Revenge of the truthers

All across conspiracy boards truthers are in fits of joy. Somebody was seen on msnb shout 9-11 was an inside job.

What is a truther do you ask? Well, a truther is a self proclaimed seeker of truth concerning 9-11. They believe all sorts of things, from mini-nukes in the towers, to bombs, to cheney controlling it all, standing down norad, etc etc.

I am not going to waste my time addressing the nutjobs and nutcases, so will reference them here. Now, the sad thing is a lot of the people that believe this, now believe that Obama will be the chosen one who will bust open this scheme and expose the rotten government for what they are. Yet another group of people placing their religious faith in an untried, unproven candidate. He is not the messiah people, he is a politician. In 4 years from now, will you still feel the same? I have no doubt he will make an impact, it just won't be as severe as y'all think.

And the truthers? Don't try to argue with them, they bring up 1000's of webapges from self professed experts and believe them all. And heaven forbid, dont point out the contradictions between them.

Barack Obama King of Obamalot

King Arthur, the legendary king of Camelot has been reborn as Barack Obama, king of Obamalot. Sounds rather silly, and I agree, but the name is catchy. It has started to catch on in blogs, even some press articles.

Why the hype? Do people believe in Obama the man? Or do they believe in Obama the politician. There is no doubt the man is one of the greatest speakers in recent memory, possibly even surpassing Bill Clinton. Or have we just become so used to the past 8 years that anybody that can string together sentences with passion has become such a relief? Obama has this ability to inspire, to make people feel what they think they have been missing. He can bring tears to eyes, cheers to throats, and normally impassioned people talk about him with a fever bordering on fanaticism. Like King Arthur of old, he speaks about change, equality, salvation. But to date, that is all he has done, merely spoken the words. Pretty words, words that people want to hear, but words none the less.

Obama's more fervent followers have an almost fanatical approach to them. Mention one word against him, and they attack, rabidly tearing out your throat. It is border line a religion. This can be quite dangerous. Passion can only carry so far, at some point people need substance. People need to see or hear that within the first three months, this is what he is going to do, and how he will accomplish it. Then a 6 month plan, and a 1 year plan, and so on and so forth. For so long all we hear is what is wrong, and how candidate A is better then candidate B.

I watched Obama's speech last night, then re-read the text of that speech this morning. It is a totally different experience reading without observing his gestures, hearing the inflictions in his voice, and observing the crowd. In black and white, he didn't have a lot if anything concrete. Oh he mentions cutting government spending, eliminating this or that, but no mention how. His ideals on energy are very similar to McCain's, though neither candidate will admit it. They both will continue the war on terror. They will both push for nuke energy, clean coal, and alternate energy. There is a difference concerning Iraq, but more in the fact of a timetable versus no timetable.

When election time comes, I truly hope people vote with their heads, and not their hearts. Take the time to review each candidate, their past, their voting record, their experience, and what they say now. Remember they are politicians, and will say what they need to say to get elected.

Sarah Palin Republican VP

Alaskan governor Sarah Palin has been asked and has accepted the VP nomination with John McCain. In my opinion this was a very risky political move. She is relatively young, inexperienced, and has ties through her husband to oil companies. I understand the thoughts behind a female VP, but why not a more experienced one?

John McCain is relatively old, and not in the greatest of health. This means if anything were to happen to him, this untried governor would suddenly find herself the president. She is in her first term as governor, even less experience then the media's golden boy, Obama. Biden will more then likely destroy her in the VP debate.

The one thing he did do by choosing her, is took race and gender( hopefully ) out of the equation. One way or the other this is a historic election, and will see either the first female VP, or the first non white president. Hopefully race will not play apart of this, either for or against either candidate. It needs to be focused entirely on the merits and stances of both candidates.

Governor Palin is currently in some controversy in her home state involving the mishandling of a fired state employee. Depending on this plays out, and believe me, the media will go after it, will also have an impact on the election.

Quite an unusual choice, one that will bear watching in the coming weeks.

Olympics

I have to say, even with all the controversy, the olympics have still been a fun watch. I do have serious issues with the gymnastics judging though. Nobody could figure out how they were giving the chinese gymnast the scores they were. Don't get me wrong, they were good, just not that good.

In addition, the female gymnast are not 16, no matter what the chinese government says. Too many people have found proof that the girls are between 12 and 14 years old. Which in my opinion should invalidate all the chinese gold from womens gymnastics.

On a positive note, huge kudos to Michael Phelps and the womens beach volleyball teams. Very outstanding work.

Fire Season

More fires are burning in Yosemite and parts of California. Seems to be the time of year again. Plus with fall coming up, and more dry weather, camping etc, be sure and follow fire safety.

1. Be sure all campfires are extinguished and buried. Stir it around with dirt and water to make sure it is out.

2. On windy days, be mindful of your surroundings and your fire.

3. Put the cigarette out. Put it in a disposable cup or something similar so the ashes don't get free.

4. If you find yourself in path of a fire, follow instructions precisely, it could save your life.

Just be mindful and careful around flames this year, too many fires claim too many lives.

Make all US electricity from renewable sources

Al Gore is trying to regain some fame with his latest statement: We need to make all US energy come from renewable sources in 10 years.

This statement once again shows that he truly knows nothing about energy or the environment. Not only is his plan impossible, it is technically unfeasible at our current energy consumption. We are having problems supplying the energy needed at our current level or production. If Gore wants to truly help the environment, he needs to follow the following steps.

1) Convince oil companies to invest more in alternate fuels. These companies have some of the largest amounts of profit that there is in the market today. Investing 1 million here or there doesn't help. Nor does 16 billion dollar profits in their pockets while America pays for it.

2) Convince environmental activist to allow the construction of new efficient clean power plants. They can build one with nearly no CO emissions, generate more power, then the current plants.

3) Support energy efficiency standards. We need to get people making inefficient products to be held accountable and clean up the strain on the grid.

4) Educate with real data and facts, not information made up in his head. Some people are hardened against the word climate change and global warming. Talk to their wallets, not their sense of responsibility.

5) Point out the ways people can currently cut back and save.

There is no way we can be off the current grid without massive changes. Technology is increasing yearly, but the amount of energy this country consumes is astronomical and growing. With hybrid cars on the rise, their charge cycle is more strain on an already over-burdened grid. People need to accept responsibility for their actions. Talk to local utilities and find ways you can save energy, and money and do it!

Contraception is Abortion

So wow, this is just out of the blue, but almost what one would expect from this administration. According to an AP article, a new bill refers to some types of contraception as abortion. Yeah, that's right.

The law attempts to define abortion as:

"any of the various procedures, including the prescription and administration of any drug or any performance of any procedure or any other action, that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.”

Some women may not know they are pregnant for a couple of months. In my opinion, this is being done to get rid of the morning after pill. Abortion is every womans choice, the one she has to be with, and government needs to stay out of it.

Iowa Caucus, sick yet?

The Iowa caucus has come and gone yet, and it solved? Nothing. Thats right, it solved nothing, except media perception. The media is running this election, and anybody thinking anything different needs to do some personal research. Its the first of the year, it sets the tone of the primaries, etc etc. Does the winner of Iowa always win the nod from their respective parties? No, not always.

In a race this close, with the nation desperately needing true leadership, why should the media pre-determine the candidates? Vote for who you want to vote for, not who the media tells you is "winning", or a "clear choice".

As somebody able and willing to think for myself, I believe more Americans should research the candidates, research the issues, and vote for who they want running the country.