Happy New Year! I Give You Both A Resolution & A Prediction for 2010...

Resolution: Rage.

Prediction: PAIN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1TxiVhrkZA

Are AFL-CIO Guy Steve Rosenthal & Other "Progressives" Complete Idiots? Or Are They Just Completely Blind? (Same Difference?)

The linked Politico.com story describes a difference of opinion in the dem party these days as to whether the party needs to move towards the center in 2010. Some dems, such as William Daley (Clinton's commerce secretary and brother of the Chicago mayor) have recently very plainly stated that if Washington dems continue their radical left crash-course during 2010, it will be disastrous for them in the 2010 elections (and beyond). To that, I say "duh" (do people still say that?). In other words, no ****, Sherlock. Make no mistake, absent Washington dems pulling a post-2004 Bill Clinton-type dash towards the middle, they will take big hits in 2010. (Unfortunately, most of those hits will be at the hands of republicans, although I continue to hold out hope for some viable third-party Independents to emerge in upcoming election cycles -- but I digress).

In the face of comments like those of Daley (which merely speaks obvious truths), you have "progressives" like the pictured Rosenthal claiming that staying the far left course is the only way for Washington dems to avoid losses in 2010 (see linked story). Talk about livin' in Bizarro world! So I return to my question above. Are these progressives idiots? Actually, I'm not going to say that. But I will say that they are so blinded by ideology that they eschew any talk of movement to the center even in the face of clear evidence that failing to do so will be distastrous for them in upcoming elections. Because the progressives basically control the dem party these days, I'll believe it when I see it as to any sudden move towards the center. Nope, I think they are going to continue their current course in 2010 of ram-rodding more unpopular ultra-far-left legislation right down our throats. They will suffer big losses in the 2010 elections, but by then just how much damage will have already been done? And how much of it will be reversible? I think that's precisely what the radical left progressives are banking on (regardless of whether or not they suffer big losses next year). As indicated above, these people may be a lot of things, but I don't think they're idiots.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/31053.html

Just in Time for New Year's: A Woman Blows a .708 BAC -- "Possibly a State Record"!

The linked story describes a 45-year-old Sturgis, South Dakota woman who earlier this month (allegedly) heisted a delivery truck, got very drunk, passed out behind the wheel, got arrested, and then blew an incredible .708 BAC. (As the story notes, a .40 is considered a lethal dose for half of the population). This was "possibly a state record," the story keenly observes. Ya think? I mean, I'd think this one probably has a place in the Guiness Book of World Records.

But that's perhaps not even the craziest part of this story. After her arrest and, obviously, her hospitalization, the woman bonds out of the hoosegaw and (allegedly) starts right back in with her antics: Two weeks later (allegedly), she boosts another stolen car, again gets wasted, again passes out behind the wheel, and the cops find her in the car in a ditch along the highway. This time, she's being held without bond. You gotta think this may be another first -- i.e. the first time ever that a person is held without bond for grand theft auto and drunk driving involving no injuries -- although you can certainly understand the reasons why.

By the way, there's no word in the story on whether this woman the second time around was able to top her prior record of .708. But stay tuned...

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_9d4a1d0e-f4d1-11de-8edf-001cc4c002e0.html

Obama's Reaction to the Attempted Xmas Terrorism: A Rant, A Criticism & A Defense...

Let me start with an overall observation. I am sick and tired of terrorism mirrowing global warming as a purely political issue in this country rather than the very serious issue that it is and one that should be treated in a non-partisan, non-ideological fashion. Every damn time an attempted terror attempt is foiled or something like the Ft. Hood Massacre occurs, we get the same tired, mindless reaction from the far left/dems and the far right/republicans: The left tries to downplay the significance of what occurred, while the right completely overplays it. Terrorism, and keeping our American citizens safe therefrom, is an issue of the most critical importance these days, and I am God Damn tired of the left and right politicizing it CONSTANTLY.

OK, that bit of ragin' being said, I'll move on to thoughts on Obama's reaction to the events of this past Christmas day. First, the fact that Obama didn't personally speak to the issue until three days after the fact, frankly, doesn't bother me that much. The American right, predictably, is jumping off of curbs over this, but who cares. If this terror attempt had been pulled off successfully, then obviously I expect to hear from Obama that very day. But that wasn't the case here. I do have a problem with Obama's minions sending out the likes of Janet Napolitano to test the waters last weekend on such talking points as "the system worked" -- which was absurd on its face. So Obama can be fairly criticized on that point, but I really don't have a criticism based on the mere fact he didn't personally speak on the thwarted terror attempt for three days. Interestingly, it appears from what I've read today that W waited something like 7 or 8 days before personally speaking to the Shoe Bomber incident (and apparently received very little, if any, criticism for the same). Now that was probably too long, but I'm not going to rant and rave about 3 days.

(BTW, the radical left progressive website Huffington Post first brought to light today (as best as I can tell) the W-Shoe-Bomber-Delay point, which Politico.com has now also picked up on. For the Huffington Post, this is classic liberal/conservative "Yeah, but look what you guys did" rhetoric. It serves to change the subject and fails to address the merits and substance of the current criticism of your own side. It also serves as a tacit admission that the current criticisms are valid. Put another way, it implies a belief that "maybe we did something wrong, but YOU GUYS DID THE SAME THING." This is one of the favorite rhetorical tools of both the far right and far left, and I just laugh in their face every time they try to use it on me since I'm not one of "You Guys." That mindless crap just falls on deaf ears with me. But I digress.)

Second, we have Obama's reference today to AbdulMutallab as an "isolated extremist." At best, this was an incredibly stupid statement. But frankly, I don't give it even that much credit. This was just another example of the sort of sickening state of affairs that the terror issue has become in this country as a result of its complete politicalization. Obama was following the typical liberal playbook of trying to downplay any attempted terrorist act that occurs, even despite overwelming evidence of this slimeball's connections to members of Al Qaeda, most particularly the mass of such sub-human creatures currently conglomerated in Yemen. There was nothing "isolated" about this, and I fear (and am almost certain) that we're going to get hit very soon with more attempts using this same modus operandi (did I spell that correctly?). Obama may well have his reasons for using a blatantly false term like "isolated" (such as a desire to give these terrorists no credit or publicity besides that which is absolutely necessary), but regardless of such reasons and how noble they may well be, when our president speaks to us about such an important issue, he needs to speak plainly and speak the truth. Anyway, I've rambled on long enough! Those are my thoughts tonight.

"I Always Tell the Truth -- Even When I Lie!"

Those, the completely contradictory and inexplicable words of movie gangster Tony "Scarface" Montana, immediately came to mind for me as we watched Obama's handpicked Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, try to put a positive spin this past weekend on the attempted destruction of a U.S. airliner by a Nigerian jihadist, only to do a complete about-face today.

First Napolitano crowed that "the system worked" -- couched in weasel words about "once the incident occurred." That was her weekend statement. Everything's Rosey! Then Monday, she admitted that "the system failed miserably" in preventing the jihadist from boarding the plane with an explosive. At the same time, she completely insults all of our intelligence by claiming that she was just "taken out of context" over the weekend, because what she was saying is that "the system" actually worked wonderfully, but only "once the incident occurred." Funny that there was no mention over the weekend how it also "failed miserably" in the first place in permitting "the incident" to occur -- a fact she was forced to admit in the face of questioning today from NBC's Matt Lauer -- a democrat party hack who had to hate having to ask Napolitan about this.

Let's get down to brass tacks: Napolitano went out there this weekend trying to put a positive spin on an almost deadly situation. There was nothing "out of context" about that. Other Obama minions were out there trying to blame Bush for "the incident" (very predictably), which itself is utterly disingenuous on its face -- If the Bush era procedures in place were so awful, then why did the Obama regime fail to ever conduct any review and overhaul of those procedures upon his taking office a full disastrous year ago?

And a final point: You'll recall this Napolitano being good for at least one utterly moronic statement per day during the early days of the Obama regime (the first few months). There's been very little of that since, because quite frankly the Obama minions have wisely and artfully kept Big Jan under wraps, with a muzzle tightly in place. But that being said, it begs the question of Obama's decision in the first instance to appoint such an incompetent to this extremely critical post in our federal government. She should have been canned in March, but yet Obama allows her to hang around. And for obvious reasons, since her firing would reflect poorly on Obama's decision in the first place -- Nevermind that this Napolitano individual is incompetent and detrimental to the country in that she heads up a vital government agency tasked with keeping us all safe. I swear, the absolute lunacy of this Obama regime is rivaled only by that of the W regime. Folks, we deserve so much better as Americans than these types of assclowns. Let's insist upon it during upcoming election cycles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqZgkM_ienQ

Hey Dems: It Was a Large Majority of AMERICA Who Said NO to Your Health Care Bill!

Politico.com reports today that dems are trying to ratchet up one of their tired old rhetorical talking points about republicans being the "party of no" (as if they're anything different when repubs are in charge), enlisting Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd -- fresh off taking his bribe in return for supporting Harry Reid's Senate dem health care bill -- to resume the "party of no" drumbeat (hit Slimeball above for story).

First and most importantly, it was a clearcut majority of the American people who said NO to this bullshit bill, as reflected in every opinion poll out there leading up to the Senate dems' Black Christmas Ram-Rod Job.

Second, and as must as I equally distrust and dislike the republicans and the "conservatives" who control them, for dems to say or to imply that repubs had no ideas in this whole debate nor anything that they wanted to be a part of this bill would be like me claiming, say, that the earth is flat or that Mississippi shithouses are actually nice places to visit. In other words, it's a load of horse shit. Republicans had plenty of ideas in this debate (some of them good ones, such as a serious focus on medical malpractice tort reform), and they were completely ignored by the dem party for no other reason than the dems completely control washington and thus (they figure) don't have to listen to anyone, since they have the ability to ram-rod massive pieces of unpopular legislation right down our throats without any need to listen to anyone but themselves (i.e. the absolute Horror of either of these two parties completely controlling the White House and the Congress).

Folks, when dems (or republicans for that matter) use one of these oft-repeated little propaganda catch-phrases like "party of no" (repubs similarly like to use such phrases as "party of traditional values" to trumpet themselves) -- pay not one ounce of attention. It's bullshit aimed at the most ignorant, lowest common denominator type-person in our society (i.e. the sort of person who actually pays attention to and is persuaded by television political ads). Think for yourselves, for cryin' out loud! And never trust either one of these two parties any farther than you can throw 'em. A lifetime of keeping my eyes wide open has informed this viewpoint.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30983.html

Politco.com: "Middle Ground Crumbles in Health Care Debate." Well, Nuts to That!

Never before in American history has such a massive restructuring of our economy passed on a purely party-line vote in the Senate. That right there is all you need to know that Obama & The Dems' health care "reform" legislation is bad legislation. It's a massive monstrosity of a bill that hardly anyone -- including the lawmakers who voted to pass it -- have fully read or digested. It was crafted in Capitol backrooms by Harry Reid and his minions. It's also widely unpopular in polling of the American people. I think these were very Dark Days when House dems, and just now, Senate dems, ram-rodded this mess right on through. If this was a good piece of legislation, likely to have a positive effect on the country, then history tells us that it would not have been rammed through on a strictly party-line basis and it would have at least something approaching 50-50 support amongst the American people.

If the damn republicans would have rammed through some massive piece of conservative legislation under the same circumstances, I would feel exactly the same. Trust me, I ain't runnin' out to join those freaks either. As seen during the W years, they are almost or perhaps just as dangerous to the country (see the Iraq war, huge deficit spending, etc.) as the radical progressive-controlled dem party. Both of these two sides represent little swaths of the country and do not represent me or you in any way, shape or form. Just as the radical progressive-controlled democrat party can kiss my ass, so too can the "tea partiers," and the conservatives, and the whole damn republican party. I don't trust any of them. Tell me something, do you?

Those of us who (1) look at the issues independently and (2) have the desire to speak out about it, will continue to try to hound these two bullshit extremes and two bullshit parties to the edge of hell. If you folks thought I was ragin' in 2009, just wait til ya get a load of me in 2010. The passage of this bullshit health care bill has only energized me, only reinvigorated me, and only made me angrier. Should be a fun new year!!!

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30957.html

BLACK CHRISTMAS

With no one in the country paying a bit of attention since it's Christmas Eve: This morning Senate dems ram-rodded through a massive and widely unpopular health care "reform" bill -- the single biggest and most substantial piece of legislation since the Social Security Act of 1965 -- on a straight party-line vote. No one has had any chance to read or fully digest what's even in the Senate bill. Its passage clears the way for a merged Senate/House bill to head to the president's desk in January. It truly is a very Black Christmas. And one that I won't soon forget. It marks the day when I question for the first time in 40 years just how democratic of a nation this really is.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul

"Bad Santa" Was "Packing Something More Than Gifts."

A story today out of Tennessee: The Santa (pictured above) knocks over a bank and then makes his getaway -- not in a sleigh, mind you, but in a gray mid-size car. The story makes clear that this wasn't the real Santa Claus, but rather an imposter. (However, since the perp was sporting dark shades, and since he did utilize a bona fide "Santa-style sack," how can we really know for sure?)

"I don't remember a Santa doing that," said the police. Great point. This guy threatens to give Santas everywhere a bad name. Although, the story does point out that this wasn't the first time a demented Santa has reared its ugly beard. The story says that criminals "mimicking Kris Kringle" have pulled bank jobs in the past, with the most infamous being "The Santa Claus Bank Robbery" of 1927 in which a fake Santa "and his crew" (elves? reindeer?) killed and injured several people in Texas.

Finally, the story encourages you -- if you have seen this Bad Santa -- to call Crime Stoppers. OK, I'll keep an eye out. No comment from the FBI on this whole situation, by the way.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091223/NEWS03/912230395/1009/news02/Bad+Santa+robs+bank++flees+with+bag+full+of+cash

Alabama Congressman Switches Parties, Goes Republican.

Representative Parker Griffith from Alabama announces today that he's switchin' from the dems to the republicans (link below). Which makes him a pathetic turncoat. I've expressed this many times in this space: If you chose to align yourself with either one of these two bullshit parties who represent minority swaths of the country, then at least have character enough to stick with your decision through thick and thin. If there is anything I detest more than a slimey partisan liberal or conservative, it's a turncoat. Colin Powell, a career turncoat himself, is probably the worst example. Arlen Specter right behind.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30896.html

Never Before Have I Seen Such a Destructive & Un-Democratic Act in America As That Currently Being Perpetrated by Washington Dems.

Senate dems are moving toward a 9 p.m. Christmas Eve passage of the Harry Reid health care bill. Reid has just added a massive "manager's" amendment to the bill, which incorporates the various back-room deals (i.e. bribes and extortions) necessary for him to get 60 Senate dems to vote for his monstrosity of a health care "reform" bill. (The myriad problems and dangers of this bill were very well detailed today on the Wall Street Journal's editorial page (link below)). No one will have a chance to fully digest this amendment before the bill is voted upon Thursday night. Nope -- The dems are just gonna ram this gargantuan piece of legislation right down our throats. And it will likely be very close to what they give Obama to sign because too many subsequent changes, based on the House dems' version of this bill, will threaten to upset the apple cart (i.e. the 60 Senate ass-clowns, including Joe Lieberman, who support this piece of crap legislation).

Never before in American history has such a sweeping piece of legislation (which will seize one-seventh of the American economy) been enacted on a purely party-line vote with no bipartisanship whatsoever. Never before in American history has a bill this significant been jammed through and into law without virtually anyone who voted for it having had an opportunity to fully read and digest it first. Never before in American history has a bill this historical been snuck through on Sunday post-midnight procedural votes and Christmas Eve night passage votes in order to limit the publicity with respect to legislation that a majority of Americans opposes.

If you've taken a look at this space a time or two before, you'll know that I enjoy going off on both extremes and both parties. But I cannot recall an instance in my life previously where one particular act of one of these parties threatened to ensure that I will never be able to give that party any benefit of the doubt, any trust or any support ever again. The dems came very close when they ram-rodded the Cap'n Trade through the House earlier this year after adding 300 pages of new amendments to the bill earlier that morning. And I think that for me, the proverbial "last straw" probably falls right around Christmas Eve 2009.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704398304574598130440164954.html

State of Kansas to Consider, and In My Opinion Should Approve, an Abolishment of the Death Penalty.

(Story linked below). Kansas (and every other state) should abolish the death penalty not because it's cruel and unusual punishment (it's not) nor on the basis that the State has no right to take the life of a first degree murderer (because the State has every such right). The reason the dealth penalty must be abolished is because every now and then, although admittedly not very often, an innocent person is put to death. To me, that is intolerable in any civilized modern society, and should be considered intolerable in what I consider to be greatest nation our world has ever seen (at least, it's the nation that I would more want to live in that any other in history). Are there compelling justifications for the death penalty? Certainly. Chief among them is the principle of retribution, i.e. if you take another's life in the first degree, then you deserve to have your own life taken. Not among them is a policy of deterrence, which has never been established through any consistent empirical data. And let me be clear: The typical liberal complaints with the death penalty, such as assertions that it's wrong to take a murderer's life, are not ones with which I agree, except for the one stated above -- It is inexcusable in any enlightened society for a legal mechanism to be in place that at times results in innocent men and women being killed. That's the bottom line. It's a price to which I will never be able to agree when it comes to the death penalty.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/1639799.html

More Chickenshit Stuff From Washington Dems.

Senate dems announced today they now have the votes needed to pass the Senate (Harry Reid) version of a health care bill that we haven't been allowed to read, while Obama predictably offered profuse congratulations on such a truly inspiring and wonderful feat. Apparently also it's anticipated that there will be a key procedural vote on the bill sometime after midnight tomorrow night (I'm not making this stuff up), followed by a vote on passage of the bill likely on Christmas Eve. As I've said before, if I was a lawmaker and wanted to pass a bill that the majority of the country opposes without anyone being able to read or digest it first, I would rely on and utilize after-midnight and Christmas Eve votes as well. So it is when you have either one of these two bullshit parties completely controlling the federal government. They become completely out of control and don't give a rat's ass what We The People think about much of anything. It's a sad, and scary, situation these days in Washington.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/18/nelson-cites-real-progress-health-care-talks/

Obama Threatens Dem Congressman: "Don't Think We're Not Keeping Score, Brother!" How Nice.

Reportedly, that was Obama's recent threat to dem congressman Peter DeFazio (see link below), who has bucked his fellow "progressives" on certain issues this year, such as the Cap'n Trade and "stimulus" bills. In other words, toe the party line, regardless of what you might think about a particular piece of legislation, or there will be real political consequences for you. So very nice, so very Presidential, so very intellectual, and, apparently, so very Obama. BTW, Obama, just because you're the first true liberal to be elected president since LBJ, and just because your White House has shown a certain propensity to act in ways in which the Nixon White House acted, that doesn't mean you have to go around acting like those two all the time. Pathetic stuff.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/72889-pelosi-rahm-do-not-scare-rep-defazio

Look at This Fatass Tub of Goo, Hateful Radical Left Progressive Freak Michael Moore Threatening Joe Lieberman...

Moore is waddling around threatening boycotts of Lieberman and that he "will get" Lieberman for having the unmitigated gall to oppose Obama & The Dems' single payer system desires (just like the majority of the country does). Four points here:

First, read the linked leftist column below about how Moore is on CNN dressing down CNN for not being biased enough to the radical far left. Because, after all, if you're a media outlet these days, you are supposed to be as biased as possible, right?

Second, I love how the linked leftist column describes Moore as a person who merely is devoted to his "liberal beliefs." Wrong. I can tolerate and respect principled liberals. But I have no place in my life for bitter, hateful, extreme, far left "progressives" of Moore's ilk. These people (much like the far right and your Rush Slimebaughs of the world) wake up every day with a mind full of extremist hate, the same way they fall asleep every night.

Third, and as I've discussed so many times in this space, there is hardly a more difficult position in which to exist in this country than as a non-conservative, non-liberal independent-thinking individual. Lieberman is feeling the brunt of that now from a pathetic sub-human creature like Moore. I know the same feeling anytime I show up on just about any website expressing my views. I get pounded hard from both extremes. It goes with the territory. But it always reminds me that I'm doing something right.

Fourth, and finally, if Moore is really interested in "getting" Independents such as Lieberman, I'd like to extend a personal invitation to his big fat ass to try "getting" me. I've got a big Southwest Missouri left hand just awaiting his big, fat, morbidly obese mug. With a 2-foot wide target like that, it would be virtually impossible for a straight left from a southpaw stance to miss.

http://www.examiner.com/x-11974-San-Diego-Cultural-Trends-Examiner~y2009m12d17-Michael-Moore-is-calling-for-a-boycott-of-Lieberman-and-Connecticut-over-healthcare

Go Ahead. Take a Nice Long Look. It's For Your Better Health.

A German study (perhaps of dubious distinction, but does that really matter?) reports this week that "staring at boobs" for as little as 10 minutes a day is good for a man's health and can add years on to his life. Works for me.

http://www.themedguru.com/20091206/newsfeature/stare-boobs-longer-life-study-86131320.html

Good to See Radical-Left-Progressive Dems Adopting Dick Cheney Phraseology & Talking Points. Goes to Show, Just 2 Peas in the Same Extremist Pod!...

...And so it is tonight that we get Far Left Loon Nancy Pelosi and her House colleagues accusing the Senate of "dithering" (a Dick Cheney word) on health care. So let me get this straight: One old out-of-touch extremist uses the word, and then another old out-of-touch extremist on the other extreme adopts it into her own lexicon! Please. These Washington politicians are so incredibly pathetic, so amazingly insulting to the intelligence of the American people, and frankly, so incredibly dangerous to the country that most of us know and love. You have to love how utterly out-of-touch (and uncaring about the same) this Pelosi creature is. I mean, using weird, archaic words and phraseology is apparently apart of her being. She injected the word "robust" into the "public option" debate recently, while I can't think of the last person I've met who has used that word in a conversation during my entire life. Now we get "dithering," following on Dick Cheney's lead. Folks, if the out-of-touch extremist policies that these people advocate were not your first clue, just listen to the kinds of words and language that they use in their rhetoric! These people do not represent us, rather they are only a danger to us. Pay no attention. And think for yourselves.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30651.html

Harry Thought He Had a Deal.

Harry thought wrong. At least until the next time he trots out at 9 p.m. and announces another deal on health care legislation but refuses to reveal what's in the new bill and what's been agreed to. That will probably occur tonight or tomorrow. With leaders like Harry, who needs cancer, gout or the swine flu?

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091214/D9CJ3VPO0.html

All Harbaughs & Holtz's Aside, I Can't Figure Out If the University of Kansas Has Hired the Real Turner Gill or the KC Star's Fake One?!?

Without an official news conference until tomorrow, I'm still waiting to see and confirm whether KU has hired the bona fide Turner Gill, as opposed to the fake one that the illustrious Kansas City Star plastered all over the front page of its sports section last week (followed by a buried retraction), who in reality was (the Real) Turner Gill's coordinator, Danny Barrett. For a newspaper who has hateful ultra-radical-progressive freaks like Mike Hendricks and Yael T. Abouhalkah dominating their editorial pages, it sure was egg on the face for the same publication to treat all African-Americans as if they all look exactly alike (note: Gill and Barrett look NOTHING like each other). Way to go Star! Keep up the great service to the Kansas City community!!!

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/892230.html

JUST WHAT WE NEED! More spending, more debt, more federal government control!

When I say this radical-left-progressive-controlled dem party that runs Washington is fairly dangerous and scary, such sentiments ain't coming from your Rush Slimebaughs and Sean Hannitys of the world. I don't like conservatives. I don't like republicans. But the bottomless black hole that these far left dems want to plunge us down is a situation, which at least in my humble view, is the greatest danger to the America we know and love that I have ever seen during my lifetime. Scary Days.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091211/D9CHCOIG0.html

Former Mayor of New York City, Ed Koch. Hilarious Dude.

I attended an event today at which Koch was the keynote speaker. This dude is a WWII veteran, and so he is like 85 years old now. Today he spoke about some of his takes on the current political landscape. He is a very rambunctious man, a very proto-typical "New Yorker," which I've always admired from those folks. And he's very funny. Get this: He actually and intentionally dropped an F-Bomb at the end of his address, which most in attendance found to be utterly hilarious (it was the punch line to a story he told to close out his speech).

Anyway, the main reason I'm blogging about this is because of some very admirable statements that Koch made during his address. He flat out said, "I'm a liberal democrat," but it was also clear that he has a lot of criticism and problems with the current regime in power in Washington. He said that he's just as much about "common sense" as he is tied to his democrat roots. One of his best proclamations, in observing how Washington has gone very wrong these days, was to say, "If you don't have the money, then you can't spend it!" He also questioned why we are trying to nation-build in Afghanistan when our enemy is currently located in Pakistan -- his message there was basically, get the boys off the ground and out of Afghanistan, and "bomb the hell" out of the locations where we think Al Qaeda and Osama may be located in Pakistan.

But I won't ramble on too long here -- I was impressed by some of the independence of thought exhibited by Koch. He struck me as a guy very devoted to his party, but also not afraid to criticize it when it's going off the tracks. We could use a lot more of the same from dems and repubs in this country.

This Is Slimeball Stuff- The Senate May OR May Not (Depending on the Source) Be About to Pass a Health Care Reform Bill, But No One Knows What's In It

OK, so the Senate seems poised (again, possibly or possibly not, depending on the source -- SEE the below 2 links) to pass a massive health care bill which will certainly be one of the greatest expansions of the federal government in American history, and we are not allowed to know what's in it or even get a straight story on which senators oppose and favor it. PEOPLE: These congressional dems and repubs do NOT represent us. They are slime. Their votes can be purchased for a dime (i.e. a few million in pork in a Lousiana bog or a Missouri timber). None of them care what we think. They think we're just a big dumb uneducated populace. I have said before, that never in my several decades on the planet have I seen such unresponsiveness from the federal government (and that goes mainly to the slimeballs in charge, but ALSO to the slimeballs who inhabit the intolerant far right). These people just go around doing whatever the hell they feel like in Washington in terms of passing massive legislation and trying to impose all kinds of new levels of federal control and regulation upon our lives -- regardless of what any of us think about it. I've not seen anything like it before in my time. Scary Days.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9628e37a-e5cc-11de-b5d7-00144feab49a.html

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30473.html

Here's a Man that Both Conservatives & Liberals Alike Love to Hate.

South Carolina U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. I view Graham as a fairly devout and longstanding republican. I, in contrast, am not, and I view Graham as distinctly to the right of me. But that being said, I much admire the independence of mind that he often exhibits. He is not a conservative, but more importantly, NOR is he some mealy-mouthed or wishy-washy "moderate" as the conservatives and liberals like to try to paint him. (See previously in this space my Politics 101 lesson: liberals and conservatives have very few plays in their playbook. One is to attack anyone who disagrees with them as being some kind of radical on the other extreme, and if that doesn't work or lacks credibility, then Plan B is always to say the person is a "mealy-mouthed, wishy-washy 'moderate'", but I digress, although I tie this in down below).

The far left and far right would find this very hard to believe, but it is actually possible to view issues independently and with an independent, informed mind and viewpoint, such that certain of one's opinions come out on the right, others on the left, and others somewhere in between. That doesn't make a person a "mealy mouth" or "wishy washy". Rather, it makes the person one who has an independence of mind and spirit that so many of our politicians could learn from (sorry Jeeves to end a sentence on a preposition).

So what made me blog about Graham tonight is that I saw him on the fox Greta show tonight, and he was there very directly going off on Harry Reid and Reid's whole escapade last night of saying "we have a deal on the public option and a new bill which is great for everyone, but you can't see it and I can't comment on it." Graham was also going off on how this new "deal" or new "bill" or whatever you want to call it doesn't get rid of the public option at all, but rather just attaches a "trigger" to it, which I'm fully confident will be framed by the dems in the language of the bill as a "trigger" that is almost certain to occur, meaning the "new" Reid bill is one designed to almost assuredly bring about a public option a few years down the line.

So the bottom line? It just struck me, as I watched Graham tonight (his views on Reid and the dems' health care "reform" desires are spot on, as far as I'm concerned) -- Here's a guy full of conviction and vinegar on this issue, pulling no punches when it comes to what the dems are trying to accomplish. And that's mealy-mouthed, as the far right freaks like Slimebaugh and Savage and Hannity like to accuse him of being? That's taking no real position? That's "riding a fence" as Draconem likes to accuse me of? That's wishy-washy? Puh-lease. No, it's none of those things.

Rather, such rhetoric is just the moronic, anti-intellectual Plan B (as described above) for which liberals and conservatives have no further play. They really don't know what to do with us devout Independents. And I love being a thorn in both of their sides, and hounding them to the outskirts of Hell, until the day they stick me in the ground (which, BTW, won't be for another 70 years at least). As I like to say, We're Everywhere, and We Ain't Going Away.

Senate Dems Tonight Seem to Me to Be Much In a State of Flux & Uncertainty.

You have them rejecting an anti-abortion-funding amendment to the senate bill, which some "blue dog" dems have insisted is a prerequisite to their vote (thereby very much threatening the dems' ability to pass anything here), and then on the same night you have this feeble little mouse known as Harry Reid scurrying out and proclaiming from on high that "We have a deal on the public option, but you can't see it yet, nor can I describe anything about it, but trust me, it's a good thing, and we have a deal!" What a PATHETIC group of individuals these congressional dems are, rivaled only by the congressional repubs. Not to mention, at least one prominent Senate dem is disputing that there's really any "deal" on the public option issue. But I digress. My bottom line observation on all this: Dems look confused, weak and chicken$hit, even more so than they typically do just in the normal course of things. Which also makes them extremely dangerous. We thought the danger of a "nuclear option," or some insane anti-democratic procedural maneuver being used, was past us? I'd say, think again. Because I think that may be the only way these crazy individuals will be able to get anything passed. God help us. Literally.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B807720091209?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true