Obama - Here's how you deal with Chavez

Barack,

I'm Venezuelan. Well, a Venezuelan-American. Here's the deal from my point of view. Chavez announced today that he's seeking nuclear technology from Russia for "peaceful purposes." I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Venezuela is 100% powered by hydro-electric energy. In fact, one could argue that the country is probably the #1 greenest country in the world when it comes to power generation. Its series of interconnected hydro dams make Venezuela the world's largest producer of hydro-electric energy.

Mr. Obama, the simple fact is this: Hugo Chavez is losing support every day. He lost the most important election of his career last year...the election of the redrafting of the constitution. Had he won that election, he would have essentially made himself an elected dictator. But the people voted against it (some believe by huge margines, despite the "official" 51%/49% vote count). Across the country in the next couple months, Venezuela is having a country-wide vote on governors and mayors. This vote will no doubt define the rest of Chavez's life in public office. His term expires in 2012. If Chavez loses this election, which many people believe he will, he will never be able to come up from this brutal, fatal blow.

Another important thing to note here is that Chavez is dealing with a really bad national scandal right now. What some might call "briefcase-full-of-money-for-the-president-of Argentina-gate," Chavez is looking to take some of the heat off of this story. He's essentially accused of smuggling $800,000 in a briefcase to the current president of Argentina, Mrs. Kirchner, in an attempt to buy support from a major south American power. The irony that Chavez used US dollars to seal this deal is hopefully not lost on ol' Hugo, given that he regularly calls the US dollar "worthless pieces of paper."


PLEASE! Barack! If you're elected, do NOT make the same mistakes that Bush has made. The current administration's tactics have only served to fuel support for Chavez. Stand back and let the guy fade away. The people of Venezuela do not support this president any more. With his empty promises and his tales and rhetoric, from rich to poor, Venezuela is ready for this guy to leave. So...

DON'T TAKE THE BAIT!!!!!!!!!

The truth of the matter is that if Chavez were really interested in helping power his country, he should invest in modernizing his power grid. The state of the infrastructural system of power delivery is in ruins. When it rains, power lines short out and black outs regularly occur. But make no mistake...Venezuela produces MORE than enough power from its hydro-electric dams to serve the country's needs. It is a small country where most of the population live in homes that have extremely low power demands. Make no mistake about it, Venezuela's energy issues are directly related to a crumbling infrastructure. They don't need more power, they need to update the system they already have.

And if Chavez really wants to produce more power, he's got the world's largest supply of natural gas. Nuclear power is neither the best economical nor the most feasible option for them.

So...Barack...this is what you do. You say, "Hugo...you really want to have nuclear power? Ok. Then we'll make the plant for you." That way, the US has oversight over the whole thing. We can ensure it's for peaceful purposes. We look like we're willing to play ball with the guy. And having America provide this service would come at a WAY lower cost than Russia could offer. If Chavez is really interested in nuclear power for peaceful purposes, he really has no reason to refuse our offer. And obviously, he'll reject the offer simply because it was a bluff to begin with. But in addition to that, he looks like an idiot to his own people if he turns down such an offer. And you knock him down yet another notch. Then, in 2012 he'll be gone.

Please, don't further encourage this idiot. Like a snake writhing in it's last moments of life, Chavez is scrambling for ways to retain power. He looks at Iran and sees a guy like Ahmadinejad who, himself, was on his way out of popular support...UNTIL...this whole nuclear BS got Bushy all pissed and in effect, Ahmadinejad was made to look like a martyr and a hero to the Persian people...for standing up to America.

So Barack, just play ball. Play dumb. Chavez will never see it coming. And it's a win, win for us. Either A) he asks us to come build him a nuclear power plant that we get to supervise and we get the financial benefits from or B) he balks and his little PR stunt blows up in his face and further serves to discredit his horrible administration.

I know Venezuela. And I know Chavez. And this is a bunch of bullshit. So just follow my lead and all this will be over in 2012. Or even sooner. If this election next month goes overwhelmingly for the anti-Chavez movement, some believe he'll be forced out of office by his own people...which would be just lovely.

Trust me Barack...keep it real.

Sarah Palin - she's still got it

Call for a New Candidate

This election is getting so completely fucked that I think we introduce a third viable candidate.

Someone who will fight for the rights of entertainers and the disabled.

His name is David Brent. And although he is British and can't constitutionally run for the office of President, I think he should nominate himself as the Green Party candidate (after ousting Ralph "The Spoiler" Nader.)

I'm running for the office of the White House. Who Am I?

- I'm enjoying having one of the highest approval ratings for any governor in the country

- My strong Christian beliefs are energizing the Christian conservative voter

- My love of the outdoors and being a hunter is being used to depict me as a 'regular American' that voters can 'identify with'

- I call myself a "Washington outsider"

- I've really only visited Mexico, Canada, and one short trip to the Mid-East...not really done much international traveling, otherwise

- I've never really worked with or met foreign heads of state in an official government capacity

- I believe oil exploration should be expanded in my state and nationally

- I'm making promises to 'clean up Washington of corruption' and get rid of lobbyist control of congress, despite the fact that former lobbyists are running my campaign

- My view on corporate responsibility to the environment is that they should be self-governed, despite the horrible damage oil companies have already done to the fragile environment of my state

- The media and my detractors say I don't have enough experience to work in the White House

- Polling shows that Republican Women love me

- I support the teaching of sexual abstinence in my state's public school system, despite it's obvious flaws

- I publicly say I'm "against pork barrels" but my record shows that I earmark just like the rest of 'em

- My supporters often call me "good-looking" and "sexy" and "extremely likable"

- I can see a foreign, formerly socialist country from my state


My name is George W. Bush, and I've been your president for 8 years.

I don't know what it is, but there's something about that Palin-girl that I really like.

Black Water Operating in South Ossetia???

I don't know what to make of this, but there have been several different reports of the bodies of what seems to be Blackwater mercenaries amongst the rubble of the battle of South Ossetia. For those who don't know, Blackwater is a private US security company that has been regularly hired ( in Iraq mostly ) to carry out a variety of jobs like security detail for US govt officials as well as actual fighting. There have been a many cases reported from Iraq of Blackwater employees killing innocent civilians. Since it's a war zone, though, and international law seems to be in limbo, charges have yet to ever be filed, despite first hand accounts of murders.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/22/AR2007092201424.html

What makes this story in South Ossetia even more provocative is that a US passport of one of the alledged Blackwater employees Michael Lee White was found in a building in South Ossetia while Russian military were clearing out dead bodies.



For sure, it is no secret that the US has engaged in covert opperations within other countries for decades. Whether it was the Bay of Pigs or the Iraning coup in 1953, the US has a long history of CIA involvement overthrowing foreign governments. What makes this different, if we agree that there were indeed Blackwater agents in South Ossetia, is that this is the first time the US government is paying a private corporation to take on these tasks. And these private contractors, unlike US military personal, work outside the legal framework of both US and international war-zone law. They essentially answer to no one.

I can't speak to the true motivation for this move. But it's a very troubling story no matter how you look at it. Some believe that Blackwater was sent to South Ossetia to instigate a confrontation that would embarrass Russia globally. Others just believe it to be a new design in the US government's long-standing career in covert military operations. Who knows what to think? But all I can say is that considering the speed at which this incident took place and how quickly the cease-fire was signed, it seems unlikely that Blackwater was contracted by the government in a reactionary measure to keep the peace. But, again, that's obviously speculative.

By many first hand accounts, what the story suggests is that military personel dressed in what was described as Blackwater uniform were fighting amongst the Georgian's against the Russians. And that an American passport of one Michael Lee White was found in a building which was involved in a heavy armed conflict. But no body was found.

Who knows what it's really about...but it's certainly a curious situation that deserves some further investigation.

Here's a Congressional hearing from a year ago related to Black Water

Palin - just gettin' crazier by the day.

So CNN posted a video today from youtube.com of Sara Palin addressing her church this June, giving a speech to some graduates of the church's ministry program.


What you'll see is Sara Palin claiming that both the Iraq war and an oil pipeline running through Alaska are apparently God's will. People, when will you learn from you mistakes? We don't need more people in the White House who claim to know personally what God's will is. Because if the Iraq War was God's will, our all-mighty creator seems to have pretty shitty problem-solving skills.

Furthermore, it's extremely discouraging to learn that this church Mrs. Palin spoke at ( a church who she, herself, talks about growing up in) practices the art of SPEAKING IN TONGUES! My God! People! When did it become a reality for someone who is part of a church that speaks in a fake language to run for the second highest office in the land? That's like the bum on my street running for president and nominating his second personality as his running-mate. It's not real! She hangs out with people who speak a language which they claim is the language spoken in Heaven. Which directly means that these people claim to have the ability to talk to God and the deceased.

Of course, I don't know if Palin, herself, ever indulged in this blabber-talk, but it certainly says a lot about her character. That is to say, if I were hiring a baby-sitter, I probably wouldn't hire the guy who lives in a half-way house filled with child molesters. It's sort of guilt by association...sorry Sara.

And for those of you who don't know what "speaking in tongues" is...you obviously haven't seen Borat. So here you go:

And as if this weren't bad enough, that same CNN video also shows a clip of the ministries "educational video" which tells its viewers that Alaska is going to be the only safe place when Jesus descends and crushes all the non-believers. The video shows a fantastic graphic of fireballs destroying America--which almost looks as if the same guy who does the amazing graphic design work for FOX news might have taken a free-lance gig with this church on his down time. It's pretty amazing.

Listen people, I'm not telling you to vote for Obama. I know people have legitimate reasons (or I hope, at least) not to like the guy. But for God's sake (and I talk to him, so I know), please don't vote for McCain/Palin. These people have done the impossible--They're making George W. Bush seem almost ok. And that's the scariest thing I can possibly think of.

Here's your big ENERGY PLAN speech, Barack. All laid out for you. Just put it in your own words.

Here's what you do on energy, Barack.

You give a speech in Texas. That's right, Texas. You give a speech in front on one of the thousands of windmills that litters the west-Texas landscape that makes Texas the world's number one producer of wind energy. You talk about Texas' monumental budgetary plan to allocate 5 BILLION+ dollars to further increase Texas' wind energy production. You talk about Texas' ability to adapt to a rapidly changing energy market. Show how it used to be the land of black-gold, Texas tea. And show where it has gone now. And to silence those that think that wind cannot produce enough energy to meet the demands of the US, you explain to the people of America that most of that 5 billion dollars Texas is investing into wind energy isn't actually to build more mills, it's to increase its infrastructural ability to deliver the overwhelming amount of power that wind is currently creating in Texas. Because you see, as it is now, Texas produces more wind energy that the power lines can currently handle. Texas has to regularly shut down wind mills as to not overload the lines. That's real power.

After you talk about what Texas is already doing to make our energy future, you can talk about how the best places to harness wind energy is exactly in the same places where most of Americans are losing their jobs...the Mid-west. In fact, comparably speaking the mid-west has much more potential for wind power generation than Texas does. Look at a state like Michigan. Suffering from the crippling effects of massive job loss in the Detroit area and a terrible housing market, you'd be surprised to know that the lakes that Michigan is surrounded by are some of the best places in the country to harness wind energy. And to those who think, "You can't build wind mill in the water," guess what....you can. Denmark does it. Holland does it. And guess who else does it....TEXAS!

You see, people all around us are making their energy futures in wind energy. And we haven't even discussed the MASSIVE potential for solar power. Every year, solar panel technology drastically increases its power harnessing abilities. And if you plot its increase, you'll see that it's growing at an exponential rate.

We have the ability here to create a vast amount of jobs for people in the midwest. We can supply people with skilled-labor jobs to replace the ones that left our country and replace them with ones that cannot.

And Barack, while your sitting in the hot west-Texas desert sun, you can move on to the portion of your energy plan that directly effects transportation. Because, obviously, transportation is a huge part of the energy equation. Do you know what else the deserts of West Texas and the rest of the Southwest are good for? Growing algae. "So what?" you say. How does algae produce energy? Well, as it turns out, certain algaes, produce lipids as a bi-product of their growth. What can you do with lipids? Make diesel fuel. In fact, Virgin Atlantic already flew a 747 on a mixture of the biofuel. And, Barack, the best part about it is that the people making the biggest strides in algae-fuel technology is....ARIZONA! That right, Arizona State Univeristy and the state of Arizona are making investments in this fuel future. How embarrassing for John McCain? In his own back yard, the guy doesn't even know that huge advances in biofuel technology are taking place and his own state government is getting behind it. And you know who else is? Chevron!

It seems like the only person out of the loop here is John McCain. He's asking for 45 new nuclear plants. And despite what he says about France's nuclear program and its safety and efficiency, the fact is that in this year alone there have been over 80 reports of negative or potentially harmful incidents related to France's nuclear energy facilities. And on top of that, there was an actual leak at one of France's plants just two months ago! Safety is obviously still an issue today, even for a nuclear program as advanced as France's.

Barack! John McCain ridicules you for not wanting to act fast enough to fix our energy problem. Even though he's totally ignoring the fact that nuclear power plants take AT LEAST five years to build. And he's ignoring the fact that his off-shore drilling idea would only work if a) we actually discovered oil off-shore (which we aren't even sure about) and if b) it took less than a couple years to get flowing. But by all estimates, we'd be several years away from seeing any oil production from off-shore drills even if we started drilling today...and again, that's only IF we find oil out there. Because we don't know. Talk about a gamble!

And as for his clean coal idea....Barack, this is the same dog and pony show Mr. Bush was touting eight years ago. And you know how many "clean coal" plants we've built since Bush Jr. proposed the "revolutionary ideas"...not ONE. And just like nuclear plants, they're extremely costly and are extremely burdensome to the environment. Because it doesn't matter how clean you can burn coal, if it involves chopping off mountain tops, it's pretty gosh-darn destructive, in my book.

So there you go, Barack. It's all laid out there for the taking. Use it. And make sure to give the speech in Texas in front of a windmill. I'm telling you, the irony will resonate greatly, even in some of the most dense of Americans.

No Nuclear Power, John...here's why.

I'm not sure why he's so into it, but John McCain loves him some nuclear power. John just doesn't get it. This month, McCain gave a speech from the Fermi II nuclear power plant in Michigan ...which in the last 8 years has had two serious operational failures and one serious security breach. And of course, the Fermi II power plant replaced the Fermi I power plant which on October 5, 1966 suffered a partial fuel meltdown which almost destroyed Detroit. That doesn't seem like a safe technology.

Don't be fooled by the safety of nuclear. The fact of the matter is that then AND today nuclear power has always had serious problems. We don't need a Chernobyl happening in our own country nor do we need 45+ more (nuclear) targets for terrorists. That is to say, McCain wants to build 45+ nuclear plants in the US and he also insists that terrorism is a real threat to American livelihood.

Well, considering that Capt. David Orrik, who heads the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's security inspection program, said this about the current state of security in our current nuclear facilities, "The way (security) is set up, I have severe misgivings about our ability to determine how effective it is," I think adding 45 more nuclear terrorist targets to the list is not a good idea...especially for those of us who think Al Qaeda is currently plotting another attack. I, personally, don't think they are. Or that is to say, I'm less scared of Al Qaeda killing me and more scared getting unexpectedly seriously injured in an accident being uninsured (which I am...uninsured). But adding 45 new nuclear facilities with equally poor security as the sites we already have, I think that's cause to be worried.

John McCain uses a really tired joke in his energy speeches lately. He said, "You know how much we love to copy the French (pause for obligatory laughter). The French are able to generate 80% of their electricity with nuclear power. There's no reason why America shouldn't." Well, I should remind John McCain that as safe as he thinks France's nuclear power system is, just this month at the Tricastin power plant in France, untreated uranium seeped into the ground and wound up in rivers. Later, radioactive particles escaped from a pipe, slightly contaminating utility workers. And on top of that, across all of France, there have been 80 officially reported "irregularities" in the daily systems operations of nuclear power facilities. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer an energy plan in which "irregularities" don't have the potential to result in nuclear fall out.

I don't believe John McCain is a bad person. And I don't think he's dumb either. And as many use the beer-drinking litmus test for voting, I'd definitely be into having a beer with the guy. But I just don't think he gets it. And his love of nuclear power speaks volumes of his inability TO get it. He obviously doesn't bother to check the facts on the ground about this issue. And considering how many glaring problems the nuclear industry clearly faces and how adamantly gung-ho McCain is about nuclear power, I shutter to think what other bad ideas John McCain can be convinced of.

This is not the type of leader we need. And this is not the plan a leader for the 21st century should be touting. We need a real energy plan that aims for the future, not repackaging old and overtly dangerous technologies. Wind power is real. Solar power is real. Texas creates more wind energy than anywhere else in the world. So much, in fact, we (I live in Texas) have to regularly shut down mills because our infrastructure literally can't support the amount of power being generated by wind turbines. That's why Texas just invested billions of dollars to expand the infrastructure of power line transmission--To meet the overpowering capabilities of the wind power generation. Don't let anyone fool you. Green power is a reality! Green power is being used today! And Green power is the future! (pause for applause). Anything less than that is just stupid...and ultimately, hopelessly unimaginative. (pause, again)

John F. Kennedy promised to put someone on the moon. And in a few years time, we did it. It seems to me, building some wind turbines and solar fields is not a terribly big endeavor, comparably. Let's do it right.

Palin is a Pawn

Sara Palin said last night she wants to go to Washington to “serve the people of America.” But how do you serve the people when you don’t believe in Global Warming…when an overwhelming majority of Americans agree that, not only does it exist, but that we need to act on it—FAST! You are not serving the people, Mrs. Palin. When you ridicule Barack Obama’s history as a community organizer, where he was working to find jobs for out-of-work steel workers who were suffering under the Regan-era economics, you aren’t serving America. When you insist that the Democratic tax plan will do no good to help our suffering economy, and that, indeed, only LOWERING taxes will help, ignoring the simple fact that America is in recession right now specifically because of eight years of failed Republican economic planning, you are not serving the people. When you willfully ignore the sad state of our country experiencing an unemployment rate that has grown every month since January, instead clinging to empty, pseudo-patriotic rhetorical epithets, you are not serving our country. When our country is in the middle of the worst war since Vietnam and you willingly admit that you “don’t pay much attention to the war”, you are not serving our country, Mrs. Palin. Being a willfully ignorant, short-sighted Republican sycophant does not do service to America. You are being used as a pawn in the only way the modern Republicans know how to win an election: by swindling Americans. And Mr. McCain, when you sink so low as to ask this obviously flawed candidate to be your running-mate on the hope you can sell her ubber-conservative story and again swindle the American right into believing that you’ll actually overturn Roe v Wade, you, Mr. McCain, are not serving the American people. You are just trying to get elected. And you’re a maverick (read: Asshole).

To the right-winged people who feel revitalized by Sara Palin’s nomination, heed this warning: despite her views on abortion and her socially conservative ideology, no Republican President, and certainly not one up against a Democratic congress, NO REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT WILL EVER OVER TURN ROE v WADE. EVER! So don’t even think about voting for McCain/Palin if that’s your hope.

George Bush Jr., if you can use you’re obviously short-sighted minds to think back eight years ago (I know it hurts), used this same “rally the social-conservative base” approach to getting elected. And it worked. He even successfully packed his Supreme Court with conservative judges, tipping the court’s balance to a pro-life stance. He had every opportunity in the first six years of his presidency, enjoying, for the first time ever, both a Republican president and a Republican congress, to overturn Roe v Wade. But he didn’t. He had every opportunity to change the constitution to add an amendment that stated that marriage is only recognized as a union between a man and a woman. But he didn’t. In fact, pretty much every socially conservative item he ran on changing, he didn’t do anything about. Ask yourselves why he didn’t. Think about why he wouldn’t. Then think about why you voted for him. Then think about what he actually did. He started a wildly unpopular and unneeded war that has put us in a NINE TRILLION DOLLAR DEBT. He neglected to care for a city almost destroyed by a hurricane. He turned the Justice Department into a political arm of the Republican party and was associated with one of the most embarrassing resignations of a US Attorney Generals in history. And he legitimized torture as a practical approach to combating terrorism around the world. This is what your party stands for. This is what you’ll get with two more equally clueless people in the White House.

When will you learn that being cock-sure and obtuse is not a substitute for being a real leader?

When will you learn that being willfully ignorant of the world around you doesn’t make you a savvy politician?

When will you realize that the only reason John McCain is using his POW experience to get elected is because he knows that’s the only way he can get elected?

I’m sure you’ll scoff at that statement, but you know exactly what I’m talking about. I, again, ask you to think eight years back when McCain defiantly told his campaign strategist that he DID NOT want to make his experience in Vietnam a focal point in his campaign. So why is he doing it now? Maybe because he lost to the guy who used these same empty promises of social-conservative change to get elected and pseudo-patriotic rhetoric to get re-elected.

Yoda says, “Adaptive, this McCain is.”

I don’t know who you Republicans think you’re fooling. But that convention of yours looks more like a clan rally than a convention advocating anything substantive or truly important. I can, with no doubt, say that the only people your fooling…is yourselves.