Tag Archives: Politics

We all say things we regret, and granted John McCain said this a long time ago, but really as a politician don’t you think you would credit him with more common sense? This is the man who Hillary Clinton supporters are suppose to turn their backs on Obama in protest and vote for? I think not…

In case you had not heard this now infamous joke told by John McCain in front of the National League of Cities and Towns in Washington D.C. it goes something like this…

John McCain asked the crowd if they had heard “the one about the woman who was attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die?”

The punch line: “When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, “Where is that marvelous ape?”

Ick… not funny. I wonder what his campaign would have said if this was attributed to Obama.

Presumably, there would be outrage in the media, blogs and elsewhere, but when John McCain’s long-time friend and chief strategist said to Fortune Magazine that the assassination of Benazir Bhutto “saved” the McCain campaign in the NH primary and a terrorist attack on the U.S. would be to their advantage – there was hardly a peep. Funny how McCain supporters have not been outraged by one of our own theorizing how American deaths might serve the ‘greater good’ – presuming that electing McCain is the greater good.

Obama has at times been the teflon-candidate (nothing bad seems to stick), but nobody complains about the constant attacks from conservative talk radio, YouTube videos, news broadcast channels like FOX News (where Carl Rove now calls home) or the overly politicized pulpits of the tens of thousands of fundamentalist churches who have used race as a wedge and continue to berate Obama (and his wife) every chance they get. If a senior aide from the Obama campaign inferred that massive casualties in Iraq would ‘be to their advantage’ people would be rightfully outraged. One does not wish pain and suffering or openly court it in the press, but McCain seems to be surrounded by individuals who seem to find it perfectly acceptable; provided they are the ones doing the talking.

This most recent gaff is all the more interesting because it comes on the heels of last month’s fiasco involving the notorious Texan millionaire, Clayton Williams. Clayton has made jokes about rape telling women “as long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” McCain did cancel his appearance at the last minute but has kept the $300,000. Can you imagine the outrage and how racist phobias would be ignited if Obama took money from a friend who made a similar comment?

Is there a double-standard for Obama and McCain? Absolutely, but apparently it cuts both ways and depending on your personal sympathies these are either non-issues or outrages that infuriate. Take your pick.

This is a quick video clip that pokes fun at many conservative policies that over the years have become synonymous with the Republican party (e.g. anti-choice, pro big business, etc). It is over the top, but I think that even my more conservative friends and family will get a chuckle out of this one.

There are few causes I have felt more marginalized by and passionate about then gun control. The overwhelming majority of Americans support the right to bear arms, but what that means exactly differs when you talk to people. The Nation’s leading gun lobby, NRA, does not like having intelligent discourse and looks at any efforts to regulate the sale of guns as an infringement on individual rights.

The NY Times had an article in today’s paper about a group called “Mayors Against Illegal Guns”. This group has used each of the Presidential Candidates own words from past speeches to create a bi-partisan effort to close “gun loopholes” and prevent the sale of guns to convicted criminals. Seems like a no brainer to everyone except the NRA and their most ardent supporters. Take a look at the clever advertisement.

Recently I was told that I needed to add some pictures or movement to my blog because it was getting boring. I was surprised that anyone I knew was even checking out this site, because I tend to consider it more of an online journal to record my thoughts and occassional rants. However, vanity being what it is, I decided that I would take the critique in stride and do my best to add more visual stimulation (at least for this blog entry).

Earlier this week I was sent a collection of cartoons that poke fun at the rising gas prices. I am lucky that I can walk to work each day, but my partner does have a 40 mile roundtrip commute each day and I know that many people have been impacted by rising gas prices. I’m tempted to use this entry to go on and on about how energy independence and more environmentally friendly options need to be explored,but I will refrain (this time).

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Last week pro-Tibetan forces were able to draw worldwide attention to protest China’s deplorable history of violating human right and their brutal occupation of Tibet by launching massive protests along the Olympic torch route in London, Paris and San Francisco. The protesters in London actually snatched the torch briefly, in Paris the run had to be suspended and in San Francisco a huge banner could be seen flying from the Golden Gate Bridge.

I believe that these public displays only served to outrage Chinese officials rather than raise awareness for the pro-Tibetan cause and while it probably was a source of embarassment for the local Chinese diplomats in those countries, I doubt that the Chinese and Tibetans were even aware of the world outcry (if you could call it that).

A week after these protests, there is not a single mention of these groups in the U.S. news that would help raise awareness or share their message with a broader audience. So I’m left wondering if all the organization and protests had the effect groups were hoping for? Perhaps the situation is different in Europe. It seems to me that Europeans do tend to focus more on international news than in the United States so perhaps the protests were not in vain. However, I think a more effective way to express outrage with the Chinese government’s occupation of Tibet and blatant disregard for human rights is to encourage US and European firms to stop investing in China and educate their citizens so they can purchase products that are made in other nations. All of southeast Asia is hungry for economic investment as is much of the developing world (e.g. Middle East, South and Central America). Flexing our collective economic muscle will have more of an impact on the Chinese government than raising fists on the street in protest. I think I’m just getting old and grumpy – once upon a time I probably would have been rushing out into the street to join those Tibetan protesters.

Yestereday, the Associated Press (AP) reported that for the first time in history, more than 1 in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison. Statistics show that 1 in 30 men between the ages of 20 – 34 are incarcerated while the figure for black males in that same age group is 1 in 9.

What should one conclude from such figures? For me it is a stark reminder of the socio-economic inequities that exist and the adverse consequences that impact us all. Aside from the financial burden which finally has forced many conservatives to reevaluate this problem, what has been the cost in terms of ruined lives and lost opportunities for individuals and families? When one reads that more than 2.3 million people are in jail or prison and that minorities are so disproportionately affected does this mean that racism abounds? Does this mean that opportunities and chances to participate in the American dream are only accessible if you are white and make a certain amount of money?

I don’t have answers, but I believe these issues are symptomatic of larger problems. When more than 2.3 million lives are spent behind bars that impacts millions more (mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, etc). Forgetting about these people will not make the problem go away and does not make America a better place to live. We are free but we are also compassionate – we need to identify ways to make more opportunities available to everyone; we need to reach out beyond our own neighborhoods to build bridges rather than errecting barriers; we need to realize that we are all conncected and while our indvidual fortunes / misfortunes might only affect us and our families – collectively they affect us all.