wuss!

So now Denny, you're going go to Wheaton College and become an economics fellow are ya? I think you need to go back to school first to learn how economics work then after that why don't you sneak in a few ethics classes while you are at it.

Obviously while spending most of your time covering up for buddies like Mark Foley you forgot how the district that elected you works!

A Nation Of Fear - The Fear of Touch

Because of the cases of true perversed and scummy pedophiles running rampart, we are succeeding in creating a nation of fearful children. Don't touch them! Don't touch Me! There is a difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching.

In some cases, a hug from a friend is all some children can have because of a lack of love at home but because our schools are becoming overly sensitive to the child molestations by teachers and support staff, they now are OVERLY reacting to a simple hug between two kids. What do you think? Should the rules stay as they are or should they be amended to allow simple hugging.

See article below and let me know your thoughts

Girl gets detention for hugging The Associated Press, Tues., Nov. 6, 2007

Illinois middle school bans public displays of affection; parents urge change

MASCOUTAH, Ill. - Two hugs equals two days of detention for 13-year-old Megan Coulter.
The eighth-grader was punished for violating a school policy banning public displays of affection when she hugged two friends Friday.

“I feel it is crazy,” said Megan, who was to serve her second detention Tuesday after classes at Mascoutah Middle School. “I was just giving them a hug goodbye for the weekend,” she said.
Megan’s mother, Melissa Coulter, said the embraces weren’t even real hugs — just an arm around the shoulder and slight squeeze.

“It’s hilarious to the point of ridicule,” Coulter said. “I’m still dumbfounded that she’s having to do this.”

District Superintendent Sam McGowen said that he thinks the penalty is fair and that administrators in the school east of St. Louis were following policy in the student handbook.
It states: “Displays of affection should not occur on the school campus at any time. It is in poor taste, reflects poor judgment, and brings discredit to the school and to the persons involved.”
Parents urge change in policy Coulter said she and her husband told their daughter to go ahead and serve her detentions because the only other option was a day of suspension for each skipped detention.

“We don’t agree with it, but I certainly don’t want her to get in more trouble,” Coulter said.
The couple plan to attend the next school board meeting to ask board members to consider rewording the policy or be more specific in what is considered a display of affection.
“I’m just hoping the school board will open their eyes and just realize that maybe they shouldn’t be punishing us for hugs,” Megan said.

Grassroots: The common people at a local level.

The word Grassroots is normally used in relation to political campaigns. But it also can be applied to the people at a local level that without the big money or political savvy can take up a cause, push it through and bring justice to their purpose.

http://www.lakeandhalsted.com/ did just that. According to their website, the story began in the summer of 2005, every weekend night at the closing hour 3:00am fighting among club goers escalated in the vicinity of the Lake & Halsted nightclubs especially Chromium NiteClub. The fighting, screaming, drug use, public peeing, property destruction escalated to such a fervor that neighbors and local business owners started to protest the lack of civility and safety in their neighborhood.

Saturday Nite's Alright For Fightin....... ummm so's Sunday!

The City of Chicago trying to appease the neighbors and to stem the violence started to station Police and Tactical Officers outside the Chromium Niteclub on Saturday night to Sunday when the most violent of street fighting occurred. Unfortunately, this was not enough. On the LakeandHalsted website you will see that even with the presence of Police, horrible fighting still occurred. That is when the neighborhood took action. That is when they became a Grassroots Organization determined to stem the violence, make the Chromium Niteclub owners responsible for their patrons and bring some semblance of peace back to their neighborhood where they worked and lived.

The neighbors took the usual course of action. They met with Aldermen, they filed petitions, they worked with law enforcement but it wasn’t until a lone woman started to film the violence from her Art Studio across from the club that officials started to wake up to the problems that this particular nightclub caused. This woman weathered threats to her property and even threats on her life but still she kept filming. And then the unthinkable happened. On August 19th a young man visiting the club, with family members for the first time, lost his life that night. He was shot 5 times in the back by some idiot clubgoer that took offense to this young man’s presence. This murder was done in plain sight of the Police stationed at the club.

On the website you can hear and see what the neighbors see, hear and witness: http://www.lakeandhalsted.com/

Now people started to notice; especially a local news station. Interviewing the brave artist that took up her camera, the terrors that this nightclub allowed were finally being taken seriously. On October 29th the Liquor Commission pulled the liquor license from the owner. It was pulled on a technicality and not because of the violence but I know the attention this story was given helped and was due to the bravery and courage of this Grassroots Organization.

The definition of Grassroots is “the common people”. There is nothing common about these heroes.

Candidates Of The Unknown

So I can't sleep. So in my awake but near coma-like state, I thought I would cruise the web to get information on the potential candidates for President and I stumbled upon a website called http://www.vote-smart/

An interesting site that gives you, according to them, unbiased information about the candidates. Clicking on Republicans, I found not just the 'known' candidates but scores of other announced candidates. I did not know these people existed and I had fun reading their biographies and their position on issues. By the way, what is the Humanitarian Party????

I only included 4 from each category but showed the number of entries into the race after each section. Click on the name and it will bring you to the site and you can meet some of the serious but no money, not-serious but think its fun, or the plain ole nut jobs.

There is a guy that is running on the Democrat/Farmer/Labor party that is called Ole.

Republican Candidates #56
Virginia Algar
Michael Andrew Arterburn
George Brent Bailey
Daniel James Barnett

Democrat Candidates #54
Willie Felix Carter
Randolph Wilson Crow
Jack L Dietz
Philip Epstein

Other Party(s) #109
Blake Ashby
Michael W. Bay
John Douglas Blyth

Patrick Cazneau

Assign Responsibility

In 1986, we legalized millions of illegals through an Amnesty Program. The government "promised" that it would take action to stem the invasion from Mexico of 1 million illegals each year. It did not. Illegals still pour in.

We sit by and cry foul! When will it stop! Build a fence, build a wall!!! That'll stop them. If we could not stem the flood of illegals in the past 20 years what makes a wall that much more powerful??

I have tried to stay impartial to this illegal debate but I see that our lawmakers are too busy pointing the finger at each other's brand of liberalism or conservatism to not realize that we have allowed this to happen because we have not laid down the law and make the countries responsible for this influx.

We shake hands and kiss patootie with heads of state in foreign landsbut is there any chastisement for their neglect of their own country. The money that pours into Mexico though tourism or into Arabia from Oil - where has that gone? I assume only to line the pockets of the influential and those in charge. I have yet to hear any Liberal or Conservative come down hard on other countries about how terrible they treat their own citizens or provide an accounting as to where their own funding goes.

Here is a thought - If I only made $10 a month, but for a few dollars more I could escape my poverty and come to a country where I could make $10 an hour – wouldn't I? It is easier to escape poverty by leaving, but what has happened to those that would stand up against their government and say no more??

There is no "easy" fix. No amnesty program that will stem the flow in years to come. Only families that will be torn apart because we didn't politically spank the ass of those in charge of our brothers and sisters of foreign lands.

But is it our job to be the nanny of all? In some respects yes. We need leaders that lead not placate. We need citizens that help not complain. We need to start to listen to each other for solutions and not just blindly leave that decision up to those that just want to kiss the proverbial politico ass.

There are those we placed in power who want to hide their heads in the political sand pile. We are not ostriches, we are proud Americans that in our hearts, a burning desire to do the right thing. Unfortunately, those in charge forgot to listen

So the burning question is...... What is your opinion on how this problem can be fixed?

Lost Opportunity

I am not a fan of President Ahmadinejad of Iran. I fondly call him Ahma-Idgit. I find his policies and viewpoints radically offensive but I was curious to see what he would say at Columbia. Gracious opposition should have been the tenor of the day – not bullying.

After the furor surrounding President Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia University dies down, do you think that we have missed the opportunity to clarify issues and open communications with Iran?

Columbia President Lee Bollinger effectively overtook the microphone to voice his low opinion of the Iranian leader and at the same time, blew the chance to open the lines of a healthy conversation.

With Bollinger's arrogant attack on this man, he basically became a braggart in his own right. Spouting self absorbed rhetoric and chastising this leader not only defeated the purpose of this man speaking at Columbia but also he appeared the buffoon to the Country of Iran. To me it smacked of personal agenda. Why did Columbia invite Ahmadinejad to speak at one of the most erudite and discussion-driven US universities but then drag him down to the level of a chastisement of a kindergartner?

I can see the point in not allowing the Iranian dictator of the month to visit Ground Zero. Especially, in light of the alleged sale of IEDs to Iraqi terrorist factions but to invite him to speak at a campus, proceed to berate him just threw away the opportunity for the student body to open up an intelligent debate on his views versus US views.

Where do go from here? A placard that a protester was carrying on the campus stated "Free Speech For All- Even Douchebags". Unfortunately, Bollinger proved himself to be the "Douchebag".