"We are conservative around here. That's just the way of this town."

Just because you are a small town doesn't mean you have the right to discriminate against gays. The only place in the country where you have the right to be a bigot is in your creepy, conservative compound where you clean your guns and wait for the Rapture.  Inside those walls, you can be as big an asshat as you want.  But out here in the real world, the rest of us demand to be treated equally, regardless of race, creed, or sexual orientation.

Plans for prom barring gays rocks Ind. community - Associated Press

Can't Win? Change the Rules, it's the Republican Way!

Regardless of your political affiliation, if you are a supporter of fair elections, if you believe that the person with the most votes should win, if you are believer in democracy, then you have little choice than to condemn the recent actions of the Republican party.

Still reading?

Good.

The Republicans are unhappy with the last Presidential election.  They wanted to win.  Unfortunately for them, more people voted for President Obama.  In fact, President Obama won the national popular vote by nearly five million votes. A pretty firm margin of victory by any accounting.

But that still doesn't satisfy the Republican party. You know those guys, the white dudes who love tax breaks for the rich and are constantly trying to keep traditionally Democratic voters from casting ballots.

But since those tactics didn't work, they want to follow Josef Stalin's advice ( "You know, comrades,... I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this — who will count the votes, and how.") and are now trying to change the way that votes are counted. 

The tool they are using is the U.S. Constitution itself.  In Article 2, Section 1, the U.S. Constitution states:

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

That means the way that the electors are allocated to candidates in each of the states is determined by the states themselves, not the Federal Government.  All but two states are "winner take all".  You win the popular vote in that state, you win all their votes in the Electoral College.

The exceptions are Maine and Nebraska. In those states only two of their electoral votes go to the candidate who wins the popular vote.  Each additional electoral vote goes to the candidate with the most votes in each congressional district.

The Republicans crunched the post-election numbers and suddenly fell in love with this idea.  You know why?  Because if this was the method used in the rest of the country for the 2012 election, we would all be talking about the recent inauguration of President Romney. That right, President Romney, even though he was nearly five million votes short in the national popular vote.

In its simplest terms, the Republicans want to take the Presidential election out of the hands of the voters and put it in the hands of those gerrymandering hacks who redraw congressional districts every 10 years to gain political advantage.    In the end I honestly don't care what political party you belong to just as long as you have the sense of fairness, the moral fiber to proclaim that in a democracy, the person with the most votes should win. These guys a shameless and need to be stopped.

GEEK ALERT --

A footnote: Am I the only one who heard/read about the Republican's attempts and thought of the Kobayashi Maru simulation and Captain Kirk's unique approach to solving it?

Saavik: "Sir, may I ask you a question?"

Kirk: "What's on your mind, Lieutenant?"

Saavik: "The Kobayashi Maru, sir."

Kirk: "Are you asking me if we're playing out that scenario now?"

Saavik: "On the test, sir. Will you tell me what you did? I would really like to know."

McCoy: "Lieutenant, you are looking at the only Starfleet cadet who ever beat the no-win scenario."

Saavik: "How?"

Kirk: "I reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to rescue the ship."

Saavik: "What?"

David: "He cheated."

Kirk: "I changed the conditions of the test. Got a commendation for original thinking. I don't like to lose."

Hey Republican Party!  I know Jim Kirk.  Jim Kirk is a hero of mine.  Let me tell you, you are no Jim Kirk.

To Quote Colonel Potter...

“Here’s to the new year. May she be a damn sight better than the old one..."

I Be Judge...

As we come to the end of the year, just like the new car models, some new laws will soon be taking effect.

For example, in Georgia, abortions after 20 weeks will be outlawed unless the pregnancy is determined to be medically futile, meaning it would result in the birth of a child unlikely to survive because of a serious defect. Georgia became the seventh state in the country to approve the so-called "fetal pain" act.

In California, clergy members who oppose gay marriage will be exempted from performing said ceremonies. (A quick aside, this might be one of the dumbest things I've heard in a while.  Were they required to perform them before? And who would want to be married by a clergy who didn't believe in their union? Only in Cali man, only in Cali.)

With that in mind, I thought of a few laws that I think should be enacted. Heck, if these states can regulate church activities and a woman's reproductive system, then I - Governor of the great State of Inebriation - should be allowed to sign a few laws into the statute books.

1) No Texting While Talking

When I think of the number conversations I've had to repeat because the person I was talking to had to have their "smart phone" out while we were talking, it just makes me want to piss on poor Steve Job's grave. I honestly don't care if your cat is on fire or if @HottiePants432 just tweeted a new pic, it's just plain rude to talk to someone and text/tweet/post at the same time. 

2) A Ban on Electronic Voting Machines

Since before the days of voting, man has known how to rub one object onto another in order to make a mark.  Even people who couldn't write their own name could "make their mark" on a contract. Voting is too precious, too important to leave any real doubt as to the voter's choices. 

Electronic voting is vulnerable to hacking, computer viruses, and sneaky foul play.  Your vote shouldn't depend on a machine as easy to manipulate as a computer when an old fashioned paper ballot does the job just fine. To put it simply, I've never seen a paper ballot magically change a voter's vote, but it has happened every election with the electronic voting machines.

3) Removal of all Red Light Cameras

They are nothing more that a way to screw motorists out of money.  There is conflicting data as to whether they reduce accidents or increase them, they leave no real room for judgement.  For example, I watched a camera go off because a person stopped their car a little past the wide white stop line.  Why? Because they were about ot make a legal right on red but the gigantic SUV in the left lane was blocking the view of on coming traffic.  The driver stopped, made a legal turn but still generated a ticket.

If you were the man in charge, what would you make the law of the land?

Great Pic Mr. President

Some of the reasons I like President Obama have nothing to do with his policies.  It has to do with his obvious love of children and his sense of humor.  Just take a look at this slide show on Yahoo! for photographic evidence of what I mean.

I particularly like the one of him with the guy on the scale. Classic.

Evil by Design

A friend of mine posted this to their Facebook page yesterday. I honestly thought it would take longer for this type of stuff to come out again. 

Silly of me I guess.

The NRA, their supporters, and the rest of their ilk really have no shame and the tragic events in Connecticut aren't going to make them change their tune one single note.

There is just one problem, this pithy little saying which rings so true for so many of the gun-lovers and libertarian types out there is wrong. 

That's right, just plain wrong.

Evil does exist in a gun.  It is placed there intentionally.  It is purposefully incorporated into its very design. Guns were first invented to kill and guns are being designed to kill more effectively and more efficiently than ever before. Like the atomic bomb, the hand grenade, sarin gas, or anthrax powder in an envelope, the very nature of a gun is evil.

Take a look at this picture. This is the Bushmaster .223 Rifle.  One like it was used in that school in Connecticut. It is a semi-automatic assault rifle with a standard 30 round magazine.  That magazine can be replaced with another full magazine by simply pushing a button, removing it and slamming another one in.  It takes seconds at most. The very description of this rifle reveals the evil that is intentional in its design.  It is an "assault rifle".  It is intended to be used for assaulting...assaulting humans.  And as we have discovered over and over again, this gun and guns like it are exceptionally good at their job.

But even if you didn't know the name of this particular machine, just look at it.  It is designed to be menacing, it is designed to intimidate, it is intentionally built to appear as evil as its design truly is.

Don't lie to me and tell me that evil lies only in the hearts of man.  Evil lives in the killing machines that man has built. Just as a piece of art can be beautiful, just as written words can show us truth, the design of a machine can be evil.

Don't believe their pithy messaging. Don't let the arms merchants and gun makers convince you that their products are benign. They are not, they are evil by design, evil in their intent and evil in their use. They are killing machines and their primary purpose is to violate the "Thou shall not kill" Commandment as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Isn't that the definition of evil?

Because the University of Iowa Rocks

It was a double great day for the University of Iowa.

Not only did they become the first major public university to adds optional LGBT question to its application, but my brilliant and talented daughter decided to change her already accepted application to the School of Liberal Arts to the Engineering School.

Iowa, you totally rock.

Not Voting Hurts

A pregnant Arizona woman, Holly Solomon, despondent about President Obama's reelection, ran down her husband with the family Jeep when she discovered he hadn't voted. Now I'm a firm believer in voting, but even I draw the line at vehicular homocide.

Woman Runs Down Husband For Not Voting

The Voting Revolution

Voting, the simplest act of defiance, an act of revolution itself.  When America became America it was an act of revolution.  Our forefathers tossed the yoke of the monarchy from their shoulders and declared themselves free to govern themselves. And we have been doing just that for over 200 years.

It wasn't that way for everyone.  In the beginning, many people were excluded from our democracy.  Those of color, the poor, and women were told they had no voice, they had no opportunity to shape the future of our country.  But slowly, over time, enlightenment overcame prejudice and the disenfranchised were allowed to participate in the greatest democracy in history.

But yet, even today, there are still people who want to stop you from voting.

CNN Opinion: GOP's push to suppress vote threatens democracy

Don't let them.  Don't be discouraged by long lines, by scare tactics.  Voting is your right.  It is a simple act that reaffirms the convictions on which this country was founded, that all men are created equal. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, whether you are a Tea Party conservative or a bleeding heart liberal, you need to add your voice to the discussion of our future as a nation. If only for this one day a year, participate in our democracy, help us all realize the dream of freedom and equality for all.

If you are unsure of where to vote, go here: CanIVote.org

Election Prediction and Foot Wear

I have stared into my crystal ball and am now ready to make my predictions for next Tuesday’s presidential election. In a race that is tight from a popular vote standpoint, but not as tight from an Electoral College accounting, I predict President Obama will win re-election.

I predict that the swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nevada and Virginia will give the President more than the 270 electoral votes needed.

What brought me to this conclusion? I believe that the Romney campaign made a couple of critical errors late in the race that have cooled whatever momentum his campaign may have had. I think they burst through the hole that the President left open after his sub-par performance in the first debate only to stumble over their own two right feet.

First, the disastrous ad where the Romney campaign implies that production of the very American vehicle the Jeep would be moved to China. Romney himself went even farther telling a crowd of supporters in Ohio, “I saw a story today that one of the great manufacturers in this state Jeep — now owned by the Italians — is thinking of moving all production to China.”

Chrysler and Fiat (the majority stakeholder in Chrysler) both refute this bogus claim.

The Obama camp has jumped all over this gaffe, not just because it is untrue, but also because it re-enforces one of their primary messages about Romney: You can’t trust this guy.

TheBlaze.com: Romney Jeep Ad


Credit: MSNBC.com

The second mistake came not in the final days, but early in the primary season when during a debate Gov. Romney suggested that disaster relief was something better left to the states or the private sector and not the Federal government.

Then the New Jersey shore and a good bit of New York City were power-washed by hurricane Sandy and nearly 100 American’s died. Before Sandy hit, the President went to the White House to oversee the coordinated disaster response. Afterwards, he was on the ground with Republican poster child Governor Chris Christie, receiving the praise of the New Jersey governor for the swift federal response.

Where was Gov. Romney? He was in swing states collecting paper towels and diapers at campaign stops where the Governor’s meal for the day was a big helping of crow.

He later swallowed hard and his campaign released a statement that in part read, “I believe that FEMA plays a key role in working with states and localities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters. As president, I will ensure FEMA has the funding it needs to fulfill its mission, while directing maximum resources to the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need, because states and localities are in the best position to get aid to the individuals and communities affected by natural disasters.”

NY Times: Romney on FEMA

Both of these events were just the latest of a series of on-the-fly flip flops and direction changes taken by the Republican candidate. From first fighting for and then denouncing health care reform, from supporting and signing into law an assault weapons ban in Massachusetts to later denouncing any form of gun control, from supporting a woman’s right to choose to proclaiming himself anti-abortion, Governor Romney has flip-flopped his way to the losing end of this election.

American’s like to know what they are buying. They want an honest deal at an honest price. However, a vote for Romney is a transaction strictly governed by the adage “Buyer Beware” and the persuadable, Independent voters are seeing that loud and clear in these final few weeks.

In their eyes, Romney has become the stereotype of a bad used car salesman who will tell you whatever you want to hear in order to make the deal.

“Yep, it’s fast!"

"Sure, it’s safe!"

"Of course it will save you money. Would I lie to you?”

To be honest Governor Romney, I don’t think you are lying per se, I just think you will tell people pretty much whatever they want to hear. A lie implies you have a nefarious master plan, I think that might be giving you too much credit. I suspect you are just the latest dupe put up by the financial elite.  I think their sole purpose is to get you elected so you can protect the rich and the powerful and their money-grabbing, tax-evading, union-busting ways. I guess when this thing is finally over, if my prediction is correct, Romney and the Republicans might finally learn the lesson that so many children have learned the hard way:

You really shouldn’t run in flip flops.