I’m not a very political person.  I don’t campaign, I don’t start shit with people who have a different view on life.  Most of the time I enjoy seeking mental refuge from the cluster-fuck that is Washington.   But over the past 8 years, I’ve slowly become more attuned to whats going on.  Really though, I’d hope this happens to anyone my age (I’m 22, for the record).

In 2004, I did not vote.  I will admit that for two reasons:  I could have voted as a student in RI, or as a resident of CT.  Both states are hardcore blue states.  Couple that with a very trying freshman year of college and not knowing where the hell to go vote (I know NOW, thanks), I just didn’t go and vote.

The other issue I had in 2004 is that I really didn’t like John Kerry.  It wasn’t so much his policies, but he just rubbed me the wrong way.  Dumb reason not to vote for someone, but I am not a Democrat, and I will not vote for something I really don’t believe in.  Unfortunately, voting for a third party candidate usually screws over the lesser of two evils in any given election.  Being new to the whole political process, I was a bit overwhelmed at my options and what they entailed.

Four years of failed policies and spoiled white men ass raping our country later, I can’t stop caring.  I am trying to start my life as an American citizen (well, I’ve always been one, but I’m classified as an “adult” now for some strange reason).  I am out of school, out of my parents house, and pretty much on my own.  Not caring about the future of this country is pretty much not caring about my own future.

I am annoyed by both right wing and left wing nut jobs, the religious movement, the “fuck conservatives” movement, all of that shit.  But what irritates me more than people who are over-passionate are the people who just don’t care.  The people who choose not to educate themselves or get involved.

I was talking to my mother the other day (who by the way was a Hillary supporter, and now is behind Obama, NOT McCain.  You know, the sensible thing for an actual Democrat to do).  While laughing at Sarah Palin on CBS (the things that bring a family together) she mentioned to me how when she goes on a break at work (at Foxwoods, an empire of people routinely getting screwed by both a sovereign “tribe” and the feds alike), the TV in the break room will typically have on a football or a baseball game.  All the time.  She usually switches it to CNN, and people just don’t watch it.  How can this demographic of WORKING Americans not give a shit, especially with this whole bailout debacle going on?  Don’t they have enough shit taken out of their paychecks?  Don’t they care that these decisions affect each and every one of them personally?

The beauty of this country is our ability to have many groups of people with different beliefs all be a part of the same nation.  We should be setting an example for the rest of the world, showing them its possible to peacefully coexist.  The ignorance and the partisan mud slinging really needs to stop.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a rascist, a Muslim, a xenophobe, a redneck, an intellectual, a homophobe, fabulously gay, a devout christian, a satanist, a Jew, an immigrant, an atheist, a student, a veteran, or an old person.  The government should not prefer any of these people over another.  We should be governed as what we are: people.  We all need health care.  We all need a home.  We all need access to education.  These are the core issues.

There are many solutions to our problems, but we should not be so stubborn as to completely abhor a candidate because they believe women have the right to choose, or gays have the right to marry, or that prayer should be allowed in school.  These are not major federal issues right now.  No matter what happens, women will find a way to abort, gays will fall in love and start lives together, and religious people can pray wherever they want to, no one is going to stop any of this unless individuals make a spectacle of it.

We should only allow the government to do what it should do: protect our liberties.  Our liberties are not our lives or our morals, but our freedoms to live out our own dreams on American soil.  We should not be scared into giving up or bought out of our freedom.  EVERYONE, regardless of party, should believe in that.

I’m sorry, but remind me, which country is “fighting a war on terror”?  Here are excerpts from a news article in the Dayton Daily News from Saturday:

Baboucarr Njie was preparing for his prayer session Friday night, Sept. 26, when he heard children in the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton coughing. Soon, Njie himself was overcome with fits of coughing and, like the rest of those in the building, headed for the doors.

“I would stay outside for a minute, then go back in, there were a lot of kids,” Njie said. “My throat is still itchy, I need to get some milk.”

Njie was one of several affected when a suspected chemical irritant was sprayed into the mosque at 26 Josie St., bringing Dayton police, fire and hazardous material personnel to the building at 9:48 p.m.

Someone “sprayed an irritant into the mosque,” Dayton fire District Chief Vince Wiley said, noting that fire investigators believe it was a hand-held spray can.

According to fire dispatch communications, a child reported seeing two men with a white can spraying something into a window. That child was brought to the supervising firefighter at the scene.

Wiley would not discuss that report, but said the investigation has been turned over to police. Police were not commenting.

Coincidentally, this apparently happened after an alleged “non-partisan” (but obviously right wing nutjob) group called Clarion released copies of a propaganda film called Obsession into the swing states to scare idiots into voting Republican, as if that is the only way to safety.

I cannot say this any clearer: Muslim Americans are not a threat. In fact, most Muslims of the world are not a threat. I feel safer with a group of Muslims than I do with a group of Evangelical Christians, or even Sarah Palin. Islam is a religion of peace. If you bothered to pick up a history book, the Ottoman Empire (primarily Islam, in case you really don’t read) was actually a religious sanctuary for a long time for Europeans who didn’t practice the “religion du jour” back in the “if you don’t agree with us we’ll burn you in the name of the same god we both believe in” ages. A note to Europe: Thanks for moving on. You’re doing great now.

In fact, most Muslims are better Christians than Christians! What many mis-informed Americans don’t know is that Islam recognizes Jesus Christ as a prophet. They accept his message fully and believe him to be the son of god. Now, I’m no theologian, but I’m pretty sure accepting Christ and following the 10 commandments (which ARE in the qur’an) is really all you need to get into heaven. So they’re there. Oh, AND they get virgins. Take that, Christians.

Terrorist groups in the middle east don’t hate us because of our religious differences, they hate us because of our lifestyle. There are groups of people around the world who are not Muslim and still hate our country and what we stand for. So to think that all Muslims hate us because of our lifestyle is completely inaccurate. Islam is so much more than the shitty propaganda most Americans are exposed to. Islam is one of the most popular religions on the PLANET. Not just in the middle east, but EVERYWHERE. For us to think that all Muslims are somehow affiliated with a relatively tiny group of intolerant assholes is absolutely ridiculous.

I am downright EMBARRASED that shit like what happened in Dayton happens in my country. I feel fortunate to be an American, but in times like this, I cannot say I am proud to be one.

I am hoping that this will be my only election post, as I think we’ve reached the point where it can’t get much more ridiculous.  Of course, I can (and probably will) be proven wrong.   So I’m going to sum up everything from my point of view.

Why? Its not like the rest of the country isn’t doing the same thing, yelling at each other like children over such a monumental decision at such a pivotal point in American history.  I feel that election season is a great time to realize the benefits of being an American:  bitching freely on our blogs.

This isn’t a news site, its my personal blog. I am not stating absolute facts here, only my point of view and what I think of the election and the candidates. If I stated “Barack Obama was a Muslim who ate babies”, yes, that is wrong. If I stated “I think Barack Obama is really a Muslim and prefers his babies char broiled”, that is an opinion I am expressing. Impressions and proven facts are two different things, so lets remember that before we read on.

To make it easy to find the part you agree with/angers you, I will break this down by topic.

The campaigning process

This is where I think Obama has nailed it, at least in my point of view. His campaign has been a hybrid of old school and new school, meaning he’s approaching the country on tried and true campaigning forms as well as branching out into digital media, SUCCESSFULLY. As a younger American, I cannot remember another time where the college age crowd was so ecstatic about a candidate. Obama has this air about him that radiates patience, intelligence, and a genuine concern for all Americans.

All I’ve seen from McCain are silly political ads (not even uploaded to YouTube by his campaign, but rather by liberals tearing his “facts” to shreds) and confusing television interviews. “I don’t know” is not an appropriate response to a question when you are campaigning to be the leader of the alleged “free world” (I think Europe is going to earn that title officially if things keep up the way they’re going).

The Candidates

John McCain

It seems like just yesterday I was rooting for John McCain. Back when he was this alleged “Maverick” he claims to be. I remember watching the primary race between him and Bush and thinking “My God, I might actually vote Republican if this man gets the nomination”. Eight years later, WHAT THE FUCK McCAIN? If he was the same person he was 8 years ago this election would be CLOSE. It would be extremely hard for us middle of the road voters to even really choose!

On the subject of time, it is worth mentioning that if elected, John McCain will be the oldest man elected into office. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there are factors that concern me. Though I do not know the details, I know he has had some health problems (I’m unsure if what I’ve read has been speculation or actual facts).

I also know that he was a POW for over 4 years (Did you guys know he was a POW? I mean, no one ever talks about that!). I have nothing but respect for the men who served in Vietnam, regardless of it being a pointless occupation of a territory we had no business being in in the first place (Thanks France!). But what worries me is his mental stability after an experience like that. Think of all the Vietnam vets who suffer from post traumatic stress and other psychological disorders brought about by high levels of stress and environmental factors. There’s a pretty good chance this man could go batshit crazy as he becomes older. Senility aside, his life experience does not provide a pretty picture of a psychological profile.

Speaking to his character, a lot of people have been saying shit about how he left his first wife who waited form him while he was in ‘Nam, then got in an accident and became handicapped, so he dropped her like a hot potato for Botox Barbie and her Brewery (that would be a great band name). So yeah, that kind of makes him a horrible person, but that has NOTHING to do with his presidency. So he’s familiar with the process of “upgrading”. Lets home he can apply that to the economy, we could sure use it.

I’ll address more of this in the “This is not a homecoming queen election” section below.

Anyway, his campaign is coming off as a complete clusterfuck. Its not even just the “liberal media” tearing him down like a thong off of a Chippendale’s dancer, but even Republicans are starting to back out on him. It wasn’t too bad until the VP picks were announced, but I’ll address that in a later section.

Barack Obama

OH MY GOD HE’S AFRICAN AMERICAN AND HAS AN ARABIC (note how I said Arabic, not necessarily Muslim) NAME! Now that we’re over that, what an amazing candidate. I don’t agree 100% with all of his policies (I’m not a full fledged liberal, I believe in minimal government involvement in many situations), I think he is an inquisitive, intelligent, and sometimes well spoken Senator.

I say sometimes because as I’m sure we’ve all noticed, he does stutter (more like “umm” than actual stuttering). Its not necessarily a display of stupidity, but some people just feel that the sound of silence is awkward. This is something he can take time to work on, and really, isn’t even that big of a deal. On the other end of the spectrum, McCain just kinda randomly pauses, even during rehearsed speeches.

This is a candidate who is focusing on issues that really MATTER to every American: healthcare, education, and the economy. I realize right now we’re in a bit of an international pickle due to disastrous foreign policy, but let me put it this way:

Lets say we just REALLY piss off the Middle East. And somehow, they come into possession of some crazy powerful nukes. Both coasts of the United States would be annihilated. You know what they can’t reach? MIDDLE AMERICA. You guys are the most geographically safe in any plausible war scenario. So really, don’t worry so goddamn much about giving Iraq control over their own government. In case you haven’t noticed, thats kinda what they’ve been ASKING for.

That’s really all I’m going to say about the Middle East, I could write another entry about THAT whole situation (dating back to the 50’s where we really fucked up the region by drawing random lines. But I digress…)

Personally, what I most admire Obama for is his stance on Net Neutrality. As web professional, that is an issue than can dramatically impact my career. I’m a nerd, without a fair and free internet I’m like a turtle without a shell.

The VeePs

Joe Biden

We’ll start with Biden since this will be short and sweet. At first, it was a very WTF choice for Obama, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Why choose someone who is EXACTLY the same as you as your VP? Obama was looking for an alternative perspective, and by God he found it. The only issue that worries me is as I mentioned before, I am a huge supporter of Net Neutrality. Biden has taken stances against it, and that worries me. But I think on an issue like that, Obama’s opinion will take presidence (or at least I hope!).

The other thing that makes me iffy about him is that he’s all about this “war on drugs” that is a completely metaphoric phrase for “we can’t control shit”. I don’t think its a big secret that most of us crazy 20-somethings smoke weed. You know us, living with our parents browsing the internet and getting high before passing out with our hand still in the bag of Doritos. What fucking criminals! Reguardless of your opinion on using pot, I think its pretty safe to say it is not a dangerous substance unless you have ridiculously low blood pressure or are really THAT stupid to begin with.

Other than that, I don’t know much about Biden. Obama is such a presence that Biden doesn’t get that much press, unlike…

Sarah Palin

Codename: Lipstick. What. The. Fuck. It went from “Who the fuck is Sarah Palin” to “What the fuck is WRONG with Sarah Palin?”

She’s the archetypal pretty girl who got where she is in life by acting like a prissy high school student. She tries to be this loving, everyday hockey mom on the outside, but its too stupid to hide her incredibly vindictive nature. She is the prototype of a two faced bitch, and she’s not even intelligent about it.

Me calling her a bitch isn’t even about the whole gender thing. I AM a woman, and I can’t stand Palin. Women’s rights issues aside, she is only perpetuating the stereotype that women are not cut out for politics. Her lackluster approach to campaigning only serves as an example of what NOT to do when running for office. The only thing she has going for her is her fucking manners, and let me tell you, that is a very empty skill to have.

I’m all for “whatever floats your boat”. If you’re a pro life gun toting crazy religious zealot, then really, have fun. But when you’re a politician and potential leader of America, these are not good qualities.

America is a very large country filled with people from all different walks of life. This is a wonderful thing. As I’ve always said, if you can’t stand the melting, get out of the pot. But to have a woman with no concept of what life is like abroad, and who is completely unprepared for even a PRESS interview be next in line for the presidency is an affront to this nation and everything it stands for.

I don’t want to have to chant “We’re #8!” forever, and I don’t think Palin is going to help.

This is not a Homecoming Queen Election

This is a Presidential election, not a popularity contest. Usually the issues that voters use to choose a candidate are the issues that candidate will do least to support. The overturning of Roe v. Wade is a biggie. If you’re pro-life, you vote McCain, if you’re pro-choice, you vote Obama. It should NOT BE THAT BLACK AND WHITE. Abortion is a very minor issue, and really, it should be a decision left to the individual states.

It is unfortunate that low income families continue to support neo-conservative politicians based solely on their moral and religious standing, meanwhile they ass rape the lower class on a daily basis. The separation of church and state is there for a reason, and this is one of the major ones.

And I understand that crazy religious people are crazy and religious. I get it. But the President leads a country, not a church. And this country has to be a free nation for people of all beliefs, not just the religious majority. That is not American at all.

Its the same paradox we’ve had with Bush. I’m sure he’s a great guy. I’d love to go out drinking with him. He’s like that goofy uncle we all have. But just because you like their personal beliefs and values does NOT make them an adequate leader.

To wrap this all up, I beg any American who reads this: Please vote Obama. If only because you apparently like surfing the internet and reading random blogs.

It is pretty sad I haven’t updated this since July.  I had like a 48 hour marathon of working on this site, then I started playing the Sims 2 again.

Call it a God complex.  Maybe I never got over playing with dolls.  Who knows.

That and I’m still trying to figue out a direction for this blog.  I’m one of those people who can ramble about anything.

STEVE PERRY!

(BTW, RockBand 2 is awesome).

Deleted everything.  Starting over.  Developing a new theme.  This site will look messed up for a bit until I’m done developing said theme.  Not that.. anyone reads this.  YET!

(no, there are not going to be, nor will there ever be ads.  I have a job, thank you).