Owner: Party Political URL:http://partypolitical.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sat, 06 Oct 2007 20:24:36 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: My thoughts on politics. Site statistics:Click here
Presidential Power 2007-10-05 23:10:00 George Bush and his administration has done more for the Presidency than many former Presidents, in that he has been able to strengthen and increase the influence the President can exert while in office. He has gathered power not only for himself, but for future leaders of America. What does this mean? Are we on the path toward a Despotism?A guest on "The Colbert Report," Naomi Wolf suggested that we are indeed on the path toward Despotism. She said that she would very much like to return as a guest in a year to discuss how we narrowly averted disaster. I've mostly thought that future Presidents would "fix" what changes Mr. Bush has effected, which so many people disagree with. I thought if Hillary Clinton were to win, or Obama, that they'd both reinstate the balance of power between the President and other parts of the government that so far has seemed to be in flux. But what if they don't give up that power?In the news lately, Bush shot down the children's health care reform bill Read more:Presidential
Verge Of WWIII -- Will We Back Down? No Way! 2007-10-16 16:07:00 Some people think the U.S. will find a way to justify and sell its people on a war with Iran. After all, Iran's nuclear program can be interpreted as having the ultimate goal of creating an atomic bomb.Vladimir Putin, the current Russian president, warned the U.S. not to take any military action in Iran."But they're building nukes!""I don't care. Don't invade."Option #1: Invade. Begin WWIII.We enter Iran. Russia assembles a League of Arab Nations and fights us. BOOM!Option #2: Don't Invade. Iran gets The Bomb. Nukes us. WWIII.Why prolong the inevitable? Why get nuked? Read more:Back Down
, Verge
Technology Can Easily Aid In Total Surveillance, Credit Card Chip Implants, and the Rapture 2007-10-15 17:25:00 In this day and age, with things getting smaller and smaller, and faster and faster, pretty soon it's going to be incredibly easy to put a camera on every corner, and in every room, watching and listening to everybody, all the time.Commercials are already pushing the Visa Check Card as a faster and therefore better method of payment than cash. But they skew things. The Card users always have their cards ready and in their hands. No need to sign any slips of paper, according to the ads. How secure is that? And most of the time, the "loser" who pays with cash is shown reaching into his or her pocket or wallet or purse to get the money in a slow and apparently exasperating way. Now, that's totally unfair. If one person has their form of payment in their wallet, the other should too. The Card members should have to reach in and retrieve their Cards, just as the cash user does. But it would be so much easier if the Card were embedded beneath the skin of the hand, wouldn't it? S Read more:Credit Card
, Easily
, Implants
, Rapture
, Technology
, Total
Fascism vs. Terrorism: Which Is The Bigger Threat? 2007-10-14 17:00:00 Over the past few years, terrorist threats have dominated our public consciousness. But a more sinister, subtle threat has emerged: A growing trend toward American Fascism
. And many feel that this is the greatest danger to the American way of life in the history of our nation.This article mentions how the government is teaming with corporations to bring America into an ever-increasing state of Fascism. A Communist government controls the corporations. A Fascist government is controlled by corporations. According to Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, our government is using disasters as a way to manipulate the public. Whenever tragedy strikes, changes are put into effect to increase privatization and profitability. Homeland security, schools, housing, and foreign military affairs (specifically, the Blackwater economy in Iraq) are all cited as areas in which this negative privitization has occurred.Many feel that George Bush is to blame, as Read more:Terrorism
"None Of The Above" For President 2007-10-13 18:36:00 In "Brewster's Millions," Richard Pryor as Montgomery Brewster ran for political office with the campaign slogan, "None of the Above," advising folks to vote for neither him nor his fellow candidates. What if America were to vote "None of the Above?"There are a few options here. First, we could boycott the vote. If nobody voted, we'd likely have to have another election. But what if we all actually went out and voted for a write-in candidate by the name of "None of the Above?" Since that phrase doesn't have a solid meaning, even if "None of the Above" won, it wouldn't win, unless the public had obviously agreed to what it meant beforehand.If it means, "None of those who are running," it might force a new pool of candidates into the running, and keep Mr. Bush president a little longer.If it instead means, "No, no more presidents," then I'd bet someone would try to convince the public that we really do need someone to look to for leadership.Let's think about how a school would Read more:President
Stephen Colbert For President 2007-10-12 18:17:00 This article revealed that StephenColbert
of Comedy Central's "Colbert Report" wants to run for the office of President
as both a Democrat and a Republican.In his native state of South Carolina, Mr. Colbert can kick of his campaign using media outlet ETV to garner support from fellow citizens of SC. He is gracious enough to allow the public to determine which party he truly belongs in. As a returned favor to Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who previously mentioned he'd like Colbert to be his Vice President, Colbert has decided that Mr. Huckabee can be his VP, if and when he is elected.For those of you who read my recent post about Why America Will Never Vote In A Comedian President, you already know my thoughts on the idea of electing someone on the basis of their TV or movie persona. However, Mr. Colbert insinuated that his persona isn't necessarily the one that's running for President. Saying that he's really two people who go by the same name, it's possible that if Ameri Read more:Stephen Colbert
If Everybody Voted On Everything 2007-10-11 15:55:00 How would that work? If we no longer used politicians to make decisions, but instead put every question and issue to a vote, in which everybody participated, would it make things better?I think having people specialize in issues and ideas is a good thing, and works, because it makes them much more prepared to decide things for the future. They have the experience, and can put that to use in every question they address. When the majority votes on an issue, they vote on what they know, what they've seen or heard. It's more difficult to become genuinely informed when you rely mostly on the news and word of mouth. Rumors can develop, secret agendas can skew the facts, and the truth can be lost in the shuffle. If we all voted on something right now, I'm not sure that would be better than leaving it to the pros, because it's likely we'd be manipulated to some end, much as we are during the time of an election.A man walks up to you, and says, "Hey, buddy, are you going to go vote?" Read more:Everybody
, Everything
, Voted
Obama's Old Goof-Up 2007-10-10 18:02:00 Here's an old clip of Barack Obama
speaking to his supporters, and letting them know that 10,000 people died in a Kansas tornado. The actual number was 12.He also erroneously reported that the Iraq War was the reason cleanup had been delayed by a shortage of industrial equipment. This was later refuted by the Kansas Army National Guard.Some would say he made a few simple mistakes. Others think he was using scare tactics to incite the crowd. I like Obama's attitude, but I don't like it when political leaders get things overtly wrong.I got used to people poking fun at Bush and his weekly malapropisms, but that kind of thing gets old quickly. I think something even worse than poorly articulating the correct facts is the expert articulation of falsehoods. Hearing something like that has a negative effect on the amount of trust I can put in a leader. Thankfully, I haven't noticed too many similar slip-ups.
Could We Really Elect A Comedian President? 2007-10-09 17:25:00 I'd say no.I've never actually seen the Robin Williams film in which he's the President
of the United States, and leads the country using wit and satire. I did read the IMDB plot summary of the film, and according to that, his victory owed itself to a voting systems glitch. In spite of the fact that even in the movie he was not truly chosen to lead our country, I think it's important to understand some of the reasons why a candidate with a similar outlook on reality would probably not do very well in the polls, given our current political climate.As long as I can remember, there's been the need to be able to take our leaders seriously. Only when you have absolute faith in a leader can you allow him or her the freedom to laugh at things, but even then, laughter is usually kept to a minimum. In a system far from perfect, time is better spent on coming up with solutions than coming up with jokes.Sure, pointing out something that is funny because it is flawed makes us feel better. Sur Read more:Comedian
, Elect
Hillary Clinton on South Park 2007-10-08 15:37:00 "The Snuke" was an episode of the cartoon "South
Park" in which HillaryClinton
had a nuclear weapon hidden inside her body. I wonder what effect, if any, it had on public opinion?“South Park
” is probably watched by a younger demographic, and I’ll bet many of its viewers are too young to vote. But 18-24 year olds are a powerful voting force, and perhaps “The Snuke” impacted their feelings on Hillary Clinton
. If anything, it gave her more visibility.There were rumors that Tom Cruise fought to have the “South Park” episode lambasting him along with Scientology removed from airing. I’m not sure those rumors were true. Maybe other unnamed people fought on behalf of the Cruise organization.Not hearing about any problems the Clinton campaign has with “The Snuke” could make Hillary seem more tolerant by comparison -- more willing to poke fun at herself, more down-to-earth, and therefore, easier to relate to. And voting for someone is much easier if you feel you can relate
Human Chip Implants: Good Or Bad? 2007-10-20 17:04:00 Could having a chip implanted somewhere in your body be a good thing? I think it might, if it does more than just track you and take away your privacy.I've read that one prominent foresight specialist sees 2045 as being a year by which if you're not hooked up to technology somehow, you won't be able to comprehend the rapid changes that are going to take place. He doesn't just advocate something like logging onto the net every few hours. He means you've got to have some sort of implant that complements your biological intelligence.By 2045, it is theorized, AI (artificial intelligence) will have reached the Technological Singularity. At that point, it will be inventing new technology faster than "regular" humans can have a hand in the process. So in order to understand what's going on, we'll all have to be part machine.A chip in your brain that made you smarter and able to link up with other people and communicate without actually speaking could be a very powerful asset to an Read more:Implants
George W. Bush = America's Last President? 2007-10-19 18:38:00 I read that a reporter mentioned this to George
Bush: Vladimir Putin has suggested that when his presidential term is up in Russia, he will become Prime Minister and quell any attempt to change the political climate. Putin's plan is to retain his power as the supreme leader of his nation.Came Bush's reply: I've thought about doing that myself.I read somewhere else that people in favor of impeaching Bush won't do so for fear that he'll declare Martial Law and cancel elections in the face of the State of Emergency.This is pretty scary, but what's even scarier is the idea that Bush comes close, but doesn't do it. We get complacent. And our next president does declare Martial Law just before their term ends. Read more:America
, President
The Friendly Face of George W. Bush 2007-10-18 17:03:00 Take a look at these pictures:Some people wonder why 24% of Americans still support Mr. Bush. Here's a theory:It's because he just looks so darn friendly! If I hadn't heard any ill of this man, my natural inclination would be to think well of him. Read more:Friendly
, George
Bush Says: Iran Will Start WWIII 2007-10-17 17:22:00 This article reveals that George W. Bush recently mentioned to other world leaders that Iran's current leader wants to blow up Israel. What better way than to nuke it? Tehran is currently being looked at because of its suspicious nuclear program.Bush was quoted as saying, "So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."What does this mean? It means that in Bush's mind, as soon as Iran becomes a nuclear power, it will inevitably nuke Israel. And that means that all Hell will break loose.So if World War Three is being thought of as guaranteed unless we step in to prevent it, doing so by crushing Iran's nuclear prospects, then that means that Bush has already made up his mind that we must invade Iran if they don't back away from nuclear research. And why would they?Bottom line: We're going to Iran. Read more:Start
The Next Pope Will See The World End 2007-10-24 17:54:00 Saint Malachy's "Prophecy of the Popes" contains 112 short Latin phrases, each of which describes a separate Pope. The prophecy dates back to 1139, and says that the final Pope, Peter the Roman, will be in charge when Rome is destroyed and Judgment Day occurs. Our current Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, directly precedes Peter the Roman.Wikipedia has the text of the final Latin phrase, along with the translation:"Ominously, the longest and final motto reads, 'In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, et Iudex tremêndus iudicabit populum suum. Finis.' In translation this means, 'During the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, the seat will be occupied by Peter of Rome, who will feed his sheep in many tribulations; and when these things are finished, the seven-hilled city will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge his people. The End.'"So according to this prophecy, Read more:World
Could George Bush Be Furthering The Work Of The Antichrist? 2007-10-23 21:00:00 2012 is a year of much speculation, and many predictions. On Wikipedia, there are quite a few theories as to what will happen, if anything. One of the predictions is as follows. "The book The Nostradamus Code speaks of a series of natural disasters caused by a comet (possibly as above) that will allow the third Antichrist
to disperse his troops around the globe under the guise of aid in preparation for a possible nuclear war, although in the strictest sense it is unspecific as to nuclear war or some other natural or man caused destruction."Recently in the news it was divulged that George
Bush is gunning for a U.S.-led missile defense program for Europe, to defend against Iran, which could develop nuclear technology capable of attacking the U.S. or a European ally by 2015. We've already got troops in Iraq. We're looking to invade Iran. Where else can we "disperse troops around the globe in preparation for a possible nuclear war?"
Garry Kasparov, Brilliant On Bill Maher, Makes Our Politicians Look Bad 2007-10-22 18:12:00 I think everyone should see the interview GarryKasparov
recently gave on "Real Time with Maher
.htm">Bill Maher
." Kasparov, the former world chess champion, is running in the presidential election in Russia, but in doing so he puts his life in jeopardy. Bill Maher says Putin's approval rating is pretty high, and Kasparov responds, "How do you know? I mean, are you seriously, are you relying on the polling results of a police state? I think that with the same tight control of media and a pervasive security force, I believe Bush and Cheney could enjoy the same approval rating here."What if that's why Bush's rating is still around 24%? Maybe there's a weaker version of the system in Russia already in place in the U.S.Kasparov also disproves the idea that Russia is "meant" to be under one man's control, saying that Democracy would most likely work, given a chance. He later remarks that the U.S. is using Democracy as a "geopolitical tool" to get what it wants, at the dismay of its internatio Read more:Brilliant
47 Deaths Associated With The Clinton Family 2007-10-21 14:36:00 I received an email today, and found it interesting enough to post. Apparently there are a bunch of deaths tied to the Clinton
s. Maybe whoever researched this is trying to infer a connection that doesn't exist. Maybe once you reach a certain level of political power, you become associated with so many people that of course there will be a few of them who die for one reason or another. The more people you know, the more dead people you will have known. But maybe there's more to it than that. You be the judge.Here it is:-- Begin Email --So you want to work for the Clintons*************************** Just a quick refresher course lest we forget what has happened to many "friends" of the Clintons1 - James McDougal - Clinton's convicted White water partner died of an apparent heart attack, while in solitary confinement. He was a key witness in Ken Starr's investigation. 2 - Mary Mahoney - A former White House intern was murdered July 1997 at a Starbucks Coffee Shop in Georgetown. Read more:Family
The Dethroning Of A King 2007-10-29 17:49:00 I was watching a show on Nostradamus last night, and in it they said he may have predicted a French uprising 200 years before it took place. In that uprising, the people overpowered the government, and dethroned the king.When I first heard about the massive nationwide protesting going on about the Iraq War, I thought, "Too little, too late." Really, my first feeling was that to do any good, the protests should have happened much earlier.But that got me thinking. If more and more of the public is fed up with the current administration, does that mean we're approaching a time when a consensus will be finally reached on the matter of impeachment?Or will we as a nation get so, "Out of control," that martial law is declared?I really hope the latter is not the case, but anything's possible nowadays.
Another War? Nuts. 2007-10-28 17:42:00 Do we need another war? Is Iran really a threat? No.Or what if it is? And the President already cried wolf too hard before, and now his warnings are falling on deaf ears?If we go to war, things could be bad. International relations may suffer.If we don't go to war, and Iran really does get The Bomb, things could get really ugly.I don't see us taking no action. I think we'll probably take steps toward an invasion of Iran, and then maybe something will happen to stop us. Maybe we'll stop ourselves. Maybe other countries will say, "No, this time you actually are right. Go on ahead, and we'll help." Or maybe they'll say, "And why can't Iran go nuclear, huh?"To which we'll reply, "Because they're crazy."Yeah, I think like it or not, we've got a brewing confrontation on our hands. And that's a shame.
Fox News Is A Terrorist Organization 2007-10-27 21:53:00 A terrorist works to spread fear. Terror-ist. A terrorist breeds terror wherever and however possible, to further its own goals. A terrorist is selfish because it makes people afraid for its own selfish reasons. Fox News breeds fear among the public with unfounded rumors like, "al Qaeda is behind the California fires." What does Fox News want? A police state? It sure looks that way. But at least it's the leading provider of fair and balanced news. Not!Inciting panic among the people through the use of stories not based on TRUTH means that FOX News is a terrorist organization. And isn't there a war on terror? Read more:Organization
, Terrorist
"The executive has no right, in any case, to decide the question, whether there is or is not cause for declaring war." - James Madison 2007-10-26 15:15:00 This page contains a list of brilliant statements by JamesMadison
, the fourth President of the United States. They seem especially relevant today, as America continues down the slippery slope towards fascism. Here are 12 separate quotes. Placed in a specific order, these quotations make up a "speech" in which Madison seems to be directly alluding to our current situation, and the danger we face:"All men having power ought to be mistrusted.""The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.""Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty, but also by the abuse of power.""It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad.""The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.""I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encr
Is George W. Bush Just A Pawn? 2007-10-25 16:51:00 Some leaders are simply figureheads. Our President actually makes decisions, which is why I dismissed the idea that he was a pawn when I first thought of it. But then I realized if he was a pawn, his decisions would effectively be made for him.The Syndicate of Evil would say, "Turn down this bill. Don't aid disaster victims. Start WWIII." And he'd have to oblige, given their undisclosed power over him.I figured if this were true, and we only learned of it later, we'd look back and feel bad for a President who was widely disliked for doing things that he really had no hand in. Would that be better than a President who is definitely in control, and uses his power against the will of the people who voted him into office? I'm not sure... Read more:George
Is Our Current Administration Doomsday-Ignorant Or Doomsday-Intentful? 2007-11-02 18:36:00 It occurs to me that all the stuff happening with America around the world has been set in motion by our current administration. As the days go by, the public gets wearier and wearier of being led by a man and group that don't have the same goals in mind as we do. All of these major military actions and a lack of homeland focus seem to be adding up toward a final showdown with the major powers of the world. Does anybody besides me have a problem with that?I was thinking about George W. Bush and co., and I just couldn't wrap my head around them having a reason for making things worse. So I tried to rationalize how they could conceive that the actions they're taking will make things better. Then I realized something.You can be so intent on one path, that it seems easy to rationalize it. You can be so determined that no amount of resistance, no number of naysayers, will sway you from your decision. Even if you're the President, and the naysayers are three quarters of the Americ Read more:Administration
, Current
, Doomsday
Hey Buddy, Vote For The Guy Who Paid Me To Hassle You! 2007-11-01 18:49:00 I remember way back in college being approached by people on the street at election time. These were normal people. Fellow students. But they had been bent to the wills of the campaign managers for various candidates."Hey, you gonna go vote?""Already did.""Here, have a piece of paper!"Let's look at this little blue slip I just got...Hmm...an event is taking place on this campus in the near future...candidate X will be there...[Later]Other student: "Hey, you vote yet?" Subtext: "Vote for my guy!"Today, I got two calls from two separate candidates. Recently I got a piece of mail that referenced a prior conversation I supposedly had with someone regarding Obama. Never happened. Various other solicitations have been made as well, but I won't bore you with the details. I feel so popular!The point is, in an age with "Do Not Call To Solicit Business" lists, there are people who will call, and write, and show up in person to make sure you know the RIGHT person to vote for."None of t Read more:Buddy
South Park: Imaginary Terrorists Are Really Dangerous 2007-10-31 18:00:00 Tonight is the third part in a trilogy of South
Park episodes involving terrorists and our imagination. The whole point behind the main plot line, I think, is that now we as Americans are more afraid of what we imagine could happen than is likely to happen.Terrorists
have physically terrorized us. And now they're in our imagination, terrorizing us at the mental level. We could nab all the terrorists in the world, but if we still lived in fear, the War on Terror would never end.South Park
depicted some terrorists entering our imagination and blowing up a wall that separated good thoughts from bad ones. All the bad guys from every movie ever are now mingling in the collective imagination with our dearest Disney friends.I think what the creators behind South Park are doing is warning us that if we rely too heavily on "what ifs," we could dig ourselves a hole that only a major war could get us out of. Indeed, these are dangerous times, in both the physical and mental realms. Read more:Imaginary
Arnold Schwarzenegger, President-Elect In 2012 2007-10-30 18:27:00 The way things are going, I think we just might give him the opportunity to run for President
.Remember how he initially became California's governor? The former guy wasn't doing so well. And everybody wanted someone new.Well, our current President doesn't seem to be doing so well. And I get the feeling that even while we want someone new, it's not necessarily anyone who's running right now.If Schwarzenegger
ran for President, would you vote for him? I think I might... Read more:Arnold
, Elect
Recent Monday's Green NBC Lineup = Environmental Propaganda 2007-11-07 17:07:00 I DVR'd "Chuck," "Heroes," and "Journeyman." I noticed special tips for how to go green, both during shows, and during commercials. But what really struck me was the hue they used.They colored all 3 shows a subtle yet noticeable shade of green. The first time I noticed it was during the Heroes opening -- the eclipse shot. It had a green background, and I just figured it was like when "The X-Files" started using intro messages other than, "The Truth Is Out There." Maybe it had something to do with the biohazard Peter Petrelli just found out about?But later during "Journeyman" I saw the green hue as just a simple overlay to color all immediate programming. Why?To get the viewers into the "green mindset." I don't think being energy-efficient is a bad thing, it just surprised me how far NBC was going to convince us to think a certain way. I hadn't even noticed the hue for half of the 3-hour block.It almost felt like I stumbled upon a subliminal ad, but the fact that I eventually Read more:Green
, Monday
, Propaganda
, Recent
Bush, Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, Bush, ?Clinton? 2007-11-06 15:35:00 Bush, BushH.W. Bush was Reagan's VP. So that's 4 years as Vice President. Then H.W. Bush was President. That's another 4 years with the White House. Clinton
, ClintonBill Clinton was elected President, and then reelected for two total terms in office.Bush, BushAl Gore won the 2000 election, but W. Bush contested it and ended up winning. Then he was reelected in 2004.Clinton?Hillary Clinton runs in 2008. Wins? Or does W. Bush go for a 3rd term?
Loss Of Media Would Be Crushing - We Take So Much For Granted 2007-11-05 22:31:00 I just realized today how simple and easy the internet seems to use, and how powerful and necessary we've made it. I also thought of how devastating it would be to suddenly not have it anymore.The Net makes possible all kinds of incredible things. To suddenly no longer have access due to a catastrophe, SkyNet, or some government blackout is pretty scary to think about.I know I've already written on this subject, but it never occurred to me until today how easily we all expect things to just work. "Just do your job, web page!" When something breaks, we become frustrated in the face of our own apparent powerlessness. Sure, the human spirit can triumph, and go on, but a complete shutdown of the Web would be like cutting off 95% of our 5 senses. We'd no longer be able to communicate as rapidly and effectively, and the world would suddenly become a big, big place again. It's a big world after all...
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