Mr. Bush, the financial industry would like to cash this in now...

And it's free...so that way every rich cock sucker that's taken advantage of Joe Schmo in loans and by playing with his livelihood (aka retirement savings) can still keep the millions they make all while the little guy loses.

If you wanna bail them out, you can start by imprisoning these pieces of shit. Oh wait, that's right you can't because United States law allows for the kind of practices that caused this mess.

Yay for Capitalism!

The first debate

A few thoughts on last nights debate:

1. The way John McCain talks is sort of irritating.
2. Obama really does talk like The Rock
3. Overall John McCain seemed to carry himself best but I don't feel he said anything truly impressive.
4. Obama wasn't bad in comparison but during points where they attempted to talk over one another, McCain undoubtedly over-powered him and much of the time he conceded, stumbled or backed off completely.
5. The way Obama would stutter and/or say the wrong words at times really made him seem either extremely nervous or unable to really captivate without the help of speech writers. McCain didn't do it as much but that can likely be credited to his rather lengthy experience as a politician and prior experience running for President.
6. McCain simply could not go without reiterating for the umpteenth time that he was a POW. Quite frankly I'm sick of hearing it and the fact he attempts to use it for political leverage so often really is an insult to those who experienced the same thing and didn't make it. He commented about coming home and seeing the treatment of Veterans and their overall plight but I find it a little bit ironic that he's a staunch supporter of the current administration's policies when they were, in part, responsible for the Walter Reed facility. As a Veteran himself, you'd think that alone would be enough to renounce them. Yet he still kisses the ring of George W. Bush, on one knee, every time he sees him.
7. As much as I am a person about respect, the gimmickry in the end with the handshakes and hugs was a bit repulsive to me. Attack ads and propaganda are bullshit, but when a debate about real issues and who is better is happening, I wanna see someone willing to spit in the other guys face over the fact they disagree. I'm a bit sick of politicians saving all the nastiness for Ads in which they don't even actually play a role.
8. In the end neither candidate did much to earn a vote of someone who hasn't actually already decided in some way. While admittedly I was leaning more toward Obama, I find myself back to square one in the center once again.
   

Experience vs. Inexperience

Back to the election for a moment, as things are now starting to pick up steam for the hard days of campaigning, debating, and smearing ahead.

A lot has been made of experience versus inexperience in this election. Senator McCain has a wealth of experience in politics whereas Senator Obama has barely one term under his belt if you consider the amount of time spent running for President. The same can be said for Governor Palin whose been viciously criticized in return for only being a "small-town mayor" prior to her position as Governor.

But one thing strikes me about this above all else with the American people. Many people, when discussing the candidates, have brought this up even before it became a true campaign issue. The argument/rhetorical question is "How can someone with so little experience run our country?"

For one, BOTH sides have historic candidates with thin political resumes and yet beginning with the Republicans they smear Obama for his lack and in return upon picking Mrs. Palin, the Democrats return fire and it just snowballs.

Lets get something straight though...I'd be willing to wager more than half of the civilian population questioning experience have at least at some point in their lives thought or said "Oh whatever all politicians are corrupt."

Yet if these two have not been in politics very long, that means they have not yet been corrupted. Whereas Mr. McCain has been there so long he could actually be the guy who could be the most corrupt of all. Yet people seem to think his long-term governmental services somehow qualify him more for the job.

If by knowing every lobbyist and interest group there is to know quite well and his devotion to everything that is George W. Bush throughout this horrid administration makes him more qualified, then hell...I must be living in the wrong country.

People need to let go of the stupid, foolish misconception that politicians are supposed to be anything different than average citizens. Just because they often are the rich, elite, and because they are mostly career politicians by the time they reach the Federal stage does not make them more qualified or even the right people for the job.

The reason you can write-in your vote is because you reserve the right to vote for ANYONE. And I assure you even Santa Claus and Jesus get votes in Presidential elections.

If this is anything it's an indication people have mostly given up, they've accepted their insignificant roles as only part of the productivity but not part of "the process."

Just remember, there are 0 qualifications to being an appointed judge in the Supreme Court in America. Yes you have to be confirmed, but the President could literally pick a kid that just graduated high-school and if they were confirmed they would be a Supreme Court Justice. Why is that significant? Because ultimately, the Supreme Court has more power and ability than the President AND Congress.

If you need an example to conceptualize that point: Roe v. Wade. One of the most hotly contested Supreme Court rulings since Brown v. Board of Education. Neo-cons want abortion made illegal, the president has proposed constitutional amendments since the courts will not overturn the ruling. Why amendments? Because it's the only thing in this country that supersedes all politics, transcends all branches of government and ultimately cannot be contested.

The ONLY way for the president to override the Supreme Court is either have the court itself over-turn the ruling or to amend the constitution which the court is bound by.

So really...why should experience matter? Ronald Reagan is one of the most highly touted presidents in our countries history and the guy was a fucking actor.

We simply cannot get caught up in this experience bullshit. Look at the REAL issues and take it from there.

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

Oh wait....no. It's just the stock market and the American economy.

McCain's Speech, Palin's speech/nomination

I'd like to start this with John McCain since his address/speech to the American people and his party was last night. But before I comment on my thoughts of the transcript I feel it's important to say a few things about Mr. McCain from my own point of view of him:

I have never liked John McCain. Ever since I gained a heightened awareness to the political spectrum and I suppose matured enough to begin to grasp politics for what it is, Mr. McCain has always stood out and in my opinion mostly for the wrong reasons. I feel as though his self-proclaimed "Maverick" mentality is childish, it's only periodically beneficial to him and his constituents and more often than not he's found himself snacking on his own foot in an apology for his actions.

Despite my overall dissatisfaction with him as a politician however, he does have SOME admirable qualities, some not so much. Although it's 50/50, I do think it's a good quality to see that he can admit when he's wrong and he is more than willing to publicly criticize himself when he is. It's a quality that few politicians possess and is something that is a nice change of pace because most people learn from their mistakes or attempt to correct them (Hey Georgie, I'm looking at you). Conversely though, McCain has contradicted himself and screwed up quite a bit on the big stage and done so and that's where it starts to go the other way.

Something that stands out to me, regardless of my own bias on the subject, is that Mr. McCain audaciously called Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) "Human cockfighting" with the ease of certainty. This is the same Mr. McCain that has a passion for boxing which has killed more people in the last 15 years than MMA and left greats like Mohammed Ali in the condition he is in. It is quite clear that Mr. McCain knows next to nothing about the sport and yet so easily judged it and has actually insisted on banning it.

Maybe it is my bias speaking but I'm pretty sure pitting any human versus another in any blood sport should be considered a "cockfight" if that's how he's going to look at it. His ignorance and short-sightedness in the matter, to me, is partly why I'm not convinced he is an adequate leader for our country. If he could be so uneducated about something as simple as a sport yet make such absolute statements, it is very difficult for me to trust that he could be better as a President.

So yes although that is just an example of why I don't like him, generally speaking I don't. But that also doesn't mean he couldn't change my mind either, so long as he proved he wouldn't be so reckless. So on to his speech.

• The opening minute or so of his speech to me is wishy washy, but to me in a country where far more than half the population doesn't like and/or disagrees with the existing President, you probably shouldn't regurgitate the bullshit he has fed us for the last 7+ years. But it's not THAT big of a deal because Mr. McCain's voting record already exemplifies his hard-on for George W. Bush. (everything else is stupid sentimental stuff that has no bearing on anything except himself so, moving on)
  
• The fact that after his opening he immediately moves on to Obama and essentially saying that before all else he respects him and appreciates and admires him despite all else is pretty big. Granted all of this stuff is tactical, but not everyone sees it that way and I think a lot of heads probably nodded during this section even if they were already decided Obama supporters. For him to put all aside and acknowledge the progress our country has made by nominating a black man to run for President, though obvious, still could have been ignored.
  
• Herein lies the problem: Instead of tipping his hat and then moving on to "This is why we're different and that I am better" Mr. McCain is instead left defending his choice for VP and having to reiterate and re-enforce the reasons why she was selected. This is going to be a problem and it's certainly going to hurt his momentum if this issue continues to be at the forefront. She may have been the best pick out of the women (since the move is obviously to steal feminists who may have supported Clinton) but I feel like, if she was vetted properly, they should have considered how these issues might arise. I feel they underestimated the impact they would have and the distraction they would become.
• I find it a little unsettling that part of his focus is corruption when not only does Mrs. Palin have a looming corruption inquiry but he just sucked the proverbial dick of the Bush Administration at the beginning of his speech. Most people won't see that but I think it's quite apparent.
• His strong references to God are laughable, but he knows the Evangelicals are listening closely. Nice job, sir.
• His exemplifications of fighting for Americans, to me has missed its intended purpose. In particular the soldier's family who died in Iraq in saying "I wear his bracelet and think of him every day." To me he should have never personalized the war that way because it's alienating the families of soldiers who he doesn't know. He's picking one and acting like he cares about them all, we'll see if that has any impact because that could turn out bad on that front. He already has showed continued support for a largely failed war which most realized was based on lies, this won't further him much I don't think.
• The issue of tax is always a big deal and rightfully so. BUT I think the problem with McCain's stance is quite evident. To simplify his stance is "I'll cut where I can, keep them where they are now at worst and my opponent will raise them." That is probably true. However, we've spent a trillion dollars on a war that isn't (and in my opinion shouldn't) ending soon, where is this money coming from? Taxes. How can you cut the income but continue to spend without cutting actual governmental services to people IN America? Furthermore, how is this approach any different than the American family struggling to put food on the table using their credit cards and/or loans to stay afloat? We simply cannot finance our future the way we are, it's part of the reason our economy is weakening and so screwed up.
• Comparing education to civil rights is astounding and incredibly exaggerative. If you're going to compare anything to civil rights it should be the immigration battle.
• Mr. McCain criticizes Obama's idea of unionization and yet talks about promoting jobs. Yes, I know Republicans pretty much hate unions but union workers also tend to make more money than people that are in the same field of work, doesn't that make them beneficial to the people in a way? (yes the door swings both ways, I know.)
• He moves on to Al Qaeda and directs his attention toward Iran, this is another part of the reason why I am not thrilled about his potential presidency. Monetarily we don't need another war and when it comes to Iran, they're 98% a threat to Israel and 1% surrounding countries/allies and 1% or less to the US in the states. To me neither Iran nor North Korea should be a true priority right now because we still have bigger fish to fry and Pakistan may lose stability and loyalty to the US thanks to the resignation of Musharraf.
• His positions on bipartisanship are admirable but unrealistic. His approach to many issues is anything but and he's essentially (and probably strategically) putting Democrats in a position to either side with him or risk being fingered for the blame to just about everything he can't accomplish during his administration. That's not exactly how you unite a country, ask George W, he's one of the biggest reasons this nation has become so politically polarized.
  
• I still find the fact he uses this war hero thing to make himself look better a little aggravating. It's been part of his platform since he started politics and it's grown tired. It's been about 40 years Mr. McCain, we're grateful for what you did, unlike our current President, but we're past that point now.
• His closing is exceptional. I enjoy that he's not just saying "hey rest all the responsibility on my shoulders" or the government's shoulders, he reminds the people that they, themselves, can make a change and a difference in their individual lives. It does echo the same thing Obama had said at the DNC but overall it's a good message for anyone and one I can get behind regardless of who is saying it.
  

I don't agree with a lot of the speech but at the very least it was honest and didn't deviate from anything we didn't already know about Mr. McCain. But it didn't sell me on voting for him at all and I'm disappointed he took no stance (that I seen) of the rising problem with illegal immigration. This is a major contributor to the weakening of our system and economy and it needs to be addressed. Guess I'll have to wait for the debate for that.

Now for Mrs. Palin:

• I do not believe she is the most qualified or even the best person in the Republican party for the responsibility of Vice-President. The move was very clearly political and even more evidently an attempt at capitalizing now undecided former-supporters of Hillary Clinton. Despite the details that have risen, it was a genius move, just not necessarily the right candidate due to the early impact.
• Some people lauded her speech the other night as quirky, pointed and entertaining and in part it was. But besides taking pot-shot's at Obama almost nothing about it was truly political. Once again she defended herself, she slightly differentiated between herself and Obama but at no point did she attempt to prove herself as not only a good politician but a competent VP pick who will do her job well. She did not define herself or her true stances, she just stood on stage, said some things about herself and poked Obama with a proverbial stick and called him a chump. The speech was a complete failure politically and the fact people actually thought so highly of it is pretty disappointing. But hey, it's people like that who voted George W. Bush into office because they thought of him as a guy they'd "drink a beer with."
• People that care about her personal life in terms of her daughter are petty, stupid and probably shouldn't vote anyway because they're the exact people that parade around telling other people how they should live their lives and what they can and cannot do. What Mrs. Palin is experiencing with her daughter is not only a private matter but it is something that MANY parents in this country now experience. Although some people might find comfort in knowing they're not the only ones, this issue needs to be put away because her daughter doesn't deserve to be put on a chopping block half a world away from where she resides. She's not on the ballot, her mother is, and her daughters private life has nothing to do with her mother.
• Conversely, I feel the issue of Mrs. Palin's mentally retarded child IS an actual issue and one that should be talked about and considered. Being a parent should always come first to being a politician and a child like that needs tons of undivided attention and care, it is a very difficult situation and for her to try and juggle both responsibilities is ridiculous and for her to neglect one over the other is even more so. Her child should be first and foremost and if it's not that's a problem, and if she relegates the responsibilities to her husband or a caretaker to me that's even worse. Above all else this is the main reason why this woman should NOT be our VP. If she can't handle her own child and make them first and foremost, how is she supposed to co-lead hundreds of millions of people? But that's just the tip of the iceberg there.
  

I intended on delving into more subjects but this is already too long so I'll leave it here and possibly continue in another entry.

What does it really mean to be Patriotic?

It really seems like the definition or idea of what a Patriotism is has been skewed and essentially been politicized more than it probably ever should have been. I suppose one can argue they go hand-in-hand, and that's not entirely inaccurate, but the polarization of it has really made its meaning unclear.

Well, to me at least.

I mean some people take their patriotism and love for the United States to a whole new level and I can't help but realize how contradictive some of these stances can be. Surely I'm generalizing, but I think there is little doubt these people and mentalities exist within our borders.

First you have these people who drive around with their vehicles adorned in flags (which seemed to become prevalent in the proceeding weeks after 9/11) and sometimes with these bumper magnet ribbons that have some kind of meaning, in many cases about supporting our troops.

I simply cannot even begin to keep count of how many times I've seen these things on Hummers, industrial strength pick-up trucks, Ford Expeditions and Excursions, Chevy Tahoes etc. Isn't the least bit ironic and contradictive that these openly "patriotic" people are also driving vehicles the guzzle gas (aka refined oil) and that a near unanimous amount of hijackers in 9/11 came from Saudi Arabia our biggest provider of oil?

Do these people realize this? (I doubt it) Or do they just justify the fact by driving around an American-made vehicle and say one balances out the other? To me it makes little sense. Was it the Saudi government that did it to us? No. So I suppose it may be silly to hold them accountable, BUT it also wasn't the Iraqi government nor was it even the government in Afghanistan. We're talking about militants, separatists, not actual governments who executed these attacks.

So if we are, as Patriots, going to be satisfied and justified in attacking governments who were not necessarily directly related to the attacks than why exclude Saudi Arabia from the "War on Terror" when many of the hijackers were from there?

It just seems to me that Patriotism has gone from loving your country to being arrogant, idealist and in large part ignorant. I mean look at this stupid criticism that Obama isn't patriotic because he doesn't wear a pin on his fucking lapel. Are you serious? Is it really that big of a deal? I don't think it is, that's for sure.

Maybe right now he's not proud of his country, maybe he's ashamed that it's in the shape that it is and that the current administration has run rampant, it has repeatedly failed the American people and shamed us on the international stage immensely. Some stupid ass pin probably made in China isn't a way to declare your patriotism, the fact he stands up and wants to be our president and do something useful does.

It baffles me how things like this become so important to people. As far as I'm concerned Patriot has become synonymous with idiot. There are few civilian people that are open Patriots that aren't some kind of ignorant, idiots. People with limited perceptions and complete disregard for truth, common sense, or even all the details.

I have encountered some of these individuals in my life and so many of them just have absolutely no grasp of anything. "Nuke em all." "If they ain't with us, fuck em." "If you don't support our president you're anti-American."

This is a mentality of a lot of people, even still, and yet what strikes me as so strange about it all is, they love their country but the 70% of it that hates the president needs to "go move to Canada with the hippies." How can you love your country so much and yet hate such a large portion of people? It's like being in loving someone for the sake of being in love and moreover it's like respecting the "authority" of any asshole who has a badge, even if he/she doesn't deserve it.

Patriotism is equivalent to subservience. The true Patriot stands by the constitution and doesn't allow it to be desecrated by an administration or ideology that wishes to use it to deny citizens rights instead of protect them from the government. A true Patriot is someone who remembers that WE employ politicians and they're accountable to us as much as they are to anything else. A true Patriot doesn't stand idly by and watch our country turn to shit by buying into the propaganda that things are being over-exaggerated. And a true Patriot, in the American sense, isn't a fucking imperialist because if you had half a brain you'd know that's exactly what we fought against in the Revolutionary War to gain our freedom to begin with.

I suppose my earlier question may have been answered. Also, I do understand the post is a little erratic, but my thinking was spaced out over about 3 hours and not all the writing was immediate.