Monday, December 3, 2007

Check out this for more reasons not to vote for Ron Paul. I agree with much of what he says, except for the Alex Jones part. Alex Jones is an Austin conspiracy theory fucktard. Like Hunter Thompson with Nixon, I find it healthy to question anything which we might agree on. The man thinks traffic chicanes (used to slow traffic down in neighborhoods) are government mind control experiments.

I wish I could be this optimistic about the fate of the Republican party in next year's election, but I'm not. For two reasons, one that I won't be surprised if BushCo and the Republicans succeed in their tactics scare the American public into another four years of their crap. The Dems have zero backbone, and haven't given me any reason to think they are going to change in the next year. This leads to the second reason, which is that the top Democratic candidates are not the answer. I'll vote for them because I think we need to stop the hemorrhaging of the economy, environment, civil liberties, etc. which the current administration has caused, and getting the Repugnicants out of office is the first step; but Hillary is a political opportunist, and she'll say anything. I don't trust her, and I still think her campaign is going to implode. The only two I can feel good about (Richardson and Kucinich) have no chance of winning. It'll probably end up being Edwards and Obama, but I think they are still part of the corporate money machine. Will this election really send the Republicans back to political obscurity, like the '32 election? I hope so. If we don't have some sort of positive watershed event, we'll end up being a fundamentalist theocracy in 10 years, maybe sooner.

I was talking to some people today, and we got on the subject of how much things have changed since Kennedy. Kennedy had to assure people that he wasn't going to try to turn the country Catholic; that federal monies weren't going to go to the church. Now Romney has to assure fundamentalist Christians that, he is going to support their agenda of eroding the separation of church and state (nevermind the fact that Huckabee is a retired baptist minister). Now Kennedy wasn't perfect, by any means, and I don't pretend that religion hasn't always had at least some hand in American government, but the separation should be absolute. If you are religious, and it helps you live a better life, fine. I encourage it. If you want to send your kids to a religious private school, fine. The church should have nothing to do with public education or government. Period. Ever. It is a private matter. No religious school should ever get public money, and no religion should be taught in public school. Any church that directly tries to influence people's support of candidates should loose its non-profit status, and start paying taxes, and back taxes.

5 comments:

Buzztree said...

Dear El Jefe,

What a kick to find myself cross-referenced on your blog. Thank you!

I enjoy your musings, too. When I saw the list of favorite music on your profile, I thought we were from different worlds -- there's not a name I recognize -- but then I saw you're a Tom Robbins guy, so all is well.

Just so you know, I'm not really saying anything in favor of Alex Jones, and I'm glad to get more information about him to help me form a judgment. It so happens that his websites are a source of information for me on an issue of interest, namely my deep skepticism of the official 9/11 theory, but by no means do I buy a lot of what goes under the label "conspiracy theory" (though the term itself is problematic). I've written a little about this on my blog. The bottom line is, you just have to be an "informed consumer" of information, so to speak.

I notice you say you're going to vote for a Dem for the environment and economy et al. Interesting choice. I think I'm boycotting. I've joined the school of thinking that they're all criminals. The Dems are just slicker at it.

There are two things -- no, three -- that I love about Austin: (1) Mexican free-tailed bats; (2)Robert Bryce; (3) I took my introductory flight lesson at the airport there.

Cheers.

Jesse said...

Thanks for the response!

It's good to be skeptical, but I haven't yet been able to bring myself to that extreme. I can't let myself believe that they had anything to do with it. I won't let myself be that cynical. I do believe they seized an opportunity to cause fear and near panic in the public, in an attempt to boost the bottom line for their cronies. I think that is evil.

Unfortunately, my vote for a Dem, is more of a triage vote than support. I don't think we can get to addressing the real issues until the bleeding is stopped. Yeah, on some level most of them are all criminals, just at least the Dems are criminals with a social conscience. At least they're our criminals. I really wish I thought the country wasn't still too bigoted to elect Obama and Richardson, but I don't hold much hope.

Actually, I'd say that up until very recently, the Republicans had been much more slick about their criminality. That's how they've gotten where they are. Just now the facade is (finally) starting to fall apart.

You forgot the inability to throw a rock and not hit a decent taco stand. Soooo many good tacos...

Buzztree said...

Heh. I'd give my kingdom for a good taco! In this little corner of New England, there ain't no such thing, though actually there's a decent little burrito stand in summer near the college where I work.

I won't try to convert you to 9/11 skepticism - and believe me, I wouldn't want to believe such a thing any more than you do - except to say, as a minimum proposition, we can't possibly claim to have all the answers to what actually took place. There are too many glaring holes in the story.

On my more optimistic days, or when my wife threatens to divorce me if I write in a vote for Ralph Nader, I think I could vote for a Democrat for the same reasons you say. We were all much happier eight years ago, right? Of all of them, I'm actually more inclined toward Edwards, strangely enough considering he's a hawk and slick as they come. Yet his desire to tackle poverty seems to me the most sincere motivation of any of the "electable" candidates.

But on my bad days....I feel a deeper truth, which is that the Republicans are the logical evolution of what the Democrats started....or the overt realization of the more cloaked Clintonian "Neoliberal" agenda....or, the Democrats loaded the bases, and the Republicans hit the homerun....well, whichever stupid metaphor you choose, you get the idea....

Obama and Hilary and Bill are an unfortunate trio. You could cast them each as victims of racism or anti-feminism or whatever, but it would just serve to mask the fact that they're terrible candidates, IMHO -- Obama at least as bad as Hilary. To listen to him parse an issue is like Bill Clinton to the google power. Yuck. I would very much like a black or woman president in my lifetime, but not these two, no way. (Another thorn in my otherwise happily married life!) I don't know as much about Richardson, but I think he's right in the Neolib mold.

Well, enough ranting for now. Keep up the good work!

Buzztree said...

PS Actually, I want a black woman president: Cynthia McKinney!

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