The Blah-og of Tobedawg!

Sympathy for El Diablo? Actually.. El Rushbo...

2011-01-29T06:57:00.000-08:00

So, I always thought that it would be a COLD DAY in HELL before I agreed with Premiere Talk Radio host, RUSH LIMBAUGH, after all, he was one the KEY reasons why I was a young liberal in a very conservative area. I used to look in disgust at the vehicle stickers with "Rush is Right!" or when his TV show aired during the very prime 5pm on our local affiliate. Though my politics have changed since, I still refrain from listening to Limbaugh. Sure, I'll listen to GLENN BECK and MICHAEL SAVAGE occassionally, but LIMBAUGH just seems like the territory of grumpy old men and some of the "Dittoheads" seem just as brain dead as those that mark ("D") on the ballot regardless of whom the candidate is.. After all, it's not a Republican. God Forbid!

So, I found the news that LELAND YEE, a CA State Legislature from the Bay Area, has decided to target LIMBAUGH's advertisers over his "offensive" imitation of communist China's President, HU JINTAO on the January 19th edition of his show. As a result YEE has called for a boycott of LIMBAUGH's sponsors and has asked for an "apology" on behalf of the Chinese community.. Check out LIMBAUGH's "offensive" diatribe here:

Making comedic fun of Asian Americans is nothing new. COMEDY CENTRAL host, STEPHEN COLBERT, whom presented a character called "CHING-CHONG DING DONG" during his show and check out THIS clip in 2005 where COLBERT appears as "CHING CHONG DING DONG"..

BOTH LIMBAUGH and COLBERT are ENTERTAINERS.. The reason that YEE has targeted LIMBAUGH however, is obvious.. Political gain. Seems that YEE is trying to make a name for himself, all the while playing the race card.

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COLBERT is revered by liberals for his humorous news activism for the "United Farm Workers", meanwhile LIMBAUGH, like former VP candidate, SARAH PALIN is an easy target. Love him or hate him, LIMBAUGH has built a name for himself with his politcal news satire. He singlehandedly helped AM radio from going into extinction in the early 90's. If it hadn't been for RUSH there may have been NO HANNITY, NO GLENN BECK or MICHAEL SAVAGE and opportunist politicans, like LELAND YEE would have needed to find a new target for their attempts at making political gains.. LIMBAUGH is still the most listened to radio show in the nation and is currently in a $400 Million contract. Over the years, LIMBAUGH has "offended" many groups, the Communist Chinese President is just the latest in his string of humorous hits. What I find funny is that there is no equal outcry over COLBERT or THE DAILY SHOW, but I guess that's the way the game of politics is played..

Nope, never thought that I would go on the record as defending EL RUSHBO, but there you have it.

Reagan/Obama? Really?

2011-01-27T20:11:00.000-08:00

Once again the Mainstream Media attempts to defend the President that they helped to elect by using a new tactic... Apparently, playing up the sagging economy by stopping short of saying that "The Stimulus has created a Boom" has failed as has the spin on how "helpful" the Health Care Reform shall be... The "Hope" and "Inspiration" spin seems to have gotten stale too. Nope, this week TIME Magazine has used a new tactic. "Try to appeal to Moderate voters by comparing President Obama with a great Republican President".

On the cover of the new issue of Time Magazine, there is a picture of the 40th U.S. President, Ronald W Reagan with a "shadow" of the face of Barack H. Obama. The article is titled "The Role Model: What Obama Sees in Reagan". It does seem that the two do have something in common. They both have an Illinois connection. President Reagan grew up in Dixon, IL and was born in Tampico, IL whereas President Obama became a Senator and a "Community Organizer" in Illinois later in life. In all fairness, Reagan and Obama BOTH built up HUGE deficits and have high unemployment numbers during their first Presidential terms. This however is as far as the connection goes.

President Reagan slashed government spending and passed Tax cuts to stimulate the economy in 1982's "Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act". Many criticized his supply side "Trickle Down" economic methods. President Obama proposed a MASSIVE stimulus that was used primarily to create temporary government jobs and the illusion of "green" jobs which have failed to bear fruit. Granted, both Presidents walked into a bad economic situation. When President Reagan took office in 1981, the U.S. Inflation rate was at over 10 percent as was the Unemployment rate, which peaked in November and December at 10.80% for Reagan and 10.10% in November of 2009 for Obama.

The results of Reagan's slash and burn, supply side economics though began to see immediate results with the drop in inflation rate. Under Reagan, the inflation rate fell to a low of 1.91% in 1986, unemployment began to steadily decline through the rest of his first term.

President Reagan also made no apologies for U.S. Foreign Policy, which helped to shape his legacy in many ways. Reagan however, is credited with playing an instrumental part in the ending of "the Cold War". Meanwhile, President Obama's focus has been on apologetic diplomacy and is perceived as yielding and bowing to foreign leaders, whereas Reagan was seen as the rugged individualistic John Wayne-esque cowboy.

Also on the issue of organized labor, while the SEIU and other unions clamored to support Obama's run for President and were rewarded handsomely with pricy bailouts, President Reagan took a hard line approach in standing up to the labor unions. Most notably, President Reagan fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers and successfully "busted" their union.

Let us also not forget that Reagan was no stranger to tragedy during his Presidency. Early in his term, 29 days into office, the President was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. At the time, there were no calls to "end the hateful rhetoric" and finger pointing, instead the nation united.

Much to the dismay of many Conservatives, President Reagan also provided an amnesty to illegal aliens with 1986's "Immigration Reform and Control Act" which allowed up to 3 million illegal aliens that had entered the U.S. Prior to January 1st, 1982, an amnesty. President Obama continues to attempt to push for "The Dream Act" and other amnesties for the up to 12 million illegal aliens currently living in the U.S.

On the issue of the Supreme Court, President Reagan reached across the aisle and made progress by nominating Sandra Day O'Connor whom was a liberal justice. Reagan also appointed conservative William Rehnquist to Chief Justice and appointed Conservative Supreme court justice, Antonin Scalia, whom is revered by conservatives. Thus far, President Obama's Supreme Court picks have been: Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagen, whom is alleged to be a moderate. This would balance the 4-4 lib/con balance with one moderate...

I find the media's disingenuous attempt to compare President Obama to other "great Presidents" to be pathetic and laughable at best, a sign of unwavering, calculated bias at worst. We shall see how this plays out, but in the meantime, "Barack Hussein Obama, You are no Ronald Wayne Reagan"..

The Divided State of the Union

2011-01-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'll admit it! I only watched about 10 minutes of President Obama's "State of the Union" speech last night and listened to about 5 minutes of it on the radio. Also, I tuned in and out of WI Rep. Paul Ryan's rebuttal. I did watch most of the "Tea Party Express" address given by MI Rep. Michele Bachmann, which was NOT broadcast on FOX, but on CNN. It seemed that FOX News distanced themselves from Bachmann's speech which was too bad, since Bachmann's struck me as the most genuine and hopeful of the addresses.

I read through the Wall Street Journal transcript of what President Obama had to say and it just seemed incredibly recycled. The usual "spending on infrastructure, paying down the national debt, pathway to citizenship for illegals", etc. Even when he comes across as being "hopeful", it just struck me as disingenuous and really lacking inspiration.

I will give equal criticism to the Republican response by Rep. Paul Ryan, which, while it contained some fundamentally good ideas, the delivery of the response came across as highly scripted and insincere.

On the subject of Michele Bachmann's address, her speech was the crowning jewel of the evening. She delivered a hopeful and inspirational message, which was NOT broadcast in it's entirety on most of the networks or on FOX News. CNN, on the other hand, did broadcast the speech, which was immediately criticized and rebutted by their political analysts, Ronald Martin and anchor John King. Over at MSNBC, Rachel Maddow criticized CNN for carrying the Bachmann speech, but of course, Rachel Maddow is much more "enlightened" than the rest of the media World, so it seemed suitable.

I may not agree with Mrs. Bachmann or some of her politics, nor am I a fan of "The Tea Party Express", which is an offshoot of the ORIGINAL Tea Party, founded by Ron Paul supporters in 2008, I do feel that her message was the most optimistic, hopeful and underrated of the evening. The Tea Party Express intended the message to serve as a complement to Rep. Ryan's remarks not an alternative to Ryan's speech as much of the mainstream media had sold it as. While I am more politically inclined to support Rep. Ryan, I view this as a missed opportunity to challenge a lackluster speech given by a slightly vulnerable President. While the message was there, the delivery fell short of expectations. We shall see how this plays out as we officially enter the 2012 Election season.

State of the Union

2011-01-25T17:13:00.000-08:00

The State of the Union Speech is already up at WSJ.. Here are some highlights:

-- He uses the story of a girl in Tuscon to push for "bipartisan cooperation" and discusses the rhetoric of the past couple of years

-- Talks about American competitiveness V. China & India.

-- Talks about "Clean Energy"

-- Talks about his "Race to the Top" education reform program

-- Talks about the Tuition Tax Credit

-- Talks about Illegal Immigration and providing a pathway to citizenship for Illegal Aliens.

-- Makes reference to the DREAM Act

-- Talks about the need for High Speed Rail and Infrastructure spending

-- Goal is to have 80% of Americans within access to High Speed Rail within 25 years.

-- Talks about lobbyists

-- Pushes a simplification of the tax code

-- Talks about a Trade Agreement with South Korea

-- Talks about reducing barriers to trade

-- Tells the obligatory "Inspirational" American stories.

-- Proposes "freezing" domestic spending for 5 years (states it will reduce the deficit by $400 Billion over the decade).

-- Talks again about simplifying the tax codes

-- Promises transperancy (circa: 2009)

-- Talks about the military, touts the START treaty.

-- Talks about Tunisia

-- Tells more "Inspirational" Stories

-- Closes with "God Bless You, and May God Bless the United States of America"

The State of the Union 2011 Indeed....

2011-01-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight, the 44th President of the United States, BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA is expected to deliver his 2nd State of the Union Address.. Though the news media, DC insiders and politicos have all but released ALL of the content of the speech tonight, the real question is: can he deliver on the message of "Hope" and "Change" that brought him to DC in 2008 and usher in a new era of bipartisan cooperation or will he continue to try to sell elaborate spending bills that would make Ms. Piggy run for the hills and prepare for a nuclear holocaust?

The plan by Republicans and Democrats, in light of the Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Tuscon, to sit together has been met with very cynical and largely widespread criticism. In fact, it seems that only DC insiders believe this to be a good idea. It isn't like the members of Congress are going to sit together, join hands and chant "Kumbaya", instead it is a small token gesture to try to build public support at a time when the Congressional approval rating is at an all-time record low and public sentiment is overall against BOTH major political parties.

President Obama has much to gain here. He faced an uptick in poll numbers following his speech at the Tuscon Memorial (of course with his handlers and supporters treating it as a "Campaign Event", why not?).. Obama's Democratic party lost the House in November and despite maintaining the Senate, it was done so with significant Republican gains.

Besides Obama, tonight will also pose a challenge to the House Republicans.. WI Congressman, PAUL RYAN is expected to give the official Republican response. However, MN Congresswoman MICHELE BACHMANN will also deliver a response for the "Tea Party Express", which provides evidence that "The Tea Party Express" is NOT beholden to the Republican Party..

With the TRUE "State of the Union" not much better than conditions were in 2009, when President Obama delivered his first speech, there are small glimmers of hope for certain sectors of the economy. However, with the Labor Department's report, released today, showing that 20 states LOST jobs, it will be hard to convince a weary public that anymore programs that deliver such pipe dreams as "infrastructure" and "Green Jobs" are worthwhile. Also, with many Americans watching their Health Care premiums rise in the new year or companies dropping coverage altogether, I can't help but wonder if Obama will address the cornerstone of his Presidency, "The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act" (AKA: Health Care Reform), especially at a time when House Republicans are voting to repeal the measure and courts have struck down the draconian mandate.

The questions for tonight are: Will Obama be able to rekindle the magic of 2008? Will the Republicans be able to win over the Tea Party supporters? Will tonight's token gesture by the members of Congress REALLY lead to a "new spirit" in D.C.? (Yeah Right..)

Stay Tuned......

My Tea Party Experience..

2010-04-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

The Tea Party and Tea Party Express movements have been quite the subject in the media over the past year.. There has been some favorable coverage and some unfavorable.. I had been contemplating over the past week whether or not to attend the Tea Party Rally that was scheduled in Sonoma County.. As someone that voted for Obama and has voted Democrat (and Green) most of my adult life, I did NOT know how I would react to many of the viewpoints.. However, being someone that LOVES to explore everything controversial, I decided to ditch my 12 o' clock Sociology Class and make the trek to Downtown Santa Rosa to experience "The Tea Party"..

I didn't know what to expect.. A bunch of Palin supporters? A bunch of "birthers"? Ron Paul supporters, Libretarians and Constitutionalists? Arriving downtown when the rally was in FULL swing a little after 12pm (as the Rally had started at 11 am), I was greeted by the presence of American flags blowing in the wind.. I also noticed a sizable crowd, which I was surprised to see, given my belief that Sonoma County was as liberal as North Dakota is Conservative..

There were HUNDREDS of people in attendance.. I walked a bit through the crowds and checked out some of the signs being held by those standing alongside Santa Rosa Ave. and 3rd St. Some of the signs were blasting "Taxation" and "Obamacare", others were rally cries for Republicans (or they called them "Conservatives") to "Take back the country in November".. My Personal Favorite sign was the Older more Hippie looking guy with a greying Ponytail that read "Grow Vegetables, Not Government".. That encompassed my sentiments more so than any Pro-Republican sign.. There were honks in support from many vehicles passing by, with no vocal dissenters..

I walked through the crowd which was, contrary to liberal stereotypes, fairly diverse.. There were older people, younger people, people "dressed up", young adults with facial piercings obviously "dressed down".. There were White people, Asian and Middle Eastern people, Latino and Black people.. Up on the stage, there was a Sonoma State student who decried "liberal instructors", there was a Latino business owner who gave an optimistic speech about the future of America and how the country "shall rise again".. The most impassioned AND the "Obama was born in Kenya" speech was delivered by a Black gentlemen.. He took the stage sporting a dark blue T-shirt with a USSR anchor symbol with the words "OBAMA" across the bottom.. He went in to rant about how the Democratic Party need not judge a "book by it's cover" and compared Obama, Pelosi and Reid to "Socialists".. He made a couple of references to Obama NOT being born in the U.S. and alluded to his election being "Unconstitutional".. WHOA!

The thing that I noticed though, as with other protests that I've been to, there seems to be a movement to gather the protesters into supporting ONE specific political party.. In this case it was the "Republicans".. In the Anti-War protests that I attended in 2002, it was the "Democrats".. These attempts at corralling voters into these two camps seems the most shameful to me.. The Tea Party was a grassroots movment launched by Ron Paul supporters in 2008, it was NEVER meant to be just a place to "hawk" a Republican political candidate..

Although it may not have been specifically my "cup of tea", it is ALWAYS a good thing to see American citizens exercise THEIR Constitutional rights.. The rights that most of us take for granted AND many around the World wish that they could attain.. God Bless America!

Scott Brown: Who's Victory is It?

2010-02-04T05:44:00.000-08:00

**Today as Republican Scott Brown is sworn into the Senate seat occupied for over 3 decades by the late-Ted Kennedy.. Liberals view this is a major setback to such things as Health Care Reform, the Immigration Amnesty and other "progressive" programs. Conservatives have been glowing with their victory flag since the Election was held (and won) on January 19th.. As a former liberal now Independent, I think that both parties and their minions are missing the REAL message sent out by this victory.. Voters are fed up and want "REAL CHANGE!"

The election of Scott Brown was not necessarily a victory for the Republicans or a defeat for the Democrats as it was a defeat for the incumbent.. When Republicans gained a huge majority in the House and Senate in 2002, many swing and Independent voters wanted to see new ideas.. More fiscal conservation, low taxes and more job creation (opportunity).. Unfortunately, the Republicans, under the leadership of President George W Bush skyrocketed the National Debt and the then Republican Congress set the debt clock up by setting the $9 trillion dollar limit in 2006.. As a result of this and growing public sentiment against the Iraq War, the Democrats claimed sweeping victories in November..

In late 2007 the recession hit.. The housing and stock markets plunged, employment began creeping up and many Americans were losing confidence in the Government.. The Democrats seized the opportunity to market and sell a Junior Senator from Illinois as their candidate and Obama Mania swept the Democratic Party and in November 2008, the Nation... It seemed that the nation finally had a President that brought about the "Change.. We Can Believe in"..

Sadly, the Honeymoon was short lived as the expensive $787 Billion dollar Stimulus Package failed to generate or create the number of jobs that it was set out to do.. Financial Reform fell by the wayside as AIG continues to reward the Executives with lavish bonuses despite being bailed out by taxpayers in late 2008.. National Unemployment soared to 10% and the Dow has tethered around 10,000 for over 3 months.. Meanwhile, that National Debt that I mentioned earlier, is set at a record of $11.4 Trillion with the ceiling raised to over 14 trillion.. Not to mention the proposed Health Care Reform bill that has earned critics on both sides of the aisle..

There is no doubt that the paradigm will continue to shift in November as the Electoral map will literally look like a circus with the number of Elephants that will score victories.. The voters will speak again.. The question is: Between the pundits, politicians and national media, Will anyone be listening?

The Supremes seal the deal..

2010-01-25T03:48:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days, many blogs and op-ed's have been lamenting the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision from Thursday that opened up the floodgates for unlimited Corporate and labor special interest sponsorship of political campaigns. The Washington Post even calls for a "Populist Revolt". While the decision may have sent shockwaves throughout the nation, to political cynics, such as myself, it was just, to quote Pink Floyd, "Another Brick in the Wall".

The decision was reached by the more Conservative Justices with the moderate Justice Anthony Kennedy. Many say that this decision has successfully shut off debate and many of the provisions of the McCain-Feingold "Campaign Finance Reform" or BCRA (The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, and that this will lead to a windfall of money landing onto to laps of those not only on the Hill in D.C. but in state houses throughout the nation. With 2010 being a HUGE mid-term election year, this Green light will no doubt impact the coming election cycle.

Corporate and union interests have dominated D.C. in unprecedented numbers over the past couple of decades. One needs to not look farther than the Health Care Reform debate and follow the cash by the pharmaceutical and insurance companies poured into both sides of the aisle. It is also no secret that many Congressional representatives and Senators become lobbyists for these industries upon exiting their seats. While many decry the decision as an "end to democracy as we know it", I'm glad to see that debate has opened up on the issue.

For years, people such as former Presidential Candidate, Ralph Nader, have attempted to bring the subject of "Corporate Personhood" into the national dialect. In the 1886case of Santa Clara county V. Southern Pacific Railroad, the Supreme Court decided what would be interpreted as granting Corporations the right to vote. That decision paved the way, in the long run for the decision that was delivered on Thursday.

While many are playing partisan politics with the decision and using it as a chance to paint those of conservative poltiical leanings as being "corporate", the fact remains that BOTH Democrats and Republicans line their pockets with special interest and yes, Corporate cash. The decision is a defeat for conservatives as the ruling also allows for labor unions to pump cash into campaign.

As we gear up for this year's election cycle, expect to see ALOT more political ads, as they are bought and paid for in even bigger record numbers. It seems that campaign spending is constantly accomplishing new monetary feats. Funny how that is when millions of Americans are unemployed, have no health insurance and many have no food to eat. The polticians are busy feeding their egos at a time when many American families cannot even feed their children.

While many view the Supreme Court decision with disdain, I believe that the decision has opened up a healthy dialogue about our political system and the funding of such. The decision was an all too telling symptom of the overall disease. Sadly, I fear that this opportunity to establish meaningful reform and discussion will be overshadowed by partisan bickering and political posturing.

2009.. Outta Here!!!

2009-12-31T01:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight at Midnight, the year 2009 (and the '00's decade for that matter) will be kicked to the curb! It has been a tumultuous year for many marred by economic and emotional tragedies.. The New Year allows for a rebirth, a fresh start and a new beginning..

2009 began as the potential for this with Lady Gaga singing atop the charts to "Just Dance" and the inaugeration of the 44th President of the U.S., BARACK H. OBAMA whose campaign and inaugueration speech gave wary Americans a "hopeful" message.. 2009 ended with Scottish singer SUSAN BOYLE and the question of whether and the dreams of "Hope" and "Change" giving way to cynicism and frustration..

Americans continued to seek escape in the World of the BIG screen with "Marley & Me" topping the Box Office in the first week of 2009 to the latest 3D film dubbed "REVOLUTIONARY" by some, "Avatar".. 3D movies took on a fresher, more advanced life this year with family films such as "Monsters Vs. Aliens"and "UP" delivering in the visual arena.. Films based on children's books such as "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" were also viable at the Box Office in 2009.. From "Twilight: New Moon" to the campy "Bruno" to Tarantino's "Inglorious Bastards" and the geeky "Star Trek", there was something at the Box Office for EVERYONE in 2009..

2009 saw an unbelievable number of Celebrity deaths.. From "Golden Girl" and "Maude" star BEATRICE ARTHUR to "Clueless" actress BRITTANY MURPHY.. There was also long time CBS anchor WALTER CRONKITE and musician DJ AM.. There was BBC "Are You Being Served?" actress MOLLIE SUGDEN, guitar legend LES PAUL and "Streets of San Francisco" actor KARL MALDEN.. Let's not forget SENATOR and 1996 VP candidate JACK KEMP, country singer DAN SEALS, "Tonight Show" sidekick & "Publisher's Clearinghouse" spokesman, ED MCMAHON, 80's icon PATRICK SWAYZE,Massachussetts Sen. TED KENNEDY, comedian DOM DELUISE, "Kung Fu" and "Kill Bill" actor DAVID CARRADINE and "Charlie's Angel" FARRAH FAWCETT.. The death of legendary musician and entertainer MICHAEL JACKSON on June 25th, dominated the news over the summer.. A tribute film "This is It" was released and topped the Box office in the late summer..

The political climate in 2009 continued to be divisive with the Inaugeration of the First black President in U.S. History, BARACK H OBAMA as the 44th U.S. President.. One of the cornerstone's of Obama's campaign was the issue of Health Care Reform.. The issue heated up over the summer with representatives holding Town Hall meetings that were disrupted by protests.. Conservatives saw a leader in talk radio and FOX News host GLENN BECK who formed the "9/12 Project" and was a vocal organizer of the many "TEA PARTY" PROTESTS that took place throughout the country.. Wars continued to rage in Iraq and Afghanistan with the President making a vow to send MORE troops to Afghanistan and pledging an 18 month deadline to begin withdrawl.. The NOBEL PRIZE COMMITTEE also awarded President OBAMA with a Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo earlier this year.. Speaking of heroes, CAPT. CHESLEY "SULLY" SULLENBERGER landed a plane on the Hudson River and averted what could have been a HUGE tragedy..

The National Unemployment rate reached 10% in 2009 with many states seeing 12% Unemployment, this despite a massive Stimulus plan passed in February dubbed the "American Reinvestment and Recovery Act", the plan vowed to create or save millions of jobs.. WALL ST. however rallied with the rise of the STOCK MARKET as the Dow hit above 10,000 points back in October.. H1N1 Panic ensued over late summer and at the beginning of cold and flu season.. The question was: Will there be enough vaccine? Meanwhile, SONYA SOTOMAYOR was confirmed to the Supreme Court replacing Justice DAVID SOUTER who retired in the Spring.. Former Republican VP Candidate SARAH PALIN wrote a Best Seller, BEN BERNANKE got reappointed to the Fed, TWITTER and FACEBOOK became household names and election turmoil hit IRAN..

SCANDAL, SCANDAL, SCANDAL!!! erupted this year from TIGER WOODS to South Carolina Governor MARK SANFORD who stated that he was hiking on the "APPALACHIAN TRAIL" when in fact he was visiting his Argentinian mistress.. Let us not forget Sen. JOE WILSON who shouted "You Lie!" during the President's televised address on Health Care Reform or DAVID LETTERMAN's confession of sleeping with staffers.. "BALLOON BOY" and THE WHITE HOUSE CRASHERS also made a name for themselves this year.. JOHN & KATE are no more and BERNIE MADOFF was pronounced "BERNIE MADE-OFF" for a good reason..

2009 in music continued to see the emergence of Electro-Pop with artists like PASSION PIT, METRIC and OWL CITY emerging.. THE BLACK EYED PEAS topped the Pop Chart for the year 2009 with "I Gotta Feeling".. LADY GAGA-Mania swept the country, TAYLOR SWIFT was overshadowed by KANYE (who President Obama unofficially dubbed a "jackass") at the VMA's but conquored the Pop Chart with her hits "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me".. Let us not forget "American Idol" ADAM LAMBERT who gave a controversial performence at the AMA's this year or SCOTTISH singer SUSAN BOYLE..

2009 may be remembered as the year of great difficulty, tragedy and loss for many or the year of tabloid distractions (OctoMom, Levi Johnson) and revolutionary films to others.. Tonight at Midnight we mark the end of this blip on the radar of life and of the 21st Century, here's to a happy, safe, prosperous and healthy New Year 2010 to you and yours..

PEACE!

I'm No Gun Nut or an NRA member BUT...

2009-10-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

It appears that last night in the midst of a bill signing frenzy, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that would require retail establishments to not only restrict sales of handgun ammunition to behind the counter displays but would ALSO require those purchasing ammo to be fingerprinted and register in a data base that will be monitored by law enforcement and other government agencies (law will be effective February 1, 2011)

While I'm not a "locked and loaded" gun happy type, there is no arguing that this law sets a dangerous precedent and chips away at the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.. There is no argument that guns in the hands of the wrong people, kill people.. Unfortunately though, the people that utilize guns for that purpose tend to buy their weapons and ammo on the black market, meaning that a Gang member or Mexican drug smuggler wouldn't be going into a Wal-Mart and buying ammunition for their guns.. They would buy from organized crime syndicates or underground gun shows..

Again, California lawmakers have missed the mark on this bill and the cost is the personal freedoms of law-abiding gun owners that use these to protect their homes or their families.. While I object to many uses for firearms, I do believe in the right to bear arms for personal protection against a violent criminal who would commit an act such as burglary, rape or even worse to one's person or loved ones..

During cold and flu season, I am reminded of California's "Nanny State" laws that curtail freedoms but do nothing to solve the actual problem.. The example is the law that requires Photo I.D. to purchase cold and flu medication in order to prevent folks from making "do it yourself" meth labs.. With meth still flowing freely through much of California's Central Valley (and in other parts of the state), one has to wonder, what exactly has been resolved here? And the other question (one that was brought up during the Prop 8 debate regarding Gay Marriage but would still apply here) is: If we are allowed to infringe upon gun owner's rights WHO will be next?

BATMAN: The Dark Knight and the Movie Ratings System

2008-08-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday I dragged myself into the movie theater to go catch the Summer hottest film, "Batman: The Dark Knight".. After hearing much buzz about the film with people praising HEATH LEDGER's role to some comparing the film to the Baby Jesus or something equally profound..

I'm not one to see BIG Blockbuster films on opening weekend.. I tend to wait until they fall out of the #1 Spot because honestly, I don't want to pay the better part of $7 bucks (It's ALL about the Bargain Matinee) to listen to teenage girls yap about a bunch of crap that they could be talking about at the STARBUCKS next door throughout the ENTIRE movie or have to sit packed in between people to wear it is uncomfortable to sit, OR miss the "Best Part" of the film becuase someone's phone light is shining in my face because they are Text Messaging during the film.. Yep! I don't like people, but that's besides the point..

"The Dark Knight" was a good Action film for people that like Action films.. Explosions, Car Crashes, Killings, a man with half his face burned off, this film had it ALL.. What was most amazing about the film was, NOT Heath Ledger's portrayl as the Joker (Sorry, I'm more partial to JACK NICHOLSEN's portrayl of that role), but the fact that the film was rated PG-13.. That's right.. PG-13!! This makes me question the validity of the MPAA.. This is an all too telling sign that the claims in the documentary film, "This Film has Not Yet Been Rated" to be true...

"This Film Has Not Yet Been Rated" is a 2006 documentary that features actors and filmmakers like Directors KEVIN SMITH ("Clerks", "Mallrats") and KIMBERLY PEIRCE ("Boys Don't Cry") talking about THEIR experiences with the MPAA and the ratings systems.. Very informative film made by IFC Productions and actually airs quite regularly on IFC..

Safe to say, my life was NOT changed by watching "The Dark Knight", and it is a tragedy that the entertainment World lost HEATH LEDGER, but this film DID accomplish something.. It helped to open my eyes to the MPAA and the way that films are rated..

PEACE!

What's up? Apparently Wholesale Prices = Everything Else Soon..

2008-08-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Labor Department has released some new statistics today.. Can you say INFLATION? Looks like WHOLESALE Prices of goods and services increased by 1.2% in July, and by almost 10 % this year, which is the highest since 1981.. What does this mean? Higher Grocery and other goods prices coming soon to a Mega Store near you! The price of food has increased on average of 8.7% over last year..

It's not ALL bad news.. While the price of Crude Oil (think Gasoline) doubled over the past 12 months, in July the price dipped by 24%..

Hang on to your wallets folks, more bad times coming for the rest of 2008..