Everyone's Op-Eds - We Op-Ed - A Community for Political News and Civilized Debate

A Beautiful, Clean, and Pure Terrorist Hero

2008-07-25T16:07:13.466Z

Excerpt originally posted here and then here at the Armchair Society of Slackers. JERUSALEM – A leading member of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization oversaw a delegation yesterday to visit recently freed Palestinian terrorist child-killer Samir Kuntar, calling the convicted murderer "beautiful," and a "pure and clean" hero.

Sumir Kuntar's heroic accomplishments: *Smashing to death a 4-year-old girl with the butt of his rifle *Murdered 28-year-old Danny Haran, father of 4-year old girl *Murdered a policeman Palestinian Liberation Organization ambassador to Lebanon Abbas Zaki, a senior member of the Fatah Central Committee, has this to say about the hero of Palestine: "You went to Palestine as hero, and you left when you were a proud man. ... We in Palestine are proud and confident that the hero Kuntar will be a symbol of the most clear address of the national direction and values of the Palestinian cause. You will be the symbolic ambassador of Palestine in Lebanon." I can't wait for Kuntar's other heroic deeds. If only we could all have heroes like Kuntar to look up to.

I'm Not There

2008-07-25T15:24:33.669Z

Saw this film in tribute to Bob Dylan last night and liked it a lot. Basically the summation of five characters is Bob Dylan and it worked for me. Seems like fiction intertwined to create a gonzo biography of his life. There's the Newport Folk Festival, called the New England Folk Festival in movie, where he drifted from folk and played rock and roll, plugging in for the first time. I've read about that and how people booed. Also was Dylan actually at Woodie Guthrie's bedside when he died? I thought I remember hearing that. Would be interesting to hear Dylan comment on Barack Obama, but we'd like that too much wouldn't we, and that's the problem! I think that's sort of what he's getting at a few times in the movie. Would love to hear from a legitimate film critic on this one.

NPR VERSUS RUSH LIMBAUGH AND THOSE CREEPY PUMA STORE ADS

2008-07-25T13:34:00.654Z

"Originally posted here: www.theragsshow.blogspot.com" A FEW DAYS AGO... IN A DISCARDED NEWSPAPER... I SPOTTED A MALLARD FILLMORE CARTOON WHICH BOOSTS THAT RUSH LIMBAUGH LISTENERS HAVE MORE NEWS KNOWLEDGE THAN NPR LISTENERS. AND WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON THIS UNPARRALLELLED INFORMATION FILLMORE HAS SHARED WITH US IN THE COMIC PAGES... -HOW CAN THEY BE? IF MOST LIMBAUGH LISTENERS DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT "NPR" STANDS FOR. -HOW CAN THAT BE? AREN'T BOTH NPR AND LIMBAUGH LISTENERS AMERICAN SCHOOLED? -OF COURSE THEY ARE. BECAUSE EAST COAST LISTENERS STOPPED BUYING THE NEW YORK POST WHEN THE PRICE WAS RAISED FROM 25 CENTS TO 50 CENTS. AND... -ESPECIALLY AFTER LEARNING SO MUCH ABOUT LIMBAUGH'S PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION AND HELP FROM THE ACLU REGARDING PRIVATE MEDICAL INFORMATION. - SOME NEW PUMA STORE ADS HAVE BEEN APPEARING IN THE SUBWAY SYSTEM, TRAINS, AND ELSEWHERE. AND TO ME THEY ARE KINDA CREEPY... AND ANXIETY-PROVOKING... AND SO ARE TOUGH FOR ME TO LOOK AT. WHY? BECAUSE EVER SINCE I READ ABOUT THE TIGER ESCAPE, ATTACK AND FATAL MAULING... OF THAT 17 YEAR-OLD BOY... THE ONE WHICH OCCURRED LAST CHRISTMAS AT THE SAN FRANCISCO ZOO... I JUST CAN'T LOOK AT THE PUMA COMPANY'S LEAPING CAT LOGO ANYMORE WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT WHAT THAT 17 YEAR-OLD BOY WENT THROUGH. WHENEVER I SEE IT I IMMEDIATELY PICTURE THAT TIGER LEAPING AT HIM AS HE'S RUNNING AWAY. I ALMOST FEEL THE FIRST BITE FROM THE BIG CAT. I HEAR THE BONE CRUSHING... AND SKIN TEARING... AND PICTURE THE BLOOD ESCAPING HIS BODY WHEREVER THE CAT TORE INTO HIM. AND FINALLY WONDER HOW MUCH FEAR AND PAIN THAT YOUNG MAN MUST HAVE FELT BEFORE HIS UNFORTUNATE DEATH. WEIRD, RIGHT? WHAT ABOUT YOU? DOES THAT PUMA LEAPING CAT LOGO DO THE SAME TO YOU? BECAUSE I HOPE NOT. OH, AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE AND OBJECTS ALSO DEPICTED IN THE ADS... THEY EVEN ENHANCE MY ANXIETY. THEY ARE SO CHAOTICALLY ARRANGED. CHECK THEM OUT FOR YOURSELF. YEAH, THERE ARE SOME NEW "THE PUMA STORE" ADS SHOWING UP IN THE CITY. ESPECIALLY IN THE TRAINS. AND I DON'T LIKE THEM. THEY'RE CREEPY. RAGS

Universal Laughter Day (Pt. X)

2008-07-25T02:17:35.817Z

Joshdank9's "Catapult the Propaganda" P.S. Love is the only answer. We are all ONE.

Universal Laughter Day (Pt. IX)

2008-07-25T02:05:39.442Z

November 3, 2006: Anonymous' King George II, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love W. P.S. Love is the only answer. We are all ONE.

Universal Laughter Day (Pt. VIII)

2008-07-24T23:13:23.158Z

"A Brief History of the United States of America" from Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. P.S. Love is the only answer. We are all ONE.

Universal Laughter Day (Pt. VII)

2008-07-24T22:55:13.256Z

P.S. Love is the only answer. We are all ONE.

Universal Laughter Day (Pt. VI)

2008-07-24T22:49:02.022Z

Sadly, this is the shape of things to come... P.S. Love is the only answer. We are all ONE.

Universal Laughter Day (Pt. V)

2008-07-24T21:34:56.628Z

Dear Contributor, Every now and then, something so inherently silly comes along that we can't take our eyes away from it. I know you've probably seen it a million times already, but I think it's worth doing it one more time... P.S. Love is the only answer. We are all ONE.

Five Reasons to Legalize Murder

2008-07-24T21:05:25.244Z

from Gunnersykes.com The prohibition of murder is based on primitive, outmoded religious thought and is unconstitutional because it ignores the separation of church and state guaranteed by the First Amendment. It is part of the Ten Commandments, a religious text that also forbids sex outside of marriage, condones slavery, and demands the worship of the God of Judaeo-Christian tradition. Superstition has no place in our government. Squeamish people will object to the legalization of murder based on moral grounds or airy notions about the good of society not realizing that murder is already legal when it is done by the government. They ignore the glee shown by the public when a convict is strapped down and killed by the state. Who has not felt a twinge of righteous satisfaction when a baby raper or cop killer is snuffed? People who think clearly know that a murderer who is murdered will never murder again. The murder of unsavory individuals, satisfying as it may be, pales in comparison to the wholesale murder of innocents via weapons of mass destruction. The American public was thrilled, and yes, shocked and awed, by the recent television extravaganza showing the bombing of Baghdad. The flames, explosions, and mayhem made for fascinating entertainment. There are few things more gratifying than using weapons of mass destruction to pave the way for the search for weapons of mass destruction. Here, then, are five reasons to extend the right to murder to individuals: Legalized Murder Will Create Job Openings No one has been able to come up with a satisfactory solution to the problems created by the Peter Principle, the idea that people are promoted to their level of incompetence. Upper management would be able to eliminate incompetent middle managers with a little arsenic placed in the water cooler. Middle managers would be able to garrote upper level managers and take their jobs without going through the humiliating ritual of job performance evaluation. Workers would feel free to throw their bosses into machinery fostering harmonious relationships between labor and management. The net result would be thousands of job openings every day, in every enterprise in America. Unemployment would be a thing of the past. Legalized Murder Will Extend Abortion Rights The inherent inequality of only women having the right to abortion would be rectified by the legalization of murder. Men would be able to eliminate unwanted or inconvenient offspring whenever they chose. Squalling brats in movie theaters, sullen Goths, adolescents whining for iPods, and ungrateful little nits in general would cease to be a drain on society. The right would extend to teachers acting in loco parentis. Student complaints about grades would cease. Anyone using the phrase,"I dare say" to begin a sentence could be summarily sent into Shakespeare's undiscovered country thereby freeing up millions of dollars worth of bandwidth on the internet. Legalized Murder is Good Science Evolution, as we intelligent people know, is a change in the frequency of alleles within a given population. Legalized murder would allow we intelligent people to eliminate the alleles of wrestling fans, watchers of Oprah and the View, Libertarians, and liberal arts majors from the gene pool. The elimination of these undesirables, along with the murder of snotty children, would assure the survival of humankind. Unfortunately, our society currently caters to the weak, the afflicted, the ignorant, the useless, and people who refuse to use their turn signals. A paradigm shift in values is the only thing that will assure a workable future. The Sanctity of Life is a Myth For years, we have been brainwashed by the purveyors of religion into believing that life is sacred. Remember, these are the same people who started the Crusades, tortured people during the Inquisition, and stole Easter from the Pagans. Any thinking person will give short shrift to such ignorance. One steps on life every day while walking to one's BMW. All living things are equal. Our lives are no more important than the lives of the animals and plants we eat. Does anyone mourn the death of pigs? Murder Makes Us Human Who has not been thrilled by the cinematic exploits of Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates, and Freddy Kreuger? Who is not fascinated by Charles Manson, Richard Speck, or Jack the Ripper? Murder makes us human. Humans have been murdering each other since at least the beginning of civilization. Fortunes have changed hands, dynasties have started and ended, nations have been forged -- all through the creative use of murder. Summary Only painfully ignorant reactionaries will object to the legalization of murder. When one realizes that morals are situational and religion merely a mind control mechanism, the benefits of legalized murder are obvious. Moron.

Collateral damage

2008-07-24T20:39:05.604Z

[Originally posted at Often Right, Rarely Correct.] California continues to remain at a budget impasse over a deficit of some $15 billion in program funding and expenditures. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to temporarily reduce the wages of 200,000 state employees to the federal minimum wage, as well as terminating some 22,000 retired annuities, temporary, and seasonal workers' income. This is, he claims, the result of the State Legislature's inability to pass a budget. There is some truth to this. If no budget is enacted by July 31, state agencies and departments will be forced to tap their lines of credit, which will allow them to continue operations until the end of September. For many agencies, this means the loss of tens of thousands of dollars in credit interest and fees to operations dollars. (Full disclosure: I am employed by a non-profit funded solely by the state and our budgets are line-items in the California Department of Developmental Services budget.) In some ways, this is fairly typical of the last dozen years or so worth of California politics. What is unprecedented is the Governor's behavior. Despite the occasional dramatic flourish, such as the impending pen stroke of doom to public servants' paychecks, Governor Schwarzenegger has remained largely silent throughout the whole budget process since submitting his proposed budget in May. Indeed, this is all the more dramatic because it is a waste of time: State Controller John Chiang, who actually controls payment on all the state's bills, has said he will not enforce Schwarzenegger's executive order. This overall silence, with the occasional petulant outburst, is appalling -- not just because the budget is virtually unchanged from the form he proposed, but because the impasse is entirely the fault of the Governor's own political party. The Republican Party of California remains not just obstinate about the budget, but completely disengaged from the process. California is a "2/3rds" state, meaning the Senate must have a 2/3 majority vote to pass a budget. With 15 seats, the Senate Republicans control two more seats than necessary to have an effective eternal filibuster. They have voted down proposed budget items and attempts at passing the budget. And they do this in silence. Typically, in the budget process, the two parties meet (often with the Governor) to hash out their differences. The state Republicans have simply refused to communicate with the Democrats. They won't come to the table or offer opposing measures. They won't propose an alternative budget. You can't compromise if one side won't state what its terms and desires are, or even speak. The Governor, who used to make a big deal out of holding legislators' feet to the fire in order to pass needed legislation -- like a budget -- in the past, has proven wholly unwilling to call out the obstructionists that form his own party. Republican Senate leader Dave Codgill and Assembly leader Mike Villiness flat out lied when they issued a statement: "Republicans understand the urgency of getting the budget done as soon as possible, which is our main focus right now. We are working very hard to avoid drastic measures like the one that is being proposed." [Via the Sacramento Bee article linked above.] If that were true, they'd have come to the bargaining table long before. But the California Republicans are some of the craziest conservatives west of the Rockies. Too bad our "all about business" Governor is unwilling to show some brass and call the Republicans out on their inaction. California faces real budget problems, but those cannot be resolved so long as no discussion occurs.

Truth Smuggling—The Spring Board Approach

2008-07-24T19:26:39.135Z

Originally posted here: This Truth Smuggling is a little more subtle than the others we have exposed. In this one, no ugliness is spewed. No names are called. No poison pills are delivered. In fact, this Truth Smuggler appears to sit quietly and patiently as he/she listens to the opposing viewpoint. The reason I say “appears” is because the Truth Smuggler, while quiet and polite, is not listening to the opposing facts at all. While the other person is talking, the Truth Smuggler is formulating his/her prearranged agenda of remarks. He/She is making mental notes of phrases the other person is using so he/she can repeat them and make everyone think he/she was listening. But the fact is, the Truth Smuggler’s mind is formulating arguments, strategizing words and phrases and waiting for a convenient moment to insert these things into the conversation. You see this all the time with political candidates. An interviewer will ask a question about a specific issue. The political candidate will respond by giving a several minute long campaign speech as to why he/she needs to be elected. Never once will he/she address the issues the interviewer raised. Religious and political leaders who are challenged about some impropriety will respond by changing the subject, casting blame, making note of others who have done the same thing, or any number of other tactics designed to smuggle the truth out of the conversation. It even happens in sports. Coaches have refined the Spring Board Approach of Truth Smuggling to a fine art. One coach recently left the professional ranks to take a college coaching job. He had only been with the professional team for two years and had time remaining in his contract. After leaving the professional team, an interviewer asked him, “In the past you’ve been quoted as saying the best way to disrespect someone is to just walk away from them. By your own definition, do you feel like you disrespected them (his former team)? Is there anything you’d like to say to them?” In his lengthy reply, the coach began citing all his excuses for having a losing record in the past season. He then described how his influence left the team in better shape and with a brighter future than in the past. He closed by saying what a disservice it would have been to continue coaching in one program when his heart was with another program. In essence, he was actually being selfless by walking out on his team and accepting a multi-million dollar position with someone else. He actually “took one for the team.” Among all of these irrelevant and ridiculous remarks, the coach never remotely addressed the question—“Do you feel you disrespected your former team and do you have anything you want to say to them?” He had a self justifying message to share, and he felt that a difficult question like that was as good a place as any to fit it in. That is the essence of the Spring Board Approach to Truth Smuggling. Learn to recognize Truth Smugglers. They are not always evil and conniving. Sometimes they are honestly trying to make a point, and inadvertently stumble into using Truth Smuggling tactics. In either case, we must demand better from our leaders and those who speak for them so we can get back to genuine fact finding and real problem solving.

Let's Make History on November 4!

2008-07-24T17:02:31.068Z

What a wonderful time to be alive and an American! Sure, we have our problems, but our nation's energy crisis, housing crisis, and confidence crisis can each be solved by audacious hope, by change we can believe in! In November, we wipe the slate clean and begin anew. Who is our champion, the man who will take the giant sponge to the Oval Office chalkboard to create our new and glorious tabula rasa? It's the Man of Destiny, the Man of History, the man who will shatter our bigotry and our bias by merely taking the Oath of Office. Let's all make history on November 4, 2008 as we elect John McCain the 44th President of the United States. (How's that? Wait a minute... you are shaking up my comfortable little MSNBC cocoon here. That is not the media-driven narrative I've heard for months. Electing McCain...makes history?) John McCain will be 72 years old on Election Day. If you join me in this rendezvous with destiny, we will make him the oldest man ever to be elected President of the United States. And, make no mistake, that is a great thing for America. The prior record holder, Ronald Reagan, was one of the central players in the end of the Cold War, the collapse of communism, and the start of the longest periods of sustained economic growth in our nation's history. When asked if age would be a factor in the 1984 election, Reagan said "I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." Yogi Berra might add, "It's deja vu all over again." We tried youth, and youth disappointed us. Impeached President Bill Clinton was an abysmal failure who brought shame to the Oval Office and a few other secluded rooms in its immediate vicinity. Travelgate, Filegate, Fundinggate, Pardongate . . . he brought us more "gates" than Dulles International Airport. George W. Bush, although a vast improvement over his immediate predecessor, made a strong start but faded quickly and squandered his political capital along the way. Exhibit A and B for a return to experience, maturity and a Reaganesque septuagenarian. A seventysomething who is in good health and sound mind can do anything... si se puede! Democrats have already made an issue of McCain's age, and will persist in doing so. This is unmitigated ageism and it must not go unchallenged. Racism, for all its ugliness and pain, is not the only evil at play in the world today. Ageism is pervasive and insidious. Anytime some MTV upstart tries to 'rock the vote' by characterizing McCain as slow, or confused, or in poor health, or (God forbid) near death - we all must recognize the hate and condemn it. Now that we all realize that history will be made and barriers will be broken regardless of the election's outcome, let's simply choose a candidate with a decades-long record of leadership, reform, and unapologetic patriotism.

Is It Art Or Just Nit Picking?

2008-07-24T13:35:37.622Z

Not to be out done by Rod in the area of light heartedness combined with art, here is my latest contribution which was originally posted here: http://billyjacksblog.com/?p=592 Since the 60’s, Conceptual Art has polluted the landscape of the art world. It can be described as an idea-based art that often defies traditional visual criteria associated with the visual arts. In other words, it doesn’t have to be pretty. It also doesn’t require any skill level whatsoever. It focuses on ideas. Top honors for conceptual art have been awarded for works ranging from a dead cow preserved in formaldehyde, to a pile of elephant dung, to an unmade bed. In other words, intellectual morons judge the ideas behind the productions of other morons, and the biggest moron gets the prize. If that is an accurate description of the process, there is no doubt who will win the prize this year. According to a Reuter’s report out of Fox News, seven guys from Berlin are temporarily living in the Museum of Bat Yam near Tel Aviv. While there, they are hosting an entire nation of lice in their hair, wearing shower caps so the lice won’t spread. Somehow, this expresses the idea of “hosting” in the most creative way possible. For instance, the museum is hosting the men, and the men are hosting the lice–get it?!!! Isn’t that brilliant??? Milana Gitzin-Adiram, chief curator for the museum, says she spent weeks exploring the gallery’s theme of “hosting,” turning to philosophers and even the Bible for inspiration. She received proposals from around the world, but the idea about lice is what captured her imagination. Can you say, “Nut Job?” Just when you think a story could not get any more ridiculous, someone proves you wrong. Some people are taking extreme offense at the notion of Germans hosting lice because they feel it somehow symbolizes the Jews in the holocaust who were said to be “parasites.” Still others are deeply moved by the exhibit which, in their view, makes a statement against the fascist rhetoric of German history. Give me a break people!!! It is seven young idiots from Berlin who are living in a museum and letting lice live in their heads. That’s as deep as it gets. If I were a true artist, I would take great offense to the nonsense being called art by the conceptual crowd. As it is though, I might be an artist after all. I mean, I have regular bowel movements every day–that has to count for something! I have a big dent in the front fender of my car–how about that? I have even been known to throw my clothes on the floor next to my bed. Sprinkle a little formaldehyde on them, and you have a masterpiece!

Universal Laughter Day (Pt. IV)

2008-07-24T12:58:31.291Z

Dear Contributor, In the first episode of this series, I: a) not only incorrectly attributed "Ode to Joy" to Johann Sebastian Bach, but; b) incorrectly attributed the piece to the Baroque period. You have my sincere apologies for the mistakes. To make it up to you, here is "Ode to Joy", from Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Enjoy! P.S. Beethoven's works are attributed to the transition between the Classical and Romantic periods... ;o) P.P.S. Love is the only answer. We are all ONE.

Universal Laughter Day (Pt. III)

2008-07-24T07:12:31.883Z

ThePoorestTourist's ShameNation: The most embarrassing things about America. P.S. Please devote some of your time to exploring the depth and range of America's Finest Actor, David Caruso... P.P.S. Love is the only answer. We are all ONE.

Hamas & Hezbollah Prep for Possible Attacks

2008-07-24T06:17:24.501Z

Orignally posted here and then here at the Armchair Society of Slackers. Verbatim: According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, Hamas and Hezbollah may be in the process of planning new attacks along the Israeli borders with Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Head of Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin warned on Sunday of a possible terror attack by Hamas or Hizbullah in the near future along the Gaza Strip and Lebanon borders, respectively. Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Yadlin said Hizbullah still had many outstanding issues with Israel which could be used to justify such an attack, such as the Shaba Farms, the village of Ghajar, IAF flights over Lebanon and Imad Mughniyeh’s assassination in February - for which the group has blamed Israel. Of Gaza, Yadlin said some organizations which have not signed on to the cease-fire are planning a major attack. However, Yadlin said Hamas was succeeding in enforcing the cease-fire on the Palestinian side but assessed that the fact that border crossings were not open “according to Hamas’s expectations, constitutes a potential for eroding the cease-fire.” While weapons smuggling continued, Egyptian activity in Sinai “diminishes the amount of arms smuggling, but quality weaponry still finds its way into the Gaza Strip.” Yadlin also said that Israel’s enemies were continuing to arm themselves. But he added those enemies were worried of the possibility of a “hot summer” and did not intend to initiate a war with Israel during US President George W. Bush’s remaining time in office, or before they had armed themselves sufficiently. Related stories: Obama to Post: I'll do all I can to foil Iranian nuke race Ashkenazi in Washington for Iran talks

Universal Laughter Day (Pt. II)

2008-07-24T06:51:12.842Z

Dear Contributor, I recently finished a tremendous book, which I deeply recommend. Written by Martha Stout, PhD, it's called The Sociopath Next Door. It's informative, it's creepy, it's--all in all--a can't-put-down kind of read. While Dr. Stout's main point is that 1 in 25 of us is actually a sociopath, one of her side points is that--unless there is a credible source of authority around pushing us to do so--the remaining 96 percent of human beings who are not sociopaths are unable to kill other human beings. In essence, we're a fun-loving, smiling, dancing kind of crowd. Case in point? The following epic... 14 months in the making, 42 countries, and a cast of thousands. This is Matt Harding's Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) P.S. Love is the only answer. We are all ONE.

Universal Laughter Day

2008-07-24T06:21:20.776Z

Dear Contributors, It has become increasingly clear to me that there has been altogether too much vitriol around here in the past few hours. Therefore, I have decided to take action on behalf of our House of Free Expression. (I firmly believe that the appropriate colloqualism at this juncture would be, "REPRESENT!!!") Since a far less capable, intellectual, and compassionate individual took it upon himself to unilaterally start a preemptive, illegal war under false pretenses, resulting in the deaths of over one million Iraqis, nearly 5,000 American servicemembers, and resulting in the displacement of millions of Iraqis, I firmly believe I'm entitled to, at the very least and unilaterally--and for the next twenty-four hours--to make you laugh and/or smile. My first attempt at said colossal feat is to present you a variation of one of Johann Sebastian Bach's most beloved melodies. Without further ado, here's Beaker's "Ode to Joy: A Baroque Tribute to The Average American's #1 Concern." I hope you love it as much as I do... ;o) P.S. Love is the only answer. We are all ONE.

Budget Deficits & The National Debt

2008-07-24T02:54:25.038Z

Originally posted here: http://billyjacksblog.com/?p=38 A budget deficit happens when our elected leaders spend more than they take in. They do this almost every year. They take out loans to finance their appetite for spending more than they collect. Those loans produce a debt. The National Debt is the sum of all the loans we have received. It’s really no more complicated than that. Every 3 ½ years, our elected officials spend money without regard for how much revenue they are collecting. They do this to “bring home the bacon” to their local constituents. When the election season reaches its peak in the last 6 months of that 4 year period, suddenly everyone becomes fiscally responsible and talks about controlling spending and paying off the national debt. There are several things none of these elected flim-flam men want you to know. First, they talk about reaching the debt ceiling and having to shut down entire departments of the government. This sends the American public into a panic. What they don’t tell you is they have the authority to raise that ceiling with the stroke of a pen, which they do on a very regular basis. Only recently, they voted to raise the debt ceiling to 9 trillion dollars to accommodate the 8 trillion dollar debt they accumulated as of 2005. The flim-flam officials also don’t want you to know to whom we actually owe all of this money. Over 40% of it is owed to the Federal Reserve Bank and other government accounts. Simply put, 40% of the 8 trillion dollar debt is owed from one part of our government to another. Another large percentage is owed to individuals, private pension funds, mutual funds, state and local governments, commercial banks, S & L’s and credit unions, state and local pension funds, U.S. savings bonds and insurance companies. Most of the privately held debt is in the form of treasury securities, T-notes, T-bills and T-bonds (including savings bonds). What does all of this mean? The largest part of the debt is owed to private citizens, businesses, banking institutions, etc. in the form of investments. The government pays the interest on these instruments to the people who own them, and the dollars get recycled back into the economy. The flim-flam officials also don’t want you to know that the national debt has nothing to do with your personal wealth, happiness, or overall standard of living. For example, our national debt in 1910 was $2.6 billion. Today, it is over $8 trillion. If the national debt was so devastating, why is our standard of living better now than ever before? The answer is simple. The national debt is a shell game politicians use to frighten you into voting for them so they can protect you from “the big bad debt monster.” The truth is, this monster has no teeth. In 2005, the national debt topped the $8 trillion mark. Total U.S. household debt was $11,400 billion and total U.S. household assets were $62,500 billion. So, in a year when our national debt topped $8 trillion, Americans had almost 6 times the amount of household assets as they had household debt. The national debt has no causal relationship to the rise or fall of your personal standard of living. When you hear a flim-flam politician making the national debt an election issue, vote his/her butt out of office, and get an honest person to represent you.

A House Divided

2008-07-23T19:59:20.478Z

Originally posted at http://darrels-forum.blogspot.com/ It saddens me when I look at our nation and see us so divided. We are not divided geographically, but ideologically. If it were that we were divided by some geographic boundary it would be an easy problem to solve, but ideological differences within the same boundaries are a different problem altogether. We seem to have a divide between what some would call “liberals” and “conservatives”. That is our political divide, but there is another divide that is affecting us as well, and that is the divide between Christians and non-Christians, or more correctly, between those who follow any religion and those who believe there is no God. Then there is the divide among religious factions; Christians have a plethora of denominations that are constantly in conflict with one another, but some religions, such as Islam, have factions within their ranks that war against the others, as well as against Christians and Jews. Our founding fathers had the wisdom to include the right to worship as we please as one of the original tenets of our foundation as a nation. They couldn’t perceive of what we have become today, with our government denying some religions from spreading the word and allowing others freedom to do as they please, and atheists more rights than any religion has. Getting back to the original thought of this piece: We have become a nation divided once again, but not as in the 1860’s. Our last presidential elections, both 2000 and 2004 have demonstrated that fifty percent of the voters feel strongly on both sides of the “liberal” or “conservative” positions. Al Gore actually won the popular vote in 2000, and John Kerry received more votes than any other elected president in history, except the man he was running against at the time, George W. Bush. If roughly half of all American voters believe that a liberal candidate is best and the other half think a candidate who calls himself conservative is best, we are truly a nation divided. There appears no way to unite such a nation. Ronald Reagan came closer to achieving that goal than any other president, but he is no longer available, and we can’t expect another Ronald Reagan to come riding in on a white horse to save the day. Abraham Lincoln, quoting Jesus said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand”, and he went on to say, “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free”. The circumstances in Lincoln’s time were not the same as today. In fact, those circumstances were easier to overcome than those we are faced with today. They were geographical. It took a large loss of American lives before the nation was once again united after the War Between the States, commonly called the Civil War, but it is probably going to take a collapse of our current government system to bring our problem to any kind of a satisfactory solution. It would be appropriate to paraphrase Mr. Lincoln by saying that this nation cannot endure half liberal and half conservative. There are those of us who still believe that we should be functioning under the rules set forth in the Constitution, and there is another faction who believes that the Constitution is a living document that should be adapted to fit the times we live in today and to conform with world opinion. Those two factions are, it seems, equally divided in this country. There is a rather large segment of the country who want to be left alone to live their lives as they see best, as long as what they do does not interfere with anybody else’s liberty. There is an equally large percent who think that there is no individual right to live one’s life as he chooses, since what they do may possibly cause some harm either now or somewhere down the line. It seems that “never the twain shall meet”. Government has sided with the latter group and has placed all sorts of restrictions on individuals and businesses to keep them from becoming all they can be. Individuals have been hampered from bringing to market, some of their ideas that would make this a better place to live, and corporations have had mandates placed on them that they have to pass on to their customers, causing hardships on those in our society who can least afford them. One day, after the system we now have implodes, we can only hope that we still have the courage and ingenuity to rebuild it.

Truth Smuggling (The Nah-Nah-Nee-Boo-Boo Approach)

2008-07-23T12:49:38.685Z

Originally posted here: http://billyjacksblog.com/?p=33 This Truth Smuggling tactic is every bit as childish as the title implies. In this scenario, the Truth Smuggler begins calling names as a cover up for the fact that he/she cares nothing about engaging in the pursuit of truth. Most often, name calling is a defense mechanism for a Truth Smuggler who has been confronted with an argument for which he/she doesn’t have a prepared sound bite answer. Since the Truth Smuggler sees the debate as a contest and not a genuine quest for truth, he/she will kick up dust to cloud the issue by getting personal. On the play ground, we called names like “fatso,” “4 eyes,” “buck tooth,” or even “bad breath booger eater.” Then, we grew up. Along with our maturity in years came a maturity in the names we called people. Many folks graduated from “bad breath booger eater” to racial slurs. Then came the enlightenment of the civil rights movement, and we learned how insulting and destructive those names are. Today, our society has developed a whole new vocabulary of names. They don’t highlight someone’s physical characteristics like the old ones did. We are far too “enlightened” to do that any longer. Instead, we’ve developed socially acceptable names designed to misrepresent political positions and assassinate characters. We use them when we are interested in building our own power base by diminishing the power base of the other guy. Let’s look at an example from both political ends of the spectrum. Conservatives believe the best way for the government to assist people is through job creation and encouraging people to trade in their welfare check for a payroll check. Liberals take exception to that notion. However, rather than debating the issue on its merits, they resort to calling names like, “racist” and “uncompassionate.” On the other hand, many liberals believe every child in America should have some form of health insurance coverage. Conservatives who disagree with that idea throw out names like “socialist” and “bleeding heart.” Whether these names are accurate is beside the point. It is very possible for a conservative to be a racist. It is equally possible for a liberal to be a socialist. But none of that has anything to do with the substance of either debate. The conservative view regarding welfare reform needs to be addressed and discussed. Doing so has nothing to do with racism. The liberal view of health insurance for children stands or falls on its own merits and should not be mixed in with accusations of socialism. Name calling in these two cases simply gets in the way of intelligent truth finding. It derails efforts of discovering solutions and digresses into power grabbing. But, that is not an accidental result. The Truth Smugglers involved in the debate on both sides have that result as their goal when they enter the conversation.

Top Ten Surprises Awaiting John McCain at google.com

2008-07-22T15:05:23.930Z

It is okay to have a president of the United States of America who does not know how to drive. But to have one that does not know how to use the internet? Now that is a disaster in the making- for the country as well as the president. What is surprising is that John McCain was still a young 70 year-old man when Al Gore, then a colleague of his in the senate, invented the internet. Accepted, he got scared like many when told at the early years of the internet that you must know Html codes to be functional. Being that McCain was terrible in math and graduated 894 out of 899 in his class at the U.S. Naval Academy, you can understand why he chose to give the internet a pass. However, one would have thought that when he sent the very last telegram before the service was discontinued worldwide, he would have mustered the courage to learn how to use the internet. As a public service and my contribution to the McCain campaign, I present to John McCain the top ten surprises that await him when he enters the world of the internet and googles himself. 1.) His Vice president has been chosen by Dick Cheney. His name will be leaked to the press by the Chief of Staff of the Vice President as soon as it is declassified by the president. 2.) His first wife, a former model, Carol Sheep, is writing a blog from Virginia Beach. In her blog, she talks about how John McCain left her for a rich young teacher after she had an accident that disfigured her. 3.) His black child is begging on his Facebook page for a 50 Cent endorsed bling bling for Christmas. 4.) He bought his Straight Talk Express bus on the recommendation of an Anger Management specialist after he punched his opponent in the face at a Town Hall meeting for asking what dealer supplies his wife, Cindy, with drugs. The unlucky man was referring to Viagra but instead he used a generic name, drugs, just to be polite. 5.) He participated in the 1770 Olympic as a star boxer representing the Thirteen colonies. 6.) An email has been waiting for him in his mail box. The email is from Charles Keating (III) who now resides in Nigeria. He wants to transfer a sum of $100 million which is proceeds from Lincoln Savings and Loans Association offshore account. Mr. Keatings is willing to share the money 50-50 with John McCain if only the Arizona senator sends the wife’s account number. 7.) Ross Perot while talking about how he helped McCain’s first wife, Carol, with medical bills following her accident, wrote this on his MySpace page: “After John McCain came home, Carol walked with a limp. So John threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona and the rest is history.” 8.) 40 million unemployed Americans without medical insurance have gone to www.statedepartment.gov to apply for the post of the U.S. Ambassador to Belarus which McCain offered Senator Gramm and it was declined. 9.) Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a note on his Facebook Funwall thanking McCain for opposing the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It has been there since 1983. 10.) Like his father and grandfather, Panama has promoted him from a captain into a full admiral. On November 6 2008, Panama will have a special election where they will name McCain the president of Panama.

One Step Closer to KA-BOOM!

2008-07-22T15:15:39.075Z

Originally posted here at the Armchair Society of Slackers.

Poof! Excerpt: If Iran decides to expel IAEA inspectors and withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty the Isalmic nation could produce nuclear weapons in as little as six months. So says Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, whose recent comments on Iran's nuclear capabilities surprised many. Last year the IAEA chief said it would be several years before Iran would be able to build a nuke. I believe we will see World War III erupt in our life time. The threat grows before our eyes and the possibility of witnessing a live nuclear attack on a population is a growing reality.

McCain & Obama To Speak At Rick Warren's Church

2008-07-22T14:48:18.052Z

Originally posted here at the Armchair Society of Slackers. The two presidential candidates will speak at Saddleback Church August 21 and momentarily share the stage. It promises to be a evening where no one is offended and no one asks any challenging questions about the issues. But there will be plenty of the right religious terms tossed about to fool evangelicals into believing the candidates are believers just like them. Ah, feel-good Christianity at its best displayed prominently on the world stage. It's also a huge plug for Warren's church (as if it wasn't big enough already.)

THAT CAN'T BE, RIGHT?

2008-07-22T14:13:50.676Z

"Originally posted here: www.theragsshow.blogspot.com" MR SUBWAY SAYS... ATTENTION RIDERS. WE OWE SOME OF YOU A BIG APOLOGY FOR A GAFFE EARLIER TODAY ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER CENTER BOUND E TRAIN. YES, ONE OF OUR WELL PAID UNION TRAIN CONDUCTORS FAILED TO OPEN THE TRAIN DOORS AT THE FIFTH AVE AND 53RD STREET PLATFORM... FOR A REASON YET TO BE DETERMINED... AND SO... TO THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ON THAT TRAIN... AND WANTED TO GET OFF... THOSE WHO GOT ALL FRUSTRATED... COMPLAINED A BIT... AND EVEN SWORE. THEN STAYED ON THE TRAIN UNTIL IT ARRIVED AT THE SEVENTH AVE STATION. THEN EXITED THE TRAIN AND SWORE SOME MORE WHILE YOU MADE YOUR WAY TO THE QUEENS BOUND PLATFORM. THEN WAITED FOR THE QUEENS BOUND E TRAIN... SWORE SOME MORE... WAITED A LITTLE MORE... GOT FRUSTRATED SOME MORE AND SWORE EVEN MORE... THEN BOARDED THAT TRAIN. THEN RODE BACK TO THE STATION YOU SHOULD HAVE ARRIVED AT A FULL FOURTEEN MINUTES EARLIER. THEN SWORE STILL MORE AS YOU EXITED THE STATION IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR JOB. YES TO THOSE RIDERS WHO HAD TO GO THROUGH ALL THAT HEART-WRENCHING, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HARDSHIP I EXPLAINED ABOVE... WE GOOFED. AND SO WE OWE YOU A... "SORRY ABOUT THAT." - OH, AND SINCE I'VE GOT YOUR ATTENTION, RIDERS... I, "MR. SUBWAY" WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS A FEW OTHER ISSUES THAT ARE BOTHERING ME... AND PERHAPS SOME OF YOU. FIRST... ABOUT US NEVER CHANGING THE NAME OF THE DESTINATION OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER BOUND E TRAINS... BEING THAT THERE IS NO WORLD TRADE CENTER AND ALL... WE'RE SORRY ABOUT THAT TOO. SORT OF. I MEAN, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT A BIT... EVERY TIME YOU ARE ON ONE OF THOSE LOWER MANHATTAN BOUND E TRAINS... AND YOU HEAR THE ANNOUNCEMENT, "THIS IS A WORLD TRADE CENTER BOUND E TRAIN"... IT SOUNDS A LITTLE STRANGE, RIGHT? ACTUALLY NOT A LITTLE STRANGE... BUT "VERY" STRANGE. ESPECIALLY TO THE MILLIONS OF YOU WHO WERE HERE THAT HORRENDOUS TUESDAY MORNING. AND ME. BUT I'M HERE TO TELL YOU, WE MADE A DECISION ALMOST RIGHT AWAY... AH, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN... WE MADE DECISION A FEW WEEKS AFTER 9/11... TO KEEP USING THE "WORLD TRADE CENTER" NAME IN OUR ANNOUNCEMENTS. AND WHY? ACTUALLY NO ONE REMEMBERS. ALTHOUGH ONE BOSS I TALKED WITH HEARD WE WERE TOLD KEEP USING THAT ANNOUNCEMENT BY SOMEONE IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION... TO MESS WITH YOUR PSYCHE... TO KEEP US WONDERING... IN FEAR... AND SO ON. BUT THAT CAN'T BE, RIGHT? ANYWAY, WE DID IT... AND FOR THAT I'M GOING TO SAY, "WE ARE SORRY ABOUT THAT TOO. SORT OF." AND SECOND... NOW THAT IT'S BECOMING OBVIOUS WE INTEND TO RAISE THE FARES YET AGAIN ON YOU OFTEN STRUGGLING WORKING CLASS NEW YORKERS, TOURISTS, ILLEGALS, HOMELESS AND OTHERS... MY RECOMMENDATION TO YOU IS... TO GET OVER IT. ACTUALLY... TO "GET THE @@%# OVER IT!" COMPANIES ARE ALLOWED TO MAKE MONEY IN OUR CAPITALISTIC SOCIETY... AND SO ARE WE. TAKE A LOOK AT THE INSURANCE, DRUG AND OIL COMPANIES, THOSE COMPANIES CONTRACTED TO DO WORK IN WAR ZONES, THE DEVELOPERS IN MANHATTAN OF ALL THOSE MILLION DOLLAR APARTMENTS YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO AFFORD, AND SO ON. TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THOSE COMPANIES I HEAR YOU SELDOM COMPLAIN ABOUT. WHAT... THEY ARE ALLOWED TO REAP HUMONGOUS PROFITS AND WE AREN'T? OF COURSE WE ARE. AND SO GET OVER IT... THANK YOU FOR RIDING... AND HAVE A SAFE TRIP. - AND FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN SUCH ACTIONS... REGARDING HOW NEW YORK CITY IS GOING TO REDUCE POVERTY SOME MORE. GO TO... http://www.chn.org/humanneeds/080721e.html - TAKE CARE. RAGS

Why So Serious?

2008-07-22T14:06:08.066Z

Originally posted here at the Armchair Society of Slackers.

An article was yanked off the Austin American Statesman website after a handful of humorless, whining liberals counldn't find their funny bone. Fred Zipp, the wimpy editor, who was so touched by the hurting liberals, offered his sickening apology after removing the article. Here are some excerpts from the offensive piece that hurt the Lib's feelings: --the audience nearly staged a "faint-in" when Gore appeared (note use of '60s term). --Pelosi is so far left her title should include (D-Beijing)......of course, this would come as a surprise to many in the crowd who have criticized her timidity. -- another aged cliche, "napalm in the morning," from "Apocalypse Now." -- why do these Netrootss people think the Democrats can win in November? Of course, he does not mention that the Roots helped propel the Dems to a smashing victory in 2006. Instead, he refers to the fact that conservatives meeting elsewhere, in tiny numbers, in Austin -- with Michelle Malkin as guest! -- might have a lot to say about that. -- the liberal blogosphere is "terrribly self-confirming" -- not like the mainstream media! -- but then he notes that at the conference they "critiqued themselves." -- Paul Krugman, as if to "galvanize stereotypes," wore Birkenstocks -- but Beach throughout the article clearly needed no help in having his own stereotypes galvanized. --Krugman complained that the media wasn't liberal enough. Beach: "Only in Austin." -- It's shooting fish in a barrel "to paint liberals as overly intellectual types incapable of having fun unless reading Noam CHomsky counts, and its sure does for them." In fact, the convention was practically "party central," few attendees are "intellectuals," and only a tiny percentage, I would guess, are Chomsky lovers -- again, an outmoded stereotype. -- Those who spoke out during the Pelosi/Gore confab were "shushed" as if they were at a Nanci Griffith concert. I can imagine most of the attendees reading this reference and asking, "Who???" --one more reference to Liberals Don't Wanna "have fun." And so on. I guess Phil Gramm was right, America is a nation of whiners. I now realize he was referring to only one group of the American public. This issue goes much deeper into the realm of losing our personal freedoms. While there is much liberal oppositon to FISA and the Patriot Act, and the alleged erosion of our personal rights from these acts, there seems to be very little opposition towards the censoring of our free speech rights. In fact, there seems to be a lot of support for it, but it has been nicely packaged in the deceptive Fairness Doctrine. More stories... Newspaper surrenders to humorless nutroots; Editor and Publisher writer gloats Coverage of 'Netroots' Confab Draws Protest-- Snarky Article Spiked -- Editor's Note Apologizes Pelosi Supports Fairness Doctrine

Truth Smuggling—The Poison Pill Approach

2008-07-22T13:33:28.675Z

Originally posted here: http://billyjacksblog.com/?p=32 In this approach, the Truth Smuggler inserts “poison pills” which serve as a preemptive strike to anyone’s ability to oppose his/her views. This tactic can be used at any point in the conversation, but it is most effective as a defensive ploy when the person with the opposing view makes a point that the Truth Smuggler cannot contradict. Rather than reflecting on the point that was made, the Truth Smuggler drops a “poison pill,” and the truth is smuggled right out of the conversation. Truth Smugglers have a variety of “poison pills” in their arsenal. One of them is the statement, “every informed, intelligent person knows…” and they go on to state the view they are defending. This is a “poison pill” because it automatically frames the conversation so that any opposing idea one may express puts him in the category of being “uninformed” or “unintelligent.” When the debate centers on facts that must be gathered from a specific area of expertise, the poison pill says, “all reputable experts in this area believe…” That “poison pill” is designed to automatically invalidate any facts you may have from another “expert” which contradicts their information. These are general, subtle statements which are non-offensively slipped into a conversation for the purpose of winning an argument. But they actually obstruct the process of answering a question or resolving a problem. In contrast, there are “poison pills” which are much less subtle and much more personal. They frame the issue by saying that anyone who holds an opposing view is somehow deficient in his/her ability to think or feel any differently. Take the incessant “Conservative-Liberal” wrangling for example. The labels people wear sets off the “Truth Smuggling” alarm in my brain. By wearing labels, people are saying, “I have a certain set of values and beliefs that I am going to follow, and no set of circumstances or discovery of new information is going to change my predisposed positions.” That is exactly what Liberals and Conservatives do. In order to purvey their predisposed positions against each other and smuggle truth out of any debate, they throw poison pills at one another. Conservatives accuse those who have Liberal beliefs of being mentally ill. Liberals label people who hold Conservative views of being uncompassionate fat cats who don’t care about the common man. So, the lines are drawn by these poison pills. If I am on one side of an issue, I have ready- made accusations for the people on the other side. I don’t even have to bother with considering, evaluating, or even listening to any specific points they raise. I have smuggled the truth away, and I have added to my political power base. Mission accomplished!

In My Inbox...

2008-07-21T17:16:49.333Z

Never Judge Someone... 'Some people!' snorted a man standing some distance behind me in the long line at the grocery store. 'You would think the manager would pay attention and open another line, 'said a woman. I looked to the front of the line to see what the hold up was and saw a well dressed, young woman, trying to get the machine to accept her credit card. No matter how many times she swiped it, the machine kept rejecting it. 'It's one of them welfare card things. Damn people need to get a job like everyone else,' said the man standing behind me. The young woman turned around to see who had made the comment. 'It was me,' he said, pointing to himself. The young lady's face began to change expression. Almost in tears, she dropped the welfare card onto the counter and quickly walked out of the store. Everyone in the checkout line watched as she began running to her car. Never looking back, she got in and drove away. Several minutes later a young man walked into the store. He went up to the cashier and asked if she had seen the woman. After describing her, the cashier told him that she had run out of the store, got into her car, and drove away. 'Why would she do that?' asked the man. Everyone in the line looked around at the fellow who had made the statement. 'I made a stupid comment about the welfare card she was using. Something I shouldn't have said. I'm sorry,' said the man. 'Well, that's bad, real bad, in fact. Her brother was killed in Afghanistan two years ago. He had three young children and she has taken on that responsibility. She's twenty years old, single, and now has three children to support,' he said in a very firm voice. 'I'm really truly sorry. I didn't know,' he replied, shaking both his hands about. The young man asked, 'Are these paid for?' pointing to the shopping cart full of groceries. 'It wouldn't take her card,' the clerk told him. 'Do you know where she lives?' asked the man who had made the comment. 'Yes, she goes to our church.' 'Excuse me,' he said as he made his way to the front of the line. He pulled out his wallet, took out his credit card and told the cashier, 'Please use my card. PLEASE!' The clerk took his credit card and began to ring up the young woman's groceries. 'Hold on,' said the gentleman. He walked back to his shopping cart and began loading his own groceries onto the belt to be included. 'Come on people. We got three kids to help raise!' he told everyone in line. Everyone began to place their groceries onto the fast moving belt. A few customers began bagging the food and placing it into separate carts. 'Go back and get two big turkeys,' yelled a heavyset woman, as she looked at the man. 'NO,' yelled the man. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The entire store became quiet for several seconds. 'Four turkeys,' yelled the man. Everyone began laughing and went back to work. When all was said and done, the man paid a total of $1,646.57 for the groceries. He then walked over to the side, pulled out his check book, and began writing a check using the bags of dog food piled near the front of the store for a writing surface. He turned around and handed the check to the young man. 'She will need a freezer and a few other things as well,' he told the man. The young man looked at the check and said, 'This is really very generous of you.' 'No,' said the man. 'Her brother was the generous one.' Everyone in the store had been observing the odd commotion and began to clap. And I drove home that day feeling very American. We live in the Land of the free, because of the Brave!!! Remember our Troops of Yesterday and Today!!! A great example of why we should be kind and patient. Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear. Never judge someone...until you have walked a mile in their shoes. May God's many blessings continue to be with you - ALWAYS!!! MAY THIS KEEP GOING.... IT MAY OPEN A LOT OF EYES, HOPEFULLY HEARTS, AND KEEP SOME MOUTHS SHUT. MARLENE FOSS

Does America have a queen?

2008-07-21T16:18:12.813Z

This article previously posted at http://darrels-forum.blogspot.com/ Who does she think she is? Nancy Pelosi is only one of 435 elected to the House of Representatives, yet she has been given the power to claim what legislation gets to come to the floor for a vote. Recently, Queen Pelosi announced that legislation that would allow offshore drilling would not come to the floor for a vote. America, and the rest of the world, is in an energy crisis that can be alleviated by allowing American oil companies to drill in our own property and at the same time force OPEC to lower their per barrel price world wide. The Queen is only one representative, and from liberal San Francisco at that, and she is able through some fluke to be able to tell the rest of those chosen to represent the American people when and if they can vote on a piece of legislation. What happened to a representative Republic? Where are OUR representatives in Washington? Why are they being denied a chance to give an up or down vote on this crucial piece of legislation? The answer to the above questions is that they are being ruled by a wicked queen from the west, and seem to have no power to stop her. She has her minions behind her; but do they represent their constituencies? I think not. I don't know about the rest of America, but I for one do not want to live under a Queen.