You always reply to my blogs, so I owe it you ;)

Anyway... I guess I can just go paragraph by paragraph, that's probably easiest.

First, while there is something to be said about the viability and possibility of having either a woman or black president, I'm not sure how unique or unusual John McCain is. Yes, he's a little older, but so was Ronald Reagan, and frankly, I don't think many people anticipate radical policy chances in any aspect of his administration compared to Bush if he's elected.

I think that it is very important that the election for President shouldn't be a beauty pageant or a popularity contest. It sounds weird, and even a little subversive, but the president shouldn't be someone everyone likes best (which is impossible anyway. Any president will always have critics). The president should be someone who cares and is truly committed to positive change for the country.

Whether Obama can actually ACHIEVE that is up to interpretation. We must remember that no president is autonomous (no matter how hard Bush is trying), and that he ultimately A) has advisors and other people to influence and help make decisions, and B) he ultimately has to answer to Congress. For the love of Christ, I hope he doesn't invade Pakistan, and not just because they have nuclear weapons. Pakistan is similar to Iraq in that have a very dubious (if any) real connection to terrorism.

But I don't think he'll be able to just do it the way Bush did with Iraq. The Democrat-controlled Congress is going to put up a lot of resistance to further military action in the Middle East unless they consider it a legitimate target, and I guarantee they won't think of Pakistan as one.

As for domestic policy, the health care system is always an interesting topic. We are the only civilized western nation that doesn't provide health care for it's citizens, and it shows. Only in America do people work 3 jobs, or go bankrupt because a family member got cancer, or turned away from a hospital because they can't afford treatment. To me that does not represent strength in our health care system. How to fix the problem? I don't know, I just know SOMETHING has to be changed.

Free trade agreements are very suspicious to me. In my opinion, there's a reason the dollar is so weak and Bush isn't really doing anything about illegal immigration besides talking bullshit. The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, signed by Mexico, US, and Canada in 2005 basically organizes the 3 countries into a large economic bloc similar to the European Union, essentially erasing the United State's economic sovereignty. This is NAFTA on steroids, and it can offer nothing good to the United State's economy or national security.

As for taxes, raise them or lower them all he (or anyone else wants). An audit done during the Reagan Administration confirms that after interest on the public debt and government waste, not one red cent of personal income tax revenue goes to funding services provided by the government. Corporate income tax pays for a lot, and the rest is magically created by the Federal Reserve at will (which is another reason the dollar is worth a lot less; with nothing physical to back up it's value, it will inevitably lose its value to foriegn investment and usage). So taxes are really a moot issue.

Socially, I don't really understand Obama's religious views. He attends a church, he says these things at rallies, but is he really religious? And if not, is that necessarily a bad thing? I will say one thing though. He is right- fundamentalist/evangelical Christians have hijacked not just Christianity, but much of the government and influence in Washington. And that is a problem. Like it or not, America is not a theocracy, it was not founded under Christian principles, and it is not a Christian nation. It is a nation of diversity, where all religions co-exist. And if I'm wrong, than what makes us different than any Middle Eastern theocracy like Saudi Arabia or Iran? They're a nation of Muslim fundamentalists, and we're Christian fundamentalists. And believe me, just because the Christians don't kill people who don't believe in their religion or treat women like its the 1600s or any of that doesn't mean they're any less dangerous.

Abortion. Such a hot-topic issue. I think just keep it legal in the current system, or totally get rid of it, but STICK TO IT AND ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES OF IT. Let John McCain overturn Roe vs. Wade... And then he can deal with the Congressional hearings about the mothers who are getting illegal, highly dangerous back-alley abortions and dying half the time from the procedure. But fuck it, who cares, it's just crack whores and sluts who have unplanned pregnancies right, so no big loss, right? (sarcasm)

As for homosexual marriage, I'm actually concerned that neither he nor Hillary are openly for it. I guess it's just them playing politics, but I still don't understand how letting two men get married will ruin the "sanctity" (which doesn't even really exist anymore... I'm talking to you heteros! You guys, not gays, are the ones with a 50% divorce rate. Oh yeah. Guess it's not so sacred, huh?) or security of YOUR OWN marriage, unless you're a closeted homosexual yourself. Look at any other place on the planet that has legalized gay marriage. It hasn't opened floodgates to bestiality or incest or anything like that, most religious leaders (ie. >90% in Denmark) are in favor of it, and in Denmark's case, it actually decreased heterosexual divorce rates.

As for the gun thing... A statewide ban would probably not be a good idea, so I don't like that he didn't want to vote against it, but at the same time, that doesn't mean that he or any other candidate shouldn't support gun control so that guns don't get into the hands of kids, criminals, or psychopaths. There are a lot of conservatives against getting background and mental health checks for new gun owners. WHY????? Cho Seung-Hui (the Virginia Tech kid) would NEVER have been able to buy all the guns he bought if someone had just pulled up his file beforehand and seen how fucked up he was! And guess what? If that had happened, 33 bright young men and women who could've made an impact would still be alive today.

Now I'm not saying Obama's perfect, and frankly, I don't explicitly endorse him, but I know that change needs to happen, and I see John McCain more as a reinforcer of bad policy already in place more than a purveyor of change.
 

alex said about the shootings that there should have been a background check: "If that had happened, 33 bright young men and women who could've made an impact would still be alive today."

alex, how many million people would could have been making an impact are now considered "biohazard waste" because they were victims of abortion? millions.

and no one said it was crack whores and sluts that got abortions alex. it is rape victims, (who hve no right to punish the child for the rapist's actions) and girls who think they know everything and can handle the responsibility suddenly getting a wake up call. calling it "pro-choice" is disgustingly misleading. the 16 year old pregnant girl had a choice- whether to open her legs or not. the child had no choice had all. the girl who gets pregnant too young because she was having sex without being responsible already had her choice. the fact that she blew it does not entitle her to a second chance when her child doesn't even get a chance at all.
 

I see things this way...I don't agree with most of them on most things. Of all of them, I agree with McCain's rhetoric most, but that's trumped by his voting record...IMO he's not really a Republican, according to said record. I actually identified most with Huckabee, and some of his stuff I didn't agree with.

This election's candidates suck, and not much can convince me otherwise.



Oh, and I disagree vehemently with Alex's pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage stuff, but I'm too tired to argue, not that I want to anyways. I will say this one thing on the abortion debate: It revolves around the question of "when do you define the 'fetus' as 'human' and what makes it so different from a day before?"
 

i dunno man, i'll have to agree with alex on this one. but the raise taxes thing is retarded...
 

i love how divided are county is. Only in America can person look and think his political views are stupid, and then have another look and think he (or she) is great. In the end it really is kind of stupid how much political shit goes along with elections. People are always trying to use our founders views (in other words 'the constitution') to add strength to there argument, and yet till this day republicans and democrats still disagree. Yet if you ask me, there is one thing we can agree with. We created America to be free, and yet today it seems that people are willing to tear our county apart for small pety differences. Forget about Hillery, Obama, and John, you can vote any of them in and it wont change anything. The same shit will still happen. FACT: America is a democratic country (this means we vote for things). If you ask me this means EVERY issue should be decided by the people. Not some power hunger political leader that no one really likes. Basically people need to take the stick out of there ass, forget about the small issues, and realize that we are heading down a one way track to a civil war. BLUE vs. RED.

lets just all be friends. it would be way easily, and a far less blood.
 

That is true... See the problem is, Americans like to vote, but not for important things like presidents. Americans like to vote for stupid shit like American Idol. So until people REALLY start caring about issues and not politicians, nothing will change.
 

haha man you said it. i would totally vote on everything too, its just, we probably wouldn't have time to do anything else. but yea i agree with you man, and even among the parties themselves there is division...ay yi yi...what is this country coming to...
 

Obama is gonna destroy America's defensive and offensive supremecy over the rest of the world and make us week....Hillary is going to PMS and kill everyone with taxes and stupidity and lets not forget her annoying pant suits....and the geezer is gonna die or forget who he is and start hitting buttons till the world ends........we are DOOOOMED
 

hahaha steve! dude u crack me upp! yea...menopause was the end of the USA lol
 

I did write something very long and convoluted about the subjects you raised... but it just didn't cut it to me. My thoughts on the matter really don't fall into the two categories most people put themselves in: 100% for Obama, 100% for "he's gonna ruin us and destroy America" crowd.

I'm not too sure about Obama... the more I read about him and the more I see and hear him talking about different things I more I realize that he's not the best candidate; none of the current candidates are that great. McCain is just Bush 2.0, and supports all the same know-nothing policies our grand president currently espouses. And Hilary is just... *runs to bathroom and pukes*...

Of three candidates before us, I'm pretty sure Obama is the best... most anti-Obama folk denigrate his campaign to, basically, "hey I'm black!! VOTE VOTE!!" or "CHANGE!!!"... those generalizations are pure poppycock, to say the least. He's stated a bunch of times and written down multiple times his policies and how he would implement them. No, they do not include "supporting the terrorists", "being a clandestine/secret Muslim", and "denigrating American patriotism". I think its so ridiculous when someone tries to degrade the other's patriotism simply because they disagree on matters of how to deal with people who are not friendly towards us. A lot of the hostility from the Muslim world (overrun by tyranny and poverty as they are) stems from the fact that our fundamentalist christian voters look down on them and fear for their lives in regards to them. As Alex said, both are dangerous and deceptive in their own ways, and both have hijacked, to differing degrees, certain politicians and a good segment of the voting population.

Obama is not the best person for the job right now, but he is the best of the candidates we've had this entire season; he has vision, he loves his country, he seeks to restore our damaged reputation to what it was in the world, and actually pursue diplomacy and talks instead of the stupid "get yer guns!!" mentality we see today.

BTW, Alex, I'm completely against all forms of abortion... I think its the height of selfishness and ruthlessness to kill an unborn child simply because you feel "its your body", and that it's too inconvenient to take care of for nine months. On the flip side, I'm for gay marriage, for way too many reasons to write down (aka, too lazy right now :P). Basically, people should not be forbidden from something like marriage just because your lifestyle is not the norm, plus it is their rights as Americans to have equality with heterosexuals under the law. Saying that legalizing gay marriage would take society a step backwards is ridiculous, based on junk science, and against the spirit of the Constitution. Yes, its nice if being against gay marriage is "your beliefs", but keep rights-restricting beliefs OUT of the public domain.
 

Well, well my dear Mr. Colin t'would appear as tho we meet again. I was prancing through the cyber cluster fuck of users who r 14 pretending 2 be 21 that is myspace and happened pon this indeed intriguing bit of blogging verbage. However, before I start analyzing ur so called "justification" 4 Obama being the best, let it be stated that one, Idc about using proper spelling nor grammar, two, since this is the internet it must be made evident that arguing on the internet is like winning the special olympics: no matter who wins or loses, u r still retarded. Now that we have established that we r all tards, and that Idc abotu grammar or sentence syntax or spelling, being that I am a Business Administration Major, let me begin.

I will give u that Hilary is the epitomy of everything embodied in not only the feminist movement but the "progressively" backwards ideas of the Democratic party (example: Social health care. U think that example is too brief???? I can elaborate, make me elaborate! ELABORATE! *shakes fist), however, u r sorely mistaken and r blind my friend if u cannot see Obama 4 the candidate that he is. First part in the sequence of dismantling ur argument is what Obama himself said several weeks ago about his grandmother. On the 18th of March 2008, Obama had pointed to his mother’s mother in his speech on that Tuesday as an example of someone who harbored fears of blacks based on racial prejudice. He called her a "typical white person.”
(Source, http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/21/ferraro-offended-by-comparison-to-pastor-wright/)

Since he was "sorely and obviously taken out of context" <----obvious fucking sarcasm right here> we can excuse that comment (which if any republican candidate made, would have to withdraw from the race), since Obama would be smart enough not 2 make anymore comments like that right? WRONG! * imitates lex luthor Just the week after that, Mr. Hussein, sorry, Mr. Obama told a group of California donors that small-town Americans “cling” to guns and religion and xenophobia out of bitterness over lost jobs, but for the second day in a row stood by the comments and weathered pointed criticism from Hillary Clinton.
(Source, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3740080.ece)
Do u still cling to out of the three candidates that Obama is the best? Obviously he falls out of the category of “generalizations” and seems to be trying to climb out of the “pit” that most are beginning to see him for what he is: an embittered elitist. Now let me ask you something, how can any of this possibly be good for the Democratic image? This very race is dividing the Democrats internally (Source, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/us/politics/23cnd-voices.html?ref=politics) You fail to realize my dear Mr. Colin that it is much easier to bring change when there is no dissension involved. SO that is my question to you: How can one man bring about “progressive change” to a political party that he himself was responsible for dividing? And where has he written down his policies??? According to on the issues.org , nearly all of his “stances were made 7 months ago and have not changed or been voiced since. For all we know he could stop hiking taxes by 12%, and you would merely nod and say “but he’s firm on the issues.” (Source, http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Barack_Obama.htm)
As for Hussein’s, sorry Obama’s minister this is not an issue, of hey let’s pick on this bastard because he’s black; on the contrary. This pastor has been Obama’s mentor for the last 20 years. To try and get you to possibly comprehend the depth of what I am getting at. How many years have you lived with your parents and had a close relationship with them? I would assume at a minimum of 18 years. Now is it probable that during those 18 years, your parents views, morals, and ways of looking at life rubbed off on you? I know it’s a very absurd concept to grasp, but some people actually learn and are influenced by their parents. (What a concept huh?) Now then taking this premise and applying to Hussein, damn I did it again, Obama, you begin to see why this is looking very bad for him as a candidate. A mentor, defined by Webster’s dictionary, is “a wise and trusted guide and advisor.” The key word there being trusted, meaning that there was a close relationship between Barack Hussein Obama and a man who is on tape saying “God Damn America.” Now then, why would it not be profitable to voters to see this? On the contrary, for if this man is Hussein, oh dear I did it again, Obama’s mentor then that means, that more than likely what this man thinks has rubbed off on your “best pick” for the presidency. That being said, Mr. Colin, I must ask, do you hate America?
I must also point out that your judgment of the Islamic World, shows me that you seem to have a knowledge deficiency of the Middle East. You typed, and I quote “overrun by tyranny and poverty as they are.” Are you high or just plain ignorant Mr. Colin? Does the noun “Oil” mean nothing to you? Have you never heard of the organization called “Opec?” I could go on, but I think that you get my point.
Don’t point the finger that ‘”ur fundamentalist Christian voters look down on them and fear for their lives in regards to them.” I can tell you right now, the first people who signed up to go to Iraq right after 9/11 to defend your right to criticize “fundamentalist Christian voters,” were in fact the same people. Where do you think the majority of gun owning citizens in America live: in predominately conservative areas of our nation. (Want to contest me on that point? GO FOR IT!) So stop criticizing groups, and things that you don’t have the facts on.
Damaged reputation? Let me ask you something: where have you been in the world in the last 7 years? You truly are ignorant, I’m sorry. But since 2001 I have been to Europe 3 times, Asia once and Canada twice, and I have not once (well, except for France :P) felt that I was not welcome. Do you honestly think that George Bush controls the government???? Because from what you right, it would seem so. Let me tell you about a little thing called checks and balances. It was congress who passed the bill to get us into Iraq, so don’t you dare, start criticizing Bush on that one, or I will have to refer to you as a ”Constitutional tard.” Bush has more experience than Obama ever will. Your senator can not possibly know the pressures of both being governor and a president, so why don’t you applaud the man for his dedication to his job, instead criticizing thigns you again are ignorant of.
I’m not even going to touch the duplicity in your statement about abortion vs. gay marriage, since obviously from your previous comment about a “get yer guns” mentality.
I look forward to hearing back from you my dear Mr. Colin.
Your comments are rather amusing.
<(^^,)>
 

Now I know what I want to say.

Aside from the issue of the coherence of your response, you raise a lot of good points, but fail to give them the right answers. One thing that jumped out the most to me was your selective (sweet word, I know ^_^) use of Obama's middle name, Hussein. Absolutely nothing wrong with having that name, unfortunate as it is that it is tied in people's minds to Saddam Hussein, but whenever I hear the anti-Obama crowd use it, it is always with the implied intent to conjure up associations with Saddam and to somehow imply a connection between them that runs deeper than the name. Its pretty blatant and immature, needless to say, and before you come back with the retort "I was just usin his middle name dude chill whats wrong WITH that Mr Colin"; its nothing more than an attempt to put them in the same camp and inspire the loathing that we rightly associate with Saddam.

anyway I digress, on to bigger fish!!!!!!!!!

My next item of business, Mr Business Major, is that your treatment abroad in the world is not exactly solid evidence of how America is viewed by the countries you graced with your presence. No doubt they viewed you as that "one American dude who makes them laugh", and left it at that. Its an almost undisputed fact that America is not viewed as nicely by the rest of the developed world as we used to, at least since sept. 11. and just because they didn't lynch you doesn't mean they love America; they certainly love tourists and having Americans over, but the stats show that they disapprove of Bush's policies.

After Bush took the events of Sept 11 and ran with them, notice how our reputation plummeted. A war based on false evidence, false claims of WMDs that were gonna blow us all to hell if we didn't get Saddam and get his weapons, and that we are now paying with the blood of the young men and women who bravely chose to enlist. That doesn't look very good to me, anyway you wanna spin it. You wanna really support the troops? Mmmmmmmmm Mr Business Major? Then bring them home. Get them out of harm's way and back to their families. Stop wasting their blood in Iraq just so Republican pseudo-conservatives can look tough and patriotic. Stop exploiting 9/11 and using it as an excuse to strip Americans of their constitutional rights (ie, that ridiculous "Patriot" Act, a nicely named Trojan horse that the spineless democrats and look-tough republicans signed into law in order to look good (appearances are numero uno in government :P). basically, get America back to where she should be... the forefront of freedom and equality in the world, not an intolerant nation of war-mongers who bomb the shit outta anyone who disagrees with them. no, the terrorists will not "win" if we set a timetable for pulling out of Iraq, and the surge did not "work"; the Al-Anbar Sunni's decided to side with Maliki's Iraqi parliament and fight against al-qaeda... thus, presumably, leaving our troops stationed there with less enemies focused on them. there are other factors, but I don't want to bore you with any more facts on the subject.

if this fails to enlighten you, then maybe common ground must be had first... the more I see and hear what Obama is all about, the less I'm impressed, I will not lie. I really liked his message early on in the campaign, when he was fresh and untainted, but now, with Rev. Wright and the implications of his comment about bitter Americans venting their frustration on scapegoats... he is just as unimpressive and shoddy as the other candidates. he's definately got a lot of good points and has made more than a few good observations, and he certainly doesn't agree with the antics of Rev. Wright. Say what you will, but, as any half-brain will be able to tell you (aside from myself, of course), it is ridiculous to say that they share the same beliefs; his campaign, his speeches, his vision... none of it includes the ideas of Wright. He was indeed a parishioner in Wright's church for 20 years, and named Wright as his mentor, but (and here is where you trip over yourself again) that does not, as you implied/stated, add up to the level of the parent-child relationship you compared it with. Obama was an adult post-grad by the time Wright was in his life, his ideas mostly set. As Obama himself said, they didn't agree on too much, but they did agree that blacks needed to watch out for each other, despite their disagreements, and build upon each other in the churches from which the pulpit allowed unlimited expression. Its no surprise (at least, to me) that some pretty fiery stuff gets said at the black pulpits that makes whites uncomfortable. are you seriously surprised that left-wing politics and black grievances get expressed in black churches on sunday?? that anger mixes with hope and that zealotry mixes with tolerance? the pastor can say whatever he damn well pleases, but that doesn't mean his parishioners have to agree or leave the church, and that damn well applies to Obama. Wright saying "God damn America" is an opinion that must be spit on, and it really does irk me that Obama didn't just up and leave the church then, but his staying is not tantamount to agreement, as awful as the statements (and there were plenty of them) were.

I wish i liked Obama better, despite all this, but, as of now at least, he doesn't add up anymore. I don't like McCain, I hate hill-dog, and obama's... obama :/. maybe I will end up voting for mccain, but november's a long way off and a lot could happen. obama could regain the respect he lost and start measuring up again, or mccain could start impressing and really make a mark.
maybe a big, bi-partisan orgy could ensue and they'd all just chill out and stop fighting :D who knows, but I do know that I love my country (NOT our current government and its recent modifications) and want to see the best candidate get elected. I know that the Iraq war costs us needless lives and further sullies our reputation in the world, alienating our allies, and driving down the value of the dollar (war usually stimulates the economy, but as we are not fighting against tanks and planes, we do not build as many tanks and planes that require labor and wages... therefore, the costs of executing the war have no balance because the war is so unlike previous wars, and thus, as our debt piles up and bush continues his "cut and spend" philosophy, the dollar drops).

I look forward to your grammatically-challenged response, mr business major :D
 

haha, and the battle continues. i will say this....I HATE THIS ELECTION WITH A PASSION!!! mccain will prob die within a year of office from a stress induced heart attack, hillary is a bitch...and obama....has a crazy momma!!!
 

You got me!!! I hate America!!!!!!! You found me out dude, shit, I really thought I was gonna get away unnoticed... drat...

well, you certainly picked the right facts, there's no disputing that, but at least my candidate can raise his arms above his head :P
 

oh my eric....hahahaha.
 

aw fuck another novel about politics. look

if i wanted to read this shit i would have gone to alex's blog.

LMAO.

love you rafery.
 

haha, i love stirring up political controversy ^_^ dude i'm calling u this weekend cuz i'll be HOMEEE!!