I haven't written in about a week, mostly because I just got disgusted with  the whole political scene.  Really, the Democrats and Republicans have once again proven they are the Janus/Harvey Dent party, and they're supporters will once again vote for them anyway because the have to support evil (the lesser of two) rather than support good.  I have decided to write in "none of the above" for my choice regarding president just as a protest vote, that or the Green Party candidate.  Screw the whiny Democrats.  They wouldn't lose elections if they had candidates worth a rats behind.

As to gas prices, here's the thing:

American's are already switching to smaller cars. and this will have an impact, at least in this country.  What needs to happen next is to make those people who drive gas hogs (like me) objects of ridicule and derision.  (granted, I have made and will continue to make my own biodiesel, but that doesn't change the fact that a 1 ton, crew cab, 4WD, diesel pickup with a 6 inch lift kit is a waste of resources.  I use it to haul manure, wood, my trailer when I work, and a host of other things, but I could do all that with a smaller, more efficient truck, but I can't afford to get a new one just yet, and I do use and need a truck.)

Anyway, why not start a campaign making those who drive fuel hogs uncomfortable with their choices, no matter what gas prices do?  It is well passed the time when we should be driving electric, hybrid, and high mileage vehicles.  We don't need SUV's.  They are status symbols, that is all.  Symbols of conspicuous consumption.  Look what I can waste.  A good ad campaign ridiculing that attitude would be just the thing.

The other half of this solution is to change tax laws such that no business gets to claim all their energy expenses, indeed, any of their energy expenses, as a write off.  I see way too many vacationers driving pickups with company logos on the sides, obviously being used as personal transport.  Most of these people do not need pickups and SUVs in their businesses, they choose them as status symbols.  The problem is, the rest of America supports their fuel abuse, and so they continue on with that behavior.

 I would start by disallowing 10% of their expenses, and would chop off another 10% every year, until the aforementioned business owners were paying the whole shot.  As to passing the cost onto the consumer, they are doing that anyway, so, people would get a lower, less complicated tax bill, and businesses that have to compete would find themselves cutting fuel costs or being non-competitive. 

(Okay, I know that a lower tax bill would not happen right away, but along with some other plans I have, it would happen.  I suppose I should put what I want for a tax system out there.  Maybe next time).

I would also do the same thing with electrical, heating, cooling, and any other energy costs.  Eliminate the deductions, and give tax incentives for investing in energy efficient alternatives. 

Here's a great way to end the credit crunch in America.  Don't pay your loans.  If everybody did it, the banks would have no recourse.  They'd all lose money, there wouldn't be a market for for anything repossessed, and there would be no way for the courts  to handle all the problems that would arise.  The only reason banks can do what they do now is because most Americans are decent, rule following folks who wouldn't dream of screwing the bank.  But guess what, the banks are screwing them.

Look at the convoluted way credit is rated.  No one truly understands the system that has been set up, everyone just goes along.  I mean, c'mon, the fact that you were late on a utility payment is used as an excuse to jack up the interest rate on a credit card?  The fact you applied for a loan downgrades your credit?  then there are all those variable interest and  interest only home loans that were handed out to whomever in order to entice those receiver into buying more than they could afford?  Banks have been asking to be screwed.

There is also my own personal belief that most crises of this nature are somewhat artificially created just so those with money can expand their holdings.  A bit cynical of me , I know, but folks with money do use these times to grab what they can at the expense of those who are losing everything. 

So, if the majority of Americans got together and said "screw you", banks would certainly react in a way that was beneficial to the holders of loans.  I would guess better terms would be in the offing almost immediately,  and the plush offices, high salaries, and high dividends paid to stockholders would go right out the window.

Ok, I know there would be a whole lot of fallout.  As I told my son, there would be a fundamental shift in the economy, given that America runs on credit.  Paper money would be useless.  The tax system would break down, and bartering would become more common.   Hopefully, a lot of people would cease getting head over heels into debt, and banks would cease being so predatory, but the short term damage to the economy and basic social order wold be heinous.  Still, it's an interesting intellectual exercise, and was one of the ways I postulated a major societal shift (disaster) could happen to this country.  (The other one was an all out war over oil, since we can't seem to wean ourselves off of it.)

Such a thing as outlined above will probably never happen, but it is interesting to think of what things would be like if it did.

Supposedly, Barak Obama is a Washington newcomer, an outsider who is running to change politics in America,  giving us a new, "outside the beltway" candidate with no close ties to the Washington power structure.  He's a man of integrity, his word is good, and he is, above all else, NOT a typical politician.

So, what has he done so far:

First, in a bid to shore up his standing with religious (bigots?) people, he has endorsed, and committed to expanding George Bush's "faith based initiative" attack on the First Amendment.  I would bet if someone from an Islamic organization asked him point blank if they could get funding for community outreach, they would get either silence or a caveat filled response that held Obama to nothing while sounding like he actually he gave an intelligible response.

Next, he has stated that he would "refine" his position on the war in Iraq,rather than holding to his statement that he would remove all combat troops within 16 months after his election.  What does "refine" mean?  Does it mean "all troops will be removed by the end of 16 months but the timetable within those 16 months may shift depending on developments" or does it mean" We can win in Iraq. I won't say the surge has helped, but things are stable and now I can look like a real hero if I keep the troops in longer"?

Sounds like BS to me.  It also sounds like another useless politician who words mean squat.

Recently Obama spoke to AIPAC, the American-Israeli Political Action Committee.  While it is heartening to have a politician once again that recognizes the power of diplomacy and dialog, his repeated assurances that Israel comes first are not rooted in change, but are rooted in getting votes and money from AIPAC. 

Our politicians pretend Israel is important, but it is not.  As allies, Saudi Arabia all the other middle eastern countries are more important that Israel.  Our policies regarding Israel and the Palestinians have never been about putting the US first.  America supported the founding of Israel because we didn't want all those new Jewish refugees and settlers in this country.  We (as part of the United Nations) forced them on the Arabs, took away Arab land and gave it to the new Jewish immigrants. And, lest anyone forget, while the Arabs sponsored violence against the Jews in Palestine, the Jews started the terrorism campaigns.  I have a friend who said the following regarding the re-establishment of Israel:  "The United Nations ain't God".

Israel made sure their foundation was steeped in the blood of Arabs and Jews alike.  It should be no surprise that said foundation is constantly reinforced with additional blood.  Someone is going to have to explain to me one of these days why it is important to America to help sustain the bloodshed for a country that has, many times over, proven they are not good friends and allies of the US.
As for me, while I am not about to stand by and watch the Jews get slaughtered, I do not believe it is in the best interest of my country to continue to unequivocally support the Jewish state to the detriment of the natives.

One point.  I do understand that it is the Arabs who constantly provoke the Jews.  I think the Palestinians would like peace, but the Arab states which surround Palestine and Israel don't want peace to happen.  I get it.  Perhaps, if we'd quit buying foreign oil and stop funding those Arab states, things would get a little quieter all around the world.  Another good reason for energy conservation.

" A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman, of the next generation"  James Freeman Clarke

Barak Obama is just another friggin' politician

The Fourth of July.  The day we in America celebrate the foresight and character of a group of true patriots who we call our Founding Fathers.  A day we celebrate living in the land they wrested from an unjust king and from the ruins of war created a nation unique in it's government.

Those daring men, who pledged "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" had the courage to stand up, put everything they had on the line, and forged a nation that has stood for over two hundred years. 

Starting with the Declaration of Independence, and ending with the Constitution of the United States of America, using the free thinking of Western philosophy, throwing off the yoke of religion and the "rule by divine right" that was dominant in other governments of the time, they boldly drew up a document that, instead, celebrated the right of people to choose their own government.  They produced a nation that stood unique.  When Thomas Jefferson drew up the Bill of Rights, he used the Constitution to ensure that the abuses listed in the Declaration of Independence could never again be brought against the citizens of America.

Americans were ensured the right to freely practice their religion, without fear of reprisal from the Government.   Free speech, freedom to assemble and protest.  Freedom to ask for redress from the government for wrongs committed by the government.  Freedom from torture, from police harassment, from have your home searched by the police without just cause, the right to go to court, to confront your accuser, to not incriminate yourself.  A country where you could not be held in jail indefinitely, but where proof
of probable guilt had to be obtained, and shown to the accused, or the accused walked free.   A country where every criminal had access to an attorney, or could choose to represent himself.  A country where a jury of ones peers decided guilt or innocence.

We were given a government that had checks and balances, where to chief executive was accountable by law, and where Congress was expected to enforce those laws.  But most importantly, we were given a country in which the people ruled, where the people were expected to watch and debate the issues, where the people got to elect their representatives and the representatives reflected the will of the people, and where the people were willing to sacrifice for the good of the nation.  America has been all those things.

Do you think America will ever be that way again?

America has fought to retain those things and that Government.  We have stood up to dictators, have used our influence not to spread tyranny, but to free people from the yoke of oppression.  Americans have sacrificed their lives, their fortunes but not their honor, to retain those ideals that America was founded on.  We have been attacked, but we are a vast, wealthy, and strong nation.  I do not believe we can ever be destroyed by any government on this earth.  We can, however, destroy ourselves.

By listening to demagogues,  those who would take advantage of our fears in uncertain times, by becoming selfish, putting our wants ahead of what America needs, by not being Americans, with faith in the country and Constitution that have given us all so much while asking very little in return, the America fought for by millions of men and women since 1776 will pass, and something else will be in it's place.

Some will call it America, but it will not be THE America founded in 1776.  That America is already gone, given up by it's citizens because they took counsel of their fears instead of having faith in the wisdom of their Founding Fathers. 

The old America, where the rights given to it's citizens in it's Constitution, where it's leaders were to be held responsible to the law, where it's congress and judiciary were expected to act, in concert, for the good of the union, to maintain the rights of the people, that America is on it's last legs.   It's not gone yet, but it has been severely damaged by it's elected officials, because it's people have grown apathetic and fearful. 

It is possible de Toqueville was right, that America was doomed because it's people would find out, eventually, that they could vote for whatever they wanted, and that they would put selfish desire ahead of the nation. 

I hope not. 

Wake up people.  It's not too late.  We can become again the America we were, but only if you, the People, want it to happen.

"Rome endured as long as there were Romans.  America will endure as long as we remain American in spirit and in thought"
                                                                                                                                                                                               David Starr Jordan                                            

Odd thought #1   Eating their own.   

 My son signed me up for Ann Coulter's  web letter, believing it is important to know what the enemy is up to.  I find it amusing, especially when she turns on the Republican candidate.  And so she has, more than once.  John McCain does not carry enough hate and vitriol to be considered a true believer like Miss Coulter, he doesn't vilify his opponents nor engage in the polemics that have divided this nation, ergo he's not the candidate for her. 

Anyway, the latest attack from Miss Coulter has to do with Mr. McCain's nay vote regarding opening ANWR for oil exploration and drilling.  Miss Coulter seems to think, like a lot of other right-wing "intellectuals", that somehow, oil will immediately flow from ANWR and all our problems will be solved, the price of gas will plummet, and we can all go on our merry, wasteful ways.  And, of course, we shouldn't worry about saving any bit of unspoiled wilderness for our children, because we have to take care of ourselves, not the future.

I do not understand what the issue is about high gas prices, particularly with regards to Republican's and their supporters.  After all, the price of gas only reflects market forces which is what every good capitalist banks on.  What we are seeing in energy costs is a direct result of removing government controls on the profits of power generators, as well as the total control of oil prices at the well heads in this country.  I wonder how many oil well lessors are getting money for their product proportionate to the amount of money oil companies are making  on crude these days? 

Bottom line:  Ann Coulter is out to lunch if she thinks drilling in ANWR will make any difference on oil prices, in the near or far term.

Odd thought # 2.    It pays to be anti-American


Rush Limbaugh was awarded a new $400,000,000.00 contract for eight more years of anti-American rhetoric, paid for by the pseudo-patriots who listen to him daily, rejoicing as the economy goes up in smoke, the Constitution is destroyed, and the national debt just gets bigger and bigger.  There isn't much more to say than that.  Polemics pay, and what is actually good for America doesn't matter so long as the ratings are high and the dollar bills flow.  Go Rush.  Living the American dream, getting rich while destroying the very thing he purports to love.

Odd Thought #3.  Barak Obama, uber congressman

I heard another Obama commercial today, this one telling us all what Barak Obama passed as a congressman somewhere or the other.  Barak Obama didn't pass squat.  He may have supported.  He may even have drafted legislation that did what his commercial claims he did.  But HE didn't pass anything.  The collective Congress that he belonged to at the time did.  He's not a dictator.  He cannot "pass" anything.  All he can do is support legislation and vote on same. 

I will never understand why campaigns insist their candidates have superhuman abilities.  Perhaps this is why Congressmen and women tend to lose touch with reality.  All I want is a candidate who believes substantially the same things that I do, which is that America comes first, and I expect their actions to reflect their words, which is where John McCain loses me, as his actions have hurt my country.

Thus far the news has been interesting, and the commercials more so.  Hopefully, I'll be able to continue writing to this blog on a daily basis.  there is certainly enough BS to keep it full.

David J. Newland

Since we are in an election year are going to inundated with a wonderful mix of lies, half truths, and a small smattering of the real truth, I thought I would begin to disassemble ads by politicians running for election.  As new ones appear, I'll do my best to skewer them.

SO, far John McCain is leading the pack on ads, at least here in northern Michigan. I've only seen one Obama ad, which is just a feel good, gee I'm just like you, guy next door ad.  I suppose we'll have to wait for the "really, I'm a jihadist and am going to turn the country into a large, armed Muslim camp" ad to hit the TV.  So far, that information is only available through the truth sellers on the Internet.

As for McCain, his ads have given me chuckles.  Lets see, he sounded the alarm on global warming, five years ago, in defiance of  the Bush administration.  So, while a lot of us have known about the risk of global warming for twenty years or longer, apparently,  no one sounded the alarm.  Huh, imagine that.

Now Mr. McCain, having been so timely in his warning, has developed a new energy plan which, while lowering the price of gas, thus making it more affordable and easier to waste, will still, somehow, combat global warming.  Of course, any new drilling will take upwards of ten years to get on line, and then new refineries will have to be built as well, but miraculously, at the end of that time frame, the price of oil will drop. Riiight.  I got a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell too.  Any takers?

For the past 50 years we have been on an energy wasting frenzy. The time has long since past when we could have worked towards less dependence on oil for transportation.  Where was Mr. McCain's leadership when the transition to less wasteful forms of energy usage would have been less painful?  He was part of Congress when the Reagan administration shut down the shale oil program, started by Jimmy Carter, on the pretense that the program was too expensive.  Where was he on CAFE standards?  On wind and solar power development?  As they say in Mississippi, "that dog won't hunt".

There has been no leadership in Congress, or in the Presidency, by either party in regards to looking ahead at future issues and taking action now so we don't have to suffer through painful decisions in the future.  All either party has done is what was necessary to ensure they won the next election.  That's it.  "Keep us in power, 'cause we're better than them".  That is the only refrain Democrats and Republicans sing.  It's their mantra.  And their supporters, the electorate, know that neither party acts in the best interest of America, they just don't care.  " I vote for the lesser of two evils" is what the explanation is if you ask, but evil is still evil.  The downward slide of this country, economically, militarily, socially, will continue until people start voting for good, better, and best, not "the lesser of two evils".

Now for a comment that will upset a few people, unless they really stop and think, and that is about John McCain' s war record:

John McCain flew planes for the Navy  during the Viet Nam war (unlike George "I'll fly 'em but I don't want to fight 'em" Bush.  He got shot down and spent five years as a POW.  Does this make him a war hero.  I don't believe it does, explanation as follows:

To me, a hero is a guy or gal who gets up, faces his or her fear every day, and goes out and does the job anyway.  MY son's a here for spending a year in Iraq and facing that carnage every day.  Doing his job, keeping himself and his squad from harm as much as possible.  Facing bullets, death and  the loss of friends because he volunteered to do just that.  That's heroism.  Audie Murphy was a hero.  The coastal river division men and women in Viet Nam, guys like John Kerry, a Silver Star winner, facing unknown assailants every day in those little boats, that's bravery.  ( I met some of those river rats in Vallejo CCA, as I was going through Nuke School in 1975.  Those guys have a few screws loose, perhaps, but their really good guys.) 

John McCain did none of these things.  What John McCain did was endure.  Granted that takes strength, but is it heroism to survive?  I don't believe so.

The other reason I don't call John McCain a hero is that he was the son of a US Senator.  He was a great propaganda tool.  I truly do not know how many other Americans survived for five years in a North Vietnamese prison camp, but I'll guess it wasn't many, and it may well be that Mr. McCain survived, in part, because of who his father was. 

If any one thinks it is wrong that I question John McCain's war record, keep this in mind:

John Kerry was visciously attacked foru years ago, with a lot less reason, while John McCain did nothing.  Heroic would have been to go on national TV, and make ads for John Kerry, denouncing those attacks.  One of the things I took from the 2004 campaign was that anyones war record can be challenged, and so, I can question the "heroism" of Mr. McCain.

As a final thought, the ending line on the latest McCain commercial I've seen is that Mr. McCain will do  "what's best for America.
In my opinion, that would mean:

Balancing the budget.

Actually paying for the war in Iraq.

Actually stopping the flood of illegal immigrants coming into this country

Getting out of Iraq

Setting national priorities that benefit America, not just special interests.

Telling the Saudi's to go to hell

Telling the Israeli's that, if they spy on us one more time, their foreign aid will dry up

Eliminating any act that has weakened the Constitution.

I still wouldn't vote for him, because I don't believe the Republican Party would support those actions, but I'd at least try to o support him if he got elected.

David J. Newland

and, putting together a plan for energy usage that is intelligent, forward looking, doesn't pander to oil companies, and will actually lay the groundwork for leading America into the next century

Okay, so I haven't been here for awhile.  Tragically, my son was hoarding the password, and I had no access.   That issue has been addressed, and sooo...

Patriotism.  What is it?  Do you know it when you see it, or do you only recognize it in extreme circumstances?  Are all American heroes patriots, or do they "swap sides" depending on the issue?  As a guide, remember;  Benedict Arnold was, at one point, a hero of the Revolution.  He lost faith in the Cause, however, and ended up the poster child for traitors instead.  

I personally believe a patriot is someone who puts the good of his or her nation ahead of personal interest, sacrificing personal comfort, even life, for the good of the nation.  Thus, a person speaking out on behalf of a cause, especially a cause benefiting the nation, would be a patriot, all the more if such an action is outside the norm for that individual.   Ditto, going to war, even if the war itself is wrong.  One of the problems I have with anti-war protesters is that they too often target the soldier, not the person who sent them to fight.  " Men crown the knave, and scourge the tool that did his will"  A quote from " A Fool's Prayer"  by E. W. Sill, and all too appropriate with regards to some peace activists.

This country has been under attack, from within as well as without.  There are those who have attacked it who call themselves "patriots" and label those who have taken exception to their actions as the opposite.  Demagoguery knows no political bounds, and no party affiliation. 

I view the Constitution of the United States as the true wellspring of the strength of this nation.  Without the  rights we were given by a group of extremely thoughtful patriots, we would not be the nation we have been, and in some ways still are.  The separation of powers, the system of checks and balances, the ability to amend the Constitution, and above all, the Bill of Rights, have made the American Constitution a document for all nations to emulate, if they so choose.  Were America to disappear tomorrow, the gift of the Constitution to the world is one we can all be proud of. 

Sadly, the Constitution written by our Founding Fathers has been attacked, the Bill of Rights weakened, the separation of powers all but destroyed, all in the name of "national security" by "patriots" seeking only to "ensure our safety".   It used to be the bumper sticker "I love my country but I fear my government"  was, to me at least , just a sign of a paranoid right-winger.  Now, I'm not so sure.  Imagine Nixon and Hoover with the powers of the Patriot Act to use at their whim.  A scary thought.  

In my view, if you weaken the Constitution, you weaken America.   It cannot work any other way.


Thomas Jefferson once said that to engage in public debt, and then to pass that debt on to future generations, was immoral, that passing such debt forward to future generations was the ultimate in taxation without representation, yet we are over nine trillion dollars in the hole, paying out over one hundred thirty billion dollars a year in interest to such allies as China, Japan, our dear friends in the mid-East, and others who may actually be our friends.  And there is no end in site.  Are the "patriots "in this country ready to make the sacrifices that must be made to eliminate this debt?  Is there anyone ready to argue that this debt is not harmful to America.

Just today Barak Obama stated his willingness to expand on the Bush Administration's "Faith Based Initiatives" program.  I wonder if he is willing to give money to Islamic missions.  Louis Farrakhan's Black Muslims have done a lot of good in lower class neighborhoods.  Think his church will be eligible?  If not, scratch that part of the First Amendment.

There are many other examples I could look at of people who have taken actions which, in my view, have damaged this country.  The above are just the most egregious examples I can think of. 

If you supported the Patriot Act, can you make the argument that your support strengthened the Constitution, or can you prove that America is better off with a weakened Bill of Rights?  is the nation stronger because of the Patriot Act, not more secure, but stronger?

Can you make the argument that the national debt is good for America?  Can you for certain prove that deficit spending is in the long term public interest? 

If you can do these things, I would like to see the proofs.  If you cannot, the question becomes:

If you voted in Congress or voted  for a person or Party that in turn voted  to support the Patriot Act and the deepening of the public Debt, are you a patriot?

I am on the road working in central California at the Diablo Canyon nuclear site. (hey, it's what I do). I arrived on Jan. 11, got settled in, and went hunting for a good deep tissue massage. I found a good masseuse, and had to wait for about 20 minutes for her to have an opening. So, I decided to take a walk.

Right outside of the health club where I was at is a Bank of America, and, as is my wont, I decided to check out the condition of the American flag they were flying. Lo and Behold, it was faded, tattered, and torn. It looked like it had been flying for years.

I went inside, wandered around until I found a management type, and explained to her my concern. Apparently, she never paid attention, as she was shocked to find that the flag was in such disrepair. She said she would take care of it, I thanked her, and I left.

I went back to the health club to get my massage. The masseuse was really good; She brought tears to my eyes.

While she was busy tearing my back up, I mentioned to her what I had seen and done about the flag. She informed me that I would get along great with her husband, as he was a real conservative too. Hence the title of this essay:

We have become so polarized and divided that this woman, who is really a very nice lady, assumed that I was conservative because I had spoken out about the condition of that flag. How did we get to the point that it is assumed conservatives take action on these issues and are patriotic, but progressives (liberals if you will), could care less?

This country has been divided, one side played off against the other, both sides being funded by the same corporate dollars. We have gone so far down this path that it can be assumed by reasonable people that one side or the other is unpatriotic and will not stick up for this nation. It is this division, being played up by both parties, being funded by the same corporations, which will do us (America) in.

Our Constitution is in shambles, thanks to both parties. Our economy is about to go down the tubes, thanks to both parties (face it folks, without a manufacturing base, we won't be much). Our government is almost nine trillion dollars ($9,000,000,000,000.00) in debt, thanks to both parties, and we allow ourselves to be divided by what, Abortion? Welfare? Waste in Government? Ladies and Gentlemen, we had better recognize that we have much more in common than we have differences, and we had better start celebrating those commonalties instead of celebrating our cultural differences.

We have been divided, and the America that was created in 1776, the America that was defended in 1941, then America that caused Richard Nixon to resign, no longer exists. The rule of law at the highest levels of our government no longer exists. The Constitution that has protected us from the excesses of our government no longer exists. If we don't unite, and unite soon, this country will prove De Toqueville's prediction that it would fail.

Personally, I'd like to ensure that doesn't happen.

David J. Newland

Bottled two batches of brewhahah tonight.  The first batch to be bottled was the cocoa-coffee wheat porter.  However, I suspect something went horribly horribly wrong during sanitation as it was incredibly sour.  I still bottled a few, in a purely optimistic mood.
    The second batch I bottled was my original imperial cocoa porter.  It tasted good out of the carboy, so we'll see.

Next brewing project is a Belgian, probably a Maudite clone.  That will be for the spring, though, after Raven/Stellar and such.  Hopefully, I can make it to at least one con this year.  Liberty's out, Dragon's out.  It's pretty much down to Raven or Stellar.  I'd prefer Stellar, since I've never been there.  But who knows.

I see that Klinton and McCain won the NH primary.  It makes me sick.  Clearly the citizens of NH care nothing for our country.  You can quote me on that.


Kent

Dunno iffen any of you have ever heard of John McCutcheon.  I GUESS he's considered a folk-singer, but it doesn't really come across as that folksy.  His tunes are pretty catchy.  However, what I really like about him is the fact that most of his songs are protests.  Not like back in the '60s, but in a satirical, sardonic way.  He's got "Monkey", about a school board in Kansas' decision to teach creationism instead of evolution.  "Ashcroft's Army"...well, you can figure that out.  What I was thinking about yesterday was "Talking Pat and Jerry Blues", about how Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell told the "moral majority" and the religious right that 9/11 happened because we tolerate homosexuals and other supposedly unsavory characters.  And it got me thinking...
    Hitler blamed Germany's hard-times on the Jews.  Throughout history, hundreds of people have played on fear, hate, and misunderstanding in order to create a scapegoat and rise to power.  Thus, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell are no different than Adolph Hitler.  If we let individuals like that gain power, we will have another holocaust on our hands.  Only this time it'll be liberals, Jews, gays, and anyone else who doesn't believe in the same god as those two bigots.  I realize that Falwell is dead.  Good.  May God have mercy on his soul.  Now, the thought comes to mind that Phelps could be in the same category as these two.  Wrong.  Phelps is a two bit con artist with a small, literally cult following.  He's nothing, and will always be nothing.


On to other things...

Dad's off to California tomorrow, which makes me very sad.  I love my Dad, which I tell him everyday, and I like having him around.  He'll be back soon enough, and then we'll all be doing cheetah flips trying to get ready for his big project.  I'm starting school in a few days, and I are excited. 

Bottom line, check out John McCutcheon.  He's funny, and talented, and says what he wants.  Which may be a disappearing right.

Kent