Adventures in My Mind
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Feb 29, 2008
The Devil You Know?
OK, I know. This one was just too easy ... but quite funny.
Although, I don't know how else to get my head around the desire of some democrats to continue the dynasty of the Bush/Clinton years by putting her in the White House. Didn't we fight a war a couple of hundred years ago to get away from monarchists?
Can't we try something that requires imagination? That inspires hope? That instills optimism? That doesn't fall to cheapness of politics past?
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 12:36 PM
Feb 15, 2008
Bush, FISA, Telecoms, and the House
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:19 AM
Feb 14, 2008
Obama's Inspiration. Our Inspiration.
The following is an email that I received from a person on one of my Barack Obama email lists. While I don't agree with all of its political assumptions, I agree 100% with the idea that great leadership begins with great inspiration. No president can be successful without the American people thinking that he/she will be successful. That begins with inspiration. Please read on:
In this election, much has been made of the choice between experience and change, of substance and inspiration, and of dueling personalities. Supporters of one candidate or another agrue that the traits they posses are the better to win in novermber, or the better to govern the country come January. Both sides seem to have some good reasons for arguing as they do, and both claim common sense on their side. However, when dealing with complex problems, especially those involving the hearts and minds of human beings, common sense is rarely correct but by accident. While the parties may be closely divided on these questions, history is not.
We'll start with the question of Experience & substance vs. inspiration & personality. In 2000, Al Gore had the unqestionably superior resume and he lost to the man Who people simply liked better, who came across as more genuine, and wh o represented a change from the scandal and lack of core principles - real or percieved - of the Clinton Administration.
In 1992, America had the choice between a sitting President who's resume and qualifications for his office were as overwhelming as any in our nations history. George H.W. Bush was a WWII hero, a successful businessman, a congressman, The Director of Central Intelligence, a Senator, Vice-President, and a President who won a decisive, overwhelming victory in the Middle East of all places, something that has eluded many of the greatest leaders in history Included among them are King Richard the Lion Heart, Roman Emperor Trajan, and countless would be conquerors since the begging of time. And yet, when he faced a young man of 46 years, who's relatively paltry accomplishments were highlighted by his governorship of a small southern state called Arkansas, who had no foreign policy experience whatsoever, and who pushed a message of hope and change a nd connected with the people on an emotional level, It was the young governor - Bill Clinton - who emerged the victor, reminding america that "There is the right kind of experience, and the wrong kind of experience." Similarly, in 1980 and 1984 Ronald Reagan defeated his supposed intellectual superiors by landslide margins, because he touched the souls of the American people and made them believe in themselves and their country. The story is repeated throughout history. In 1960, in 1976, and in even 1932 (Herbert Hoover was a trained economist, didnt help him much in the depression election did it?)
We'll move on now to governing. Our greatest presidents have often been the least experienced. Regardless of what you think of the fairness of his economic policies, Ronald Reagan had countless foreign policy successes and was perhaps the last president to make effective use of America's soft Power. John F. Kennedy lead America through the Cuban missile crisis and beat Nik ita Kruschev in a game of brinksmanship - not an easy task.
But there is another man whose lanky figure stands tall above all of the great inspirational leaders who have sat in the oval office and had to bear the cross of wartime leadership. This man had less political experience than any of the others we have examined, and perhaps less than any president, ever. This man was a lawyer who spent just 8 years in the Illinois State Legislature, and only one term - two years - in the U.S. Congress. This man assumed the presidency with the task of unifying a country that seemed on the verge of tearing itself apart. This man knew he would inherit problems of cultural disunity and rancorous partisanship. Security problems that posed a greater threat to our nations survival than any other before or since. This man's name was Abraham Lincoln. When the effort to save the Union had reached its lowest point , and the battle of Gettysburg had claimed as many Americans as 17 9/11s, his WORDS moved a nation - in a three minute speech - to maintain their resolve to end slavery and unite the nation.
The inescapable conclusion of History is that inspiration is the absolute essence of leadership. Experience cannot inject the qualities of great leadership into a person who does not already possess them. So it should come as no surprise that I will vote for Barack Obama, the young lawyer from Illinois whose words can move a nation. So should you.
1 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:13 AM
Feb 13, 2008
FISA Criminals
These people are criminals and are aiding and abetting a massive criminal conspiracy that reaches from the corporate headquarters of telecoms to the White House and the halls of Congress:
- Alexander (R-TN)
- Allard (R-CO)
- Barrasso (R-WY)
- Baucus (D-MT)
- Bayh (D-IN)
- Bennett (R-UT)
- Bond (R-MO)
- Brownback (R-KS)
- Bunning (R-KY)
- Burr (R-NC)
- Carper (D-DE)
- Casey (D-PA)
- Chambliss (R-GA)
- Coburn (R-OK)
- Cochran (R-MS)
- Coleman (R-MN)
- Collins (R-ME)
- Conrad (D-ND)
- Corker (R-TN)
- Cornyn (R-TX)
- Craig (R-ID)
- Crapo (R-ID)
- DeMint (R-SC)
- Dole (R-NC)
- Domenici (R-NM)
- Ensign (R-NV)
- Enzi (R-WY)
- Grassley (R-IA)
- Gregg (R-NH)
- Hagel (R-NE)
- Hatch (R-UT)
- Hutchison (R-TX)
- Inhofe (R-OK)
- Inouye (D-HI)
- Isakson (R-GA)
- Johnson (D-SD)
- Kohl (D-WI)
- Kyl (R-AZ)
- Landrieu (D-LA)
- Lieberman (ID-CT)
- Lincoln (D-AR)
- Lugar (R-IN)
- Martinez (R-FL)
- McCain (R-AZ)
- McCaskill (D-MO)
- McConnell (R-KY)
- Mikulski (D-MD)
- Murkowski (R-AK)
- Nelson (D-FL)
- Nelson (D-NE)
- Pryor (D-AR)
- Roberts (R-KS)
- Rockefeller (D-WV)
- Salazar (D-CO)
- Sessions (R-AL)
- Shelby (R-AL)
- Smith (R-OR)
- Snowe (R-ME)
- Specter (R-PA)
- Stevens (R-AK)
- Sununu (R-NH)
- Thune (R-SD)
- Vitter (R-LA)
- Voinovich (R-OH)
- Warner (R-VA)
- Webb (D-VA)
- Whitehouse (D-RI)
- Wicker (R-MS)
Here's why S. 2248.
Do you see your senator on the list? I see both of mine here in PA.
The United States government has engaged in massive criminal activity disguised as intelligence gathering. With the assistance of giant telecoms like AT&T and Verizon, they have illegally wiretapped and reviewed the communications records of millions of Americans who have had absolutely nothing to do terrorism.
Now, thanks to the reauthorization of the expanded FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) law and the immoral retroactive immunity granted therein to the telecoms who assisted in the illegal surveillance, we will never know the extent to which Big Brother and Big Government have colluded to break the law.
Missing on the list of senators above is Senate majority leader Harry Reid. He voted against the amendment, which is commendable. What is not commendable, however, is the fact that he let this legislation hit the floor in the first place. Reid and the senate leadership have utterly failed the American people and their oath-bound duty to protect the Constitution.
Chris Dodd had threatened a fillibuster on this bill, but Reid never let that threat come to pass. We now have more secrecy and more power in the hands of the federal government. The elections of 2006 are meaningless. The Democratic party is toothless on this and other security/civil rights issues.
There is not one ounce of public benefit for extending immunity to the telecoms. In fact, it harms us greatly. The Senate vote clears the way for the dismissal of the 40+ lawsuits against the telecoms for illegally spying on U.S. citizens at the behest of the Bush Administration. Except it's not just the Bush administration. It is every member of the Senate Intelligence Committee who knew about the illegal spying before us (and did nothing) and the rest of Congress. It is every member of the Senate listed above who have enabled the illegal spying program and the massive cover up that has followed it. It is Harry Reid for letting the bill hit the floor. And soon, it will be all the members of the House who will vote "yea" on the FISA bill.
This is criminal activity of the worst kind: high level corruption, illegal activity, and cover ups. I am sickened to my soul over this vote. It is immoral. It is unethical. It is illegal. And it is condoned and enabled by the highest government and corporate officials in the land.
There are dozens of current and former congressional officials who have participated in this cover up. This and the financial clout of the telecoms are the reasons why we will not have justice. They have all colluded to protect each other and their political and financial interests. Republican or Democrat. It makes no difference. The protection of the power elite and the status quo have once again trumped the will of the people and the public good.
There is no reason to respect or follow the leadership of these cowards, con artists, and connivers who have foisted this massive travesty of justice upon us. The hypocrisy and the complete surrender of civil rights in this matter are the types of behavior that have destroyed the public confidence in government. There is, and rightly so, a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the upcoming presidential election. It is unconscionable behavior like this, however, that makes such enthusiasm meaningless. All the votes, all the cheers, and all the hope in the world cannot wash away these types of sins against the common good.
This may not seem to be much of a threat, but I will do whatever I can to unseat Bob Casey and Arlen Spector (my "yea" vote senators) in their next elections. I detest their votes on this bill and cannot assuage my conscience with anything other than their, and all of their cronies who have betrayed us, removal from public life.Despite by absolute desolation, however, I urge you to get involved in the campaign of Barack Obama. He will not magically cleanse D.C. of its iniquities. He isn't the perfect candidate, but he is a start. A new way. A fresh perspective. An inspiration for us and our leaders to move away from ideological divisions and concentrate on the people's business and not the business of power.
Please get involved at BarackObama.com.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:03 PM
Feb 11, 2008
Fast Eddie Rendell Says PA Full of Racists
In an article about Pennsylvania's new-found importance in the democratic primaries, Gov. Ed Rendell says this about PA voters and his race in 06 against NFL hall of famer Lynn Swann:
You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate. I believe, looking at the returns in my election, that had Lynn Swann [the 2006 GOP gubernatorial candidate] been the identical candidate that he was -- well-spoken, charismatic, good-looking -- but white instead of black, instead of winning by 22 points, I would have won by 17 or so.So since Eddie is a super delegate who has already come out in support of Hillary Clinton, does that make him a conservative white who won't vote for the black guy also? Or is just that Eddie is looking for a VP or cabinet post for getting his state behind the Clinton machine?
Check the link for the full story.1 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:31 AM
Feb 6, 2008
Yes, We Can
And we will.
3 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 11:46 AM
Feb 4, 2008
Super Game Not So Super Ads
Congrats to the New York Giants for a truly stunning victory over the New England Patriots. The team of destiny was unseated by a ruthless pass rush from the Giants' front seven and scrappy play from Manning the Younger. What a game! An even bigger upset than the famed Jets/Colts match up in Super Bowl III. Best Super Bowl in years!
As for the ads ... ho hum. A few good, not really good, but good ads mixed in with a bunch of mediocre ones. I'll not be the 1st or the only one to ask if there isn't a better way to spend 2.5 million.
My favorites:
- The Audi R8, not so much for the spot but for the car itself. Ouch! That is a fine looking car. Although casting Alex Rocco, a.k.a. Moe Greene, as the knock off of the movie producer from The Godfather was brilliant.
- I also liked the Coke ad with the Stewie and Underdog Thanksgiving Day parade balloons battling it out high over Manhattan for a loose Coke balloon. Perennial underdog Charlie Brown makes a memorable appearance.
- Pepsi Stuff with Justin Timberlake tickled me, mostly because of the cameos. Plus, watching famous pop stars get nailed by flying stuff is kind of funny. "Hey to you."
- The Tide To Go ad was excellent. I found myself speaking in gibberish the rest of the evening.
Most everything else, except for the trailers for Wall-E and Iron Man, was forgettable.
Check out the link below to see any that you missed.0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:57 AM
Feb 1, 2008
Microhoo!
I typically don't run a lot of business news here, but this is a big one. Microsoft has made a proposal to buy Yahoo! for nearly $45 billion. Both have been getting spanked by Google for years. I wonder how a combined company can compete against the current category killer?
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:55 AM
