Have another beer, Joe Zepecki!

Joe Zepecki. As of October 29, 2012, Zepecki was the Obama Campaign Wisconsin Communications Director. Not sure if he's still working in that capacity. Apparently he's working for the Wisconsin gubernatorial campaign of Mary Burke (D) who is running against incumbent Governor Scott Walker (R). Numerous quotes from Zepecki have him attributed as "Burke spokesperson", so he's working for Burke's campaign in some capacity.

I've been a supporter of Scott Walker going back to his years serving in the Wisconsin State Assembly. But forget that for a moment. Make believe I have no idea who Scott Walker is.

In a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article ("Poll shows little shift in race for governor", 3/27/2014), Zapecki stated,

"Not only are Walker and his allies' unprecedented amount of early, false, negative attacks on Mary Burke not working, voters know, by an overwhelming margin, that Walker's economic plans aren't working either."

Let's say, for argument's sake, that Zapecki's statement is 100% truthful - that some of Walker's attacks (and political advertising) have been false. Assume that's true. Now look at Mary Burke's first television advertising campaign, unveiled on March 5, 2014. The narrator in the commercial states, "under Walker, unemployment’s up," while the graphic on the screen changes from 4.8% to 6.2%. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal government’s official jobs counter, is footnoted as the source.

With me so far? So I went to the BLS and checked the stats myself. Walker assumed the governorship in January 2011 when the unemployment rate was 7.7% and it now stands at 6.1% (January 2014). So one would look at these numbers and deduce that "under Walker, unemployment rates have gone down from 7.7% to 6.1%." Correct? (The 6.2% was the last recorded stat before the January 2014 numbers were released.)

So where did Burke get the 4.8% number from? This is a gut-buster (to me anway) - that figure was an unemployment rate when Burke worked for then-Governor Jim Doyle (D) from 2005-07).

So pray tell, Joe Zepecki - how is Scott Walker responsible for fluctuations in the Wisconsin unemployment rate during the Doyle administration?

Back to what I mentioned earlier - let's say Zepecki's statement about the Walker administration above is true. If Mary Burke feels Walker isn't doing his job and that she can more effectively manage Wisconsin's affairs, don't you think her first priority would be to NOT do what her campaign is saying Walker's campaign is doing? Do the opposite? Wouldn't she want to set a good example and not skew, embellish or blatantly lie about statistics as important as unemployment rates? You would think her spokesperson, Joe Zepecki, would know this. I mean....he did accuse Walker's administration of spreading false attacks.

Fucking hypocrisy at its zenith. The stats don't lie.

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Dale Carnegie would be ashamed.

Written by Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the first best-selling self-help books ever published.

Oh, look! This is fun...

 

Pretty sure this wasn't a chapter in his book. Now, regardless of how you feel about unions, I believe it's safe to say no one would encourage this form of behavior to help get your point across. Maybe. But wait - I though it was the Republicans/conservatives/"anti-unionists" who were the Neanderthals? Right?

I would love to send a copy of Carnegie's book to the two Michigan pro-union baffoons featured in the 2nd video who committed bodily assault on the reporter/interviewer.

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My brother's testimony before the Wisconsin DNR.

You can reference the previous blog post for background information on my brother's testimony. I could not have written a better speech.

The Brotherhood of the Arrow
A fraternity of archers bound by the legacy of Kenny Koepsel

We, The Brotherhood of the Arrow, stand opposed to the amendment of Section 9 Chapter 29.08 and the creation of Section 10 Chapter 29.08 of ACT 168. We hope that the addition of this amendment to AB 311, after the public session of AB 311, was simply an oversight on the part of our trusted Representatives and not intentional. We feel that the policy of "closed till open" has worked and forcing the DNR and the NRB to accommodate this new policy of "opened till closed" was not a wise decision. After all, 36 of 54 State Parks already have some hunting as a result of the "closed till open" policy under the recommendation of those qualified to do so. Many, if not all, with little public opposition. Now, by treating the parks as a whole instead of individually, the law has created an issue between hunters and non-hunters. An issue that could have been avoided by sticking with the old policy. If it was the intention of legislatures, as some have publicly stated, to create more opportunity for small game and waterfowl hunting, we wish they would have done so under the old law to avoid public outcry. If more deer hunting was wanted then this could have also been added with the input of the people that manage the parks on a daily basis. We are not opposed to hunting in state parks; we are just opposed to the way it was handled.

The Brotherhood of the Arrow is a fraternity of archers bonded by the legacy of Kenny Koepsel. It is upon his encouragement before his recent passing that we are here.

Buckhorn State Park is only open to archery deer hunting. It has been this way since its beginning. The park is a peninsula jutting out into the Castle Rock Flowage. At one point in the history of the peninsula before it became a State Park it is said that during the gun deer season the locals lined up on Hwy G and pushed the entire peninsula south to the flowage. The flowage was ice. The ensuing carnage that occurred is believed to be the main reason why the park was open to archery only. The Wisconsin Bowhunters Association also lobbied for an archery only season and I suspect that Necedah being at one time The Bowhunting Capital of the World played a part in it.

The park grew immensely after Joe Stecker- Kochanski took over as park manager. Acquiring lands north and east of the original park boundaries, these lands were also set aside as archery only. Joe thought that since these power company lands were originally open to gun deer hunting it should stay that way. He didn't want to people to lose hunting areas. One year later he had it back open for gun hunting. The original park remained as archery deer only. Joe could have changed that, he didn't, probably for the same reason. It is a place for archers. Lands were also acquired north of the Buckhorn Bridge and became known as the Yellow River Wildlife Area. This area is open to archery deer, gun deer, small game, turkey and waterfowl hunting. Joe also had the park opened to a limited number of turkey permits and the Buckhorn Wildlife Area offers archery, small game and waterfowl hunting.

We feel that gun deer hunting would destroy the quality archery deer hunt that has existed at the Buckhorn for 40 years. We fear that history would repeat itself if guns are allowed back on the peninsula to hunt deer. Bowhunters have kept deer numbers in check throughout the years along with the Learn To Hunt Weekend. Our plea to you is, in the spirit of tradition and the fact that there are few places unique to archery only, that the park remain as is. We ask that all state park areas in the original boundaries including the parcels west of 19th street and south of hwy G remain as archery deer only. Therefore the suggested season opening would not have to be October 15 and could remain the traditional September start. The point of Act 168 is to gain not to lose. Archers would lose 30 days of hunting in a park that has had no conflict of interest in 40 years. If small game and waterfowl hunting are to be permitted they could open October 15.

The wildlife areas along with the park areas West of Hwy G and North of 31st street currently offer 3831 acres of small game, waterfowl and trapping opportunities and 3390 acres of gun deer hunting. The addition of the 1200 acres West of Hwy G and North of 31st street would bring the total for small game and trapping to 5031 acres.

We hope you can see that the Buckhorn Peninsula already has ample hunting and trapping opportunities. Opportunities that exist without any implementation of the new Act 168. Opportunities that exist through the diligence of knowledgeable people that knew what was best for the park they managed.

Please consider continuing this great tradition of archery at Buckhorn State Park for the archers of today and those yet to be.

The Brotherhood of the Arrow.

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My brother...the activist.

Brother Jason is headed to Madison tomorrow to speak at the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board hearing on Assembly Bill 311 (later becoming Act 168), often referred to as the "Sporting Heritage Bill". The bill, introduced by Representative Jim Steineke (R-Kaukana), establishes a bipartisan sporting recruitment and retention task force, creates incentives to hunt, fish and trap, among other things.

I'm very proud of my brother, whose passion for the outdoors is matched by his tenacity to try to right a wrong. He'll be speaking for our group of hunters - The Brotherhood of the Arrow, "a fraternity of archers bound by the legacy of Kenny 'Kahuna' Koepsel" - our dear friend and leader who passed away in November. You can read about Kahuna here - we lost a good man.

I'm not going to get into any more specifics of the bill - it's already been passed (taking effect January 1, 2013) and you can read it later (you know, like what Nancy Pelosi stated regarding the Obamacare bill). The DNR is making its recommendations for implementation, as the DNR finds a number of issues with the bill. Of the 2,000 letters, phone calls and emails from concerned citizens (hunters and non-hunters), only 85 were in favor of passage.

Here's my main grievance:

After Bill 311 was introduced, a public hearing was held. The outcry was overwhelming. Shortly after that - 9 days later - Congressman Jeffrey Mursau (R-Crivitz) introduced an amendment to Bill 311 (Amendment 4/AB 311) that read, "...hunting, fishing, and trapping in state parks;...". No public hearing was held after Mursau added this and the bill was eventually signed by Governor Scott Walker.

Basically, this means that public park hunting land that was once reserved for archers may now be open to gun hunters. Mursau did what many politicians do - slip bits of verbiage that no one knows about into on-going legislation and that's that.

And the nail in the coffin is that the Buckhorn State Park in Necedah where we've hunted for decades is most effected by Act 168. 3,831 additional acres will now be available to gun hunters of the 6,990 total acreage. But hey, according to bill co-sponsor Representative Al Ott (R-Forest Junction), it's all in a day's work.

"I suppose you want to throw stones at us." Ott went on to state that sometimes the Legislature does not do enough homework upfront and that this was one of those times.

Which makes it all the more easier to just pass shit without the public knowing about it, right, Alvin? Aside from the fact that you could already gun hunt in certain areas of 36 of the 54 state parks (rough figures) and this piece of legislation just opened up a can of worms. Why add more? This is not a condemnation of methods to improve Wisconsin's hunting heritage nor of gun hunters. It IS a condemnation of the sneaky tactics ALL politicians utilize to get their names attached to legislation. If you held one hearing on a bill and changes are made to said bill, you can hold another hearing outlining the changes. It's very simple.

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Romney.

I'm not happy with the job performance of Barack Obama. I believe Mitt Romney can perform better. But vote - vote Tuesday for whomever you want. Just get out and VOTE!

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Celebs say (and do) the darndest things!

 

If you're still reeling over Clint Eastwood's speech at the Republican National Convention, Clint gave an interview to The Carmel Pine Cone, his local paper in CA, after his now infamous stint at the RNC.

Now - I'm a Clint fan. Always have been. And we have similar politics. He's pro-choice and pro-gay rights. And pretty much a righty on most everything else. Oh - and he supports the arts. Forgot about that one. Anyways, I probably wouldn't have used "the empty chair" or made those couple references about President Obama telling Mitt Romney "to screw himself" (which Clint alluded to but didn't actually say), but that's just me. Aside from those two things (which I really didn't get bent outta shape about), I had no problem with what Eastwood said.

In the interview, he touched on the "method to his madness" (my phrase) regarding his speech. Here are some highlights:

A)  "I had three points I wanted to make...That not everybody in Hollywood is on the left, that Obama has broken a lot of the promises he made when he took office, and that the people should feel free to get rid of any politician who's not doing a good job. But I didn't make up my mind exactly what I was going to say until I said it."

B)  "There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down...When I saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea. I'll just put the stool out there and I'll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he didn't keep all of the promises he made to everybody."

C)  As he wrapped up his remarks, he was aware his presentation was "very unorthodox," but that was his intent from the beginning, even if some weren't on board. "They've got this crazy actor who's 82-years-old up there in a suit...I was a mayor, and they're probably thinking I know how to give a speech, but even when I was mayor I never gave speeches. I gave talks."

I know it was on national television which certainly amplified the entire incident. But I would rather have done what Eastwood did on national television than tweet what actor Jason Biggs (AMERICAN PIE) did...something about taking two pinkies and shoving them into Paul Ryan's wife's asshole - and that her asshole was probably bleached. OR what actress Ellen Barkin (TENDER MERCIES, SEA OF LOVE) tweeted - about how she wished Hurricane Isaac would sweep "every pro-life, anti-education, anti-woman, xenophobic, gay-bashing, racist SOB right into the ocean .

Yep. Most definitely.

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"Give the Left their assault weapons!"

(Above:  Camping trip, Mauston, WI, October 2011. Dad and Uncle Fran Ircink, back row. Brother Jas & I, front row)

I don't hunt with guns. Always a bow. But I know plenty of gun hunters and gun owners so I've always handled NRA discussions with kit gloves. I support guns and gun owners' rights. And if I had a gun and an intruder broke into my home, I would support my right to blow said intruder's head off. Or at the very least, a bodkin point in the person's skull. That all being said, the shootings in Aurora, CO last week have once again brought up the discussion of the NRA, gun ownership (specifically automatic assault weapons) and how another crazed, gun-totting whack job slipped through the mental health cracks - and left me contemplating my NRA stance.

One of the things I always tell advocates who are in favor of reining in the NRA's stronghold on gun ownership and lobbying, including a ban on assault weaponry (and this is my theory alone and can be challenged by any gun owner if they should choose), is that the NRA realizes people don't need an assault weapon to shoot an animal. I don't think by law you can shoot a deer with an AK-47. But you know how environmentalists tout, "if we don't start cleaning up the planet now, in 50, 150, 300 years this will happen or that will happen".

I believe the NRA feels the same way about assault weapons. You take that right of ownership away today and, over time, gun owners' rights will be whittled down to nothing. As I said, that's my theory - I could be wrong.

Gun advocates quote the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution - "the right to bear and keep arms" - as their main legal stance regarding gun and assault weapon ownership, among other weapons. I get that. But the amendment was written in 1791, a much different United States as compared to today, Actor Jason Alexander had a nice Tweet (no - a TwitLonger) about this very topic. Read it.

Our Founding Fathers could not have possibly imagined the advances we would make as a nation over the next 221 years; thus, no sliding scale law that changes as the times change.

So to the NRA, I say, give up the assault weapons. You've got hundreds of other guns and rifles at your disposal. It's not giving in - it's a compromise. Hey, at the very least, give it one year. If the government can't determine that a ban on assault weapons has effected a measurable change, change the law back. I will always support you but this way, you can get the Left off your back and still keep most of your guns. Maybe the Left will compromise on an issue it holds dear to its heart.

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I'm this far from getting the boot.

They, like many liberal/anti-Republican FB sites do not like to hear varying opinions. That is a fact. I've got booted off two others and I'm treading a fine line here. But as I told the FB admin for this site, what good is it doing your cause if you have 10 people commenting on a post with the same opinion, slapping each other on the back congratulating each other? You wanna talk about name-calling, Democrats? I've seen plenty of harsh, derogatory words aimed at myself and others. Yeh, I know..."but the Republicans do it, too". OK - take your ball home now so none of us can play anymore. Does that make it right? Enough with this holier-than-though bullshit. Reps, Dems, libs, conservatives....they all make good points and bad points. There's morons represented by each. I get all that. Fine.

We live in a democracy...yet these people who profess to bring about change in our state by recalling every Republican in office run their social network sites like a dictatorship. Or a socialist-run society. Interesting. I guess that is their right. (But collective bargaining...THAT ain't a right.)

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It's official! To serve...in Greendale.

My grandfather was on the Board of Trustees back in the day (1940's), my 2nd cousin's husband, Bernie Schroedl, was Village President for 14 years...this town needs another Ircink "on board".

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Huzzah! for John Kavanagh (AZ)! Reword the 14th Amendment now!

Representative John Kavanagh (R-AZ) is leading the way with proposed legislation to re-word the 14th Amendment, which was adopted in 1868 and states that citizenship be applied to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”

For the full New York Times story, click here. You know where I stand.

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On Obama's booby pri...I mean, Nobel Prize.

Today's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Shucks...I thought I was the only one who felt this way.

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"Land of Lincoln" becomes "Land of Looney Rod Blagojevich".

From Carl Sandburg's 1916 poem "Chicago" -

"Hog butcher for the world, Tool maker, stacker of wheat, Player with railroads and the nation's freight handler; Stormy, husky, brawling, City of the big shoulders."

Forgotten in Mr. Sandburg's ode to Chicago are the Windy City, Chi-Town, Sweet Home, My Kind of Town, FIB-Land (OK - I'm from Wisconsin...what did you expect?), and finally...And-As-Corrupt-as-a-Child-Molester-on-a-Middle-School-Playground.

Course, this news isn't new to anyone. However, it's punctuated by the arrest yesterday of Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich ("Blago" to his friends, I'm sure, and former 3-term U.S. Congressman) by federal law enforcement agents for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud as well as solicitation of bribery (there's a slew of charges, with these being the main ones).

Poor Mr. Lincoln...rolling over in his grave right, I trust. The rest of us trying to earn a living in times such as they are today, you have another politician thinkin' his shit don't stink. Alright, Illinois - you're batting 1.000! Blago is Illinois' 2nd crooked governor in a row. Jim Ryan was governor from 1999-2003, and is now serving six years in a federal pen on federal corruption convictions in 2006. Then there wa ex-Illinois congressman Dan Rostenkowski , who served from 1959-1995, who was indicted in 1994 on corruption charges for his key role in the House post office scandal. In 1996, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges of mail fraud, was fined and sentenced to 17 months in prison, of which he served 15 (Rostenkowski was pardoned in 2000 by US President Bill Clinton). These are the more recent higher-ranked officials - there's plenty more where they came from = 3 governors, 29 alderman - in all, nearly 80 elected officials have gone down the tubes in the Windbag City in the last 3 decades alone.

( I don't understand "pardons". Unless an individual was later found innocent of the crime he/she was originally found guilty for, why are they being "forgiven" for their crimes. I think it's bullshit.)

I have a numerous close friends from Wisconsin who live in Illinois - most of them migrated there because of their jobs. So I'm somewhat familiar with the uneven political climate in the City of the Big Con. Had a recent conversation with a Chicago cop in August about the state of Chicago politics and how concerned he was if Obama won the election...all the "favors" he'd have to grant to fellow Chicago politicians (this sentiment echoed by another ex-Chicago sheriff whom I know).

My personal disdain for Chicago and the state of Illinois stems from the Packer-Bear rivalry (though I'm boycotting the Packers in favor of Favre and the Jet this season, the animosity runs deep. We (Wisconsin) hate them. They hate us. Life goes on. I don't like the people (arrogant), their cars, their license plates, the state is flat and ugly; I hate their sports teams, the guys are slimy and that state, in general, sucks my ass. And right after FIBS rip on my state of Wisconsin, they all jump in their SUV's and Beemers for a vacation in - you guessed it, Wisconsin.

So I stumbled upon this Wordpress blog, 12 Angry Men and I see a post yesterday by Angry Immigrant, admonishing the Illinois governor for his latest 'ef up. Then I find another post dated March 9, 2007 from Angry Midwesterner titled, "Shut Up about Chicago and Illinois Corruption", in which this idiot, though calling attention to Illinois' political corruption, goes on to defend that corruption with reasoning so 'effed up that I'm thinking perhaps Rod Blagojevich IS Angry Midwesterner . If "Immigrant" and "Midwesterner" are two different people...well now I'm confused.

I encourage you to click on READ MORE! to read the further adventures of the idiocy that is Angry Midwesterner in Illinois. And read the comments at the end of the article. They all think this guy's on crack.

(WAIT! There's more...)

Angry Midwesterner goes on to acknowledge the corruptness prevalent in Illinois politics (and that it's wrong), yet defends it by espousing everything that's good with Illinois - jobs, school, scientific research, etc. As if the crime is necessary for things to flourish in Sweat Home, Chicago. Here are some highlights of the psycho rants from Angry Midwesterner's post in March 2007:

"...shut up about corruption in Illinois politics in general. We don’t care, and we don’t want to hear your ignorant views."

"Our economy is so strong that we manage to carry the fourth highest tax burden of any state, which in layman’s terms means that our state finances your state’s inadequacies."

"Combine all of this with our generally low unemployment, the fifth largest gross state product in the country at over $560 billion (and 17th world wide, yes that is higher than most European nations), a consistently growing economy and population, and you can see why we have very little to complain about..."

"...our state is fundamentally not as corrupt as yours."

"It is for these reasons that it really pisses me off to see the mainstream media accuse Illinois of being corrupt...Is Daley corrupt? Sure he is! But Chicago is not only the third largest city in the United States, but one of the fastest growing, most successful, and culturally rich cities in the country. The Daley family, in their long reign over Chicago, have made the people of Chicago happy and gotten the job done. He has the support of 71% of the population for a reason. I applaud Obama for his support of Daley, he had the courage to realize that the problem with Chicago is not corruption. The problem with the rest of the country is an unwillingness to admit to its own corruption."

"So the next time you decide to criticize Illinois or Chicago for corruption while sipping a glass of wine on your veranda, take a moment to think about who is paying to subsidize your standard of living. That’s right, it isn’t your sorry excuse for a state, it is Illinois. So sit down and for goodness sake, shut up."

If you're unfamiliar with Chicago's history of corruptness, read this short article from the website, Slate, "Why is Chicago so corrupt?". It provides some insight into why Illinois as 'effed up as it is.

You know...Al Capone, was well-liked by a large percentage of the people in Corrupt-town, Chicago, opening soup kitchens and helping the unemployed. HE was still a crook - no one denies this fact. His "generosity" didn't make his actions right (or legal). The fact that I have to actually say this to an idiot like Angry Midwestern shows just how dull the mentality is out there. I informed Angry Midwesterner that, as we speak, Illinois faces a $2 billion deficit, and is ranked in the highest tier regarding it's cigarette, gas and property taxes. So much for his rants applauding all that's good with the "Land of Lincoln".

Getting back to soon-to-be ex-Governor/soon-to-be-someone's bitch in prison Rod Blagojevich, in a recent article from 12/10 on Msn.com, Kent Redfield, a professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield, “The combination of arrogance and stupidity that would prompt him (Governor Blagojevich) to continue in these types of behaviors is just stunning,” Dr. Redfield said. Dr. Redfield said he had little sympathy for a man who regarded “the state of Illinois like it’s a big Chicago ward, where a U.S. Senate seat is like granting a zoning variance or liquor license.” He added: “The damage to the state, it’s going to take a long time to dig out.”

To confirm Redfield's assertions, take a look at a couple quotes from Blago yesterday:

“This is America, you know, and I’d appreciate if you want to tape my conversations, give me a heads-up and let me know,” Blagojevich said.

“I don’t care whether you tape me privately or publicly. I can tell you that whatever I say is always lawful,” Blagojevich.

Both comments were followed by his arrest for (among many, many other things) having been recorded saying “I want to make money” (trying to sell off the senate seat recently held by President-Elect Obama.). Blag should be convicted on two counts of stupidity based on these quotes alone. You know his prospects for work after he gets out of prison will be - well, he couldn't land a job as Head of Dog Catching for Cook County, IL. Best thing for Blag and all of us is that he goes through the trial process, gets sent to prison, then commits suicide while in prison. It'll spare a federal penitentiary the expense of housing this scumbag. He betrayed the trust of an entire state; he will always be scum; it's obvious in his demeanor and his flippancy upon his arrest that he's not hiding, nor cares about what he did.

NOTE: I'm listening to NPR right now and the Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan just said the word, "taint", while referring to the recently arrested Gov. Blag in an interview. That is awesome.

Corruption exists in politics. We all know that. Illinois politicians - partly due to their arrogance (which I've alluded to earlier) - just seem to get caught. Dumb Fucking Illinois Bastards.

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Gwen Ifill, Moderator of Biden/Palin debate, pens Pro-Obama book???

Gwen Ifill, who is moderating Thursday's vice-presidential debate, is releasing a book on Barack Obama and other young black politicians who are "forging a bold new path to political power."

How can she possibly be objective? And why isn't an objective moderator in place? Same could be said for the liberal moderator of the McCain/Obama debate, Jim Lehrer.

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Lohan's resorted to quoting other idiots.

An excerpt from a letter written by Lindsay Lohan and her lesbian friend to Republican VP nominee, Sarah Palin, "Oh, and ... hint hint Pali-pal -- don't pose for anymore tabloid covers, you're not a celebrity, you're running for office to represent our, your, my COUNTRY! And in the words of Pamela Anderson, 'She can suck it.'"

First off, the sentence isn't written well. Secondly, didn't I just blog about Lindsay Nobrain a couple of posts ago (look for nude of Lohan below). Thirdly, Lohan doesn't add credence to anything she says by quoting Pamela Anderson.

Yah, Lindsay...you're a celebrity and that gives you license to do anything or say anything you want because you know (or maybe you don't) that millions of young lemmings will follow your every dumb-ass word. Shut the fuck up, will you? Will you just - shut - the - fuck - up?

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David Foster Wallace and "The Weasel, Twelve Monkeys and The Shrub".

Author David Foster Wallace hung himself this past Friday. I had never heard of him nor read anything he had written. This excerpt is taken from his Rolling Stone article, "The Weasel, Twelve Monkeys and The Shrub", dated sometime in 2000 when John McCain was making a bid for the White House.

"Probably the last real leader we had as U.S. President was JFK, forty years ago. It's not that Kennedy was a better human being than the seven presidents we've had since: we know he lied about his WWII record, and had spooky Mob ties, and screwed around more in the White House than poor Clinton could ever dream of. But JFK had that weird leader-type magic, and when he said things like, "Ask not what our country can do for you - ask what you can do for our country", nobody rolled their eyes or saw it as just political bullshit. Instead, a lot of them felt inspired. And the decade that followed, however fucked up it was in other ways, saw millions of Young Voters devote themselves to social and political causes that had nothing to do with getting a great job or owning nice stuff or finding the best parties; and the 60's were, by most accounts, a generally cleaner and happier time than now.

So it's worth thinking about why, when John McCain says he wants to be president in order to inspire a generation of young Americans to devote themselves to causes greater than their own self-interest, a great many of those young Americans will yawn or roll their eyes or make some ironic joke instead of feeling totally inspired the way they did with Kennedy."

The media and critics keep alluding to his genius. Maybe he was. But if people are so smart (genius) why do they take the easy way out? What do they know that most of don't know? And is that what makes them a "genius" - in part?

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Illegal immigrants' right to unionize?? Double standard in this country sucks!

In May of this year, the Agriprocessor plant in Iowa was raided and 389 illegal aliens were escorted off the premises. A recent Los Angeles Times editorial chastised Agriprocessor's attempts to discourage and/or block attempts of the illegals to unionize. Read the editorial: What is Agriprocessors thinking?

The problems with illegal immigrants in the United States (and I've written on the subject at length on this blog - see ARCHIVES on right panel) fall on three groups: our government, big business and, of course, the illegal aliens themselves. The judicial system (part of "government") doesn't help matters when it finds against Agriprocessor's efforts to block unionization by rationalizing that the right of illegal immigrants to unionize protects U.S. workers by assuring "that the wages and employment conditions of lawful residents are not adversely affected by the competition of illegal alien employees who are not subject to the standard terms of employment."

Course, the liberal media backs the idiot politicians and businessmen by concurring that unions by illegal aliens are a good thing - and that plants like Agriprocessor are only hurting themselves in the long run. This double standard is rampant in our country. Illegal aliens are here against the law, BUT illegal aliens have rights in this country just like you and I. Double-speak. Bullshit. Horsehockey. Whatever you wanna call it.

And, our Supreme Court can't even get it right. In 1984 the Court upheld the National Labor Relations Act - but their ruling only pertained to illegals covered by the Act (not sure who that is and don't care)...not agriculture workers, not domestic workers (like those employed by my ex-boss in Bel Air), or those employed by spouses or households (like those employed by my ex-boss in Bel Air). Why the inconsistency - and the bigger question, "why are ANY illegals protected in the first place?"

Simply put, employers use illegals for exploitive means until they're (employer and illegal) caught. We know that. Liberals and Democrats (not all of them) might say they're in favor of upholding the law to keep illegals out, but the point they're really only interested in getting across is that, even though they're illegal aliens, they have certain RIGHTS in our country because they're human beings and anything less would be cruel.

Fine. I'm in favor of inviting every poor, starving, naked, homeless, illiterate and sick illegal alien to the U.S.; we can set up shelters in every yard of every liberal and every Democrat and THEN we'll see how long this fucked up system continues in our country.

Wanna see some opinions change mighty quick?

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My mother just called me to say I was OFFICIALLY born at 2:34 CST TODAY. Also, John McCain is a virgin...Virgo, I mean.

The Republican Presidential candidate, Senator John McCain, celebrates his birthday today as well (see my birthday posts below) - I wasn't aware of that. And his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, is my age.

Here are some other celebs with an August 29 birthday: Sir Richard Attenborough (in military hat), Rebecca De Mornay, Ingrid Bergman, Elliott Gould, Michael Jackson and the warrior King of England, HenryV, who delivered the rousing St. Crispin's Day speech before the Battle of Agincourt, which was fought in northern France as part of the Hundred Years' War against France. Oops - can't forget the great Michael Chekhov (pictured on very bottom), nephew of the playwright Anton Chekhov and widely recognized as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century. He studied under Stanislavsky and developed his own physical acting technique which is still studied by actors today.

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Roll Call of Votes at the Democratic National Convention: What a hoot.

I watched part of the roll call vote at the Democratic National Convention in Colorado yesterday and I gotta tell you - what a circus.

Now I understand this whole convention is just a formality and I also understand that it's in the tradition of our American political system that each state gets up and introduces itself in this manner (please indulge me because the Wisconsin delegation never got their chance to do this as Hillary Clinton (NY) called for a suspension of the vote in order to declare Barack Obama the Democratic nominee for President - so she fucked us over):

"Madam Secretary, the great State of Wisconsin - the Badger State and birthplace of the Republican party (which would be a bold thing to say at the DNC) , home of cheese and "Up North" and the hamburger hall of fame, the freshwater fishing hall of fame and the Bratwurst Capital of the world; ex-home of future Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre who was recently traded by the "3 Wise Monkeys", our sorry excuse for a management team of the Green Bay Packer organization, home of astronauts Jim Lovell and Deke Slayton, the band the Violent Femmes, conservationist John Muir and the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers - Bob "I'm in the front row-w-w" Uecker; speed skater Eric Heiden, guitar legend Les Paul, home of seriel killers Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer, of Senator Joseph McCarthy who outed many commies during the red scare of the 50's; also home to Gene Wilder, Fred MacMurry, Spencer Tracy, Carole Landis, William Dafoe, Chris Farley, Orson Welles and the theatrical husband and wife team Lunt and Fontaine, home of the first kindergarten and the American Socialist Party (another thing you wouldn't say at the DNC), leader in taking away welfare from those ne'er-do-wells who think it's free money and home of the etcetera, etcetera..." (you get the point).

Anyway, you have to watch the YouTube video of the roll call and go to the Maine delegation and fast-forward to 29:30 and listen to the delegation chairman (male). Apparently, being the first state in the union to see the sun rise ain't all it's cracked up to be. Laughed my ass off.

By the way, the Secretary for the Democratic Party, Alice Travis Germond - watch for her, dressed in a sea-green suit. She introduces each delegation and officially enters their votes. Permanent smile. Big mouth. Huge - like the Joker. I am scared of her.

Also, if you fast-forward to the Montana delegation (43:15), they just would not shut the hell up. I was talking to someone on the phone at work, hung up the phone and this lady was still chattering. So she says the Montana delegation casts 7 of their votes for Hillary Clinton and then this guy chimes in and says, "the Montana delegation, standing as a united Democratic delegation, casts 18 votes for Barack Obama and 7 for Hillary Clinton!".

How is that "united"? Dumb asses. I can hardly wait for the Elephant convention.

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Delegates NOT voting for Obama??

Many facets of our political process can be confusing, including what exactly the responsibilities of the delegates to a political party convention are.

I listened to two Democratic party delegates interviewed on NPR this morning and they were each asked if they would, in fact, be casting their vote for Barack Obama. One said she would not - instead, she would cast her vote for Hillary Clinton because those were the intentions of the people who chose her as a delegate.

I find this odd because, as I understand it, at this evening's Democratic Convention Hillary Clinton will be formally releasing "her" delegates of their duties to cast their vote for her (even though she didn't win her party's nomination her name will appear on the list as a formality, which is basically what the purpose of the convention is - a formality) and choose Obama as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

I understand delegates wanting to honor the wishes of those who chose them to be a delegate, but if the nominee (Hillary) releases them of that obligation, why would they splinter the party and vote for someone who isn't the intended nominee? It seems stupid - like banging your head into a wall.

Did I confuse you? Good. Welcome to American politics.

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Biden chosen as Obama's running mate.

It was announced this past weekend that Senator Joe Biden (D) from Delaware will be Barack Obama's running mate in the presidential election this November.

Good move. I've always liked Biden and remember checking out some of his stats on his website when he was running for president earlier in the year. Biden speaks his mind - which has backfired once or twice - but at least he doesn't speak around the issues, offering little more than political rhetoric. My first recollection of Senator Biden was when he chaired the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary and presided over the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Clarence Thomas in 1991. I was impressed (with Biden - not the pubic hair on the Pepsi can issue).

Go to Biden's website to see where he stands on the issues. Also, if you're interested in watching Biden deliver a his version of a "fire and brimstone" speech to the Senate regarding the war in Iraq, watch this YouTube video.

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