It's been a while...

...since I posted about something that didn't make me angry, sad, or annoyed. So here it is, the best hip hop video ever.

If your not a Bob Saget fan, you will be now. No this guy really knows how to revive a career. Whether it was playing a coke addict in Half Baked or the crazy parody of himself on Huff, there is nothing funnier to me than the dad from Full House going out and getting wasted.

No only that, but it ;looks like he's my kind of guy. Maybe we can get Sag out here to do a show? How about it Woolly?

It's official, I guess.

This morning NBC officially changed it's rhetoric regarding Iraq. They are now prepared to call the violence in Iraq a CIVIL WAR.

Wow. I guess they are prepared to call the New York Senate race for Clinton too. Is that obvious enough?

Here is the funny part. The President still insists that it isn't a CIVIL WAR. But I would like to point out that nothing kills what little credibility he has more than going to the Iraqi Prime Minister and demanding of know what kind of plan he has to quell the violence.

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!?! That's like me spilling boiling tar on your carpet and demanding to know how you are going to clean it up. Most people would get either a) punched or b) slapped in the face for doing that. In fact, thats not a bad idea.

In lieu of impeachment, every time the President embarrasses the country a registered voter gets to either a) punch or b) slap him in the face. I'll even do it in private. Perhaps we should keep that policy around too, it might help keep our elected officials inline. I mean, the President's approval rating is still in the low to mid 30's, which means that roughly 60 million people want to either a) punch or b) slap him in the face.

Thanksgiving

Time to enumerate the things that I am thankful for:

1) Democratic Majority in Congress
2) Keith Olbermann
3) Barak Obama's book The Audacity of Hope, more to come on this when I finish it.
4) My friends and family, you know who you are.
5) Those wonderful audiences that have come out to see my work over the past year.
6) Any sign that reasoned debate will make a comeback.
7) The firing of Ricky and Ron on Studio 60.
8) The Imams in Minnesota who are pointing out the religious hypocrisies in this country.
9) Low Carb Tortillas and pasta.
10) the 44% of democrats that have John Edwards as their 2nd choice for President in '08. Add that to his current 14% and you get 58% - that's consensus Kyle!
11) Tenacious D: the pick of Destiny.

Kramer vs. EVERYBODY!

So by now I imagine that everyone has seen or heard about Michael Richards going off the deep end at the Laugh Factory in LA. If not, read it here. You can watch it here, but be warned it is rough.

Obviously there is no excuse for something like this, no one can or should get away with it. I am however, curious about his act. Like was it really that bad? What exactly were the hecklers saying to him? Did they say something that would warrant an attempt to shock them into silence? As bad as what he said and did was, there is no context provided.

I don't mean to be insensitive, but I have experienced people trying to bait me into using racial slurs. I have a large vocabulary of insults so it never works, plus I prefer to make it personal at that point and I see that kind of verbal/racial attack as an acknowledgment that you have lost...plus your a racist ass.

The ramblings of the Richards apology allude to rage, kind of on both parts. I kind of think that he has hit on something here. Not that he understands it, nor do I think that it actually applies to him in this case. But there is such a lack of consideration for others in the American public life. Traffic, Movie Theaters, Lines for Playstaion 3's, on the metro, or even people with their i-pods on on that walk in the middle of the bike path...not to one side...in the middle...and they have the thing up so loud they can't hear you when you tell them what side your coming up on to pass and look at you like your the ass hole when they cause you to nearly fall into East West Highway during rush hour!

All of this has played out in the media as well, with shouting matches and "shut up" artists replacing critical thinkers and real debate on our public air waves. It use to be that we would laugh at Dana Carvey's John McLaughlin impersonation because it was so loud an opinionated that it was obvious that it was trash...now it's common place. Darell Hammond has had to tone down his Chris Matthews impersonation, because to parody him you would have to shout things like "I INVENTED THE WAFFLE IRON IN 7 DAYS! WHY DOES THE DEMOCRAT PARTY HATE AMERICA AND WAFFLES SO MUCH?!?!?!?!?!?!"

We can shun Michael Richards all we want, but it is a problem with our society that lies beneath it all. It's gotten George Allen, Rush Limbaugh, and Mel Gibson to name a few. What do they have in common? The people who supported them, stayed with them, allowing them to further advance their backward thinking. Because no one sits down and debates things anymore. Our society has fallen into believing that just because we have an opinion, that opinion is valid. It's just not so, unless were talking about art.

So this is where we are....

I don't know about you, but to me it seems that it is becoming more and more apparent that there is no way out of Iraq. Well, actually there is one way: pack up our stuff and leave. But no one is going to do this, it seems.

We are getting three options from the Pentagon: 1) more troops - 20,000 or so. 2) Fewer troops, but stay there for 10 years or more. 3) get out now.

What is most disturbing is that no one likes any of these options. Military experts, politicians, and the public are finally on the same page...they don't like the options. I don't either. And there isn't much hope of the Iraq Study Group coming up with any other options.

There are retired generals and John McCain who say we need like 125,000 more troops. Which really breaks my heart. Not just that we would have to send almost twice as many soldiers into that civil war, but that the fact of the matter is that we do not have these troops. Not even close. Thats why we are hearing that Charlie Rangel wants to re-institute the draft. Which might be the only responsible thing I have heard in regard to the war in two years.

The Bush administration wants us to believe that this is a war like World War Two, a noble cause, a fight for freedom, etc. If that is the case they should be supporting the Draft, and I have to say that I support the Draft.

I support it because I believe that it will bring a faster end to this failed policy. First off, the wealth will switch to a staunch anti-war position to protect their children. Second, as Rangel has indicated, it is a good patriotic way to fill the needs that we have in Homeland and Border Security - if we are serious about it. Third, it could eliminate all of these Mercenaries that are filling out our military. Mercenaries are a blight on our Military's reputation and a drag on morale, since they make 3 to 4 times what the average soldier makes. The last of my reasons for the support for the Draft is that forcing the Chicken Hawks to pay for the war. Attach the Draft to any vote on funding, any vote on troop strength, any vote on long expensive fences, any vote on tax cuts, and make them pay for what they have gotten this country into.

I also have problems with the idea that we have to stay at all. The mission was to eliminate Saddam and create a region in which Democracy could develop. That mission is done. Would we have tolerated the French sticking around after the Revolution to "ensure" that we organized our own government in a way that we approved of? No way, we still can't stand the French.

It's something that have to want. There is a general out there who has said that "we want it more than they do." If this is the case, victory on the Presidents terms is impossible. So Mr. President, support the troops or get them the hell out of there and let the Iraqis form there own government.

Who the Hell is Glenn Beck?

Well, I actually know who Glenn Beck is, but many people don't and they might get the wrong idea. For the time that has passed since the 2006 midterms I have still been listening to my progressive talk radio, and I have been inundated with advertisements for the Glenn Beck Show on CNN Headline News Prime (I have no idea what this is though.) I hear sound teases like,"I may be conservative, but I'm not an idiot," (which we all know is impossible) and all kinds of conservative ideology being passed off as populism I guess.

Now while I can not fault progressive talk radio for scooping up an advertising dollars that they can, this guy disturbs me. I wikipedia'd him and he claims to be a "conservative that happens not to be a republican." Sounds good, but he's anti-choice, anti-tax, anti-gay marriage, and had a show after the 2004 elections called "Gloat Fest!" Sounds like a Republican to me.

Worse, this afternoon I hear on the Al Franken Show a clip of him asking this of Keith Ellison (first muslim elected to the House of Representatives) :

"I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.' " Beck added: "I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way."
you can watch it here.

I also discovered that this albino ass was awarded "Worse Person in the World" by Olbermann.

If you've got the time, email CNN and voice your objection to this a-hole's presence on the cable tubes. Though it does not apply to the cable format, I nice treatise on how this kind of crap doesn't serve the public interest goes pretty far in tweaking the conscience of news heads (if not the programing heads.) Or you could demand a show in the preceding or following slot to "balance" Becks extreme views.

We just got our government back, time to get real news back too.

Letter to the RNC

Dear RNC,

Congratulations on your big win against Harold Ford, Jr this past Tuesday! Kudos, as well, for your impressive victories on the Texas and Florida gubernatorial contests. What a night for the RNC, and what a new bar you have set for the level of debate in this country.

I am writing to ask...no...enthusiastically insist that you choose the out-going Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, Michael Steele, as your new chairman. His history of doing absolutely nothing on issues, the fact that he's never been successful as a candidate in his own right, his success in deceiving the public, isolating the African American community, his issue-less television ad savvy, his failure to ever pass the bar exam, and his 10 point loss to a charisma free 69 year old policy wonk, make him my preferred choice for the chairmanship of the RNC.

I hope that his loss in Maryland does not dissuade you from making the right choice. As you know he was the chair of the Maryland Republican Party and helped George Bush get a whopping 40% of the vote in Maryland in 2000. The fact that Michael Steele was able rise to the head of the Maryland Republican party with out ever holding a real job, should also be taken into consideration.

In closing, please, please, please choose Michael Steele as your new Chairman, because the country needs to see the real Republican Party and what it stands for.

Thinking back to March

Months ago I post a piece called futureworld. The topic was populism. Not to toot my on horn too much, but this is still the future of politics for the next 8-10 years, maybe (hopefully) longer. Jim Webb, John Tester, Claire McCaskill are all examples of this king of politics. John McCain on the other side was a good example until recently, John Warner also.

Over the past 40 years I think we can see the danger of ideological politics. It seems to me that the inevitably get us into a war that is impossible to win (ie. Vietnam or Iraq.) They also sharply divide the country and force Americans to take "sides," in a political war of theory.

The future of this country would be be best protected with the elimination of the so called "wedge issues." Public financing of campaigns would assist that, but that in an of itself could spiral into a wedge issue. But the solution is to put these issues to the public. The GOP should follow along with this if the DEM's agree to do it on a state by state basis, and then they can in turn agree that in the instance of a national consensus a national regulation would be enacted.

Neither DEM's or GOP's will win all of these battles, but the idea is not for either of them to win. It is for the country to win. I'm sure that I will eventually eat my own words, but it seems to me that it would be the best compromise the parties could make, listening to the people - instead of trying to tell them what to think.

What the hell?

Ok, I looked up Dr. Robert Gates, who is speculated to be the successor to Rumsfeld, and the wikapedia site already has him listed as the current Sec of Def. It seems the White House might be doing the updating. Most people don't even know this is happening. Shouldn't they wait until he is confirmed? And is it any surprise that the President is appointing another spy to high cabnet office?

Snowballing

The AP just reported that Rumsfeld is stepping down. Translation, the President knows that Allen is going to lose in VA, and know has to respond to what the people of this country have wanted for years. It's typical Bush, toss anyone under the bus to try and give the appearance of "decisiveness." He's actually doing the DEM's a favor here, if Rummy stayed the would have been forced to impeach him, giving the GOP impeachment language for 08.

We WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, now that control of the house is firmly in our hands, and it looks like the Senate may follow in the next hours, days, weeks; I have this to say to the party: Don't fuck it up.

Congratulations on a well run national campaign, the first in a while. Now get in there and fix this broken government. Middle Class tax relief, over site, repeal corporate tax relief, over site, fix Medicare part D, over site, environmental protection, over site, health care for all children, over site, embryonic stem cell research, over site and over site. Do NOT get caught up in pointless battles about same sex marriage, flag burning, and human animal hybrids.

A note to the happy victors: don't for get that after Hitler became Chancellor the communists pick up a bunch of seats in the Reichstag, only to him still rise even further, and eventually out law there party. This is no time to be complacent, not time to rest on our laurels, you now know the importance of voting so lets make sure the last six years never happens again.

May the best party win.

And by that I mean the Democratic Party. Today I wish luck to McCaskill, Webb, Whitehouse, Tester, Cardin, Menendez, Ford, Jr, and Pederson in Arizona.

Here is my schedule for tomorrow.

6:00am - wake up as I will not be able to sleep.

7:00 am - arrive at work, I have the early shift anyway.

3:00 pm - Leave work

3:45 pm - arrive at my polling place, vote.

6:15 pm - view Borat in order to take my mind off of nail biting elections, or at least pass the time where there will be no information.

8:00 pm - start watching the cable news and drinking. I'll need the alcohol no matter which way it works out.

MESSAGE TO HPMELON: I use to have dreams involving George Gush and Dick Cheney right before elections. I mean, like really bad nightmares. I would wake up screaming. But I have not had them this time around. So rest easy.

GOP tries to re run 2004

Before I go any further I wanted to put up this list provided by Darksyde at the Daily Kos:

• VP Dick Cheney - several deferments, by marriage and timely fatherhood.


• Karl Rove, occasional Deputy Chief of Staffand alleged full time smear artist, escaped the draft and did not serve


• Secretary of State and former NSA Condaleeza Rice - did not serve


• Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - did not serve.


• Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - did not serve.


• Republican Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay - did not serve.

• Rush Limbaugh - did not serve


• Sean Hannity - did not serve


• Ann Coulter - did not serve


• Bill O'Reilly - did not serve

I'm going to add one of my own: George W. Bush - served with no distinction in the Air National Guard, when he decided that he had nothing better to do and showed up. No that they would let him fly anything when he was that DRUNK.

Now on to the man who should now become the quietest DEM in the party. John Kerry. I know what he meant, you know what he meant, and they know what he meant. The only people that seem to not know what he meant were Fox News, Lou Dobbs, and Wolf Blitzer.

Okay John, I agree the President didn't do his home work, didn't study hard in college (by his own admission,) and he led us in to a quagmire the likes we have not seen since the Johnson Administration. The man does not have the intelligence necessary to perform the job of President. He thinks that he took and oath to "make us safe" so I guess he wasn't listening during the "first I say it and then you repeat me, okay George?" part of the inauguration when he swears to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." But one would just have to look at his NSA policy or the theory of the unitary executive to know that he doesn't understand that oath.

However; who the hell told John Kerry that he was funny or even allowed to make jokes? I realize when a campaign calls in John Kerry to help them out they are in a sad state, I mean if Phil Angeledes has to bring in Kerry to whip up support, shit...that race is over, but please John, we don't need anymore of your poor ass public speaking.

I know a local theatre professor that was scheduled 3 time to help Kerry out with "speechifying" in 2004, and Kerry canceled/rescheduled every one of the sessions. Now with his copious free time, he has not done any better. John, take some lessons. We in the performance community know all about reversing words and dropped lines, garbled speech, etc...we do it too, but you don't make it to the big stages doing that. You fix it, you work hard, do your home work, try and make yourself the best that you can be, or else you get stuck in Classica Theatre...awe crap.

Fortunately, John Kerry is not running for anything. But he might cost the DEMs Missouri and Tennessee. For those reasons alone, win or lose, he is out. No more money. Release the money you've got now. Don't even think about 2008. John, the jig is up. I will not support you again, and I encourage anyone reading this to follow suit. I will not throw any names out there (though there is a nice son of a goat herder, former first lady, and former Vice President who come to mind) but I will take a stand here and now. They say,"never say never." Well to quote Chris Rock,"I"M SAYING NEVER" again will I support John Kerry on a national level. If I lived in MASS, I'd probably say different - but my guess is that if Romney doesn't run for President, he will challenge Kerry when his term is up, and boy do they like that mormon.