About Afghanistan

One big issue impacting the upcoming presidential election and certainly is a major area of concern for we Americans is the war in Iraq. In my opinion we are concentrating too much on Iraq itself and are largely ignoring the importance of Afghanistan. According to what I could find on the internet there are currently some 165,000 soldiers in Iraq while there are approximately 27,000 in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is where the Taliban and Al Qaeda based themselves grew in power before we invaded. They had pretty much run the country.

You see, when the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan in the 1980s the US sent tens of millions to aid the Afghan rebels which, unfortunately, also included the Taliban. Afghanistan more or less became the Soviets' own version of Vietnam and eventually left. But in the aftermath of the Soviet departure the Afghani people were left with a country with no money and no resources. It was ripe for the picking of anyone wanting to claim power there. The Taliban were the ones to fill that power void. The war weary Afghanis were not in any position to put up a fight and unfortunately the US, frankly, didn't care.

This is beginning to happen again. Al Qaeda seem to have regrouped and are growing in power.

I don't think anyone would dispute that there are no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. It does not appear that there was ever a tie-in between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda. We have put a democratic government in place there. Said government has told us they want our troops out. The Iraqi people don't want us there. Our presence in Iraq isn't serving to fight terrorism any longer. It's time to hand the country over to the Iraqi people and get the hell out.

Let us turn our attention to Afghanistan. An important thing to know about the Afghani people is that they don't hate us like the Iraqis do. They welcome our presence and protection. Afghanis are Muslims but largely do not hold an anti-American sentiment.

When I used to work for the County I worked with a lot of Afghanis, most of whom came here as refugees during their country's Soviet occupation. And at the risk of sounding racist, based upon my interaction with my Afghani co-workers, I have come to feel that Afghanis are good people, accepting of other views and religions, and just want to get along.

One co-worker I will never forget was an older man named Anwar Sultan. I don't ever remember Anwar getting upset about anything. He took everything in stride. He never had an unkind word to say about anyone. And although he was Muslim he always wished everyone a Merry Christmas during the holidays.

Stomach cancer took his life. I attended his funeral which was held just a day or two after his passing as is Muslim tradition. It was a Muslim ceremony. The men and the women were separated. At one point all the men lined up, took off their shoes, kneeled, put their hands together palms up and recited a Muslim prayer. I tried to follow suit to honor my friend but since I wasn't familiar with the traditions I quietly stepped away after a few short minutes.

I would later tell another Afghani co-worker that I felt a little uncomfortable because of my unfamiliarity, and didn't wish to be disrespectful and end up unwittingly commmit some sort of gaffe, so I thought it would be better if I simply not attempt it. He told me that the Muslims there understood that there were many non-Muslims in attendance and any mistake made during the prayer wouldn't have offended anyone. That said a lot to me about them as a people.

Afghanistan is also where the large portion of the world's poppy seeds are grown. The Taliban have those poppy seeds processed into opium and are able to fund themselves with the heroin that is produced from the opium. The poppy seed farmers have no interest in helping the Taliban but have little choice but to cooperate if no one is there to protect them.

If we fail to protect Afghanistan this time we may be destined to repeat 9/11 again. Barack Obama appears to fully understand this. John McCain does not.

Journey, Heart, and Cheap Trick at the Concord Pavilion

Imani told me she tried out for a play earlier this week and says she missed the callback, which means she didn't make it. This is her first try at it. I'm really hoping she doesn't get discouraged and gives up.

Her drama teacher said she needs to attend at least one organized play per semester, be it a at a high school, amateur, or a big, professional production. I was thinking about "Spring Awakening" but I don't know if the girls would want to. I need to show them the commercial for it. I intended to go by the theatre downtown to see what they were performing while I was out walking the dogs, but it slipped my mind while I was down there. Last time I checked it was, "Evil Dead, the Musical". How bad could it be?

I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. I'm off at 5:30, the debate (if McCain doesn't manage to wiggle his way out of it) is at 6, and there's cake and ice cream for Jess tomorrow.

Okay, the Journey concert last night was great! I've gotta tell you about it.

Cheap Trick opened the show. It was great to see the classic lineup together. Robin Zander (vocals), Rick Nielsen (guitar), Bun E. Carlos (drums) and Tom Peterssen (bass). They played all their classics, bringing out Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain to help out on "The Flame" and "Surrender" to end the set. When they came out for their encore they were also joined by Journey drummer Deen Castronovo to help out on vocals as they performed "Dream Police". Robin Zander's voice didn't disappoint. Rick Nielsen's guitar solos were kinda disappointing in that his playing was a little sloppy. I was really looking forward to seeing Nielsen's 5-neck guitar. He mostly played a Les Paul and didn't bring out the 5-neck until the end, but that was good enough for me.

The changeover between sets was much shorter than I had expected and missed the beginning of Heart's set. When I got back they were playing "Magic Man". They also did not disappoint. Ann Wilson is the truly great vocalists in rock history. She was every bit as good as live as she has been on all those classic albums. There aren't many singers I can think of that can sing "Barracuda" with so many high notes with so much power. Nancy Wilson hasn't lost it either. She's older, but still a hottie. Her high-note harmonies with Ann were spot on. She came out with a mandolin and started playing a somewhat muted version of "These Dreams" that slowly built its way up. I had forgotten how much I loved that song. They finished their set with a cover of the Who's "Reign Over Me" which launched into "Barracuda" to end it. For their encore they played a Zeppelin song whose title escapes me and finally ended with "Crazy on You". My only disappointment was that they didn't play "The Dog and the Butterfly".

One of my Facebook friends is my best friend Jennifer's niece, Joy. I saw this morning that she had updated her Facebook with "back from seeing Heart and Journey with Aunt Jena! All of the Philippines showed up, including grandma!" One of the things I can say about the Filipino community here in the Bay Area is that they definitely support their own. When Karen and I went to Las Vegas last year we saw The Society of Seven at Flamingo. They're a group from Hawaii that do a stage show with lots of very good cover songs. One of its new members was a stunningly talented singer named Lani Misalucha, who was born in the Philippines. When I mentioned her at work all my Filipino co-workers knew who she was.

In a similar vein, when I learned of Journey's new Filipino singer, Arnel Pineda, my co-workers knew who he was as well. And just like Joy said the Filipino community was there last night in force to show him support. I'm guessing the sold out crowd was a good 30-40% Filipinos.

Arnel's got a great rags-to-riches story that will bring a tear to your eye. CBS Sunday Morning had a great profile on him. You really find yourself rooting for him, but it isn't charity. He has earned every single word of praise.


Journey started their set with "Never Walk Away", my favorite song from their new album. They didn't miss any of their classic hits. "Stone in Love", "Separate Ways", "Wheel in the Sky", "Open Arms". The entire house sung along with "Don't Stop Believin'". It's corny, but you just couldn't help yourself. When Arnel begins "Lights" with those first few words, "When the lights go down in the City and the sun shines on the Bay," there was just no way you could stop yourself from raising a lighter.

Arnel has been the perfect replacement for Journey's original singer, Steve Perry. He really sounds just like the original. I swear if you close your eyes and just listened you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. It must have been great for Arnel the first time he said to the crowd that it was great to be back home. As far as Journey the band goes they are, of course, from San Francisco so this was a homecoming for them. But for Arnel, he must have known how many Filipinos were there in the crowd. He must have known how many of those cheers were for him and were genuine.

As for me, Journey's guitarist Neal Schon has been one of my all-time favorites. He's a real hero to me. Neal's career on the big stage began when he joined Santana when he was just fifteen years old. He can play blazingly fast and can keep up with any speed demon guitarist you can think of and yet have so much emotion in his phrasing on the slower songs. In my opinion he's one of the most underrated guitarists in rock and roll history. It was an absolute joy to see him play live and in person.

Near the end of your set Arnel introduced the band members one-by-one and they all got the big cheers they deserved but the biggest cheer went to Arnel. I was genuinely happy for him. His performance last night was brilliant. He earned those cheers.

Our age got the best of us and we left after they played "Any Way You Want It". We left as they were playing "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'". We never did get to see what they played for their encore. That was my only real regret of the evening. This was probably the best concert I've attended in 10 years.

Imagine how good it would make you feel to know that Michael Jordan could still split two defenders to make a lay-in, or that Magic Johnson could still deliver a no-look pass, or that Joe Montana could still hit a tight end on a tightrope sideline pass. That was how I felt seeing these three bands. After all these years they all looked and sounded just as good as they did in their prime.

Bill Clinton

First off, I keep wanting to mention this but keep forgetting. Mom sent me something in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I noticed my miniature poodle owning-mom has a Pit Bull on her return label. Way to go, Mom!

Karen & I have the day off today. We're going to see Journey tonight at the Concord Pavilion. We really didn't need the whole day off, but it's a nice break and a chance to get a few things done. I'm going to walk the dogs in a little bit then give them both baths afterwards. They haven't been bathed in a couple of weeks. Zoe really needs it because I just reordered some more Advantage off of eBay and I expect to have it soon. And since you're not supposed to bathe a dogs 3 days before or after applying a treatment I should do it today.

I was watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night and Bill Clinton came on as a guest. Jon was asking him about the $700 billion bailout and Clinton gave the most sensible, articulate responses. He also made a lot of sense with his opinions about the upcoming election. The whole segment really made me miss Clinton as president. I cannot fathom George Dubya Bush answering those same questions with anything in the ballpark of the logic of Clinton's last night. You can watch the segment below.



It is so critical to get Obama into the White House. We've just got to get the Republicans out of there. Remember how much better off the country was when Clinton was running the show? Think about this, what was the biggest controversy surrounding the President during the Clinton administration? Whether or not he got a blowjob from an intern! The economy was booming. There was a budget surplus. No war. The dot com boom.

Now think about what has happened during Dubya's watch. 9/11. War. Gas prices soaring. Unions weaker than ever. The inability to handle the Hurricane Katrina aftermath. Dubya apologists can say all they want about Dubya inheriting a mess from Clinton but you know that's all bullshit and so do they. It happened on his watch. And that's the bottom line. Does anyone excuse LBJ for Vietnam because he inherited it from JFK? No. Why? Because it happened on his watch.

Wouldn't it be great if the worst thing that happened during the Dubya years is that he got a goddamn blowjob? If that was the worst thing that happened on Dubya's watch I'd be signing petitions to have an amendment made to allow him a third term. But instead, we got what we got.

I discovered that speeches from this year's Democratic Convention were available on iTunes. I downloaded speeches from Obama, Biden, Clinton, Hillary, and Michelle Obama. I also found Obama's address to the 2004 Democratic Convention, from when no one knew who he was. It was absolutely inspiring. I actually found myself welling up during some of them.

I'm gonna go walk the dogs now.

Dog Walking

Charlie got his first long walk today. Along with Zoe we only walked about a mile down Pacheco Boulevard and back. It's nothing special for Zoe. We've walked that route dozens of times before, but it was a brand new experience for Charlie. It was all new sights and sounds and smells for him and he met his new experiences like he meets everything else, with boundless, unafraid, not-a-care-in-the-world joy.

Most of Zoe's walks have just been the two of us. I have come to believe that our walks have really served as bonding experiences. I think that's why Zoe closest to me. I think the three of us walking together will be a really great chance to solidify our bonds.

I will always carry some measure of guilt for getting Charlie from a backyard breeder, something I now feel is borderline evil, I will never regret adopting him into our family. His pure innocence, his fearlessness, and his genuine zest for simply being alive served as a reservoir of renewed spirits for me. I sure hope that part of him never changes.

Saturday Night Ramble

This post begins on BART, just out of the tunnel approaching the Orinda station. It’s been a long week. Today caps off a week’s worth of overtime.

There are a few people on the train wearing A’s gear. They played the Angels today. I have no idea who won, but willing to lay odds 2-to-1 that they lost. It’s been a long season for my beloved Athletics. I haven’t been to an A’s game in two seasons, none at all this year.
I suppose that in the eyes of some that would make me a fair weather fan. After all, a REAL fan would show up to support the team no matter how bad they are, right? Well, no. I’m sorry, I have to disagree.

More than all of the teams I love, including the 49ers, Sharks, and Warriors, it is the A’s I love the most. I love them so much that it hurts me deeply to see them lose. I know how bad the A’s are this year. I know how much I would be hurt to actually see them lose in person. I simply cannot subject myself to it. In fact, I say that the people who are showing up this year couldn’t love the A’s as much as I do because, obviously, it must not hurt them as much as it does me.

In my bag is a voter registration form all filled out. I just have to put it in the mailbox. So politicians take heed I will be A REGISTERED VOTER. I’m glad the kids care so much about the upcoming election. Imani’s been bugging me about getting myself registered. I don’t know if I’ve felt this passionate about the presidential election since the first one I was old enough to vote in. That was 1988, when Bush, Sr. beat out Michael Dukakis.

I still don’t regret voting for Dukakis. I thought he had the more thoughtful and logical answers during the debates. Jesus, this country cannot take another four years of a conservative in the White House, but can America really vote a black man into the presidency. Sadly, I don’t have that much faith in this country.

I’ve done a little networking through my dog blogging and Twitter. I’ve become friendly with this nice lady in South Dakota named Jennifer that volunteers at a local animal shelter, is a wife and mom, solely maintains her own very good-looking blog, and has shown me a thing or three about tech.
Last week she wrote a story about…hold on. Here’s my stop. I’ll pick this up when I get home.

Okay, I’m home now. I DID IT. I put my voter registration form in the mail.

Back to my story. Jennifer posted a story that’s really heartbreaking. It was about a Lab/Pit mix that had spent his entire life outside at the end of a short chain until some sick fucks decided to beat him down and leave him for dead. She posted a couple of videos on YouTube showing him with his front leg in a cast whimpering. AND HIS NAME IS CHARLIE, same as my adorable little pup.
She and others decided to turn his suffering into a rallying point for a great cause. They’re raising money in his name to provide subscriptions to local school kids for a youth-oriented periodical from the Humane Society (more about THEM later). I really love that idea the suffering that poor dog has suffered is going to serve a greater good.

On payday I decided to chip in a few bucks, but I didn’t want it to be from me. I wanted it to be from Zoe and Charlie so I wrote a silly note in their names and Jennifer decided to put it in her blog. Karen was so tickled with Jennifer’s post she’s talking about donating some more money.

Please take a look at her blog. It’s called “In the Shelter of Your Heart”. It’s very professional looking, complete with ads, nice looking layouts, the whole nine yards. This was also one of the blogs that inspired me to set higher goals for my own blogs. Although sometimes I feel like maybe I’ve bitten off a little more than I can chew.

I read a lot of dog abuse stories to comment about in my dog blog and I’ve gotta tell you, it gets depressing sometimes. There was a guy in Redwood City that kicked a Chihuahua to death, these asshole hunters that shot a little 4 month old Jack Russell puppy in the head, another woman being charged with throwing puppies down an outhouse. There are times that I just don’t want to hear about it, but now I feel this weight upon me. I just can’t read these horrible things without speaking out.
I’m gonna go work on my tech blog now. See ya.

Calgon Take Me Away

Today was a trying day. Rude customers, inconsiderate co-workers, and kids with attitudes. I won't get into it.

Surprise, surprise, Imani had her first tennis match today. She lost but didn't get killed. She'll only get better. I noticed she was wearing her Pastry Kicks (the line of shoes put out by the nieces of mogul Russell Simmons). I need to get her shoes made for tennis.

Greg Kiyoi put up a video on YouTube of Arvie Carrington's performance of our Senior Show in 1985. I didn't even realize anyone was taping it. Thanks, Greg!


While a subject involving YouTube check out Tina Fey as Sara Palin on last Saturday's Saturday Night Live. Her performance speaks for itself.


I was at Wal-Mart today and saw something I couldn't resist. It was a paperback version of Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" sitting next to "You Can Run But You Can't Hide" by "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman. I bought them both.

Straining

Yesterday was a bad day for Karen and Imani.

Karen had to take her mom around to different doctors yesterday. Bernie's condition is worsening on a few different fronts. Karen says that sometimes Bernie is catatonic. Her mouth just hangs open and she has this blank stare. Also, Bernie has become very unstable on her feet. She falls frequently. The other night she fell and hit her head requiring six stitches. To make things worse she can only go to County General for emergency. She doesn't have any other option. And apparently the wait in the County emergency room is just as bad as it sounds.

Karen also has a hard time being around her mom a lot. The Alzheimer's combined with the dementia often times leaves her very spaced out. Sometimes it's like dealing with a small child. It really stresses her out. I don't know how I could ever deal with it if my mom had an illness like that.
Karen had to run Bernie around between appointments yesterday. It just so happened that she had enough time to pick up the girls from school before rushing off to another appointment.

On Sunday when I went to the movies with Imani I was asking about when her tennis matches would be scheduled. She told me she didn't know. As it turns out she was told during her last period in school that their first match would be that day. She needed to go home and get her uniform but Karen didn't have time to run her home and back to the school if she was going to make her appointment on time, an appointment that she wouldn't have a chance to reschedule for anytime soon.

So, in the end we've ended up with Imani missing her first match, and Karen feeling extra guilt about it on top of the stress of dealing with her mother. Just a no-win situation...

More Random Goodness

Update on the dogs: Charlie was apparently given those kind of stitches that dissolve on their own. He was never told to come back to have them removed. I took him for his first walk this past Sunday. Imani and I went to go the "The House Bunny", which was pretty stupid. Karen picked us up with the dogs in tow. I had her drop us off about a mile from the house and Imani, Zoe, Charlie, and I walked the rest of the way. Charlie did pretty well. He doesn't copy this thing that Zoe does. If she's not ready to move on she digs in her feet. I won't have many opportunities to walk them this week. We've got overtime at work from 7a-8p. I plan to work as much of it as I can except for Thursday. The girls have Back-to-School night then.

My co-worker Elton has finally released his album. It's like dance club music. It's actually pretty good. He goes by the moniker L10 (get it? Elton, L10?). His single, "music's got u," is currently in rotation on Sirius (satellite radio) Channel 36, the beat. Look at his website. http://www.l10sworld.com/media

I was told that Imani tried out for the water polo team and didn't make the cut. But the truth is that the team had already been set by the time she looked into it. I told her that water polo was really hard. In addition to passing the ball around, trying to score goals, and defending, those guys have to wade the entire time they're playing. Their feef aren't allowed to touch the bottom of the pool. You have to be in very good shape just to be able to play. I think she's happier with tennis anyway. She tells me that she and Asha both plan on going out for the swim team.

Bryan left with Mom & Bob Saturday on a motorhoming road trip that will take them through Boise and Yellowstone Park ending at Mt. Rushmore. It's a two week trip. I wish I had the time to go myself. They plan on returning on the 25th. Karen & I were holding out an extra ticket for him for the Journey concert on the 24th at the Concord Pavilion.

Others were asking about that extra ticket but we both agreed Rob deserved it the most. He's the most familiar with all three bands playing that night. Heart and Cheap Trick are on the bill as well.

I'm in two fantasy football leagues. So far I'm 0-2 in both leagues. The league I consider more important is the CBS Sportsline league. Will helped me with all my picks. He had me pick up Braylon Edwards and Derek Anderson from the Browns. Will sold me on the fact that if Edwards has a good game then Anderson would have a good game, too, and that would be major points. Well the both burned me last Sunday. Anderson threw for only 166 yards, no TDs, and 2 picks. Edwards had 32 total receiving yards and no TDs. Ugh, it's going to be a long season.

Using Digg I discovered the "Kid Tech Guru". His real name is Xavier Lur. He's a 14-year old from Singapore. This kid has such a great techie website of his own I was inspired to start doing my own site again. I wasn't exactly unhappy with Jon's Tech Central but the way I was doing it was too much work. I am actually pleased with the work I did but there was so much that I was doing the wrong way I didn't want to resurrect it. I wanted to start over from scratch. Thus The Tech Slayer was born.

I try to inject a little humor in it. I take the persona of some kind of superhero of geekdom, very full of myself, speaking about myself in the third person. The premise is that the things that stump novice PC users are evil supervillians and I am the knowledgeable-about-PCs hero that saves these innocents like I'm frickin' Superman or something. This is on top of doing this blog and my spin-off dog blog. It's a lot of work but not as much as before. Not even close.

Gotta go now. I need to work on my dog blog.

Review of my week 9/7/08-9/12/08

Imani has decided to join the tennis team. I’m concerned that this may be a distraction from her schoolwork, but I’m hopeful that this will help drive her school spirit. This kind of took me by surprise. She never really seemed to have an interest in tennis before. She doesn’t even have her own racket yet. Obviously, I’ll need to get her one soon. Tomorrow she and her teammates are having a car wash at Hagin’s Automotive on Alhambra in Martinez to raise money for uniforms. I wish I could help but I’ll be working overtime tomorrow.

Isabel is currently in Texas performing her duties as part of the Navy’s relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Gustav and now Hurricane Ike. I’m very proud of her.

One week ago today Charlie got his little nuts removed. The vet put this plastic cone around his neck so he couldn’t mess with his stitches. He really hated it. He would just lay there on his side with his little forepaws pushing up against the cone and whimpering. I really felt bad for him. The cone’s off now and it doesn’t look like being nutless has lessened his spirit any. In fact, I caught him trying to hump Zoe earlier this week. That little guy’s got a really LONG penis! I know, eeeww! I am glad it’s done though. I’m glad that neither of my dogs are capable of breeding.

Matt Dorado got a real snowball started. He sent out an group email to all the Tennyson class of 1985. He said that he had heard that Arvie Carrington had died and did anyone know anything about it. I looked up Arvie’s name (her full first name was Arvanola) on Google and discovered a news report from May of last year that she did indeed die in a car crash.

I threw out a suggestion that perhaps we could pool some money and make a group donation to some charity in her name. The ensuing discussion then evolved into an idea of setting up a scholarship fund for a Tennyson student. It would be one hell of a big undertaking but it would be a great legacy to leave on behalf of our old classmates that have since passed away. Amber Love counted eight, eight of our class that have died.

It would have been a stretch to say Arvie and I were friends in high school, but I certainly don’t have any bad memories of her. In fact, as far as I can remember, she was always nice to me.

There’s one memory of Arvie from high school that I will never forget. It was toward the end of our Senior year. It was the Senior show. Arvie sang a solo, but I don’t remember what the song was. I was working the sound board with Shawn Forsythe. Halfway through the song her mike went out. Shawn and I tried our best to get everything working again, but Arvie could do is just stand there in the middle of the stage all by herself, basically stuck, more or less. People in the audience started to yell at her to just sing anyway, without any amplification. And so she did. She finished the song carried by the power of her voice alone. She got a really huge ovation when she was done. She was really wonderful. I didn’t even know she could sing.

It’s really sad knowing her life came to an end so soon. Tina (Snowden) Chaney also told me that another classmate, Regina Works, also had died in a car crash, and it happened in front of her kids, too. I’ll be glad when we’re able to do something nice to honor their memories.

I launched my dog website on Monday. So far, I’m satisfied with it. But I know it has potential to be much more. http://dogspeakup.blogspot.com

I also decided to start a new techie blog. I’ve just launched it already. It’s called The Tech Slayer. http://techslayer.blogspot.com

NRA: Nazi Right-Wing Assholes

Here's that NRA asshole-ripping I promised.

These days it seems to be a badge of honor for a conservative to be a member of so-called National Rifle Association the same way a liberal badge of honor would be a card-carrying member of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union).

We can argue all day about the merits of the Second Amendment, commonly known as 'the right to bear arms', but the fact of the matter is that we will never be rid of it. Guns will always be a part of American society. Personally, I think there are too many guns out there in the hands of too many irresponsible gun owners. I feel that tighter gun control laws are necessary.

The problem with the NRA is that I've never seen them support ANY new legislation that supports it. The NRA's website claims it's a myth that they oppose all reasonable gun control legislation, but show me one piece of legislation they have supported. Can anyone think of the last time this happened? I can't.

The problem is that the NRA doesn't support responsible gun owners. Responsible gun owners wouldn't object to things like the Jim Brady law. Responsible gun owners don't want guns in the hands of maniacs any more than anyone else. No, the NRA support GUN MANUFACTURERS. This organization is in the back pocket of gun manufacturers.

It's not in the best interests of GUN MANUFACTURERS to regulate firearms. Anything that represents a threat to their sales, their profits is a bad thing. Therefore, they oppose all firearm legislation, and in turn, the NRA.

The NRA would have you believe that any politician supporting tighter, more reasonable gun control "just want to take our guns away!!!" This is simply bullshit. Responsible gun owners should be allowed to have them, by all means, as long as you continue to be responsible. It's the maniacs that we're trying to keep the guns from. Get it?

I wish NRA members would consider their politics and their positions. Gun owners, the NRA is not looking out for your best interests, only theirs.

Lipstick on a Pig

Uhhh, okay, folks let's listen to everything, not just a one-sentence soundbite. Those goose-stepping Republicans are crying "foul" over Barack Obama's statement, "You can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig", claiming he called Sarah Palin a pig!!!

Come on, are we really that stupid? Listen to the three sentences he said before that and the three after. He was talking about McCain's proposed policies, and McCain claiming that he was the real change candidate. McCain's proposals was the pig in question. He made no mention of Palin.

It's a phrase he used in the primaries about Hillary Clinton's health care proposals. The Republicans use that phrase all the time.

The Republicans want to fool you with cheap tricks like having Sarah Palin running as VP. This is just another one.



By the way, if you don't believe me, Google "lipstick on a pig".

Some Real Rants

First, I want to tell you all that there was a triple murder near my house this weekend. That shootout where the cop was killed was about 1/2 mile from where I live. Get this for a Twilight Zone moment. Cricket was supposed to have her hair done that day right around the time the shooting took place. If she had kept her appointment who knows what could have happened? Scary.

Later that night Karen & I went to this Salsa (yes, Salsa) club in Concord called Sazon along with Cricket, Mark, Jess, and Steve. Our co-worker, Freddy, plays sax for the live band that was there that night. We ended up not staying very long, but I ended up liking it much better than I thought I would.

When we got there they were playing some music over the PA. I’ve never been much of a fan of Salsa music so I thought, “This is gonna suck.” But when Freddy’s band came out I found their live performance was much more entertaining than I had anticipated. I don’t know, it’s something about the dynamics of hearing a live band or something. I’d like to go and see the band again.

Last week Imani told me that at lunchtime some boy saw the Obama shirt she was wearing and started arguing with her about why McCain would win in November. She told me how she argued him down with facts and quotes from the two candidates, while the boy could only come back with things like, “McCain’s cool and Obama sucks” and “my dad says Obama’s going to take our guns away”. She didn’t even have to invoke the race card. I was very proud.

Speaking of McCain…please folks, whether you like Barack Obama or not, you can’t tell me that he isn’t the lesser of two evils at the very least. If nothing else, at least you know he wouldn’t continue another four years of the George Dubya Bush administration.

Look how this country’s gone downhill since Bill Clinton left office. Gas is $2 per gallon more than it was when Clinton left office. The economy was healthy. There was no war. The worst thing that happened under the Clinton administration, the biggest controversy was whether or not he got oral sex from an intern. If that had been the worst thing to happen under Bush I’d be overjoyed. I’d be a McCain supporter all the way. I’d be saying, “Change? Hell, no, Barack Obama. Who wants change? Everything’s great!”

Seriously, just look at all the bad things that happened on Dubya’s watch. Do you REALLY think his administration deserves an extension?

And look at McCain’s choice for Vice President. Sarah Palin. Governor of Alaska. Conservative, right-wing, NRA supporter, against a woman’s right to choose (I refuse to use the term ‘Pro Life’) despite the fact her newborn has Downs Syndrome so you’d think she’d have more sympathy, against teaching sex education in school despite having an unwed pregnant teenage daughter, and supposedly is a “maverick” because the turned on the Republican senator that was behind the bridge to nowhere (after public opinion made supporting it impossible). THIS is the woman that’s supposed to pick up the disillusioned Hillary Clinton supporters?

Weren’t you listening when Hilary asked at the Democratic Convention, “Were you doing it for me, or did you do it for the single mom working three jobs and has no health care…?” How about when she implored you that if you believe in fighting for the same issues she was fighting for then you should cast your vote for Obama? Hello?

If all these people support Palin just because she’s a woman, then they’re all idiots. How myopic can you be? I’m blaming them for every soldier that loses their life in Iraq past January if those clowns take office.

Tomorrow, I’m gonna rip a new asshole in the NRA and those that support them.