Category: Politics

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13 reasons I won’t vote for McCain/Palin

And they all stem from the same source: Caribou Barbie, she’s insane. These 13 reasons were summarized by who-sucks.com.  The original list was 16 but I narrowed it down to the reasons that legitimately concern me the most:

  1. A poor record: Her only political experience has been a few years as mayor of a small town in Alaska and less than two years as governor of that state. Her record wasn’t so great: the small town she left behind is now in financial ruin.
  2. She has no experience with national level politics. At the time of this posting, many of her views on national policy issues were unknown simply because she is so inexperienced that she hasn’t even made public statements about them. Presidential history scholars believe she may be “the most inexperienced person on a major party ticket in modern history.”
  3. She has no foreign policy experience. None.
  4. She is a creationist, and she wants “creation science” to be taught in public schools.
  5. She doesn’t believe in man-made global warming.
  6. Palin has been accused of abusing her power as Alaska governor to try to get her ex-brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. An investigation is underway.
  7. She has messed up views on wildlife protection. Environmentalists are appalled by her support of a $150-per-wolf bounty program. She’s also supported the use of government money to educate people about how great it is to shoot bears and wolves, and she doesn’t want the polar bear to make it onto the endangered species list.
  8. One nation, under stupidity: When defending the phrase “one nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, Palin said, “If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.” Reality check: The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892, long after the founding fathers died. The phrase “one nation under God” was added in 1954….
  9. Anti-birth control nutcase– Not only does Palin oppose abortion in all cases, she also opposes the use of birth control in all cases. That includes married couples that want to use condoms or the pill!
  10. Politicizing non-political jobs: When she was mayor of small town in Alaska, Palin abused her authority by firing city employees that did not fully support her reelection campaign.
  11. She can’t even manage her own family – rumors have given way to an admission from Palin that her teenage daughter is pregnant, and will be having a shotgun marriage to the guy that knocked her up. That’s what abstinence-only education gets you.
  12. Ninja editing: Her Wikipedia entry needed to be cleaned up before the public announcement that she was McCain’s VP pick.
  13. She has no clue about the role of the Vice President.
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Sarah Palin locked in my vote for Obama.

I tried all day not to write about this and now I must.  I posted the other day that Obama may not win.  I’m starting to wonder how he can’t at this point.  What a mess the McCain folks have made of this VP pick, Sarah Palin.

First, why in the name off all Republican nominations past would McCain not come forward with information that Palin’s 17 year-old daughter was knocked up knowing full well he was presenting her to secure the conservative base of “family values”?  Did they think no one would find out?  I can’t imagine how they expected the media wouldn’t flock to this information.  If nothing else THIS UNTO ITSELF displays poor judgment that is not worthy of two of the most powerful offices in the world.

The only possible excuse McCain could have is that he did not know.  That would imply that the vetting process was lame so he has no out.  The conservative base McCain was trying to draw support from may be in his corner on one issue alone, abortion, or lack thereof.  And in the process of shoring up this hyper-religious base he’s alienated every other voting demographic.  As a one time Democrat who is now a registered Independent I assure you my “family values” are above teenage pregnancy.  See what preaching abstinence to your children does for them?  It gets them pregnant.  Certainly Sarah’s little angel wouldn’t be having sex, no way.  Why that’s just not in line with her “family values”.  Then reality came crashing in on the Palin’s and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.

The whole thing comes down to a matter of judgment.  It was either poor judgment for McCain to pick Palin or it was poor judgment not to announce her teenage daughter’s pregnancy prior to revealing it to subdue vicious rumors on the Internet.  They thought the cat wouldn’t get out of the bag, now their trying to put it back in while the media watches.

I was on the fence about who I was going to vote for.  Now there is no choice.   While I still think Obama was made to the top through no more than personal relationships and a gift for oratory, at least he hasn’t already attempted to deceive the American public in such poor fashion.  Add to this that Palin’s hired a defense lawyer for Troopergate.  Wouldn’t it be great for the tabloids if the over-extended mom with her own child and a grandchild, who are less than a year apart in age, gets arrested while in the White House for having someone fired who refused to axe her former brother-in-law?  Is this a chance we can take?

I don’t just say no.  I say hell no.  Next to Bush getting re-elected for a second term her selection was the biggest political mistake ever.  Abortion or not, they’ve already proven they cannot be trusted and that they are capable of deception.  McCain stated that his staff conducted an FBI background check on Palin.  The FBI denies any such check was conducted.  But all of this will not stop the die hard Neocon’s from voting, bibles in hand, so it’s not a sure thing for Obama yet.  But Obama’s campaign staff could not have asked for a more generous gift from the right.

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Good speech. But Obama still won’t win.

Update: Just hours after I posted this entry McCain picked the first woman ever for a Republican Presidential ticket, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.  Not certain if this is a plus or minus.  She has no foreign policy experience.

It was an inspiring, articulate and historic Democratic Presidential nomination speech. Possibly the best ever. And it was very Obama. And it convinced a lot of Democrats he will win. There was actually more real content to this Obama speech than any I’ve previously heard. Many Democrats are proud and feel there’s no way he can lose now because America will not tolerate “another four years of Bush-McCain”.

I almost feel sorry for those Democrats. Despite their unmatched, historical support for America’s first black candidate he most likely will not defeat McCain. And McCain did one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in a while. He ran an ad congratulating Obama on his historic achievement during the televised nomination acceptance. This move will solidify McCain’s support from the moderates and Independents who were on the fence about a vote for the Republican ticket. It was an impressive feat, but the issues still stand and the Republican party did not forfeit because of one good speech.

Even without knowing McCain’s Vice Presidential selection as of this writing I can already tell that as the results of this election are tallied on Nov. 4th, 2008 one of two things will happen: Either the race will be as close as those in 2000 and 2004 with John McCain squeaking in and electoral victory or Obama will win by a landslide. There will be no landslide for McCain but I do not doubt the voting power of Republicans who watch silently and have a solid historical record of turning out to vote. Unlike the new, young “small-d” Democrats.

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I’m done with ebay.

I sold a product on ebay today.  They held all the funds for 21 days or “until the buyer leaves positive feedback” knowing very well a lot of buyers don’t leave feedback.  They consider this buyer protection.  I consider it misuse of my money as they are doing this under the guise of buyer protection in order to hold other peoples money to generate interest.  So I refunded the money to the buyer immediately and told him the product would not be shipped – it will be on Craigslist.

Through these actions against small, private sellers ebay has become nothing but a storefront for high volume resellers which comprise over 60% of their listing fees.  They require private sellers to use Paypal, again under the false pretense of “buyer protection”.  The reality is they don’t make any money through Paypal when a buyer sends a certified check or money order so they force sellers to use their revenue generating engine.

This is just like the banks telling their service reps to inform customers they process debit and check transactions largest to smallest for their own good. “So your car payment won’t bounce” they say.  Bullshit, pure and simple.  So it has nothing to do with the fact that this model generated an additional 17 billion in fees for the industry when adopted in 2006?  Right.

Until government starts acting to fight financial industry manipulation of consumer funds for their own benefit more and more consumers will suffer and languish while they wait for access to their own money.  No financial institution should be able to “hold” cash funds (note I did not say pending check deposits) or decide how and when to process payments and transactions when these actions result in a revenue stream or profit for the institution.  That’s using my money for your net gain and I resent it and will not allow it.  So, I’m done with ebay.

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Barack Obama: A “Made Man”

I still don’t know who I’m going to vote for in November.  At one time I fully supported Obama.  I’m not so sure I do anymore.  I watched the CNN special Barack Obama Revealed last night and came away with even less certainty about Barack than felt before.  The most glaring message I got out of the whole show was how Barack is essentially a “made man” by his friends in the Illinois state senate, specifically his endorsement by Senate President Emil Jones.  It seems to me that Barack needed to learn how to grease his elbows and these guys taught him how to do it.  One good speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2003  and BANG – a Presidential nominee is born.  One who had 129 “Present” votes during his time in the Illinois Senate.  And no track record to speak of during one term in the US Senate.

I get the impression that a whole lot of “Obamamania” is based upon the fact that many, many people are turned off by the Republican party thanks to good ‘ol Dubya and Cheney.  They’re ready to take anybody that represents a change from the status quo.  But I haven’t been convinced that McCain is a carbon copy of Bush.  In the past and today McCain appears to be a Republican I can settle for.  He’s a moderate.  Now if he goes out and gets himself a hyper-religeous, bible beating, Neocon for a running mate to satisfy the “base” of the Republican party then I’ll have to settle for the lesser of two evils and go with Obama.  I will not sway in my position that nothing mixes worse than religeon and politics, not even oil and water.

There is one aspect of McCain winning the Presidency that I’ve not heard a lot of talk about.  That is the fact that if he wins and the Democrats pick up two or three more seats in Congress we can expect at least four more years of deadlocked legislation.  Nothing will be passed because bills will be shot own and vetoed at a record pace.  I’m relatively conviced this is not what we need right now.  I would like to see a working Congress as opposed to one that is permanently on vacation. 

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Undecided…

I am personally undecided who I will vote for now. My personal opinion is irrelevant in my prediction. It should be John McCain who wins this election (provided that he lives that long). Why?

The American public could gradually lose it’s fascination with Obama. His “rock star” persona can fade. Not that it matters. What may ultimately lead Obama down the path to defeat is his position on oil. I’m a registered Democrat (in case you haven’t guessed) and I do believe big business and the banks are out of control and unchecked so I feel there needs to be more government oversight, I despise the situation in Iraq, and I don’t think the Republicans have a plan for a health care system that’s going to do anything but make the rich even richer. So why am I considering a vote for McCain?

Because he supports drilling in the US for oil. While I care about the environment I really despise hyper-tree-huggers. These are the environmentalists who will sacrifice our nations welfare and economy to save another damn species of snail. I know a lot of other Democrats who fall into the category of Independent by default in this election. Hell, let’s face it I might as well change my registration to Independent because I don’t fully support either party’s position on a number of issues.

  1. I want immigration laws enforced – not reformed. Neither candidate is supporting this position to the upset of the Republican party because I’m certain most conservatives want a candidate with a stronger stance on this issue.
  2. I want to drill for oil in America. Obama and the Democrats have made it clear they care nothing about saving our future by attacking the energy problems on all fronts including drilling at home.
  3. I want NAFTA repealed. Again, nothing either party has proclaimed interest in.
  4. I support the withdraw of troops in Iraq using a responsible time table. More Dems support this than Republicans.
  5. I believe we need comprehensive health care reform. From the top down including an attack on the rising cost of health care services. John McCain wants to put the hospital corporations in check but he’s also running the risk of angering big business supporters who believe hospitals and drug manufacturers, as corporations, should be free to profit as much as they like even if the cost is the lives of patients. This is actually an easy fix: price caps. Universal insurance coverage, a Democratic idea, is nothing but a windfall for health insurance companies. Neither side has even mentioned government price caps which would limit hospital corporation profitability but naturally drive down the price of insurance.
  6. I want to pay fair taxes. This is more of a Republican idea but only really benefits the rich and corporations under their model of tax breaks. Democrats will give no one a break here.

Basically I don’t fully support either party and choosing one side or the other is like choosing which foot to be shot in. I don’t want to be shot in either foot.

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Back with a new look .

The conversion from Time Warner to AT&T DSL is complete.  It took a little more time than I anticipated because I didn’t realize their are no phone lines in my office where this server sits.  So the server’s on a wireless network adapter now and seems to be going strong – static IP and all.  I’m still hosting the DNS with No-IP.com because they’re paid for the remainder of the year.

The world’s focus is on the US economy now and so is mine. My rants in the coming months will focus primarily on this topic.  I won’t be watching my language because let’s face it, we’re screwed.  We’ve got job losses, banks are struggling because of loans that can’t be paid back, house values plummetting almost everywhere and gas prices that are through the roof.  Put $1000 under the mattress and get ready to ride out a depression that makes Grandpa’s look like fun.

The talk show pundits make it sound like it’s going to be alright.  The market is “correcting itself” they say.  I laugh at you sirs.  Please do your part to keep hope alive.  As soon as gas hits between $5 and $6 a gallon and the trucking strikes begin you better have food in the house because I hear there’s only 3 days worth on any grocery stores shelves at any time.  Gentelmen, start your gardens.

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The Bush tax rebate is doomed to failure.

Too little, too slow, too late. That sums up Bush’s “economic stimulus” package. The concept behind this stimulus was that 130 million Americans would get $300 to $1800 from the government and run out and spend it on canoes, juicers and other non-essential goods to “stimulate” the economy. It ain’t gonna happen.

Instead of dispersing the rebates quickly, without giving consumers adequate time to factor in their rebates to their bill payments, the IRS decided they would send out 130 million checks over a 3-4 month period. Even the majority of those who “e-filed” through services like Turbo Tax will have to wait into the summer for a check simply because their filing fees were deducted from their Federal return.

Every poll now shows that a huge majority of Americans will spend their rebate on bills or save it. We’ve had time to factor it into our incomes. We’ve planned this money into our budgets. Instead of being looked at as “found money” it will go to the credit card and mortgage company investors concentrating even more wealth for the elite 10% who control 90% of the money. Bush sure has taken care of “the Aristocracy” (his words, not mine). Down to his last moments in office he listened to his age old financial advisers who’s agenda has continuously been to look out for the haves at the expense of the have-nots.

Pumping federal money into oil reserves that are full, military contractors and the wild west banking sector will be Dubya’s claim to fame. Meanwhile working Americans will continue to lose their homes and jobs because Corporate America must keep and increase their profit margins. The American worker, once every companies greatest asset, is now viewed viewed as the greatest expense and liability when trying to show a return to share holders. Has it dawned on any ardent supporters of capitalism at any cost that the ultimate price may be capitalism itself? I know it sounds Marxist to label capitalism self imploding but is it happening right in front of us? You cannot concentrate wealth while creating poverty, under any label, without disastrous consequences.

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The black White Collar Democrat

Despite the outpouring of Internet, media and primary support for Barack Obama I personally don’t think he can, or will, beat John McCain. I have history in support of my analysis. Barack is a white collar Democrat. Historically only blue collar Democrat’s have beaten Republicans in a toe to toe match up. Barack can get the minority vote. He can get the rare suburban white collar Democrat vote, which is often seen in the wild but rarely travels in social circles, but he cannot get the blue collar workin’ man’s vote that’s necessary to carry states like Ohio. Remember Ohio? The place where the blue collar vote swayed to the right away from Kerry to give us Dubya? Kerry was another white collar Democrat.

Oddly enough Clinton has the blue collar in this race. Her hubby wore the blue collar too as he won two elections. White laborers like guys called “Bubba”. Barack can’t carry these Democrats. They won’t vote for him. So while the DNC may give Barack the nomination by way of super delegates the truth is Hillary is, in fact, probably more likely to beat McCain in the general election. Polls have show this to be true throughout the primaries. If you believe the polls.

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Unsolved Triangle Murders

Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are nationally known as the Triangle Area. The name references the Research Triangle Park that sits in the middle of these three cities. I’ve lived in the Triangle since I was 8 years old. My wife was born in Raleigh. We’ve seen a whole lot of 2 lane roads turn into 6 lane interchanges over the past 20 years. The growth has been explosive because of the nice neighborhoods, jobs and a relatively low crime rate with the exception of areas in Durham. Raleigh alone is now bigger than Minneapolis, St. Louis and Charlotte. If you add in all the surrounding suburbs the Triangle could be the national model for urban sprawl.

In the past few years the area has gotten some pretty negative national attention because of crime. There was, of course, the Duke rape scandal. Crystal Magnum and Mike Nifong be damned. But that case was sensational grandstanding by a politically motivated prosecutor. The more disturbing cases are the unsolved homicides that have occurred in the past two years. As of yesterday morning the list of unsolved murder victims includes the former Student Body President of UNC, Eve Carson. What a beautiful girl she was.

Of course we don’t have any details in the way this case is being handled by law enforcement. We just need to hope it’s managed better than other area homicides involving women have been. Such as the case of Michelle Young, a pregnant 29 year-old mother murdered in front of her 2 year-old daughter who was found crying beside the body in November of 2006. The Wake County Sheriffs Department focused a lot of attention on her husband Jason, who was “out of town on business” and called his sister several times to go get a fax from his house. She went and found her sisters body. Apparently the Sheriff hasn’t been able to bring a case against Jason Young. He’s roaming free, likely guilty of killing his wife.

And if that wasn’t disturbing enough there is the case of another pregnant mother Jenna Neilson, 22, who was delivering USA today newspapers when she was attacked and stabbed to death on June 14, 2007. her body was found behind a local convenience store. USA Today ran a national ad for information in the case. There was a composite of a person of interest circulated by the Raleigh Police Department. Most people thought the composite looked like a woman but it was labeled “Hispanic Male”. That’s it. That’s all they’ve got as far as the public knows.

Sure there have been other murders in the area as well as killers who’ve been caught. But having followed the details of local homicide cases closely I can tell you most were solved through dumb luck. They caught confessed serial killer Samual James Cooper after he robbed a bank, ran from the cops and hid inside a Domino’s Pizza. This apprehension was 5 previously unsolved homicides past due. The deaths of beautiful and pregnant women seem to be the most difficult for Triangle area law enforcement. They have no leads, can’t pin cases, solidify evidence or make arrests. In these cases the bad guys are winning.

I’m aware this is reality and not an episode of CSI but progress needs to be made. People are getting scared. The perception is quickly emerging that you can be gunned down, beaten or stabbed to death in a suburban neighborhood and there’s a high probability that the killer’s going to get away with it because the police can’t build a case. I’m not advocating a drag net that sweeps up innocent people to parade them in front of the media. I am asking for better police work. The investigating agencies should call in the Feds if they need help and combine the resources of multiple agencies. It’s time an arrest is made in one of these cases surrounding these murdered wives, mothers and daughters.

The hardest thing for me to digest when writing this article is, based on this track record, the parents of Eve Carson have no reason to believe there will be a killer arrested in the death of their daughter. Some random thug may have beaten the Chapel Hill law enforcement community. At this point every agency and officer involved in these homicides has their reputation on the line.

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