Random Thoughts and Ramblings on Adam Lambert/Filth

An interesting debate broke out on my Facebook page today. I posted a status saying that Adam Lambert and his ilk have no right to be mad at ABC for their decision to cancel his appearance/performance on Good Morning America tomorrow (CBS was stupid enough to bring him on their morning show – a ratings stunt and nothing more). The debate raged on about everything from homophobia to double standards. It was a good discussion for the most part. Now, I’m no homophobe but I have a problem with a sex act being depicted or actually performed on national broadcast TV during prime time. THAT is what I have a problem with.

Award shows, for the most part, are nothing more than two-three hour long publicity stunts and popularity contests. They’re also venues for someone to show off their “artistic value.” People, I have a wake up call for you: Just because someone calls something art doesn’t mean that it’s worthy of displaying in the Louver. In fact, a lot of what people refer to as “art” today is flat out garbage and filth. Someone who performs or simulates a sex act on broadcast TV during prime time is no artist. Yet, we’ve come to accept such garbage to the point that nothing is done about it. We’re so complacent that we just go on and expect someone else to do something. Well, people, these days need to end right now. It’s time we stopped sitting around and start acting up. Yes, acting up. I don’t mean we should be out to incite riots or bloody revolution but we need to let the networks and the FCC know that we are tired of having to shield our kids eyes when it should be safe for them to be watching TV. No way should we have to explain to our daughters why someone was “sniffing the guy’s pants.”

The truth is, there’s no such thing as talent in mainstream music, television or even movies now. It’s all popular because of shock value. If a celebrity needs ratings, face time or wants to hype up their upcoming CD release they’ll “leak” a sex tape or act like they’re getting a hummer on national TV. Do you think it was an accident that Adam Lambert did this stunt and that his CD came out today? When Janet Jackson had her infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl, she had a single out the following Tuesday. Accident? Right, sure. Lady Gaga… don’t get me started on her. She can no more sing than I can… actually, I think I can sing better than she can. She relies on her freakish appearance and stunts to sell CDs.

Radio and TV shows thrive on this kind of junk as well. Howard Stern is a filthy joke. The fact that people actually pay (and extra on top of the regular subscription fee at that) to listen to him is beyond me. If I want to hear about strippers or non-stop fart jokes, I’ll hang out in an NFL locker room. Law and Order, one of my favorite shows, also is guilty. I recently saw a rerun episode that opened with a man and woman very obviously having sex. I can’t believe that they show this junk in prime time.

FCC? Hello? Are you there?

Do you see my point? We are a hype society and, unfortunately, a lot of people buy into it. I’m sick of it. I want to be able to let me (future) kids watch a show without worrying about having to explain the birds and bees to them at age five. I want an artist to succeed without having to sell out and create some kind of scandal for themselves. Most of all, I just want common sense to be common again. All of the junk that happens today is flat out annoying, which is why I feel so disconnected from mainstream culture for the most part. Am I the only one who’s sick of all the junk?

Jonathan

Random Thoughts and Ramblings on Anti-Christian Sentiment

Link to story I’m blogging about: http://tinyurl.com/yfgoyxj

I just read a story that ABC did about a Psalm that some are using as an anti-Obama slogan. To be exact, the verse in question is Psalm 109:8. According to the translation they quote (I have no idea which – they didn’t indicate which translation they used; I believe they are required to do so, therefore they may be in violation of a copyright) it reads: "Let his days be few; and let another take his office."

There are a lot of people on Facebook and Twitter who have posted things like “Pray for Obama Psalm 109:8.” ABC’s story didn’t seem to have a problem with that part so much as the verse that follows it. The translation they used (again, they didn’t identify which and, again, they may be in violation of a copyright) says "Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow." That part they seem to have a problem with. The ACLU also seems to have a problem with this.

In fact, Chris Hansen – an ACLU staff attorney – seems to think this could be hate speech.

What?

I don’t agree with very much of President Obama’s politics and I really do hope he only serves one term. However, I do not condone violence against him or his family and no real Christian would either. If any group is so sick and twisted as to use God’s word to incite violence I hope He shows them the error of their thinking (and if they’re stupid enough to actually try to carry something out I hope the law of the land deals with them as well). ABC spent a good bit of time talking about how this is part of some kind of movement and how it could possibly be hate speech. But don’t get me wrong, they also presented views from the other side… by interviewing a random Twitter user.

This is journalism? This is what we put our trust into? The truth is, this is just another example of how disgraceful our media outlets have become. They provide hate speech of their own, by making Christians look like a bunch of fringe lunatics who want to blow away anyone who disagrees with them. To even suggest that this is how Christians are thinking is, in fact, hate speech if you ask me. This could bring about mental and even physical abuse to Christians by people who are misguided enough to believe that this is how we think. Seems far fetched? Hide and watch.

The media spend a great deal of time trying to make it look like extremists claiming to be Christians speak for all of us. No, real Christians do not condone violence against anyone for any reason. To even suggest that these people speak for all Christians is ridiculous Yet, that’s what they want everyone to think.

Christians are losing more and more of their rights everyday and the media are all too glad to help in the process. This is sickening and I really hope we see a day where such actions will not be tolerated.

Jonathan

Random Thoughts and Ramblings on the Proposed State Budget

Have you read the proposed budget for Mississippi that Gov. Barbour posted today? It’s interesting to say the least. State agency budgets are being slashed, mergers are being proposed and puppies and kittens are being skinned by the thousands.

Ok, I made up that last bit. No kitties or doggies are being harmed as a result of the proposed state budget.

If you missed my posting the link earlier go back and read it at http://www.governorbarbour.com/news/2009/nov/FY11EBRFINAL.pdf. Make sure you read the whole thing because you will surely miss a lot of information. The areas of education and state government seem to be getting the most attention from the budget hammer. The governor plans to appoint a committee in December to study which public school districts should be consolidated. Now, this is sure to be a huge political football. After all, not many people want their kids bussed to a new school that may be farther away. However, this move could save the state approximately $65 million. In a lot of these situations the students would benefit from more resources being available to them that may not be available to them at the moment. Also the governor is proposing mergers of Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi State. Again, this is a move that makes sense that will ultimately benefit students at these schools (ex: MSU students can now have access to a culinary arts program while current students of the W will be able to participate in athletics).

Other state agencies are going to feel the pinch too. As far as public safety, Governor Barbour isn’t proposing any more cuts than are necessary but probably one of the biggest changes might be with MDOT’s enforcement division. The governor has proposed that the Department of Public Safety absorb MDOT’s enforcement division, a move which makes sense. Other departments will be merged with others, such as the Egg Board merging with the Department of Agriculture (again, a move that makes a lot of sense).

Of course, this is just a snapshot of what may be to come in the governor’s budget proposal. I don’t like all of it because it will mean that people are certainly going to lose their jobs and kids will likely be going to new schools in some cases. Services are going to be reduced and eliminated and even the Medicaid levy on hospitals is going to go up (hopefully this doesn’t mean closure but I know they’ll feel the pinch). The bottom line is, though, that the state government is going to do what the federal government needs to do: Cut costs or face raising taxes. Unlike the federal government, the state can not, and should not, “print money.” Instead of spending more money in during these tough times, Mississippi is looking at ways to save money.

I wish President Obama would follow Governor Barbour’s lead.

Jonathan

Random Thoughts and Ramblings 11/15/09

“Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.” – Forrest Gump

The above quote… isn’t that the truth?! I never thought that when I wrote again we would have looked at and made an offer on a house. Assuming that all goes the way it appears to be going, we should close on the house just before Christmas. The house is just outside of Stonewall, probably about a mile from where we’re living now. It’s three bed/two bath, has about 1800 square eet and is in the Enterprise school district (one of the top ten school districts in the state). We got an outstanding deal on it and we’re both very excited. As soon as we can, we’re going to start the moving process. I doubt we’re going to throw a packing party or anything like that but if you have boxes or anything like that please feel free to message me and we’ll work something out. Not sure when the big day could be yet, probably not until the first of the year or so. All in all, it’s an exciting time and we’re excited beyond measure.

By the way, I highly recommend working with a Realtor® if you buy a house and not just the one representing the seller. We’re working with an awesome lady who’s made sure we got a great deal and that all the details are taken care of!

Are you on Twitter? I have to admit, I fought getting a Twitter account but I’ve actually really come to enjoy it. It’s got some interesting people and you can find things on there that you can’t find on Facebook and the other social networking sites. Twitter is truly its own little world and it’s an interesting one. Some things that people tweet (Twitterism for “posting”) about are just plain crazy but often great information and even wisdom can be found on there. It’s truly a great way to keep up with what people are doing, thinking or complaining about.

Different topics pop up as “trending” (which means lots of people are tweeting about it) and right now there’s one called “#youmightbealiberalif.” I found one from a guy whose screen name is @GumboCzar: “#youmightbealiberalif your only standard is a double standard.” Great food for thought and so true! Want an example? There is a public school district in Indiana that has several Muslim students. This school district will allow these students to leave in the middle of class to pray several times a day. I don’t have a problem with someone practicing their faith and I’m glad that the school district will respect their beliefs (although I can see where it would be a distraction). What I do have a problem with is that if a Christian student wants to pray then it’s a major issue, one worthy of the Supreme Court getting involved. It’s absolutely ridiculous that people of faiths other than Christianity can do as they please while Christians are often scorned and attempts are made to prevent them from practicing their faith as they see fit. Christians lose their rights while people of other faiths gain more. Jesus warned that we would be persecuted in the last days. Well, that right there should tell you something. People, get ready: Jesus is coming! I pray He comes quickly.

Sorry, I had to stop for a minute because I had a knock on my door from the FBI. They were investigating allegations that I was openly praying.

People really do keep an eye on what people Tweet about. We found this out first hand not long ago. I tweeted about the fact that our electric company left a big pile of tree limbs in our yard. A few days later, the district manager called the house to find out what happened. Apparently they have an employee who as part of his job checks Twitter for tweets containing the company’s name. They found mine, tracked down what happened and contacted us about it. I have to admit, it was kind of cool… and also scary!

Can I complain about the media again? I just don’t understand it. A few days ago I couldn’t watch the news because it was all just making me mad. The news itself wasn’t making me mad (although a lot of it does do just that) but rather the spin was making me impatient. I can’t stand all the junk the various networks and writers have to put along with the news. There is no news anymore, it’s all just rhetoric. You get your news from CNN and ABC if you’re a lefty and from Fox… well, only Fox if you’re a righty. It’s ridiculous! Why can’t we just have news, straight and unbiased? I guess that’s never going to happen again. Joe Friday summed up what we should have from our media when he told a lady that all he wanted was “just a facts.” That’s all we need! I don’t care about your opinions on the stories, I want to know what happened and what the data is so I can form my own opinion. The media’s role is to report the news, not define it. Will we ever return to those days? Probably not. What it does mean is that we all are going to have to work hard to sort out the junk from the actual news.

Unless, of course, you just want to swallow the Kool-Aid from your particular political party’s ideology.

If you saw my Facebook or Twitter status today you know that I’ve been having an issue with AT&T. See, we live in a town that, according to the map, only had moderate coverage. Normally we have a good signal, even in our house. Every so often it will go to virtually nothing and will remain that way for several days. This has been happening off and on for the years that my wife has lived here and, of course, during the year that I’ve lived here. It’s ridiculous. Finally, after talking to three separate customer service reps (one of which tried to make it sound like I’m crazy and don’t even get me started on the one Jess talked to; I likely would have had a word with him if I could have), I find out that there’s been a trouble ticket on this tower for quite some time and they’re finally going to have a crew climb the tower to check the antenna. There may also be a problem with the transmitter. So, all this time they’ve likely been putting “Band-Aids” on the problem but not actually fixing the problem and now we’re without a cell phone signal until they finally have someone say, “yep, it’s broken!” This type of thing is how many companies operate today. They put temporary fixes on problems, knowing they won’t permanently fix the problem, and keep doing it until the problem is so bad they don’t have a choice but to take definitive action. Here’s a bright idea: STOP WITH THE BAND-AIDS! Fix the problem when you know there’s a problem. Make it right with customers and stop treating them like morons. As it stands right now, we would likely look at another cell phone provider if we were in a position to do so. This kind of aggravation is stupid and it would not have happened had AT&T just fixed the problem right after they should have realized that there was a bigger problem. It took them this long to realize that there might be a problem with the antenna? Please.

And finally, a quote from one of my favorite new websites: TextsFromLastNight. Now, I’m not going to lie to you: They have some texts on there that, we shall say, are “adult” in nature but they also have some really funny texts that people have sent or received when they probably shouldn’t have done so. Here’s one of my favorites right now:

(310): i just made an omelette with the cheese and ham from a lunchables. and ketchup packets
(818): julia child would be proud.

Jonathan

Random Thoughts and Ramblings on Veteran's Day

So how about some randomness for the AM? In case you’ve never gone on this journey, sometimes I like to just write whatever random stuff is going on in my mind at any given moment. I may spend more time on some topics than others; some topics may only contain a sentence or a question. Also, the fact that my Community Coffee is just now taking affect may make this post particularly interesting.

I posted a story courtesy of WCBI-TV in Columbus, MS that reports that Governor Haley Barbour (R) will likely recommend that Mississippi State University and Mississippi University for Women be merged. There are a lot of good things that would come out of that (ex: MUW students having a chance to participate in athletics – the W closed their athletic program during the 2002/2003 school year) but there would also be a lot of history sent out the door. The W was opened in 1884 as Industrial Institute and College. MUW is also the country’s first state-run college that was intended for women. The W has been admitting men since 1982. The W offers several majors and areas of study including culinary arts and nursing and they boast several notable graduates including Eudora Welty (and if you don’t know who she is, Google her and read some of her work). All in all, the move would be beneficial to the students, bad for those who will surely lose their job and an all around interesting endeavor.

Healthcare reform is, obviously, a big topic right now. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives and the debate has now moved to the Senate. President Obama wants the bill voted on and signed into law by the end of the year. Yeah, file that under “unlikely.” The simple fact is, this is a complicated issue. There are lots of details to iron out and, quite frankly, I think there are too many issues and they may not be able to get it passed. Abortion is one of the biggest hot buttons. Currently there’s an amendment stating that federal insurance money can’t be used to cover most abortions. NOW and liberal Democrats want that taken out. That’s just one of the issues to be ironed out. As for my opinions on it, I’ve been pretty vocal on that already. Now, I don’t like insurance companies excluding people due to pre-existing conditions, canceling coverage for people who are “too sick” and other practices like those. I agree that they’re wrong, especially being a victim of such practices when I was a child. But the question we need to ask is do we really want Uncle Barry Obama and his ilk having so much control over our healthcare that it amounts to a complete takeover? I’m not sure I want that to happen. There are many countries that have government-run healthcare and, in a lot of cases, they’re complete train wrecks. Do we really want this for the US?

I vented in a Facebook/Twitter status about how I’m sick of teenagers having babies. The number of kids having kids these days is outright scary. I’m telling you right now, a big part of the problem in Mississippi is because sex education is non-existent. Like it or not, the schools are going to have to step in and educate these kids on the harsh realities and consequences of risky sex. You would be amazed at how many teenagers don’t know that sex can result in pregnancy. Read that again. Yes, you read it correctly. Parents are afraid to talk to their kids about sex. A lot of the rationale behind that is that they’re scared it will encourage their kids to have sex. OH PLEASE! We need to wake up and educate these kids on the consequences of their actions. If parents won’t do it then the schools ought to and fast.

Finally: Today is Veteran’s Day in the United States. I’ve had several relatives serve in the military and I’m proud of every one of them. Had it not been for men and women who serve in the armed forces we would not enjoy the freedoms that we have today. Even back in the days of the Revolutionary War and Civil War and as recent as the war on terror we’ve gained protection of our freedoms from the soldiers’ sacrifices. I thank all my friends reading this who are serving or have served in the military. Thank you for sacrificing yourselves, your time with your families and all that you have for my freedom. Thank you for protecting me and my family. Most of all, thank you for just being you.

I hope you have a wonderful day. Thank you for going on this strange journey with me yet again. May God bless you and keep you!

Jonathan

The End of an Era

Wow. I had no idea that Casey Kasem was about to sign off for the last time. I can remember hearing him on WJDQ (Q101)/Meridian, MS when I was a kid and thinking it was the coolest thing ever. What memories do you have of the real American Top 40? (thank to Rob McKenzie - I stole this from his blog).

FROM ABC NEWS:

"We began the weekend of July 4, 1970, and after 39 years this will be our final countdown," Kasem said matter-of-factly on his "American Top 20" radio show over the weekend.

And so, with no hoopla and hardly any advance notice, the 77-year-old broadcasting legend counted down the hits one last time, quietly pulling the plug on a weekly ritual for his legion of loyal listeners.

It is, in many ways, the end of an era

Kasem was the last of the big-time DJs, a legacy that includes Alan Freed and Wolfman Jack, personalities who brought music to Americans when radio was king.

"Casey Kasem ... Dick Clark ... I really felt like these guys were a part of my family. You get this connection when you're listening to them or when you're watching them," said Ryan Seacrest, who took the mic as host of Kasem's signature "American Top 40" show five years ago. Kasem continued to host two spinoffs, "American Top 20" and "American Top 10."

Kasem pioneered the countdown format on radio. He always included biographical details, little tidbits mainly, about the musicians. And there were those long-distance dedications, thousands of them, through the years.

Kasem also has voiced over countless commercials and given life to so many cartoon characters, most famously as the voice of Scooby-Doo's faithful sidekick, Shaggy.

But it was his work as the king of countdowns that brought him a star, in 1981, on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and entry, in 1992, into the Radio Hall of Fame.

Jeannie Kasem said her husband ended "American Top 20" and "American Top 10," both of which counted down adult contemporary music hits, because he wanted time to pursue other projects, including possibly writing a memoir.

Radical changes in the radio business also were a factor, associates said. Adult contemporary music charts no longer change much from week to week, in part because stations that play such music have adopted smaller and smaller playlists. That brought a degree of monotony to Kasem's countdowns in recent years.

"I think it was probably a gradual process. Charts are changing, stations are changing, the networks are changing, radio itself is changing, and I think, you know, the pendulum swings back and forth," Jeannie Kasem said." You just have to be willing to jump ship and try something new."

Kasem's voice will not disappear from the airwaves entirely. Weekly rebroadcasts of his Top 40 programs from the 1970s and 1980s will air on more than 200 stations.

Kasem let the world know he was getting out of the countdown business through a brief, mostly overlooked, news release a few days ago.

"Hosting various versions of my countdown program has kept me extremely busy, and I loved every minute of it. However, this decision will free up time I need to focus on myriad other projects," he said in the release. "The 70's and 80's versions of "American Top 40" have experienced phenomenal station and audience growth over the last year and I'm sure they will continue to be successful."

He has declined requests for interviews about his decision.

"He's never been big on goodbyes or hellos," his wife explained in an interview in their home in Holmby Hills, Calif. "He lets his work speak for himself."

Kasem's first No. 1 was "Mama Told Me Not to Come" by Three Dog Night. His last: "Second Chance," by Shinedown.

The music changed, but Kasem never did.

"I'm Casey Kasem," he said in his final sign-off. "Now, one more time, the words I've ended my show with since 1970: Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

Bucket of Fail

Can we get some common sense in our government? I mean, seriously, what the deuce is wrong with these people? Are they really as stupid and clueless as they act or is it all just a part of the political game? Regardless of the reason I’m sick of it and I’m sick and tired of the citizens of Mississippi and the rest of the United States suffering for their petty bickering. This kind of reminds me of being back in school.

First, since I’m from there, let’s look at Mississippi. They couldn’t pass a budget during their regular session because they had a schoolyard argument about Medicaid, education, most other state agencies and whether to have plain milk or chocolate milk with their square pizza. After they recessed to go play on the swings Principal Barbour called them back in for a detention. So, they came in, got Medicaid worked out and passed most of a budget. In the process they also caved to our good-ole-boy governor on giving a virtually unlimited number of raises to his staff (Barbour even went so far as to “angrily confront” members of the state House on the topic). Even after all of that the Legislature still could not get a budget for the Public Service Commission passed. So, the mean nasty Principal Barbour will be calling the kiddos back for another special session that will cost us more money so that they can kiss and make up. Loverly. By the way, since the PSC is now unfunded our utility companies are running with no oversight. One member of the State House stated that the companies are now running “on their honor.” Yeah, that’s some great work there Lou. Forgive me but I fail to see the point to all of this beyond politics as usual. The only losers are me and you.

Now on the feds. As you saw in my last blog I am none too pleased with our “representatives” in Washington. The people that we have sent in DC right now are a disgrace and deserve nothing short of our complete and utter disdain. How did these people even figure out how to put on their clothes let alone become qualified to run a country? The nice stimulus package they passed a while back? You know, the one that promised would keep unemployment under 8%? Well, that got blown out of the water. There’s talk of yet another stimulus package. Where in the world is this money coming from (*coughChinacough*)? The national debt is now higher than it’s ever been. The budget deficit is unbelievable. So, naturally, our elected officials want to throw more money into the pit to try and stop it from getting any deeper.

Anyone who has ever struggled with credit card debt can tell you that the way to get out of debt is not to get deeper into it. There comes a time when the budgets have to be trimmed and we have to stop spending $200 on hammers. Have these people never listened to Dave Ramsey? He would make a much better President than this disgrace we have in DC right now. Our government is nothing more than a bucket of fail and we’re just sitting back and taking it. I wonder if we will still feel this way when our take home pay goes way down due to the new taxes that will surely have to be levied to pay for all this junk that we “need.” I mean, somebody’s got to pay for the study on turtles and the bridges to nowhere. I find the way our government spends money (and the things they spend it on) appalling. We entrust these people with our hard earned money but do not hold them accountable. No, we let them spend money to renovate an old train depot while letting out water mains break. “But we don’t have money to fix our water.” Hey moron, yes you do. You just chose to spend it elsewhere.

How would I fix it? My solution is simple: When it comes time to vote we use the opportunity to send all these leeches packing. Do some research and see what each candidate stands for and what they plan to do. Do not just tow some party line, that’s the worst mistake you could ever make. In fact that kind of voting is partly to blame for getting us into this mess. Consider voting for a “third party” candidate. They seem to be the only ones offering fresh and common sense ideas these days. I say we need to consider giving them a shot. We should also fight hard for term limits across the board. I am sorry to say that there are some good people who deserve to stay but the bad ones outweigh the good ones. I find it a shame that everyone would have to suffer for the stupidity of others but that is the way it is. There is on exception I would make this: Presidents and governors should only be allowed one term.

So that is my rant for now. Can you tell that I’m fed up? I only wish more people were, rather that they would speak out. I know I am not the only one thinking these things. Step up. That is the only way this country will be turned back in a good direction.

Jonathan

The Peoples' Republic of the United Socialist States of America

“I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

That is the scariest sentence in any language. The government of the United States in particular is about to majorly screw up many things. Evidently the oh-so-wise liberals voted in Dear Leader Obama to usher in a new age of change. Oh yes, we’re getting our “change! Change! CHANGE!!!” that he promised us.

The change is coming in the form of the United States becoming the People’s Republic of the United Socialist States of America.

Obama’s sure been doing wonderfully in his six months as Dear Leader. Let’s see: This stimulus that he said had to pass in order to keep unemployment below 8%? Yeah, unemployment now stands at about 9.4%. WOW! That’s some great figurin’ there, Barry! How about the fact that this “critical” piece of legislature has done a huge part in bankrupting America? The deficit has quadrupled since Obama’s been in power. And now here comes ObamaCare. Ah, yes, the great Chosen One comes forth with this plan to give us health care! “Yay! The uninsured and unwashed masses will now get insurance and I can get it too if I want it! Puppies! Rainbows!”

Give me a break.

You libs and spineless kowtowing Republicans seriously need to look at the facts. On the surface it looks great because “Dear Leader is going to take care of his people.” Ladies and gentlemen, I have some bad news for you: There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Do some research on how bad the healthcare systems are in the countries that have socialized healthcare. People have to wait months or even years for simple procedures that can greatly improve their quality of life by ridding them of needless pain. There are people from Canada who come to the US for operations because otherwise they’d have to wait a very ridiculous amount of time to get these done at home. Of course, somebody’s going to have to pay for all of this. That’s right, you and I are going to be the ones holding the check.

“But Dear Leader’s going to make the rich pay their fair share!” Well, I hate to tell you but “the rich paying their fair share” equals wealth redistribution which equals Communism. After all, we’re talking about a President whom Hugo Chavez referred to as “Comrade Obama.” Do you really think it’s fair to be punished because you’re successful? Don’t think for one second that I’m saying that people should be allowed loopholes and tax shelters to keep from paying their fair share. The key there, though, is a fair share. I don’t think taxing someone at essentially 60%+ of their income is very fair.

Democrats of today are not the Democrats of the Kennedy era. Democrats now are
liberal to the point of being radicals, outright socialist and, I daresay, they have a toe if not an entire leg over the line of being Communist. Oh, but don’t think I’m going after the Dems only. The Republicans failed America a long time ago by selling us out to corporations and lobbyists. The damage has been done and it’s going to take a very long time to fix it, if it can even be fixed. Look no further than your favorite “local” radio station for the proof.

Let me also be clear about something: I do not align myself with the Republican Party. I also do not align myself with the Democratic Party, nor do I claim any party for that matter. I’m independent; I have my own mind and I don’t need to bow to some “party” to tell me how to think. I feel that more people should be this way. All these labels are idiotic. Why are we worried about “towing the party line” and not worried about what’s truly best for the country? Selling ourselves out to corporations is not the answer and neither is becoming a colony of the European Union.

The media are a big reason why the country seems to be heading to Hell in a hand basket. ABC makes no bones about where its bread is buttered. It’s giving Dear Leader what essentially amounts to a free infomercial on why he’s the fearless leader and the chosen one to lead us out of the depths of depression and recession. I guess CNN, MSNBC and the countless number of liberal rags (I’m looking at you New York Times and other “newspapers”) weren’t enough, now we need an over the air broadcaster. The media are failing more and more with each passing day in their mission to report the facts. Now all we get is commentary and “spin.” Basically, instead of knowing the news, we’re to sort through all the crap and try to figure out who’s telling the truth and who’s giving us their opinions. Unfortunately that’s hard to do. Way to confuse the masses, media.

While I’m on the media: Their treatment of Sarah Palin and her family has been shameful. If a conservative talk show host says anything remotely having a hint of insult about a libber, they’re skewered. David Letterman made a very crude joke about Governor Palin’s 14 year old daughter and hardly anyone in the mainstream media batted an eye. This is disgraceful. No! There’s no double standard! Truth is, the media was laughing at this. And what’s this? No women’s group came out in support of Governor Palin except for NOW (and even that was probably only for show)? Wow, simply disgusting. David Letterman is allowed to keep his job with Communist Broadcasting System while Bill O’Reilly (who even I think is an idiot sometimes) would probably be shot at for making a similar comment about Chelsea Clinton. Does anyone else see something wrong with this?

Now we’re becoming a Communist stepchild colony of the European Union when you break it down. The government controls the banks, at least one of the auto makers and the mainstream media (through the Democratic Party’s stronghold). I can’t believe that we’re standing for this. Why aren’t people outraged by this behavior? Why aren’t we outraged about the government slowly taking over everything in the country? Some say “it’s temporary to keep jobs.” Hugo Chavez, Hitler and Fidel Castro said the same things I’m sure and look where their countries wound up. When will you wake up and realize that what’s going on is wrong and goes against everything the founders of this country intended. We hold protests for what’s going on in Sudan, the elections in (insert country here) or to save the whales. Why aren’t we protesting what our own government is doing to our country?

Or are we so apathetic that we just don’t care? “As long as it doesn’t affect me I don’t care.” Bad news for you sunshine: It does affect you and will also affect your kids and their kids (and possibly more generations). Our taxes are about to skyrocket, especially if Dear Leader gets his health plan passed. The notion of someone who chooses to sit at home and not have a job benefiting from my hard work sickens me and it should sicken you too. I’m a big proponent of personal responsibility, something that liberals (and many others) take pleasure in downplaying. “It takes a village to raise a child” is probably the biggest load of bunk ever; it takes parents to raise a child, not Dear Leader Obama and other government drones.

The United States of America is about to be no more and no one cares. We’ve been put into the gallows of socialism and outright Communism and we’re happy about it! Come on, wake up and stop with the insanity. Don’t let Dear Leader, Hilary “I Got the Consolation Prize Position” Clinton and Nancy “Pesky” Pelosi or the media dictate your thoughts. Do some research and find out the truth. If people had a clue at what’s really going on right now, there would be protests in the streets.

Maybe that isn’t such a bad idea.

Jonathan