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Which is one of you.

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McCain: The New McCarthy?

The recent move by the McCain campaign to pin Obama's economic policies as Socialist policies is troubling in more ways than you may know. I am proud to see members of the media fight back over these allegations: people like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow have expressed their disapproval of using such scare-tactics.

But this begs another, far more troubling question: since when did Capitalism and America become mutually exclusive? Put another way: when did being American necessarily mean being a capitalist? I am, myself, a capitalist in the sense that I believe some (though not all) free markets have a way of self-regulating and that a proven way for markets to organize themselves is a (closely watched) division between capital and labor. But, this does not hold true for all American economics and if I believe that the U.S. government has a distinct responsibility to protect its people from overzealous capitalism as perpetrated by an ever-growing marriage between corporation and government, that may mean I am less capitalist than John McCain, but certainly not "un-American." What's more, is that in this country especially, I shouldn't have to feel the need to defend my dissenting economic view.

I will admit freely that I am no economist, I am not a politician. But, I do trust my government to take care of me by ensuring industries do not exploit me simply for being on the business end of Labor V. Capital. I shouldn't have to reiterate that I love this country and all the freedom (economic and otherwise) it offers. And, digressing back into a McCarthy-era culture simply to win a campaign seems far more un-American than expecting one's government to ensure protection for its each and every citizen.

Patriotism is not defined as unconditional support of industry. Just as a government allowed to grow without checks-and-balances is a dangerous notion for any individual seeking liberty, so too is the unlimited growth of the division between capital and labor.

"In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men."

Below is an excerpt of a letter I wrote to a friend recently regarding Proposition 2 that will appear on the Michigan ballot this Nov 4th. I thought it important to post because of some frighteningly immature, pointless and downright ridiculous ads I've been seeing lately. One day I hope people will learn that all scare tactics and threats can be counteracted with information, intelligence, patience and the desire to do so:

Proposition 2 is as clear in it's language as it is in its message. I've included a copy of the proposition in this letter so you can see what I mean. In my mind, this is a no brainer. Stem Cell Research, while it's had it's setbacks, has still shown some great promise when it comes to curing and aiding in the treatment of severe medical maladies that are effecting millions of people around the world.

The reason most social conservatives and religious are against Proposition 2, is because they for some reason link Stem Cell Research with cloning which couldn't be more ignorant. Most of the arguments made by the fat cat "2 goes 2 far" group, Michigan Citizens Against Unrestricted Science and Experimentation (or MICAUSE) are clearly false, fear mongering ideas that actually have nothing to do with the language of the Proposal.

For example the following are bolded statements from the MICAUSE website:

Prop. 2 Allows Buying, Selling & Killing Human Embryos

Clearly, if one were to just take the 30 seconds and READ the proposition they'd see that bullet point two in the proposition clearly states:

(Prop 2 would) Prohibit any person from selling or purchasing human embryos for stem cell research.

That clearly shows that the people who are against said amendment have completely disregarded the language and intent of the actual proposition.

Another example of the ignorance of MICAUSE:

Prop. 2 is About Unrestricted Research on Live Human Embryos

Same situation. If they were to read the stipulations under the FIRST bullet point in the Proposition, they would clearly see that the embryos:

-- are created for fertility treatment purposes;
-- are not suitable for implantation or are in excess of clinical needs;
-- would be discarded unless used for research;
-- were donated by the person seeking fertility treatment.


These are only two major arguments that have not a foot to stand on the from the opposition of proposal 2. What stem cell research comes down to isn't cloning, or building some sort of super race, it's about helping people. Medical advances in the last 60 years have eclipsed those in the last 5 million before that combined. We now know more than we've ever known and more people around the world are able to live healthier lives and find treatment for what medically hampers them. This Proposition is about not being selfish.

Just like the Stem Cell controversy all over the country, the decision is simple. Curing and helping people needs to be a priority. Those who are against this for medical reason haven't done enough research. They are basing their arguments on hearsay and falsities and are a sad excuse for the "informed". Those who are basing their argument on religious reasons are selfish and going against everything true religion stands for. Proposition 2 doesn't kill babies. It doesn't take something that would have grown into a healthy human being and use it for scary lab experiments. Proposition two opens up a whole new world of research that could potentially cure or treat disease once thought to be explicitly fatal. Proposition 2 is about surrendering our own stubborn and false beliefs for the betterment of mankind as a whole and that's why I'll be voting "yes" on Proposition 2 come November.

I hope my position doesn't sway yours, but my example and arguments influence your decision in positive manner. The beautiful thing about the election process is once you get in that ballot casting booth the decision is yours, and yours alone. Not all of us can be brilliant doctors and scientists that can cure cancer, but Proposition 2 is our opportunity to be part of a cure, something way bigger than ourselves.

I want to make one thing clear. I respect the right for people to believe in any religion or belief structure they want, but when their beliefs infringe on the right of others to get medical care, a problem is created. I'll loosely quote the great George Carlin when I say "You can keep the ten commandments as long as you include one additional commandment;

Thou shall keep thy religion to thyself"

Your Pal,
Gabe

A Smart Right Winger?

Say what you want about Colin Powell. He's certainly made mistakes, namely and most recently his submission to pressure from the Bush administration to promote a war with Iraq despite his initial feelings against it.

But, the fact remains that he's an incredibly accomplished and distinguished man, as proven by his recent interview with Tom Brokaw on "Meet the Press". In this interview, Powell explicitly endorsed Barack Obama in one of the most eloquent and well-spoken interviews I've ever seen.

One of the best points he makes is when he reiterates that Obama is not a Muslim but that more importantly it shouldn't matter.

Watch the interview.

And now, a message from my better half in Montana.

It's nothing new when a college student explains that their college experience isn't turning out the way they envisioned it. And given that these people are in college, they'll probably try to rationalize this view quite efficiently. I am, of course, no exception to this: the fact of the matter is, college sucks. But I may be saying this for completely different reasons than others might.
I recently moved to Missoula, Montana, a collegiate, liberal enclave in a huge valley under the rolling Beartooth Mountains. Let me say, first off, that Missoula is a great town: it is inhabited (it seems so far) by people with a refreshing respect for community, environment and intellect and unashamedly so - Missoula is Liberal, hear them roar. And that's one reason why I chose this town to move to this fall when I transferred there as an incoming junior.
But let me say that, while the town has lived up to the high expectations I set, the school, thus far has not. I feel bad saying this, because I feel as though I'm letting the university down since I had already begun to identify it as my school before I even left my previous one (Western Michigan University).
So, when I started to allow myself to realize that the school may not have been all I cracked it up to be, I made to sure to fully analyze why that might be, so as to ensure I wasn't just being, well, a total pussy. And what I realized, along with any school that has disappointed in the past, was that, however unlikely, it was the program I had a problem with.
I say this seems unlikely because what 20-something in school really gives a shit what the program is, as long as they're getting drunk and getting laid. But, the thing is, Missoula just isn't that kind of a town and so what's left is the program at the school. Individually, each program has its benefits. I'm referring to the creative writing program, which is one of the best in the country and the journalism program which rivals that of Arizona State's Walter Cronkite's school of Journalism (a school I declined to go even after acceptance because of my affinity for Montana).
But, it's the wider program as a whole that I had a problem with. The problem, I found was that, despite the fact I knew I wanted to be a writer since the eighth grade, after my transfer from WMU, I had to retake general education classes that, while a freshman in Michigan just seemed like a way of earning one's dues. But, as a junior with a sense of direction, seemed like more of a god damn nuisance.
I'm taking Political Science 101, a class where we discuss the complicated differences between democrat and republican (a topic I taught myself circa seventh grade when I started to read books). I'm also taking Microeconomics 100, where I've learned (and relearned) the difficult law of Supply and Demand from a man who seems more like a robot, more detached from the ways in which these concepts affect the public than Henry Paulson.
And what this all adds up to is the fact that I was disappointed at first that, despite the fact that I orchestrated a difficult move across the country all for my dedication to a university that seemed to be treating me like a tenth grader. But then I realized something: I had been to two universities thus far, applied to six and talked to friends and family who attend several others and they're all the same. Whether they are in beautiful mountain settings or in drab mid-western sub-commercial metropolises.
The fact of the matter is the liberal arts design is flawed and it's a waste of time. At least for people like me, who actually know what they want. What I want may be simple (coffee shops open late and people who like to talk over a glass of beer instead of hang upside down over a keg), but the university culture has somewhere along the way failed to deliver on these promises. All these schools with big Ws in front of their names and with "-tech" after them have lost sight of the education beneath their classes - that teaching creative writing majors about the nuances of Supply and Demand is just a waste of time, but allowing them to search out and choose their own paths is far more beneficial than they seem to admit to themselves.

I know I've got a bad reputation and it isn't just talk, talk, talk.

Let's make a list of things that are over-rated and why.
I'll update this every so often when I have nothing else to talk about.
These aren't in order of importance but more in order of what's going on in my head. Enjoy.

1. Phil Mickelson


Why is Phil Mickelson the number 2 golfer in the world? He constantly chokes under pressure and almost never is in contention for a win. Then, he'll win once every few years and people go apey like he's the best thing since sliced bread. HE'S NOT THAT GOOD. You want a real number 2 golfer in the world? Try Vijay Singh.



Plus! His name means Victory in Hindi. What does Phil mean? Cocksucker?

At least Vijay is one of two players to win the FEDEX cup in it's short history. Phil hasn't come close. Let's examine his stats:

Driving Distance 295.7 33rd Tot. Dist. - 46,128 Tot. Drvs. - 156
Driving Accuracy Percentage 55.27% 186th Fwys Hit - 603 Poss. Fwys - 1,091
Greens in Regulation Pct. 65.81% 55th Greens Hit - 924 # Holes - 1,404
Putting Average 1.761 20th GIR Putts - 1,627 Greens Hit - 924
Eagles (Holes per) 234.0 67th # Holes - 1,404 # Eagles - 6
Birdie Average 3.78 6th # Birdies - 295 Tot. Rnds. - 78
Scoring Average 69.17 2nd Tot. Strks - 5,482 Tot. Adj. - 86.972-
Sand Save Percentage 62.50% 3rd # Saves - 80 # Bunkers - 128
Total Driving 219 137th Total rank from stats 1 & 2
All-Around Ranking 372 2nd Total rank from stats 1-8
Regular Season FedExCup Points 18,241 3rd Pts.Behind - 4,454 -
PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup Pts. 112,201 7th Pts.Behind - 12,900 BonusMoney - 700,000
Money Leaders $5,188,875 3rd - -
Par Breakers 21.44% 4th #Bird/Eagl - 301 #Holes - 1,404
Putts Per Round 28.74 27th Tot. Putts - 2,242 Tot. Rnds. - 78
GIR Pct. - Fairway Bunker 48.9% 69th - -

Now let's take a look at Vijay's:

Driving Distance 297.8 26th Tot. Dist. - 46,464 Tot. Drvs. - 156
Driving Accuracy Percentage 59.45% 148th Fwys Hit - 651 Poss. Fwys - 1,095
Greens in Regulation Pct. 68.45% 10th Greens Hit - 961 # Holes - 1,404
Putting Average 1.792 96th GIR Putts - 1,722 Greens Hit - 961
Eagles (Holes per) 234.0 67th # Holes - 1,404 # Eagles - 6
Birdie Average 3.60 16th # Birdies - 281 Tot. Rnds. - 78
Scoring Average 69.58 6th Tot. Strks - 5,481 Tot. Adj. - 53.780-
Sand Save Percentage 45.11% 147th # Saves - 60 # Bunkers - 133
Total Driving 174 60th Total rank from stats 1 & 2
All-Around Ranking 516 18th Total rank from stats 1-8
Regular Season FedExCup Points 15,034 7th Pts.Behind - 7,661 -
PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup Pts. 125,101 1st Pts.Behind - 0 BonusMoney - 10,000,000
Money Leaders $6,601,094 1st - -
Par Breakers 20.44% 13th #Bird/Eagl - 287 #Holes - 1,404
Putts Per Round 29.47 122nd Tot. Putts - 2,299 Tot. Rnds. - 78
GIR Pct. - Fairway Bunker 54.1% 21st - -


At least Vijay has two spots he is ranked number 1 in. Phil, has none.

Okay, I'm not even saying Vijay should be number two, but it certainly shouldn't be Phil. Plus, Phil was just featured on one of my favorite shows Entourage and he was the worst actor I've ever seen.

Also, doesn't he look a little uncomfortably like Hades from Hercules?



I think that even makes James Woods uncomfortable.


I think I've made my point.

This concludes number 1 in my list of the many many many many many things that are over-rated.

What could the next installment hold?

Sarah Palin's Hotness? Sure, I thought she was pretty when she was announced but can you really be that attracted to a moron of that stature?

or

Coldplay. I just....I just don't get it. I mean, "Yellow" was good when it came out...but.....really?

or

Camping. What is the fucking attraction?



We'll explore one of these worthy subjects next time! Until then...

I remain your humble obedient servant.

Baby you can have whatever you like.

If the recent selection and media coverage of Sarah Palin isn't enough to make you completely lose faith in our society, he's a little nugget of joy from my life that will:

For some god forsaken reason, I stumbled onto an episode of Emeril Live on the Food Network the other day which probably was a mistake in itself (besides Doc Gibbs and the Emeril Live Band who I love). Anyway, he was doing some sort of bullshit show where people send in videos of themselves making their signature dish and then he invites them on the show and makes it again right in front of them.

So let me backtrack for a minute:

They make the dish on film, and send it in. He then SHOWS the film of them making the dish on his show, and then proceeds to make the exact same dish again in front of them, for them to taste. This is wrong on a series of god damn levels. First, after showing the video of them making it like they were on a cooking show, HE MAKES IT NOW LIKE HE'S ON A FUCKING COOKING SHOW RIGHT AFTER THEIR VIDEO OF THEM MAKING IT. They essentially get you to watch the exact same series of footage twice in a row just by two different people.

Then, he serves it to them, like they've never fucking tasted it before even though it's their god damn recipe! I'm sure they want this fuck taking credit for their recipe on national television. So after a few "Bams!" and "Turn it Up a Notch's" he serves them the food and they taste it and they always are like "mmmmmmmmm this is SOOOOO good" like they've never had it before in their god damn lives.

OF COURSE IT'S GOOD. THE MAN OWNS A TON OF RESTAURANTS. PLUS, HE JUST FOLLOWED YOUR EXACT INSTRUCTIONS!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

God, people are fucking stupid. Okay, back to the story.

So I'm watching a dumb bitch (Holly) from somewhere in the middle of America make a peach flambe cheesecake, which I'm going to be honest with you, looked pretty damn good. Then they cut to her and her husband sitting at Emeril's "kitchen" counter, and he proceeds to, YOU GUESSED IT, make the exact same recipe right in front of them, that keep in mind, we just saw her make on video six seconds ago.

So, as he's making it, he's adding all the ingredients and bullshit until he gets to the peaches, where he's gotta put them in some sort of liquid. So, he choose Peach Schnapps. He announces his intention with the typical stupid introduction like "Now it's time to break out the Schnapps."

And the most amazing thing happens.

People start cheering.

And I don't mean cheering like, Yay! We like Schnapps!

I mean cheering, going fucking ape-shit nuts, screaming and yelling, as if they just won 20 million in the lottery.

Let me rephrase.

Emeril says he's gonna add Peach Schnapps to a hot pan of peaches (which to anybody with a fucking SPONGE between their ears know the alcohol will cook off) and the audience, no joke, goes fuck-nuts about the whole thing.

This specific incident is not unique to this one episode. The truth is morons all over our country cheer for alcohol at all kinds of places. Sporting events, cooking shows, comedy shows, etc.

How fucking pointless and shallow is your life, when you decide to cheer for a beverage because you feel it represents you? A beverage. I don't go nuts when someone yells something about an Arnold Palmer (although I probably should).

When is our society going to grow up?

I have no problem with drinking, if you wanna drink Strawberry Wine until your dick falls off, be my guest. But, why do people feel the need to CHEER for ALCOHOL like it's a fucking extension of themselves? ALCOHOL! Are you kidding? There is a good chance we've going to elect an out of touch old man and a rifle shooting, power abusing moron to the white house in less than an month and you're cheering for PABST BLUE RIBBON? Are you kidding? Our economy is in the worst state since the depression, people can't even afford to eat and you're cheering about PEACH SCHNAPPS on a CHEESECAKE?


If you were one of the people in that audience, YOU, my fellow American, are a FUCKING MORON.


....god damn I need an Arnold Palmer.