Hope for Reason

Rush Limbaugh Is An Idiot

2009-01-31T12:55:00.000-08:00

I hate to borrow from the soon to be Senator from Minnosota, but Rush Limbaugh is an idiot. I have listened to him off and on since I returned from Kuwait in 1991. He used to be funny. He used to be entertaining. Today, he is just dangerous.

I don't blame Rush though. I blame the Republican party. In the total vacuum of leadership, Rush has emerged as the only Republican with any (albeit bad) ideas.

Look at what the party has become. Their presumed front runner for 2012 is Sarah Palin, an intellectual lightweight. Those elected are seen as obstructionists with few real solutions of their own. The outgoing President Bush has absolutely no credibility as a party leader. John McCain sold out to the far right and gave up his credibility in the process of losing to Obama. Is it any wonder that a guy who never completed college would emerge as the leader of the Republican party?

Here is the problem though: Rush's ideas are not backed by fact. He can say anything he wants and if he yells loud enough, then people take it as fact. Of course, when he is wrong, he doesn't have to stick around to take credit for it. Or worse, he can just restate his position as if he never said it in the first place.

The GOP needs to stand for something that matters. Rush is only concerned with increasing his listening base so he can earn more from advertising.

Rush is an idiot who has no place in making policy any more than the Hollywood set who speak to policy. The GOP should not listen to him. If they truly want to reinvent themselves, they should start by distancing themselves from entertainers.

Are America's Best Days Behind Us?

2009-01-24T14:34:00.000-08:00

In the local paper, The News Virginian, a gentleman claimed that America's best days are behind her. This he believes based upon the election of Barack Obama. In fact, he thinks that America has lost her way because we don't "put God first like we used to."

Well, here is a short list of all the great things America has accomplished putting God first:

1. Owning other people as property
2. Mass genocide of the native peoples
3. A bloody civil war
4. The occupation of the Philipines and the subsequent counter insurgency in 1899 to 1903 where thousands were slaughtered.
5. The internment of Japanese Americans
6. The anihalation of two Japanese cities by Atom bomb
7. The witch hunts known as McCarthyism based upon thoughts
8. The propping up of dozens of despots and dictators
9. The lie that was the Gulf of Tonken
10. Segregation
11. Lynching
12. Wiretapping citizens
13. Suspension of habeaus corpus
14. Torture

We will soon hear the truth

2009-01-22T12:57:00.000-08:00

Over the next few months, we will hear the truth about what the Bush administration did and how badly they really screwed things up. We already know a number of things that were done wrong and that Bush and his cronnies could not cover up. But soon, we will find out the things that they succeeded in covering up.

I expect the warrantless wiretapping will be a major story. But there will likely be more whistle-blowers after the fact. Here are my expected subjects:

1. WMD's we will find out the truth about the lack of WMD's and how they knew there were none before the invasion.
2. 9/11:
3. Katrina and the aftermath.
4. I bet someone who was actually thought to have died or disapeared, will show up alive from one of the Bush secret prisons.
5. We will also find out about the threats made to whistle blowers.

HOPE DAY 3!

The End of the Nightmare

2009-01-20T07:03:00.000-08:00

Today, January 20th, 2009 will mark the end of the long, dark, national nightmare which we call the Bush Administration.

As George Bush spends his time spinning his legacy, I thought it might be time to discuss the worst of his failings. Bush and his supporters state that "he kept us safe". Of course, he kept us safe except for when he didn't.

We know now that Bush was warned that Bin Laden was determined to attack the US. In response to this, Bush told the aide that, "you've covered your ass, now let's move on".

I am having a hard time forgiving the president for this act. The list of failings go on and on, but this one act was likely the worst. Without 9/11, there would be no Afganistan, Iraq (with the lies that got us there), runaway deficits, torture, warrantless wiretaps, suspension of habeas corpus, Gitmo and secret prisons.

Of course, we will never know whether the Bush administration would have been able to stop the attacks. It is certain that had they done something, then the chances would have improved, by how much is unknown.

While the last 8 years (8 years and 3 months if you include the Florida crimes), will likely go down as the worst presidency of the modern era, we can hope that the next 8 will be remembered as the best.

A Message to My Father

2008-10-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

My father is a very well educated man. He holds a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia. While I wouldn't put him in the group of intellectual elite, he was always well versed in politics, history, and the world at large. He will turn 70 in April. I turned 40 last May.

This past year we have grown apart. This is largely due to the political season and my support for Obama. While I expected my father, who is a life-long Republican to be upset with my support for Obama, I did not expect the fisure between us to be so vast.

Since I am a former Marine, an MBA, and a life-long Republican, you could have considered my vote to be secure in the GOP column. However, I have grown to see myself more as an Independent this year. I don't agree with all the views presented by Obama, I do see more that I like than I dislike. I believe Obama is the right man to run this country for the next four or eight years based upon what the country needs right now.

Where I see a rational discussion about what is best for America, my father sees conspiracy. He has believed at some point during this year that Obama is a secret muslim, a secret socialist, an anti-American mole, a liberal, a pupet of secret groups, a terrorist, and most recently, the mastermind behind the mortgage meltdown.

Of course, he will never say that race has anything to do with it. My father, a lifelong moderate (if there is such a thing) rascist suddenly doesn't see race. By moderate rascist, I mean he was never militant. Instead, he simply believed, when pressed, that the all races other than white were somehow inferior. He always thought that they would, when given the option, choose the wrong path--the easy path.

He, like so many of his generation, were raised in an environment that supported this view.

Somehow, my father's views did not stick to me. I went off to the Marines when I was 18 and served with people of every possible race or mixture of race. My experience in the military helped me see the world as it was, just like me. So how could I be any better or worse than anyone else?

So my message to my father is simple: your hatred is killing you.

I see a man who used to laugh, believe there was good in people, reach out to the world around him and hope for the future. Now, I see a man who thinks everyone is out to get him, tax him, take what is his, and ruin his country. I see a man who no longer things that our best days are ahead of us.

Has he left office yet?

2008-09-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

Last week, we saw even more evidence that the Bush Administration is completely incompetant. Why? Just 3 months ago, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson stated that the US banking system was sound. Then all of a sudden, they realize that they were wrong and he needs $700 Billion without any oversight at all in order to fix the problem.

I agree they need the $700 Billion to buy up the bad securities and fix the market. I don't agree that they need to do it with no oversight. Give me a break. Do you really think it is wise to give anyone in this administration authority without oversight on anything? Every single thing they have touched has been screwed up. Every single thing! Iraq, Katrina, The Justice Department, Guantanomo Bay, fiscal policy, foreign policy... Shit! Name one thing they have gotten right.

Paulson may be a smart guy, but he is stupid by association. The Bush Neo-Conservatives will go down as the dumbest group ever to run this country. The only way to out-do them is to put in McCain-Palin. Let's see, bottom five in his class and a creationist nut-job who thinks Bush is a smart guy.

I don't pray much, but... GOD HELP US.

Are we at the turning point?

2008-07-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to feel like we are at the turning point. Things have been bad for a while, but most of you haven't noticed. Here is the list of what was bad and how it is turning for the better:

1. Habeas Corpus. Over the past 7 years, the Bush administration has routinely set aside the Constitution. Specifically, the concept of Habeas Corpus (produce the body) which protects us from unlawful arrest without a crime or charges. This has been the most shocking part of the attack on the US Constitution in a long time. (Yeah, I know Lincoln did it too.) Luckily, the Supreme Court has ruled that all people detained by the US Government must be charged and tried in a court of law. This is huge.

2. The surge is over. At the end of July, American forces in Iraq will be back to their pre-surge numbers. I don't care whether the surge worked or not. I do care that we are re-deploying our forces in Afganistan where the real threat exists. The Iraqi people must stand up for their own security and it is beginning to look like they are doing just that. Now, we need some of the Patraus faithful to handle the mess in Afganistan and crush the bad guys once and for all. (No more Tora Bora.)

3. Commodity Prices are Dropping. Over the past year, huge money flows have moved into commodities. Incredible fortunes have been made. This is the same lemming investment bubble that we saw in the late 80's in junk bonds, in the 90's in currencies, in the late 90's in equities, and in the 03-06 years in the mortgage backed securities. The bubble needs to burst and the money needs to spread out among all investment classes. I doubt that it will, but it needs to.

Financial speculation has replaced the old boom-bust-boom of the early industrial age. Money can flow quickly into an investment class and run up huge returns. But after the profits are made, it moves on and leaves a mess behind. It has happened time and time before and will happen again. We need to be prepared for $110/barrell oil in the next 12 months. That will devastate the next area of the money flows: green technology.

4. The Religious Right is Fragmented. Over the past 14 years, the religous right has grabbed power. It started with the Contract with America and moved on with G. W. Bush. With it came the absolutism of religous belief which has no place in a democracy. The republic must have compromise. With religous absolutism, there can be no compromise. The sign came when McCain was asked whether he supported health plans covering birth control like they do Viagra. He couldn't answer the question for fear of losing the support of the Christians. He, however, is not a true believer. So now the Religious Right has no champion. I believe the pendulum has swung back in the direction of reason.

Bill Brown's Email

2008-06-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a copy of the email I received today, which is being passed around by crazy old people who watch too much Fox News.

I thought it might be nice to comment on my findings on Obama. If you have factual discrepancies, please comment. (My comments on this are noted in red)

Subject: *** SPAM *** Obama by Bill Brown

Bill Brown, is a highly respected retired member of the Billy Graham team. (Why does working for Billy Graham make your opinion above reproach.)

So, I take his assessment of Obama very seriously and for that reason accept his challenge to pass this on. I share his concern about the "rock star" image Obama has and watch with growing concern at the celebrity status the media has foisted upon him. Here is hope this e-mail informs you in a wise way.

The Obama Tidal Wave
We are witnessing a political phenomenon with Barack Obama of rare magnitude.His speeches have inspired millions and yet most of his followers have no idea of what he stands for except platitudes of "Change" or that he says he will be a "Uniter".The power of speech from a charismatic person truly can be a powerful thing. Certainly Billy Graham had charisma and both his manner of speech and particularly the content changed millions.On the extreme other hand, the charisma of Adolph Hitler inspired millions and the results were catastrophic.Barack Obama certainly is no Hitler or a Billy Graham, but for many Americans out there feeling just like a surfer who might be ecstatic and euphoric while riding a tidal wave, the real story is what happens when it hits shore. (This entire paragraph is bull shit. Just to introduce Adolf Hitler into the conversation is inflamatory. And you know who else was a charasmatic speaker? Ronald Reagan!)

Just Some of What Defines Barack Obama:
He voted against banning partial birth abortion. Never voted that way
He voted no on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. Nope, never voted that way
Supports affirmative action in Colleges and Government. What is wrong with this?
In 2001 he questioned harsh penalties for drug dealing. What is wrong with questioning the law?
Says he will deal with street level drug dealing as minimum wage affair . This is an economic issue, so it makes sense.
Admitted marijuana and cocaine use in high school and in college. So did George Bush, wait, he won't admit it.
His religious convictions are very murky.
(This one pissed me off. What does his religious views have to do with anything. There is no litmus test in the Constitution that requires the President to believe in Jesus, Mohammad, Invisible Superheros or the Great Tea Kettle in the Sky!)

He is willing to meet with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jung Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
(Great idea! Let's exhaust diplomacy before getting our sons and daughters killed.)
Has said that one of his first goals after being elected would be to have a conference with all Muslim nations. (In 1990, I met Dick Cheney as he ran from one Muslim country to the next putting together the Coalition of the Willing to push Sadam out of Kuwait.)
Opposed the Patriot Act. (Worst piece of legistlation passed in the last 50 years.)

First bill he signed that was passed was campaign finance reform. (No problem there!)
Voted No on prohibiting law suits against gun manufacturers. (I can be sued, why can't gun manufacturers?)
Supports universal health-care. (He supports universal health INSURANCE)
Voted yes on providing habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees. (Okay, habeas corpus is the fundamental principle in the Constitution which requires there to be a crime before government can lock you up. Habeas corpus means "produce the body". In other words, you cannot be charged with murder without there being a dead person. This is pretty important. Without habeas corpus, the feds can lock you up for anything at all and never have to charge you with a crime. By the way, Obama never voted to give habeas corpus to the detainees. It was already in the fucking Constitution!)
Supports granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
Supports extending welfare to illegal immigrants.
Voted yes on comprehensive immigration reform.
Voted yes on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
(I honestly cannot find the energy to get into the immigration issue here. Let's just say that for all of you who can trace your lineage back more than 10 generations on this land, please step up. Everyone else is an immigrant.)

Wants to make the minimum wage a "living wage". (How is improving the economic reality of the lowest paid people an issue? Also, didn't Jesus say that helping poor people is pretty important? Remember this is a Billy Graham guy!)
Voted with Democratic Party 96 percent of 251 votes. (Democrats are Americans too)
Is a big believer in the separation of church and state. (Okay, you idiots. This is a pretty important part of the Constitution. Read the damned thing before you think this is a bad idea.)
Opposed to any efforts to Privatize Social Security and instead supports increasing the amount of tax paid. (Show me one idea that Bush had that resulted in an improvement)
He voted No on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax.
He voted No on repealing the "Death" Tax.
He wants to raise the Capital Gains Tax. (I pay alot of taxes. I will happily pay more so my kids don't have to pay off my debt.)
Has repeatedly said the surge in Iraq has not succeeded.... (A couple of days ago, a car bomb blew 52 Iraqis to pieces. Ask them whether they think the surge is working.)

He is ranked as the most liberal Senator in the Senate today and that takes some doing.
(I thought that was Hillary Clinton or Ted Kennedy.)

If your political choices are consistent with Barack Obama's and you think that his positions will bring America together or make it a better place, then you will probably enjoy the ride and not forward this E-Mail. If you are like most Americans that after examining what he stands for, are truly not in line with his record, it would be prudent to get off the wave or better yet, never get on, before it comes on shore and undermines the very foundations of this great Country. We have limited time to save America or the Supreme Court as we know it.

(Finally, the insinuation that we have a limited time to "save America and the Supreme Court as we know it" is bombastic as the very best. Obama is not a threat to America and neither is McCain. These are two good men who have different philosophies on how to govern the country. Un-checked crap like the email sent does nothing to improve the quality of our democracy. If you disagree with the candidates philosophy, fine. But please don't fall back on the lowest form of debate which is fear based character assasination.)

Inaction is action.

If you agree this is important, pass it on. The mainstream media will not do it for you!

Bill Brown

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS (I don't think God is going to bless this pile of hate.)

Hope Means Something

2008-06-09T14:24:00.001-07:00

My father and I are at odds about Obama's message of hope. I am 40 and he is 69. Dad tells me that hope is just a word and words don't matter. To that I ask:

Wasn't Ronald Reagan using words when he inspired us with the "Shining City on a Hill speach?

Wasn't Jesus only using words on the Sermon on the Mount?

Wasn't Kennedy's challenge to put a man on the moon just words?

Words mean things. Hope means something. Without hope we are left with depair. We need hope, belief and faith in order to bring about change.

I hope for a better country for my children. I hope for justice for all. I hope for peace. I hope for change.

Yes we can.

What is so wrong with hope?

2008-06-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

My dad and I are at odds. When I was younger, we both agreed on politics. I was in the Marines under Reagan and George H. Bush. I almost cried when Clinton got elected. I believed that the only way to be patriotic was to be Republican.

After 7 1/2 years of George W. Bush, my mind has changed. Bush pushed us into a war that was not necessary. He blew the budget out of the water and increase deficit spending. He increased the size and scope of government. He merged religion and politics. He split our county in two.

Today, I support Barrack Obama, not because he will cut my taxes or will make my life easier. No, in fact, I fully expect my taxes to rise under his administration. I support Obama because he wants to fix the problems we have in this country. He is not resigned to keep our country in war for the sake of war.

You know, there was a time when America did not run rough-shod over any country that disagreed with us. There was a time when we exhausted diplomacy before the use of force. There was a time when we could do anything.

This is the country that put a man on the moon, and that ended the worst war in history. This is a country that sought to bring out the best in people. We looked to the future and saw a "Shining City on the hill" (Reagan said that.)

I want us to be the great country again. I want us to solve the energy crisis, turn back global warming, cure hunger and disease. I want us to remake our economy where opportunity is everywhere. I was us to follow the rule of law and be the land of the free again.

We do these things "not because they are easy, but because they are hard". (JFK said that.)

Looking to the future and trying to make things better is hope. What is so wrong with hope?

Obama's Message

2008-06-04T07:22:00.001-07:00

Last night, my wife and I watched as Barack Obama spoke as the presumptive Democratic candidate for the first time.

I have been a life long Republican. I served 6 years in the Marine Corps. I make a bunch of money and therefore pay a bunch of taxes. I am white, male, educated, and from Virginia. Based on all that, you would think that I would be a supporter of McCain. You would be wrong.

Everyone is ga-ga over Obama being the first black candidate for President (that has a chance, sorry Jesse). They talk about how historic this is that the country has a black candidate. To be honest, his skin color is completely irrevelant. It is about as important to me as is his height, weight or shoe size.

What draws me to support Obama is his message. He is going to raise my taxes, but he is also going to reach out to those left behind in our economy. He is going to bring diplomacy back to our foreign policy. He is going to find a way to end the war in Iraq and to win the war in Afganistan. Will he succeed at everything he talks about? Probably not. But at least his goals are in the right place.

Noah's Ark

2008-06-03T04:37:00.000-07:00

I know that the biblical story of Noah and the Ark is exageration at best and folklore at worst. However, among the fundamentalist Christians, the Ark represents a distinct opportunity to "square the circle".

If you ever have time to read some of the Bible tracts put out by Chick Publications (http://www.chick.com) then you will likely agree that the authors are not committed to the idea of logical reasoning. Here are a few of the interesting beliefs put out in the Chick bible tracts about the flood (You can find the tract in question at http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/5002/5002_01.asp):

1. Noah took baby dinosaurs (they used to call them dragons) onto the ark.
2. The earth used to have a giant "canopy of water around it".
3. "The canopy sheilded the planet from the sun's harmful rays and created a 'hot house' effect."
4. "Before the floor, weather conditions were perfect and people lived to be 900 years old."
5. "Tidal waves rocked the Earth, tearing out enormous canyons" (This is their explanation for the Grand Canyon)
6. The fossil record was created in those 40 days and nights of rain as sediment buried all living things not on the ark. This explains how we end up with bones buried so deeply in the ground.
7. The Earth is only 6,000 years old.

That ought to be enough evidence for you to see that these tracts are pretty much BS. While I don't have a problem with people writing their own bullshit and passing it along as fact, I do take issue with so many people accepting this stuff on faith.

Before, I go further, I do understand that these tracts represent the extreme. Not all Christians take a literal interpretation of the Bible. The risk is that so many people seem to let this stuff slide by without challenging the ideas as total crap.

If you see a bible tract in your church that says there was a "giant canopy of water" around the earth, then you need to challenge that belief.

The blanket acceptance of anything faithful is exactly how we end up with extremests blowing themselves up. By the way, since you may have forgotten, anti-abortion Christian groups routinely used explosives in their fight against legal abortion. Also, the IRA used explosives for decades. We aren't immune from this stuff.

The First Lie

2008-06-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

I have been blogging for some time now. For the most part, my other blogs are business related. As a result, I try not to offend too much. I have avoided some of the deeper thoughts and muses of my consciousness. That all changes here.

I will attempt to have some compelling content for those who are learning to question things around them. I will start with my first epiphany which occurred back in the late 80's...

As a young man, I was told that an atomic bomb saved 100,000 American lives by avoiding a nasty invasion of the Japanese homeland. You were told the same thing. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary to get the Imperial Japanese to surrender. Without those bombs, the war could last years longer and the death toll would be worse than anything the war had brought thus far.

Yes, we were told, the bombs were terrible and the destruction of human life in those cities was regretable. We were told it was the only choice. There were not other options.

Here is the option to dropping the bombs:

In the Summer of 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was in ruins. Most of their aircraft carriers were destroyed. Their destroyers and battleships were without fuel. Many of the ships were spread all over the Pacific Ocean. Their army was spread from Korea through to Burma. They were tossed out of the Philipines and mostly destroyed in Okinowa.

Historians should be able to agree that the Japanese military was beat. That is why we were told that the civilian population would be fighting to the death on the beaches if we tried to make a landing.

The option to using the atomic bomb was very simple. We would surround the island nation with our ships and enforce a naval blockade. Our planes would continue to strike military targets with conventional weapons. All energy supplies within the country would be hit and destroyed. Without fuel, the nation would be unable to mount any type of resistance. After several months, the Japanese would likely capitulate without a single American landing on the mainland.

Why did we not try to wait them out first? We had time on our side. Yes, we were running low on money, but that would not be a good enough argument for letting the nuclear jeanie out of the bottle. We rushed into using the bomb simply because we wanted to impress upon the Soviets that we had it.

In the summer of 1945, the Soviets were moving closer to taking parts of Korea and maybe even the mainland of Japan. Using the bomb stopped the Soviet advance and sent the message that we could use the bombs if threated by the Soviets. (Welcome to the cold war!)

The fact is that we were lied to by our government, our teachers, and our parents. Those that did not participate in the lie directly, allowed it to continue by not questioning the premise. Whether they were war weary, anti-Jap, patriotic or just dumb, they turned a blind eye to one of the worst scientific discoveries and uses the world has ever known.

It was a lie then. It is a lie now. And it continues to go unquestioned.

The lie: The atomic bomb was our only option.

The truth: We wanted to drop it for a number of reasons. The Japanese were expendable for our politicial messages.