The Next Banks to Fall?

This article predicts which banks should be on the diving board soon...which is not comforting because this brings the economic crisis even closer to home.

John McCain and the Blackberry

I was going to just leave that one alone because John McCain didn't say he invented the Blackberry, his genius of a staffer did, and just like Barack Obama shouldn't have to pay for the sins of the people that surround him, in this case, McCain should be given the benefit of the doubt.

Seriously, people, this campaign is full of enough gaffes from the candidates themselves without putting words in their mouths.

I'm Just Putting This Here So It Will Be Easier to Find Later

Palin Not to Cooperate in Troopergate

This was announced yesterday while the world was going nuts as the stock market was getting historically worse.

First of all, that makes her look MORE guilty, and secondly, why is it that all of her major announcments take place during a disaster (Bristol Palin's pregnancy during Hurricane Fay, her interview debuted while everyone was freaking out about Hurricane Ike and now this one taking place at the end of what Greenspan referred to as the worst economic disaster of his career).

We are not stupid! The light will eventually fall back on you!

Economic Apocalypse!

Even Greenspan said yesterday that this is the worst he has seen in his entire career and that the crises being faced are a "once-in-a-century" event. Yet somehow, while economists are freaking out worldwide, presidential candidate Senator McCain still believes that the economy is still "fundamentally sound." What is he taking and where can I get some?

The One-Issue Voter

I have met many people that are voting for a candidate based solely on one issue--usually taxes or abortion--and I have mixed feelings about them because they are probably the most played voter group. They are voting on an issue that is near and dear to them but there is one important factor that candidates for office neglect to tell them: voting for that person won't end that issue. I am a little disgusted with candidates that pander to the feelings of voters in this respect because they are counting on the idea that the voter does not know that they have no or little power over the subject.

In the case of taxes, the president can only suggest a tax plan...Congress has to approve it. So unless you have been actively campaigning for Congressional candidates in enough states to back the tax plan, there is still a significant chance that said tax plan will never see the light of day, especially in the original form proposed by the candidate-elect.

The abortion issue is a bit more straight forward: having a pro-choice or pro-life president, vice-president, Senator, etc., doesn't mean a hill of beans because the only group that can overturn Roe v. Wade is the Supreme Court. Sure, the president can nominate a Supreme Court justice, but the nominee would still have to go under the magnifying glass of Congress and even then there is no guarantee that said nominee will uphold the beliefs of that president. Nothing can remove a justice except death so there is no incentive to cater to any issue. Case in point: President Eisenhower nominated Earl Warren in 1952 to be Chief Justice of SCOTUS. Chief Justice Warren played a very significant history-changing role in the case of Brown v. Board of Education, and Eisenhower was quoted as saying that the worst mistake he made in office was appointing Warren as Chief Justice. George W. Bush nominated two SCOTUS justices (John G. Roberts, Jr. in 2005 and Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. in 2006) and even though SCOTUS upheld the partial-abortion ban law, it hardly made a dent in Roe v. Wade and the odds of Roe v. Wade being completely overturned are not very likely.

So there is your Government 101 for the day. The point I am trying to make is that when you vote for someone, the focus should be on things they can actually change--not slightly influence, CHANGE. What can the president change? Our status in the Iraq War (well, technically Congress can too but they don't have the cahones to do so) and foreign policy in general are the primary things that the president has the power to change.

So make your vote based on what they can do for us.

I Weep for the Future of Our Country...

She doesn't even have knowledge of the current administration's policies...she could have learned about that just from watching the news.

Sheri's Random Rant: The Typical American Voter

Every time there is an election season, I thank God for sending me into the field of political science because it taught me how to pick candidates using research and logic, not emotion. This post has several sections so please bear with me. Some will find this post offensive and frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. At this point I feel like some people DESERVE to get their feelings hurt. I would also like to point out that I am not and will not endorse any of the candidates.

I am often asked about my thoughts on political issues but I try not to answer them because the inquirer isn't looking for my opinion, they are looking for someone to agree with them. If I do participate in the conversation, I am forced to endure a speech that is just loyalty-based emotion on a subject. I realize that maybe I should speak up more, and stop worrying about other people's feelings.

The first thing that bothers me about the typical American voter is that every election voters complain about campaign mud slinging. Well, guess who you should blame for it America? YOU! Whenever you as a voter go around quoting the mud and voting based on the mud you are giving candidates a reason to continue slinging mud. If someone sells you spoiled meat and you know its spoiled but you continue to buy it instead of the fresh food, you are to blame because YOU are the one that continues to buy it. This "lipstick on a pig" nonsense is a good example of how voters run the mud-slinging machine. It is just as senseless as when Clinton was accused of being a racist because of a comment he made about Obama. Guess what, America? If you turned off the news every time crap like this would come on the media ratings would go down and they might actually talk about something else!

One of my relatives is constantly trying to get into political debates with me because I refuse to blindly follow Obama. This person argues that this candidate is the perfect president because they give great speeches. I don't even watch the speeches. A speech is not a reflection of a candidate, but the talent of their speech writers, and in the event that said candidate wrote their speech, it only proves that they would have had a great career in journalism, not running a world power. When Palin gave her intro speech (let's be honest: Palin is the one running for president; McCain is 72 years old and his health is less-than-desirable so there is a notable chance that he could die in office), America cheered and that confused the hell out of me. Given that they coached her to death I am not surprised that she read it without screwing up. And since when is the ability to give a great speech evidence of sound leadership? Need I remind you that Hitler gave rousing speeches, too?

I do plan on watching the VP debates, not because it will affect my opinion on either potential VP but because it promises to be entertaining.

I was going to write more, but I think I will stop here. America, if you are going to vote for a candidate, don't do it from speeches or watching the news, do it from researching their domestic and foreign policies plans. Picture them talking to a foreign leader and ask yourself do they have what it takes to secure America's place in the international system. Don't vote because of race or because you like how someone looks or because they seem "normal" to you. Looks do not run a successful country. Abraham Lincoln wasn't aesthetically pleasing at all and he is remembered as one of our greatest presidents. And as for voting for someone because they seem like a "normal" American with "normal" problems, go outside and look around: the country is crawling with "normal" people with problems...would you want any of them to be your president?

History holds the leaders of nations responsible for the failings of their countries. I think that the people that put them in power play a great role in those shortcomings as well.

Any unstructured and/or irrational replies will be deleted. I don't have the patience for it anymore.

In Memory of 9/11

"Big Bang" Machine Switched On

There was some speculation that this machine could possibly destroy Earth. That idea used to bother me, but then it occurred to me that it would probably be a pretty quick disintegration so there is a good chance that we wouldn't feel any pain when the world imploded.

Weird Stories: Bear Takes Up War on Drugs

I guess he either was pushing out the competition or he had the munchies.

Fannie and Freddie Get Bigger Gov't Bailout

Link to article

Mother Microwaves Baby

China Arnold's defense team contends that she was not in her right mind when she microwaved her infant daughter to death because she was drunk.

What the hell kind of alcohol induces homicidal urges like that? Killing a baby in a microwave? Did the jury realize that the time it must have taken in the torturous death of this child? That the child had not only enough time to feel pain, but to cry out to her mother about it?

If someone drinks and drives, they are lambasted, but if someone drinks and microwaves their child, that makes sense?

Introducing Sarah Palin...

I watched her speech...why, I don't know. A speech is not a reflection of a candidate, but the talent of their speech writers, and given that they coached her to death I am not surprised that she gave it without screwing up.

However, you can teach a monkey how to play the piano, but that doesn't make it Mozart.

Palin's Little Secret

I originally was going to leave this story alone since I usually think it is unnecessary to go after a candidate's family. Then it dawned on me that Gov. Palin decided to make this announcement when America was conveniently distracted by two hurricanes. That ticked me off so I decided to do a post on it.

By the by, Gov. Palin: John Edwards made his career-killing announcement about his affair during the opening ceremony of the Olympics and all that did was tick people off. How do you think people are going to respond to you hiding behind a hurricane?

And let's be honest: if this was the daughter of Biden, the Republicans would tear that child alive.

McCain Picks VP

I have got to give McCain credit, choosing Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate was a pretty shrewd move. Well, either way, this is going to be a very historic election.

Obama Picks Biden for VP

I am not too fond of the choice, but then, I also have a problem with the fact that Obama decided he was presidential material so early in his career.

Link to Article

Sex Toys...for Dogs

Only the French could come up with this.

No, this is not a toy in the "go fetch" sense, this is a sex toy...for dogs. I wasn't sure what this was until I saw the "demonstration" ad for this, which I have decided to spare you from seeing. French designer Clement Eloy felt it was time for dogs with AHS (Acute Humping Syndrome) to have an outlet for their, um, frustrations.

I tried to think of something to say in response to this device, but I am still in shock.

Is Bush Opening the Gateway to the Death of Birth Control?

I am going to call this act what it is: a last minute attempt for brownie points from the only people that will give Bush the time of day now: religious conservatives.

This act, which essentially claims that it will protect health care workers from dispensing prescriptions or providing services that they find morally reprehensible. My first question was this: who are these geniuses getting jobs at abortion clinics and becoming pharmacists when they have moral objections about the profession? I am against organized crime, so I won't work for the mafia. I dislike cancer, so I do not work for nuclear plants. I dislike pain, so I chose not to become a boxer. If the job description violates your moral code, common sense says, "DON'T WORK THERE."

I consider myself to be pretty faithful to my religion, but I consider myself to be logical, too. This proposal can be the gateway to allowing many professionals to get away with not doing their job and getting paid for it, too, therefore it should be scrapped. How would you feel if your child could not get a blood transfusion because the doctor was a Jehovah's Witness (their faith is against the passing of one person's blood to another)?

I have always had problems with the types of people that would support proposals like this because their tactics are so brutally flawed. Picketing abortion clinics will not stop it from happening. Forcing legislation to prevent someone from doing something to themselves will not stop it. There are other more rational ways to approach it. Personally, I am convinced that these people are not addicted to their cause, they are addicted to their sense of self-righteousness...and personally, I resent how these people who fight so hard to save unborn children are the same ones that resent the government aid their caregivers receive to take care of them after they are born.

Link to Conscience Clause Proposal

Florida Law Strikes Again...

I have monitored many criminal cases in Florida because their legal system simply boggles the mind. They are notorious for convicting people with the flimisiest evidence and giving them harsh sentences, but when it comes to "slam dunk" cases, they seem to fall by the wayside.

Case in point: Aaron Mohanlal (pictured above) was recently convicted and sentenced to 43 years for repeatedly raping a child while he was a teacher at a Broward County Middle school. He was also in the process of grooming other children to take the place of the victim and passed out dozens of fliers to other students with the victim's photo, name and phone number stating that the victim had sex with animals after charges were filed. However, it has been two years and he has yet to serve a day in prison. Why? Just ask his savior, elected Broward Circuit Judge Marc Gold who allowed Mohanlal to be out on bond until his appeal process has been exhausted. Mohanlal not only is not only allowed to be free, but the judge did not think it was pertinent to make a clause forbidding Mohanlal to have contact with other children. The authorities are "confident" that the child rapist is not a flight risk.

Mohanlal bought a house 15 miles from the victim.