apple juice

From the introduction of President Bush at his rally in Rochester, MN yesterday:

Father we are glad for this opportunity today to hear our President, a man you have appointed to lead us as such a time as this.

– John C. Steer, Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Rochester

I find it hard to believe that God would appoint someone who would defy International Law, most of our allies, the UN and THE POPE to wage pre-emptive WAR against a nation that posed no threat to us. And deceive the American people and the world about the reasons for going there.

Quagmire is not to strong of a word to describe what is happening in Iraq.

Before I even care what John Kerry might do to fix the situation in Iraq, I’d like to hear Bush’s brilliant plan! Stay the course? But he’s strong and convicted! Isn’t he? Right.

The pace of attacks, death and destruction is quickening in Iraq. More Americans have been wounded in the past month than in any previous month.

[Cheney’s speech] . . . signaled that Mr. Cheney and the administration’s other hit men will spend the next two months trying to sell their failed approach to foreign policy, and encouraging Americans to believe that anyone who acknowledges that the United States needs to take a more patient and humble approach to the world is in league with the girlie men.

Mr. Bush’s Acceptance Speech

Andrew Sullivan’s post is an elegant rebuttal to Zell Miller’s speech.

Zell Miller’s address will, I think, go down as a critical moment in this campaign, and maybe in the history of the Republican party. I kept thinking of the contrast with the Democrats’ keynote speaker, Barack Obama, a post-racial, smiling, expansive young American, speaking about national unity and uplift. Then you see Zell Miller, his face rigid with anger, his eyes blazing with years of frustration as his Dixiecrat vision became slowly eclipsed among the Democrats. Remember who this man is: once a proud supporter of racial segregation, a man who lambasted LBJ for selling his soul to the negroes. His speech tonight was in this vein, a classic Dixiecrat speech, jammed with bald lies, straw men, and hateful rhetoric. As an immigrant to this country and as someone who has been to many Southern states and enjoyed astonishing hospitality and warmth and sophistication, I long dismissed some of the Northern stereotypes about the South. But Miller did his best to revive them. The man’s speech was not merely crude; it added whole universes to the word crude.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I could only muster a cheap shot and comparison to a sci-fi character.

I subscribe to the American Progress report, a daily email update of links and news.

I am generally supportive of the points that they make, but this just blew me away.

SOCIAL SECURITY IS NOT IN CRISIS: According to a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office, over the next 75 years, the Social Security shortfall is projected to be 1 percent of all taxable income. Even at current levels, Social Security will be able to pay full benefits until 2052 (http://www.cbpp.org/6-14-04bud.htm)

Here’s what I wrote back (not sure if anyone reads the replies).

What happens then? I should just not worry about receiving benefits for the taxes I'm paying now? I retire in 2048. I think it is extremely naive to just bury your heads and say it's fine until then. That's not fine for me or anyone younger.

Taxes need to be increased now. We need to have a balanced budget. It is essential to the continuation of our country's well-being.

Everyone knows, when you buy a house, you start paying now, so that in 30 years, the house will be paid off. This is no different. You can’t live in a house for 29 years, and then pay for it in the 30th, unless you are the most disciplined saver in the world (which I would imagine most people are not) And who will lend you the money for 30 years and trust that in the 30th year you’ll be able to pay it off? No one.

We can’t wait 50 years to figure out how to pay for Social Security, because in 50 years, we won’t be able to afford it.

I know, I know, I just railed against cheap shots on things that don’t matter…

But doesn’t Zell Miller do a good Emperor Palpatine Impression?

You will hear a much touted talking point that says, “More Americans own their homes than ever before!”

True enough, but what does that really mean?

Personal debt in America is at an all-time high.

Read this excellent article, Debt, Where is Thy Sting over at Slate.

If I have any readers left after the past couple weeks of very few updates, here’s what I’m thinking…

I’m tired.

I’m just worn out from the past month of nonsensical political madness. And I don’t want to get drawn into the stupid bickering about Kerry’s Vietnam Service, who’s more rich, etc.

When we’re talking about that, we’re not talking about real issues. And from where I stand, we have some real issues in this country.

Undeniable issues that both sides should see. They should matter to everyone.

Here’s what matters:

• Fixing Health Care
• Making sure kids are fully educated, and can get to college if they want to
• Making sure we have a clean environment
• Bringing fiscal responsibility to government
• Keeping the economy stable and growing

Here’s what “does not matter”:

• Gay Marriage. True conservatives (in the political sense of the word) would not want more governmental regulation in your personal lives. Marriage itself (the definition) should be defined by those who preside over it, the Churches. A civil union is the legal matter that the state needs to concern itself with.
• Gun control. It is sensible to try to prevent criminals from owning weapons. Hunters, your guns will not be taken away.
• Missile defense. Seriously, who are they kidding? Who is going to attack us with missiles? (I’m talking about the large ICBM types here)

In a broad sense, one can think of every issue in terms of economic value. Healthy people work more productively. Well educated, healthy kids contribute more to society. Striving for a cleaner enviornment is good for the economy.

Issues like Gay Marriage, Gun Control and Missile Defense are for narrow-minded people who have a black and white world view, and aren’t seeing the big picture.

Unfortunately, the “Republicans” who fit this description are the Republicans running the party these days.

Don’t look now, but your party has been hijacked, and no one is strong enough to stand up and take a stand. (John McCain, Colin Powell? Where did you go?)