Torture

Of all the promises Barack Obama has broken since taking office, the promise to close the barbaric US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay Cuba is among the most disappointing. Within the ranks of those who resist closing this notorious little concentration camp are both Democrats and Republicans. It's a well-known fact that the infliction of torture under ANY circumstances dehumanizes both torturer and victim alike. Contrary to the assertions of some very sick "National Security" types, torture can't be justified as an expedient to get vital information. A person subjected to torture would say anything to escape the protracted agony. And that's just what happened in the cases of Jose Padilla and John Walker Lindh.

IT

Some people say "Keep it simple stupid." I agree with the basic sentiment, but IT won't allow that. IT's inconceivably complex. Subjected to intensive analysis, IT renders billions of split hairs. IT contains over 4 million separate parts, including at least 60,000 subsystems. No single being can master IT's intricacy, so why insist that is the goal of our diabolically conceived education? IT's so extremely sophisticated, one would need at least several average human lifespans to solve the problem. And IT only grows more elaborate every day!

Isn't He Wonderful?

This one is for President Barack Obama, on the night of his 2012 State of the Union address. Mr. Obama, a real Bullsh*t Artist who promised "Change We Can Believe In." Actually, though, Obama DID deliver some things. The President's effected a LOT of transformation, the vast majority of it harmful. Examples include: 1. Continuing to wage an unprovoked, exorbitant, interminable, murderous war in Afghanistan. 2. Targeting American citizens for indefinite detention and assassination, based on allegations that are dubious at best. 3. Going further than even Republicans went last Summer in his willingness to cut the safety net. 4. Dramatically reducing Home Heating Assistance for truly needy people here in the frigid Northland. But hey, whatever. Mr. Obama TALKS a good game, N'est-ce pas!?

Total Privatization

Dateline January 32, 2020: In his first, bold move towards the "Total Privatization" he promised to implement during the campaign, President Brad Pitt has issued Executive Order 2607921, the "Freedom of Embalming Act." Mr. Pitt has ordered all regulations governing practices employed by American medical examiners to be overhauled, with an eye toward profitability and flexibility. And so today, Mr. Pitt's childhood friend and major campaign contributor Robert "Happy" Blades has been issued the franchise for a nationwide chain of 2718 stores. The "Corner Coroner" will be opening locations in hundreds of strip malls coast-to-coast. Free Enterprise - it's not just the American Way, it's the ONLY WAY!

Oh, I believe in Obama's Change all right!

I voted for Barack Obama in 2008, thinking he would at least be better than McCain/Palin. Now I've had the bitter experience of "Change We Can Believe In." Some of that Change is actually worse than George W. Bush's policies. I just cannot bring myself to re-elect a man who was instrumental in cutting my folks' home heating assistance by about half, signed authorizations permitting the indefinite detention and assassination of American citizens, and so much more bad policy besides.

Mitt Romney's Victory

So Romney took New Hampshire, no surprise there. Makes me wonder about the continuing influence of the Tea Party, if this "overly-liberal" former corporate raider can win the nation's first primary. On the other hand, Ron Paul came in second. Me, if I were FORCED at gunpoint to vote for a Repub, I'd have to go for Jon Huntsman, who actually questioned the propriety of the top 6 US banks controlling $9.4 trillion. When he said that, he "enjoyed" a mere 1% support, but he seems (by comparison) to be chugging away now...

On Paul

Let me be perfectly clear: I lost any supportive tendency whatsoever I might have had for Rep. Ron Paul when, in the Summer of 2006, he voted AGAINST renewing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Man, you'd think, with all the assaults on (especially minority) voters' rights since 2000, Dr. Paul would have the decency to try to make voting easier, not harder! Yes, Rep. Paul has some good notions on foreign policy, like ending our multi-trillion dollar boondoggle wars of choice. But I don't like or respect his domestic agenda of MASSIVE privatization at the expense of the public good. And while Paul claims that he wants to keep Big Gov't out of our lives, he objects to a woman exercising the right to choose whether to end her unwanted pregnancy. NO THANKS, Ron!

Nobama in 2013

I'm NOT so sure Obama will cakewalk over all the Repub candidates, even considering which particular psycho, moron or reprobate is selected to oppose him. Obama needs to do a LOT MORE to distinguish himself from the GOP loonies who have been permitted a totally unnecessary stranglehold on Congress. Barack Obama now has "Major National Security Cred;" he's signed authorizations allowing the assassination and/or indefinite detention of American citizens. He "killed bin Laden." From a militaristic standpoint, what's not to like, really? And domestically, if he doesn't start defending Social Security and Medicare FOR REAL, why on EARTH should Libs and Lefties even bother supporting him again!?!

Faked Moon Landing in 1969?

Been doing a lot of reading about the USA's Mercury, Gemini and (especially the) Apollo programs, including Craig Nelson's quite fascinating book below. Seems to me the persistent conspiracy theory of a faked moon-landing is rather far-fetched; couldn't multiple, independent Earth-bound observers track the spacecraft on its way to Luna, using radar? Haven't subsequent unmanned probes taken high-resolution photographs of the Apollo 11 landing site, with physical evidence of that mission in sight? Opinions? I'm no scientist or astronaut, and have never left Earth. So I continue to be captivated by this perplexing debate.
http://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Men-Epic-Story-First/dp/0670021032