We HAVE TO Question Authority

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSBYdRRuLxI

Your Uncle Rave had the misfortune of personally watching the Twin Towers, on the morning of 9/11/2001.  He was right across the Hudson River, at Exchange Place in Jersey City, NJ.  He hates to say this, but his very first inkling was - at the very least - that our government allowed this to happen.  Since that day, the arguments that some faction of our government actually took a more active role, in the events of that morning, have gotten more and more intriguing . . . and compelling.  It’s like assembling a large jigsaw puzzle . . . that comes in a blank box.  You might not start out knowing where it’s all going . . . but, eventually the pieces begin to fall into place.  Just because we’ve all been told it happened a certain way . . . doesn’t make it necessarily so.  We, ultimately, might not like the answers that we find, but we owe it to ourselves, and to our children and grandchildren, to ask the hard questions.

The 9/11 Commission Report was far from thorough.  The 9/11 investigation needs to be re-opened, and it needs to be non-partisan, autonomous and very far reaching.  Write and call your senators and congressperson, and let them know that you want a new  and thorough investigation..

Your Uncle Rave

Hillary’s Paranoid Delusions – Part II – Post Mortem

For those of you who are familiar with this blog you may remember reading the first part, and part II, of my counter to the Clinton camp’s claim of media bias and sexism, in the Democratic primary.  I never denied that some sexist antics had taken place, but I vehemently disagreed with the assertion that the media was biased against MrsClinton, and favoring Mr Obama.  To me, that was largely a product of the Clinton camp and numerous supporters.

Some readers did not like the titles, because I’m not a psychologist, and I was “labelling” Hillary with an unflattering mental disorder.  To all the true paranoid delusionals out there I apologize.  To Hillary and company I say: I think you got what you deserved.  You guys were playing fast and loose with the emotions of the American (mostly Democrat) electorate, and I knew all along that it was just a ploy, and you didn’t REALLY believe what you were alleging.  If you had actually believed it then “paranoid delusions” would’ve been an apt description, but as it was it was just a calculated gamble from the former front-runner who was desparately trying to play catch up.

I think the following article (follow the link) provides me with a bit of vindication.  It doesn’t delve into my assertion that the Clinton camp (more obviously) played the race card, but it does shine a light on the so-called media bias.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ari-melber/media-doesnt-love-obama-a_b_104596.html

For what it all is worth, at this point, Hillary lost me at “Hello”.  As the front-runner and presumptive nominee she immediately started playing to the center.  She was Bush-Lite.  She was all tough talk about how she wouldn’t meet with leaders of countries who were less than friendly with us, and she insisted on this silly semantics game when it came to explaining why she voted to give President Bush the authority to use military force against Iraq.  She refused to apologize for it, and refused to even acknowledge it as a mistake.  (She was “mislead”)  To me this was a wrong-headed calculation to not alienate those who still thought that there was merit in our invading and occupying Iraq.  It was just more playing to the center.  To those of us who always thought that this war was illegal and immoral, from before Day 1, that kind of fence riding just didn’t fly.  When people started rejecting this type of politicking she soon lost the front-runner status, and the new catch-up role lead to what I, and many others, considered an almost classic Karl Rovian attack campaign, that only further allienated what could’ve (should’ve?) been her base.  I don’t think she’ll be selected as Veep – there was just too much animosity, and the personalities are just too big - but, I do see big things for her . . . hopefully, somewhere in the Obama cabinet.

Your Uncle Rave

What’s Wrong With America?!

This could very easily develop in to an entire series of posts.  There are just SO many areas of American society that have gone off-course over the years.  This country used to adhere to a number of unwritten rules and courtesies, and plain old-fashioned manners that just seem to have fallen by the wayside.  The *whys* are myriad.  It’s a fast paced world, and we’re all in such a rush.  The steady influx of non-European immigrants – legal or otherwise -  with their various cultural differences.  Today’s mainstream media, which is still primarily: television, movies, and modern/popular music, but also includes things such as video games and this most democratic of medias – the internet.  To an ever lessening extant, unfortunately, you could even add the print media to the list.  There’s too many of *us*, and our personal space seems to be shrinking a little more each day.  Some of these things, all of these things, and more things than I have listed, all have contributed to (more like subtracted from) our collective consciousness.

Today’s pet peeve?  The vanishing art of the apology.  More and more adults are forgetting how to do so, or, like so many of today’s children/youth/younger people (what have you), they’ve never really learned the value of a true, not necessarily formal, but sincere apology.  Some would argue that – like the old John Wayne line - apologizing is a sign of weakness.  Lawyers and legal experts equate the apology with culpability and financial responsibility/restitution.  (Probably one good argument for there being too many lawyers, and why our society has grown so litigious.)  This is where we’ve gone wrong, though, because an apology is less about accepting (personal) blame, and more about acknowledging another’s pain.

What are people doing instead of apologizing?  They’re making up excuses, such as:  “I didn’t know.”  Or, they’re rationalizing the situation:  “This wouldn’t have happened if you . . .”  (See, they even go so far as to turn it around, so you’re to blame)  And, of course, the hip and happening end-around to actually apologizing is:  “My bad.”  My bad, or sometimes just:  “My B.” is actually accepting the blame, but it doesn’t acknowledge the other’s pain.  It’s just a gutter/ghetto Mea culpa.  (At least by saying Mea culpa one sounds literate.)  There’s a kind of disconnection with a “My bad”.

In my opinion, the vanishing art of apologizing is going a long way towards making ours one callous society.  It shows both a lack of sympathy and empathy.  Withholding an apology is a very selfish and cowardly act.  People who refuse to utter those two simple words – I’m sorry – are fooling themselves into believing that they, somehow, have the upper hand . . . when all they’ve really done is taken the lower road. 

Two simple words.  Three little syllables.  When they’re said to you, without force and/or sarcasm, don’t they take just that much of the sting away?  Knowing that the other person understands your pain is what keeps us, as social beings, connected.  Two simple words, kids.

Your Uncle Rave

Hillary’s Paranoid Delusions – Part II

Being neither black, nor a woman, I feel I can look at the situation fairly objectively.  Some “individuals” in the media may have demonstrated some form of an anti-woman bias, but a few individuals do not constitute “the media”.  And please, don’t bring up anybody from FOX “News” as an example of Hillary/sexist bashing, because EVERYONE knows the agenda of THAT network. 
 
I have seen just as much of an empty bias, in favor of Hillary, from some very prominent women in the media.  Maureen Dowd, for example, writes as though Hillary Clinton is the female messiah, and that the presidency is – somehow - her divine right.  Even Gwen Ifill – who I generally admire – has a hard time concealing her obvious bias towards Hillary. 
 
And, it’s not just women in the media.  After both the Ohio and Pennsylvania primaries Tim Russert could hardly contain himself, he was so happy for Hillary!  And, all the unqualified adjectives (some superlative) that the media used in describing (the few) Clinton victories showed me that “the media” was NOT favoring Obama.  As a matter of fact, though conveniently forgotten, prior to Obama’s upset victory in the Iowa caucuses, he was actually trailing in New Hampshire polls.  But, in the days following Iowa, all of a sudden, the polls had him ahead by nearly 9 % points?!?!  This set up Hillary’s “upset” victory, that the media then ballyhooed, despite the fact that she won by a mere 3%.  In the weeks leading up to the Pennsylvania primary she had as much as a 22% lead over Obama, but when Hillary won by 9.4% the media acted as though it were a major coup.  For a few days they were still crowing about it being a “double digit” victory, when it was known on Wednesday morning that she didn’t crack 10%, which still reflected a drop in support of 12+%.  New York (favorite daughter), Ohio and Pennsylvania set the stage for Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky.  In Indiana Obama led Clinton by “a statistically-insignificant 45% to 43%, with 7% undecided and a 3.9% margin of error”, yet her 1.12% victory was also hailed as a major upset by the very media that is allegedly against her, and for Obama.  And, with West Virginia and Kentucky, Obama realized that his chances of any kind of enlightenment of those states’ – predominantly non-educated, working class, white – voters were slim to none, so he focused his energies on the primaries where he at least stood a chance of winning.  In most political circles, this is considered good strategy.  Clinton’s victories in those two states were predictable, especially considering the not so subtle race card she had been playing since the Ohio primary.  And, yet again, the nasty sexist media somehow found a way to heap the superlatives for those victories of hers that were always forgone conclusions to begin with.  Adjectives, such as “Trounce” and “Landslide” for these particular states could just as easily have been replaced with “Duh”. 

Some feel that Hillary is the only one who can carry the South.  On the contrary, Obama has actually won more southern contests than Clinton.  (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Missouri)  The only southern states that Hillary won were Tennessee, Kentucky (two “Duh” states), Arkansas (former favorite daughter), and Florida.  And, Florida was predictable, considering its constituency, and doesn’t count, regardless, because they (like Michigan) ignored the rules and held unsanctioned primaries. 
 
In my mind it has been just too easy for some to make the sexist allegations.  Women, who seem to value feminism, over everything else, are all too willing to make mountains out of the molehills.  It helps in casting themselves as the oppressed, because it allows them to claim “a” (not “the”) moral high ground.  Hillary’s core supporters (other than the race-baited “hard-working whites”) are the white women, who are generally 50 and over.  They lived through the big feminist movement that ran from the latter ’60s through the early ’80s.  They are more in tune with the disappointment of the failure of not passing the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment).  In my opinion, these supporters are wearing blinders that allow them a very narrow focus, but prohibit them from seeing all that is going on around them.  I applaud those who have had the courage to remove those blinders, and I hope and pray that more of them will find that same courage.

Sexism and racism are, unfortunately, still factors in our society, and for that matter most of the world.  It’s clear to me, as it should be clear to others, which candidate is playing up the bias angle, and which one is trying to reach out to the broadest spectrum of the electorate. 

Your Uncle Rave

Special Interest Money Says So Much

Barack Obama seems to be able to raise money mainly through small donors.  Why is is that John McCain has such a large reliance on the lobbyists?  Which candidate would be more accountable to the people if elected?  Which one of them would be more beholdin’ to big business and special interests?  Hmmmm!!!

I just received this, today.  It kind of takes me back to “Stand By Me” (the movie).  (Because I’m WAY too young, to actually remember this song.)  I think you’ll enjoy it.  Give it a listen (watch).

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysj0bMFAeXc&eurl=http://www.firethelobbyists.com/

Your Uncle Rave!

What Extended/Multiple Tours Can Do To “Our Boys”

The following video (see link below) is extremely disturbing, no matter how you look at it.  I’m sure we all hope and pray that these bad apples are the exception, and not the rule.  Even if they are the rare exception, I think it illustrates the short-sightedness of our foray into, and continued occupation of, Iraq.  The actions alone are deplorable, but when you couple them together with the (near psychotic) laughter . . . it suggests that these kids – our kids – have just gone over the edge.

We all know that bad actions get far more attention than the good in this world.  (Maybe NOT in our media when it comes to this war, but that’s another issue.)  Even if/when our troops do good by hundreds (even thousands) of Iraqis, it’s these other kinds of incidents that will register in their memories.  One of our stated goals is to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.  This does not strike me as a good way to go about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq5_vG3cYGM 

Where is the leadership?!?!

Your Uncle Rave

John McCain!

War Hero Sells Out For A Chance At Immortality!

It is just SO sad, because back in 1999 – 2000 I was willing, presuming he was going to win (which he should have) the Republican nomination, to accept this man as my President.  Eight years later . . . I wouldn’t vote for him for dog catcher.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtZlR3zp4c

Your Uncle Rave

 

 

Maureen Dowd Just Doesn’t Get It!

On Sunday, April 13, Maureen wrote another Op/Ed piece for The New York Times called “Standing by His Woman”.  She’s been making excuses for Hillary Clinton for some time now, but this one really took the cake.  According to Mo, the reason Hillary is struggling – and losing ground daily in Pennsylvania – is all because of Bill’s super-ego.  He said this, or he said that, yada yada yada.  And, he’s jealous because the Barack phenomenon is bigger than his and Al’s was in ‘92.  And, that he fears he’ll – somehow – go down in history as a minor president if Hillary doesn’t become president.  He’s trying SO hard that he’s just making matters worse.  Poppycock! 

The real reason you’re hearing the sound of sucking wind, from her campaign, is because she has lost too much credibility, and just about anything she says, or does, now just makes her look that much more desperate.  It started with her cheap 3 AM scare tactic commercial.  It continued with her - repeated - *sniper* fire stories.  But then, her jumping on Barack for his *clinging* comment was pure pandering, and just like another trick out of the Karl Rove handbook.  (Fortunately, many in PA and IN are seeing right through that guff.)   Her heartfelt recollection of her dad teaching her how to shoot, when she was just a little girl, was so pathetic that it probably became her Michael Dukakis moment.  And then, her trying to common-man it up in that bar in Indiana, doing shots n’ beers???  Lame, lame, and lame.

Ol’ Bubba may be contributing some to Hillary’s waning popularity, but it looks – to most objective folk – that she’s doing a pretty bang-up job . . . all on her own.

Your Uncle Rave 

Cryptoquote Spoiler

“I’m proud to pay taxes in America.  The only thing is I would be just as proud for half the money.”   —   Arthur Godfrey

(I’d be even prouder if my tax dollars weren’t lining the pockets of Halliburton, Bechtel, Fluor, Parsons and the Washington Group . . . all while our national debt approaches $9.5 Trillion!)

Your Uncle Rave

My Favorite “Loose Cannon”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWr5Wl-mev0

If you’ve ever read my “What it is!” section you’d know that besides being a proud LIBERAL, I also have some Libertarian leanings.  In no small part, this is due to THE gentleman from Texas, named Ron Paul.  Unless you’re one of those C-SPAN junkies, you likely missed this this week.  It’s NOT the kind of thing that the mainstream (corporate) media gave ANY attention to.

On April the 9th, at the Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq by General Commander David H Petraeus, Representative Paul did not mince words, in making his statement, that contained some of the best thought out questions and observations that could possibly have been made, on the subject at hand.  Ron Paul knew that he would not really get any answers to his questions, but he just wanted them to be part of the record.  General Petraeus looked a combination of stunned and peeved, and he said that he couldn’t answer the (main) question.  And, Ambassador Ryan Crocker did his best impression of Porky Pig, in parroting General Petraeus’s non-response.

Enjoy!

Your Uncle Rave