Monday, March 22, 2010

Health care reform passed....

Health care reform passed the House 219-212. This 2300+ page abomination must be repealed to save this country.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Hope and Change --> Hope he Fails

There are catchphrases and slogans that people associate with certain people, especially in politics. From “I like Ike” to “Compassionate Conservatism,” people in the realm of politics use these phrases to rally the populace to their cause. These slogans are short, sweet, and gets to the point.

In 2008, the phrase that swept the country was “Hope and Change” and “Change We Can Believe In.” It encapsulated the last year of President Bush and the urge for a simple change of leadership that many, even Republicans, wanted after eight years. That phrase, along with a horrible economic downturn, got Obama into the White House.

In 2009, the phrase came early in the year. Republicans were ready to help President Obama and willing to work in the spirit of bipartisanship to get much of Obama’s agenda through Congress. One man with a microphone spoke up and in four words summed up the Republican approach to the new Obama presidency – “I HOPE HE FAILS!!!”

That phrase, uttered by Rush Limbaugh on January 16, 2009 (four days before Obama’s inauguration) was the rallying call for many on the Right who were about ready to give up. Today, Obama’s stimulus plan got through barely but everything else grind to a halt. Health Care Reform is dead in conference after both houses of Congress passed their vastly different versions. The tea party movement has arisen to oppose Obama’s agenda.

In Obama’s first year in office, Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, all “Blue” states, have elected Republicans officials. This is the start of an anti-incumbent and anti-Democratic Party wave that is coming in like a tsunami and will wipe out Democrats in 2010. Minority Leaders Boehner and McConnell will become Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader McConnell by this time next year. It's 1994 all over again!!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

SotU


Obama made a speech on the State of the Union. It was a boring speech that didn't reach expectations. He made excuses for his performance and promised nothing to fix America's problems.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Monday, November 30, 2009

Christmas

Christmas time in Aberdeen, the time when winter comes back, the snow makes it impossible to do anything, and the swamp we call home turns into an icebox.

As I watch the Black Friday lines on Friday morning, I wonder if these same people who stood in line for hours for the latest gift will stand in line to help those in need or even to worship the person who we commemorate on Christ-mas.

This Christmas season, remember those who are less fortunate than yourself and always remember the reason for the season.

Friday, November 20, 2009

2012

Remember Y2K? The year that the world was supposed to come to an end? I remember that New Year, watching fireworks go off and watching the television on the celebrations going around the world without suffering a major glitch.

Now we have another end-of-the world scenario coming up in 2012, when the Mayans predicted that either the world will end or some catastrophe will occur. Films such as 2012 are making huge money on this fear.

So, what is the event that wipes us out? Floods? Earthquake? Hurricanes? Tsunamis? Or a combination of everything, including fairies?

We have been here before. Many people from Nostradamus to Al Gore have predicted that either we must change our way of life in order to prevent disaster or we are destined to be hit with a disaster no matter what we do. They are all a bunch of snake oil salesmen who are trying to persuade the public that the world is about to end in order to push a product or a public policy.

We have more pressing matters to worry about than the 2012 hoax. The economy has not recovered, people are losing their jobs, Congress is considering bills that are over 2000 pages long and full of bureaucratic waste, a budget deficit of over $1 trillion, and a government that does not serve the people.

I am more worried about the government rolling back our rights via the “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009” (cap and trade), or the “Affordable Health Care for America Act” (the health care bill that just passed the House). People must stand up against this attempt to take over many of the basic functions of American life.

My prediction: the world will end in 2012 if Barack Obama is re-elected as President of the United States. It has as much of a chance to occur as the Mayan prediction of the events of 2012.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Golf

President Obama must love his golf. Obama has golf 24 rounds since he became President. It took the previous president, Bush 43, 2 years and 10 months to reach that many rounds.

Obama can do whatever he wants with his free time. However, it looks bad when the economy is going bad and American foreign policy is taking a beating. I guess Obama has delegated enough authority to his subordinates that they can afford him the luxury of golf.

http://www.politico.com/click/stories/0910/obama_ties_bush_on_golf.html

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Debt

The Congress will soon increase the debt ceiling to $13 trillion. When will the Congress realize that spend, borrow, and print is not the greatest way to govern a country?

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Grasshopper Chess

When I read about this, I laughed so hard. The concept of "Grasshopper Chess" is so funny.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grasshopper_chess

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Deficit

The deficit hit $1.4 trillion for the last fiscal year. The government received $2.1 trillion and spent $3.5 trillion. When will Washington learn to spend only the money they receive?

Friday, October 16, 2009

Minnesota

I will be gone for the week-end for a friend's wedding.

Update: It is 10pm and I'm in Owatoma, near Minneapolis. Just got here and going to get some sleep.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Baseball: predictions sure to go wrong

Yankees and Angels face off Friday. Prediction: Angels in 6

Dodgers and Phillies face off Thursday. Prediction: Dodgers in 6

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tuesday

South Dakota and California celebrated Native American Day, the other 48 states celebrated Columbus Day. I know why we do it but I can't figure out California. Somebody help?

Monday, October 12, 2009

Friday, October 9, 2009

Obama

Obama gets a Nobel Peace Prize for bombing the moon. Oh wait, he bombed the moon AND got a Nobel Peace Prize. Isn't bombing the moon an act of war?! Why didn't he use sanctions and tried to negotiate to get the "ice" that underneath the Moon's surface? Did we invade the Moon unilaterally or did we go with a Coalition of the Willing? Did we go to the UN to get a resolution condemning the Moon for having illegal weapons? Or for having poisonous cheese?

Only four United States Presidents have ever gotten a Nobel Peace Prize. President Theodore Roosevelt received it for negotiating a peace treaty between Russia and Japan in 1906. President Wilson got one for the Treaty of Versailles (which led to German anger and Hitler) and the League of Nations (a less competent version of the United Nations). President Carter got one in 2002 for decades of failed appeasements. What has Obama done to receive his Nobel Peace Prize? The only thing he has done is apologize for everything America has done wrong and stated that the United States needs to improve itself. Obama needs to change his slogan from "Hope and Change" to "Apologize and Beg."

Is it too early to give Obama an award like this? He has been President for less than a year, no treaties have been signed, his poll numbers are slipping, plus Afghanistan and Iraq are continuing under his watch. Do the people that award these prizes look at the credentials of some of their awardees? Arafat got a peace prize in 1994. He continued to wage terrorism and warfare on the state of Israel until his last day on this planet.

Obama should say "Thanks but no thanks" to his award and get back to the real issue: figuring out how to apologize to the rest of the world for bombing the Moon.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Money

Federal deficit for Fiscal year 2009 hit an record high of $1.4 trillion, breaking the previous record from last year. Fiscal insanity has gripped the government. Politicians, especially Obama, need to crack down on spending. Wishing thinking, perhaps.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091007/ts_alt_afp/financeeconomyusbudget_20091007223238

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Baseball

The Twins in extra innings won a thriller. Now they go to New York and play the Yankees.

Go Twins. Make A-Rod cry out his steroids.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

MLB Playoffs.....PLAYOFFS?!!

Twins and Tiger play tonight. Winner gets Yankees.

Who will win?

Update: Twins win thriller!!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Michael Moore

Michael Moore came out with a new film. Why do people go to his films? They are communist propaganda.

What does MM believe: anti-gun, anti-war, anti-Capitalism, and anti-United States. He has enriched himself off capitalism while staying that it's bad and evil.

Michael, please move to France. You belong there.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

China

China is celebrating 60 years of communist oppression today. On this day in 1949, Mao took over China and began a brutal regime that violated human rights.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Health

Does Health care need a public opinion?

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Seasons

Summer is gone and Autumn/Fall has arrived.

In Aberdeen, there are four seasons
1. Winter
2. Partly Winter (Spring)
3. Anti-Winter (Summer)
4. Semi-Winter (Fall)

Monday, September 28, 2009

Health

Health care reform - do we need it?

Friday, September 25, 2009

Rain

It's has rain four out of the last five days here in Aberdeen. I want a two year drought!!!!!!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

weekday

It's the middle of the week - Wednesday? What's your favorite day of the week?

Sunday, September 20, 2009

NFL

Brett Favre is up to his old tricks. Super Bowl for the Vikings? You decide.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Beck

Glenn Beck is the new face of the Right? Beck isn't even close to Limbaugh in terms of leading a movement.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090917/pl_politico/27282

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Why me?

Ever get the feeling you're never caught up?

Monday, September 14, 2009

You Lie!!

During Obama's speech, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) blurted out "You lie!!" when Obama was telling the Congress that his health care plan will not cover illegal immigrants.

Rep. Wilson is on the right track. Even if the plan does not explicitly cover illegal immigrants, they will have access to it if they need it. Also, when Congress and Obama pass comprehensive immigration reform, those 12-20 million illegal immigrants will become citizens and have full access to health care.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Polls

Obama's approval numbers have dipped below 50%. Not a good sign. He needs to do something to get his numbers up.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Fiscal Insanity

In a nation of over 300 million citizens, how can the federal government justify receiving over two trillion ($2,000,000,000,000+) in tax revenue/receipts and still run a deficit of $1.58 trillion ($1,580,000,000,000.00) for the current fiscal year. The federal government has lived well beyond its means for too long. The 1970s, 80s, most of the 90s, and this decade were marked by ever growing deficits that nobody in Congress or the White House had the resolve to reduce.

We now have a president who, instead of limiting the spending in the federal government, believes that the government is the sole solution to all our problems and must spend in order for the economy to recover.

When Senator McCain called for spending freezes during the presidential debates, candidate Obama said, "The problem is you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel." Now that he is President, Obama states that he is a man of fiscal restraint. Where has he been able to cut any money in the federal budget? The deficit has risen due to bank bail-outs and stimulus but the economy has taken a nosedive. Obama has done nothing to reduce the deficit by cutting spending. To extend the metaphor, Obama has thrown away the scalpel and pumped the patient (economy) full of blood, hoping that it will recover from a massive heart attack.

If that was not bad, now we have health care reform that will either balloon the deficit, force the Congress to raise taxes, or limit health care to those who need it. The public option, a.k.a. government-run health insurance, will be a great burden for the federal budget and a bureaucratic nightmare for the millions of people who would be on the public option to receive basic care. Is this true reform that we can afford at this time?

It is time to reconsider our fiscal priorities. We must eliminate any program that is not a priority. Washington must be able to live within the means that We, the People provide them. The “hatchet” method must be deployed to eliminate huge amounts of money that Washington does not need. Fiscal insanity has gripped Washington for too long. Our government must return to the simple concept of staying within its own budget.

http://www.aberdeennews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090830/OPINION01/908300317

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Why is Moccasin Creek so polluted?

The answer is simple: COAL TAR!! Northwestern Energy is cleaning out the contaminants from an old manufacturing plant. Now we know why the water tastes bad!!

Northwest Energy's article
http://www.northwesternenergy.com/display.aspx?Page=Moccasin_Creek

Wikipedia on Coal Tar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_tar

Article on Coal Tar
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-coal-tar.htm

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Family Guy, Rove, and Limbaugh, oh my!!

Rumor has it that Karl Rove and Rush Limbaugh will be on a future episode of Family Guy. I understand Limbaugh going on the show, since he was on the Star Wars: New Hope spoof. However, Rove on FG is questionable. Will they portray him as Palpatine as they always parodies him as?

FG has gone downhill for a while. By the time this episode airs, will they still be on FOX?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/aug/14/rush-limbaugh-karl-rove-family-guy

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Montana and health care

Hey everybody! I got back from Montana on a vacation that took me through southwest Montana, into places like Anaconda and Philipsburg. It was great!

Obamacare is dominating the headlines. This bill needs to be radically changed or scrapped for something that reforms health care without government stepping in to make a mess.

Here's an analysis on the bill going through the House by a Duke professor.
http://www.classicalideals.com/HR3200.htm

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Book Review

Just read "National Sunday Law" by A. Jan Marcussen. The premise is that the Catholic Church messed up by making Sunday the day of worship. Something tells me this came from a person with tinfoil on their head. It also states that the Pope is evil, that Satan corrupted the Church when Constantine made Christianity the state religion, and that any attempt to enforce Sunday worship as law is the "mark of the beast." To be quite honest, I was disappointed. I expected their explanation for everything in Revelation to be more complex, with microchips and the "Left Behind" stuff included. Oh well, I guess not everything can be sensational.


Sunday, August 2, 2009

Middle class taxes?! Sounds like 1993

Obama might have to break a campaign promise to get his wish of government run health care. His advisors are stating that a middle class tax hike might be necessary to fund Obama's health care legislation. How can the government target tax increases at certain people within our progressive tax systems that punishes achievement?

Obama's advisors are now worried about the budget deficit. Where was this concern when he passed the stimulus bill and everything else that was passed by Congress this year? This concern should have made a long time ago, before the government took over two auto companies, bailed-out of major banks, and everything else.

It's Clinton 1993 all over again. He promised a middle class tax cuts but raised marginal rates on the middle class in order to reduce the deficit.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/2-Obama-officials-No-apf-2491158742.html?x=0&.v=7
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090803/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_economy

Friday, July 31, 2009

Twitter

Sarah Palin is writing poetry on her Twitter. At least she found her calling.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Fraud

Who is more of a fraud - President Obama or Alex Rodriguez?

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Health Care

We don't need health care reform. We need the gov't. to stay out as much as possible. Give health care an incentive to lower its own costs in the private sector.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Friday

It's Friday, time to go outside and enjoy the good weather because winter will be back and it will be a bitter one with mountains of snow, cold, and discontent.

Summer does not last long enough and winter last too long. Where's global warming? Algore makes millions off this hoax. Why?

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Waiting

One more week of summer school. Then a week wait and then a two week vacation. WOOHOO!!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Health Care Reform?

Obama wants to nationalize health care. This is the mess he wants to create

http://docs.house.gov/gopleader/House-Democrats-Health-Plan.pdf

Why do we need this change?

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Defict hits $1 trillion

Budget deficit for the fiscal year has gone over $1 trillion for the first time, biggest deficit ever and we still have 2.5 months to go. By September 31, the Obama Adminstration predicts a $1.84 trillion deficit. I bet it goes even higher.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090714/D99DSUG00.html

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Fat and Lazy

Rome had Bread and Circuses, America has toast and DVDs. What the difference?

Monday, July 6, 2009

Palin


As a lot of people are aware, Sarah Palin will resign her position as governor of Alaska later this month. This was a surprising move. It's surprising that she is not running for re-election. It is also surprising that she has not announced her future plans or ambition. The 2010 election cycle is coming up and the Senate seat in Alaska, currently held by Lisa Murkowski, is up for grabs.

Personally, I am not a fan of Sarah Palin. She comes off as slightly dumb and ignorant of the world beyond Alaska. Statements like seeing Russia from her house makes her an expert on foreign policy, that incident where he gives an interview in front of a turkey killing machine, and the infighting between her and the McCain campaign staff makes one question the depth of her intelligence.

However, Palin is a better role model than David Letterman, a bitter old man trying to boost his ratings. Letterman has dropped from being a smart, funny guy to being a mean old s.o.b.

Palin's future within the Republican Party and national politics will be an interesting thing to watch in the next couple of years. If she runs in 2012, everybody will be going after her on both sides of the political divide. It will be fun to view it from a distance.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Al Franken and the doom of the country


This week, Al Franken was certified the winner of the Minnesota senate election. The Democrats have obtained the mythical 60-vote majority to kill any Republican filibuster.

The Democrats own the House, a filibuster-proof Senate, and the White House. It doesn't matter what happens to the Republicans. They are powerless to stop anything Obama wants.

The Democratic agenda: socialized medicine and health care, higher taxes, bigger and deeper deficits, a worsening recession, cap and trade that will cripple the economy and do nothing to combat global warming/climate change, losing the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and handing over our sovereignty to the United Nations. The problem is, there is no checks and balances to counter any of this agenda.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Cap and Trade


Since when did Congress get to the point where a representative voted for something they did not read? That is part of their job, to read legislation being considered, understand it, and vote. However, when it comes to major legislation, our elected officials base their votes on its title.


I applaud the House Minority Leader, Representative John Boehner of Ohio, for standing up against the effort of the Democratic majority in the House to ramrod a piece of legislation, The Cap and Trade Bill, that would hurt both our economy and our environment. Boehner stood on the House floor and read a 300 page amendment for an hour. The amendment, written by Representative Waxman of California, was given to the members of the House at 3 am of the same day it was to be voted upon by the full House. A 300-page amendment added to a 1500 page bill that seeks to crush our economy and ruin the environment all in one motion.

Despite Boehner’s efforts, the House passed the amendment and the bill on a narrow vote, 219-212. The Democratic majority, along with eight liberal Republicans, had enough members to allow 44 of their most vulnerable members to vote against this bill, shielding them from the political fallout of this bill. Representative Herseth Sandlin voted no on this bill, which gives an indication that she is planning to be seeking elected office next year.

This Congress will go down as the one that oversaw the biggest expansion of the power of the federal government. We are sinking ourselves into a massive fiscal hole that will take many generations to recover. Yearly deficits will be more than $1 trillion for the foreseeable future. The government owns two automobile companies that are bankrupt. A stimulus bill that nobody read and is now controlling our lives. With the Stimulus bill, Cap & Trade, and the health care reform bill coming this fall, President Obama will eventually have the power to control the lives of every person in the United States. Where is John Galt when we need him?


People need to wake up and realize that the government is taking over. We need to reverse Obama's policies before they become permanent in law and in the fabric of society.


The roll-call vote of Cap and Trade:


Friday, June 19, 2009

No Hope, No Change



Last year, fiscal year 2008, the deficit was $455 billion, the worst deficit of US history. However, this year, that record could be crushed as the Obama White House and Congress project could be $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, if not more. National Debt is currently over $6 trillion and going up.
The fiscal mess we are in today is caused by those in Washington that promise their constituents
everything to get elected and cannot make the hard choices to keep the government fiscally strong. It also does not help that the current President preaches fiscal discipline but has already sign a huge stimulus plan that won't stimulate anything and other legislative bills that spend even more.

When Obama promised hope and change, the change was the money we will have to pay to the government in forms of higher taxation, while the hope was for government bureaucrats who will delight in an ever expanding national government.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Tiller, abortion, and "Government of Laws"

"The Government of the United States has been emphatically termed a government of laws, and not of men. It will certainly cease to deserve this high appellation if the laws furnish no remedy for the violation of a vested legal right." John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison

The situation in Kansas is a case of taking justice into your own hands. A doctor in Kansas, George Tiller, was
murdered while attending church. The suspect is under arrest and in custody in connection with the murder. Dr. Tiller, nicknamed "Tiller the Killer," was known for performing late-term abortions. Tiller performed thousands of abortions, a majority of the fetuses being viable outside the womb and/or unnecessary.

Although pro-life myself, I believe that this murder was a despicable act of domestic terrorism. Dr. Tiller was within the law to perform these abortions. The Supreme Court has made it legal to have an abortion at any time of the pregnancy. Tiller was working within the law to help women in
certain situations. Although I believe that abortion is wrong, what Dr. Tiller did was legal and medically ethical.

The person that killed Dr. Tiller must be punished. A society
cannot survive if a person can kill another based on their opinion and beliefs. If we allow personal killings like this, then we have descended into a government of men and not of laws, where upholding the law is impossible. Without a government of laws, man will descend into a state of war, as described by Hobbes as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" (Leviathan). We must maintain the rule of law and counter any act of injustice with a measured response.

One final thought, the killing took place in a church where Tiller was an usher. If the killer had read Hamlet, a rational person does not kill a person in the confines of a church, the holiest of sanctuaries. Apparently, the killer's only concern was to murder Dr. Tiller wherever he had the opportunity.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Obama, Sotomayor, and California

Busy day today. New Obama pick for the Supreme Court and California keeping the ban on gay marriage.

First, Obama picked Sonia Sotomayor, an appeals court judge for the Second Circuit. Sotomayor is famous for ending the baseball strike in 1995 as a District Court Judge. She is considered a centrist by many. However, it's too early to tell.

The other big story is that the California Supreme Court affirmed the will of the people last November in upholding the ban on gay marriage. In a 6-1 decision, the California High Court ruled that the constitutional amendment was valid. However, they allowed the 18,000 gay couples that were married before the ban to remain legal. At least the California High Court got this decision mostly right.

California
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D98E2DO00&show_article=1
Sotomayor
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090526/ap_on_go_su_co/us_obama_supreme_court

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

My Response to Blanchard's op-ed

In reading Dr. Blanchard's most recent op-ed in the American News, I am a little bit surprised that people actually believed Obama's rhetoric of "hope and change." Maybe since I voted for the other guy in the last election because I did not like Obama, does not allow me to be stuck in the mindset of an Obama voter who wanted to rid the United States of anything that resembled George W Bush's work.
Nevertheless, anybody expecting to see radical changes within the first year of the Obama Administration would most definitely be disappointed by how this presidency has shaped up. Most of Obama's appointments have been either part of the Clinton White House (especially Hillary) and/or tax cheats. The Secretary of the Treasury owed tens of thousands of dollars to the IRS even though he was part of the Federal Reserve and now responsible for the $350 billion part of the Bail-Out approved last fall.

Dr. Blanchard stated that the Obama presidency is looking like a third Bush term. Isn't that what Obama tried to pin to McCain during the election? Besides, I don't see Obama as a mythical third Bush term. I see Obama as a second term that Jimmy Carter never got. America is going back on the defensive, trying to refocus our efforts on reclaiming our moral authority. By releasing the "torture" memos and other actions, Obama is trying to distance himself from the past and trying to reboot our relations with the rest of the world.

However, those on the far left want Bush hung upside down for his "crimes" that occurred during his presidency. Those are the people Dr. Blanchard refers to that expected a different Obama presidency. They will get what they want in time, just not as fast as they wanted.

The problem with any changes Obama makes is that the massive executive bureaucracy in place follows Newton's first law of motion: An object in motion tends to stay in motion unless an external force changes the motion. The bureaucracy is huge and slow-moving. Any changes Obama makes have to be massive and fast paced to have any effect on the bureaucracy.

As we get deeper into his presidency, Obama will make decisions that in time will reverse the Bush policies in matters of foreign policy and we will see the distinction between the two. For now, the decisions of the previous president are in effect until Obama has time to reverse it.


Dr. Blanchard's Opinion-Editorial in the American News:
http://www.aberdeennews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090520/OPINION02/905200316/-1/opinion

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Star Trek review


I just recovered from watching the JJ Abrams' version of Star Trek. This movie, although a good movie, destroys the continuity that was built over the years by the Star Trek series. Abrams, as typically, did his trademark of writing a new timeline where the old one was sufficient. A planet disappears into a black hole, certain people that are seen in the original series are killed, and the storyline redone to make it more "mainstream." Also, since when do the Romulans look like Nero (right)?

Despite these objections, it was an enjoyable movie. I understand that they needed to change the story to redo the series after Star Trek: Enterprise and the last two movies (Insurrection and Nemesis). The special effects were good, the plot was good, and the acting was superb. The movie, despite its flaws, was a good way to "reboot" the series.

Although the Star Trek universe that Gene Roddenberry created was killed and buried in this film, the demise of Roddenberry's vision hopefully will be replaced by a new generation of Star Trek, boldly going where no one has gone before.


For a better review of the movie, read Dr. Schaff's review of the movie:
http://southdakotapolitics.blogs.com/south_dakota_politics/2009/05/star-trek-a-review.html

Sunday, May 3, 2009

NBA Playoffs

Stepping away from politics, the NBA playoffs are getting interesting as it moves into the 2nd Round.

The Orlando Magic battle the Boston Celtics in the first main matchup. The Magic, with defensive player of the year Dwight Howard, face off against the defending champion Celtics, who have Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, but no Garnett yet (if ever). I predict Magic in 6.

The next matchup is Denver v. Dallas. The Nuggets, with Carmelo Anthony, face off against the Mavericks led by Kidd. The Nuggets will win in 6.

The interesting matchup will be the Lakers and the Rockets. The Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant, want to get back to the Finals. The Rockets, led by the communist Yao Ming, the gangster Ron Artest, and the injured, overrated Tracy McGrady, will not make it to the Conference Finals. Lakers in 5.

The last matchup, as yet to be determined, will be the Cleveland Cavaliers against the winner of Atlanta-Miami. Either way, Cavaliers in 5.

*Moving on with my predictions, Cavaliers-Magic should be an interesting match-up featuring
LeBron James, the irrestible force, versus Dwight Howard, the immovable object. Cavaliers in 7.
*The other Conference Finals will be the Lakers and Nuggets. Lakers in 6.
*The NBA Finals will be LeBron v. Kobe. LeBron gets his first ring, Cavaliers in 6.
*Those are my predictions sure to go wrong.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Stephen Colbert and the art of satire

Getting away from serious politics, I watch the Comedy Central "fake news" team of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert as often as I can. It is an enjoyable hour of news and comedy.

I understand Jon Stewart. He's liberal and his comedy is based on lampooning the news networks. He's trying to expose the goofiness, the hypocrisy, and crap that is called the news.

Stephen Colbert, however, is a mystery. He spouts conservatism in his words but how he conveys them is making fun of conservatives. He makes fun of Bill O'Reilly and others by acting stupid, self-centered, and narcissistic.


Colbert is a pseudoconservative, a fake conservative. He acts conservative but is message is making fun of those he portraits, namely conservative talk shows. His show is pure satire.

I watch Stewart and Colbert not because of their politics (they're both liberals) but because they are funny and a lot of the tv shows on today are clusterfucking their way to the poorhouse before being cancelled.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Arlen Specter and the Senate



Today, Arlen Specter, a Senator from Pennsylvania, has decided to transfer his allegiance from the Republican to the Democratic Party. This comes off the heels of an election where Republicans lost many seats in the House, the Senate, and the primary seat in the White House

Specter, along with the two Maine Senators, were the only Republicans to vote for Obama's stimulus package that is sinking our nation into permanent deficits. His views have not been aligned with traditional Republican views and have slowly lurched to the left over the years.

With Democrats holding 59 seats in their caucus (56 true Democrats, 2 Independents, and Specter), plus the Minnesota seat being litigated in court for the next millenium, the Democrats have everything in place to implement their radical agenda of higher taxes, more spending, and more dependence on federal government for everyday needs.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Earth Day

Earth Day has come and gone for another year. It's one of those days you wonder why people take this day seriously. It's not a federal holiday and its purpose to clean up the planet is a joke.

Earth Day was created by a Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson, who was concerned about the planet. In 1970, the concept of Earth Day became official. Every April 22, we hear about how people are trashing the planet. Al Gore makes another bucket of cash while wasting a lot of energy in his home and using gas-guzzling jets to tour the world.

If people were really concerned about the Earth, they would clean it up on their own initiative. Creating a day of awareness and then scare people about environment doom and gloom gets us nowhere. In an economic recession, cutting our carbon emission will result in less jobs, stagnant economy, and a loss of money.

President Bush was called evil and cold-hearted for not implementing the Kyoto Protocols. However, it made sense to not sign it because our economy would suffer from limiting our production due to limits on emission, China and India were exempted, and the standards were unreasonable. No wonder the Senate voted unanimously in 1997 to tell President Clinton to not be a signatory to Kyoto. It was a good decision for Bush to not ratify Kyoto and we should be grateful.

We should get rid of Earth Day, Arbor Day, and any other holiday that is a worthless gesture for environmentalism.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Saudis and Venezuelans and Obama, oh my!!

The Obama Apology Tour has taken a dramatic turn. He bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia. The leader of the Free World should never bow to a oil monarch. We refused to dip our flag for an Earthly king, but if it will do anything to "restore' our prestige, Obama will do anything to sell out American principles.










Then President Obama met up with the next Castro - Hugo Chavez. The Venezuelan dictator has already nationalized everything possible in his country and has called President Bush "el diablo" (The Devil) on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly. Obama shook hands with that snake and Chavez even gave Obama a book that "exposes" the imperial raping of the Americas by European settlers.


President Obama has been apologizing to the world for what happened for the past eight years under Bush. The European hated Bush and everything he stood for. They saw him as a reckless cowboy. Now that the European got an American President who thinks like they do, now they should be happy with the direction America is going. Europeans will now complain about how America is wrecking the economy via the stimulus and endless spending, how not everybody is on board with the Euro currency, and how much France really stinks.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Herseth-Sandlin: Indepedent Voice or Pelosi's Lapdog?


Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin has campaigned in South Dakota as the person able to stand up occassionally against her party when South Dakota values collide with Democratic interests. However, her profile on the Washington Post states that her voting record is 96.6% with her fellow Democrats.


Herseth, who is a Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Democrats, has become a lapdog for Pelosi. Herseth has supprted the Stimulus Bill, the Union Card-Check bill, and Obama's massive budget.


In these votes, that Blue Dog don't hunt.


Sunday, April 5, 2009

North Korea


Yesterday, North Korea test launched a rocket that went over Japan. Every nation concerned told the backward country not to do it. However, Kim Jong Il and his lemmings decided to test the new adminstration's will to deal with the communist state.

North Korea stated that the rocket was used as a communications satellite to further their space program. Millions are starving in North Korea, while the leadership gets fat and lazy while shooting a rocket to further their space program. I hope they can reach another world where they can find some food.

Seriously, this test firing should be met with some type of force short of war. We are doing all we can to discourage North Korea from doing this activity. However, sometimes the best way to change a country is to get rid of its leadership.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090405/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_missile

Friday, April 3, 2009

Iowa


Today, Iowa's Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriage. This means that Iowa will become the third state to allow homosexuals to marry each other.

This is another example of an activist judicial branch looking to be politically correct.

What surprises me is that the Iowa Supreme Court stated, "The Legislature has excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification." The Court is saying anybody and anything can marriage each other. What's next?

In the upcoming months, many people will be moving to Iowa to make their gay relationship a state-protected marriage with all the same benefits as a marriage between a man and a woman.

http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2009/04/06/state_nation_and_world/doc49d62b3cd3489700349385.txt

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Ted Stevens


Yesterday, Ted Stevens, the defeated Senator of Alaska, was able to be relieved of the charges that dogged his re-election campaign. The Justice Department, under Attorney General Eric Holder, has asked a federal judge to drop all charges against the former Senator due to the fact that the prosecution did not give the defense the evidence that they were using to prosecute Stevens.

It is a disgrace that the Justice Department prosecuted a person on charges that should have been dealt by the Senate Ethics Committee. Now Stevens' seat is occupied by a Democrat who benefited from a false conviction.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/04/01/DI2009040101558.html

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

G20 and Gov't. Spending


As Obama and the rest of the G20 meet to deal with the global crisis, the economy is continuing to sink deeper into the hole. What the economy needs is for the government to cut spending and start to regulate the financial industry so that this does not happen again. The politicans don't need to mess with the tax code until they can get a hold of their spending binges.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/g20_summit

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Greetings


Hello and Welcome to my new blog.

This blog will cover the political scene and expose the fallacies of the Obama administration and his liberal cronies. I will also cover non-political events when I'm interested. Enjoy!!