The Road to Perdition (or the HILL-GORE highway)

Last night as I engaged Ellie ("Political Hot Spot" and a great blog, btw...) she mentioned believing that either Hillary Clinton or Al Gore will be the nominee for the Democratic party in 2008.
That was it for me.... "I'm damn angry and I'm not gonna' take it anymore" I bellowed to the four winds....
Ok, so it wasn't that dramatic, but I did let out a sigh... Jeez, I said, are you kidding me? let me paste what I said verbatim. And I quote...

"Ellie, I was going to save this rant for a future posting of my own but you have uncoiled it from me. Every time I try to give the Democratic party a chance to earn my vote (not probable, but possible...), most people I talk to pull out the Clinton/Gore bit. I can't find the fascination with Hillary Clinton or Al Gore. Seriously; and Bill Clinton was the ONLY Democrat I've ever voted for (a protest vote in 96' against Dole, but all the same). Personally I would love if Al Gore would just clean Hillary's clock in the primaries and have her scurry to run for President of the Senate or something mundane. Just to see her arrogant Butt wither in the vine. As painful as it is to watch Gore, at least he stands for something and will lob verbal bombs with the best of them. I admire the guy. He took the sickest punch to the solar-plexus in the history of politics in 2000 and kept his chin up; did the private thing at Harvard and Apple, and kept his quasi-public image enough in the open to be a thorn to Bush at every possible moment. Good for him. I dis-like Bush as much or more that he does. What has Madame Hillary done? Field-poll testing of every answer she gives, sits on the fence on half a dozen "third-rail" issues and has not come out for or against anything in 6 months! She is the stepford candidate. Doesn't want to piss on any group, no matter the ideology. Talk about playing it safe. It is amazing to me the gumption of this woman. Its like she expects people to come up and kiss the Ring in the primaries and give her the de facto red carpet to the oval orifice. I agree with you that it will PROBABLY be one of those two, but the Democratic party has so many talented Governors like Warner (Virginia), Locke (ex-Washington), Corzine (New Jersey),... The list goes on and on and yet it always comes down to these two invalids. If the party of the Donkey loses again in the 2008, it is not because independents like me won't give them a shot, it is because you guys can't pick a solid candidate to save yourselves. Gore? 8 years of Clinton prosperity... .he blows it, could not even win his own home state!. Kerry? HE had 4 years of Bush bumbling, speech-polio and Iraq,... HE blows it. Just as America is tired of the Bush legacy so is half of America brain-fatigued of the Clinton name as well. But go ahead and give her the nod. You do so at your own peril, ... and mine too unfortunately."

Shortly after that rant I began to look for reasons why I felt this way.... Stay with me Demos, because in spite of not liking what you are going to hear, you will like me at the end (I can hope, cant I?)

Reason 1. Like it or not, the blow-hards on right wing radio have it right on one thing, you guys spend 90% of your bull-horn minutes bashing Bush and 10% giving semi-salient alternatives to his policies. People, my ambivalence for the man is well documented in many of my postings, but who wants to hear complaining about him 24/7? ... Harping about stuff we already know? Bush lied, Bush is dumb, Bush cant put 2 words together, Bush is suppressing our civil liberties, Bush is killing our soldiers...... you guys are killing ME! The Democratic "New Plan" unveiled last month made such amazing new proclamations as "we will look harder for Osama Bin Laden" (wow!) "We will fight a smarter war" (stop, I can't take the cutting-edge thinking!) The day the preponderance of Democratic bloggers stop the bitching echo and start to REALLY talk amongst themselves, ... start engineering solutions, convey platform alternatives, hash out ideas outside the box, put a positive and pragmatic view of the future ...that is the Day you will right (pardon the pun) your ship and start getting traction with the "silent majority", those who don't rant but stand back and watch the parade go by. You have precious few Red States in play for 08', and not ONE Blue State you can afford to lose. I swear, I listen to right and left wing talk radio all day , I sure as hell know what you are against, but I still don't know what you guys are FOR! The perpetually-surprised looking Pelosi is not a good face for your party, and her plastic surgeon should get fired as well (I know, its a cheap shot but I've gone 3 paragraphs in serious mode..)

Reason 2. Your candidates, -pure and simply- Suck. Al Gore?... look, even I can see that one. Eight years faithfully serving at Clinton's side, yep;... he was due and probably amongst the better-prepared Vice-Presidents in history. I'll give you that. But Kerry? the guy was a back-benching, Gold-diggin' Senator for 12 years! Name me one, ONE amazing piece of legislation he wrote or co-wrote at the top of your head (googling is not permitted today) The reason I did not vote for either candidate in 2004 is that to me, they BOTH sucked!. I voted for my little known Libertarian fellow and said to hell with both major parties. If Bush and Kerry are the "best and brightest" we can muster then our Country is toast. Whatever happened to people like Harry Truman? He could care for the poor, stand on moral principle, refer to God without having to qualify his statement, drop a few Atomic bombs on Japan AND still be for fiscal responsibility. I swear if he were alive and running today I would kneel down and swear allegiance to the Donkey's Ass... (is that a redundant thing or what...). Nominate Hillary and you will get 5% of the swing voters in Purple States -that are the true "deciders" of the election-, and they will vote for whom-ever is running against her, even if its freakin' Gumby. There goes your election, your hopes and the high probability of 8 more years of Republican rule. I can live with myself, I don't vote in Democratic primaries,... whats your excuse?

I love my country soooo much, that I would eschew my own party line, for the greater good. You guys give me a candidate I can look up to, respect their honesty, trust the fairness of policies and see transparency through-out, and I will vote with you, not against you.

"...Mr. Speaker, the President of......"

Ok, now that I have your un-divided attention, do you really believe such a thing as an ideal candidate really exists?... well here is your chance to convert me to your cause.
The mission (should you choose to accept it) is to give me your best one-two punch for (first) winning the primaries and (second) winning the white house. Don't just lob me a dashing-duo just because it would look good in a stick banner on somebody's front lawn; tell me something I don't know ( I know, I stole that from Chris Mathews, but he won't care, trust me...)

As host, let me toss my shaven dome in the ring first.
Not that I want to be held to this vote BUT if the election were held today (and taking into account that my beloved Libertarian party will be but a bleep on the electorate radar screen), I would go with

Rudy Giuliani - Former Mayor of New York City

and

Mike Huckabee - Current Governor of Arkansas

(and the crowd goes ape!....)

Simple reasons. Rudy is like me, a quasi-fiscal conservative with libertarian views on liberties. He can't be hammered on defense or foreign policy because in spite of virtually no military or international deplomacy experience he is an International Star, period. His appeal crosses wealth classes and state lines here at home. His visibility after 9/11 was carried around the world and that is more political capital than GWB ever got. As long as he surrounds himself with able cabinet members he will shine. Domestically, it was he who cleaned the mob's clock in New York as District Attorney. As mayor he cleaned New York city streets of crime and blight better than any of his predecessors. If you can do that in the big Apple you certainly have my vote. As to his negatives?... look the ex-wife thing, the lover or whatever is peripheral to me. I thought Clinton's and Kennedy's White House trysts showed an incredible lapse of judgement but I really don't give a hoot. Tommy Jefferson was having illegitimate kids with his slaves and he is damn near fully responsible for most of the Country being what it is. Tawdry behavior? yes, absolutely, a disqualifier? please, not even close... let get off our moral high horse. We are electing the President not the Pope.

As to Mike Huckaby, this guy is an up and comer, I just love the guy. Click the link and read a Daily Kos posting and subsequent comments. If you get on Kos' radar screen for any reason, then you have surely arrived. The more I read his interviews, the more his mug is on C-Span, the more I think he would be the perfect foil. Southern Gentleman to Rudy's city slickness, ability to cover Rudy's right flank with the conservative base, a good example to all Americans for shedding a ton of weight, writing a book and then preaching good health habits to kids around the country. This guy has been combing Iowa in stealth mode and everybody, and I mean everybody raves about his political skills.
Lastly they both are compatible. I can see them talking late at night, just the two of them -on any serious issue- and I can visualize both getting the intangibles of the conversation at hand. I get other visions of Bush and Cheney late at night, but this is a family show :)

Ok, Sports Fans.. let er rip! Talk to me!

"... These a few of my favorite things..."

...Two straight days of good sleep to get your head glued in place again, aahhhh.....
In honor of all those blog-places that I like, don't like, agree and disagree with, etc.., I hereby present MY "quadrenial blog review". They are in no particular order of preference, ideology or joy. Enter at your own risk.

Conservative Soup : I know, its a blatant plug for a Blog I am associated with, but let me say this. It is in effect, the first Blog I ever logged onto, period. And for that most humble of reasons it makes the list. The hosts are always honest, cordial, courteus to a fault, and willing to entertain any diversity in thought regardless of ideology. And believe me, considering the gauntlet of blow-hards in this media that is a virtue in and of itself. Besides, any blog crazy enough to ask me to contribute without ever having any experience in doing so is "diverse" enough in my book.
Life's Journey : A late entry in my daily roamings but a gem of a find, nonetheless. This independant-minded blogger does not mind laying the lumber to conservatives, but is pragmatic enough to see the other end of things if it makes for a logical argument. Her site is full, varied, and mixes her postings with current events and mind-musings with equal aplomb. Judging by the traffic at her site, she has blended that balance just right. Her "Constitution Monday" postings is like brain breakfast to me.
Protect and Defend : Publius has one of the most hard-topic driven blogs around. Although his latest Crusade (yeah... i said "crusade", get over it..) is Border enforcement and matters of Constitutional doctrine, he has written on a myriad of things. Anybody lucky enough to get a comment from Publius better have some cognotive reading skills because he is not cheap on the verbiage. Challenge him and he will reply in kind, always with veracity, well thought-out points and certitude. This blog is all substance, very little fluff (unlike yours truly...).
The Sappho Manifesto : This is not a site for the meek of heart. Left wing, hard-bitten, take-no-prisoner attitude, and with enough verbal bombs to make the Sunni Triangle look like the corn fields of Iowa. A great place to get calibrated real quick. I don't agree with 75% of the postings here, BUT I appreciate the passion and conviction in which the themes are espoused. The ability to come out of this blog un-scathed in your own beliefs should be a badge of honor for anybody, not just conservatives. Like I always say, if you are not willing to drink anyone else's Kool Aid to see if your Kool Aid is still valid, then you are just preaching to your own choir and are doing your critical thinking a dis-service. Go on Sappho!
Power Line : This is a must-read conservative blog at the White house. If its good enough for Tony Snow, then heck I want a taste of the Tang myself. Too volumenous to fully digest in my self-imposed 5 minutes-per-blog timetable but it is a virtual cornicoupia of right-wing news through the Republican prism. Again, another source of calibration for me. To its credit, I have found a ton of information that puts the administration in bad light and bad form.
The 5th Estate : I just found this nugget last week while at Betmo's blog (Life's Journey). After a couple of reads I dug it. Like Publius, a guy who can't find the "edit" button if it hit him in the noggin' (look at me the hypocrite!, like I know where the edit button is...). But who cares?. His pieces are great. A fluid sence of prose, good story-teller and most importantly 90% of the themes are something that interests me. And this list is after all, about me, no?
The Bos'un Locker : How can I NOT love a name like that! (me being an ex sailor and all...). Half an hour in this blog made me want to be a Reagan Republican all over again and yearn for the days of the Soviet Union so I'd have something large to nuke... (ok, so that only lasted 3 seconds). I actually found two blogs for the price of one here. Rosemary's blog is in the same vein and has enough material to keep even my voracious reading appetite in check. Mostly conservative, independant-minded right-of-center postings; each of these 2 offers a great counter balance to my frontal lobe whenever I leave Sappho's or.....
Quaker Agitator : Liberal, Bush-bashing and please-the-wing type blog with just as much mortar rounds as Sappho's albeit delivered with less cayenne pepper. The host's sensitivities are a little on the thin-skin side for my taste so don't go catching him on a bad day, you may have to flog yourself of guilt for lack of political correctness. But unlike Fox News, I AM fair and balanced and would be rude to fail to mention one of the first blogs to give me a taste of progressive mantra. This blog is the USA Today of left-leanings. You won't get a lot of depth like 5th Estate or Protect and Defend, but you will get a quick summary of what is pissing-off the left,.. and THAT is must read material to any self-respecting Libertarian like me.

So there you have it Sport's Fans. If I failed to mention any of the many I have visited and/or commented upon please do forgive me, your 15 seconds of fame in this humble of all bullhorns will come soon enough :)

You know you are bored when....

..... you just can't figure out what to write in your next posting....
How do I leave for a glorious holiday weekend?... with a bang? or a whimper?....
I keep a list of absolutely worthless topics and themes for moments just like these, when the great American Memorial Day weekend is in full tilt, and only the few geeks amongst us, with no lives, dare to post past Thursday to 25th of May...
So here goes, worthless topic version 1.0 Stardate whatever...

STUPID THINGS THAT GET PRESS TIME

1. 3 anti-illegal immigration guys show up to protest Vicente Fox during his visit to California's legislature,... and lookout, its news-worthy enough to trump the "shooting" at the Rayburn building,... nice going AP.

2. Murders. Any of them. Sorry, not to diminish the pain of family and friends left behind but isnt it time to put murders in page 8 below the fold? Can a newsday ever be slow enough as to put a murder in the frong page? What is so newsworthy about that other than the sensationalist angle?

3. Puff pieces. Since when did the appetite for human angle stories become such a du joir need in the press. Its like every newspaper tries to out-compassion each other by putting out these tear-jerking stories in the hope of causing some semblance of knee-jerk-ism in the populace concience. Sure there is pain and suffering and we should not forget that... but I guess it harkens to one of my pet peeves; bad and sad news sell, happy-happy joy -joy stories aren't worth squat.

4. Anything Apple. Sorry, the rest of the country may not get this, but here in the bay area the papers have orgasms for any news of Steve Jobs and Apple products, no matter how trivial. If Steve breaks wind while thinking of a better way to make the white earphones of the latest IPOD more amiable to the outer ear cortex, BOOM! stop the presses, this has to be on page one!

5. Bloggers... Can you believe the amount of press the bloggin media (if you can call it that) gets? I've read no fewer than 15 national articles within the past week of the impact Bloggers have had in policy and press discourse. Who do these idiot, pin-headed, writer wanna-be's, milk-of-magnesia drinking, incognito named group think they are?...

Ok.. so maybe that last one is not so bad.
Enjoy your weekend. May God, Allah, Buddha, King Tut, 72 Vestal Virgins and Friar Tuck grant you health, happiness and good fortune.

When the good of the party trumps the good of the nation

There ain't no good guys,
There ain't no bad guys,
There's only you and me,
and we just dis-agree...
-Dave Mason-

The past few months in blogger land have been somewhat depressing in many ways. Those with whom I've had the pleasure in communicating with can testify to our common theme of the moment,.. the insane "absolute-ism" that exists in the political discourse. No liberal wants to give a conservative credit for anything, no conservative wants to get caught dead agreeing with a liberal, etc. Nobody of any stripe of ideology want to throw a Libertarian a bone of any sort. Why does partisanship trump the better of the nation? why do we each feel that EVERYTHING our platform stands for is better that what YOURS stands for? How can it be that we dis-agree on 95% of everything... is it that difficult to give credit to opposing views when they show you a better path than your own?

Take foreign policy. Libertarians (the party that your truly identifies with the most) believe in virtually no foreign policy intervention whatsoever. An almost Wilsonian credo to our platform. If Hitler incarnate were to rise in the halls of the Kaiser's palace my party would say "Screw you Europe, you're on your own, its not our problem". There is a troubling absolute-ism to this issue that makes me think not everything in my party makes sense. I think most of us can readily agree that although we agree with a majority of our own partisan platform, the rest is just appeasement for the fringe elements that help us in the primaries,.. at least that is my view. Why not be honest then? Example, I am fully for a woman's right to choose and never talk about the subject as it is polarizing to the 12th degree, but that does not mean that the casual view of late term partial birth abortion is something to which I subscribe (save the slippery slope argument, I know it). For reasons of my own and that I choose not to share that's where I draw my line. There HAS to be a point that we as people can say, "Although I am a loyal partisan, my party is out to lunch in this issue and I do not support this or that"...

So in order to fully whip my own self, cleanse my soul, and flog my beliefs I offer you 3 things I DON'T fully or partially agree with within my own Party. There,.. I said it! (is this what AA meetings feel like?.... ) All of the comments on quotations (") are taken from the issues page of the libertarian party home page (http://www.lp.org/). My comments of retort, are in blue.

1. End Welfare
"None of the proposals currently being advanced by either conservatives or liberals is likely to fix the fundamental problems with our welfare system. Current proposals for welfare reform, including block grants, job training, and "workfare" represent mere tinkering with a failed system.
It is time to recognize that welfare cannot be reformed: it should be ended.
We should eliminate the entire social welfare system. This includes eliminating AFDC, food stamps, subsidized housing, and all the rest. Individuals who are unable to fully support themselves and their families through the job market must, once again, learn to rely on supportive family, church, community, or private charity to bridge the gap"
(Although I agree in principle with the reasoning behind this ideal, practically speaking we know there in no way in hell this will ever happen. There is too much inertia and "grandfathering" of social programs to believe this is even in the realm of do-ability. I wish my party would come to a practical solution that is palatable to all and not seem as draconian. I work in the affordable housing industry, and trust me, there is good work being done by good people. And those very same people use the subsidies, grants and other Federal and State funds with great care and fiscal wisdom. My party is out to lunch on this)
2. Reform education
"There can be no serious attempt to solve the problem of poverty in America without addressing our failed government-run school system. Nearly forty years after Brown vs. Board of Education, America's schools are becoming increasingly segregated, not on the basis of race, but on income. Wealthy and middle class parents are able to send their children to private schools, or at least move to a district with better public schools. Poor families are trapped -- forced to send their children to a public school system that fails to educate.
It is time to break up the public education monopoly and give all parents the right to decide what school their children will attend. It is essential to restore choice and the discipline of the marketplace to education. Only a free market in education will provide the improvement in education necessary to enable millions of Americans to escape poverty"
(Again, I think there is enough education spectrum and diversity of thought so as to make public schools, charter schools, private schools, home-schooling and other methods co-exist and not pee on each other as if they are afraid of loosing their political or union clout. Education as a whole should trump our individual career agendas, not the other way around. My party is halfway out to Brunch on this...)

3. Immigration
The Issue: "We welcome all refugees to our country and condemn the efforts of U.S. officials to create a new "Berlin Wall" which would keep them captive. We condemn the U.S. government's policy of barring those refugees from our country and preventing Americans from assisting their passage to help them escape tyranny or improve their economic prospects"
(I love my party, but they are freakin' nuts in this issue! For a party that is for fiscal discipline and strong individual responsibility they sure act as if I love paying taxes for the caring of every refugee who can make it here,... I sure as heck don't! I swear I am neither a racist or xenophobe, but to say that the house of America is open to care for all the refugees of the world, while noble and Utopian, is not near the pragmatic thought patterns I subscribe towards. My party is not only out to lunch on this,... but I am fighting from within to fight this)

Now, If I can just get a Democrat and a Republican to tell me what 3 items on their platform are full of it, we may yet save all of us,... from ourselves.

This Libertarian man did not vote for Mr. Bush, but if I think pragmatically (and close my eyes really tight...) and look at every thing he has done, and all the laws passed by the Congressional bodies during his administration, I can find some things that I can applaud and hail as noteworthy,... and believe me, its not that hard. It just takes loving your country more that you love you party.

Yikes!!!, so this is what I really am?

I got this little political profile from deb50's blog (a really sweet blog btw).... so what the heck, I took the Pepsi challenge.... And now that I have the results... I have no idea what it makes me... but I think my libertarian credentials are safe :)

***Your Political Profile:***
Overall: 60% Conservative, 40% Liberal
Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal
Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal
Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal
Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal
Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal
How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?http://www.blogthings.com/howliberalorconservativeareyouquiz/

p.s. Go to www.lp.org and take the political quiz. It many give you a different perspective on what your leanings are....

What if most Illegals,... looked like her?

Publius of Protect and Defend wrote a posting of a subject that I think needs bearing. What if our southern neighbor countries were all of European descent and culture?, and were mostly caucasian?.... What if Europe itself was there and not Mexico....Think of the possibilities and ramifications as it applies to today's socio-politics. Is it really Illegal immigration most of America is harping about? or is it the TYPE of illegal aliens we don't approve of?.... Would the cross-border problems of health, drugs, language etc be as blatant? or would they be more palatable...
I'll shut up now, read the piece and make up your own mind...

The Milky Way of politicians...

"It's time for us to rebuild a New Orleans, the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans. And I don't care what people are saying in Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day. This city will be a majority African-American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have it no other way."
New Orleans Mayor - C. Ray Nagin

Ray Nagin's acceptance speech had the usual politico-speak of "togetherness" and "no black or white" but a one-color New Orleans. To both candidate's credit they did keep things fairly clean during the course of the election process. But saying that New Orleans "would once again be a chocolate city" back in the days after Katrina, and then pandering to the non-black citizens that were annoyed at his "chocolate" comment, is another example of two distinct ironies in American Politics.

One: They forget that at times, things they say in the heat of the moment comes across as dumb and Ill-spoken. And to make things worse, those very same words are hypocritical in the very end,..to say the least.
Two: That the American media gives a free pass to Black and Latino politicians who blatantly say divisive and racially charged remarks. Imagine if Mitch Landrieu would have been the Mayor of a mostly-caucasian town and would have mouthed that "This city will be a Vanilla City once again".... The press would have beat him to a pulp, the Black Community would have demanded his resignation, streets would have burned, liberals from coast to coast would have had Cry-in's, Blogger's-ville would have called him a racist supremacist and Jesse Jackson would have been mugging for every camera in sight. Go ahead and tell me that I am exagerating.

Just as society should nail to the wall any non-black public servant who makes a remark like that, so should we give no quarter to our Black American brethren who insert foot-in-mouth with such elegant aplomb.

This, and other events like this, are a constant reminder that "America the beautiful is also (at times) America the blind" (I've blatantly plagiarized and somewhat edited that line from the late ABC anchorman Frank Reynolds)

RE-BIRTH MANIFESTO

Nothing like like being on the road to Palm Springs California, meeting family you have not seen for 25 years, and talking to your girlfriend about the future. A great weekend to reflect on things.

Words really are powerful. Words are as useful to convince, convey and heal, as they are efficient in wounding, demeaning and handing out injustice. In the short time I've been participating in this relatively new media form, I've learned that you can't convince anyone entrenched in their own beliefs to change, no matter how salient the argument. I've learned you can hurt someone by your thoughts, no matter your intent not to do so. I've written some postings tongue-in-cheek but the theme has not translated too well to some. I've done opinions intending to bridge two views and both sides have called the cavalry. Lastly the deepest lesson has been reading how much people care about things that are barely a blip on my radar screen.

President Lincoln said that you can't please everybody all the time. That is a universal truth-pain here in bloggerland. Everybody has a point/counter-point/argument/disent to almost everything they read. It is the dawn of the age of Bull-hornus Maximus. The ability of single individuals to espouse to the world -factually or not- what it is they believe in. So here are the rules of my playground. You like them? cool! Stay, frolic and comment to your hearts content.

1. Have a sense of humor (any sense will do). I have a very tongue-in-sarcasm mode and sometimes dry tinge to my editing. It is never personal and never done to wilfully demean or put anyones views down. If you are very uptight about things, this is not a good hangout. I promise to stay out of your sandbox if you ask me too as well,.. fair is fair, correct?
2. Try not to lob words at me like "right" or" wrong", as in "they are just wrong". Taking into account that History if full of things that we all agree were "right" or "wrong" when it comes to most opinions, the usage of such words is highly subjective to interpretation and I will have no choice that to plug holes into your argument as I see fit (...and tell me that's not fun!). I won't do it for lack of discourse, but just for the joy of bringing you down from your soapbox.
3. Edit the Language, please. You don't agree with me? I welcome that; heck I almost NEED that. But if you can't find a usable word in our English verbiage that can reasonably convey your feelings of me or my views without resorting to sophomoric and un-imaginative nouns or F-bombs, then raise you IQ, and your manners with it. Try "Insulting for Dummies" or something in that realm and practice at the target-range blogs. Sarcasm, Dry Wit, Irony, and even partisan rhetoric is always welcomed at Casa de Truth-Pain, just don't pee on my carpet, unless we are both pee-ing in it. Then its ok :)
4. The fact that I (or some guest comments) have a harder line, or less-than compasionate bent than yours does not mean its personal, cynical or even emotionally cold. Take a deep breath and get over yourself. You (and your views) don't have a monopoly on the vestiges of caring. Please go ahead and give me your indignation at the THEME, thats ok. I welcome the passion of opposing views. I welcome the notion that some things mean more to you than me. I welcome the truth that I may not be inline with the realities of the Hoi Polloi. But check the "hemorrhaging hearts" at the door. Your indignation-ladden diatribes will be met with a thud, its echo, and no solace for your misery. Truth-pain's content is not responsible for the manipulations of your emotions, you are.

Don't like the rules of my playground?.... then go to where YOU feel comfy...
Welcome to my jungle. Onward.

METAMORPHOSIS

Taking a few days off,...
After a wonderful and enlightened month or so of bloggermania I am taking some time to fully flex and shape my blog into what I think will be a better format for me and those of you who have been kind enough to drop in for thoughts. This is one of the most interesting things I've ever done and certainly not without its pittfalls and growing pains.
... unfortunately for some, I'm just getting started...
Have a fine Libertarian weekend:)

THE REAL REASON A FENCE WON'T WORK...

If you read any of my postings you know what side of the fence (no pun intended) I veer towards in the immigration battle.
This started as a broad posting about solving the immigration problem as a whole, but then I had an epiphany. keep it simple and they (the stubborn ones) will come.

Top 5 reasons why I changed my mind about the fence. (I can do that, right?)

1. The imagery. I know, I'm wussying-out here, but I can't wrap my frontal lobe around the Statue of Liberty saying "Bring me your weak, your hungry and your tired" while at the same time building a massive wall to keep those very mentioned out, regardless of the legal implications. Keep reading, My twisted logic will make sense in a few paragraphs.
2. Show me a 25 foot high fence, and I'll show you a 26 foot ladder. Trust me on this one. I can jump any fence given enough motivation and desperation to do so.
3. The money. Sorry to be such as cheapskate, tight-fisted Libertarian but I'll make a trade for ya'. I'll give you your 2,000 mile fence, if you give me back 4 Aircraft Carrier Groups (that are not needed), lop-off 1/2 of the intelligence community bureocracy (see my intelligence post), and kill all federal and state taxes on Gasoline,... forever! Now you can have your damn fence.
4. The Feds aren't prosecuting ANYBODY! The raid on the pallet company? A joke. 45 minutes after they arested 1200 people, 70% of them were back at the Home Depot parking lot. Until the Goverment grows a pair and starts to really lay the lumber on employers it is not going to diminish the volume coming in one iota.
5. The 14th Amendment (THE REAL REASON). Instant Citizenship for persons born on US soil is the real prize here, Sparky. That is the holy grail of achievements for illegals. Think of it. Who in their right moral mind is going to expel an illegal that has citizens for children? Nobody. The PC crowd, the Church, the left wing, the ACLU,... they would go ape! THAT is were the bullet hits the bone. Even Canadians, those monoliths of liberal dogma knocked that law out of the hockey arena when Chinese immigrants were flying in by the tens of thousands just to give birth on Canadian soil. Sorry said the the Mounties, no more social programs for non-citizens (egads!!). Earn your damn citizenship, they said, the statue of Liberty is in New York not in Quebec. (why did that not make the news?)
Until WE knock that obsolete, cleverly-guised and stupidly created Civil War-era law from the Constitution nothing is going to stop the crossings. Not a fence, not the military, not even Paris Hilton and Angelina Jolie posing naked in Tijuana with signs that say "What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico" will put an end to the burrito highway.
Hey George, do numbers 4 and 5 for me and the fence won't be needed. 6 to 8 million will slowly go home by attrition over 20 years because they would have no reason to stay. No legal work, no citizenship, no public education for their kids, no free hospital care at taxpayer expense. Nothing. The gravy train has left the station.
Yeah, I know. I'm insensitive, inhumane, hardened to the human condition, stupid, xenophobic and even dangerous. Quick,... somebody take away my keyboard before I influence 20 million people....

ok... so I like the show!

Man, this blogging world can get serious in a hurry. I've been doing this regurlarly for about a month and already I've aged a few years and care more about things than I care to care about... did that make ANY sense to anybody?
So in the interest of adding a measure of levity to an otherwise bombastic blog, I offer this.
Isn't the Glen Beck show cool?
As a self professed news and web junkie I love the Cable talk shows. Chris Mathews (fast, insightfull, pitbull determination, but too much fawning over Theresa Heinz-Kerry), Keith Olberman (VERY good, leftist view nonewithstanding... talent is talent), Bill O'reilly (I liked him more a few years ago before he gave Falafel a bad name...) Lou Dobbs (love the show, and even more since he's been on the illegal immigration wagon-train). I think they all have something to offer if you look past your own prism glasses.
But lately, I'm hooked on the new CNN Glenn Beck show. I never liked his radio show (and they did cancel it here in the Bay Area for low ratings), it just never worked for me. But on TV, I get him. His pieces are diverse, he's very engaging and has a self-depracating way to which I can relate. Not to mention he did a rare thing,... got me to tears with a piece on a Soldier who adopted an Iraqui Orphan with cerebral palsy,.. yep, I was ballin'. It's good to know that even in this age of media cynicism that a pragmatic man such as I can be paralyzed in emotion by a good story.
Thats it.
Tomorrow I'll be back for my regular Magna Carta-length postings.

COMPASSION IS....

The dictionary describes Compassion as "Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it".

After a discussion with my beautiful girlfriend this weekend on a particular posting in my blog, a simple question, or series of questions arose in me. Who is more compassionate, someone who gives someone a meal to eat? or someone who teaches them to cook? Someone who grills a homeless person a nice fish? or someone who teaches them how to fish? Someone who keeps giving the poor just enough not to die? or someone who teaches them how to get out from under society's dependency?

The left and Right, Democrats and Republicans have been fighting for the right to wear the "compassionate" label forever, but who is trully more compassionate? Are they both? Is there not a possiblity that both philosophies are a form of compassion?

The left believes the State is better prepared and morally obligated to care for most of society's social needs. The right believes in less interference and social programs, and setting the right freedoms and economic conditions for rugged individualism and self-reliance. Health, Education, Welfare, Food Stamps, Housing for the poor, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Prescription Drugs and a littany of other programs are increasing in use, not diminishing. There will come a day when the incentive to be an earner, or entrepreneur will give way to surrendering to the mantra of cradle-to-grave care mentality. Why can't Government work together like in the 90's when a Republican House and a Democratic White House passed welfare reform and saved the program? Because the good of the political parties has trumped what is good for the Nation. Period. No rocket science needed in the argument.

It behooves us, to encourage those persons who are on the Government Dole, -and are there for the sole purpose of abusing the system-, to get off the couch and live the American Dream. The system is ripe with abuse and systematic faults that actually encourage the remaining in the status quo and does not provide realistic motivation to get up and move on with a productive life. Compassion should not be measured by how much social services a particular segment of the populace gets. Compassion should not be measured by how many years of welfare the State has provided you or me. Compassion should be measured by the totality of effects. Compassion (in my view) is a combination of tough love, firm incentive programs to be a productive member of your Country (for those able to do so), caring and providing assistance for those of obvious need, and the teaching of our children from birth that the greatest gift this country offers is the ability of each of us to thrive on our own, without the dependence of our neighbors tax dollars, and the political party's give-aways.

A common goal is good, a common ideal for Americans is worthy of study and discourse. But unless we all agree on what is an appropriate limit to the level of "compassion" from the state, we will be nothing more than another Canada, Sweden, Denmark, England, France et al. Systems that though noble in intent to some, are slowly imploding due to the staggering cost of social engineering. Maybe the idea of getting 50-70% of your check taken by the state for the "common good" is ok with some, but there is an equal or greater number who think the state should be limited in power, scope and lastly in its responsibility of "compassion".
I am open for discussion...

Real Affirmative Action (or White Man's Burden)

No bloated speech this time, nope. I'm keepin' it simple for everybody.
If we are really going to have a color blind, race blind, creed blind, religion blind, gender blind, venetian blind, blah blah blah society, then we have to eliminate the prefixes that POINT to those very things, no? I mean look, I'm not a white guy so I have no Dog in this fight, but why do we have "Black History Month" and not "White History Month"? Why is there a Congressional Black, Asian and Latin Caucasses but not a Congressional White Caucass?.... Did caucasian people just show up in Copenhagen in the year of our Lord whatever and just take over the world without some semblance of cultural path? Why is no White history taught in schools? (I know, I know, the usual raping and pillaging of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons don't make for good bed time stories.) Is it because it is the default of our conciousness that most history is "white" and therefore it would be redundant to have a history of its race in a cultural context? I've not heard one, ONE thing that can make a caucasian person go "yes I am proud to be white" (why does that have such a negative undertone?). Why are white people so scared of their God-given race? guilt? political correctness? When in history did pride in the caucasian race dowspiral into denoting a supremacist ethos?...

I was in a party a year ago, where some of my latin friends and I were bantering back and forth and we all toasted to the "good life of latinos"... whoopee!.... everybody cheered and toasted like good little politically correct girls and boys... even my white friends. Then I (being who I am..) asked one of them, "C'mon, make a toast!, doesn't your caucasian butt have anything cultural to celebrate?"...... Silence. Its as if the Temple Curtain had been torn. A few nervous laughs here and there... but you get the picture. The horror in my friend's face of trying to say something,... (yes dangit, we are still buddies.)

I said this story to make a point. These pre-fixes and suffixes are going to get us all torn to pieces. African-American, Latin-American, Dixie-Americans, Franco-American (sorry, couldn't help it)..... its as if just saying "American" by its deviled lonesome lacks some cultural authority that compels us to add something in it for further identification.My parents are Puerto Rican, so is most of my family, with a good dose of French, Italian, Jewish, and Spanish,.. you name it. We are mutt central. Make no mistake, I am proud of my heritage, but I don't feel the need to wave it like a standard in anyones face. I am an American. Pure and simple. No pre-fix on my citizenry. I was born here, served here and I proudly buy into the American Ideal of "One nation under God, Indivisible". How in the hell are we supposed to keep bying this "lets all work together" crap when we add a diferentiating pro-noun at every turn?

Lets take a moment and really think about what is it that we really do when we surround "American" with this and that. Pride is great. Feeling good and honoring your ancestors and the world and culture of your parents / family is a tradition no one should forget or discard. Just put a fore-thought to it the next time you say with pride, I'm "Mexican American" or "Italian American" or "Canadian American" (ok, forget that last one...). What are you really saying?, that being just "American" is not good enough?

Having said that, If we cant beat them? join 'em. If we are not going to be blind to the pro-nouns and racial divisions, then let's extrapolate political correctness to its full logical conclusion (Liberals can exit right about now, your feelings are about to get pulverized). I want every NBA team to have 2 token white guys (hey, affirmative action, right?). I want White people to feel free to wear "the Race" t-shirts, just as latinos wear "La Raza" ones. I want the bad cowbows on TV to wear "white hats" sometimes (why should black hats have all the fun?) Cinco de Mayo? Asian pride day? Gay pride parades? Cool, no problem. I want 5th Avenue White Boy pride day!. I want....... (ok, my point has been made ad-nauseum I think).

I'm done (I guess I was kidding about the bloated speech part), back to your regularly scheduled programming. Let the Truth-Pain bashing begin. Don't hate me because I'm beautiful :)
(want to read an interesting article on white guilt? click below)http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008318

SHOW ME THE MONEY!!

If I were king for a day...
I feel like a hypocrite. In one blog exchange awhile back, I was begging a fellow blogger for solutions and not just the hot air of complaining... then, after thinking about it, I though, "well aren't you the hypocrite!, what the hell kind of solutions have you ever proposed.... for anything!"
So here goes. I will try to solve everything my way, one thing at a time. Issue by issue, and topic by topic, a "pithy" summary of the world according to Spock the Libertarian.
Solution 1: The federal budget
This is a pretty big deal. How do you fix a multi-trillion dollar matrix into such a humble blog.... hmmm, what to do?...
Well, my ingredients are as follows. A healthy dose of the Libertarian Web page "issues" tab ( http://www.lp.org/issues/issues.shtml), my own sprinkling of "outside" thinking, and enough draconian cuts to make the Ginsu Knives Company make me a poster child.

Step 1) Empower a fully independent consulting group with the power to fully investigate EVERY instance of overlap of jurisdiction and budgeting in the entire Federal Budget. Sort of like the 911 commision but with specifics and details. Pay them 40-60 million dollars.... whatever it takes to do will pay itself in billions down the road. Then force Congress to follow up on all recommendations to the letter, their own districts be damned.

Step 2) Empower a second fully independent commision to cut the fat off the military. Tough subject since I am a veteran and supportive of the men and woman in uniform, BUT... why do we need 13 aircraft carrier groups, 1500 or so military installations here and abroad and half our forces in places (South Korea, Germany, Bosnia) where they are but a symbolism? We can make it a leaner, meaner and able unit without the cold war thinking or cold war budget.

Step 3) .... and now for the trick that both Democrats and Republicans will hate me for. (and thats a trick..) the Cabinets departments. Dept of Education? gone. Just a fat layer of unfunded mandates. Who says States dont know what the individual needs of their citizens are? You ever read Lincoln's writings? there was no dept. of education back then and tell me if any kid today can write in such florid and metaphoric ways. Savings:64 billion/year. Dept of Energy? gone. Let the private companies that run nuclear power plants deal with nuclear waste disposal (with Federal oversight). The can do it better and cheaper. Savings: 22 billion/year. Dept of Labor? gone. It is not the Federal Gov's job to train or look after anybody's employment, only to provide the atmosphere and economic conditions to thrive in whatever you choose to do. I know, how insensitive of me. Read the damn Constitution. The only "living, breathing" thing about it is that its in a vacuum frame in the national archives. Besides, private enterprise can recruit, train, and make employment development PROFITABLE for a change (hence, taxable .. for all the fiscal libs out there). Savings: 54 billion/year. NASA? gone. I am the idealist too... but if NASA was privatized like the postal office was it would have been way ahead of the current curve and investing in real-life needs and not trying to look and see if there is life in Vulcan. Let Boeing and Lockheed take it over. Savings: 17 billion/year. Other Independent Agencies? gone. Savings: 28 billion/year.

All the savings for 10 years would go towards paying off the national debt (in an Al Gore type of "lock box".... ok, so im kidding..). After that (and hold on to your pantyhose socialists).... would go towards major and permanent tax cuts to further capital investment, spur economic growth and freedom of personal fiscal choice.

Once all this fat is gone, we add a constitutional ammendment that says the Federal Goverment cannot live on more than 10% of the GDP (thats half of what it is now). If 10% is good enough for God.... it should be good enough for Governance.
Man that was easy.... :) Now if only the States and local Gov's can get with the program.....

IS AMERICA GOOD OR WHAT?

Pessimists need not apply...

One of the reasons you don't hear too much good positive news on the cable shows, the network news and (my least favorite) self-important blogs, is because negativity sells. Sensationalism catches the eye. With sex, drugs, political scandals, blow-hards on the left and right, and flying human limbs coming at you in HDTV quality, ...heck who needs good news? Who wants to hear about the good of a Mother Theresa, the men and woman of our military building schools in Iraq, or pro-bono lawyers doing good work for the less fortunate when you can have 4 pandemics-a-gettin', 3 tornadoes-a-destroyin', 2 suicide bombers-a-flyin' and an Illegal in a pear tree (uh... picking them of course). Well, not being one to shy away from ruining the day of the "Hate America" crowds here and abroad, I humbly submit to you my top ten reasons why America Rocks!
(DANGER: continuing this read may give you fuzzy feelings, happy joy-joy smiles and a severe case of optimism. We are not responsible for changes in your perspective or voting habits.)

1. More people want to break INTO America than are trying to jump out.
Even when somebody PROMISES to leave the country should this person or that person get elected,... they still stay!.. amazing.
2. 2 massive hurricanes, 2 wars, and the economy booms. What a country!
I know this is going to get a few comments on the social injustice, the minimum wage, the outsourcing of jobs, the poverty, the sick, the this and that. Reality check. Its called CAPITALISM. It will never be a Gene Roddenberry Utopia. A small percentage of the polulace will still fall through the crack no matter how little the crack is (that should be a rap song...) .
3. Freedom of speech and discourse!
Self-explanatory by the medium you are reading at the moment. The number of countries who enjoy this liberty is not as large as it should be.
4. 230 years old!, a baby in world perspective, and look where we are.
Think about those 1000-year old cultures and countries that look at us in disbelief and envy. There is a reason we are the "great democratic experiment".
5. Can you say Blues, Jazz, Baseball, Basketball, the Automobile, Computers, etc?
This list can be 1000 miles long. The contribution of the American know-how to the planet's well being can't be measured.
6. The BEST health care in the world. Period.
Whether its fair, cheap, available to all is a subject unto itself. Don't believe me? Try getting a appointment to see a Doctor in Canada. Its easier to get your dog cared for than yourself. Where would you like to have YOUR spleen removed... here?... or in Istambul?
7. TV. Over 600 channels of everything from the sublime to the mundane.
In 15 minutes of your time you can surf from Disney cartoons to porn. (sorry, free speech folks!) We may not like everything on the menu, but the menu is robust.
8. Our giving, our non-profits, our help organizations.
Name one country with more world volunteers, more funding for deseases and special causes, more non-profits, more foreign aid.... (and believe me, it hurts me to mention the foreign aid bit..)
9. America the Beautiful (... the fruited plane...)
Valleys, lakes, ocean coasts, marshes, forrests, canyons, deserts, rivers, mountain ranges, 4 seasons, fauna, wildlife, national parks, and (my daughter's favorite) shopping malls.
10. ..... and just the fact that a simple man like me, of humble origins, non-humble view, many faults and un-perfect in life,... can have a forum to say this, right here and right now.
We have "miles to go before we sleep" and can't deminish our faults and mistakes... but lets just take today to celebrate the good of America. There is always tomorrow to complain.

IS QUIET AMERICA TO BLAME?

A simple but worrysome concept has been festering away in my gray matter and to be honest, the more I think about it the more my disbelief increases. Sometimes the most complex things in life are caused by a simple and universal truth. Take the voting participation for example, and its cause/effect on our entire lives. Richard Nixon gave the term "the silent majority" gravitas in the 70's. A term to what he thought were people supporting his foreign policy action but not verbally expressing it like the media and peace movement was. This is a different silence; and while not an expert on the moribund system we call our electoral system, I've reached a few conclusions.

There are two main groups that do not vote. One, is the apathy crowd. This crowd crosses all age, race and income brackets. They basically either think that no matter what they do or vote for things will remain the same, or just have not found the proper motivation to participate in this very important civic duty. The second is the "doing ok" crowd. This crowd can include a percentage of crowd #1 but this is much larger in numbers and hence the target of every political and special interest grass roots organization in the country. These as the folks who make good money (either middle or upper middle income), have a very busy life (in whatever it is they call "busy-hood") and generally are too preocupied with the "here and now" to fully ascertain the impact they would have in the future (and past) of any issue if they were to fully engage in the voting ritual. In my humble opinion, if coupled together, this group is in large part what I call "the silent majority". The unheard-of voters. What is our voting record of participation, between 38? and 56%?.... and that is an average I think of ranges in the past 30 years which marks the hot races (1960, 2000 and 2004) versus the blow-outs (say 1980, 1984 and 1996). Can we imagine the political earthquake in this country if once, just ONCE we have say an 80% participation. That would have to include at least 20% of newly registered voters who have never voted and that unless Kreskin can prove me wrong, are the wild cards to kill all wild cards in the history of american politics. Who would they vote for? What shifts would occur?

But let me dream on for a bit. If politicians at the Local, State and Federal level knew that every 2 years 80% of the voting-age population is going to get out of the couch to stand in line and cast a ballot... do you think they would continue to treat the electorate like an unwanted stepchild?
Imagine the changes, ... real reform (for better or worse), a solution to the everlasting question of whether we are moving towards the smaller Government models of Libertarians and (some) Republicans,... or to the western European models as espoused by the various wings of the Green and Democratic Party. Even if it happened ONCE.... can you imagine? Nobody, and I mean nobody has any idea what the political makeup of this silent majority is. They, along with the registered independents,-who are the real "deciders" of every election-, could shock the world and turn the nation on a dime, one way or another.

So who do we blame for our collective apathy? our economic might? our ridiculously low four-point-something unemployment rate? our wonderful lifestyle?, our I-Pod's? our fast foods? cush living standards? our HDTV-500 channel entertainment world?....when did we lose the hunger to give a damn enough to vote?

One of freedom's most blood-soaked gifts is being left to rot in the vineyards of our landscape. In the meantime the Federal (20% of our GDP), state and local Goverment grow bigger and bigger with no stopping the hunger or the beast. What does it take to awaken a nation....?

INTELLIGENCE FAT
(Miss Moneypenny certainly does not approve of this...)

Can anyone tell me why in the world the US needs 15 intelligence agencies?
During the confirmation hearings for the new and latest goverment fat layer -the Director of National Intelligence-, I was astounded but not surprised to learn that John Negroponte would be the "Czar" of 15 intelligence agencies. Fifteen!
This is the official Government site for the intelligence tree (http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members.shtml). I count 6 for the military branches, 2 for in-country law enforcement, 4 for cabinet level directorates and 3 for James Bond stuff. Call me stupid or naive but just looking at this list has me of the opinion that there HAS to be severe overlapping responsibilities here, .... am I alone on an Island on this one? I would love to see what percentage chunk of the Federal Budget these 15 prima donnas takes in.
Lets cut the fat. I am fully for a strong, prevalent and take-no-prisoners policy as to intelligence gathering ability. But this largesse has been built through years of inter-agency squabling, military branch rivalries and territorial peeing. Its time to start consolidating these agencies into real-world efficiency entities. You keep hearing of inter-agency bickering and turf-protection... are you kidding me? Are we not all on the same team? Are the military branches not in the business of working together in a wondreous ballet of cooperation? (I know, I know.. but you get my drift). Somebody CALIBRATE me on this please......

ONCE UPON A TIME IN CALIFORNIA
(and other things to come...)

In 2068, after nearly half century of demographic shifts in its population, and burdened by the steady exiting of most manufacturing and technical industries to its easterly neighbor states, the state of California seceded from the Union and declared itself the Republic of California Norte. The results of this action were apocalyptic in its effects. Mexico, having annexed Guatemala to the south, instantly declared bi-lateral talks with the new Government and a free-immigration zone was quickly declared along the Mexican-California border. Most major cities in the state, -now shadows of their former selves due to urban decay and rampant corruption-, became bastions of anarchy like the wild-west times of bygonne eras. The agricultural middle valleys were quickly nationalized, as were Federal lands and Antiquities, natural oil and gas reserves and whatever was left of Government fixed asset surpluses. The falling of the former 6th largest economy in the world started a domino effect of a magnitude never imagined by the founding Fathers of a once-great Country........
And then we all awoke,... happy to have been dreaming, happy that it was but a nightmare.
The destruction of the American dream will not come through attrition, through invasion, or even by political shifts. It will only come via the minute by minute, hour by hour and day by day effects of us forgetting how good we have it, how much blood and capital was paid to get here, and ultimately by the failure to remind our children that this idea of Lady America is as fragile as it is unique. May God never turn its back on her.

"Mexicans are doing jobs not even Blacks are willing to do"
-Vicente Fox, President of Mexico-

I think he has it half right. Talking to a Black buddy of mine, I got this little diddy, and I quote: "Damn right you won't see me bent over picking ANYTHING... think of the imagery, Man... the cotton fields.... if I owned the farm thats one thing...."
Interesting notion and one that I had not considered,.. the imagery of things still in our collective souls. Are migrants the "slaves" of today? Is it our fault that a entire race or group of people has virtually taken over the manual labor at the bottom of the pay-scale totem pole? picking veggies and fruits, day-laborers, janitorial services and lawn mowing services? Asians did the same thing during the great Asian immgration of the 20's and 30's. They virtually monopolized the laundry services on the west coast.... is this something we can control? Do we want to? Is this something we should be concerned about? or is this simply an unexplained inertia that has a life and ebb of its own...
The truth is, we as Americans of all races and creeds have crept up the food chain in our self-imposed expectations. Ask most kids nowadays, what do you want to be when you grow up? I dare you to find one that says "Gee, I'd love to pick Strawberries for a living...." This is not to say tilling the earth is in any way demeaning. This country's agriculture sector feeds the world. Sure they get a ton of subsidies, but that is another topic on its own. We teach our children to aim higher, to have it better than we ever did,... Engineering, Law, Medicine, Technology. In our eyes, to be a manual laborer is to fail. That is not a indictment of honest work, but a reflection on the levels we have set for ourselves as the greatest nation and economic power in the world. But for a simple poor person from a third world country, the idea of making $10 an hour bent-over picking berries is a blessing from God,... they would never make that back home. One man's junk, is another man's treasure. The cycle of life.
I Don't blame my buddy, during our music gigs together he has told me many stories about the Black plight of his ancestors...... so maybe ol' Vicente Fox has it right, but it doesn't just apply to the Black community. All of us, White, Black, Asians, Latinos, Natives,... have set the bar a little higher than the 3 foot high tomato vine.
Capitalism in its purest form is devoid of emotion in its efficiency

KOOL AID MAN KNOWS NO POLITICS...

You've heard the phrase, havent you? "You're drinking the Hannity Kool Aid!", or the Limbaugh or this or that... What does it all mean?
It means opening up our pie holes really wide, digesting without prejudice what anybody, any book, any talk show or any news blog shoves down our throat and finally taking it all in as truth beyond reproach.
It is human nature to preach to our own choir, to associate with like-minded individuals, to listen and learn from entities we admire and to see ourselves in the image of that which we most yearn to be like. But when does this become a self-fulfilling prophecy of one's philosophy? Are we really enlightened by just listening to the sounds of our voices? or does it behoove us as a people to at LEAST consider opposing viewpoints no matter how across-the-grain to our own preference they may be?. This is my yoke in life. As a self-described libertarian information junkie I do two things as daily ritual. One is easy because I love it, ... the other is like walking on glass on my way to a backstroke swim in volcanic lava.
An example of my daily dose of mental food.
I jump to the CATO institute's web page and various government, military and independent news journals for updates. A quick scan of MSNBC, FOXNEWS, CNN and DRUDGE REPORT to see if I missed anything while I slept. During my mid-day break at the office I stroll into some hi-tech and music sites for my right-side-of-the-brain snack, as well as other more specific information places that give me deeper insight into whatever it is that interests me that day.... Finally, as desert I have a heavy "favorites" list I gauntlet through which enforces and re-enforces my beliefs, my credo,... as Neal Boortz says, my daily dose of the church of the painfull truth.
But then, it happens. Like a monster coming out of the closet when all is dark and quiet..., at around 9pm comes the dreaded homework,... doing the other side of the coin. Reading up on websites, blogs, journals, opinion commentary... all of which are diametrically opposed to everything I believe and hold as my mantra. Why do I go through this torture? Don Rumsfeld's favorite word,..to CALIBRATE.
Reading extremest agendas, far left or far right diatribes, and socio-liberal op-ed's, give me conviction. If I am afraid to calibrate my beliefs agains what MAY be a logical counter-point to my own idea, then my idea is not in very firm soil. If I am afraid to navigate the blogs of hate, racism, fear-mongering and socialism, then I cannot in truth calibrate the status of my moral spine.
Such tasks are not easy,.. I read blogs all day and in most of them, you look at the far right column where they pop links to THEIR favorites sites... and its all drinking the KOOL AID, listening to the echoes of that which they already believe. Anchoring their shaky (or strong)beliefs with yet more of the same.
I encourage my fellow conservatives here at the "Soup", to venture out into the land of the unknown. You don't have to "embrace diversity"... you only have to acknowledge its existence, respect that it has a right to share the opinion spectrum with yours, and -if at the end of the day-, you are of the same mind,.... you can say , "thanks but no thanks",... I've decided NOT to embrace YOUR idea of diversity. But you will be a better person because you have CONSIDERED thoughts that diverge from your own. There is a saying.."that which does not kill you makes you stronger".
To know the ingredients of soup that is not in your kitchen is to be a better cook for your own recipes. Sometimes we should stop drinking the Kool Aid of choice... and get a little TANG every once in awhile. We may hate the taste, but coming back to our favorite dish will be all the more rewarding.
Dardin Edward

MINUTE MEN - Does evil lurk in their hearts?


I was having a great discussion with an enlightened fellow blogger, he of a proggresive persuation and agenda. He bought up a few things that, after reading and digging up some facts, I thought were valid enough for me to jump on; especially since my positive opinion of the Minutemen is well documented.
As we type and read, a minutemen caravan is making its way to the border states, passing through a myriad of towns and cities and whipping up a nationalistic frenzy. This is a tangled web we are weaving, as the forces behind apparent good sometimes leave much to be desired.
QuakerDave (http://quakeragitator.blogspot.com/) mentioned (and I have heard from other sources as well) the showing of some confederate symbols at some minutemen locations. (In fairness, Anderson Cooper of CNN showed no such thing during one of his many reports, but he did not cover ALL the locations so the allegations may have merit). With all respect to the South, to the Mason-Dixon line, to Dixie and all the good people of our southern states, there are certain symbols that have gone from just a "symbol" to being the defacto call to arms for such movements such as white supremacy and racism. I'm not one to judge, but any bonehead who raises the confederate flag under the guise of ANY quest or mission, is harming that very mission no matter its noble goal.
My second point is this. It is easy to infiltrate a good cause with members whose agenda is much larger and devious, yet who feel the host organization holds a common cause with their own. The protection of ones borders is noble, salient, logical and wise. Otherwise, why is there a fence around the White House? why do we lock our doors at night? why do we have alarm systems in our cars? Because the evil residing in the hearts of some men are difficult to see and more difficult to feel. This is the house of America,... as any house has a reasonable expectation of security and marked borders, so should the house of America have borders and security measures. Even though most of the 9/11 criminals came via Canada, the sheer number of border-crossers in the Mexican front makes it stupid and foolish not to assume danger in the political policy of in-action.
I support the Minutemen project with caveats. I support the vigilance of our borders. I support the sanctity of our sovereign land and the dream that comes with living here. I support legal immigration as we are all from someplace else, save for the native tribes. I support the right of any American to protect that which is his own and identified as lawful under state, local or federal mandate.
What I DON'T support is anyone who used the Minutemen organization as a cover for hate, racial supremacy, racism, and irrational nationalism. Illegal immigration has two arguments that are intrinsic and mutually exclusive. There is the Legal argument, (and that is a moot point since entering the country without proper process is an ILLEGAL act). Right or wrong, whether you agree or not this is in the books and if it pisses you off, then write to your Congressman and support a change of law. The second argument is a MORAl argument. If I were a Mexican living in poverty, with Children to feed,... I would jump the fence too! I would definitely jump the border, break the law and do whatever I had to do to feed my family, laws be damned. But I (and society) must accept the fact, that regardless of the MORAL argument, the legal argument has as much merit for the right as the MORAL argument has for the left. Are we not a nation of laws? Yes we are.
Again, we have to learn to argue both sides of the issue independently of the other because they BOTH have merit and validity. We are a giving, loving and caring nation. In spite of our current public-relations black eye there is no nation in the world that provides more funding for the world's ills than America the beautiful. I encourage the Minutemen to be transparent in their mission, to be warry of the make-up of their associates and to have a 2-prongued medium to their mission of both vigilance AND compassion for humanity.
This has been a public service announcement inspired by the good people of the Garden State, I after all, love the Jersey shore....

RICH MAN, POOR MAN...
George W. Bush baffles me everyday. The more I want to like him, respect his ethos and convictions, the more I shrug my shoulder (like him) and pray to the Electoral Gods that the next clone we drop in the oval office has something to reverse or just correct this man's idea of navigation.
Not being one to just walk the conservative line let me spell what I think he's been "good" at.
1. He did take the bull by the horns and provide a steady hands in the aftermath of 9/11. No matter what you think of the 2 minutes "deer in the headlights" classroom moment of that day, or the war that followed, to say he did not provide a shaken nation confidence in the days ahead is just being caddy, dumb and partisan.
2. He did bring in an anti-Clinton atmosphere that most of the country needed. After the shameful example set by our ex president and the indictments of many of his administration's members (I know, I know, Scooter Libby etc etc...)it was good to see a scrubbing of the White House. Regardless of the fact that Clinton was a better "TV President", eloquent beyond belief (as opposed to W's language polio) and quite possibly the best politician of our time, the nation was Clinton-fatigued and GW did give us a chance to exhale (but we never did inhale).
3. Say what you will, but Bush is a revolutionary man. He has governed the nation not giving a damn about polls, the political shifting winds, the press, or prevailing wisdom. Given the fact that we all got used to focus groups, and policy by concensus, it was refreshing (if not shocking) to see a man steer the helm by the heel of his principles and his moral compass. Regardless of my views I have to admit I admire that in any person, not just this man.
Now for the bad. I'm not razzin' you Dubya, but fair critique is fair critique.
1. You gave the opposition plenty of ammo by not being flexible enough to change your policy or at least adjust it when it was evident you were just being stubborn and closed to discourse.
2. You have spent money like a Democrat on his way to an Iowa straw poll. Even today you rail against the Senate for adding pork to the emergency funding bill, yet you have never vetoed one, not ONE spending bill during your tenure. A fiscal conservative Sir, you are not. Bill Clinton certainly used the veto well,... you should have taken notes.
3. The borders. The minutemen deserve your praise. After 9/11 you admonished the nation to "be vigilant". Well, take the "e" out of "vigilante" and you get VIGILANT! They are trained to observe and report to the border patrol and never raise a gun unless their own lives are in peril. Why do you demean a wonderful example of the people doing the civic duties to protect our land from invasion, something YOU are instructed to do by the Constitution yet seem to have lost the spine to do so. Sheriff Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona is the only elected official in the land doing his duty. I would be honored if THAT guy was in charge of the Border Agency.
4. The war. You are Bush-41 redux. Not allowing the military to fight the war with all its might and power. Note that as a libertarian I am against ALL foreign intervention unless there is clear and irrevocable consequences for not doing so. Having said that, when you release the war machine you RELEASE IT! Do you think Truman (a Democrat).. or Roosevelt (gee, another Democrat) were worried about polls, political correctness or the street mood of foreign countries when they nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the stone age and turned Berlin into a parking lot? These men let the Generals be Generals. War is not pretty, surgical, cosmetic or adaptable to the TV May sweeps. When we went into Iraq we should have never allowed the looting and civic platitudes that took place. THAT is the day you let them know that we were not to be feared. That was the day it went from a swift kick in the ass, to "quagmire" as Messiers Kennedy and Biden are fond of saying. Release the Hounds sir, in the words of Admiral Farragut, "Damn the torpedoes, full spead aheah!". Fight a damn war or dont fight one at all.
I like you George, I really do. I did not vote for your country ass but I really believed you were the panacea necessary for the times.... I can't wait until 2008.

A Day without an ILLEGAL immigrant!
(can we have a few more of those,... maybe a month?)

Round two of the Banana Republic, I mean the illegal immigration marches concluded last week. A few observations.
1. Does anybody know that a specific section of the Mexican Constitution makes it "high crime" to be in Mexico illegally and is punished by up to 2 years in prison? Hmmm, I wonder if anybody in Washington has mentioned that. Probably not. They are all making the electoral math for the elections of 2012, when many of these "undocumented" will run to the polls and vote for whomever gives them the most social programs. Not a judgement mind you, just a historical fact.
2. Mexico's southern border (with Guatemala) has been a target of Amnesty International for repeated "flagrant" acts against their neighbors to the south. Translation: The Mexican Army has the authority to shoot and kill any poor sucker getting caught waltzing across the border. A nice hypocracy by the Mexican junta considering they have epileptic seizures at the thought of our border patrol round up their citizens when they just happen to waltz into our neck of the woods.
3. If the marchers where boycotting to show their economic effects, why did they not boycott using the following services as well: Our hospitals: So that they don't keep going bankrupt under the sheer weight of having to serve so many un-insured and undocumented persons. Our public schools: So that MY kid isn't in an over-crowded room, in a classroom with a teacher who has to say every other word in Spanish, this retarding everybodys's progress. Government housing: Such as HUD programs, that most of them get, and that are about to collapse here in California due to system abuse and volume. Working in the manual labor sector of the economy: Therefore not artificially depressing the labor rate so that it makes it possible for any American or LEGAL resident who has paid his dues with years in service and experience to compete in the work-place.
4. It just occurred occurred to me that if we all cut our own damn grass and pluck the weeds out of our yards, nearly a million of Illegals would have to go to Canada and look for work there, that is if the Canadiens let them in. After all, THEIR goverment is not as migration-friendly as the press will have you believe.
5. Every time you pull into "Homes" Depot and pick one of the day laborers for some task, you are feeding the fuel that keeps them coming back. Simple mathematics. Eliminate the magnet and motivation to cross the border and you eliminate the majority of the problem.
Lastly, yesterday for the first time in a very long time I drove to a McDonald's drive through and horror of horrors,... Somebody spoke to me in a language that I could actually understand, English! A day without an illegal Immigrant was so nice, that I am requesting the organizers of the march to make it 365 day a year thing.
A disclosure: I am Latino, my girlfriend is Latina, I am tri-lingual and I don't have a racist or bigoted bone in my body. My thought on this is driven by clinical thought, not emotional shrill.