The people voted. The people’s will was decided.

California: 2004:From February 12 to March 11, under the direction of Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, officials of the City and County of San Francisco issued marriage licenses to approximately 4,000 same-sex couples, in apparent defiance of state law. During the month that licenses were issued, couples travelled from all over the United States and from other countries to be married.

The people’s will and vote was ignored… by a city mayor.

On August 12, the state Supreme Court releases its decision, exactly six months after the first same-sex marriages were performed in San Francisco. The court rules unanimously that the City and County of San Francisco exceeded its authority and violated state law by issuing the marriage licenses. In a 5-2 decision, the court also declares all same-sex marriages performed in San Francisco to be void, while expressing no opinion on the constitutionality of marriage restrictions.

The people’s will and vote was respected and defended… by the California Supreme Court.

California: 2005. When California State Legislature opened the 2005-2006 session, Assembly member Mark Leno introduced Assembly Bill 19, which proposed legalizing same-sex marriage. The bill enjoyed the support of then-Speaker Fabian Núñez among others. Leno had introduced a similar bill in the prior session, but it died in committee. Assembly committees reported out Assembly Bill 19 favorably, but the measure failed on the Assembly floor on June 2, 2005. Later that month, Assembly member Patty Berg amended the text of her fisheries-research measure, Assembly Bill 849, which was already in the Senate, to the text of Leno’s failed bill.

On September 2, 2005, the California Senate approved the bill 21-15 and on September 6, the California State Assembly followed suit with a vote of 41-35, making California’s legislature the first in the nation to approve a same-sex marriage bill without court pressure.

The people’s will and vote was again ignored… by the State House and Senate.

The next day, September 7, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger indicated he would veto the bill, citing Proposition 22, which had passed with the approval a majority of voters five years earlier. Like the statutes amended by AB 849, Prop 22 prohibited the state from recognizing same-sex marriages, but as an initiative statute, it was not affected by AB 849. The legislature avoided physically delivering the bill to the governor for over two weeks, during which time advocacy groups urged Schwarzenegger to change his mind.

Ultimately, the bill was delivered on September 23 and vetoed on September 29, 2005. Schwarzenegger stated he believed that same-sex marriage should be settled by the courts or another vote by the people via a statewide initiative or referendum

The people’s will and vote was respected and defended… by the governor.

Shortly after the newly elected Assembly was sworn in, Leno resubmitted a similar bill on December 4, 2006. AB 43 was passed by the legislature in early September 2007, giving the governor until October 14, 2007, to either sign or veto the bill. Schwarzenegger had stated months before that he would veto AB 43 on the grounds that the issue at hand had already been voted on by California by way of Proposition 22.

The people’s will and vote was once again ignored… again by the State House and Senate.

The governor followed through on his statement and on October 12, 2007, he vetoed AB 43. Schwarzenegger wrote in his veto statement that to solve the issue of gender-neutral marriage, the California Supreme Court needed to finish its rule on the challenge which had been made to Proposition 22.

The people’s will and vote was respected and defended… by the governor.

On May 15, 2008 the Supreme Court of California overturned the State’s existing statutes limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples in a 4-3 ruling. The judicial ruling overturned the one-man, one-woman marriage law which the California Legislature had passed in 1977 and Proposition 22.

The people’s will and vote was again ignored… by the Supreme Court of California.

After the ruling, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement repeating his pledge to oppose Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that would override the ruling.

The people’s will and vote was being ignored again… by the governor.

California: November 2008. Proposition 8 is a proposed constitutional amendment titled Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry Act, whose proponents intend to override the Court’s decision. The measure appeared on the 2008 California general election ballot in November 2008.

November 4th, 2008: The amendment was passed by a margin of 52.2% in favor and 47.8% opposed with a remarkable 68.6% voter turnout.

The people had gone back to the polls to regain their will and vote. The people had already previously voted on this… but had the victory taken away from them by the very court that had defended them back in August of 2004.

Interestingly, 70 percent of African Americans voted to ban same-sex marriages in California.

The vote coincided with the overwhelming support among African Americans for a black presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama. In the aftermath, some Proposition 8 supporters are viewing the black vote as proof that same-sex marriage is a moral rather than a civil rights issue.

Religion was just as pronounced. Prop. 8 found support among 81 percent of white evangelicals, 65 percent of white Protestants, 64 percent of Catholics and 84 percent of weekly worshipers. In the exit poll’s only nonwhite category involving race and religion, 58 percent of nonwhite religious voters supported the measure.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed hope that the California Supreme Court would overturn Proposition 8.

The people’s newly-regained will and vote is already being ignored again… by the governor.

He urged backers of gay marriage to follow the lesson he learned as a bodybuilder trying to lift weights that were too heavy for him at first, “I learned that you should never ever give up. . . . They should never give up. They should be on it and on it until they get it done.”

California continues to allow domestic-partner registration, a right similar to civil unions found in other states. This grants “same-sex couples all state-level rights and obligations of marriage – in areas such as inheritance, income tax, insurance and hospital visitation” but does not apply to “federal-level rights of marriage that cannot be granted by states”.

November 4th 2008: Arizona Proposition 102 – a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Arizona defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The amendment was passed by a margin of 56% in favor and 44% opposed.

November 4th 2008: Florida Amendment 2 – a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Florida that defined marriage as between only one man and one woman and banned the creation of similar unions, such as civil unions.

The amendment was passed by a margin of 62.4% in favor and 37.6% opposed.

The people voted. The people’s will was decided…

…until a city mayor, governor, state house, senate or Supreme Court decides otherwise.

The sheer roller-coaster ride the will of the California people has taken is astounding. Regardless of the issue at hand… this alone should be a major concern and focus. Authority and the rule-of-law have to not only be defined… but enforced by checks and balances. Is it fair to say that the California processes could use some tightening up?

Too bad the Hall of Justice is a fictional cartoon facility. Where are the original Superfriends when you need them? (The current ones are tools)

So the Democrats are riding out the rush of victory. Not just a victory… but an ASS WHOOPIN’. And congrats to them for enough of a win that we don’t have to experience months upon months of whining and freakin’ recounts.

And the Republicans (as usual) are trying to figure out what the hell happened.

For what it’s worth Mike Duncan, what your party has done wrong (among other things) is insisting upon chasing the lame. The center. Hell… most the time it’s been left-of-center. And when you chase and desire the devotion of the lame… it’s all about mass marketing to them.

And there is already a party that’s got that down better than you guys and gals EVER will.

The definition of “lame” is: poor, weak, unconvincing and ineffectual

That focus and priority (I think the term was “bi-partisan”) left a huge mass of conservative-leaning independents that you’ve burned time & time again through lip-service and non action. For a multitude of reasons… you’ll have to wait at least an entire generation to even THINK about attracting back whatever piece of THAT pie you thought you had.

For the conservative-leaning, there are at least two very exciting aspects of the Obama Presidency to consider.

1. The landscape is more fertile than ever for true change. Specific change in the form of a movement (or new party perhaps) that represents an enormous mass of the unrepresented. We live in a world where brands can go from zero to 100mph in very short periods of time. We’ve just proven politically that branding is everything. Again… the landscape of the political marketplace is very different and fertile these days. It is a very real possibility. And that’s exciting.
2. There will soon come a day (likely 2 years from now) when there will be enough distance from where we are currently. There will be no more Bush Administration to absorb eternal fault. Liberal success will depend on foresight, strategy and execution. And the entire process will be documented and monitored beyond comprehension. It will provide a bounty of subject matter to-be-sure. And few case studies (ya think?) that will no doubt support non-liberal agendas.

There is another aspect that is both exciting, frightening and sad… all at the same time.

What Obama did brilliantly was tap into the “entitlement” mentality.

Sure… there is the enlightened hipster, academia crowd who supported the guy. But those people have always been there. And they were already engaged and on-board. They were there last time around. And the time before that…

The secret-sauce was engaging and exciting that other mindset. Because there is no shortage. And like government itself… the entitlement crowd is timeless and self-perpetuating.

There are no-doubt legitimate needy people in society who need assistance. And thank goodness we live in a country that makes attempts to take care of its own. There are occasional examples of the country falling short… but for the most part we strive to take care of our own.

There is another demographic. Separate from the true needy. That demographic is angry and unfulfilled. They need help too. Life is hard man. They’re owed something and gosh darn it… they want theirs. This demographic is significant enough to warrant having on your side. And man did Obama do a great job of rallying THOSE troops.

It could be argued that this demographic is where it’s at socially AND economically largely due to self-inflicted lameness. Again… to be clear to the enlightened academic hipster… the intended targets here are not the actual needy. Let’s all agree that we should all have compassion for the truly needy.

But…
*Note to the enlightened academic hipster: Like it or not … you share an ideology with the not-so-brights and their close cousins the not-so-motivated.

Again EAH’s, you are not being targeted or discussed in an unfavorable way. You have very legitimate and well thought-out reasons for supporting Obama. Got it. Understand it. Much respect for it.

The right has their rednecks..
The left have those people who go to Renaissance Fairs, watch 30 Rock and have a discarded DVD of “The Secret” laying next to their Lil’Wayne CD. They’ve got crappy credit too.

Hopefully can wrap your head around the attractiveness of Obama to this other demographic. Granted and acknowledged that they are attracted to Obama for very different reasons than the EAH’s.

But they’re unhappy too. And damn it… they’re gonna get theirs. And Obama’s schpeel sure sounded good to them as well. So it will be interesting for both sides to watch the inevitable “pay-up” thresholds that Obama will have to face. Also in line are several far-left elements that sank millions of dollars into support for the man.

They’ll expect favor at some point.
What is troublesome is the enabling of this mass of people. They are significant enough in size to influence the election of a President. Good or bad.

What happens if they really, truly get what they think they have coming to them? That’s a fair question correct?

More realistically… what happens if they don’t?

Obama will soon find himself being pulled into several opposing directions, all-the-while knowing the reality that he’ll have to govern close to center or he’ll find himself with approval-rating issues. It’s an interesting dynamic when compared to who he’s in debt to.

No serious candidate to vote for.

And arguably more than any election in modern history… an election where the media and pure marketing have replaced actual mass debate and discussion.

Perhaps the silver lining along the way to US Socialism is that as the Government gets more powerful and intrusive, the masses will eventually become wiser, more informed and angry.

It’s simply hard to fathom the vast majority of the US population sitting back and allowing the Government to tell them whether they are sick or not.

It’s hard to fathom the vast majority of the US population allowing the government to manage their money.

It’s hard to fathom the vast majority of the US population allowing the government to tell them what they can or can’t eat.

And remember… it’s the vast majority that will NOT be voting.

Is it too much to hope that the sleeping giant of the silent majority raise its mighty head and declare that enough is enough?

Maybe this time around it is. Or maybe not.

The following are two items to inspire your voting experience in a few weeks. While the video below is titled “Democrats on an Escalator” – the title short-changes the intent. It’s not exclusive to Democrats whatsoever. Let this video serve as a tribute to all who bow at the altar of big government. Enjoy:

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper. He’s written a piece that should hit home and ring true to all Americans:

“545 PEOPLE” By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.


Have you ever wondered why: If both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why: If all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget.  The president does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices, 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing.  I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House?  Nancy Pelosi.

She is the leader of the majority party.   She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted by present facts, of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.  When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ, it’s because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy”, “inflation”, or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They and they alone, have the power.

They and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

*NOTE: The last line of this piece is perhaps the most powerful:

What you do with this article now that you have read it is up to you.

  ”I can’t use what I can’t abuse. And I can’t stop when it comes to you.”

-From the song “Vow” by the band Garbage. 1995

 Since I seem to have become the whipping boy on this site for the anti-3rd party crowd.

The principle guideline for our government as it was established is democracy. To simply listen to the majority. The winner of this election for President has won by a landslide. The winner is “No One”.

The true 3rd party wins every time a vote is taken. The party I speak of is as diverse as the DEMS and as rigid as the REPS. It consists of the apathetic, the lethargic, the disenfranchised, the angry, the poor, the rich, the educated, the frustrated, the Catholic, the atheist and the satanist, just to name a few.

The overwhelming non-voting numbers win at a staggering 84%.

That is a 3rd party like them or not.

I keep hearing the status quo duopoly subscribers say, 3rd parties have no power. No power huh? If the smattering of Nader voters, stayed within the confines of the 2 party system, the left leaning “Nader” voters choose Gore as their man … Gore takes Florida and New Hampshire thus the Presidency. This was a small group of people that probably got the opposite effect of what they wanted … most leaning toward Gore over Bush. But the 3rd party did have a huge part in history.

It is time for your opinions recognize fact. Opinions are for our debates on political chat sites, like this one. My previous paragraph is a fact. FACT. FACT!!!

Here is OPINION… feel free to slice me to a million bits over these following statements.

Democrats live in a fantasy scenario where we all have the same morals and everyone is basically helpless.

Republicans are in a fantasy scenario where “God” tells them what to do… if you don’t follow along, you are a bad person.

Now wait, those are really just blanket OPINIONS. I don’t believe them to be true and neither do you,I hope. Opinions.

The Democrat and Republican elite want no more competition. They want you to remain steadfast to the belief that it is a privilege to vote for the lesser evil. The fringe of all parties belong to a collective. When the 3rd party fringe from the 84% decide to take the wheel and drive, compromise will once again belong to the majority and not the small percentage of the aggressive on either side.

Nature wins every time … and 84% keeps winning, I can’t wait until they wake up and see the scoreboard!

 CARRY ON.

 T

There’s an extremely large segment of the politically engaged that has been screaming for a third-party option for some time now.

It’s certainly not hard to understand that sentiment.

But the Oct 7^th Belmont University Obama/McCain Debate served as a shining example that it’s become necessary to beat the drum of a mantra that has been around at least as long as the invention of television:

It’s hard to distinguish the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans.

McCain wants to buy bad debt. Obama looked straight into the camera and said that healthcare is a right. And both back the bailout/rescue package financial enema we’ve all been taxed with.

There is ONE PARTY my friends (McCain fans… drink now) … it’s called Washington. And while that community has long since been a cesspool of greed, immorality and arrogance… Washington in its current state could gag a frickin’ ringworm. Any non-liberal is basically not represented. Period.

Please take a moment to watch the video below and listen to what Ron Paul had to say just a few months ago. And let it be known that this was one writer that was not on-board the Ron Paul phenomenon earlier in the season. His non-intervention stance on foreign policy seemed a bit naive for the times we live in. But his behavior while serving in The House was about as close to admirable as one could expect out of a Washington politician.

When watching this video, remember two things:

1. About 16% of the American people elect the President

2. Carroll Quigley’s quote from the book “Tragedy & Hope”

“The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to the doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can “throw the rascals out” at any election without leading to any profound or extreme shifts in policy.”

This has never been more obvious than after watching the McCain/Obama exchange on Oct 7^th

U.S. President Bill Clinton named Quigley as an important influence during his acceptance speech to the 1992 Democratic National Convention.

Let me be perfectly clear (Obama lemmings… drink!) there is an incredible amount of anger bubbling up from the masses of normal, everyday people. From all walks of life. Arm-yourself/Pull-all-your-money-out kind of anger.

One can only imagine what Israel is thinking right about now.

And to think that there are people out there who want the Federal Government running the health care system.

There’s even this guy running for president who thinks that’s a good idea. And a bunch of fans who applaud when he mentions such craziness. (Oops.. I mean “change“)

Anyhow… Bush, Obama, McCain, Biden and Palin are hogging the argument spotlight for evil incarnate or second-coming. (Depending on your team spirit)

What about former Fannie Mae chief, Franklin Raines? I don’t think this gem of human flesh deserves to be knocked out of the American Douche-Bag Top 10 list. While there is a no shortage of blame to go around for this financial toilet swirl… it’s really hard to let go of the following:

Raines’ total compensation from 1998 through 2004 was $91.1 million, including some $52.6 million in bonuses, according to OFHEO. (Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight)

If there was ANY justice in this world… this slimey piece of human garbage would be OJ’s cell-mate right about now. Maybe someday. It only took 13 years for OJ to finally get his.

To truly appreciate this torrid tale of incompetency, please take 9 minutes out of your life to view the following. And please consider this the next time you hear people going on and on about “change.”

You may or may not have seen the following video circulating around the web. It’s a bit challenging to comment on without using the following adjectives:

Cult-like.
Indoctrination.
Brainwashing.
Creepy.

Is this really necessary? How much more strange would this video be if the kids were singing about Savage, O’Reily, Fred Thompson or even Harry Browne?

Thank goodness Conservatives do not behave this way. Next up… the Ann Coulter Handbell Choir.

Enjoy.

It clearly happened again with the Barack Obama brand.

A rookie voting record that shows marginal involvement or commitment to definition.

Close to zero actual non-scripted interviews

Close to zero actual non-scripted debate

Considerable & indisputable associations with advocates that most reasonable people would consider “radical” or at the very least… divisive

Now liberals definitely don’t have the market cornered on blind allegiance. But they definitely seem to excel at it and practice it regularly.

The Sarah Palin phenomenon is the perfect example. Look at how this woman has been attacked, smeared, doubted and generally run through the ringer. Did Joe Biden experience anything close to that when he was announced as the VP running mate? Of course he didn’t.

By the same token, look at the genuine excitement behind her. But “liking” or supporting someone doesn’t require the same amount of effort and due diligence as purposely attacking them does. It’s easy to fall for someone or something. Dislike or hate takes more of an attempt.

It’s basic psychology. Negativity requires a lot of energy.

Let’s be honest. Most of America hasn’t known (or known of!) Sarah Palin long enough to form such passionate opinions for or against her. Yet look at how the lemmings are behaving. On both sides.

By the same token, look at all the blind allegiance to the Barack Obama campaign.

Two years in the U.S. Senate. Seven years in the Illinois Senate. One loss in a primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives. One stirring keynote address at a Democratic National Convention. Two best-selling books.

That’s Barack Obama’s political résumé. Is it enough to qualify him to be president?

That’s debatable. But it’s interesting to consider that 95% of the experience he does have was completely off the radar of the vast majority of his current supporters. Yet they‘ll cast they’ll cast their vote for him and smear Sarah Palin… and do both with the greatest of ease.

Could either action possibly be that well researched or thought out?

Not anymore than last season’s vote for American Idol.

No disrespect to David Cook. He rocked. But we just met him not too long ago as well.

For those non-local viewers… this little drama is taking place in Kingston Springs, TN: 

 Now it doesn’t matter where you live. It doesn’t even matter the specifics of the events surrounding this cartoon. This is small town America people. This is an area that is pretty much free of the big-time BS that completely (and unfortunately) pollutes the waters of most larger communities.

What’s important here is (and you’ll have to take my word on this & trust me) this is a real-life example of simple “smear” for the sake of smear.

Again… forget the details. We’ll get to that later. Trust me.

The issue at hand is that we, as regular Americans, can simply NOT allow smear like this to take place in our community. Look at this cartoon. It means nothing to anyone outside of Cheatham County, TN. Understood.

But let this serve as an example. To anyone who knows of Adair (the star of this cartoon) you’d be led to believe that she is spreading lies and misconceptions all over Cheatham County.

We are not going to get into whether she is or is not. The bigger issue is “public slander.” I assure you as a friend of Adair, she is a good woman who cares deeply about right, wrong and what matters. And trust me when I tell you that the crux of all of this involves a technicality during a meeting… and nothing more.

Yet this cartoon portrays Adair as a liar. And that’s incredibly serious. And incredibly harsh. If she in fact IS A LIAR…. and has in fact LIED… so be it. Let’s see a clear and concise report/expose of Adair Shippers lying. Lay it out like a court case. And show a pattern please. That’s the key. Show a pattern. One vague, questionable example is simply NOT going to cut it. Let’s see a pattern. A pattern will prove a history of lying. And cite at least THREE examples in order to be taken seriously. Three establishes a pattern.

But to throw a slanderous cartoon out there so casually… what a chump-ass, juvenile thing to do.

There are no facts yet as to who is behind this cartoon. But rest assured… we’ll get to the bottom of it. And when we do… the guilty party will be exposed for the absolute child that they are. You just don’t do things this way. I mean we did when we were in 7th grade… but come on!

This is adult life people. Grow the hell up and be men and women.

If you feel strongly enough about something that you’d commision a frickin’ cartoon about it:

#1. At least enlist someone who could actually draw above the level of a stoned high school student doodling on the inside cover of their science text book.

#2. Be prepared to coordinate the cartoon with something to validate it’s sentiment. An accompanying article… SOMETHING.

But to randomly slander someone like this is quite devoid of any and all tact… and honestly, extremely child-like and shallow.

The person behind this cartoon should feel like a complete and total chump. If there is more than one person behind it… shame on all of you.

So here’s the challenge to our sub-par doodling talent out there:

You started this. Finish it like an honorable man or woman. Drawing a slanderous, open-ended cartoon is one thing. Backing up your sucker-punch with a reasonable argument/statement is the very least you can do. So here’s your forum.

Let’s see if you have it in you.

Before we start high-5ing or arguing… let me begin by saying I’m glad you are here. You are part of what will quickly become an entertaining and informative discussion database. Discussion is important. Over the years we’ve all experienced countless examples of everyday people (of all ideologies) passionately expressing viewpoints and opinions based solely on media soundbites.

People hear something enough… they absorb it.

There’s no better recent example than the Obama campaign mantra of “change”. It’s been repeated endlessly to the point where everyday people are basing their voting privilege on this one word slogan. Yet when asked… very few can express in any specific detail exactly what this change might be. Generalities are easy and shouldn’t count towards actual substance.

Change is sometimes good, but I like my change exact and counted out.

Cashiers out there: Try giving a customer a random handful of change and let me know how that works out for ya.

Kudos to those in charge of the Obama branding and marketing strategy. Whether or not it wins him the presidency, it would be ignorant not to acknowledge the Obama campaign’s effectiveness.

On this part of the continent anyway, and within reason… we are free to discuss whatever we want. It’s my experience that there is a significant portion of modern day Americans, Canadians (and yes… Europeans too) who don’t sincerely appreciate that wonderful freedom. And by sincere I mean evangelically feelin’ it. Shallow appreciation is also easy and shouldn’t count either.

The majority of us are extremely fortunate to live the lives we do. We’re so fortunate and comfortable (in relation to say… I dunno… Mexico, Afghanistan, Haiti!!!) not only is it an inarguable fact that a size-able chunk of the population is apathetically unengaged… there’s a significant portion of the passionately engaged mindlessly repeating marketing slogans as well. All ideologies included.

And please spare me the specific sob stories. Most of us acknowledge that there are some extremely unfortunate circumstances out there. Thankfully we live in a country where there is an enormous amount of religious and secular philanthropy. In general, more than anywhere else on the planet… we’re very fortunate as a whole.

It’s also my opinion that we are at a cultural tipping point. The ever-present tug-of-war between left and right has created extremes on both sides that continue to push the limit of what is considered normal and acceptable. We get numb pretty quick.

A lot of time is spent arguing over titles. Let’s not waste each others time doing that here. For the record and sake of further discussion (and since it’s my playground) please refer to the chart below for BabyReagan.net’slay of the ideological landscape. If you don’t agree with the assessment… that’s OK. But it’s my assessment. And until I’m convinced or proven otherwise… that’s where I’m at.

You’ll notice there at the dividing line sits the tolerance and respect for Christianity. Not religion… Christianity.

No doubt there’s plenty of fertile, passionate discussion ground surrounding this alone. And I welcome it. But again, that’s the view from where I stand.

So let’s get to it. There’s plenty of topics to get started with more coming all the time.

Glad you’re here. Here we go.

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