Category: Politics

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September 12th

Did you get enough September 11th anniversary coverage? My life’s not a whole lot different. Is yours?

I know it’s not a popular opinion but I don’t feel like the attacks five years ago were the nation changing event the media makes them out to be. We started covering our cars with stickers touting patriotic slogans and magnetic American flags made in China. So things changed but not necessarily for the best. That’s certainly being proven true by the resurgence of the Taliban and the fact that Bin Laden’s an even greater motivation to all of the very popular Madrassa’s in Pakistan. We should have concentrated in Afghanistan and left Iraq alone.

I’m proud to say I’m not a one-time Bush policy supporter who came to a realization too late. I said Iraq was a bad idea from conception, my exact words on ABCNews.com being “Saddam doesn’t even have the ability to shoot a slingshot towards the US”. I was confident in this statement because of UN inspection reports that were contrary to reported US “intelligence”, and have never been proven incorrect. Furthermore, I feel that many politicians who voted in favor of the Iraq invasion did not believe the WMD argument personally but feared voter backlash if they presented themselves as anything less than terrorist-fearing “patriots”.

This appeasement of the voters is an issue that has not been discussed at great length in any media venue I’m aware of. We must trust that our representatives will vote with their morals and their hearts, not strictly within party lines for fear of offending their peers and most certainly not out of fear of offending the constituency when what is at stake is the greater good of our nation.

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WRAL.com – News – Raleigh City Council To Revisit Changes To Curbside Trash Collection

WRAL.com – News – Raleigh City Council To Revisit Changes To Curbside Trash Collection

I am so glad I don’t live in Raleigh anymore. The City council is sticking by the hours MANDATED that you can put your trash beside the curb or get a ticket (i.e. revenue generator).

Who in the hell do they think they are requiring people to take specific actions within 24-hour intervals of their lives?  Two years ago trash men came and got the trash can out of your back yard. But NOOOO, that’s too much service for the people of Raleigh. So let’s rack up some new taxes, build some bad roads, open some old ones to congest downtown a little more, and build an unnecessary convention center AND GET VOTED OUT OF OFFICE!

Vote them out. The whole city council. They want to leave a legacy of greatness, I say we let them leave in shame. Or they can start telling you when to go to bed, get up, what to have for breakfast, no cars in the driveway past 8 am or get fined….

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First World Frustrations

David Rakoff is the author of the new book Don’t Get Too Comfortable: The Indignities of Coach Class, The Torments of Low Thread Count, The Never-Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems.

This book delves into the hypocritical aspects of American life, the luxuries many of us take for granted and the absurdities we simply ignore. And, once again, it got me thinking about how good everyone in America has it compared to the rest of the world despite our frustrations at home and work and our self commitment to a never ending rat race. I looked up some encouraging facts any westerner should pay attention to if you ever feel like you’ve got it bad:

1. If you woke up this morning with at least $350 US dollars in the bank you are in the wealthiest 8% of the world’s population.

2. If you consider yourself a somewhat healthy American then you are far ahead of the 1 million people in third world countries that will die today because they lack access to basic amenities you take for granted – like vitamin A in their food.

3. If you’re religious and you feel free go to your place of worship regularly in America you’re way ahead of the almost 2 billion people who are assaulted, arrested, incarcerated and tortured each year for attempting to worship or participate in their religious beliefs.

4. If you woke up this morning and took a shower or used a toilet then congratulations, once again you’re ahead of approximately 2.6 billion people, or 40 percent of the world’s population, who lack access to basic sanitation.

5. If you put gas in your car recently, at any price, think about this: in a passenger car, for example, typically only 10 percent of the oil’s energy actually moves the car. Of that, only about two percent actually moves the passenger. So you are wealthy enough to afford an energy resource you will only use at 2% efficiency to haul you down the road. The rate of cars being built now exceeds the rate of growth of the world’s population*. And you are fortunate to be among the 28% of the world’s population that owns them.

6. As of 2004 the impact of the average U.S. citizen on the environment is approximately 3 times that of the average Italian, 13 times that of the average Brazilian, 35 times that of the average Indian, 140 times that of the average Bangladeshi, and 250 times that of the average sub-Saharan African.
Source: UNICEF, The State of the World’s Children

So don’t be surprised to find me laughing at anyone who is about to bust a blood vessel because they forgot to put ketchup in the bag at the drive-thru.

*NOTE: To clarify this is growth rate based upon percentage. From 1974 to 1999 the number of automobiles manufactured per year increased 44% and the world’s human population only increased 16%. As of August 2003 there was 1.9 cars in America for every licensed driver. – Source: Transportation Alternatives, NYC

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David Joyner??? – Work Under Way To Promote Toll Roads Statewide

WRAL.com – News – Work Under Way To Promote Toll Roads Statewide

This article says “To help sell the idea, the state has hired public relations veteran David Joyner to lead the North Carolina Turnpike Authority.”

Is this the same David Joyner who leased my old band our rehearsal room off capital Blvd. I certainly hope not. That would be quite strange because he owns a downtown real estate company. Not a public relations company. Just read about one of his properties: Fox Ridge.

It must be someone different. Gotta be. I might email WRAL to find out.

UPDATE: It’s not the same Joyner (thank God). This David Joyner is the founder of State Capital Strategies in Raleigh.

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WRAL.com – News – Alabama Lawmakers Ask Residents To Avoid Aruba

WRAL.com – News – Alabama Lawmakers Ask Residents To Avoid Aruba

This is just stupid. I would go to Aruba tomorrow if I had the chance just to spit in the face of Alabama “law makers.” Hey, while we’re at it let’s boycott travel to every place in America an over-hyped, unsolved disappearance occurs. Especially the ones pounded in our face by the media that involve pretty white women.

The hipocracy is that if this were a 18-year-old black girl that disappeared in Alabama you wouldn’t have heard two words about it.

So Alabama, let’s convict someone in Aruba for the media, guilty or not. That’ll teach ’em. Stalling a prosecution because of lack of evidence, the nerve. Just hang ’em – go on – git!

An to Mr. and Mrs. Holloway, the media frenzy instigators: your daughter is dead and the crime was well covered. Get home and recover. Don’t worry there’s plenty of money in a made for TV movie later that will certainly adversely effect Aruban tourism for you. Or possibly not. I’ve recently heard that famous crime scenes have become quite popular with tourists.

By the way idiots – Aruba didn’t kill Natalee Holloway, someone in Aruba MIGHT HAVE. For all we know she drank her self into a coma on the beach and washed out sea when the tide came in. Hey, it happens.

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WRAL.com – News – Times Reporter Jailed For Refusing To Divulge Source

WRAL.com – News – Times Reporter Jailed For Refusing To Divulge Source

Hoorah! Noone should expect to enjoy complete immunity. Especially the press! Imagine if this reporter had been told of an upcoming terrorism plot and then refused to reveal her sources. It’s the same thing. In matters of national security “protecting my sources” doesn’t mean crapola.

If you don’t want to be known as the source of information, don’t tell your story to a reporter. Judith Miller can rot until she talks as far as I’m concerned. Send her to the darkest hole in the federal penal system.

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New Gang Symbol

image Have you seen this symbol? More and more of these decals are appearing on the bumpers of cars all over the country. You have to be a “member” of a law enforcement agency to buy one (by providing a verifiable badge number to epolicesupply.com). So it’s a symbol for the nationwide law enforcement gang “the thin blue line.” A symbol of pride? It’s more like “I’m a fellow cop, so don’t pull me over if you see me speeding in my civilian car.”

Mike Davis made this point: If I want to put one of these stickers on my car what’s to stop me from printing one out of Photoshop? And once I have what laws going to say I can’t have this sticker on my car? Would I be arrested for impersonating a law enforcement official because I have this symbol that can only be sold to cops? I’m sure plenty of people who don’t dive have diver down front license plates and stickers on their cars. So if I think this is a pretty black and blue design no law I’m aware of can stop me from putting one on my car, forehead or front door.

I really like this bumper sticker on the epolicesupply website: “Sometimes there’s justice, Sometimes there’s just us.”

Sorry Officer(s). There’s only justice – no gangs allowed. It’s your job to enforce laws and that’s the extent of it. It’s an individual job. Okay, so sometimes you might need back-up or manpower to perform your job. Just remember that gang symbols and slogans don’t put you above the rules of engagement set forth by the justice system and legislators. Of all people cops ought to recognize that the “thin blue line” is a term used by the civilian public to pronounce distrust of officers involved in scandals and cover ups.

Identifying law enforcement symbols should be banned on all civilian possessions and clothing to protect the integrity and trust of the profession. I particulary like it most when a girlfriend or wife of a cop has one of these decals. It says “my husbands/boyfriends a cop”. Um, so what? I guess they’re entitled to some special treatment also.

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WRAL.com – News – House Committee Approves Two-Year Death Penalty Moratorium

WRAL.com – News – House Committee Approves Two-Year Death Penalty Moratorium

So at least the NC House of Reps has a little common sense. WRAL has a poll going that is evenly split between people that think the moratorium is a good idea and those who think it’s a step towards outlawing the death penalty.

So here’s my poll: If you do not support a moratorium of the death penalty while it’s studied for problems explain your position by selecting one of the following (and you MUST chose one or you do not have a justifiable claim to your position):

A) I do not care if innocent people die as long as executions continue.

B) Despite mountains of evidence to the contrary I think the death penalty is a deterrent to would be murderers.

C) I believe our judicial system is efficient, just and without bias.

D) I do not think that prosecutors are politically motivated in their pursuit of criminal convictions.

E) I can cite a criminal case in NC where a prosecutor has obtained evidence that would exonerate a defendant and voluntarily presented it in court for an immediate dismissal.

F) I am a redneck, neo-Christian-conservative who believes an eye-for-an-eye is ordained by God. Innocent people are just casualties of our “War on (insert latest sin here)”.

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