Being a former Mormon, I find Mitt Romney fascinating...mostly because guys like him are what helped to drive me out of religion in the first place; double talking, false image, and strange views. Really strange.
There is an interesting little development that has emerged as Romney's literary tastes have become public; namely his choice of fave novel - "Battlefield Earth".
Now people are trying to spin this as if to make Romney sound like the everyman (he loves trashy lit like the rest of us), that it reveals his Mormon roots thus making him seem weird (Mormons believe God came from another planet and was an alien), and that this novel is a symbolic story of the current War on Terror (Alien group settles on alien planet, faces terrorist actions from natives who wish to destroy not only the alien threat in their midsts but to also strike at and destroy the homeland of the "invader").
What do I think? First, I am one to readily admit that book tastes are dictated by psychological orientation. In other words, violent flicks don't make people violent. They are drawn to the material because they identify with and live through the material. I believe Romney gets a thrill out of his fave novel. The exact reason is any guess.
Now I'm not saying to read too deeply into his literary interests. Though it is a keen insight into his psyche, it could mean anything. To simply say he loves it because, A) The book is written by a cult leader, B) He is a Mormon, C) Mormons are a cult, thus D) He must be weird and/or twisted like any cult member is to dumb down the entire mental profile of Mitt. Maybe he simply likes sci-fi. Really bad sci-fi. To play the opposite end of the argument, a large base of sci-fi readers are actually well educated and liberal minded. Would anyone be willing to say that about Mitt? Hell, with the way he flipflops, God only knows what Mitt really believes in.
So what am I saying about the media's obsession over Mitt's choice of books? First, this has already proven too long a campaign season if the media has already run out of worthy material to print about the candidates. Second, who the hell even came up with this question when I'd rather hear about policy views and plans for the candidates' administrations? And finally, of all the candidates out there, this comment alone has actually served to garner my interest in the man.
The real Mitt is finally starting to come out and he is, gasp, just like us. Is it a flaw that he didn't point out a stereotypical choice like "War and Peace", "Odysseus", or any other novel that no normal person has read, cares for, or even grasps in today's world? For once, the veneer came off and we saw an honest politician. The fact that he was willing to admit one of his guilty pleasures is quite a boon in my eyes. One could say this little soundbyte could work towards establishing a link between him and the people. Then again...
If the guy would simply stop trying to placate everybody and admit who he is I bet he would score more votes versus the cross-dressing dictator in waiting Giuliani, the senile McCain, or the second coming of Reagan, Fred Dalton Thompson. People want an honest, normal individual they can relate to for their leader. Perfection is a joke. I believe people in this country are getting tired of the tailored images and the perfect phrases. They want someone different, real, flawed, yet strong. Mitt, my man, you can fit that bill. Just show you have the courage to be you as strange as you might be. If you can hold your head up high and admit who you are that makes you more of a man than any of the other contenders.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Friday, May 4, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Life...ugh
Ok, I am horribly upset. I spent an hour and a half typing out my political platform for President (I might type it out again tonight. I don't know and it's a long story) and lost the entire damn thing! All ten pages! Gone! God, why have you smitten my computer with this pox?!?!?
Oh well, I did manage to get an article up on Drivl. Earth shattering? Not really, but at least someone dubbed my work worth electronic print.
I am sweating like crazy out here in the Midwest. Jesus, I feel so sticky. I have two fans on me at once and I'm still perspiring like a hog. I'm only 146 lbs. I don't have much to lose! I'm becoming the Incredible Shrinking Man!
So what to say now that I am still seething from the heat and losing an hour of my life? Eh, for fun I'll type out the twenty planks and probably elaborate on them tomorrow. And if you guys are willing to fund me as well as support me, hell, I'll actually run. Enjoy:
My Presidential Platform
1) Dissolution of Federal Reserve
2) Penal/Judicial Reform
3) Campaign Finance Reform
4) Replacement of Foreign Aid with Microloans
5) Sterilization of welfare recipients (trust me, it will make sense)
6) Privatization of Postal Service
7) Investment in alternative energy (beyond the farce we are seeing now)
8) English made the primary language (no, not xenophobic or racist)
9) Affirmative Action made illgeal (same as above)
10) Abortions legal to sixth month. After that only if threatening life of the mother.
11) Better border security. When I explain this you might agree or be horrified.
12) FCC stripped of censorship powers.
13) Term limits for all elected offices.
14) Legalization of drugs (listen to the argument before you scream!)
15) Corporate reform
16) End of athletics in elementary and secondary schools. Likewise, end to athletic scholarships.
17) End of the Cuban blockade
18) Flat Tax and a national VAT
19) Revocation of the "No Child Left Behind" Program
20) Spend as you go. In other words, a balanced budget.
Oh well, I did manage to get an article up on Drivl. Earth shattering? Not really, but at least someone dubbed my work worth electronic print.
I am sweating like crazy out here in the Midwest. Jesus, I feel so sticky. I have two fans on me at once and I'm still perspiring like a hog. I'm only 146 lbs. I don't have much to lose! I'm becoming the Incredible Shrinking Man!
So what to say now that I am still seething from the heat and losing an hour of my life? Eh, for fun I'll type out the twenty planks and probably elaborate on them tomorrow. And if you guys are willing to fund me as well as support me, hell, I'll actually run. Enjoy:
My Presidential Platform
1) Dissolution of Federal Reserve
2) Penal/Judicial Reform
3) Campaign Finance Reform
4) Replacement of Foreign Aid with Microloans
5) Sterilization of welfare recipients (trust me, it will make sense)
6) Privatization of Postal Service
7) Investment in alternative energy (beyond the farce we are seeing now)
8) English made the primary language (no, not xenophobic or racist)
9) Affirmative Action made illgeal (same as above)
10) Abortions legal to sixth month. After that only if threatening life of the mother.
11) Better border security. When I explain this you might agree or be horrified.
12) FCC stripped of censorship powers.
13) Term limits for all elected offices.
14) Legalization of drugs (listen to the argument before you scream!)
15) Corporate reform
16) End of athletics in elementary and secondary schools. Likewise, end to athletic scholarships.
17) End of the Cuban blockade
18) Flat Tax and a national VAT
19) Revocation of the "No Child Left Behind" Program
20) Spend as you go. In other words, a balanced budget.
Friday, April 27, 2007
The nature of politics today
You know, more and more everyday and I am really being repulsed by the Republican Party. Now I am a moderate with some conservative leanings (belief in gun rights, capital punishment, small government, an end to welfare, etc.) with only a smattering of liberal views (belief in abortion, redistribution of wealth though through a VAT rather than an income tax). I don't believe completely in the power of rehabilitation. Certain cases, such as sexual assault and mental illness, I fail to believe in second chances. One cannot force individuals to take medication nor can one expect to ever rewire an individuals sexual proclivities. That is biologicial fact. The willingness of many Democrats to ease prison restrictions and make an inmate's life more comfortable than mine were for the longest time something that kept me at arms length. Now, the Republicans are truly beginning to piss the living shit out of me.
I was tired enough of listening to Bush blackmail this nation for years along the lines of, "If you don't do what I say, 9-11 will happen again. If you don't believe in me you aren't a patriot. You want your friends to die. You want our soldiers to die. Do what I say and don't challenge me." I heard enough of this BS in church where one isn't expected to think but to succumb. Anyone or any organization that does not believe in constructive criticism or debate knows they are not completely in the right, have a shaky faith, and probably shouldn't be incontrol. A problem cannot simply be solved head on. Bush has surrounded himself with sycophants who refuse to tell him alternatives, to challenge him, to make him govern effectively. With so much power in such mediocre hands is it any wonder this nation has gone into the crapper? Certain people laud what he has done but what I have seen is a system of divide and conquer used most effectively by tyrants.
Have you ever wondered why there is so much war in Africa? It is because of the historical culture built up by European efforts at colonization. Being the minority, the Europeans found ways to create groups and pit them against each other. It helped to prevent any group from rising up and threatening the artificial status quo created to benefit the few at the expense of the many. When the Europeans imploded following two world wars and left a vaccuum in their wake, Africa never recovered. I am afraid that this nation might be following that course. What was once a united country in one shape or form has grown more disparate, more fragmented, more hostile. Bush has used so many tools to ward our eyes from war to fear to patriotism: the tools of despots. He rewards those who support him, those power players who finance his campaigns and keep him squarely in authority. Bush sacrifices underlings to protect himself and the illegal activities that he does. Illegal wiretapping, spying, government contracts to corrupt organizations, torture, and worse. Bush uses the same scheme as Hitler: when something untoward is uncovered, of course he never knew about it. He is insulated by a layer of underlings. This administration is so rotten it is making me sick.
And now once great men are following his stead believing it will lead them to power. McCain, a man I once admired, has so sold his soul that I cannot stand to look at him anymore. He has become a liar (Baghdad safe anyone?), a conformer (belief in abortion and the Christian conservatives, a true pox on modern politics), and a syophant (Bush is right on the surge). Giuliani has become an echo of Bush policy (need for extreme government intervention to prevent 9-11, Democrats threaten the safety of this country, blah blah). These men are not fit to govern. I will not elect them. I cannot.
I refuse to go through another eight years of military involvement in what is a foreign government's obligation to right itself. Split Iraq into the three separate entities it is and allow those new nations to find their way. We didn't try to force Yugoslavia to remain a single entity. Tax breaks need to come to a close. In fact, I believe income tax should be set to a flat tax and a national VAT created so that the rich finally don't have a loophole to escape paying their fair share. They want to live like kings, pay the taxes on the goods that pleasure you so. No Child Left Behind needs to stop. A nation of test takers? There is a reason the educational system is decentralized: flexibility. Immigration: time to either start enforcing the laws or for these various employment opportunities to face up and move south of the border. I cannot defend anyone who breaks the law simply because they want a better life. Perhaps our nation, rather than continually throwing money away to buy influence abroad, should create an organization that provides microloans to Mexicans in their home country to spur on economic growth so that they will have no reason to come north to search out jobs only to be met by the backlash of a nation that fears them and their cheap labor. Time to own up to the Kyoto Pact rather than sell out to businesses who only think of the profits today rather than the environmental ruin of tomorrow. Financial accountability would also be nice. I have to spend as I earn. Why the hell should government have the right to continually spend more of my money without my say? Folks, I could go on all day.
Now, regardless of what I'm saying I'm not a Democrat. I believe them to be spineless, too idealistic and out of touch with reality, and far too willing to raise taxes to give to the "poor and downtrodden". Welfare wrecked this country. You give people money without earning it and it soons becomes an entitlement. I believe in the Pavlovian Reflex. If they stay poor they get paid. Why bother to work for something one can get for free? There is no incentive there. I believe mandatory sterilization should begin for all individuals on wlefare. If you can't take care of yourself then you have no right to do with your body something you have no right to. I also do not believe in total withdrawal from Iraq. The place is in such a shambles that with us gone it is no doubt that someone will try to step in (Iran, Syria, etc.). Then there are the candidates. Hilary is almost as bad as Bush, willing to lie through her teeth in order to garner support from anyone and everyone. Yeah, I trust you with this nation! Obama has gradually shown himself to be a political animal turning Virginia Tech into a chip on the political table with his statements meant to capitalize on that tragedy. Not even the decency to leave it alone. And since when has jobs being moved overseas been perceived as violence, Barack?
I'm telling you, if I had the money I'd probably move to fucking Canada. Canada! You see how insane I'm becoming!?!? Sure it's dull, quiet, and really empty up north but at least things still work there. And for those who call me a traitor to my country and get the hell out if I don't like it, I ask you this: if you are willing to accept something rather than do what is best for you and those around you, refuse to even try to change things for the better, unwilling to give back and improve the country that you so love, then how are you anything but freeloaders? If you aren't an active citizen, then why do you call yourself a patriot?
I was tired enough of listening to Bush blackmail this nation for years along the lines of, "If you don't do what I say, 9-11 will happen again. If you don't believe in me you aren't a patriot. You want your friends to die. You want our soldiers to die. Do what I say and don't challenge me." I heard enough of this BS in church where one isn't expected to think but to succumb. Anyone or any organization that does not believe in constructive criticism or debate knows they are not completely in the right, have a shaky faith, and probably shouldn't be incontrol. A problem cannot simply be solved head on. Bush has surrounded himself with sycophants who refuse to tell him alternatives, to challenge him, to make him govern effectively. With so much power in such mediocre hands is it any wonder this nation has gone into the crapper? Certain people laud what he has done but what I have seen is a system of divide and conquer used most effectively by tyrants.
Have you ever wondered why there is so much war in Africa? It is because of the historical culture built up by European efforts at colonization. Being the minority, the Europeans found ways to create groups and pit them against each other. It helped to prevent any group from rising up and threatening the artificial status quo created to benefit the few at the expense of the many. When the Europeans imploded following two world wars and left a vaccuum in their wake, Africa never recovered. I am afraid that this nation might be following that course. What was once a united country in one shape or form has grown more disparate, more fragmented, more hostile. Bush has used so many tools to ward our eyes from war to fear to patriotism: the tools of despots. He rewards those who support him, those power players who finance his campaigns and keep him squarely in authority. Bush sacrifices underlings to protect himself and the illegal activities that he does. Illegal wiretapping, spying, government contracts to corrupt organizations, torture, and worse. Bush uses the same scheme as Hitler: when something untoward is uncovered, of course he never knew about it. He is insulated by a layer of underlings. This administration is so rotten it is making me sick.
And now once great men are following his stead believing it will lead them to power. McCain, a man I once admired, has so sold his soul that I cannot stand to look at him anymore. He has become a liar (Baghdad safe anyone?), a conformer (belief in abortion and the Christian conservatives, a true pox on modern politics), and a syophant (Bush is right on the surge). Giuliani has become an echo of Bush policy (need for extreme government intervention to prevent 9-11, Democrats threaten the safety of this country, blah blah). These men are not fit to govern. I will not elect them. I cannot.
I refuse to go through another eight years of military involvement in what is a foreign government's obligation to right itself. Split Iraq into the three separate entities it is and allow those new nations to find their way. We didn't try to force Yugoslavia to remain a single entity. Tax breaks need to come to a close. In fact, I believe income tax should be set to a flat tax and a national VAT created so that the rich finally don't have a loophole to escape paying their fair share. They want to live like kings, pay the taxes on the goods that pleasure you so. No Child Left Behind needs to stop. A nation of test takers? There is a reason the educational system is decentralized: flexibility. Immigration: time to either start enforcing the laws or for these various employment opportunities to face up and move south of the border. I cannot defend anyone who breaks the law simply because they want a better life. Perhaps our nation, rather than continually throwing money away to buy influence abroad, should create an organization that provides microloans to Mexicans in their home country to spur on economic growth so that they will have no reason to come north to search out jobs only to be met by the backlash of a nation that fears them and their cheap labor. Time to own up to the Kyoto Pact rather than sell out to businesses who only think of the profits today rather than the environmental ruin of tomorrow. Financial accountability would also be nice. I have to spend as I earn. Why the hell should government have the right to continually spend more of my money without my say? Folks, I could go on all day.
Now, regardless of what I'm saying I'm not a Democrat. I believe them to be spineless, too idealistic and out of touch with reality, and far too willing to raise taxes to give to the "poor and downtrodden". Welfare wrecked this country. You give people money without earning it and it soons becomes an entitlement. I believe in the Pavlovian Reflex. If they stay poor they get paid. Why bother to work for something one can get for free? There is no incentive there. I believe mandatory sterilization should begin for all individuals on wlefare. If you can't take care of yourself then you have no right to do with your body something you have no right to. I also do not believe in total withdrawal from Iraq. The place is in such a shambles that with us gone it is no doubt that someone will try to step in (Iran, Syria, etc.). Then there are the candidates. Hilary is almost as bad as Bush, willing to lie through her teeth in order to garner support from anyone and everyone. Yeah, I trust you with this nation! Obama has gradually shown himself to be a political animal turning Virginia Tech into a chip on the political table with his statements meant to capitalize on that tragedy. Not even the decency to leave it alone. And since when has jobs being moved overseas been perceived as violence, Barack?
I'm telling you, if I had the money I'd probably move to fucking Canada. Canada! You see how insane I'm becoming!?!? Sure it's dull, quiet, and really empty up north but at least things still work there. And for those who call me a traitor to my country and get the hell out if I don't like it, I ask you this: if you are willing to accept something rather than do what is best for you and those around you, refuse to even try to change things for the better, unwilling to give back and improve the country that you so love, then how are you anything but freeloaders? If you aren't an active citizen, then why do you call yourself a patriot?
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Politics can be entertaining
To show that politics in this country are gradually turning into a bloodsport, I offer you an interesting little article I found today:
ATLANTA -- Politics can be rough, but usually there's no real bloodshed. Apparently things got out of hand at a Midtown Atlanta bar early Saturday morning. Lobbyist Peter Stokes, 25, attacked fellow lobbyist John Clayton, hitting him over the head with a beer bottle, slicing off part of the victim's ear, according to police.
The men were attending a party at the Spotted Dog on North Avenue marking the end of the legislative session. Stokes was arrested on felony aggravated assault charges and booked into the FultonCounty jail.
He made a court appearance on Monday morning and bond was set at $20,000. On the State Ethics Commission Web site, Stokes is registered as a lobbyist for Georgia Natural Gas, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, the Medical Association of Georgia, the Strollo Group, Verizon and a business called Pull-A-Part.
Is it any wonder things have led to this what with the downward spiral of politics since Bush Jr. became President? There is a bitterness to the whole process that only seems to worsen in times of corrupt administrations when those with money realize the opportunity open to them and literally lead to conflict as everyone tries to rush and acquire their piece of the influential pie.
I mean come on. We had the Abramoff scandal which tainted virtually the entire Republican Congressional body. We even had one Congressman claim that he was safe from prosecution for bribery because of separation of powers, saying with great relish that the courts shouldn't have any authority to prosecute him for taking bribes because it would set the precedent of the judicial branch having hegemony over the legislature. Sorry, but aren't elected officials supposed to be answerable to the very laws they create?
Those in power truly are becoming farther and farther removed from us. Sometimes I wonder if there isn't some sort of alien world these people come from. This fraction of citizens does realize that there are nearly three hundred million other people in this nation besides themselves, yes? They do know that this game called "politics" actually has far reaching consquences, yes?
Now, I’m all for lobbyists killing one another. They are the viruses that infect the body of national/local politics. The less of them the better. Who knows. Maybe this can be the opening salvo in a "miniature civil war". Let the PACs storm one another's bastions and consume the whole in PR Hell. Their annihilation can finally free up politicians' time to actually listen to their constituents.
ATLANTA -- Politics can be rough, but usually there's no real bloodshed. Apparently things got out of hand at a Midtown Atlanta bar early Saturday morning. Lobbyist Peter Stokes, 25, attacked fellow lobbyist John Clayton, hitting him over the head with a beer bottle, slicing off part of the victim's ear, according to police.
The men were attending a party at the Spotted Dog on North Avenue marking the end of the legislative session. Stokes was arrested on felony aggravated assault charges and booked into the FultonCounty jail.
He made a court appearance on Monday morning and bond was set at $20,000. On the State Ethics Commission Web site, Stokes is registered as a lobbyist for Georgia Natural Gas, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, the Medical Association of Georgia, the Strollo Group, Verizon and a business called Pull-A-Part.
Is it any wonder things have led to this what with the downward spiral of politics since Bush Jr. became President? There is a bitterness to the whole process that only seems to worsen in times of corrupt administrations when those with money realize the opportunity open to them and literally lead to conflict as everyone tries to rush and acquire their piece of the influential pie.
I mean come on. We had the Abramoff scandal which tainted virtually the entire Republican Congressional body. We even had one Congressman claim that he was safe from prosecution for bribery because of separation of powers, saying with great relish that the courts shouldn't have any authority to prosecute him for taking bribes because it would set the precedent of the judicial branch having hegemony over the legislature. Sorry, but aren't elected officials supposed to be answerable to the very laws they create?
Those in power truly are becoming farther and farther removed from us. Sometimes I wonder if there isn't some sort of alien world these people come from. This fraction of citizens does realize that there are nearly three hundred million other people in this nation besides themselves, yes? They do know that this game called "politics" actually has far reaching consquences, yes?
Now, I’m all for lobbyists killing one another. They are the viruses that infect the body of national/local politics. The less of them the better. Who knows. Maybe this can be the opening salvo in a "miniature civil war". Let the PACs storm one another's bastions and consume the whole in PR Hell. Their annihilation can finally free up politicians' time to actually listen to their constituents.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
