Baking cookies and watching Maddow

I am sitting here baking cookies and watching Rachel Maddow (as every good liberal housewife does), and I can't help but think about the reliability of the news we receive. As students we are always told that when researching it is always important to make sure your information is from a reliable source. So I looked up the sources of the news many Americans receive. I enjoy watching Rachel Maddow and Chris Mathews, while many others enjoy the likes of Sean Hannity and Glen Beck. So I decided to do a side-by-side comparison to see if I was really getting my news from a more reliable, informed source.



Rachel Maddow received the Rhodes Scholarship and began her postgraduate study in 1995 at Lincoln College, Oxford. In 2001, she completed her Doctor of Philosophy degree in politics from the University of Oxford....

One smart cookie...okay so far so good.



Okay how about Glen Beck?

"Beck was admitted to a special program for non-traditional students at Yale University while he was working for a New Haven-area radio station, having received at least one of his recommendations from Senator Joe Lieberman. During this time Beck took a single theology class, dropping out around the time of his divorce." (wikipedia)

hmmm...not so good



Chris Mathews?

Chris was a 1967 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He did graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and served in the Peace corp.

Rock on Chris.



Sean Hannity?

Hannity graduated in 1980 from St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary high school. After high school Hannity dropped out of New York University and Adelphi University.

oopsy...


I've known a lot of really smart people that have never gone to College, but when I look to others for the best knowledge of philosophy, economics, history, and politics, I like to trust the experts first.

Tea Baggers and Tea Bagging

What Tea Bagging and Tea Baggers have in common:

Either way you are looking at a group of sweaty, hairy, stinking masses, surrounded by dickheads and assholes, that get in your face. Both are aimed at agendas very far off their target which will result in women calling you a moron. They think the package they have to offer is quite large and appealing but when forced to look at it up close, we discover that it has been grossly overestimated in size. You can find several sites on the internet dedicated to each in which the phrase "dirty sanchez" may appear.  (you may have to google that one.)

But most of all, Glenn Beck is a fan of both.

Racist is as racist does

I think everyone expected that a black president would bring the issue of race to the forefront of national debate. Recently Jimmy Carter referred to Joe Wilson's outburst as a symbol of the racist feelings still harbored by many white Americans that still believe a black man is not fit to lead. Wilson's son responds his dad doesn't have a "single racist bone in his body." I agree that perhaps this was a coincidence, as he may not have been showing racism against the black president, only disagreeing with his policies. His outburst was perhaps simple stupidity.

Rep. Lynn Jenkins claimed to be unaware of the racist connotation when saying Republicans needed a "great white hope", although she voted for a measure urging the president to pardon heavyweight champion boxer Jack Johnson that included the very phrase she claimed to not have known about. Again, it's maybe just stupidity.

In town halls all over America people have shown their racist roots while Congressmen look on and do or say nothing. Conservative networks aired an angry black woman being escorted out of a town hall meeting to obviously portray the anger and civil disobedience of those on the left as well. Other news showed just why she was so distraught. She had brought a poster to the town hall to display. After boos from the audience, she rolled the poster up and put it away. A reporter approached her and asked to see what she had been displaying that caused such a raucous. After unrolling her poster for the reporter, an enraged man stormed in and ripped the poster from her hands tearing it in to pieces, all in front of a cheering crowd. The poster had no hateful rhetoric, no political agenda...it was a poster of Rosa Parks.

When we look upon these leaders, we can either say they were racist or just dumb. And though you cannot be racist without being dumb, calling all racists simply dumb is an offense to stupid people everywhere. So what is it Lynn, Joe, all the others? Are you really dumb or just racist?


Or are your arguments so weak that instead of winning the masses with your ideas and policies, you have chosen to rally them around race and nationality?





58% of Republicans still believe Obama was not born in the U.S

1 in 10 Americans still believe Obama is a Muslim (1 in 4 Texans)

Got humor ?

The releasing of the "shoe thrower" reminded me how much fun we had at the expense of President Bush. It seems like we had some humor about the President, even if we disagreed with his policies. Today there seems to be far less ability to make fun of a president we don't like, and more pure hatred. So today I post my favorite jokes at Obama's expense, hoping we can all lighten up a bit. Republicans may have the vile spewing of Hannity or Beck, but they could take a cue from Stewart, Colbert, or Maher.... You can reach your audience and send a message without spreading hatred and fear.


"How many watched the Obama speech on Tuesday night? If you didn't see it, I'll give you the short version. We're completely broke, and deeply in debt, but we're going to do a bank rescue, universal healthcare, give everybody a college education, have a bigger war in Afghanistan, cut the deficit in half, and cure cancer. We were this close to universal blow jobs." --Bill Maher
"Barack Obama spent his first day as president-elect putting together his transition team. And if you believe MSNBC, by tomorrow he will have chosen all 12 of his disciples." --Jay Leno


"Both McCain and Senator Barack Obama are trying to woo voters who are outside their natural demographic. In this election, for Senator Obama, that means trying to reach working class, non-Muslim white women who love America." --Jon Stewart


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We all fell in love with Bushisms...these are the famous Obamaisms so far.


"No, no. I have been practicing...I bowled a 129. It's like -- it was like Special Olympics, or something." --making an off-hand joke during an appearance on "The Tonight Show", March 19, 2009 (Obama later called the head of the Special Olympics to apologize)


"I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any séances." --after saying he had spoken with all the living presidents as he prepared to take office, Washington, D.C., Nov. 7, 2008 (Obama later called Nancy Reagan to apologize)


"What I was suggesting -- you're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith..." --in an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, who jumped in to correct Obama by saying "your Christian faith," which Obama quickly clarified (Watch video clip)


"On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today -- our sense of patriotism is particularly strong."

I found a lot more...mostly centered on his race, nationality, religion, and birth certificate....they would be a lot funnier if I were racist, a "birther", or any other form of moron.





BUT IF YOU ARE CURIOUS

The Necessity of Religion

I know it would be far more predictable to discuss the evils of religion, but I think that most people are well aware of that argument. I can find where religion plays an important part in society. How good are men really? If a weaker man had the rules and restraints of his religion taken away, what life might he live? It is true that many have done awful thing in the name of religion, but what of the average man? Would he give to charity if not for his tithing? Would he follow the basic guidelines of a moral society if not for the Commandments? 

I say all this as a non-believer, someone who finds no practical use for any religion personally. But I do see others that resemble their ancient ancestors lost in a world they can't explain. They want answers to explain  cosmic questions and needless suffering. They have replaced Sun Gods with more modern deities, but the motive is still much the same.

As I parent I see how much easier it is to be religious. When your children are afraid it is much easier to talk about angels and heaven instead of quantum theories or vast voids of nothingness. Your children will fit in much better with the masses of other children. They will not feel odd when the coach says a prayer before a game, and they will not feel like they could not be president because of their lack of beliefs.

For many it is easier, it is necessary. It guides them along their life giving them a handbook that appears to provide every answer, and if it does not, then they can simply say it is God's will that they do not know. After all, knowledge is what got Adam and Eve in trouble in the first place. The fear of hell and promise of paradise or virgins keeps them in check just in case they do not have enough moral fortitude to make the right decisions on their own. This is why many powerful men have endorsed religion, they understand it is the best way to keep the masses obedient and in fear.

Perhaps some people are better kept under these restraints or given false hopes when they struggle. It is appropriate God called his followers his flock. Some men were meant to be just that..sheep.

sex, lies, and eye patch underwear

Mike Duvall, Republican Assemblyman, is just the latest politician caught in a sexy scandal. The man bragged about his dirty sex not realizing his mike was on. He mentioned dirty adventures with his mistress including spanking and eye patch underwear. Click here to view the news article
Now I could care less if the man was Republican or Democrat and I still believe personal sexual exploits don't make you an ineffective leader as history should teach us that by now. I also don't believe we should continue the hypocritical game of which party is morally deficient by citing examples such as Duvall. However if you put yourself in the spotlight as a representative of "family values" and believe you have the moral authority to judge others personal lives, you better make sure your ass is clean.

L.A. Gay and Lesbian center had this response,

"It's Duvall's hypocrisy regarding his infidelity that makes him so especially despicable. He joins a long line of equally discredited, anti-gay 'family values' conservatives like evangelical U.S. Senators David Vitter and John Ensign, and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. At least Duvall had a modicum of decency and resigned, while those of the Vitter/Ensign/Sanford ilk brazenly continue on, still embraced by their 'family values' colleagues. Their full response

Duvall had the audacity to say his affair was a private matter. I actually agree 100%. Whoever you engage in sexual activity with is your personal business and witch-hunts by those on both sides of the spectrum are despicable. But Mr. Duvall, no one tried to get in your business, you aired it over your mike like a frat boy.

You have made every effort to stymie any efforts for the State of California to defend the rights of gay and lesbians and what they do in their own personal lives. Many reply they should only have to answer to their families and their God. If this is true, do not legislate sexual morality of others as what they do is also between their partner and their God.

The Confederate State of Oregon

Yes it's true, even though the history books show Oregon on the side of the North, some Oregonians proudly hoist the Confederate flag. I am not sure why as it couldn't be Southern Pride. Surely Colonel Baker and the Oregon boys in the Pennsylvania regiment that fought bravely for the North would surely roll in their graves. It is true that Oregon was founded in large part by Southern yeoman, escaping the cast system slavery created, who took their racist ideals with them. It is also true Oregon instituted "lash laws" and various other exclusion laws that stayed in the Oregon Constitution for years. But seriously why are these people over 150 years later proudly displaying the flag on their trucks and sleeveless T's?
Oregonians think of themselves as progressive, feeling ties to men like Tom McCall, but they forget about the pockets of hatred and racism in our rural areas. Yes racism. They mask it behind political excuses but it is nothing more than that. I hear the tasteless jokes at the grocery store and local barbecues. They have the audacity to make cracks about Obama, a Yale man, while they dropped out of high school in eighth grade. I love my town and the people in it, but am often ashamed at the ignorant venom they spew. Like that racist granddad that makes you cringe at his dated comments, but that you love nonetheless, my sweet little town makes my heart swell with love and shame.

My children won't hear Obama today

No, I am not one of those parents so terrified of the "liberal agenda" that I am keeping my children home today. My school district is not even giving the children the option to watch it. My little red area overwhelmingly voted for McCain in the election and showing Obama’s speech would undoubtedly ruffle local feathers. Last year my daughter's teacher held a mock election in class. My daughter was the lone supporter of President Obama, but she held her little hand up proudly nonetheless. H.W. Bush made a very similar speech to school children years ago and even asked the children to send letters back to him. Years before that school children listened to speeches from FDR and Ronald Reagan. Democrats wrongly protested H.W. Bush’s speech calling it a political act. Today Republicans have a bit of amnesia as they are using the same tactics to protest Obama. Democrats were wrong then and Republicans are wrong now...ANY speech by our president regardless of party that tries to give positive encouragement to children is a good thing.....Though Reagan inserting his economic propaganda in his speech to school children...that's another story.

If you are keeping your child from watching the speech you are a COWARD and obviously have no faith in your parenting or ability to “indoctrinate” values that stick. If you get bored today, go burn some books.

Creationism in Schools?

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This passage from Genesis is the cornerstone for a whole following of believers convinced there can be no other alternative for the creation of the universe. To creationists, the writings in Genesis are a literal interpretation of how the universe was created. So does this mean the Bible is a scientific textbook meant to be read word for word? Should the teachings of creation be taught side by side with evolution , a heavily researched and supported science? The answer is no. Creationism is a pseudo science and an offense to the separation of church and state that should not be allowed in the public school system.

Missing the Golden Age?

Corruption can only be defined by those who dictate the social norms. One person’s corruption could very well be another person’s idea of opportunity. When it comes to the idea of whether or not we as a society are becoming morally corrupt on a scale larger than preceding generations that can only be determined on an individual basis. Who has the authority to decide what is morally corrupt? John Ashcroft, Rush Limbaugh, the late Jesse Helms and Jerry Falwell, all believed they were the moral authority when it came to issues relating to social mores and social standards, but you would be hard pressed to find a majority of Generation X’ers or members of Generation Y who would agree with them. Does this mean we are morally corrupt, is the Golden Age of America a bygone era, have we lost our sense of moral duty in this country? The clear and simple answer is that we are no worse off morally today than we were fifty or one hundred years ago.

Average Joes Cling to Guns and Religion

It’s hard to believe Barrack Obama had the audacity to say that we Americans cling to guns and religion to determine our political views. There are many other reasons that we chose candidates and loyally support our parties.

The first of these is Defense. After all, we all know that Republicans are notorious for being tough on terrorism and are incredible leaders at times of war. Although George W. Bush really has been a poor example of presidential leadership, there are others. Look at Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Harry Truman, all incredible men who led our soldiers to victory. Oh, wait…they were Democrats. And if Republicans voted for people just because they served in the military, they would have voted for John Kerry over a man who avoided combat. So perhaps defense isn’t a good example.