Rants -- December 30, 2008

Welcome to the December 30, 2008 -- and last of 2008 -- edition of Rants.


I want to thank each and every one of you for submitting your Rants over the past year. And here's to a prosperous, and slightly in less need of ranting, 2009!


Please spread the word about the carnival. Doing so will get all of us more exposure to our writings...


On another note, does anybody want to co-host the carnival? If you do, leave a Comment. As a co-host, you'll have to do a little bit of work, but I think you'll find it worthwhile, as you'll get some traffic to your site on the posting day and the days leading up to the posting day. Full details will be emailed to you if you express interest (in the Comments).


Without further delay, here are your Rants.

tea512 presents To Nuke or Not to Nuke that is the question posted at Tea512, saying, "To Nuke or Not to Nuke that is the question."

Ben Connor Barrie presents Stop Asking, Start Taking posted at Grown Ass People, saying, "A rant about workers getting left out of the bailout."

Mike presents Time Warner Cable posted at Such a Downer, saying, "One customer's experience with Time Warner Cable."

Archvillain presents Get Over It! posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "Whining and bitching from conservatives is just as stupid and annoying as that from liberals."

Alvaro Fernandez presents Grand Rounds 5:12 - Healthcare Reform Q&A, saying, "A virtual conversation between Obama and the healthcare blogosphere."

Joseph Lozano presents The Slowest Line posted at The Joe Review, saying, "Does this happen to anybody else?..."

NotYourDaddy presents No! Don?t Do It!! posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "They’ve put out the word that there’s $700 billion of free money on the table, and they’re going to give it all away. To whom are they going to give it? The criterion to qualify seems to be incompetence. But not just any incompetence, only massive incompetence will do."

No shit. More government incompetence. First Iraq money...gone. Now, bailout money...gone. Where? Who the hell knows?

Howard Ditkoff presents Publicizing The Threat of Personality Disorders Among Those in Positions of Power posted at SystemsThinker.com Blog, saying, "Recent political scandals - including those involving ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich - awaken us to the dangers posed when sociopaths or those with serious personality disorders use their charm and persuasion to attain positions of power."

Sidhusaaheb presents A Stark Contrast posted at I, Me, Myself.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Why Caroline Kennedy? posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

Howard Ditkoff presents Changing the Criteria for Who is Important and EliteSystemsThinker.com Blog, saying, "This is a commentary, responding to a piece by Paul Krugman, in which he discussed how our culture's excessive trust in the rich has led us astray. While this piece is actually published on the main part of my website, and so is not technically a blog piece, I do have a blog, which I've linked to above."

Asmoday presents The Lies of the Good posted at The Asmoday Experiment, saying, "Feel good hippies, unconditional love, and telethons to feed the hungry all have one hypocritical flaw, I'd like to talk to you about that..."

Wenchypoo presents *Book Recommendation* posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Rich Bordner presents But It’s a Religious Argument!!! « The Pugnacious Irishman posted at The Pugnacious Irishman, saying, "These days, labeling a view as "religious" is often more than enough to get it marginalized to the private, inner sphere (read: not relevant to anything meaningful). In this post, I take that attitude to task."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: Rants, blog carnival.


Remember, if you want to host a Rant carnival, let me know in the comments. Spread the word, too, and we'll all get our words "heard" by more people.

I KNEW It! Barney IS Torture!!!

My kid used to love watching Barney. Now he's into Bob the Builder. Thank goodness! I always knew Barney was evil :)

And the BBC has reported on a particularly insidious practice: using the theme songs from theme songs to Sesame Street and Barney to break the will of prisoners.

Rockers to Press Obama on Music Torture | Danger Room from Wired.com

Rants -- December 15, 2008

Welcome to the December 15, 2008 edition of Rants.

el guapo presents AMAZING WORLD EXCLUSIVE: posted at eljumpingbean, saying, "ehem...political round table discussion goes awry"

John Kaduk presents Russia: The U.S. Will Break Apart posted at The Right Wing.

Archvillain presents Epic Fail-out posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "Bankrupting our future to pay for the past is worse than robbing Peter to pay Paul."

Wenchypoo presents Holiday Rerun: This Thing Called Hunger Part 2--Parental Abdication posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket, saying, "We've become a nation of underachievers who reward failure, and Peggy the Moocher is our REAL leader! Here's a glimpse of how the Peggys of our society get by each year...on OUR backs!"

BH presents Muslim Jihadis go after Mumbai, India posted at Bangladeshi Hindu.

Steve Simbeck presents Cigars, fags and calling a spade a spade posted at No Mato mi Pavo, saying, "General rant regarding some PC issues"

GrrlScientist presents America's Food Availability Crisis posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "One thing that the Thanksgiving Holidays has made clear: America, the land of plenty where holiday overeating is celebrated as a social good, is suffering from a food availability crisis. Food availability affects family life as well as life-long eating patterns and overall health."

Sidhusaaheb presents Prima Facie: A Few Observations on the Mumbai Attacks posted at I, Me, Myself.

Archvillain presents Unintended Consequences posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "My attempt to give some background on the horror in India this past weekend."

APH presents Matt Yglesias fails to make the right case against highways posted at Market Urbanism.

APH presents Could NY Democrats Revive Rent Control? | Market Urbanism posted at Market Urbanism.

Steve Faber presents Higher Federal Fuel Taxes for All posted at super gas saver, saying, "Be careful what you wish for......."

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Irony Has At Least Seven More Lives posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

Greg Laden presents The Scientific, Political, Social, and Pedagogical Context for the claim that "Race does not exist." posted at Greg Laden's Blog.

Wenchypoo presents The Truth About the Economy and Job Creation posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Alli presents How to Save the Republic - Part 3 - Repeal the Direct Election of Senators posted at The Smoking Argus, saying, "We must understand that the Central Bankers who sought to regain control over our money supply and monetary policy at the beginning of the 20th century did indeed learn a precious lesson from the demise of the 2nd Central Bank of the United States…"

Merlin Silk presents The End of America - Naomi Wolf posted at The Magic of Life, saying, "It were my parents who lived in Germany under Hitler and now we can see all this happening here again in the good old US of A - and this time I am here to witness it myself."

Mike presents The Day the Music Died. posted at Such a Downer.

NotYourDaddy presents Depression-Era Values and a New New Deal posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "There's not a lot of nostalgia for the Great Depression but, if we'd retained some of the values from that era, we might not be skidding toward another one now."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: rants, blog carnival.

You Have a 1 in 10 Chance of Landing a Job in the Obama Administration

The number seems low...but I like the odds.

300,000 Apply for 3,300 Obama Jobs - NYTimes.com

Rants, November 30, 2008

Welcome to the November 30, 2008 edition of Rants. There are a lot of good ones, so find a quiet place, get a coffee or a beer, and settle in for a while.

John Tedder presents » John McCain, Bad For America - Tedder’s Random Notes posted at Tedder's Random Notes. 

Phil B. presents Confusing Voting Ballots « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "I recently received my official sample ballot for the General Elections. And once again, I can only scratch my head when reading the new proposed laws that I am suppose to vote for." 

Kara Sheridan presents Disaboom | KaraSwims | Rock the disabled vote posted at Jeff Charlebois, saying, "The statistics of how many people with disabilities vote or are even able to get in the polling places are definitely rant-worthy. Read why we all need to rock the disabled vote!" 

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Just Call It The McPettiness Express posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness. 

Archvillain presents Not This Crap Again! posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "What is WRONG with these people?" 

Joe Hayes presents Political Jokes posted at Restoring Your Finances and Your Faith, saying, "Some really funny politically oriented jokes, just in time for the Election! Includes Barack Obama and John McCain related humor, and quotes from famous people too." 

Madeleine Begun Kane presents An Obsessive's Lament posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness. 

taucan62 presents Obama Landslide, Race Issue Laid To Rest posted at rjjrdq's America, saying, "Race card? What race card?" 

Bill Spohnholtz presents Social Security Sense posted at Learn The Stock Market And How to Trade. 

Archvillain presents Tangled webs, etc. posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "The majority should not have the power to deny minorities their civil rights by referendum." 

Joseph presents The Obama Plan – What It Includes posted at Penny Pinching. 

Wenchypoo presents This Just In: What to Expect From an Obama Nation (or Abomination) posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket. 

Coralie presents Is America Going Red? posted at Happily Oblivious. 

Machione presents Now, More Than Ever, It's Time To Make America PURPLE. posted at Fear And Loathing - The Gonzo Papers, saying, "Who is the "us" that is being represented in Washington, D.C. and {insert the name of your state's capital city}? It's the fanatics at the farthest ends of the spectrum that are setting the agenda and creating the environment in which we are expected to survive. The majority of us are silent in terms of what counts." 

 SjP presents say what? posted at Sojourner's Place, saying, "Can somebody please tell me what the hell Sarah Palin was saying when Wolf asked her: Is there anything new that you want to come up with -- a new Sarah Palin initiative that you want to release right now?

PALIN: Sitting here in these chairs that I’m going to be proposing but in working with these governors who again on the front lines are forced to and it’s our privileged obligation to find solutions to the challenges facing our own states every day being held accountable, not being just one of many just casting votes or voting present every once in a while, we don’t get away with that. We have to balance budgets and we’re dealing with multibillion dollar budgets and tens of thousands of employees in our organizations.

I'm serious, what the hell was she talking about?" 

Jacob presents Rant on society’s expectations … posted at Early Retirement Extreme. 

Steve Gillman presents Social Security Rip Off posted at The New Ideas Blog. 

Wenchypoo presents One Nation Underachieving posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket. 

Ben Connor Barrie presents Building a Sustainable Economy posted at Grown Ass People, saying, "How can we build a more sustainable and equitable economy from the global financial crisis?" 

SpkTruth2Pwr presents Rosa Parks-She refused to stand up posted at The Apathy Remedy, saying, "The power of leadership is not reserved only for the formally educated or the obvious candidates. It can be reserved for the person who decides to say enough is enough" 

The Edjumakator presents Edjukashun posted at The Edjumakator, saying, "Gettin learnd is impotant" 

BH presents An India-Israel-United States Alliance: The Last Great Hope for Humanity posted at Bangladeshi Hindu, saying, "Dr. Richard Benkin, Jewish activist in the movement to protect human rights of Hindus living under fascist Islamic nation of Bangladesh talks about the need for a friendly alliance between Israel, US and India" 

M Wilson presents American Car Manufacturers Cry Foul posted at Ignorant Mouth, saying, "The economic downturn is not to blame for the decline in the American automotive industry" 

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Dear Bush, Doesn't Your Brush Need Clearing? posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: rants, blog carnival.

Rants -- November 14, 2008

Welcome to the November 14, 2008 edition of Rants. 

Jeffrey Stingerstein presents A Reality Check For the Wall Street Journal About the Bush-McCain Tax Cuts posted at Disillusioned Words. 

rjjrdq presents Election A Sham, Voting Machines *EASILY* Hacked posted at rjjrdq's America, saying, "In case you thought your vote counted..." 

Wenchypoo presents Updated: The Law of Unintended Consequences Part III—Something for Nothing posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket. 

David Weingarten presents B.C. Pipeline Terrorism Eerily Similar to RCMP “Dirty Tricks” posted at Weingarten.ca, saying, ""Who is behind the recent pipeline bombings in British Columbia?"" 

Archvillain presents Alchemy, Astrology, and Other Nutty Ideas posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "The lunatics are taking over"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: rants, blog carnival.

Obama and Hitler Are Liberal. Really?

This guy named Paul Broun, a Republican first term congressman from Georgia, compared Obama to Hitler.

“The point I tried to make is that he is extremely liberal, he has
promoted a lot of socialistic ideas, and it just makes me concerned."

As can be divined from my previous post, Is Obama Hitler?, I found that hundreds of people searched for the term, or a combination of, "Obama Hitler." That's how they found my little old blog. There clearly are a lot of fearful people who think Hitler and Obama share an ideology. Now our congressmen are saying such stupid things.

It's apalling to think that anybody thinks this way, yet they do.

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Congressman sorry for likening Obama to Hitler « - Blogs from CNN.com

Taylor Swift Versus David "The Dork" Archuleta

Clearly written by fanboys of Mr Archuleta, this "review" (ahem!) is pretty funny, nevertheless. Here are some funny quips.

David Archuleta vs. Taylor Swift: Who Is Better?

Facebook Groups Calling For Obama Impeachment

Not even sure where to start here. Groups are popping up on Facebook calling for "the impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama." How's that?

First of all, you idiots, he's not the President yet.

Second, what is so compellingly vile about him that you'd want to impeach him on day 1?

Let me list some reasons why another President should have been impeached but wasn't:

• Ignored FBI and CIA warnings that bin Laden was determined to attack the US on US soil.
• Waited 2 months after 9/11 to begin looking for bin Laden. He said we'd get him "Dead or Alive." A while later, when asked about bin Laden, he said, "I don't think about him much."
• Shuffled bin Laden's family out of America while US citizens were stranded in airports across the land.
• Started a war in Iraq based on trumped up "intelligence" and lies.
• Can't finish the war because he had no exit strategy.
• Oh, yeah, tortured prisoners of war, against the Geneva Conventions.
• Held captives in Gitmo indefinitely without trial, until the Supreme Court ruled (years later) that he couldn't.

I'm sure you can add to the list. What has Obama done? Dickheads.

AFP: 'Impeach Obama' groups pop up on Facebook

Obama Two-fers McCain

A landslide it was not, but a victory with significance nonetheless. Barack Obama will be our next President of the United States. He gave an incredible speech, bringing not only Jesse Jackson to tears ("Why not me?" Was that what he was thinking?), but a few thousand folks in the crowd.

It was probably the best speech I've heard him make.

John McCain was gracious in defeat. I'm infinitely grateful that the twit wasn't allowed to speak. I hope she vanishes from the national scene and goes back to Alaska to look out her window and dream of a romantic rendevous with Putin.

It was interesting to hear the McCain crowd boo Obama and to hear the silence when Obama mentioned McCain. Kind of how the whole campaign season went: McCain throws sucker punches, Barack bats them away like pesky mosquitoes.

Overall, a great night for America.

If Barack Weren't Black, He'd Be Clear (read the story)

I'm going to go on record right now and say the Barack Obama is the clearest choice for me for President of the United States in all of my voting history (I'm old, but not that old). He is the next Ronald Reagan, only he's progressive, black, and not an actor-turned-politician. Let's hope he wins and brings just a little humility to the office of the President. And let's hope that his message is carried out in a way that produces results, rather than the back-handed bullshit that Congress always pulls on the President (either party).

For those of you who disagree, leave comments. Don't just get all pissy and leave. Start a debate. Go on record as being against him. That way, when he fails, you can always make the legitimate claim that "you told me so."

Possible Landslide for Barack Obama?

First things first, what is a landslide? Of course, the prognosticators are referring to the Electoral College vote, not the popular vote. One popular pollster, who actually uses some very detailed and complex mathematics and statistics, and who's been EXTREMELY accurate in predicting outcomes of elections and primaries, is FiveThirtyEight.com, who has the following prediction up right now:

Capturing 65 percent of the College's votes is pretty impressive, leading to a 30 point victory. That's HUGE. But Obama is projected to win by 6-8 percent with regard to the popular vote. So let's not call this a blow-out. Let's not even call it a win for Obama just yet. Stranger things have -- and will again -- happened.

Have you voted? Have you seen any unusual polling procedures? Voting machines working okay? I'm a "permanent vote by mail" voter, which means I'm supposed to get my ballot in the mail, fill it out, and mail it in. Only I got mine on Saturday, not giving me, or the Post Office, enough time to get it to my polling place in time. So, I'll have to go drop it off tonight after work.

I hope I don't have to stand in line to drop it off! That would REALLY defeat the entire purpose, wouldn't it?

Oh, by the way, I had to call the county election office 3 times to get my ballot.

Government works. Just not very well or expeditiously.

Remember, vote early, vote often.

The Economist Endorses Barack Obama

Anybody who's been reading here knows that I deeply admire Senator Barack Obama. You also know I'm an economist by training and I like a good Rant now and again.

No rants here (sorry). The Economist, the pre-eminent publication on the global economy, stuck its neck out and said if it had a vote, it would cast it for Obama.

If that isn't enough to get you to "swing the right way," I don't know what is!

Seriously, The Economist is a dead-serious magazine. The article is really worth a read. It takes on all sides of Obama and McCain.

None of this, of course, will change your mind about whom to vote for. But it may open your eyes to a more objective method of choosing the next President of the United States.

An endorsement of Barack Obama | It's time | The Economist

Sarah Palin Is a Marxist

This one cracked me up! Sarah Palin is a Neiman Marxist!

She tried to paint Barack Obama with the Socialist paint brush, but it back-fired on the little twit. Ha!

Blog Carnival dot com SUCKS

I've mentioned my My Love-Hate Relationship with Blog Carnival before. In fact, here's a listing of all the times I've posted something about how much BlogCarnival.com blows:

• Rants -- August 20 Edition: Blog Carnival Blows -- I said then, in summary, "So here's your first Rant: I hate Blog Carnival. They simply suck. I don't know how else to say it. They blow monkey ass."
• Rants -- July 6 Independence Weekend Edition  -- saying then, "There weren't a lot of submissions and BlogCarnival let me down again."
• Rants -- May 4, 2008 -- I said, "This week's edition was all hosed up because the Blog Carnival site went down for untold hours. No explanation. No apology. I guess I got what I paid for (it's free)."
• Kids and Money -- May 2, 2008 -- saying at the time, "I don't know about you, but temporary in computer terms usually means a couple of hours. It's been at least 8 hours now...and counting."

So that's a short bit of history for you on my experience with BC. I will tell you that I love the concept, and when it works, it's fabulous. But those accounts up there? They are just a few. Many times, I didn't write about the site being down. I just sucked it up and waited. It's over now.

The best part about it all is that there's really no way to contact the site's keepers. When their "database is unavailable" their whole business seems to cease to function. The ONLY thing that "works" (used loosely) is their home page, which redirects to the "Our database is temporarily unavailable" message page.

I don't know of any alternatives, but you can bet I'll be looking...starting NOW.

So, F$%k them. If I have to stop running these carnivals, I will. I apologize to you, the folks that send in the AWESOME Rants here (and the Kids & Money posts at my companion site). You make it all worthwhile and I'll try to find another way. I mean, it's more inconvenient for you, not me. When you have something really bugging you and you want to RANT about it, you want to submit a post, but you can't.

But I'm not dealing with these guys anymore. Just not worth the headache.

So, if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I appreciate it.

BallotPedia.org -- Check It Out

Main Page - Ballotpedia

Nicely-done web site, telling you about all the ballot initiatives for every state. What a wonderful resource!

One Week Out, Who's Going to Win?

There's one week left for John McCain and Barack Obama to make their pleas to the American voting public. Who's leading, who's going to win, and what will be the reasons for the win and the loss? After all, somebody will win. With every winner in an election, or any game for that matter, there's a loser.

On paper, if you didn't know anything about American politics, you'd think John McCain would be a shoe-in and Barack Obama would be a long-shot. And I guess a year ago, that might have been the case.

Virtues of John McCain:

• Combat-tested
• Long-time pubic servant
• Navy veteran
• Tortured for years while POW in Vietnam. Survived.
• Co-author of McCain-Feingold bill, which became law

Drawbacks of Barack Obama

• Strange name. Barack Hussein Obama
• Very little national political experience
• Black
• "Associated with terrorists"

Now, you see I've stacked the deck in McCain's favor. Like I said, on paper, Senator McCain is eons ahead of Senator Obama. If Obama loses, it will be because of those detriments listed above. And if McCain loses, it will be because of those virtues listed above.

But that's on paper. Or in black and white bits or pixels.

Surprisingly, Barack Obama is leading in most polls, on both national polls and in the state polls. He's also ahead in most battleground states.

How will he lose? I'm not being flippant; I'm afraid the Democrats will find yet another way to lose. Will it be because Obama is a socialist, comparable to Karl Marx or Upton Sinclair? Or will it be because of the taxes he'll raise? Might it be because Obama is going to nationalize health care?

All of these "reasons" are bunk. Obama's tax plan is comparable, in effect, to McCain's. In fact, more people will benefit from Obama's plan than McCain's. Obama is no socialist. Hell, he's not even French! And finally, health care will not be nationalized. He just wants all of us to have the same choices as he gets as a senator. Why shouldn't you? Damn, remember, WE are Congress' employer! Why should the owners of business be given inferior choices in employment terms like salary, health care, and retirement plans?

Interestingly, Obama is more pro-America than John McCain. He wants to encourage American businesses to create American jobs! Imagine that! Country First! What a bunch of crap the McCain camp spews about this!

How will he do this? He'll give tax credits! Hot damn. Republican tax tactics being used by the Democrat. And the Black Democrat, no less. It really sucks when the "If you can't beat 'em crowd" joins 'em.

Nevertheless, it all boils down to whether McCain and the Squealer can tear Obama down enough to whittle away the lead Obama and Biden have (and, oh, please, don't let Biden talk any more).

Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, and Andy Griffith Video

Here's a great set of videos by Ron Howard, Andy Griffith, and Henry Winkler. Funny.

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

One Week Out, Election 2008

You may be able to tell by my previous posts that I like Barack Obama and despise John McCain. Oh, as people, they're probably both okay. But from a presidential perspective, there's really only one choice. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of questions I have about Obama, first among them is "How do you propose to do all of this without spending us into debt from which we can never recover?"

That is to say, if President Bush hadn't beaten him to the punch (under President Bush, the national debt has doubled, from $5 trillion and trending down, to over $10 trillion and decidedly never trending down again).

I heard some nitwit on TV today saying that none of our enemies was afraid of Barack Obama and that all of them were afraid of John McCain. First, tell me how this matters? Second, the problem is that all of our allies are afraid of John McCain, too! Thanks to my wife for that insight.

I've spoken with quite a few of my friends who have always voted Republican and they're voting for Barack. Or at least they say they are (google Bradley effect). It's not so much that they're impressed with Obama as they are depressed about McCain's ineptitude. I hear that the McCain camp is already looking for ways to blame Sarah Palin for the loss. Funny how that works -- they picked her!

Though I find her increasingly reprehensible, not to mention annoying with that stupid accent, I think she added to the Republican presidential ticket. That's really not saying much, though. It really shows just how far in the hole the started.

It's somewhat astonishing to me how poorly the Republicans have run this campaign. And it's mind-blowingly amazing that the Democrats haven't found a way to lose.

But there's still time! A lot can happen in a week (+). Obama's lead is somewhat protected because of early voting, however. A lot of folks have already voted and no matter what happens in the next week or so, nothing can change their vote.

I certainly hope I'm wrong about my apprehension about Barrack Obama. I, too, hope I'm wrong about my prediction on another web site about Obama's 8 percent handicap because he's black (I don't think he's inferior at all; but a lot of Americans do). Barack Obama gives me the same sort of feelings I had when I was a youngster and fell in political love with Ronald Reagan. Reagan gave a young man a reason to feel proud about his country, that he could in fact accomplish anything he set out to do, and that America's fortune was about to turn the corner.

I feel those same things now (but only if Barack Obama wins). I'd like to see a landslide.

The thing that concerns me most about all of this, though, is the fact that Congress will become over-run by liberal spend-thrifts (again, not like the Republican-controlled Congress was any better) like Nancy Pelosi and Tin Man Harry Reid. I don't think I could ever fully express my utter displeasure with those two inept idiots. My only hope is that Obama leads the country in the right direction, unlike "Wrong Way W."

Rants -- October 23, 2008

Welcome to the October 23, 2008 edition of Rants.

The BoBo presents McCain can still win with the right strategy! posted at The BoBo Files, saying, "If McCain follows a hard hitting tactic in the debate and the remaining days - perhaps the people might actually decide to take a look into Obama's history..or..better yet, maybe the MSM might actually do a story about Obama that doesn't call those who oppose him a racist!"

Indian presents 2009 Horoscope - Astrology posted at DecisionCare, saying, "Find out how Obama/McCain will do next year based on their sign. 2009 Horoscope forecast and astrology predictions."

The Delinquist presents October 15th Presidential Debates: My SummaryThe Delinquist, saying, "Angry, funny, offensive, tongue in cheek summary of the 3rd and final presidential debates."

DWSUWF presents President Jed Bartlett Endorses Divided Government.Divided We Stand United We Fall, saying, "Barack Obama will fit somewhere between Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush in the One Party Rule Power Abuse Rankings. Somehow that seems appropriate. My casual observation is that the amount of damage done by One Party Rule correlates primarily to the number of years the Rule is in place, and whether the party in power has a filibuster proof 60-40 majority. So there is some cause for hope that the damage can be limited in the next two years."

David Weingarten presents "Toronto 18" Guilty Verdict Fuels Government Gravy-Train posted at Weingarten.ca, saying, "With exclusive comments from RCMP informant Mubin Shaikh"

Archvillain presents (Out of) Focus Groups posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "The lunatics are driving me mad."

Nicholas Powiull presents The Justice System is NOT What it Seems to Be (My Personal Experience): by Nicholas Powiull posted at Conscious Flex, saying, "This article explains the system behind the justice system. Everybody should know this..."

kudzumaster presents Michele Bachmann and her Anti-American ParanoiaThe Vine.

Jeffrey Stingerstein presents What Is the Angry Right Going to Say About Colin Powell Now? posted at Disillusioned Words.

GrrlScientist presents I get eMail posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "The Blue States want to secede from the Union, and leave the Red States to their own devices. Here's the official letter from the Blue States to the Red States."

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Ode To John "Air-Quotes" McCain posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

M. E. Adams presents Obama Media Pigs 2008 posted at Revolution, saying, "Just a blurb about Obama Media pigs and the facts."

Ron McKie presents Rush Limbaugh is a thief posted at Phuck Politics.

BoH presents Confessions of an X republican posted at buddha of hollywood.

Greg Laden presents An Open Letter to John McCain regarding Planetaria and Science Education posted at A Vote For Science.

Arun presents Quirky Communication posted at Arun is Bringing You...Your Daily Remedy, saying, "A little rant on the evolution of communication"

Phil B. presents The Great Waste of Pumpkins posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "It's that time of year again when a large number of Americans go to their local supermarkets and purchase a large pumpkin only to use it as a decoration for only a few weeks."

Jon Swift presents Let McCain Be McCain posted at Jon Swift, saying, "Americans don’t want a President like Obama who is calm and cool in a crisis and never seems to break a sweat. They want a President who is as angry as they are, someone who will lash out unpredictably at our enemies."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: rants, blog carnival.

It Costs a Lot of Money to Put Lipstick on a Pig

Apparently, pitbull, pig, or Palin, it doesn't matter -- it costs $150,000 to put lipstick on it.

I will not deny that Sarah Palin is hot. She is on fire. But maybe the fire is intensified because she lies so much (get it, her pants are on fire).

Nevertheless, I'm not sure it's money well spent for the Republicans. $150k just doesn't go as far as it used to, when they had to give Nancy Reagan a new set of dishes.

What I want to know is, how do they get Palin to keep her trap shut long enough to put the makeup on? She's one of those chicks that is supremely hot until she talks. Then it's all downhill from there. That "hold my nose" Minnesota accent is so annoying! And that stupid smile right after she says something she knows is a lie...

Here's a link to a funny video -- YouTube - John Cleese on Sarah Palin

Stylists: Palin's fashion buys worth it - Yahoo! News

McCain and Economics: Strange Bedfellows

We've seen the onslaught of "Economists against Obama" but we still don't know what McCain's stance is on a lot of policy issues. Or, rather, we know his stance has changed with no visible reason for changing. Here's an excerpt from a Wall Street Journal piece a few years ago. Contrast his stance then with his stance now on the "Bush tax cuts," as an example.

Featured Article - WSJ.com

Yet Mr. McCain holds the most eclectic set of economic policy positions of any politician I've ever met. He seems to defy political typecasting, reveling in the role of maverick. He voted against the Bush tax cuts ("Way too tilted to the rich"), while supporting antigrowth initiatives to combat global warming ("Climate change is just a huge problem that really needs to be confronted"), and is the lead sponsor--with Sen. Ted Kennedy--of a guest worker program to allow immigrants to enter the country legally. Any one of these landmines could blow up in Mr. McCain's face in conservative red state primaries in 2008. His 2000 presidential bid was capsized by Christian conservative primary voters in South Carolina. He readily concedes that "sometimes I have run-ins with the right-wingers in the party."

I come away believing that if I'm ever in a knife fight or in a foxhole, there is no one I'd rather have next to me than John McCain. Whether he's someone who should be steering the rudders of the American economy is a different issue altogether.

McCain's Straight Talk Express: If By Straight Talk You Mean Double Talk

Or, as his one black friend might say, "Double Talkin' Jive!"

Here's McSame on a host of issues. Too bad most people only see Obama as a socialist, or a terrorist, or a black (or, worse yet! The Horror. A half breed.) man. Obama has to win by 8 points just to stay even.

Remember that figure. Obama wins only if he wins by 9. 54.5-45.5. Then the score will by 50.5-49.5. Mark my words. Eight percent of people polled who say they'll vote for Obama won't. Because he's black. That's today's handicap for being black.

But onto Senator Senile.





Flip or Flop? Bet McCain's favorite breakfast joint is the Waffle House!

Rants -- October 16, 2008

Welcome to the October 16, 2008 edition of Rants.

John Kaduk presents ACORN, Voter Fraud & Obama posted at The Right Wing.

becauseemilysaysso presents Don't Rationalize A Man's Stupid Behavior. posted at Because Emily Says So.

supermom_in_ny presents Should Sarah Palin's Newsweek Cover Take Center Stage During Our Economic Crisis? posted at Entertaining Life.

Jonathan Bartlett presents Conservatism and Christian Social Justice posted at Conservative Theology, saying, "This is an article on why Christians interested in social justice issues should be conservative."

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Sarah In Wonderland posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

Kristen McCarthy presents Organic is Next to Godliness posted at this-sustainable-life.com, saying, "Organic products have become the food of the bourgeois –and I’m not talking about the kind of food historically only available to the rich: calf liver pâtés, speckled Emu eggs, and ninety-nine dollar square watermelons –instead, I’m talking about the essential food groups that ensure our nutrition: vegetables, fruit, grains, and dairy."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: rants, blog carnival.

Joe the Plumber

'Joe the Plumber' says he has no plumbing license - Yahoo! News

"I just hope I'm not making too much of a fool of myself," he added.

Too late for that!

Seems that the dumbass doesn't have a plumber's license, nor does the company he supposedly wants to buy (with what?), which is counter to what the country they do business in says (you need a license).

So, we're listening to supposed "small businesses" or their agents who probably don't even pay taxes at all (they didn't pay for their license, so why pay taxes?)!!!

Barack Obama Just Lost the MLB Vote!

MLB pushes back World Series Game 6 by 8 minutes - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

Angelina Jolie's Breasts Subject to Adoration?

Jolie breast-feeding photo: triumph or trouble? | U.S. | Reuters

The problem is that she is also an international sex symbol. So whether or not she says 'This is a beautiful way of nurturing my baby', every man who sees that photo will see those breasts as sexual.

Not true. They'll see those breasts as wrappers around a dick. Kinda like buns around a hot dog.

Bush to Address Nation Over Financial Turmoil

Chicken Little will surely save the planet by telling people that our economy is "Strong." Or "We'll persevere." Or "You're with us or your agin us." Yes, "agin."

World Markets in Freefall - FOXBusiness.com

The freefalling markets have put enormous pressure on world leaders, many of whom are due to huddle in Washington on Friday to come to a global solution to the ailing financial systems.

President Bush is scheduled to address the nation on the ongoing crisis at 10:25 a.m. EDT.

Don't you just love the timing of this? Is this so he can catch the beginning of Matlock?

Rants -- October 9, 2008, Uncut, Unedited Because I'm Lazy Today

Welcome to the October 9, 2008 edition of Rants. 

Wenchypoo presents Updated: Will The REAL Economy Please Stand Up? (L-O-N-G) posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket, saying, "Please accept my apologies for submitting a rant that isn't politically-based, but I wrote this back in January, and now spiffed up for September, it accurately explains just what the hell's going on with our economy today." 
Posts don't have to be political. They can be anything that really chaps your hide. 

Wenchypoo presents Updated: Why Your Vote Really Doesn't Matter posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket, saying, "The original post was written back in January, but I spiffed it up for September because it's still relevant--even more so now." 

Mike Gogulski presents Unabashed anti-Americanism posted at nostate.com. 

NotYourDaddy presents No Federal Bailouts! posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "This country is headed for disaster because of fiscal irresponsibility at every level, encouraged by those who think the government can just manipulate the economy a little bit more, just another tweak here or another pinch there. A push here or a squeeze there. But it’s all an illusion as long as the debt keeps growing." 





Archvillain presents Shell Game posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "We are being conned! Again!" 

leon rostaing presents Spank your arctic monkey posted at bands you love to hate. 

Jason Mosley presents Arby's Chicken Bacon and Swiss Sandwich: FAIL at MrBaconpants.com posted at MrBaconpants.com. 

leon rostaing presents Listening to Coldplay is like trying to commit suicide by pouring hot wax into your ears posted at bands you love to hate. 
I'll be sure to listen! NOT. Though I hear the lead singer sounds like Bono...not Sonny 


NotYourDaddy presents Social Engineering as Economic Policy posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "What we are witnessing today is not a failure of the free market. It is the failure of social engineering as economic policy. And it’s a disaster of epic proportions."

babs mountjoy presents A mother of a job posted at Awalkabout's Weblog, saying, "What job can't a woman do?" 

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Did The Dog Eat John McCain's Debate Notes? posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness. 

Recoil presents Obama Should Be Ashamed to Run His New Ad posted at Double Barreled Opinions. 

Lily W presents Some possible leftovers from the Vene-Russian love affair posted at If only my English were better. 

DWSUWF presents "The ShitHouse" - A fable for our time posted at Divided We Stand United We Fall, saying, "All this political discussion has made me hungry. I think I'll walk down to the ShitHouse and order up a double order of tonight's blue plate special - the Economic Rescue Plan Crap Sandwich." 
Sounds yummy.


Sean Lindo presents McCain and the theatre of the absurd posted at Sean Lindo, saying, "Just a mixture of rants with a college filter." 

Tom Hanna presents How broke is it? posted at Tom Rants, saying, "A common sense conservative refrain is «If it ain't broke, don't fix it.» So now that the House of Representatives (including 90 some Democrats) have rejected the Mother of All Bailouts and the market is dealing with the news, before the next round of political tinkering we can take the time to ask «How broke is it?»" 

Phil B. presents Why the Bank Bailout will probably NOT Work posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "Here are my 4 reasons why the Bank Bailout will probably NOT work." 

Traci Hayner Vanover presents Sarah, If You?re Listening?Some Tips for Thursday posted at Kiss My Sass™, saying, "With all eyes on Sarah Palin this Thursday evening, the stakes have never been higher for a Vice-Presidential candidate." 

Quisani presents Chavez Claims U.S. Constitution is Outdated posted at The Quisani League. 

Rickey Henderson presents Rickey Presents: The Vice Presidential Debate of Submisunderestimanation (AKA The Only Vice Presidential Debate Preview Worth Reading) posted at Riding with Rickey. 
Are you really Rickey, the guy who stole 1000 bases? Man, I loved your style! 

Madeleine Begun Kane presents A Do-Over Supreme Court Test For Palin? posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness. 

taucan62 presents Washington Mutual + Illegal Aliens = Bailout? posted at rjjrdq's America, saying, "Great! That bailout bill passed..." 

Wenchypoo presents Now For the Aftermath... posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket. 

T. Dalia presents My money is on Obama -- not the NFL posted at Daily Dalia. 

tea512 presents Golden Parachutes for Failure posted at Tea512, saying, "We would like to document a few facts about golden parachutes amidst the taxpayer bailout of Wall Street." 

Dan Blustein presents Conventional Instruction or Bust? posted at Grown Ass People, saying, "A rant about problems with education in our country"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: rants, blog carnival.

HONK If You Love John McCain

Make-Believe Maverick : Rolling Stone

On the grounds between the two brick colleges, the chitchat between the scion of four-star admirals and the son of a prizefighter turns to their academic travels; both colleges sponsor a trip abroad for young officers to network with military and political leaders in a distant corner of the globe.

"I'm going to the Middle East," Dramesi says. "Turkey, Kuwait, Lebanon, Iran."

"Why are you going to the Middle East?" McCain asks, dismissively.

"It's a place we're probably going to have some problems," Dramesi says.

"Why? Where are you going to, John?"

"Oh, I'm going to Rio."

"What the hell are you going to Rio for?"

McCain, a married father of three, shrugs.

"I got a better chance of getting laid."

Dramesi, who went on to serve as chief war planner for U.S. Air Forces in Europe and commander of a wing of the Strategic Air Command, was not surprised. "McCain says his life changed while he was in Vietnam, and he is now a different man," Dramesi says today. "But he's still the undisciplined, spoiled brat that he was when he went in."

Cindy McCain: What's She Hiding? Oh, Yeah.

Mark Nickolas' Blog: Cindy McCain's Business Relationship With Charles Keating and Why She Must Disclose Her Finances

CINDY MCCAIN: You know, my husband and I have been married for 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years. This is a privacy issue. My husband is the candidate.

QUESTION: You'll never release, you're saying?

CINDY MCCAIN: No

QUESTION: Never?

CINDY MCCAIN: No. No.

QUESTION: Even if you're first lady?

CINDY MCCAIN: No.

QUESTION: Because that is, even though not an elected position, you would be in a very public role.

CINDY MCCAIN: I'm not the candidate.

Only, she has been a primary contributor to her husband's political aspirations. So where do you stand on this? Read the linked story before you decide.

Miscellaneous Ramblings on VP Debate (Biden and Palin)

A few words on the VP debate held last night. First, and least importantly, the candidates looked fabulous.

Now, it's all downhill from here. I've heard both the "left" and "right" talking about who won, who did best, who cleared the bar, where the bar was, etc.

Poppycock.

First off, Sarah Palin did better than I thought she would. She obviously studied. And it showed. This is both good and bad. Good because she didn't get crushed by the Biden intellectual juggernaut. Bad because, well, it looked like she was regurgitating a high school lesson.

Second, Palin came across as condescending. To you, it may have appeared as cool, witty, hip, or something positive, but, for me, she came across as if she thought she was better than Biden.

Third, WTF? The debate started at 8pm, St Louis local time (Central) and lasted for at least 90 minutes (seemed like days). Her family brought her "challenged" baby up. Sure, she he (thanks, Kristen!) was asleep, but why was a baby out at 10pm?

How many "hockey moms" would have their babies out that late at night? Maybe I was just seeing things.

Fourth, WTFsquared! Palin gave a "shout out" to god-only-remembers! This was not a rap performance, nor was it a cheerleading competition! OMG, have we sunk so low that this sort of crap not only is acceptably presidential, but it also resonates with the voting public?

That was too much for me.

But the thing that really got me was her insistence on ignoring every question and turning it into "what I did as mayor, governor, and regulator" or "energy" or "maverick." By my unofficial count, Palin answered one question.

This automatically gets her an "F." Of course, only my opinion. Give me a "shout out" or a "kiss my ass" in the Comments :)

I don't care how great your dissertation is on why the sky is blue if in fact the question was a word problem that started out familiarly: If a train leaves Chicago at 10am...you didn't answer the gosh-darned question!!!

Now, on to Biden. He didn't pounce. He should have cleaned her clock. I thought his breakup when he was talking about being a single dad was touching. It didn't even look scripted, though nowadays, I am so skeptical that it's always the first thing I think.

Finally, Biden's BS about frequenting Home Depot was baloney. He might get out and about (it's well-known and agreed that he rides the Amtrack into and out of DC), but I doubt he does a lot of home improvements. And that's okay with me, just don't try to be Tim "the Toolman" Taylor!

Wells Fargo Buys Wachovia

Oh, didn't see that one coming! I thought I read that Citibank was buying part of Wachovia. Now, it looks like Wells bought them lock, stock, and barrel for $15 billion. Too bad WaMu's leadership couldn't have been better at basic negotiations! They need to never have jobs again, and with their excessive pay packages, they won't need to!

Elvis IS ALIVE!

At least to Dutch airport security officials. You see, a group of hackers passed a RFID-enabled passport through security at an airport, and it passed!

To me, the importance here isn't the poor security at airports; rather, it is a confirmation to all us Elvis fans that he is still alive. And I don't blame him for being in the Netherlands. Get it?

Forged Elvis Passport Accepted By Airport Security

Biden / Palin Debate Strategy

Here's a great story on the strategies Palin will be using to attack Biden (because she has nothing else to go on) and how Biden should react. I hope the Obama campaign reads this. Better yet, forget reading about it and go all Nike about it (Just Do It).

One more thing (I don't have time to go all aggro on this): Why are these things called debates? Nothing like debating goes on in these things. They should be called

De-baits

The only thing the candidates try to do is go fishing for weaknesses and get their opponents on the defensive. And it works.

And why do Conservatives insist that we shouldn't talk about winners and losers in these things? I guess nobody wants to talk about losing, which they will.

Their only "win" will be getting the stupid voters to go to the polls and vote for McAssWipe and Ms. Bates.

Eric Schmeltzer: Palin's Debate Strategy and How Biden Can Beat It

REAL Presidential Poll Results

I got the scoop on who is winning the race for President --

Nice-looking bobbleheads! In real life and in toys!

Technorati Tags: bobbleheads | Barack Obama | John McCain

My New Car Will Be Powered by Coal

Did you know you could heat your house an entire winter for about $40? It takes about a ton of coal to heat a house; coal is about $40 a ton.

Crazy.

This is why China and India are gaining on us (actually, they might have surpassed us) in terms of energy production. They have lots of coal. And it's cheap. In fact, China is building, on average, 1 huge power plant per week!

That's why I'm buying a car that runs on coal. Sure, it's much worse for the environment, but why should I care? I can take the thousands of dollars I save each year and buy carbon offsets at Whole Foods! Isn't that how "Big Business" works?

Why not me?

Why not you?

All of this is said in jest, but mark my words, if somebody isn't already designing a steam car, they will. And it will be powered by coal. Damn the lung cancer!

Want to learn more about why energy independence is far down the figurative road? Read Physics for Future Presidents.

Technorati Tags: alternative energy | coal | physics

Is Palin Qualified To Be President?

Zakaria: McCain's VP decision is 'fundamentally irresponsible' - CNN.com

CNN: Does it make you concerned about Sen. McCain as a president?

Zakaria: Yes, and I say this with sadness because I greatly admire John McCain, a man of intelligence, honor and enormous personal and political courage. However, for him to choose Sara Palin to be his running mate is fundamentally irresponsible. He did not put the country first with this decision. Whether it is appropriate or not, considering Sen. McCain's age most people expected to have a vice presidential candidate who would be ready to step in at a moment's notice. The actuarial odds of that happening are significant, something like a one-in-five chance.

He goes further:

It is just we are talking about a person who should be ready to lead the United States at a moment's notice. She has never spent a day thinking about any important national or international issue, and this is a hell of a time to start.

it became clear that she has simply never thought about these subjects before and is dangerously ignorant and unprepared for the job of vice president, let alone president.

I couldn't agree more. She's got a lot going for her. If she boned up on worldly and economic issues, perhaps by becoming a member of Congress, she could very well become qualified. But her nomination is akin to Joe Blow getting the nod: He knows nothing about anything either.

Print the Truth

Here's a new web site that is obviously partisan, but the posters are cool anyway. Do the Republicans or conservatives have something like this? They should!

Print The Truth: Who's the Elitist?

Leave It to the Republicans to Screw the Dead Pooch

John McCain is dead. His presidential hopes were dashed; mark my words. A deal needed to get done this week. Now, it'll be at least a week before a new deal is done. Some banks will fail between now and then, perhaps even as soon as tomorrow.

My prediction: A laid off banker will poke McBain in the eye.

McCain move upsets Wall St bailout talks: Dems | Reuters

Rants -- September 25, 2008

Welcome to the September 25, 2008 edition of Rants.

becauseemilysaysso presents Everything is just going to have to stay where it IS. posted at Because Emily Says So.

SeanBissell presents Forgotten And ?Taboo? Diet Facts posted at Yummy Fitness | Fitness For Fun People.

Ron McKie presents God bless America posted at Phuck Politics.

Chris presents Sarah Palin, Spirituality and Forbidden Knowledge posted at Martial Development, saying, "Read this today, because it might get banned tomorrow."

David Engfer presents 90’s Male Thunderbird Spotted in the Wild posted at engfer(s).

Kevin Brink presents How Keith Olbermann Could Cost Obama the Election posted at The Red Stapler Chronicles.

supermom_in_ny presents Ten Celebrities Share Their Views on Sarah Palin posted at Entertaining Life, saying, "Ten celebrities exercising their right to freedom of speech."

Livingalmostlarge presents Republican's Moral Values? posted at LAL Musings.

Archvillain presents Basic Criteria posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "Anyone who wants MORE Government involvement in their lives is an idiot. Period. Full stop."

Jeffrey Stingerstein presents Mr. McCain, The Palin Bump Is Over, Please Deliver a Policy posted at Disillusioned Words.

Menstrual Poetry presents Congratulations, Did You Pray Today? posted at Menstrual Poetry, saying, "An experience with a religious, pro-life woman who makes all religious, pro-life people look like overbearing psychopaths."

Richard Cummings presents A Battle of “Looks”: McCain Vs. Obama posted at Live Your Way, saying, "As I watched John McCain and Barack Obama on 60 minutes last night, I realized what my new commander-in-chief is going to command me to do most often: 'Look!'"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page

Technorati tags: rants, blog carnival