Launches, sinkings, and a beer?

We are now at T+48 hours since Super Tuesday. And there is still plenty going on. Super Tuesday would be exciting on its own, but it feel a month into primary season. The Republican method of primary voting and accumulation of delegates favors a winner-take-all (WTA) method. The Democratic method favors a long slugfest. It will take longer for a nominee to emerge and assume the crown because it they split the delegate proportionally. Hence, a candidate could get more delegates by winning less states. But this is not something I should have to go over.

The reason I bring it up is that pundits like Bill O'Reilly have outlined a scenario (and I think Dick Morris who is bitter toward the Clintons since they ruined his career and the only people who will hire him are Fox) where Obama wins the most delegates but the Super Delegates decide to go with Clinton at the convention. He says there will be a riot and that they will tear the arena down.

If one were to seriously consider Bill O'Reilly's wishful ranting, the democrats would all tear each thoer eyes out on network television for the Conservative power mongers to gloat over. First of all, I don't think it will get that bad. Second, are you really serious? Have you been to a Democratic anything? Democrats won't even yell a person out of the room. Since I'm in the Democratic party, I can't say I've ever felt violence toward another Democrat. I honestly think that Bill O'Reilly would just like to see this happen. A fractured Democratic party would make his day.

On to something that is not political for a minute. There was a shuttle launch. It was not impressive. That is if you consider the better launch pictures that have been done. Come on NASA!!!! Give us a night launch.




Yeah!!!!!!!!!!! That's more like it. Thats what I call a launch!!!!!!



Ok, so there were a lot gun toting violence lately. The deaths at a Lane Bryant recently, the home in LA with the SWAT team taking a casualty along with 4 other people. Now some guy in Kentucky opens fire on a city hall meeting. So, was there something in the stars I didn't see? Like the constellation gunus loadus? There sure are a bunch of crazies running around getting their crazy on.

Speaking of crazies... John McCain went to CPAC (I really couldn't help myself... I really love politics but I'm usually not so mean... and that's nice for politics). Before he could speak Mitt Romney did. He said that he couldn't be the one to blame if the Democrats got the White House. The Democrats he claims, would allow us to be defeated by surrendering the war in Iraq. So, he suspended his campaign. This means he has pulled out. He's still in denial. The Mitt Romney ship has sunk. All right.... it hit a sand bar... but it lost almost all of its sails.... or its in a dead calm.... something....

Before McCain got up to speak, cons at the con (heh) were switching their Romney T-shirts for McCain t-shirts. How astounding: the red headed stepchild of the Republican party at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Group) where even they can't stick to their convictions and principles [grind teeth].

I'm not a conservative. There are beliefs I hold that are conservative but I will not consider myself a conservative for some pretty big reasons. 1. I like people of all types and refuse to be exclusionary and/or intolerant. 2. I think religion is for the church/synagoge/temple/home. It has no place in politics, as part of domestic policy or the basis for laws. No one should expect a country to be made in the mold of a particular faith. Its unfair and intolerant. It infringes other people's 1st amendment rights. 3. I use reason and logic. I think therefore I am not conservative or liberal. You all have your neuroses and need therapy.

To me, McCain is like that. He doesn't judge a person by their party but takes time to get to know them as people. He reminds me a bit of professor of history (a subject McCain likes) who is a bit more hippie than McCain but he is still on of those guys who likes to get to know his students as people. McCain does that with his fellow Senators and enjoys meetings of the mind with them. I've said this before and I'll say it again: We need someone with a proven record of working with the other party. McCain has that.

I watched the speech with baited breath. Hell, I'd been waiting for this one. First, cowboy boot wearing George "macaca" Allen of Virginia introduced Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. I can't help but wonder if not for that video in 2006, would Allen be running and winning this nomination? Anyways, Tom Coburn came out and talked about McCain's courage. Coburn might be commended for his courage, too. In the late '90's, he locked horns with then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich because the Republican led Congress was spending just like the Democrats had been before they had taken over. Nothing had changed and the "Contract with America" was in shambles. He's also worked with Senator Obama. I'd say he like McCain is not afraid to work with someone who has a "D" attached to their name. He also has the regret of his remarks against the airing of Schindler's List to contend with for the rest of his life.

But getting on to the speech itself. I liked it. It was perfect, quiet, John McCainness and simple. He didn't get into specifics which is fine. There were some real nice parts. Like the boo that turned into a cheer. I'll call it a beer. I have no idea why this happened. I only saw McCain do this sort of beseeching shrug that he does. It always seems like his arms are awkward for him. I blame that on the fact that the range of motion in his arms is limited. I believe he cannot raise them to a certain point.

Anyways, this beer started out with the crowd booing when he brought up immigration. I understand their reason for doing that. McCain worked with Ted Kennedy, the living God of Democrats, to formulate a bill on immigration that ultimately failed. He admits to this. It was a so-called "path to citizenship". I'm with the conservatives on immigration but I'm also with McCain. I find immigrants to be criminals. They broke our laws to get in here and continue to break them with their continued presence here. I won't generalize and get into statements of tenement housing and bad driving. These are stereotypes that are as dangerous as general statements about Jews and Roman Catholics.

But, as much as they broke laws and entered our nation illegally, which means they have little respect for a nation's government and lack integrity, there needs to be a solution that works for everyone. We cannot throw the 12+ million people back to Mexico. This would be a humanitarian disaster. It would destroy Mexico. Some would welcome this but hold on a second! Destroying Mexico would not help us but rather, hurt us. If their fragile economy collapses due to a sudden influx of people that it cannot support, we'd have to prop up the flagging economy anyway.

The other option is to figure out a way to reduce the illegal immigrants coming across our border and to get those here to become citizens so they can pay into a system they already benefit from. Getting them out would be far more problematic and violent. No one wants the blood of another country's citizens, criminals or not, on their hands. So, the compromise that he made with Kennedy is justified.

But this boo... as it progressed, it turned into a cheer. A loud and resounding cheer. I don't know if Allen and Coburn started scowling at the audience since they were told to be nice. Maybe conservatives saw it within themselves to be nice. I'd like to know what actually happened there in the ballroom because they certainly didn't show it on TV.

And did you see the covereage of CPAC on Fox? I nornally watch CNN or MSNBC but considering the nature of this speech, getting reaction from the conservatives themselves would be key. But Fox did something that I find reprehensible. Look at the picture below. See if you can pick put out any errors.

That's right!!! Fox has democratized John McCain (I'm taking credit for this new use of the word right now) . They misidentify any republican they want to and claim its a typo. The odds that there'd would be these typos at moments when the Republican party is in a crises or, like when Mark Foley admitted one of their own screws up and only these times are slim. The odds of that each time these mistakes occur, it would always be a "D" is even more slim. I'm no mathematician but I understand probability and randomness from my experience as a pollster and working in statistics. There is no way that Fox can stand by their assertions. At least not without knowing how stupid they look. If I were self-respecting journalist, I could not work with/for Fox without either walking away from this excuse for a "fair and balanced" news outfit or losing my integrity for remaining with them. What a fucking joke!!!!!!!

All right, this post has gone on long enough. I did want to add some clips from The Daily Show from Wednesday night. Jon Stewart takes on the coverage of the primaries on the News outlets. Enjoy!!!



and this!



Ok, The moment of Zen, too.



Bonne Soiree!!!!!!

Toons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

George Allen is done!

Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Macaca is over.

Granted, he was the most entertaining election of all this midterm season. First, his racist slip, then his mom is a Jew, he used to unmentionable things in the mailboxes of black people.... It was all quite interesting.

But now, both houses belong to the Democrats de facto. After twelve years of Republicans calling the shots in DC we have the Democrats in charge. So, is this better? Maybe. If they reverse the tax cuts possibly not. They will likely increase minimum wage and loosen the restrictions on financial aid for college students. Ok, I'm done for the day. 'Sides, I gots to celebrate this most momentous occasion since.... since Bill Clinton won...?

P.S. Allen is likely looking to run for President of the United States in two years. God help us...

To keep up with the 2008 Presidential Election, go here. Honestly, presidential elections are years, if not decades, in the making. There are already a handful of announced campaigns.

Plan B: OTC

So, the FDA has finally decided to make Plan B an over the counter medication. There's a catch. There's always a catch! You must be at least 18 and prove it. Well, thats not really surprising. No one should be self medicating under the age of 18.

On to more pressing matters. Lt. General Dan Halutz (דן חלוץ), the Chief of Staff for the IDF, admitted in a letter to his troops that he failed and "exposed shortcomings in the military's logistics, operations and command." I respect the man for making an apology to the IDF for the apparent loss in the recent conflict but it was like Vietnam. You could drop lots bombs, send mortars, missles and grenades over but Hezbollah ()حزب الله), just as the Viet Cong did. They fought using Guerrilla tactics. Evidently even Mossad(המוס למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים) doesn't use those anymore. What happened to the days of yore when the IDF could lay waste to its enemies? What happened to the days when Israel could outsmart anyone? The possibilty exists that I srael may have gotten cocksure. The United States sure did. When we strut around and act like just because we liberated France from the Nazis, along with the British and Canadians, we deserve the world's thanks forever, we doom ourselves to being toppled; to being defeated. So heed this warning Israel: get your underdog stripes back. They serve you well. Swelled heads and a swagger do not. That may be the real cause behind a failure to "defang" Hezbollah, not a stock-selling leader.

Not to get on Israel's case, which apparently I am, but now it appears Israel has been accused of war crimes. Amnesty International has recently accused Israel of deliberately targetting civilian populations in its crusade to root out Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Honestly, they can't go after the other combatant in this melee so Israel will likely take the brunt of the aftermath in the arena of public opinion. There may be other more serious consquences. In Israel's defence, there is little they could do not to target civilian areas. Hezbollah was firing their Katusha rockets from neighborhoods in Lebanon.

Now moving on to Israel's other conflict. "What other conflict?" you ask. Seriously, there is another one in Gaza(قطاع غزة). Gilad Shalit is still sitting in Gaza, still alive, God willing, and waiting to be rescued. Israel made an incursion in to Gaza again today. No one was killed.

Moving on to other fare, a headline at the BBC sparked my interest: "Communists join Wal-Mart's ranks". Wal-Mart, the nassive discount chain started by the late Sam Walton, is now in China with unions. Wal-Mart has never been overly keen on unions and China likes to have party-contolled ones. So what's the point of having them anyways if neither wants them and they will be useless? Note: It took 11 days for this to make it to the BBC.

One politically juicy bit. Republican Sentor and candidate George Allen of Virginia made a comment to DemocraticIndian-American volunteer S.R. Sidarth. Sidarth was videotaping the senator at a rally when the senator called him Macaca. in fact, here's some quotes:"This fellow over here with the yellow shirt -- Macaca or whatever his name is -- he's with my opponent," and "Let's give a welcome to Macaca here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia." He later tracked him down (through Google) at the University of Virginia where he is an engineering student and called to apologize. No word from Sidarth on how he took it. Apparently, he did ask for it and you get what you ask for...

News Flash! Pluto is demoted: Only 8 planets in our Solar System! Students, teachers, and Encyclopedia Writers everywhere tremble...

On this day back in 79 CE, Pompeii and Herculaneum were smothered and buried in volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius. So if you think you're having a bad day...