Support a Strong Public Option!

Hello Bloggers! I'm sorry I haven't written lately, but as you can probably tell I've taken a break until I become inspired again. I have been pretty upset with American politics lately, especially the quality of debate in the media and on the blogosphere.

I just thought I should let you guys know so that you don't think I fell off a mountain cliff.

I'll probably write something soon. I hope you guys are all having a great Fall. It is a great time of the year. Until then, I urge all Democrats to please write your representatives to support real health care reform and a strong public option! Unless we fight for real reform now, I'm convinced we will suffer in 2010 for our party's lack of media, political and leadership skills. I may even become an Independent myself if they screw it up. :)

My Best - Michael

Coming Out Would Have Been Preferable

Hello Bloggers - Minneapolis judges say that Idaho Senator Larry Craig has lost his latest attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in a Minneapolis airport men’s room sex sting.

That is FANTASTIC! I cannot tolerate that guy - that's my attempt at reversing their intolerance. He's a smudge on humanity, especially the same-sex part. He's an emotional and sexual retard with a "wide stance" that should be shunned by both groups.

It gets worse. If you look into his Senate track record you find a man who sold his soul to lumber and mining interests long ago. You're wrong if you think it was for the citizens of Idaho. He fought against good government and environmental groups that had tons of evidence to suggest those industries cause far more harm than good. There were better industries to promote; he chose not to.

He also fought against every gay rights initiative. If I may address you Larry, you weren't a good leader. You are a horrible hypocrite, and a creep too - my guess. Trolling for sex in bathrooms? What is wrong with you dude? What a role model? Actually, you're kind of sleazy and scummy like many Republican hypocrites. Anyway, the GUILTY plea will stand and you'll always be remembered for being a HYPOCRITICAL PERV.

Ironically Senator, you would have been better off just being openly gay. There's very little stigma for that these days. There's a BIG one for being a bathroom pervert - straight or gay. Something tells me that you're going to grow into a very lonely, miserable old man. Perhaps you and George Bush could form a club? Good luck with that Larry. One more karmic, Republican tale of good riddance to bad rubbish.

Tuesday's News and Opinion #1 - Michael

Spitzer Talks About Bailout and Wall Street

Hello Bloggers - I've written in favor of Eliot Spitzer before on this blog. I want him to become a bigger player in the Democratic Party again.

Now he's come out and written a VERY good article for Slate. "A more sensible approach would focus not just on rescuing pre-existing financial institutions but, instead, on creating a structure for more contained and competitive ones."

I recommend reading it. It's full of good points about the crisis related to financial institutions, corruption, and Wall Street failures. Enjoy! Michael

Reuters Shares Hannity Rant with the World

Good Morning Bloggers - To be blunt, you really need to want to write a blog every day. It's something I do to share and/or debate opinions and ideas, and in some small way hopefully add to a larger discussion and quality of life. I think of it as both a hobby and a minor public service to promote political debate, education and development.

Anyway, it's especially wonderful when my work gets republished within a much larger forum. I was honored by national newspapers and magazines before, and now I feel especially honored to have my piece called Hannity's Paranoia is Getting Worse picked up by the great Reuters news service. They have a big worldwide audience. I must admit, I feel proud. Besides, I love that piece mocking Hannity - the man deserves it.

Saturday's News #1 - Michael

Bill O'Reilly is a Bully and is Despised by Those Who Work With Him

Hello Bloggers - I trust you all had a good Thanksgiving. I had a great one.

I thought we should acknowledge a wonderful piece of news this morning. The Raw Story and Politico are reporting how a new book describes how Rupert Murdoch "absolutely despises" the "bullying" Bill O'Reilly.

Not only that, the author says that Fox "News" Chief Roger Ailes supposedly "loathes" him. WOW! I guess they're smarter than most of their viewers.

The new book about media mogul Rupert Murdoch of News Corp and Fox "News" is to be released next week. Michael Wolff's The Man Who Owns the News says that "Murdoch is not only embarrassed at times by his ownership of Fox News, but that he "absolutely despises" O'Reilly, who is that network's top-rated personality."

"The embarrassment can no longer be missed," Wolff writes of Murdoch. "He barely pretends to hide the way he feels about Bill O’Reilly. And while it is not that he would give Fox up -- because the money is the money; success trumps all -- in the larger sense of who he is, he seems to want to hedge his bets."

"Wolff adds that Fox CEO Roger Ailes shares Murdoch's opinion. "It is not just Murdoch (and everybody else at News Corp.’s highest levels) who absolutely despises Bill O’Reilly, the bullying, mean-spirited, and hugely successful evening commentator, but Roger Ailes himself who loathes him. Success, however, has cemented everyone to each other.""

I think people who watch O'Reilly should begin to consider the source. If the man is despised by those who work with him, who know him well, why should you trust him? He sounds AWFUL! He's considered by many, even before this book came out, to be a terrible person and a brutal bully. Why would you want to support such a horrible individual?

Don't trust him. The man's a pig. He's not worth it. DUMP HIM!

Friday's Political News #1 - Michael

Political News: Listen to Rachel Maddow

Good Morning Bloggers - As many of you who read this blog know I'm a HUGE fan of Rachel Maddow.

I think she has a fantastic grip on politics, but unlike Chris Matthews, she approaches it from a more humane perspective. She thinks about how it affects people, or even individuals. Therefore, I guess you could say that I am also from the Rachel Maddow School of political thought.

She, like me, is worried that Democrats will let the Bush Administration off the hook for many of their worst crimes - or any of them for that matter. "Moving on" involving Bush felonies is unacceptable.

Only cold political types would agree with that approach in my opinion. The Bush Adminstration ruined lives and destroyed families. They need to be brought to justice. It should not be a debate.

Rachel is right, and I hope she continues to remind the nation. She mentions it in whole or part often on both Air America's and MSNBC's versions of her Rachel Maddow Show. Both are brilliant.

Here are her latest comments. I recommend listening. She is right. We need to care. We need to stay vigilant. We need to keep writing our representatives to make sure they don't get away with their crimes. Trust me, I write often. I suggest you do the same.

Wednesday's Political News #1 - Michael

Political News: More Bush Lies Exposed

Hello Bloggers - It's sad, but true. Bush lies!

I like to point out how they often change history for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it's spontaneous, and sometimes it's to cover past lies. Either way, it's still pretty disgusting. Future Republicans might want to learn something from his mistakes.

Here's a New York Times article detailing some good examples of changing the facts about the Iraq War to sort out history Bush style. It would appear they added and subtracted coalition partners at will. The coalition, in effect, was whatever the Bush Administration wanted it to be. What a surprise!

Enjoy - Michael

Political News: GOP Dirty Trickster Has Regrets

Hello Bloggers - The Daily Beast's Benjamin Sarlin wrote a great piece on how GOP dirty trickster/consultant Roger Stone has regrets that he stormed the Miami-Dade Election Board in 2000 shutting down the recount that ultimately led to the famous Supreme Court decision giving us George - the nightmare - Bush.

I must admit, Republicans who regret electing Bush and his henchmen are few and far between, but I still LOVE IT when I learn that some do exist. I do wonder why there aren't more? We Democrats are more honest about our regrets, just look how Reagan Democrats hate the damage they caused. I would be in a monastery if I had voted for Bush.

Roger, why don't you make us all happy, and find a new career. At least try to make amends. You've done A LOT OF DAMAGE to our nation and the world. Actually, that goes for all you people who voted for those criminals and idiots!

Anyway, here's the POST. Enjoy! Michael

Political News: Naomi Klein Interview Talks About Illegal Heist

Hello Bloggers - For those who are fans of The Shock Doctrine's Naomi Klein like me should read this article on The Raw Story. It's a great interview of Klein talking about the Bush/Paulson "bailout" heist. Enjoy!

Political News: Jesse Jackson Jr. Might Replace Obama in US Senate

Good Morning Bloggers - Talking Points Memo is saying that Jesse Jackson, Jr. might replace Barack Obama in the senate. He might be the next African-American senator.

I think that is VERY cool. It would help the AA community and help Jesse Jackson make peace with his legacy.

Illinois' Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich has the task of selecting Obama's replacement, and Blagojevich is plagued by federal investigations, so conservative talk radio will probably have a field day with this one. Not to mention, they hate Jesse Jackson. Oh well, I say screw the racists.

TPM says that he's planning to have an announcement before Christmas. The appointment is likely to come before the Jan. 3 start of the 111th Congress. It probably should be another black man, since Obama was the only African-American senator.

I don't think it's tokenism, for those who criticize it, I think it's about representation. I believe there should be representatives of large constituencies serving as leaders in Washington. It's important to give our government better perspective on real issues.

Jesse Jackson, Jr. is not an inarticulate opportunist like his father. Granted, his father was a civil rights leader, but times have changed. The junior Jackson is a very bright, astute leader. He should make a great senator. So, let's keep an eye on this one, it should be very interesting to watch.

Thursday's Political News #1 - Michael

Political News/Rave: God Bless America!

WE DID IT! WE WON!

Thank You - Michael

Political News: German Article About Bush

Hello Bloggers - I just read another SCARY article for Halloween on Spiegel Online, which is basically the German version of Time magazine. It's called America Looks Beyond the Bush Warriors. It's mostly bad news. It's a sad description of how far George Bush has fallen, and how far he dragged us down with him. Read it! It's good to see what people outside the US are thinking. It's good to get perspective. Check out Performance Bonds.

Happy Halloween - Michael

News Special: Confusion Over Torture All Started 41 Years Ago Tomorrow

Hello Saturday Bloggers - I know we're used to being lied to by our politicians, but I think the confusion over John McCain's Vietnam captivity and alleged torture needs to be addressed on the anniversary of his capture just before the election.

The possibility that he lied about being tortured to win votes makes me very uneasy. I compiled the following from a very interesting, but long, article in today's London Times.

I know many of you Republicans are going to accuse me of not trusting an American hero over a Vietnamese jailer, but that's not true. I'm not saying McCain lied. I just think it's important to point out the discrepancies in the stories. Read the article in the Times and make up your own mind. I don't know who is telling the truth.

The Times interviewed his jailer Tran Trong Duyet. They were friends after the war. Duyet claims that McCain received good medical care and was never tortured in any way.

Amazingly, McCain crash-landed forty-one years ago tomorrow. He was supposedly treated for his injuries and spent the next five and a half years as a prisoner. The story accounts differ most when each side describes McCain’s incarceration, first at the prison known as the Hanoi Hilton and later at The Plantation.

Tran Tron Duyet's Version from the London Times
"[Duyet], the former prison director, met McCain a year after he had been shot down. He recalls a defiant rule-breaker, the patriotic son of an admiral and a fervent believer in the war. What he does not recall, however, is a victim of torture or violence."

“I never tortured or mistreated the PoWs and nor did my staff,” says Mr Duyet in contradiction of Mr McCain’s account and those of other prisoners. “The Americans were dropping bombs on military and civilian targets – so it’s not as if they had important information we needed to extract.” Mr Duyet says that he sympathises with Mr McCain and other PoWs for claiming that they were tortured. “It’s up to the Americans to decide whether or not he counts as a hero. He was very brave, very manly, he dared to argue with me and he was very intelligent. But all the talk of being tortured is for the sake of votes.”

McCain's Version from Faith of My Fathers, by John McCain
“I was hauled into an empty room and kept there for four days. At intervals, the guards returned to administer beatings. One held me while the others pounded away. They cracked several of my ribs and broke a couple of teeth. Weakened by beatings and dysentery, with my right leg again almost useless, I found it impossible to stand."

“On the third night I lay in my blood and waste, so tired and hurt that I could not move. Three guards lifted me to my feet and gave me the worst beating yet. They left me on the floor moaning from the pain in my arm. Despairing of any relief from pain and further torture, I tried to take my life.”

I don't know what to think. I guess I should believe McCain since he's a fellow American. It's weird though. What do you guys think? McCain does look permanently injured from possible torture, but supposedly his injuries from the crash were severe too.

You should also be aware of another creepy McCain fact related to Vietnam. Did you know that McCain has been receiving 100% disability payments from the Defense Department since the early seventies, despite his abilities and personal mobility?

Many in the veteran's community still think it's a travesty of justice. That level of disability is usually reserved for highly crippled vets. There are many examples of wheelchair bound soldiers who receive less than 50% disability. The man has too many red flags if you ask me.

I guess I'll just have to believe that John McCain did his best, and whether he was tortured or not, he says he was. I'll just have to give him the benefit of the doubt. That doesn't mean, however, that I am free of doubt. I still don't like the red flags. There are too many mysteries. The man creeps me out.

Saturday's Political News Special #1 - Michael

PS - Bloggers, I'm also a contributor to Papamoka Straight Talk, so visit the blog if you want to read some interesting responses to this posting. Click here.

Political News: Anchorage Daily News Skewers Palin for Vindicating Self

Hello Bloggers - Yesterday's Anchorage Daily News featured an editorial skewering Palin for claiming that the "Troopergate" report just released somehow "vindicates" her as she claims.

Excerpt from: Palin vindicated?

"Sarah Palin's reaction to the Legislature's Troopergate report is an embarrassment to Alaskans and the nation. She claims the report "vindicates" her. She said that the investigation found "no unlawful or unethical activity on my part." Her response is either astoundingly ignorant or downright Orwellian."

Read the whole editorial here.

Personally, I consider her outrageous "spin" to be more Rovian crap spewed by the McCain campaign. We've put up with it over the Bush years and have grown used to it, kind of like the Moose crap you scrape from your boot walking around the outskirts of Anchorage. I look forward to the day when we don't have to deal with the crap anymore. I look forward to the day when we've all scraped our boots off for the last time, and the smelly, stinking, flee-bitten Rovian herd has moved way beyond our horizon.

Tuesday's Political News #1 and Rant #2 - Michael