Politics – Page 11 – Mostly Harmless

February 12, 2008

Crazy people on the Supreme Court

Normally, a nut as a judge is just odd. If he makes enough bad calls he gets pulled off the bench. Some really odd people have been on the bench for years.

The “debate” about water boarding is ridiculous. It’s torture, no arguement about it. The U.S. government tried and convicted other people for doing it. Until the Jack Bauer crowd came into power, it was reprehensible. Now these fear mongers have gotten the U.S. to use phrases like “water boarding, which some consider to be torture”. This is just unbelievable. Whatever happened to people just speaking plainly?

Antonin Scalia is a nut. His idea that “smacking someone in the face” could be justified is beneath that of a Supreme Court Justice. Forget the constitutionality of torturing people, or that it’s a crime under the law. In his Jack Bauer world anything can be justified and the hell with the law or the constitution.

I wish this nut job would just get his cameo on the new season of 24. Just get this stupidity out of his system and then maybe he can actually concentrate on his job instead of being Vice President Cheney’s towel boy.

February 12, 2008

The oddest people have common sense

Glenn Beck, who I generally feel is a I-wanna-be-Bill-O’Reilly entertainer, wrote an article I agree with. Giving people debit cards for the “stimulus” package is a good idea, assuming the package will actually work.

February 7, 2008

Wow, Romney called it quits

I just read on CNN that Romney is “suspending” his campaign. Suspending, does that mean he can kick start it at a later date?

His reasoning sounded patriotic. He’s color coding the threat level (a Democrat winning the election would raise the threat level to blood red) and doing the don’t-let-the-terrorists-win act. I think he’s making a mistake; President Bush has ridden that horse into the ground. People are aware of the terrorist threat but mostly they won’t let fear drive them anymore.

If voters really worked that way then Rudy Giuliani would have more delegates than Mike Huckabee.

Now the Republican race will be fun. John McCain is loathed by many hard core conservatives (I don’t get that one either, but in my mind he’s hated by all the right people) but so far he has a big lead. And Mike Huckabee, every time he speaks lately I have to remind myself that I don’t agree with many of his views. He’s a great public speaker.

Maybe we’ll see a McCain Huckabee ticket?

February 6, 2008

Natural disasters and empty promises

I’m sure this will be well managed. The track record of the federal government is great so far.

February 6, 2008

Remember it’s not torture

“Yeah, we tortured people but when we do it, it’s not torture.” Nice of them to kinda come out of the closet. Our government does not torture and Senator Larry Craig ain’t gay…

January 29, 2008

Will Rudy drop out?

NBC 4 is saying that Rudy has not said he is dropping out but apparently in his Florida concession speech he kept referring to his campaign in the past tense. Here’s hoping he pulls the plug.

January 29, 2008

Co-president?

I like Senator Hillary Clinton but President Clinton is selling himself as part of the package.

That’s not good. When he says “These are tough times. We can bring America back. We’ve done it before.” then he’s using the good will he built to get himself into office. I don’t like that; his time as president is over. He can do (and I assume does) meaningful work and change the world. Just ask President Carter.

Can’t we have a presidential candidate who actually represents something new and hopeful? If Senator Obama gets the nod then it maybe for this reason alone.

January 22, 2008

That’s the Rudy NYC remembers

Rudy can smile The New York Times has a good article on Rudy Guiliani which highlights many of his bad temper abuses. It’s a little long but some of the examples I had forgotten about. I like the photo from the article, it shows a “lighter” side of the presidential candidate.

I think the Rudy 2008 campaign is beginning to realize that his tough guy 9/11 hero bit is not going to get him delegates. Lately his stumping in Florida is lacking his 9/11 rhetoric and his latest ad does not even use the word “terrorism”.

When Rudy was mayor he did improve things but he did so without any class. It was a “my way of the highway” but it was needlessly mean spirited and he became a real bully. From petty arguing with radio show callers to slandering a victim of a police shooting, he made it clear that he wanted to be a mean SOB.

Rudy was tolerated because he did get things done and the city was a mess. But previous mayors proved that you could work with people and still get work done. Ed Koch was quite a character but he was effective. David Dinkins made lots of mistakes but he did have class.

I can’t imagine Rudy as president. We’d have a bigger melt down than we have with President Bush. The Bush Cheney administration is petty, no-bid, ignores disagreement (on good days), and has a demonstrable contempt for the law. President Rudy would trump that; President Bush is sadly not too bright. But he’s not really mean or a bully.

What an image, the school yard bully having his finger on top of the button to launch the missiles.

January 17, 2008

DNA samples taken from anyone arrested?

In NYC for the state of the city address, Mayor Bloomberg apparently is proposing that DNA samples be taken from everyone arrested.

I think the idea is like the police running the ID of anyone who jumps a subway turnstile. If they’re naughty enough to jump a turnstile then they might have an outstanding warrant. Thus a ticket-able offense becomes a potential dragnet.

What could be the problem? Police already fingerprint people when they are arrested. And just like fingerprints, the DNA sample could finger the person being arrested for prior unsolved crimes. I think this idea should be expanded.

Let’s get samples of peoples DNA when they apply to any government program. Or even when people apply for a Social Security number. Get them when they are young. Think of the benefit, and best of all, if the person never commits a crime then they have nothing to be afraid of.

I guess even politicians get bad days. I don’t know why Mayor Bloomberg is channeling Rudy but that’s a dumb idea logistically as well as legally (maybe, IANAL).

January 16, 2008

Is Rudy cured?

Wow. Miracles do happen.

After many attempts and interventions Rudy has been able to appear in public without having his 9/11 Tourette’s syndrome kicking in.

Every article I have read seems to concentrate on the fact that he left out the English only part of his talking points and how politically poisonous Katherine Harris still is. Not one mention of 9/11.

If this keeps up, people might start thinking that Rudy is more than a one-trick pony. He’s not, but people can be fooled.

Category: Politics (page 11 of 12)