45 days in...

*blows dust off the blog*

Well, we've got a new President. I'm thankful that the Dubya Era is over, and that his criminal cabinet has vacated the White House. Although I didn't vote for President Obama, I held out some "hope" that there would be some positive "change" in Washington, and that there would be a major purging of career politicians from the hallowed halls of Congress.

Guess what?

It's business as usual, and the vast majority of the self-serving idiots that are supposed to be representing us are still entrenched in their seats. Out of almost 500 possible incumbents that were up for re-election, 20 got booted. 20. This is in spite of the fact that that Congress had a lower approval rating than Dubya. When the country was all fired up about "change", it went out and re-elected most of the same assholes that have through their manipulations, their greed, and their self-imposed idea that government is supposed to fix all of our problems that have put us in the situation that we find ourselves in. The American people have proven themselves to be the most apathetic and stupid constituency on the face of the planet.

Now we have a President that is spending money (that we don't have) like some kind of NFL star hitting the strip clubs in Vegas. I have never seen such uncontrolled governmental debauchery in my whole life. People have lost their jobs, are in danger of losing their homes, are having a hard time making ends meet and this guy is going to sign a budget bill that spends millions of dollars studying pig odor and catfish genomes. This is after running a campaign that promised to rein in earmarks. There are almost 9000, yes, 9000, earmarks in the proposed omnibus package. I realize that earmarks are the way that the representatives get federal money back to their districts, but OMFG, catfish genomes? Pig odor? To top it off, the President then says that this bill is last year's business. As one radio talk show host pointed out, yeah, but it's this year's freaking money!

What's even more disgusting is that those Republicans who are screaming the loudest about the earmarks are, guess what, getting earmarks. This kind of thinking that "it's okay if it's my earmark" goes hand in hand with the idiotic premise the voters have that "my guy is okay, the rest of Congress needs to go". What kind of moronic bullshit is that? 95% of the peole in this country need to get hit in the face with a brick...

Then I see our new Secretary of State on the television, you know, the one who was running for President. Last year at about this time, while on the campaign trail, she said she'd get tough with China over our trade deficit. Then, this week, when questioned about that, she completely did an about face, probably because she had to suck Chairman Mao's long dead dick so that the Chinese would continue to buy up our bad debt. Her excuse? "That was a different time." Really? A different time? Yeah, it's different alright, you ain't running for office...

Meanwhile, we have the Senate Majority leader talking about "smelly tourists" and how paying the federal income tax was "voluntary". Hey, Harry! Those smelly tourists pay your fucking salary with their voluntary income tax, which is so voluntary that the IRS can empty your bank account and take your house if you don't pay it. Unless, of course, your appointed to a Cabinet position...

Of course, the Republican party is putting up a splendid fight against this runaway train called economic stimulus. They trotted out Bobby Jindal after the President's "state of the government" address to give a response. Jindal is supposed to be a rising young star in the Republican party, and some people have tagged him as a potential Presidential candidate in 2012. After that limp wristed attempt at a response, the Reps better start looking somewhere else, and not in Alaska...

Most recently, it seems that the Democrats are getting their panties in a wad over a bombastic pain in the ass named Limbaugh. You've got unemployment over 8%, you've got two wars going on, you've got a failing stock market, a dead in the water housing market, trillions of dollars in debt, and you're worried about an goddamned entertainer. Well done. I suggest you ignore Limbaugh and get back to doing what you're obviously very capable of doing, placing massive debt on people who aren't even fuckin' born yet and all the while pointing the finger of blame at the other side and stuffing your pockets with money and perks so that you can get re-elected. Again.

Hope and change? More like Lies and Hypocrisy...

Four days out...

In four days, the American public will go to the polls and elect a new President, and elect a new Congress. There will be the usual watching of the returns, the parties, the talking heads spouting forth from their oh-so-deep knowledge of things political. There will be rallies, and there are going to be a lot of excited people, and a lot of disappointed ones...

Much of this campaign has been spent on the topic of change and/or reform. Senator Obama has preached a message of change from the get go, and Senator McCain has talked about being a "maverick" and reform. Both have promised to modify the way things are being done in Washington. Both have trumpeted the usual talking points that Republicans and Democrats always do. Both have promised to fix the health care crisis in this country. Both have presented plans to cut taxes, at least for certain people...

The truth of the matter is that no matter who wins on Tuesday, not a damn thing is going to change...

I say this because I see two candidates who supported the ridiculous bailout bill. I see two candidates whose first year budget plans will add to the national debt. I see two candidates whose policies will further enlarge the federal government, which is a behemoth that has an insatiable appetite for money. I see two candidates that refuse to even speak about the flood of illegal immigrants that are invading our country, much less do anything about it. I see two candidates that are either ignoring the massive fiscal disaster that lurks on the horizon, or really aren't aware that America's credit card is about to maxed out...

I see two candidates that don't have the integrity to admit that Congress and the past administrations have done some ridiculously stupid things, things that quite frankly they had no business doing. I see two candidates who are unwilling to call out those Senators and Representatives who have been bribed, pandered to, given sweetheart deals, and basically used their office for personal gain. I see two candidates that have towed the party line without fail, and do and say whatever it is that their campaign managers tell them to...

Yes, there will be a brief moment of relief when all the votes are counted, and the winner's supporters will gloat and crow, and the loser's supporters will whine and pout. And yes, there will be some euphoria if Senator Obama wins this thing; some people have gotten into their heads that all it takes is an Obama victory and all in the world will be right and good. The different kind of mentality flows from the McCain side, but it's more of a "thank-god-we-dodged-the-bullet" mentality. Both sides are misleading themselves...it's not going to be all right. We're in for four more years of the same bullshit that we've been fed for the last 30 years, it'll just be packaged a little different, and presented in such a way that people won't know they're being fed bullshit, so it's going to be business as usual...

The only good thing that's going to come out of this is that George W. Bush will be out of the White House...and that's it.

Laid off and pissed about it...

I got laid off this past Friday. It wasn't the world's greatest job, and like all jobs it could drive one crazy at times. But the boss was decent, the commute short, and from time to time I actually had some rather satisfying moments...
The are many reasons as to why I find myself unemployed at this time, and to be honest there really isn't much I could have done to prevent it. All things happen for a reason, I really believe that, but this comes at a time when my wife and I were starting to see a bit of a turnaround in her business, real estate. So, in an attempt to make myself feel better, I have three distinct groups of people I'd like to thank for helping to put me in this situation...

First off, to all of the ignorant, careless, foolish idiots that applied for and received a sub-prime mortgage for homes you could not afford. Thanks for helping the second group of idiots I'll mention make a lot of money, and for taking one of the backbones of our economy and breaking it. Nice job, shitheads. You just had to keep up with the Joneses, didn't you? What possessed you to think that the mortgage payment wasn't going to balloon into something you couldn't handle? Oh, and I'm sure that there are those of you that knew exactly what you were doing, and that when the mortgage payment exceeded your ability to pay it, you just packed your shit up and headed back to Mexico, or just went to another state so you could pull the same stunt over again.

FUCK YOU!

Next up on my shit list is those greedy, myopic, self-serving bastards known as lenders, bankers, investors, brokers,and various members off the real estate industry that bent to the will of the third group I'll go off on. It wasn't enough to make 10 million dollars a year, was it? No, you had to go ahead and pull off some of the stupidest deals ever perpetrated on a healthy facet of our economy, just to satisfy the freaks in Washington, and to line your pockets faster. Thanks! Your greed and short-sightedness has put this country, and the world, on the brink of a financial disaster that will make the Great Depression look like a walk in the park.

FUCK YOU!

But, when it really gets down to it, the folks I'd really like to thank for this situation is the people who have been elected to represent the American people for the last couple of decades. You stupid, greedy, corrupt, out-of-touch, moronic, can't-wait-for-the-next-reelection campaign shit lickers in Washington, D.C. You bastards let special interests, a phony sense of entitlement, and your own greed and lust for power to mess around with stuff that not only isn't part of your fucking job, you have no fucking clue as to what you're doing. I hope you're happy, you've done what no other outside power could've done. You've put the greatest nation ever to grace the planet Earth into an ass-bind that quite frankly, I don't see us getting out of any time soon. Well done, and...

FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!

There, I feel better...

What's ahead...

Well, here in a few weeks we will have elected a new President, and unless a monumental screw-up of scandal gets in the way, his name will be Barack Obama...
Our new President is going have dumped into his lap an enormous mess. A mess created by greed, the lust for power, corrupt politicians, corrupt bankers and most of all, a short sighted and uninformed general public who seemed convinced that re-electing the same people over and over again was a good idea. The future isn't particularly rosy, either. "Yes, We Can" is going to turn into"But We Have To!"
The deficit for FY2008 stands at $438 billion. Now, through insane lending practices, lack of oversight, and a perverse kind of class warfare, we get to add $700 billion to bailout Wall Street, not to mention the $100 billion worth of pork and extras added on, $85 billion for AIG, which now appears not be enough, the $200+ billion to rid Fannie and Freddie of it's bad paper, maybe another $25 billion to help the Big Three auto manufacturers, and there's no telling how many billions the new Money Czar Henry Paulsen will request to bail out banks and buy up bad debt...

Oh, and Nancy Pelosi wants another $150 billion for an "economic stimulus package". Like the first one worked.

And let's not forget all of the new programs President Obama wants to implement...

Where the fuck is all the money coming from?

Will the Federal Reserve just print up a whole bunch of Monopoly money to pay for this? Oh, that'll do a number on our already weakened dollar. Maybe we can borrow it...from China! What, you say they're getting antsy about our arms sales to Taiwan? But surely our friends like Japan and Saudi Arabia will help us out...what, you mean our credit card is about to be maxed out?

No problem, we can cut spending in Social Security, Medicaid, student loans, veteran's benefits, infrastructure, unemployment benefits and job creation. What, oh, that really isn't such a great idea when the country is facing what could be a monstrous recession, now is it? I guess tax cuts and tax credits are out as well...

So, if you can't touch any of that, that leaves you with two areas to cut spending, defense and foreign aid. The rest of the world is just going to have to get along without all the billions we send overseas, and the massive military empire we have created since the end of WWII will have to be dismantled. Europe will have to fend for herself, South Korea will have to fend for herself, Japan, Iraq, Israel and every other country that counts on us to defend them is just out of luck. Game over, the superpower that once was the United States is gone...good luck, y'all!

I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but bad things will come because of it...and all because we allowed our government and politicians to mess around with with stuff they had no business dealing with.

And, of course, we all had to have that plasma TV this week...

Debate #2...how fitting...

Well, Nashville hosted a "debate" last night, if you want to call it a debate. It was more of a rehash of the same talking points that we've been hearing for the last several months more than anything else. And once again, I don't think there was a clear winner, although Senator McBlinky improved his performance somewhat. What should have been a knockout punch for him, wasn't, but at least he didn't come off as a complete idiot. He does need to remember how to finish his sentences, though...
As for Senator Obama, whereas he probably scored a few points by pointing out that he wants the American public to have access to the same kind of health care insurance that he and Senator McCain get, I'd like to point out that in my opinion, that's not enough, Senator. If you're going to go ahead and spend all that money for nationalized health insurance, then I want a nationalized pension and retirement like you and Senator McCain as well. If we're going down the road to a more socialist form of government, then, let's not do it half assed, give me the whole fuckin' enchilada...
Before I go into what disappointed me about the whole thing, I will say that Tom Blowchow, I mean Brokaw, did a better job than the last two moderators. Don't get me wrong, I despise most mainstream media talking heads, but he at least reminded the two of them that there were time limits. He also bent the rules a bit about follow up questions, and seemed willing to interact a bit with the candidates...
Now, here's what disappointed me. The questions. Yes, there were some good ones, but there were some glaring omissions. Granted, the people chosen to participate in this debate may not be political junkies like myself, but not one fucking question about illegal immigration? Not one?! Why is it that illegal immigration is sort of a "hands off" topic in this election? Is the Hispanic vote that freakin' important? The reason this upsets me so is that I know Nashville, I live 20 miles or so from the site of this debate, and I can guaratee you that illegal immigration is a hot button topic around here. As a fast growing and popular relocation area, Middle Tennessee has become overrun with illegals. It absolutely dumbfounds me that that topic wasn't brought up...
Another glaring omission in last night's little chit-chat was the economic bailout package that Congress passed and both of the candidates supported. Not one question about the ridiculous amount of pork that was thrown in with the bailout, not one question about who and what were to blame for this mess, not one iota of outrage over almost a trillion taxpayer dollars going to fix SOMEBODY ELSE'S FUCK UP!!! I guess I could go on about the amount of blame that rests heavily on the shoulders of Congress, past and present, for this fiasco, and the complete denial of all of the politicians involved of any responsibility. But I've ranted about politicians and their lack of integrity before, somethings will probably never change...
So, in conclusion, I think last night was ultimately a huge waste of time and money. We didn't get anything new, we didn't get to hear anything about other issues, and I'm sure now that until the next "debate", we'll be assaulted with the same shit that we've been assaulted with so far...
Ugh...

Your government at work...

The following is part of the Senate's proposed bailout package...

EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN WOODEN
ARROW SHAFTS.—Subparagraph (A) shall not
apply to any shaft consisting of all natural
wood with no laminations or artificial means of
enhancing the spine of such shaft (whether sold
separately or incorporated as part of a finished
or unfinished product) of a type used in the
manufacture of any arrow which after its assembly—
(I) measures 5⁄16 of an inch or less in diameter, and
(II)is not suitable for use with a bow
described in paragraph (1)(A)

EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall apply to shafts first sold after the date
of enactment of this Act.

Don' t ya think there are a few more important things going on right now than the FUCKING EXCISE TAX ON FUCKING TOY ARROWS!!!!!!

The thing that really gets me here is that this is only one parargraph in a 400 page bill. There is absolutely no telling what these shitheads in the Senate have stuffed into this package. There's probably a provision that creates a tax credit for recycling condoms in order to keep isolated parking lots clean and therefore help the freakin' environment...

This moronic bullshit that these idiots foist upon us has got to stop...NOW. We are in the midst of what could be the biggest financial disaster in this country's history, and some in-the-pocket, stupid, self serving puppet of the WALG (Wooden Arrow Lobbyist Group) has attached this kind of crap to a bailout bill. I honestly believe that they have all lost their minds. We are governed by the biggest ship of fools ever to be assembled. My grandfather was right...every single one of them should be taken out and shot...

Update: Okay, after doing a little research into Arrowgate, this bill was originally proposed by Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon back in April or May, and I guess it never got out of committee or something. It would have benefited a rousing 9 wooden arrow manufacturers. Now, do you think what's happening is that we have this 750 billion dollar pile of money, and every little pork project that our good Senators have failed to get passed is getting rolled into the package so that they can stand on the Capitol steps and smile, telling us that not only they have saved the economy, but have brought home the bacon as well?

I swear...

...and sometimes quite often! Today's topic will be on the inhabitants of the Internet, and the amazing assortment of idiots, freaks and mental defectives that one can run into there. I base my observations on the two websites that I have the most experience with, a social network called LiveDigital, which has since shut its doors, and a message board run by my ISP. Both had/have their share of intelligent, insightful, and grounded participants, but to be honest, the vast majority of the rest were some of the most unbelievable idiots I have ever run across...
Let's start with trolls. There are many kinds of trolls, the kind I've witnessed on the message board most is the "drive-by" troll. This kind of troll starts a thread, with either a provocative title or original post, and then disappears into cyberspace, never coming back to respond to any of the replies. It seems to think that by simply starting a thread, it is actually accomplishing something. The OP is usually written in some kind of pidgeon English, or worse, it some copied and pasted e-mail or blog. They are annoying, but easily ignored.
The next kind of troll is sort of like the "drive-by" troll, but it comes back from time to time, resurrecting their inane thread ever so often, just enough to aggravate the hell out of you. I'll name this kind of troll the "it-makes-no-sense-but-here-it-is-again" troll. One such troll actually attempted to tell me that Amerigo Vespucci discovered America, and pasted an article from the German Wikipedia to prove his point. He didn't realize that I read German fairly well, and that what he posted refuted his claim altogether. Idiot.
Then you have the "I've-got-it-on-my-computer-clipboard-and-will-use-it-multiple-times" troll. This kind of troll puts together some convoluted conglomeration of links, soundbytes, out of context quotes (or portions thereof) and usually at least one YouTube link, saves it to their comp's clipboard, and then at the first possible moment, paste it as a reply to a thread, whether it is relevant or not. Then they do it again. And again. This kind of troll is the most common on the social network scene, and although it seems to be acceptable behavior to run around all of your "friends" pages and drop the same glitter graphic telling someone to have a "Happy Hump Day!" or some such bullshit, it's still a kind of trolling. The point is, if you really want to be my "friend", then take the fucking time to slow your ass down and leave me a comment that is sincere and personal...
That brings me to the social network ritual of sharing things, like videos, pictures, music or blogs. LiveDigital made that the foundation of it's existence. You could send out what was called a "media alert". Basically, a media alert was an e-mail to your "friends", and it contain a piece of media, or perhaps a blog post. Your "friends" could leave comments on said media, and even rate it. You were awarded points for receiving said comments and ratings, and you were rewarded points for rating and commenting other people's stuff they sent you. Once you reached a certain number of points, you were awarded more storage space. Now, don't get me wrong, that kind of system is kinda fun, but some people took things way too far. They would send you five or six alerts a day, everyday, and in return they would leave a canned response from their clipboard on anything you sent them. "Thanks for sharing!" and "Very Nice!!!" are two examples of the common "comment" troll.
Another form of troll is the "I-don't-pay attention-to-anything-else-that-is-already-posted" troll. This kind of troll logs into a forum and immediately starts a new thread on a topic that already has several threads running. They seem to feel that their opinion is far too fucking important to be relegated to a mere response. This troll has a close cousin, the "I'm-going-to-start-a-thread-with-a-topic-that-has-been-declared-off-limits-by-the-moderators" troll. This kind of troll pays absolutely no mind to what has happened before, and doesn't really care. And when it gets locked, it seems then to think it's okay to start a new thread complaining that their off-limits thread got locked, which then promptly gets locked. Well done, shit-for-brains...

(Note: the following portion of this post is not aimed at a certain squirrel type reader. What happened to you in my mind was unjustified, and there are shit-sniffers "over there" that still roam free, when they should be put in time out for good.)

There are more species and sub-species of trolls, but perhaps the most annoying kind of troll is the "multiple-personality" troll. This troll sets up multiple accounts on the same web site, usually because the powers that be have banned them for a period of time, or perhaps for good. They do not understand the concept of "banned", nor do they think their banishment is justified. They reappear, and begin to do the same things that got them tossed in the first place. Sometimes, and I personally know of one case in particular, this kind of troll can get themselves booted from numerous sites, and all for the same reasons. They seem to think that they can fool people into thinking that they aren't who they really are, when in reality they're quite transparent (well, transparent to those folks that aren't busy pasting glitter graphics on a hundred of their "friends" pages). They do the same things, post the same crap, set things up on their page the same way, and my personal favorite, talk to themselves. Log in under one account, leave a comment on another account, log out and reply from the other account, you get the picture. It's silly, it's aggravating, but most of all it's moronic...
So ends my presentation on trolls, and the different kinds thereof. I'm sure I may have missed a few, perhaps someone can describe other forms of this deplorable Internet inhabitant...