McCain American Legion Speech

The American Legion is holding their National
Convention in Phoenix. McCain was one of the
main speakers. Since this is veterans rights
and very patriotic organization, like the VFW,
a large amount of McCain's topic was on the
rights and assistance to veterans. As one
would expect McCain touted his Navy experience
and how he would be the best president on
Veteran Affairs.

However, the opening of his speech was concerned
with U.S. foreign policy, especially on Georgia.
According to McCain, Georgia is a peace loving,
democracy and was brutally attacked by Russia.
(As we know, McCain has now sent his wife to see
first hand the atrocities the Russians committed.)
He said that the "country's cause in the world, is
to lead; that America is to being good to the world,
bring freedom in the face of tyranny; that we defend
other nations by aggressive leadership; the world
wants American democracy; we have to stop slaughter
of others by a tyrannt; be a defender of the
oppressed; and have to bring freedom and justice
to the world."

This speech is further proof that the traditional
Republican Party has been transformed into the neo-
conservative Republican Party. Tradition Republican
Party philosophy was non-involvement, but the new
neoconservative Party begs for reasons to attack
other countries. The neoconservative Republican
Party is as internationalist as the Democratic Party,
one begins with pre-emptive attacks devoid of
diplomacy and the other with diplomacy as a starting
point respectively.

Therefore, we have the two major parties calling for
internationalism in foreign affairs. Obama and
McCain are virtually on the same page. Yep, as so
often said, "not a dimes worth of difference." More
Koreas, Vietnams, Lebanons, Granadas, Kosovos, and
Iraqs. This elitist philosophy of U.S. foreign
policy must be overcome by a sane foreign policy as
envisionaged by the Constitution, providing for the
common defense only...

Why Republicans Want 4 More Years

I've been tossing around in my mind why Republicans want another 4 years of governance after the past 8 years and I think I have found three possible reasons. One is that perhaps they want to spend those 4 years apologizing to the citizens of America and the world for what they have done these last 8 years; a mea culpa, ashes and sackcloth. Probably not.

Two, they may have figured out from the mistakes of the past 8 years how to do it right and want to prove to America and the world that they aren't really the dumbasses that they demonstrated so well to us. Probably not.

Or, my last supposition, they want to fully disassemble the Federal government altogether and they need for more years to accomplish this task. Probably.

Obama's Wrong World View

Last night I listened to a well written speech
for Michelle Obama. While it was a good
speech for the traditional Democratic Party,
it doesn not live up "To The Change We Can
Believe In."

My main concern is with the statements on
foreign policy. Michelle Obama in her
speech calls on the United States "to strive
for the world as it should be", and
concludes, "Isn't that the great American
story?"

To be sure, it is, and thats why we are an
imperial nation. This is elitism pure and
simple. The United States knows best what the
world order should be. This philosophy only
continues an errant foreign policy of
interference in the internal affairs of other
nations. It forces us to maintain a professional
imperialist military. The world does not want
the United States meddling in its internal national
affairs. Just today, Maliki of Iraq again told
the Bush Adm. that all U.S. troops are to be out
now, and certainly by 2011. Why does Obama want
to go down this same disastrous path?

As an aside: Michelle refers to the United States
as "America". The Northern and Southern Hemispheres
are America, just not the United States; we are the
United States of America. This word is akin to
waving a red flag in front of a bull to the other
American nations. Obama like to say: "We are the
United States of America." He ought to speak the
way his slogans suggest. This change would be very
symbolic, and the other nations of the Americas
would welcome it and help to restore the "Good
Neighbor" spirit for all the Americas.

Biden's Foreign Policy

American foreign policy ought to be a key issue
in this election and in the next four years.
Our foreign policy and economy are the two most
important issues and the two are intertwined.
The problem, as I see it, is that Obama/Biden
will have to be convinced to go against their
tradational foreign policy beliefs. On the face
of it, there may be more opportunity for Obama
as he doesn't come from a 30 year background of
an international foreign policy as Biden does.

In the NYT today the following quote appeared:
"Mr. Biden is widely seen as a liberal-minded
internationalist." Oh my, this sends red flags
up everywhere. What is a "liberal-minded
internationalist'? It is a person who believes
formost in diplomacy and the use of force only
as a last means. At least, that is a roll back
from the new foreign policy of the neoconservative
Republican Part based on pre-emptive military
force.

Biden voted for the Iraq War; Obama opposed it as
a Illinois State Legislator. Yet, Obama, as is
Biden, is calling for an expanded war in Afghanistan.
That we don't need. Biden is a staunch supporter
of Israel. It was Biden who advised both Bush I and
Clinton on our involvement in the Balkans. Biden
developed a program known as "lift and strike."
This meant "lift" the arms blockade and arm the
Bosnian Muslims and "strike" by using U.S. air
power. A Democrat version of "shock and awe."
One has to think how many innocents did the Democrats
kill in the Balkans?

This is a prescription for continued elitist imperial
warfare. Biden believes in total U.S. engagement in
the world. Just recently, Biden went to Georgia and
said he supports Georgian admission to NATO. We
definitely don't need that. A foreign policy
of disengagement and a return to the philosophy of the
Founding Fathers is needed.

Billionaire's Ad Against Obama $$$$$

The NYT has a story of billionaire, Harold Simmons, who donated nearly $2.9 million on Aug. 12 to the American Issues Project, the group running the ad. CNN and FoxNews have refused to air the ad due to its guttural and dishonest content. Ohio and Michigan are the target states.

Simmons, a Texas billionaire, has raised money for Senator John McCain and who also helped finance the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign against Senator John Kerry in 2004. Swift-boating once again may be effective especially for the dumbed-down voters.

The ad ran on Thursday in the Dayton, Ohio market. A founder of the American Issues Project, Ed Failor Jr., previously worked for Mr. McCain’s campaign, which paid his firm $50,000 in 2007, records filed with the election commission show.

No doubt the McCain people will deny any link to this ad or to the American Issues Project, After all, McCain is a straight-talker and would never lower himself to such a dirty campaign trick. Right.

Any bets on how effective the ad will be on Joe and Jane?

OHIO action email: http://my.barackobama.com/offtheairOH
MICHIGAN action email: http://my.barackobama.com/offtheairMI

The $$$$$GOP$$$$$ Dream Ticket

Ten-house McCain is going to choose $200,000,000 Romney to join him on the $$$$$GOP$$$$$ ticket this fall. How perfect: two country club-ers all ready to 'fix' America.

Here's the most poignant question: how many regular Joes and Janes, making $50K, will vote for them? If you have that answer, let me know.

Ignorant Town Supports Anti-gay Principal

Small town America- I'm surely glad I don't live there. Oh, sure, it's quiet and not much crime, and all the faces look the same. And, apparently, all of the prejudice is similar as well. Ponce de Leon Florida, the Fountain of Youth, as I recall from my history books has become the fountain of prejudice and righteousness.

Ex-principal of the high school, David Davis, now a classroom teacher, thought that his students should all be good christian boys and girls, just like he is. Surely they ought not be gay! For the Bible says...

Now the townsfolk, their panties all in knots, are backing the ex-principal. The superintendent is as well. "I don't think we are that different from a lot of districts, at least in the Panhandle, that have beliefs that maybe are different from societal changes," the superintendent said. "We are a small, rural district in the Bible Belt with strong Christian beliefs and feel like homosexuality is wrong," said Steve Griffin, Holmes County's school superintendent, who keeps a Bible on his desk and framed Scriptures on his office walls.

Indeed you are, Mr. Griffin, indeed. Not much different than 'them' other rural districts down there where we 'is' right and 'them' is wrong. After all, the Bible says...

The friends of the gay student donned gay pride T-shirts and rainbow-colored clothing when they found out how Principal Davis had treated her, and he subsequently questioned many of them about their sexuality and association with gay students. Some were suspended.

"Davis embarked on what can only be characterized as a 'witch hunt' to identify students who were homosexual and their supporters, further adding fuel to the fire," U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak recounted in his ruling. "He went so far as to lift the shirts of female students to insure the letters 'GP' or the words 'Gay Pride' were not written on their bodies."

Lifted the girls' shirts? Oh my, Mr. Davis, seems to me that you ought to be watched a little more closely yourself. After all, the Bible says...

Russia Troops- 10 Days; American Troops- 8 Years

Russia says that its invading troops will leave Georgia in about 10 days. No doubt Putin and his boss were scared by the tough talk of John McCain on the political stump. "We're all Georgians!" Yes, Mr. McCain, we're all Georgians. Pardon me but what language do Georgians speak so that I can write to them and tel them that I, too, am a Georgian.

The 'Russians are taking their time' exiting Georgia- the pained and reactionary right-wing dittoheads, panties all in a knot, repeat as a Medieval chant. Always a laugh on that side of the political spectrum. Surely the tough talk of McCain precipitated their exit.

Speaking of exits, I just heard that Bush and the Iraqis have agreed on a timetable for our exit from Iraq- 2011. Did I say time-table? Oh, John- there's a time-table for exiting Iraq, did you hear? Apparently the Bush goons have seen the light that Obama has preached for months now. I guess that Mr. McCain will have to re-tune his stump speech slightly and remove that line about no time-table. And that word 'victory,' Mr. McCain, I think you ought to drop that too.

As an aside, how does an 8-year exit compare to 10 days? Just wondering. Any right-wingers out there got a calculator?

Oh, Four or Seven- Whatever!

"I'd say $5 million." I would too, Mr. McCain, but I'd start with $200,000. It seems that the old 'maverick' and straight-talker has so much money that he can't quite come to grips with the fact that the median household income in America hovers in the $40,000 range. I guess he doesn't know either that the median number of houses owned by Americans is one. He forgot that he and Cindy own seven. Four was the campaign's number.

Now this is the absolutely best guy to rule the roost for the next four years, isn't it? He can empathize with the pain of the average American. The saddest part of this little McCain-economics reality series is that the $40k citizen thinks that McCain will help them through their present and upcoming financial woes.

But, he is a right-to-lifer which trumps everything. And a warmonger too! And a veteran.

There you go, America, a neat bundle all wrapped up in the Flag. No doubt about it.

Ohio GOP Bob Latta Up to his Neck in Alaskan Oil

I used to think that Republicans were smart people and surely some are. They must think the rest of us are stupid. Take this energy crunch for example. After 8 years of the Bush-Cheney fossil fuels fiasco, the GOP suddenly has discovered that there are alternative sources of energy. Have they been in a cave all of that time? Where were they when President Carter turned down the thermostat in the White House back in 1979?

Bob Latta [R] Bowling Green is surely one of the most dense congressmen in this neck of the woods. He joined several other GOP law makers [at tax payer expense] on a multi-day tour of Alaska's ANWR to 'study' the feasibility of opening it up to oil drilling. He talked to a few natives there. No joke, that was the 'study.'

Today The Blade has a photo and story of him with fellow GOP House whip Roy Blunt at First Solar. The Blade writes:

With Bowling Green's four towering white wind turbines as a backdrop, Mr. Blunt joined U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R., Bowling Green) in touting the Republican's energy bill, which Mr. Latta described as an "all of the above" policy that includes not only the offshore drilling that Democrats oppose but promotion of renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

"We have to have an all of the above policy," Mr. Latta said. "We need to have nuclear. We need to have clean coal technology. We need to have hydro and, at the same time, we need to have all these renewables out here."

Oh really? 'We need to have all of these renewables out there?' Apparently Mr. Latta didn't know about alternatives to fossil fuels, but then, he's a Republican and can't see past the smog of coal and oil.

Blunt, ever the clever politician, said this, referring to Democrats:

"I think clearly the pressure on them in the three weeks we've been working at home in August has been incredible, and you're beginning to see their leaders change their tune."

The 'pressure' to which he refers is for off-shore oil drilling, a strong plank in the GOP political platform- just like an oil rig platform. That pressure comes from the dumbed-down electorate that Blunt and others hope will continue into November. Drilling our way out of the oil crisis is akin to feeding beers to an alcoholic. But that's where the campaign dollars are and the GOP and Big Oil have had a great 8-year partnership that began with that secret meeting hosted by Dick Cheney.

Once again the GOP is hoping for an ignorant electorate who can be fooled into believing that off-shore drilling will lower the price at the pump. Why not hope that? After all, it has worked election after election. Recall how many Americans thought that John Kerry was 'not fit for command' and voted Bush a second term. Right!

In another story, it is reported that yesterday 53 companies offered $607 million for leases covering 1.8 million acres in federal waters off Texas. Yet, 90% of the tracts the government auctioned off received no bids. No bids? Why is that? Apparently that 90% didn't offer quick profits and profit is the name of the game in the oil business.

I wonder how Mr. Latta would be able to tell his constituents that we need to drill, drill, drill yet, when offered a cheap government lease in Texas coastal waters, 90% of the tracts were unbid. Alaska, eh, Mr. Latta? Is that the answer to our energy woes?