23
Nov
As I have pointed out as often as I possibly can, the United Nations is now a waste of resources. About every issue they’re involved in is racked with scandal. They chose to protect Saddam Hussein regardless of all the evidence of atrocities, the Oil-for-food program has been a funding source for terrorists, they heavily criticized the US over Abu Ghraib while apparently doing nothing over their own abuses. They bailed out of Ivory Coast and allowed French soldiers to massacre civilians.
I can point out a whole laundry list of reasons to get rid of the UN, especially in regards to military actions. Can anyone give me a good reason to keep them?
22
Nov
I really didn’t want to get into conspiracy theories as a rule, but, it’s almost impossible not to. The thing about conspiracy theories is they tend to take one little fragment of fact and run with it, often ignoring all the other chunks of facts that debunk it. However, some are just too fun to pass up. So, I’m going to jump into conspiracy theories with one foot planted firmly at Snopes. I am going to be doing conspiracy theories here in the political webdream as most are political in nature, and the rest reflect the individual’s poliical philosophy anyway. People don’t repeat conspiracy theories attacking what they respect. So, it’s gonna be here. Hopefully we’ll have some fun with it. And more importantly, hopefully will get to the root of some of them. It won’t end them, but at least I can say I did my little part in not giving them more life than they deserve.
And, I felt it was most appropriate to initiate this category on the 42nd anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
22
Nov
In 2000, Al Gore coined the phrase "It’s the economy, stupid." He was making the point that the Clinton economic "miracle" shoud not be messed with by electing someone not associated with the "miracle". Problem was, the economy was tanking. In 2004 John Kerry relentlessly hammered Bush on the failing economy and the things he would do to fix it. Problem was, the economy was improving. Both lost. So, I’ve wondered how "the economy" as an issue affects large blocks of voters. Political Vice Squad tackled the issue in a somewhat limited scope in order to prove a different point, I’m looking at the big picture of the issue itself. First of all, let’s look at how the states lined up in regards to jobs:
Now, given that most states are going to vote Republican or Democrat come hell or high water, there are some that are usually in play. In Florida, the job situation is good getting better. Obviously, the "failing economy" argument didn’t have any impact there. In Pennsylvania, the job situation is getting better fast, the "failing economy" argument didn’t apply, but Kerry got it anyway. In Ohio, the job situation is pretty awful and getting worse. The "failing economy" would apply for sure. Kerry lost Ohio. North Carolina has one of the "most failing" economies in the country, it didn’t work there either. ( I think it hurt Edwards more than it hurt Bush, all politics is local. )
My gut opinion at this time is "the economy" is not an issue that wins votes. People already know if things are good or bad, making it a campaign issue either re-inforces what they already know, or contradicts what they already know. Either way, it doesn’t make them go "hmmmmm". Giving a crystal clear economic agenda without necessarily analyzing the current situation IMO would work better. It doesn’t give the average voter something real easy to criticize, but it gives them something to hang their hat on. Neither Gore nor Kerry did that, they both gave a sweeping analysis of the current economy that may be accurate in one state, but would be inaccurate in another state. Next time, whoever’s running, listen to me, don’t give the average voter an easy out to question you..
( My fees are reasonable )
21
Nov
And,
And now this: Before looking at it, do know it’s French soldiers firing apparently randomly into a crowd in the Ivory Coast.
I am waiting for Jacques Chirac’s outrage. I am waiting for Chirac to condemn his soldiers for abusing innocent civilians. I am waiting for Chirac to admit that if they hadn’t decided to mess with the situation in Ivory Coast that these horrendous atrocities would not have occurred. I am waiting for Kofi Annan to condemn the Chirac administration for having apparently no control over their soldiers. I am waiting for Kofi Annan to demand an investigation. I am waiting for the New York Times and every newspaper in California to show disgust at the French military. I am waiting for Michael Moore to make a movie. I am waiting for the Red Cross to suggest there are human abuses occurring in Ivory Coast. I am waiting for apologists in France to say how sorry they are to the entire world for electing Chirac as their leader. Etc. etc. etc….
What I am not doing is holding my breath.
21
Nov
OK: Lets "talk trade", where it comes from, who it goes to, what the end result of it all really is…
Nicked from TMF lte with links to sources.
19
Nov
From RightVoices.com:
Rightvoices has a bunch like these. As they point out, justifiably so, you won’t see these on mainstream media, they’re only concerned with the body count.
19
Nov
Outside of JFK, this has the potential for the most fun. I mean, imagine the timeline:
| EARLY YEARS: I BLEW A SAX. | |
| 10/2/1991 | Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton announces he will run for president. |
| 1/23/1992 | The Clintons appear on CBS News’ 60 Minutes. Mr. Clinton tells correspondent Steve Kroft that he has "caused pain" in his marriage. |
| 1/23/1992 | Star tabloid issues story claiming Gennifer Flowers and Mr. Clinton had an "intimate" relationship. |
| 1/24/1992 | Flowers holds press conference stating she had a relationship with Mr. Clinton for 12 years. Excerpts from tape recorded telephone conversations between the two are released. |
| 2/6/1992 | Story erupts that Mr. Clinton used the system to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam war. |
| 2/18/1992 | Mr. Clinton finishes second in the New Hampshire primary. He calls himself "The Comeback Kid." |
| 3/16/1992 | While campaigning, Hillary Rodham Clinton is asked about profits from the Rose law firm where she worked. |
| 7/16/1992 | Mr. Clinton accepts nomination at Democratic National Covention. |
| 11/3/1992 | Mr. Clinton wins presidential election. |
| 1/20/1993 | William Jefferson Clinton sworn in as 42nd president of the U.S. |
| 1/25/1993 | President Clinton names wife Hillary as head of task force on health care reform. |
| 1/29/1993 | Mr. Clinton announces what will become the "don’t ask, don’t tell"policy, by lifting the ban on gays in the military. |
| 2/1/1993 | Distant Clinton cousin writes memo suggesting she and a colleague take over the running of the White House travel office. |
| 2/17/1993 | President Clinton addresses a joint session of Congress. Talks about his economic plans. |
| 3/13/1993 | President Clinton hosts Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat for a White House signing of the Oslo Accords. |
| 5/19/1993 | All seven workers in the White House travel office are fired after questions of financial impropriety are raised. |
| 5/25/1993 | The White House reconsiders the firing of travel office workers. Five are placed on administrative leave. Two remain fired. |
| 6/26/1993 | Missile attack launched in retaliation against Iraqi plot to assassinate President Bush. |
| 7/20/1993 | Longtime FOB, and Hillary Clinton law partner, Vince Foster commits suicide in Virginia. Rumors about Whitewater abound as his White House office is sealed. |
| 8/10/1993 | Mr. Clinton signs deficit reduction bill. |
| 9/23/1993 | Health care reform proposal presented to Congress. |
| 10/3/1993 | Humanitarian mission to Somalia turns into warfare as United Nations forces battle Somali warlord Aidid. A total of 18 Americans are killed. |
| 11/3/1993 | Brady Bill enacted. |
| 11/17/1993 | House approves North American Free Trade Agreement – one of President Clinton’s priorities. |
| 1/12/1994 | Attorney General Janet Reno announces the appointment of an independent counsel to investigate Whitewater. |
| 5/6/1994 | Sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton is filed by Paula Jones. |
| 6/14/1994 | Mr. Clinton introduces welfare plan with work requirements and time limits. |
| 6/25/1994 | President Clinton hosts Rabin and Jordan’s King Hussein for the signingof the Washington Declaration which lays the foundations for the formal Israeli-Jordanian peace accord. |
| 7/26/1994 | Congressional hearings into Whitewater begin. |
| 9/15/1994 | Clinton health care reform plan quashed by Congress. |
| 9/19/1994 | U.S. troops sent into Haiti. |
| 11/8/1994 | Republicans take control of the House and Senate for the first time in 40 years. |
| 12/1/1994 | Senate approves sweeping gloal tariff cutting trade pact, creating the World Trade Organization. |
| 1/31/1995 | President Clinton sidesteps Congress and uses emergency powers to lend $20 billion to Mexico to stave off bankruptcy. |
| 4/19/1995 | Bomb explosion at Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma kills 168 people. |
| MIDDLE YEARS: A SAXY BABE BLEW ME | |
| 6/1/1995 | Monica Lewinsky begins internship at White House. |
| 7/19/1995 | President Clinton reaffirms the goals of affirmative action saying, "mend it, don’t end it." |
| 9/1/1995 | NATO forces launch military action after bombing of a Sarajevo marketplace. |
| 11/1/1995 | According to sources, Monica Lewinsky becomes involved in a sexual relationship with the president. |
| 11/4/1995 | Rabin assassinated. PresidentClinton attends funeral. Mideast peace process stalls. |
| 11/14/1995 | Federal government shuts down after Mr. Clinton vetoes budget proposal. |
| 11/16/1995 | On a book tour promoting It Takes A Village, Hillary Rodham Clinton is asked about the travel office fiasco and Whitewater. She promises the truth will come out. |
| 11/23/1995 | State of the Union Address. President Clinton declares "era of big government over." |
| 11/26/1995 | Hillary Rodham Clinton appears before a grand jury to discuss Whitewater and the travel office firings. |
| 12/16/1995 | Federal government shuts down for second time in budget battle. |
| 1/20/1996 | President Clinton sworn in for second term. |
| 4/1/1996 | Lewinsky leaves White House for Pentagon job. |
| 4/29/1996 | Al Gore attends a fundraising event at a Buddhist temple in Los Angeles. |
| 5/28/1996 | Clinton business partners, Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker and Jim and Susan McDougal, are convicted of fraud. |
| 11/5/1996 | Mr. Clinton is re-elected president. |
| 11/22/1996 | President Clinton signs welfare reform bill. |
| 11/29/1996 | President Clinton accepts nomination for re-election at Democratic National Convention. |
| 4/24/1997 | Senate approve a ban on chemical weapons. |
| 5/27/1997 | Supreme Court rules Paula Jones may pursue her lawsuit against Mr. Clinton, while he’s still in office. |
| 7/29/1997 | White House and Congress reach agreement on a balanced budget. |
| 12/1/1997 | Tripp reportedly tells Lewinsky that she will testify about their conversations regarding Lewinsky’s alleged trysts with President Clinton. |
| 1/7/1998 | In a sworn affidavit, Monica Lewinsky denies having an affair with President Clinton. |
| 1/12/1998 | Linda Tripp contacts independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s office, and gives them 20 hours of taped conversations she had with Lewinsky. |
| 1/13/1998 | With FBI help, Tripp wears a body mike during a meeting with Lewinsky and records their conversatin. |
| 1/17/1998 | Testifying under oath in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, President Clinton denies having had an affair with Monica Lewinsky. He reportedly acknowledges having had an affair with Gennifer Flowers, a charge he previously had denied. |
| 1/21/1998 | Videotape of President Clinton’s grand jury testimony, along with 2,8000 pages of supporting evidence to Starr’s report, is made public. |
| 1/21/1998 | The Washington Post reports the existence of taped recordings of President Clinton and Lewinsky. The president tells PBS’s Jim Lehr, "There is no improper relationship." |
| 1/27/1998 | Kenneth Starr opens grand jury probe into the Monica Lewinsky allegations. Appearing on NBC’s Today, Hillary Rodham Clinton says the controversy has been fabricated by a "vast right-wing conspiracy." The New York Times reports that Lewinsky met with President Clinton at the White House two weeks after she was subpoenaed to give information in the Paula Jones case. Mr. Clinton makes no mention of the controversy in his State of the Union speech. wing conspiracy." The New York Times reports that Lewinsky met with President Clinton at the White House two weeks after she was subpoenaed to give information in the Paula Jones case. Mr. Clinton makes no mention of the controversy in his State of the Union speech. |
| 1/30/1998 | Linda Tripp tells news organizations about a Lewinsky-Clinton phone call. |
| 3/15/1998 | Former Clinton aide Kathleen Willey appears on CBS News’ 60 Minutes and says the president made unwelcome sexual advance towards her in 1993. |
| 4/1/1998 | Arkansas federal judge dismisses Jones’ sexual harassment suit against President Clinton, saying her complaint, even if true, would not constitute a violation of law. |
| 4/10/1998 | Good Friday Peace Accords signed by Irish Catholic and Protestant leaders. |
| 4/16/1998 | Paula Jones says she will appeal the dismissal of her case. |
| 4/24/1998 | In five hours of videotaped testimony, Starr questions Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House about her legal work for the failed Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan during the 1980s. |
| 7/28/1998 | Monica Lewinsky reaches a tentative immunity deal with Starr. |
| 8/6/1998 | Lewinsky begins testifying before the grand jury. |
| 8/7/1998 | U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania are bombed. |
| 8/17/1998 | Via closed circuit television, President Clinton testifies to the Lewinsky grand jury. In an evening television address to the nation he admits that he had a "not appropriate" relationship with Lewinsky, but insists that he never told anyone to lie about it. |
| 8/20/1998 | President gives DNA sample to Starr for comparison with a reported semen stain on a dress owned by Monica Lewinsky. |
| 9/9/1998 | Starr sends his report of possible impeachable offenses to Congress. The president tells a Florida audience, "I let you down. I let my family down. I let this country down. But I’m trying to make it right. I determined to never let anything like that happen again." |
| THE LAME DUCK YEARS: NO MORE SAX. | |
| 9/11/1998 | House votes to release the Starr report on the Internet. At a prayer breakfast, President Clinton says, "I don’t think there is a fancy way to say that I have sinned," and expresses regre for hurting Monica Lewinsky and her family. |
| 10/1/1998 | Three volumes of supporting material to Starr’s report, including transcripts of Monica Lewinsky’s telephone conversations with Linda Tripp, is released. |
| 10/8/1998 | By a vote of 258-176 (with 31 Democrats voting yes) the House approves an open-ended impeachment inquiry of the president. |
| 10/23/1998 | President Clinton hosts Wye River peace summit with Arafat and Netanyahu. |
| 11/3/1998 | Democrats score upset victories in the midterm elections. |
| 11/6/1998 | House Speaker Newt Gingrich resigns. |
| 11/13/1998 | President Clinton settles the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit, agreeing to pay Jones $850,000 while admitting nothing. The independent counsel sends Congress information relating to former White House aide Kathleen Willey’s allegations that the president made unwanted sexual advances. |
| 11/19/1998 | Independent counsel Kenneth Starr testifies before the House Judiciary Committee during its first day of impeachment hearings. |
| 12/6/1998 | The president’s legal team appears before the House Judiciary Committee, arguing that the president should not be impeached. |
| 12/9/1998 | House Judiciary Committee unveils articles of impeachment against President Clinton. Two articles allege that he lied in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case and in his testimony before Starr’s grand jury. The others allege that he abused the powers of his office and obstructed justice in he Monica Lewinsky affair. |
| 12/11/1998 | House Judiciary Committee approves the first three articles of impeachment. |
| 12/12/1998 | While in Jerusalem on a Middle East peace mission, President Clinton says he will not resign from office and again denies lying under oath. The House Judiciary Committee approves the fourth and final article of impeachment and dismisses censure as an option for punishment. |
| 12/18/1998 | As U.S. warplanes drop bombs over Baghdad, the House begins debating articles of impeachment against President Clinton. |
| 12/19/1998 | House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against the president. |
| 12/28/1998 | House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston resigns from Congress amidst revelations of marital infidelity. |
| 1/6/1999 | Dennis Hastert nominated as Speaker of the House. |
| 1/7/1999 | The Senate trial of President Clinton opens. |
| 1/19/1999 | State of the Union Address. No mention of the impeachment trial. |
| 1/20/1999 | NATO bombing campaign against Serbia begin. |
| 1/21/1999 | On the final day of arguments, President Clinton’s defense team pleads for "political sanity," stating that the prosecution’s case rests on ircumstantial evidence and unrelated facts. |
| 1/27/1999 | The Senate rejects a motion to dismiss the two impeachment counts against the President. |
| 2/1/1999 | Republican House managers question Monica Lewinsky for six hours. |
| 2/8/1999 | Senators hear concluding arguments from House managers and the president’s defense team. |
| 2/12/1999 | Senate acquits president on impeachment charges. A total of 67 votes were necessary to convict. Voting was 55 against and 45 in favor of the perjury charge. Obstruction of justice charge failed 50-50 |
| 3/29/1999 | The Dow closes above 10,000 for the first time. |
| 4/20/1999 | Columbine High School shootings in Colorado. Teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 12 students and one teacher. New campaign on gun control results. |
| 11/13/1999 | The Senate deals President Clinton a defeat by narrowly rejecting a treaty banning underground nuclear testing. |
| 2/6/2000 | Hillary Rodham Clinton announces her candidacy for senator. |
| 4/1/2000 | The unemployment rate drops below 4 percent for the first time in more than 30 years. |
| 5/24/2000 | The House passes legislation granting permanent normal trade relations with China. |
| 8/14/2000 | President Clinton speaks at the opening of the Democratic National Convention. |
| 8/17/2000 | Vice President Gore accepts the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention. |
| 10/12/2000 | Navy destroyer, USS Coe, is bombed off the coast of Yemen. |
| 11/7/2000 | Election Day. The presidential race is too close to call and will remain that way for several weeks due to contested voting in Florida. Hillary Rodham Clinton wins New York Senate seat. |
| 11/16/2000 | Twenty-five years after the Vietnam War, President Clinton visits Vietnam. |
| 12/13/2000 | In perhaps the most contested race ever, Vice President Gore concedes the presidential race to Texas Gov. George W. Bush. |
| 12/20/2000 | Independent counsel announces that the Whitewater investigation is closed due to insufficient evidence against the president and first lady. |
| 1/2/2001 | President Clinton hosts Arafat in last chance effort to broker Middle East peace. |
| 1/3/2001 | Hillary Rodham Clinton sworn in as Senator. |
| 1/6/2001 | With Vice President Gore presiding, George W. Bush "officially" named winner of the presidential election. |
I don’t know how many times over the last few days I’ve heard how the gay marriage issue was purely a Republican trick to win the last election. It might have been a good trick, but it wasn’t reserved for Republicans. Let’s examine some facts, shall we?
| Bush | Kerry | For Ban | Against Ban | For Kerry less Against Ban | |
| Arkansas | 566,678 | 464,167 | 746,382 | 248,827 | 215,340 |
| Georgia | 1,889,832 | 1,345,198 | 2,317,981 | 729,705 | 615,493 |
| Kentucky | 1,068,741 | 712,431 | 1,222,240 | 417,087 | 295,344 |
| Michigan | 2,306,331 | 2,472,007 | 2,686,132 | 1,902,133 | 569,874 |
| Mississippi | 671,084 | 445,608 | 924,540 | 149,867 | 295,741 |
| Montana | 265,473 | 173,363 | 294,056 | 147,927 | 25,436 |
| North Dakota | 195,998 | 110,662 | 222,899 | 81,396 | 29,266 |
| Oklahoma | 959,655 | 504,077 | 1,075,079 | 347,246 | 156,831 |
| Ohio | 2,796,147 | 2,659,664 | 3,249,157 | 2,011,168 | 648,496 |
| Oregon | 823,210 | 890,868 | 979,049 | 742,442 | 148,426 |
| Utah | 612,623 | 227,286 | 562,619 | 286,697 | (59,411) |
| 2,940,836 |
In every state except Utah, people voted for Kerry ( supporting the Democrat ), but either did not vote in the ban issue or voted to ban it. A positive number in the far right corner is how many voters the ban fell short of the votes for Kerry.
This ain’t just a Republican issue. When people learn to quit trying to blame everything on it just being "the Republicans", then maybe the vastly larger majority party in the US will start winning again. They don’t have an issue to ride on, and "anything but Republican" isn’t winning any races for them.
18
Nov
Be sure to check out "Merchandising" and "
Sorry Everybody!"
18
Nov
The Pentagon announced today the formation of an elite fighting group called the U. S. Red Neck Special Forces ( USRNSF ). Bubba, Hoss, Cooter, and Boo will be dropped behind enemy lines with following information about the Iraqi insurgents:
- The Season Opened last week.
- There is no kill limit.
- They taste just like chicken.
- They don’t like beer.
- They don’t like pickups.
- They don’t like country music.
- They don’t love Jesus.
- Some is queer.
- They are directly responsible for the death of Dale Earnhardt.
The war should be over next week.
( Boo is actually an imbedded Michael Moore. )
