Been over a year.

It has been a long time. However, I believe that most posts have been added by me. So I am calling out EZ Adams. What you got for discourse? Wasn't this your idea? :p

I am with Israel.

I know this is a highly disputed subject. I know that war is bad. that horrible things happen during war time. I truly feel for those innocents that are paying the price for other peoples stupidity.

here is how i see it. every couple decades, Israel has to re-establish that they are not prey. they have had their rights, religion, and lives threatened far longer than... well just about anyone i can think of. Israel (and specifically Jerusalem) were theirs before the other people that are currently claiming that land. more importantly, they have been there for over 50 years now. they aren't leaving. it is almost set in stone. they will be there and fight until they are all dead, or everyone else leaves them alone.

in the "6 Day War", the Israeli's established that they are not a push over. in fact they are a cornered badger in its den. and Israel's neighbors keep poking sticks (read 'rockets') into the den. now those neighbors have some how got the whole world all upset that the badger came out and is not content to bite their hand... no they want the whole damn arm. I say they should get it. The U.N. should shut its freaking pie hole. if it had done what it was meant to, they would have stopped the rockets. IF ISRAEL KNOWS HOW THEY ARE GETTING ROCKETS and HOW TO STOP THEM. then the U.N. knew too.

so Israel. I say wreak havoc. destroy them. they have publicly declared that they intend to 'utterly destroy' you. i say you mimic their intentions. destroy them until they capitulate. and only stop when they have stopped. you have superior weapons and training. the only thing that keeps them from being wiped out is your morals. remind them of that.

I am an advocate of 'Total War' because it is the fastest way to end a war and to prevent future wars. in nature animals know when it is best to leave something alone. you don't bother a mother bear, you don't bother a feeding wolverine, and you leave a cornered badger the hell alone! Japan doesn't pick fights with the US anymore... any guess as to why?

Will the new president set a presidential precedent that negates future minority candidates

The basic issue is: "what if 'YES WE CAN', just can't? " There is a
lot of speculation about this topic, because that is all we can do at
this point is speculate. It is an interesting thought, though, in a
glass is half-empty and going to fall off the counter kind-of-way.
Obama is still about two months from being able to effect any change
or make anything happen at all and we are already preparing for
disaster. I find that funny and scary and a little sad at the same
time. Kind of like a fat chick falling down. The topic at hand is an
interesting one, and is an insightful look at one more pressure that
our President-elect must face. The reality that mistakes made by Obama
could negatively affect any future minority candidates. In fact, if
the "Change" that we elected proves unable to significantly negate the
wrongs that have crumbled our economy, it could VERY well do
significant harm to future minority candidates. All because he was
not able to untangle the train-wreck that he really had nothing to do
with creating. I am not going to point any fingers, but I think we can
all agree that Obama did not cause the current crisis. Of course we
can not all agree on that... some jackass is going to say Obama did
it, and of course, if he is unable to untangle it, it will then become
ENTIRELY his fault. That sort of rationale is a bit absurd, really,
but let's follow an analogy to its rational conclusion. You are asked
by your boss to clean up a project that a co-worker made a mess of.
The co-worker moves on with a differneet job at the company, and you
are unable to tight all of his wrongs, so YOU are blameed and
subsequently fired for his mess, because you were unable to untangle
the whole fustercluck. Yeah... you would be really ready to accept
that as fair. However, BACK to my point -( politics is such a BROAD
topic, I find I always digress a bit... apologies) IF Obama were to be
unable to fix everything, there is certainly a contingent of people
that I feel will allow that to dissuade them from taking the leap to
supporting a minority candidate again, but then these were the people
that were not likely to vote for a minority candidate THIS time, but
DID out of total desperation because Obama happened to be the best
option. There will also be people that will be a little reticent, for
the same reason, but hopefully, as should always be the case, they
will vote on MERIT, not on whether the person is latin, or black or a
woman or whatever minority for that matter. Haven't we learned that we
only need to be focused on whether whoever it is can do the job? I
mean, we had an ACTOR do a better job than someone who was supposedly
groomed for the job. Perhaps in Texas grooming only applies to horses.
I have to say.... my heart will go out to all future minority
candidates if Obama turns out to be unable to turn our debacle
around... but we still can not blame the problem on Obama. Hey, here;s
an idea... if he turns out to be a lame duck, why don't we try NOT
letting him back for a second term? NOW... THERE's an idea.

is there a problem with the democratic way?

i have been thinking a lot lately of the the state of our society. is the American culture so deluded that it thinks that it is morally superior to others? so much so that we are justified in poor behavior?

the democratic process is meant to let the will of the majority rule. we as voters and members of a Democratic society take part in choosing where our country will go and what the country as a whole will do... but what about those that didn't get their way? those that weren't with the majority? when they have an opinion that is not shared by the majority how should they act? well... in an actual democracy, you would accept the will of the majority and endeavor to persuade them to see your side and your opinion for the next vote. but what has happened in this last election (at least here in California)? they didn't like what everyone else had to say. so they threw a tantrum like a 3 year old that wants candy in the supermarket. they picketed and harassed, and bullied. and chose a group of people that are even more of a minority than they are, to pick on. how does one wrong (perceived or real) justify another?!?

It doesn't. but what do you think?

Why I think this country continues to have crap candidates

I believe that the people most likely to make a stand are those that are most fervent and dedicated to a cause. i also think that they are the people who will be more willing to VOTE.

as we come into the home stretch of this election, i have had an epiphany. those people with the strangest ideas, the neo-conservatives and the left wing nut jobs are the only ones actually voting! those in the middle of the road? those that are actually about the constitution and bill of rights? they seem to have forgotten that they are entitled to vote as well.

why do i believe such a far fetched plan? here is my reasoning:

it was reported on Thursday (10/30) that 30% of all registered voters had caste an early ballot. and that those 30% amounted to 1.7 million people. simple math shows us that there are only 5.6 million registered voters. are you kidding me? i hope and pray that that 30% is WRONG! if it isn't then that means that only 1.8% of the population of the US is determining our leaders.

of course if that number is right... it could explain all the stupid legislation and pork barrel projects we have passed.