Not Fair and Balanced

This is why I don't like Fox News:

http://tiny.cc/VTTwE

They report this story from the angle that Obama's administration requested all religious symbols be covered up for Obama's speech at Georgetown University.

But in reality, Obama didn't request for any religious symbols to be covered. The White House simply requested that everything that wasn't part of the traditional presidential backdrop (blue curtains and flags) be covered up. That happened to include some religious symbols (it is a Catholic school after all).

Ridiculous.

FoxNews did report the story accurately in the actual article, but the headline is misleading and FoxNews and their editors know that most people won't take the time to read the article to find the truth.

Inconsistent Ethics are not Ethical at all

One thing that really bothers me is when people are inconsistent in their positions on issues.

Example: Being anti-abortion and being pro-war. Life is life.

A new one that is gaining popularity:

Being anti-stem cell research and being pro-questionable interrogation techniques.

If you are against harming a human life to help advance scientific research and possibly save lives, then you have to be against harming a human life to help advance defense intelligence and possibly save lives.

Simple. Consistent.

It's just $1.40!

Here's the situation:

A buddy of mine is having a hard time paying his bills, I want to be sure that he can stay in his house and get him self back on the right track, so I give him $70 to get him in a better situation.

Now, I have another buddy of mine who is also in a bad way and is just as important to me. He doesn't need as much, probably only $1.40, should I give him the money?

Of Course! If I was willing to give my first friend 70 bucks why would a dollar-forty be a big deal when my other friend needs some help?!


Congress approved giving the big financial companies 700 billion dollars a few months ago, that's a lot of cash. But now they are arguing over giving the big 3 auto companies 14 billion. *Still a lot of dough, but when compared to 700 billion it is very small.

Why are there so many idiots that make these decisions?!

The only difference I can see is that one decision occurred right around an election and the other is not...

Why 11/04/08 is a Tough Choice

I have gone back and forth multiple times over the past 2 months as I attempt to decide who I will vote for on Tuesday. My rotation seems to go like this: Barr, McCain, Obama, McCain, Obama, Barr, to not even sure I want to vote.

OK, I know I'm going to vote, I just don't have the confidence that I would like that the person I vote for will be the best for the job according to my values.

I have some non-negotiable issues that I believe are morally right and because of that I require my candidate to agree with me. Here are some of the "big" ones:

• Foreign Policy - I am not an expert on all the different cultural forces at work in the world, but I do know that there is no such thing as "acceptable civilian casualties". And that is not exclusive to American civilians. I believe that every life on the planet is one that was made in the image of God and should be treated as such. Military force should be utilized as a last resort in dealings with other nations/groups/religious extremists, etc.


• Poverty - I have found some stats recently that are somewhat alarming to me. You may have heard similar numbers in the past: The top 1% of American wage earners are sharing over 30% of the nation's wealth. The bottom 40% of American wage earners are sharing 1% of the nation's wealth. I have always been a proponent of letting John Q Public decide how he wants to give his money for charity, but the problem of poverty (in the richest country in the world) is reaching epic proportions. If we aren't of good enough moral fiber to take care of it as public citizens through charitable giving, the government needs to step in.


• Abortion - I believe abortion is murder, it is a sin, and it should be stopped. Will making abortions illegal help stop abortions? Yes, and that should be done. But, I think a bigger step towards reducing abortions in America is dealing with the cause. Most abortions are a result of the mother being concerned about her future with a baby. Will she be able to afford food and health care? Will she still be able to work at all? The government needs to address these issues. But even still, why is she pregnant? Schools need to go further than teaching abstinence only. Students need to be made aware of proper and safe methods of contraception. That is a controversial opinion among most conservatives, but I feel like kids are gonna have sex. The option is uneducated, unprotected sex or safe sex. That's a no-brainer to me.

I think you can see why I am torn. The are other issues that I feel strongly about including immigration, health care, the federal budget, etc. But I don't think those are non-negotiable the same way that the three above are.

Good luck on Tuesday making your decisions and remember, the sun will rise again on November 5. (and if it doesn't, none of this will be a big deal at that point)

Monday's Political Cartoons

Monday's Political Cartoons

Monday's Political Cartoons

Just a little late on these this week...

Palin was the Wrong Choice

If you don't like Electoral College projections and Electorate math than just skip this post.

Historically, Presidential nominees pick a running mate that will help deliver a state that they might not get otherwise. I think McCain missed a big chance at winning this election by picking Sarah Palin. She is an interesting character and has certainly energized the GOP supporters, but she won't deliver a state to McCain. Alaska votes Republican. No Democratic candidate has gotten more than 35% of the vote in any of the past 4 elections. Alaska is Red, period.

So, who should McCain have picked?

Rudy Giuliani.

Rudy is certainly not going to energize the conservative base the way Palin has, but those supporters will vote Republican no matter who McCain picked. Rudy leans left on certain issues (abortion, immigration) much like McCain (on other issues...). That gives McCain/Rudy a big edge in gaining undecided voters over McCain/Palin.

Additionally, and most importantly, Rudy is a superstar in New York. I'm not positive he could convince NY state to vote red in November. But, he at least would make it interesting.

New York has 31 electoral votes. 3rd most in the country. When Obama gets those 31 electoral votes, it will put him over the top and he will be the 44th president.

Even if you give every other state that is currently considered a swing state (Ohio, Virginia, and Florida) to McCain, without NY he can't win.

If you want to play with electoral college outcomes, you can make your own map at this site: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=1

Monday's Political Cartoons

Monday's Political Cartoons

This is the first installment of Monday's Political Cartoons. I'll search the entire interweb and find what I think are the funniest/most relevant political cartoons and then post a few here. Enjoy!

That one's a little tricky to read, but it's a gift basket from Osama Bin Laden to W Bush, as opposed to the threatening video he normally sends around this time of the year...

A jab at Obama and his main campaign message that would like to make you think that McCain is politically aligned with W Bush.





More lipstick on a pig here, additionally this cartoonist wants to be sure that everyone is aware of the tactics McCain is using in his campaign.