Politics

I got an e-mail from a gun dealer poking some fun at the Brady Campaign (who in recent years has gone farther and farther off the scale in wackiness). The point of the blog post I was reading was just poking fun at the Brady Campaign having only about 50K members nationwide, with only about half that being active in the last 12 months. The numbers speak for themselves:

• 50,581 DONORS/MEMBERS (TOTAL FILE)
• 40,765 DONORS/MEMBERS (24 MOS)
• 28,417 DONORS/MEMBERS (12 MOS)

"But where did those numbers come from," you may be asking yourself. Well, oddly enough, they come from a website called NextMark.com where you can buy other people's membership and mailing lists.

"WHAT'S THAT," You ask? Let me spell it out for you in simple terms: When you donate money and join the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence, your address and other such information goes onto a list. That list is then sold via NextMark to whomever buys it. Just the same way your name ends up on any other targeted spam or junk-mail marketing list. So the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence is selling your PERSONAL information. But they're not the only ones...  read more »

There are two things I generally do not talk about with most people: religion and politics. Those two things are two of the most divisive topics anyone could think of, and have led to wars, death, famine, injustice and a whole host of other crimes, both minor and major. But sometimes, every once in a while, politics surprise me.

[Imagine movie announcer voice] In a world where people paid exorbitant taxes on homes valued at 10 to 50 times what they should be, the people cried out. In a world where anything can happen, it did. In a world where one actor became governor and later President, and another actor went from Terminating to Legislating, political battles became the stuff of legend. [end movie announcer voiceover]

I've watched California Politics with almost a sense of awe and non-belief. First, having a bit of a crush on Georgy Russell a cute, plucky girl who ran for Governor and lost to Schwarzenegger, and watching during that same election a Carly Fiorina is taking a run at Barbara Boxer's seat in Congress. And she's brought with her sarcasm, wit, and downright insanity.

To start, lets consider this, advertisement:

It's just weird, until you hit about the 2:15 mark... then it takes a dive off the deep end. As if the thinly veiled comparison of politicians to sheep wasn't enough, well... I won't spoil it for you. Just remember, it REALLY steps off into Bizarro World at about the 2:15 mark or so.

And now, this... The Attack of Barbara Boxer's Giant Inflatable Head of Doom!

Words do not do this justice. It's at once horrifying, and absolutely brilliant. It's just so odd that I have a hard time accepting it's even real... but real it is, and it's genius. Evil Genius, but genius none the less. Also, it's long, but after it settles down a bit, it picks up a little again at about the 5 minute mark or so. Be sure to watch for the giant hand.

So, California. Politics. California Politics. Always a surreal world that blends the worst of Hollywood with the worst of Politics and adds in a twist of just strange. California, and Carly, you've exceeded expectations! Congratulations!  read more »

I really don't know what to make of this. It seems that everyone + brother is now hopping on the anti-BCS bandwagon. The coaches don't like the way the BCS works, leaving out worthy teams as certain "Big Conferences" get automatic championship bids while others have to claw and fight for them. The Fans aren't to happy with the BCS (unless you are a Texas, USC, OSU, or sometimes Flordia fan). Even President Obama has said he wants to push for a change in how College Football Championships are decided.

But now, even the House of Representatives have gotten in on the game. The Yahoo! News article linked tells us that the HoR has now passed a bill (well, a committee within the House has, at least) that states that you can't call it a Championship unless it's played through a playoff schedule. So, while so many Americans are unemployed or on the brink of bankruptcy, a war rages on, no one seems to be able to tell the American people exactly WHERE our nearly 1 TRILLION dollars worth of bailout money went, and no one can come to a decision on health care, They decided to try to regulate College Football.  read more »

I was reading the local mail chatlist when once again the discussion started about "us versus them" in regards to the "natives" of Chatham County and the "transplants" who have moved in here over the last several years or even decades. The main target of my ire was Rita with the Hyphenated Name, who's basic argument was "Shut up, if you don't like it, go back where you came from" which has been a pervasive ideology across the south since Reconstruction. I decided to reply to her post, and every other post on the topic, and this is my reply:

I wanted to thank Rita with the hyphenated last name and the others who've jumped in to once again add fuel to the us/them argument. And I wanted to thank all those locals for once again reminding me in the most polite of terms that I am not "native", will never be "native", should not consider myself a "local", and should just smile and keep my mouth shut because being an "outsider" means that I don't have the right to want, work for, hope for, or embrace changes that could make my life better.  read more »