Wow.

Alaska's Integral Role In National Defense

Sarah Palin Accuses Me of Being A Bad, Dishonest, Insincere and Undignified American

Examine this excerpt from Sarah Palin's RNC speech to understand my point:
"We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity." I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman. I grew up with those people. They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America ... who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars. They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're ALWAYS proud of America. I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town.

I'm from a large town. I'm a teacher and a musician. I don't grow any food. I neither run a factory nor serve in the military. However, I believe that I am a hard worker and contributor to the betterment of my country. I'm a critic of the government. I was raised to think about issues in a critical fashion. I was taught that absolute, unconditional pride in a country is called nationalism. Nationalism has produced some of the most shameful atrocities in human history. I believe that a nation is composed of its citizens and the representatives that they elect. I am not always proud of the choices my fellow Americans make. The Constitution and Bill of Rights ensure my freedom to disagree and voice my discontent.

I challenge your logic Sarah Palin. So do millions of other Americans.

In Bizarro America: Experience, judgment and qualifications inhibit people from being good leaders

This editiorial from the NY Times clearly articulates the absurdity and embarassment of Sarah Palin's interview on ABC with Charles Gibson. Of course, Gibson is probably to blame for making her look misinformed. After all, he asked her questions that required her to think reflectively, critically and within the context of modern politics. Damn the liberal media! They're always breaking the rules and trying to push their agenda on the masses. I was hoping for questions about hockey and more stories about Trak.

Editiorial: Gov. Palin’s Worldview

Change I Can Believe In!

If you do enough yoga and visit the Dalai Lama you can do this kind of stuff. It's 100% unlistenable pleasure for the mind. It's frickin rad and I want to be like this by the time I'm 45.

Battle of the Gods!

After reading the following article from the NY Times I found out that Palin gets her powers and direction from the Christian God. If she does become VP this will be a major bonus for the executive branch of the government. It'll be interesting to see our God-endorsed nation go head to head with organizations that receive their orders from Allah. I know what you're thinking! "But, George W. Bush is a Christian man and he's been waging a holy war already." Yep. Yep. But, this is different. You have to admit, W seems like a fake Christian, right? It's obvious that his wife and parents make him go to church and he'd rather be hanging out at the ranch or a Rangers game and drinking beers with his buddies. This is probably why Jesus hasn't given us the swift victory the executive branch has been praying for. Now, with Palin (a real Christian) we're gonna see the Christian deity's true potential when it comes to war. It's sort of like the Illiad. Remember when the Trojans and Achaens went head to head over the kidnapping of Helen? The Olympian gods manipulated the scenario to carry out their will. This promises to be a classic chapter in history. It will redefine the thin line between mythology and religion. Now, that's CHANGE, baby!

NY Times article on Palin's theology

Mavericks or magicians?

I've been re-educated at the Republican National Convention. Here are the main points of those lessons.

1. McCain/Palin are the uniters.
   
2. The Republican party has become the party of "true" change. Being Republican has become synonymous with being American.
   
3. Republicans are the folks who are looking out for our civil liberties and freedoms.
   
4. Republicans are the party that has brought us feminism and great education reforms.
   
5. Republicans have been outsiders in Washington for nearly a decade.
   
6. The war in Iraq, with it's recent surge, has been brought to a near finish: "Victory is within our sights!"
   

The McCain/Palin party has worked some real magic in St. Paul.

Back on the Earth that inhabits a parallel dimension (subsequently, where I happen to dwell with nearly 30 million other people who seem to mistakenly identify themselves as Americans), the Republican party controls the executive office of The United States. They've been in this position for 8 years. Over this eight years I seem to remember events, decisions and policies that painted a really different picture of the Republican party. I guess I was looking at it through a different lens. Thank you, John McCain and Sarah Palin, for re-educating me. Simple truth. Straight talk. Country first. God is hockey. War is peace. I comply.

The Party in Power, Running as if It Weren’t

Bill O'Reilly is really hard to talk to

O'Reilly is so interesting to study. He talks over his guests and has no concern for the dynamics of a conversation. He erroneously paraphrases what his guests say. If the conversation is not going the direction that he desires he quickly abandons the topic and switches gears (almost invisibly). He is informed and educated, yet whittles down his language and thoughts to generalizations that incite combative debate. He demands his guests to answer yes or no questions, about complex issues, in seconds. He removes all reflection and thoughtfulness from a dialogue with his guests.

I commend Barack Obama for agreeing to this interview. It must have been one of the most aggravating and annoying he's ever participated in. Yet, under the pressure of the moment, Obama remains cool and calm. He presents himself as a thoughtful person. Thoughtfulness is something that seems to have a negative connotation in FOX/GOP land. At their hands, thoughtfulness has been disassociated with "being American" and apparently the founders weren't even thoughtful. Thoughtfulness represents weakness. Well, bearing this in mind, I support anti-American, weak leaders. Call me crazy, but, they're just coherent.

GOP stages mutiny on the ship of logic

Y'know, as the ideas of logic and truth begin to bend and distort into barely recognizable versions of their former selves, I find that watching the Daily Show becomes the only way that I can watch the news. John Stewart perfectly articulates the disbelief that I feel each day as events in the United States unfold. I feel that watching the news without Stewart's commentary leaves me feeling scared and really isolated. If Stewart and the people at the Daily Show can somehow turn what's happening into a joke, I somehow feel that things can't be that bad. I've also noticed that lately Stewart is seeming less humorous and more digruntled and dismayed. I fear for the worst. Perhaps things have become so crazy that we can't even laugh about them anymore. I'm afraid of Sarah Palin. I fear what she stands for, and more urgently, I fear who she stands for. This country is poised to stage a mutiny. Logic, academic thought, compassion, honesty, and global-mindedness are all getting ready to jump ship.

Make me laugh, John. Please.