Torturous Christians

From The Daily Dish:

A reader writes:
I just finished reading "The Dark Side" and one of the things that struck me the most was the fact that so many of the people involved in condoning and justifying torture in the administration were devout Christians. And yet few if any of these people, up to and including the Christian-in-Chief, seem to have had any hesitation or misgivings about these practices. Correct me if I am wrong; but these are the same people who claim that the example of this 1st Century Pacifist who was himself tortured to death is the guiding lite in their lives. I don't get it.

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Which Tax Plan Benefits You?

This is an informing chart. If you click the link, you will see it in several forms. From reading more about it, I understand that McCain is trying to even out the already heavier tax burden that the rich bear. Obama will attempt to give us a more progressive income tax by shifting more of the burden to the richest people in the country. I would like to think that even if I were in the top 1% of the wealthiest Americans that I would still prefer Obama's plan. I guess I'll never know.

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I can't stop reading blogs and watching news coverage of the presidential campaign. I realize that I am partisan, but I also hope that I am not partisan to the point of labeling my side as good and the other side as evil. I'm finding that this is really hard not to do. Its so easy to fall into the trap of making everything an argument about personality. I could easily say "Sarah Palin is just like George W. Bush. She's never traveled abroad and uses her religion to justify her personal opinions." There is so much there to attack, that it's hard not to focus on those things. But then the republicans win because Americans vote for the person they'd most like to have a beer with instead of the person with the positions that will most benefit their lives in the next 4 years. So, I can say that what McCain/Palin are calling change is essentially a continuation of the Bush years. And I can say that McCain chose her as a tool to energize the religious right (which so far has been successful). But that doesn't tell you why Obama would be a good president.

Speaking of the religious right... It bugs the hell out of me that they've gotten so excited about Palin before really knowing anything about her. She's Pro-life/Anti-gay/Evangelical therefore she'll be a great potential president. Do they not remember that they are voting for John McCain, for whom James Dobson said he would not vote under any circumstances. She says the right evangelical key-words so conservative Christians love her. But morality encompasses more than just a couple of issues. What about lying? She and John McCain have been putting out so many dishonest claims. Do any of them care how honest their Christian candidate is?

Of course, none of what I have said above will change any minds. For most people, the line is drawn and their heels are dug in. Palin could maul a baby like the pit-bull she claims to be, and they would find a way to justify it. I do understand that voters on both sides are this way but my personal view is that one side is putting out a lot more lies than the other. So, I'm including 3 videos. The first one is all about facts. It comes from the nonpartison factcheck.org. The next two are from The Daily Show. I still don't understand why John Stewart does such a better job at pointing out political bullshit than real news outlets do.







If you are still undecided, there is no excuse. Do a little research. Think about how you want this country to look in 4 years. Do you want things to be the same? Or should we take a chance on a change in policy? And remember: Abortion is legal and that won't likely change no matter who the president is. And, thankfully, gay marriage will be here in a few years whether you like it or not. So why make a decision based on these two wedge issues? If you do, then you are letting yourself be a puppet of a political tactic perfected by a man who isn't even a believer himself (think Karl Rove).

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The Palin Speech

I was willing to give her a chance. I'm trying very hard to be even handed and not over partisan. I can admit that John McCain is probably a good man, and probably wouldn't be bad president (unless he really does believe that the Bush years have been good). But I just couldn't sustain it while watching Palin speak tonight.

It started well. She looks like Tina Fey, so she gets a pass in the beginning. But all I saw when the camera panned the audience was a bunch of smug assholes. The young ones especially. Young Republicans drain all hope from inside of me.

I guess I just hold out hope that a politician that wears their religion on their sleeve might have a bit more integrity. Of course why would I still believe this after Bush? According to the right-wing, evangelical Christian voting block, the only thing required to prove you're a Christian is a Pro-Life, Anti-Gay, Pro-War platform. Who cares about saying things you know aren't true about your opponent just for political gain. I realize both sides do it, but for some reason it's way more frustrating when the side with all of the Christian cheerleaders does it.

She also lost me when she made fun of Barack Obama for wanting to restore Habeus Corpus for prisoners held in U.S. detention centers. The terrorists are so scary. They want to kill you. Vote for McCain and me. This sums up the latter half of her acceptance speech.

I dedicate this diatribe to Liza. You asked for more posts :)

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Mr. Regan, Tear Down Those Solar Panels

While I was reading a mostly unrelated article today, I came across a presidential historical fact of which I wasn't aware. While Jimmy Carter was president, he had solar panels installed on the White House for heating water. Years later, president Regan had the panels removed signaling an end to the Carter administrations progressive energy policies. Regan's philosophy was that, unregulated, the all powerful market forces would work out our energy problems. Look how far the market forces have brought us.

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Who is James Earl Dobson?

This quote from The Daily Dish was just too good not to repost.

"What does it take to be the most liberal member of the United States Senate – farther left than Ted Kennedy, John Kerry or even Hillary Clinton? For the answer, take a look at a man who could be the next president of the United States: Barack Obama.

Sen. Obama was recently named the most liberal U.S. Senator, based on the annual voting analysis by the non-partisan and highly respected National Journal. If he emerges as the Democratic nominee, one of the critical jobs of Focus Action will be to uncover the real Barack Obama—not the feel-good orator who speaks of “change” and “hope,” but the man who would be the most left-wing president in our nation’s history.

Throughout our history, great Americans have stood up to grave challenges of all sorts. As this latest wave of secular liberalism threatens us, I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with you in prayer and action – in defense of the family," - James Dobson, in his latest email.

Please explain to me why Dobson can send out an email only stating that someone is a liberal without citing any specific vote or stance and somehow suggest that Obama is a threat to the family. I really wish people like James Dobson would stop claiming that they are fighting for the family and admit that they are fighting for their own idealogical views. Something that really irks me about a lot of Christians is how they act and talk in a way that suggests that it is impossible to be a good person without believing and living the way that they do. Obama must be out to undermine the family because he doesn't support the war in Iraq, tax cuts for the rich, a complete ban on abortion, or a federal amendment to ban gay marriage.

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Tibet Tibet

If you are interested in the China/Tibet issue that has been reignited in the news, take some time to read this article from The Atlantic. It's from 1999, and it is one of the most even handed accounts of Sino-Tibetan relations I have read. I was very saddened but a little excited by recent events, thinking that now is the time to pressure China on this issue. Maybe something could finally happen to free Tibet. But after reading this, I realize that maybe that is a far too simplistic hope.

Below is an excerpt from the final portion of the article:

...Both men were eager to speak with an American, and they had a great deal of faith in America's ability to help solve the Tibet question. That saddened me as well. I wanted to tell them that in America there are many FREE TIBET bumper stickers, but they sit next to license plates that often bear the names of forgotten tribes who succumbed to the same forces of expansion and modernization now threatening Tibet....

...It was dark, and I could barely make out his face, but I could see there were tears in his eyes. There was no more politically sensitive place in Tibet; virtually every major protest had happened in front of the Jokhang, and I knew it was unwise to speak so openly here. He glanced over his shoulder and continued.
"You need to tell the people of America what it's like here," he said. "You need to tell them what needs to be done." I nodded and shook his hand, but I realized I had no idea what I... would recommend, or what the people of America could do. Perhaps we could build casinos.

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Trouble Understanding Subprime Lending?

Check out this informative stick figure slide show.

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Ron Paul

Some of his ideas are a little strange, and I would be nervous if he were elected, but I know I'm not the only one who is happy that he is there, bringing a little sanity to a party that seems to have none. You hear him say something like "Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11." That might be the truest thing that was said at the Reagan Library all night, yet it was ignored by all of the other candidates. They have to know it's true. Why can't they just admit it?

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Are you Stupid?

I'm ashamed that I even have to grace this with a response. But come on, seriously, check your facts and don't be an idiot. Barack Obama is not a Muslim!

Please don't unthinkingly forward mindless propaganda.

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The Onion as Prophecy

The Onion's 2001 prophetic view of the Bush years.
Thanks, T :)

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Vulgar and Tasteless

But I loved it...

Magnetic Ribbons

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Mike Gravel, Uninvited

But he participated.

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Democratic Debate

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I´m not much of a patriot, but I believe in those values, and I think that the government´s encroachment on them should be minimal. Because of this, the latest democratic presidential debate left me a little disappointed.

The candidates were asked ¨What is more important, national security or personal freedom? I don´t recall all of the answers, but I know that Hillary, for one, didn´t hesitate to answer "national security".

I like Barack Obama, and I want to throw my support behind him, but lets me down on questions like this. I like to think that he doesn´t really believe some of his answers. That maybe he knows its necessary to cater to public opinion, and in this time of leadership-through-fear a candidate can´t appear weak on national security. But, that would make him just like every other politician giving his campaign over to pollsters and strategists.

I really like a few of the "fringe" candidates too. When a candidate is behind in the polls and isn´t one of the likely winners, they are more likely to say what they think and not what will attract the most votes. Christ Dodd is one of my favorites in the "not Obama or Clinton" category. I´ve looked at his website and I think that he would make a fine president. Health coverage for all and a plan to restore the constitution and Habeus Corpus. He´s also strong on young people giving a year to national service in exchange for partial college tuition, which I think is a good idea.

Joe Biden is angry. If he´s this angry now, I would hate to see him after a year of presiding.

Hillary. If she were nominated, I would vote for her. But I would be voting against something more than for someone. In trying to move herself to the center, she´s softened some of the stances I would have found most appealing. Universal health care, getting out of Iraq, impeaching Bush/Cheney. She lost her edge.

John Edwards had the best line of the night. He said that it´s important not to replace corporate republicans with corporate democrats. Corporate money is powerful in politics, and a politician who won´t accept money from corporate interests won´t be beholden to those interests during his term. From what I understand, Edwards is the most radical (in a good way) on campaign funding and Obama is pretty good too.

Dennis Kucinich. I think it´s important that he´s a part of the debate. We need the extremes to tug at the center from the left and the right. Kucinich is someone who calls for peace above all else and isn´t afraid to speak for the poor to the detriment of the super rich (tax the bastards).

Where was Mike Gravel? He´s wise, he´s old, maybe a bit cantankerous, but I would vote for him. Actually I would vote for any of the 6 leading democratic candidates over any of the republicans. All things considered (ideas, likability, ability to win) here is my order of favorites:
Obama
Dodd
Gravel
Edwards
Clinton
Richardson
Kucinich

Even though they´re at the bottom, I´d much rather see a bumper sticker that says "Kucinich/Richardson 2008" than "Giuliani/torture 2008"

**Update. I just went to connect2elect.com and completed a survey that tells me my list of candidates, focusing only on issues, should look like this:
Richardson
Kucinich
Obama
Biden
Edwards
Gravel
Clinton
Dodd

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Fair and Balanced

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Convictions Transcend Party Lines

Just when you're about to lose hope in all politicians, one stands up for something he believes in regardless of how popular that stance is.

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Dick Cheney Tried to Kill Me

Last night I dreamed that Dick Cheney tried to kill me. I was sitting in my Grandfather's living room at some sort of family gathering (perhaps the Welcome Back Kevin party my mom wants to have). For some reason, Dick Cheney was there. Maybe the connection was in my brain because my uncle David bears a striking resemblance to the evil vice president. In my dream, I began ranting against conservative politics just to stir things up. This is something I often do at family gatherings in reality. But in reality, Dick Cheney isn't present. What began as a low grumble from the vice president, ended in an all out attack. It was like a reenactment of the final scenes of Mario Bros. 3 when Mario defeats Bowser by continually dodging his clumsy attacks. The best part of the dream was my family sitting and watching this happen with looks that said "you brought this on yourself."

Here is an incriminating photo of Uncle Dick Cheney in my home next to an adorable baby picture of me.

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Two Videos

The first is a video from a Christians United for Israel conference. It shows a frightening marriage between Christianity. John Hagee calls for a preemptive strike on Iran, and then has a member of the press removed for asking difficult questions. I'm sure there were many good, sincere people at the conference, but they have obviously been led astray by greedy unscrupulous leaders like John Hagee.

And because the first video is so disturbing, I promise that the second one is just funny. I saw it on The Daily Dish. I'll embed it here:

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CNN/Youtube Debate

I love politics because I like to think and talk about ideas. I watched the CNN/YouTube debate this morning. It was such a downer. Maybe it should have made me hopeful, because there is hope for change in the future, but it made me more aware of how much damage has been done to our (U.S.) reputation and effectiveness in the world during this current administration. The reality is that our ability to be effective in places like Darfur has greatly diminished because the world doesn't trust us. There are situations in the world that could really benefit from international intervention, but the mess we have made in Iraq, our diminishing human rights standards, and the administration's arrogance have left America in a place where we are unable and unwelcome to intervene. Domestically, the issues haven't changed, which is also sad. There has been no progress on health care, equality, or care for the poor. Who can lead us out of this? It's hard not to think that anyone of the democrats would be OK just because it would be different. So should we support the one who is most electable?

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Keith Olbermann Comments

This is a little old, but worth watching. Is it overstated? Maybe. Exaggerated? Probably. True? Seems so. Angry? Very. But I'm angry too.

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