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

BREAKING NEWS: Clay Aiken Is Gay!

With the financial markets in tatters, you'd think nothing could trump that news.

BUT WAIT

Clay Aiken has spoken. And it was with a lisp! He's gay!!

Who wudda thunk it?

And by the looks of this picture, he's the next serial killer. Save the baby!

Clay Aiken: I'm a Gay Dad - Clay Aiken : People.com

Sarah Palin Spoofs

From A Disgruntled Republican

US Buys Into French Economic Plan

This is a great article about how How We Became the United States of France.

Even in the strongest sectors in the U.S., there's no getting away from the French influence. Nothing is more sacred to France than its farmers. They get whatever they demand, and they demand a lot. And if there are any issues about price supports, or feed costs being too high, or actual competition from other countries, French farmers simply shut down the country by marching their livestock up the Champs Elysee and piling up wheat on the highways. U.S. farmers would never resort to such behavior. They don't have to: they're the most coddled special interest group in U.S. history, lavished with $180 billion in subsidies by both parties, even when their products are fetching record prices. One consequence: U.S. consumers pay twice what the French pay for sugar, because of price guarantees. We're more French than France.

The so-called "conservatives" must be eating their berets right about now! With the way things are going, the only thing we'll have going for us is McDonald's where we'll all be saying, "You want French fries with that?"

Still Feeling Good About the McCain Palin Ticket?

McCain made a wise choice in picking Sarah Palin. After all, half the population is women, so it makes sense that he try to appeal to the other half. You know, the half that doesn't like him.

Unfortunately, it seems that the people who most like her already liked him. So maybe he didn't get the boost he thought he should. Perhaps his blood pressure hasn't declined from the heights it's reached. He's old. He has health issues. He'll die one day. And according to actuarial tables, he'll die sooner than Obama (that is, if some redneck doesn't get ahold of Obama first).

Here's a fun video about McCain's health.




Enjoy knowing that Sarah Palin, former beauty queen, will be the next most powerful man on the planet. I'd not only like to know he's of sound health and mind (fat chance on that), but also Obama's, Biden's, and Palin's. I think it's a standard operating procedure, isn't it, that at least the presidential nominee assures the public that they're getting a product that isn't defective or already worn out?

I'd be pissed if I voted for somebody who died a few months later. I'd want my damn vote back.

Time Magazine Person of the Year Award

I'm a Time's Person of the Year. So are you. Congratulations. Sorry I've been so late in congratulating you!

Read My Rant on SEC Chairman Chris Cox at Money Hacks

Over at my companion site, Money Hacks, I've posted a scathing rant on the financial mess we find ourselves in and I point specifically at Chris Cox, former lawyer "free marketeer," head of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In short, part of the reason the market, and specific financial institutions in particular, has fallend so quickly is because the SEC relaxed rules or stopped enforcing existing measures that protected the market. Specifically, they apparently stopped pursuing naked short selling (which is illegal) and they stopped the uptick rule. These two things exacerbated, and some could argue -- caused -- the mess we're in now and the calamitous fall of AIG, Lehman, and WaMu, to name just a few.

Read more here.

Laura Bush Totally Looks Like The Joker

Laura Bush Totally Looks Like The Joker « Totally Looks Like… Famous People and Celeb Look-A-Likes

Rants -- September 18, 2008

Welcome to the September 18, 2008 edition of Rants.

Neil presents Lathered in Nashua posted at Your Mileage May Vary, saying, "Your readers may remember our rant about losing air conditionin in our New Hampshire hotel room. On our last day, we lost hot water in the room, too, WHILE I was in the shower!"

TheLittlestGuy presents who peed in the water? posted at TheLittlestGuy.

NotYourDaddy presents Environmentalists vs. Alternative Energy posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "The environmentalists claim they oppose drilling for oil because they favor alternative energy sources that are cleaner and safer for the environment. But it turns out that the greatest opposition to alternative energy production comes from environmental groups!"

NotYourDaddy presents When A Free Lunch isn?t Good Enough posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "If we teach our children that poverty is just as good as prosperity, and people who don’t have as much as others deserve to have it given to them, why should anybody strive for anything better?"

Danielle Duff presents America's New Sex Symbol posted at Palin, the Politician to Nowhere.

Sammy Benoit presents WHACKO NEWS SYNDROME, The Health Crisis Caused by Sarah PalinYID With LID.

Sammy Benoit presents WHOOPI GOLDBERG->PLEASE CHANGE YOUR NAME !! posted at YID With LID.

Ron McKie presents Racism at its best posted at Phuck Politics.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Sarah Palin's Barracuda Blog posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

Ella Moss presents IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID! « Zodiac Times posted at Zodiac Times, saying, "American economy and politics rant."

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.

More on Sarah Palin and Her Readiness to be President

I've been reading Andrew Tobias - Money and Other Subjects
for years. I respect him and while I go there for the personal finance advice and information, he is the Democratic Party's Treasurer. So, he knows what he's talking about, if not more than a little biased. He says:

I don’t blame Governor Palin. She didn’t represent herself to John McCain – I assume – as anything but what she is. It was he who concluded that “she knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America.” Straight talk from a fine judge of talent. Can’t wait to see who he picks to run FEMA.


Senator McCain acknowledges that economics is not his strong suit (he’s reading Alan Greenspan’s book) and Governor Palin says she got a D in macroeconomics from one of the six colleges she went to on her road to an undergraduate degree.


I am not mocking her – and I’m certainly not calling her stupid. I am mocking the notion that she is qualified to be President. Which it seems to me is a baseline qualification for being Vice President.

I couldn't agree more.

Beauty and the Beast

This picture pretty much sums up the Republican ticket.

I wonder when they'll let the Beauty speak without cue cards and pre-answered questions?

I'm not suggesting she's dumb, but I am suggesting that the campaign is afraid she'll say something that won't play right. Like abortion in cases of rape is still killing babies. Or "I was for the bridge before I was against it!" We all know how that played out last time for John Kerry.

It's my opinion, too, that she obviously didn't know what the Bush doctrine is, but who does? Does Bush even know what it means? Probably not. Oh, he knows about pre-emption, but he most likely didn't know what it meant, either. After all, the dude didn't know what sovereign meant.





And that's okay. We Americans seem to want dumb people running our country. It makes us feel better about ourselves, kind of like why we watch Jerry Springer and Nancy Grace.

Rants -- September 11, 2008

Welcome to the September 13, 2008 edition of Rants. It's a big one, due to the fact that I haven't posted one of these since August 20...I apologize for that. There are some really good rants in here, too. So, pull up a chair, get a beverage, and have fun.

Holly Ord presents Man Suffering from PTSD Sentenced for Resisting War posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Dom presents Warcraft Destroyed My Life: Love or Addiction? posted at Dom At Large, saying, "Warcraft is an extremely large and involving game. Can it also be addictive?"

the baglady presents Thoughts about the Olympics and being Chinese in America.

Ian Bowman presents Vlog IV: On Safeway posted at If It Feels Good Do It, saying, "What did you notice the last time you were in Safeway? Here's what I noticed."

Shaula presents Knackered in Nashua posted at Your Mileage May Vary, saying, "What do you do when your hotel air conditioner breaks down? Rant!"

Madeleine Begun Kane presents McCain Thought They Were Asking How Many Combs He Owns.

Alberto O. Pareja-Lecaros presents Hillary Supporters Need To Move On posted at Youth Politics, saying, "Hillary supporters need to stop whining and start moving on with their political lives."

Archvillain presents Housing Crisis posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "The "housing crisis" is actually a crisis of Government-sponsored stupidity"

Michael Snyder presents 15 Things That Are Wrong With America posted at The Moral Collapse Of America.

Pauly T. Kal presents Code Pink Crybabies! posted at Political Rants from the Right, saying, "Video of code pink protester getting knocked on her can by one of Denver's finest during the conventions! Great! Maybe next time she'll step back as she's asked!"

The BoBo presents The Obamas are NOT the Huxtables! posted at The BoBo Files, saying, "Why is it that people are now trying to convince the American public that the Obamas are the new Huxtables? Her speech wasn't that good!"

Suldog presents Disingenuous Pieces Of Shit posted at Suldog-O-Rama, saying, "I'm just sick of it..."

Jeffrey Stingerstein presents Dems Come Out of Decade Long Hibernation With Great ConventionDisillusioned Words.

Meg presents Oligatory Election Comments posted at Simpson's Paradox.

NotYourDaddy presents What Have Progressives Got Against Progress? posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "Liberals don’t want to be called liberal anymore. They prefer to be referred to as “progressive.” Why are they suddenly ashamed of the word liberal? Why do they feel the need to redefine themselves as something else? And why have they chosen the singularly inappropriate term “progressive” to describe themselves? It almost seems as if they’re begging the question."

NotYourDaddy presents Sticks and Stones and All That posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "Since when is it racist to disagree with a black person? The term “racist” used to be reserved for true bigots, like the KKK or the Aryan Nations, — really despicable people. Now, anybody can qualify for that previously heinous label just by not supporting Obama."

Ashok presents "Stupendous Fabrics:" Notes on Alexander Hamilton's Federalist No. 9 posted at Rethink., saying, "Hamilton and Madison claim that improvements in political science have been made, making a large republic possible. Exactly what does that claim entail?"

Holly Ord presents Sarah Palin is Not a Feminist posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Brian Jay Stanley presents The Errant Power of Politicians posted at Aphorisms and Paradoxes.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Sarah Who??? posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

Archvillain presents Achtung! posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "So much for the right to peacefully assemble."

old-wizard presents Top 10 Worst Types of People posted at Old-Wizard.com.

Wenchypoo presents Word of the Day: Decadence posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket, saying, "Written before Gustav actually hit, but illustrative of the nonsense and "reparations-receiving" that goes on in certain risk-prone areas of this country."

NotYourDaddy presents Ron Paul's Revenge posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "Like a spoiled child, if Ron Paul can’t be the nominee, he’ll take his marbles and go hold his own party somewhere else, doing his best to create a distraction from the RNC, siphon off as many votes as he can, and undermine the very party of which he claims to be a member."

Alex presents The Vista rant posted at Davai Blog, saying, "Vista is a pain. Plain and simple."

cranky presents The Cranky Professor posted at The Cranky Professor.

Nicholas Powiull presents How to Attract Money into Your Life & Get into the Mind-Set of Abundance (My Personal Experience): by Nicholas Powiull posted at Conscious Flex, saying, "This is my rant about my personal experience on how to attract money. The most important thing to know about money is within this article. A MUST READ! Thank you :)"

adso.of.melk1@gmail.com presents Why We Love Palin. posted at Lorem Ipsum, saying, "Why do we love Palin? Because she makes us feel smart."

Rickey Henderson presents Rickey Presents: The Republican National Convention Drinking Game.

Lori Jewett presents Equanimity as a Weakness? - I Think Not posted at Between Us Girls, saying, "Why must the politicians and the media twist things so? And when they do, why do we believe it?"

Cancerkitty presents Improving Video Games posted at DelSquacho, saying, "Some suggestion for improving gaming."

Mark Montgomery presents Affirmative Action for Boys: The Moral Equivalent to Affirmative Action for Blacks and Latinos? posted at Great College Advice, saying, "Thanks for considering my post."

Archvillain presents A 50-Year Snit posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "A prolonged fit of pique does not good Government policy make"

The Monk presents 740,000,000--0 posted at The Key Monk.

Allen in Fort Worth presents The Theological Implications of Hurricane Gustav posted at The Whited Sepulchre, saying, "hurricanes continue to hit New Orleans. Is God trying to tell us something?"

amanda s presents Sarah Palin Sexism Debate posted at Startup Fiance.

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.

9/11 and Apologizing to Pigs

Here are excerpts from Andrew Tobias about the Republicans wanting an apology from Obama for his stating the obvious and about 9/11:

APOLOGY

They want an apology for using the word lipstick?

• How about an apology for what they’ve done to this country these last eight years?
• They’ve cut the value of the dollar nearly in half.
• They’ve borrowed $4 trillion from our kids to give tax cuts to billionaires.
• They’ve sent thousands of our kids to die invading the wrong country.
• They’ve diminished our standing in the world.
• They’ve done nothing on health care.
• They’ve held back stem cell research.
• They’ve fought against worker protections and against benefits for returning veterans.
• They’ve installed corporate lobbyists as regulators. (Their Interior Department, we learned on last night’s news, was literally in bed with the oil industry.)
• They’ve dug us into a deep, deep hole.

And they want an apology? The only thing more ridiculous than their wanting an apology from us is their wanting four more years.

AND YES . . .

I do remember what day this is – and our great friend, Rob Deraney, whom we lost that day. (It was actually Rob who introduced Charles and me.) But the best way to honor the memory of those we lost is not, as former Mayor Rudy Gu911iani recently did, mock community organizers – the same mayor who insisted on putting the City's emergency control center in the World Trade Center – but rather to help get our great country back on track.

FU, John McCain and Miss Piggy. Go screw yourself Rudy.

ADHD and Boys: Pandemic or Over-Reaction?

This story totally pisses me off. More and more kids are being diagnosed with ADHD and most have decided it's something environmental and needs to be treated chemically.

Far more boys than girls are diagnosed with the condition, too.

It's all bullshit. Surely, the disease exists. Always has, always will. But when does a child's behavior cross the line from "typical boy" to ADHD-needs-to-be-treated-with-Ritalin?

Seems very soon.

I think the "experts" need to go back in time and examine some of the great leaders and innovators in the world: Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Warrent Buffett, to name but a few, and determine whether they had ADHD and then ask one more question (okay, maybe 2): What did it matter and how did they deal with such a debilitating condition (it's a problem, right)?

I think they'll find that part of the increase in cases is due to population growth; some is due to increased pathogens in our environment, food, air, water; and finally, the bulk of it will be heightened attention to the disease itself.

Most of which is due to M-O-N-E-Y.

Drug companies found a money tree. Over the years, they've cultivated it. They've fertilized it. They've pruned it. Now they're harvesting it.

There's a huge amount of money to be made from exploiting parents' concern over their children's health and well-being. Given the chance to right a wrong in your kid's brain, wouldn't you? Do you care about the dollar cost?

Of.

Course.

Not.

It's so sad to see the exploitation of a mortal fear solely for the purpose of squeezing more money out of people. But it's the way the world works.

Therefore, we need to investigate the stakeholders in any and all issues and follow the money. It's our only chance to make sound decisions.

This whole thing is crap. Drugs have their place, but they're way overused. And to use them on our children is a shame.

I'm sure I had (have?) ADHD. So what? I can read, write, do math. I have two degrees, have always held a job, and I've taught hundreds of people how to do things.

Just think how fucked up I'd be if I had taken drugs to "help me" with my disease. Drugs, by the way, that don't have a long-enough history of administration to make meaningful conclusions. Could be that Ritalin, for example, is great at getting kids to concentrate but ever-so-subtly changes the most basic components of a child's body (genes? Mitochodria? Cells? Organs?) that he lives a shorter life, becomes more susceptible to diseases, or affects his offspring?

All of these things are unknown. But wouldn't you feel better about all of this if you just knew that ADHD is, and always has been, more "normal" than we thought? And that the consequences of having it and not treating it aren't so dire?

Only you can choose whether to give your children drugs for ADHD. I hope I've made it clear that it's just not up to your child's teacher or his doctor (who's financed, in large part, by the pharmaceutical and insurance companies).

Why schools are failing boys - Family and health - TODAYshow.com

BREAKING NEWS: John McCain Has Put Lipstick on a Pitbull

The brouhaha that's come about from Barack Obama using the time-honored phrase of "lipstick on a pig" while referring to John McCain's horrible policy proposals (you pick it: economics, healthcare, war, national security, they're all the same -- bad -- and while I'm at it I'm not suggesting that I agree with Obama's policies entirely) is utterly ridiculous (there, I called Sarah Palin a cow).

John McCain has used the phrase before when talking about Hillary Clinton's healthcare plan. Was he calling Clinton a pig?

He's also used the words horse, shit, and -- no doubt -- nigger.


Was he talking about Barack Obama?

This is utterly ridiculous. See what I did there? I called VP nominee (aka the Barracuda, Pitbull, MILF, hockey mom, two lips) Sarah Palin a cow again.

But let's give the McCain crybabies the benefit of the doubt. Let's say Barack was calling Palin a pig, rather than a pitbull. 

• Pitbulls kill babies
• Pigs make mighty fine bacon and yummy hams.

She'd rather be called a baby killer than a scrumptious breakfast food? That doesn't sound quite right, does it? Sounds like what Republicans call Democrats.

And now the "liberal media" is harping on this "gaffe" incessantly. And it's all because Palin's a chick. Big deal. I'm sure she's been called worse: Whore, warmonger, spend-thrift, bitch, and catty.

She's a big girl. And let's not forget: She was chosen because she's a woman. Is that not bigotry? It's as if the Republicans forgot all about their argument against affirmative action when they chose a skirt for the 2nd most powerful position on the planet.

Ask yourself this: Who would you feel safer with? Joe Biden or Sarah Palin as president if the acting president died or became incapacitated?

I know where I stand? Do you?

Some Things Never Change

It's comforting to know that some things just never change, like Marilyn Monroe's appeal, water running downhill, and the Raiders always losing to the Denver Broncos.

Last night, the Oakland Raiders got sodomized to the tune of 41-14. And why the hell were there two Monday Night games?

When will Al Davis die? That's the only way that organization will ever shake its shittiness.

Alberto Gonzales Is Like a Frog in Hot Water

"Alberto" Gonzales is back in the news again for -- hold your collective breath -- perjury. Full story here -- Think Progress » New Justice Department Inspector General Report Contains Evidence Of Gonzales Perjury

Notes on Sarah Palin

I was watching Sarah Palin's speech on my DVR (I don't like watching these things live because I don't want to get caught up in the euphoria or foaming at the mouth), and the coverage I had recorded (PBS, a lot less on either side than MSNBC and Fox News) kept showing her family (undoubtedly, the other networks were doing this more -- I've watched enough of these to know this).

The thought that kept going through my mind was how much her family looked like the one depicted on the right.

My god, she has a lot of kids; they span from a baby to a 19 year old, who may have been conceived out of wedlock, just like her soon-to-be-born grandchild. But it's all cool because he enlisted in the military on 9/11/2007 and is being deployed on 9/11/2008.

How sweet. And convenient. And contrived.

Facts Simply Get in the Way of the GOP

Here's a piece from the Associated Press on the lies the Republican party has spewed out in their first couple days of their Klan convention.

Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention - Yahoo! News

McCain's Bait and Switch -- from Blanca Debree Blog

This is absolutely brilliant! Read the whole thing here -- Blanca DeBree Blog

Guitarist and Singer Jerry Reed Is Dead

I loved this guy. Jerry Reed was a super guitar picker. He did a remake of Guitar Man with Elvis (well, not with him, as Elvis was dead). It rocks!

Loved him in Smokey, too.

'Smokey and the Bandit' star Jerry Reed died // Current

How the Presidential Nominees Stack Up on Tax Cuts

I can guess who'll you vote for based very simply on the graph in the linked story: For whichever candidate's tax cut will be biggest for your particular income.

Try it.

TaxProf Blog: Calculate Your Obama Tax Cut

Fellow POW Will Not Vote For John McCain

Phillip Butler is a Vietnam vet who spent 8 years (2 1/2 more years than McCain) as a POW. He has two Silver Stars, two Legion of Merits, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Heart medals. He roomed across the hall from John McCain at the Naval Academy. Here's his story and why he won't vote for McCain.

Why I Will Not Vote for John McCain

I can verify that John has an infamous reputation for being a hot head. He has a quick and explosive temper that many have experienced first hand. Folks, quite honestly that is not the finger I want next to that red button.

I "get it" -- do you?

Need more convincing? Here's Mr Butler's video:

Day 1 of the Republican National Convention

Just like the Democratic National Convention, I watched some of the festivities. For example, I watched our current president gush over John McCain and his POW experience. This, after using the dirty tactics he used in 2000 against McCain, planting the seed that McCain had an affair with a black woman.

I also saw Fred Flintstone Thompson talk endlessly about McBain's war heroism. OMFG, they need to STOP with the POW crap! It drives me crazy. The man's biggest accomplishment was by being a total failure. He got shot down. He lived. Big deal.

It's not like he survived cancer. (Yeah, I know he did. But it was skin cancer. Again, big deal.)

Rudy was supposed to speak, but he either didn't or I missed him and his big ass-mouth. I'm sure he threw in some heroic deeds of his own, about how he saved the city of New York from Osama bin Laden, or how his top cop was a one-time consideration for DHS head.

It seems all the Republicans have left is the military. I'm afraid if they lose this one, they'll order the armed services to enforce martial law; it's their only chance at retaining control.

The more I hear about Miss Alaska Runner-up, the less I like her. She'd better do that Playboy spread soon (Penthouse seems more her style, but I digress). All the McBoners with Viagra need some eye-lovin'. I did see some footage of McCain's introduction of Palin as his running mate (or is it, as the Daily Show surmised, his future 3rd wife); all he could do was stare at her ass. I'm not sure what body she has left after having 5 kids, one just this year at age 44, but apparently her ass is better than that beer-fed Skeletor he's shackin' up with.

If this post seems a little sour on the Repugnicans, I don't apologize. I still hurt from the jilting I got in 2001, when the neo-cons took over my party. Everything, and I mean everything, they supposedly stand for, they really don't. Here's a short list:

• Family values
• Morals
• State's rights
• Country first
• Fiscally responsible
• Let the market decide
• Stay out of people's lives
• Lower taxes

I don't know about you, but on each of these topics, I was better off under President Clinton, and I hated that dude. If asked, "Am I better off today than 8 years ago?" I'd have to say yes, but only because I got lucky and made some good decisions. This government certainly did nothing for me. And for that, I'm casting my ballot for Barack Obama.

I'll watch McSame's speech, and I really can't wait for Palin's, but they've got no chance of winning me over.

Surge? You think the surge worked, man? What worked is we spent way more money than they did and we waited it out. By that logic, we'd have won Vietnam by 1980. But there would have been a downside: Rambo would have never been written and Ronald Reagan never would have been president. Besides, the only country Reagan invaded, he won in like 24 hours.

Read more about McCain here.

More tomorrow.

John McCain is 100 Percent Disabled

Here's an interesting story about John McCain, Republican nominee for president of the United States.

McCain's disability pension may renew questions about his fitness - Los Angeles Times

“It is a legitimate question to ask about the commander in chief: Is he fit to serve,” said Robert Schriebman, a senior Pentagon tax advisor and tax attorney who recently retired as a judge advocate for a unit of the California National Guard.

If McCain can hike across the Grand Canyon, then why should he be getting disability payments from the government that are tax-exempt, Schriebman asked.

McCain got over $58,000 in tax-exempt income as a disabled retiree from the US Navy. Very interesting how this works: He was tortured, came back to the US, did extensive physical therapy, returned to flying, and served another 8 years in the Navy. Retired. Presto. Full disability pension forever.

I don't have a problem with a pension. Any soldier who served his or her country in a time of war (meaning, they fought in the war, on or over the battlefield), should be taken care of forever.

However, I do have a problem with the disability aspect. First, McCain clearly has been permanently affected by his multiple broken bones. But is he disabled? He served another 8 years. He's been gainfully employed for over 30 years as an elected official. He is by no means disabled.

The Straight talker ought to get straight about this and give it all back.