The Story That Wouldn’t Die

It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

When Mike Huckabee had his opportunistic grifting photo op rally with Kim Davis, she came out onto the stage arm-in-arm with the Huckster and her minister. Since you’ve gotta whip up the crowd a little bit, someone had the bright idea to blare “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor. Remember that one? From one of the gazillion Rocky movies.

Well, Survivor was none too pleased that their song was used in this way, without their permission, and for someone with whose politics and attitudes they totally disagree. They made it very clear that they were unhappy with the usage. Thus continues a fine tradition of politicians using songs without permission, usually resulting in a cease-and-desist order, or one of my favorite rebukes of all time: the Dropkick Murphys telling Scott Walker to just stop it already.

This ended up not being just a cease-and-desist order or a cut-it-out tweet. Survivor is suing Huckabee and Kim Davis for $1.2 million.

I literally laughed out loud when I saw that.

The Huckster, in a hyperbolic spasm, said that he was willing to go to jail in Kim Davis’s stead. It looks like Survivor might have a pretty good case here, so I wonder if he’s willing to pay the settlement for ol’ Kim?

When will politicians learn that musicians DO NOT LIKE IT when people they completely disagree with on almost everything use their songs without permission? I realize that copyrights are a weird and thorny area, and sometimes the musicians can’t stop these people from using their song. But it seems to me that common decency would dictate that you respect the artist and get permission first. Using it without the artist’s permission is a dick move.

I suppose that’s why the vast majority of complaints against politicians doing exactly that is on the Republican side. It strikes me as a sense of entitlement, an attitude of “I can do whatever I want to,” thinking that there will be no consequences or objection.

The political season is just revving up, so I’m sure we’ll see more unfair use and more objections from musicians. This topic comes up every presidential election. My personal favorite suggestion for a politician’s theme song that my friends and I came up with was this one by Nine Inch Nails. The politician? The Half-Gov herself, the Quittah from Wasilla, Sarah Palin!

Head like a hole

Black as your soul

I’d rather die

Than give you control

PERFECT!

**UPDATE** It seems that the story of Survivor suing Huckabee and Davis is not true! The band definitely is not happy about it and is considering the possibility, but no lawsuit has been filed.

What do you call a group of hillbillies?

I don’t know, but it looks like this.

::sigh::

I’m so sick of writing about this, but I just can’t help myself. I’m sure most of you have seen this picture making the rounds on the Interwebz. My immediate reaction was laughter.

After that wore off, I was left with a feeling of what I was surprised to realize was sadness.

I’m sad that Joe Davis is so backward that he decided that his overalls and straw hat would be a dandy outfit for his photo op with a presidential candidate (albeit a rather second-rate one), a photo that would circulate nationally.

I’m sad that he is reinforcing every bad stereotype of a hilljack Kentuckian. As someone from Indiana, I’ve had to work hard to counter an image of stereotypical Hoosiers, and it hasn’t been easy. I don’t embrace the image of a hick Hoosier, and don’t try to perpetuate it. I think it’s sad and kind of weird that Mr. Kim Davis seems so proud of his farmer gear.

Finally, I find it sad that the Davises are apparently so ignorant that they don’t realize that they are being used. Used by their lawyers who are trying to gain national prominence with this case, despite surely understanding that they don’t have a legal leg to stand on. Used by opportunists like Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz, who showed up to visit Davis in jail, only to have the judge release her. Kind of spoiled the heartfelt prayer across the bars of the jail cell, Judge Bunning. (I know it probably doesn't work that way, but can’t you just see the Huckster gripping Davis’s hands through the bars as they bow their heads in prayer?)

The Huckster got his photo op with Davis onstage, but poor Ted Cruz missed out and had to watch from the audience as Huckabee stole his righteous, persecuted Christian thunder. As if this whole thing weren’t bizarre enough, a Huckabee aide apparently physically blocked Cruz from joining them onstage. Man, why didn’t Cruz fight back? Now that would have been some must-see footage! Brouhaha in the Bluegrass State! Commotion in the country! Hubbub in the hills!

So while I’m laughing at this whole stupid situation and especially at this incredibly stupid picture, I’m still left with a sense of sadness. Maybe the biggest source of my sadness is all the people that are buying into the thought that this woman is on the side of what is right and just.

She is not. She is forcing her religious views on others. She is on the wrong side of history in denying every American their right to marry and to be free of discrimination. And this IS discrimination, in the name of religion. She will one day be viewed in the same light as all those people who resisted integration in schools and interracial marriages.

That really is sad.

O the humanity!

Sorry I’ve been a little scarce in Blogtropolis, but my laptop is dying a painful death and I haven’t been on as much lately. I’m writing this on the computer in my secret underground lair, AKA The Basement. Actually, I don’t think the computer itself is dying, but the screen is going out...my friend Simon tells me that it sounds like the inverter is going out, and that’s not an expensive fix. I’ll get it repaired eventually and use it as a backup, but in the meantime, I should have my brand new laptop by Friday! I found a good price for a new HP at TigerDirect, and I’m looking forward to a faster computer, as well as saying goodbye to Vista!

I hope you’ll all bear with me as I get things set up. I’m trying to keep up, but not doing very well at it. I’ll be back to what passes for normal soon. Since I’m not spending as much time on the computer, I’m getting more read and I practiced the piano for a while today. I’m doing pretty good with my workouts, and while doing that, listening to some of the CDs that I’ve gotten and haven’t cracked open yet. Good stuff like the Raveonettes, the Hives, the Fratellis, Garbage...lots of great music out there, and I’m loving it! I’m still keeping up on the news, too, of course. Right now, I just don’t feel much like sullying my blog with some of the idiocy I’m seeing. At the top of the list right now is Mike Huckabee and his Aw-shucks-I’m-just-a-simple-country-boy bullshit. But then I wasn’t going to write about any of that right now. I’ll save it up for later.

I will report that I stuck to my guns (haha, so to speak!) when it came to a month without mentioning Sarah Palin! I did not write a word about her here, and on Facebook, I posted nothing. I did make an occasional comment on someone else’s post, but despite the efforts of someone who shall remain nameless (*cough* Doug *cough*), I did not take the bait, and held true to my pledge. It was actually quite refreshing. I find that I’m actually rather bored with the broad now. Yeah yeah yeah, she made a Facebook entry (rather, her assbag assistant Mansour made one). Oh look, she tweeted. yawwwwwwn She just says stupid shit that everyone pays attention to, ignoring the fact that it’s stupid and it’s shit. If she decides to run for President, I’ll have plenty to say, I’m sure. For now, I find her a non-story.

Carry on, citizens. I’ll be back at full speed soon!

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

Most teabaggin' folks I encounter online seem to react badly to a few things. First is being called a teabagger, although they were the ones who started calling themselves that before someone informed them of the meaning that most of the rest of us already knew about. Second is being called a racist. As Bill Maher said, "There are two things that teabaggers hate. One is being called a racist. The second is black people." Ha!

Another thing I've noticed they don't like is someone saying that they're overly concerned about social issues or value judgments. "Oh no," they protest, "our main concern is with big government and out-of-control spending! That is what we're all about!"

I think we can put that little delusion to rest right now. Over the weekend, the Family Research Council held their Values Voters Summit. I understand that this was not a Tea Party-sponsored event, but virtually every speaker was kissing some major teabagger ass, so to speak. Many of them mentioned the Tea Party, and teabaggin'-talk abounded. Make no mistake about it. The teabaggers are firmly committed to values voting and social issues. Check it out.

Newt Gingrich:

On the one front, we have a secular socialist machine led by Obama, Pelosi and Reid. And on the other front, we have radical Islamists who would fundamentally change this country into a system none of us in this room would recognize.

This is not about religious liberty, if they want to build that mosque in the South Bronx, frankly they need the jobs. But I am totally opposed to any effort to impose Sharia on the United States, and we should have a federal law that says under no circumstance, in any jurisdiction in the United States, will Sharia be used in any court to apply to any judgment made about American law.

Actually, Newt, there already is a federal law on the books that prohibits the government from promoting Sharia law, or any other religious law. It's called the First Amendment.

Sen. Jim DeMint:

There is a relationship, and I think there is a strong faith component in the Tea Party movement. But it's very different than what I've seen before or of things like the Moral Majority. They're not pushing religion. They're not even pushing morality. They just consider bankruptcy as a moral issue.

They are most definitely pushing religion and their definition of morality. And bankruptcy is a moral issue? I know there are some people that overspend and live beyond their means. But 60% of bankruptcies in this country are due to medical bills. I've had relatives who were brought to that point because of their medical bills. DeMint and his cronies are once again painting those who declare bankruptcy or draw unemployment or get food stamps and welfare as lazy and devoid of morals.

More DeMint:

We know what’s happening in this country. We know that this idea that you need to separate your politics from your religion and from your values and from your economics, it just doesn’t work because America is the most prosperous, the most compassionate, the strongest nation in the history of the world because it rests on a set of principles that sit on a foundation of Judeo-Christian values.

Think about what Judeo-Christian values do in that environment. The people that believe that they’re accountable to God, and because of that, they’re honest. They have integrity. They care about others. They practice charity. They’re volunteers. They have a strong work ethic. They’re not only self-controlled and responsible for themselves, but they feel a responsibility for those around them. They’re committed to marriage and family and their church.

Think about a nation where millions of people are like that. They don’t need a big government to control them. These are the people that build our community and build our strength and have the vision for what works in our country. But think about a culture that doesn’t have the values, the restraint of being accountable to God.

We see it all over the world. We don’t have to guess at what it looks like, where your economy works with bribes and corruption. Your politics is completely corrupt because the people have no values and morals. And then you need a bigger and bigger government to control a violent people, a violent and disruptive people.

This is such a huge steaming pile of bullshit that it's difficult to address it all. Let's just say that I know plenty of non-religious people who have integrity and have a strong work ethic, who volunteer and help others, not because they fear the punishment of God, but because it's a good thing to help your fellow human being and your community. I would also like to mention a few "men of God": Jim and Tammy Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Robert Tilton, Ted Haggard, Benny Hinn, Paul and Jan Crouch...need I go on?

Sen. Jim Inhofe:

I didn't think it'd work at that time, but it did. It was called Don't Ask, Don't Tell. And some of you - if you are gay and you want to serve in the military, they don't ask you about it, you don't tell it, you're not doing it openly so that the problems that we all know about. And I think that they mentioned it in my introduction that I was an Army veteran, and I think any of the veterans in this room - I don't have to tell you the problems that would happen if you have an open gay situation there, where it allows people to use the military as a forum for their liberal agenda.

A forum for their liberal agenda? Oh, you mean gays who sign up for our volunteer military and go overseas to fight and die for their country? Is that the liberal agenda you're talking about, Jimmeh?

This from an NPR reporter interviewing a summit attendee:

Mr. Todd Dexter: I think the truth is, these people care very deeply about pro-life issues, care very deeply about the sanctity of marriage and kind of the moral values that we believe are the foundation of our country.

Reporter: You mean the Tea Party believes that?

Mr. Dexter: I believe so. I believe many do. It may not always be the official position. But those who go to those rallies, they very much embrace that.

Reporter: Dexter has attended Tea Party events. Pollsters bear out his assertion that no matter what slogans the Tea Party vocalizes, a large majority of their members happen to be anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage.

Former Senator and Internet sensation Rick Santorum:

And what is necessary in our society if we are to be free? Well, our founders had it right. John Adams said, our constitution is made – our constitution is made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the governance of any other. You see, we can only be free as long as we are virtuous. And we can only be virtuous as look as there are vibrant faiths in the public square.

Go into the neighborhoods in America where there is a lack of virtue. What will you find? Two things. You will find no families, no mothers and fathers together in marriage and you will find government everywhere. Police, social service agencies, why? Because without faith, family and virtue, government takes over.

I would like to know his definitions of morality and virtue. Apparently it does not include anyone who is not religious, and it does not include single parents. And darn those pesky police and social services meddling in the people's business!

Batshit crazy Rep. Michele Bachmann:

I think the one thing that these high-and-mighty types, part of the ruling class here in Washington, D.C., just don’t seem to understand – they live at the wine-and-cheese parties, you know, here in D.C. As for me, I prefer tea parties, just so you know.

No social agenda in that quote, but it shows her embrace of the teabaggers. It also highlights a recurrent theme in this summit, the "Washington elites," the "high-and-mighty types," attendin' their wine and cheese parties, actin' all high-falutin' and fancy. Like an education is a bad thing. I suppose for some of these people it is, because it makes them realize their inadequacies. That's one of the worst things, in my opinion, to have come out of this peculiar movement: the idea that it's a bad thing to be an intellectual, or to rely on logic and education rather than instincts and a religious text.

Mike Huckabee:

The basic idea is that there is no such thing as a person who is more valuable than another, that all of us have the same intrinsic worth. that no person is worth more because of his last name, or land ownership, or occupation, or who his father was or grandfather was. Or what city he came from, or what color he is, or what gender he or she may be.

We know that every life is important before God and to each other. And we know that marriage matters. We know that marriage hasn't changed, that it still means what it means.

Note the glaring omission of sexual orientation. In the Huckster's world, I guess there are no homosexuals, and if there are, they aren't deserving of the same rights, and they don't have the same "intrinsic worth" as the rest of us.

Then there is Indiana Congressman Mike Pence, who won the straw poll for the Republican nominee in 2012:

A political party that would govern this great nation must be able to handle more than one issue at a time. We must focus on our fiscal crisis and support our troops. We must work to create jobs and protect innocent human life and defend traditional marriage. To those who say that marriage is not relevant to our budget crisis, I say you would not be able to print enough money in a thousand years to pay for the government that you would need if the family continues to collapse.

To those who say we should focus on cutting spending, I say, okay. Let’s start by denying all federal funding for abortion at home and abroad. You want to find savings? Let's cut funding to research that destroys human embryos in the name of science and let’s deny any and all funding to Planned Parenthood of America.

That is all horrible, but I find his desire to end funding for Planned Parenthood especially egregious. The vast majority of clinics do not perform abortions; Planned Parenthood provides basic health care including Pap smears and family planning for millions of women. It also works hard to educate young women about birth control and STI prevention. Calling for no funds for Planned Parenthood is like throwing the baby out with the bath water. So to speak.

As if all of these things didn't make it clear that the teabaggers are all about the social issues, not just about being anti-government, part of the straw poll included a question about what issue is most important to them:

1. Abortion
2. Government spending
3. Repeal of “Obamacare”
4. Protection of religious liberty
5. National Security

I think that says it all right there. I also wonder why "protection of religious liberty" is in the top five. No one--no one--is trying to stop anyone from worshiping the way they wish to. Unless it's these people who would stop a cultural center being built a couple of blocks away from the Ground Zero site because someone of a different religion is building it. Keeping this group's fundamental religious beliefs--I'm talking about the teabaggers here--out of our government does not constitute persecution. They do not get to dictate what the rest of us must believe. They do not get to legislate based on the ten commandments or anything else in the Bible. They do not get to decide what is moral and what isn't, based upon their religious beliefs.

This reminds me of Jerry Falwell's creation of the Moral Majority in the '80's, and Ralph Reed and the Christian Coalition in the '90's. There is nothing wrong with anyone and everyone getting involved in politics, but these groups would insert their religion into the political landscape, and I have a problem with that. Their religion is not everyone's religion. They cannot and must not speak for all in this country. We've been through this before; they are offering nothing new.

For any teabagger who says it's not about religion and social issues, that it's all about economics...I beg to differ. The GOP is obviously courting the teabaggers, and in the process, they are taking us back to the culture wars of the '80s and '90s. The problem is that they would be the deciders on everyone's morality, not just their own.

This country is no longer the domain of rich white Republican men. We are a diverse nation, and will not and cannot return to how these people would define us. We are more than that, much more. I don't want these teabaggers running my country and discriminating against my friends because they love someone these people think it is wrong to love. I don't want them hating my friends because they look different. I don't want them censoring me because I don't believe the way they do, or dictating how I and my female friends deal with our bodies.

We've been there and done that, and I'll take progress over regress any day.

Mike, you look toasted

No, wait...you are toast!

It didn't take long for the news to come out that the cop shooter in Washington was pardoned from what was essentially a life sentence by the Arkansas Governor at the time, Mike Huckabee. (No disrespect towards the victims are meant in my caption. No, every bit of any disrespect is intended for Huckabee.)

I think it's safe to say that this pretty much dooms any chances he had for running for President in 2012, especially since he's faced this issue before with his pardon of a rapist who went on to rape and murder another woman. In doing some further reading, I'm disturbed by his penchant for commuting sentences.

According to an article on Politics Daily, Huckabee often let politics and connections influence his decisions. What is more disturbing to me is this:

Other prisoners, such as Clemmons, claimed to be on the straight and narrow after religious rebirths. Huckabee was "a bit of a sucker sometimes for the noble notion of personal redemption" because of his own background as a preacher, John Brummett, a columnist for the Arkansas News, wrote me in an e-mail. "He was perceived as soft or oddly sympathetic to prisoners. For a couple of years, the big political story in Arkansas was that Democrats and prosecutors professed themselves aghast at the rate at which he commuted the sentences of violent offenders."

Why did Huckabee grant the commutations? Joe Carter [former research director of his presidential campaign] says it was courage mixed with political naivete ("The governor seemed genuinely surprised that he was held responsible for the criminal acts committed by those whose sentences he had commuted as governor") and too much trust in conversion stories ("The opinion of clergy appears to have carried a great deal of weight in the decision-making process"). Carter concludes that Huckabee is an appealing candidate because of his empathy and belief in the individual, and for those same reasons he will never get to the White House.

This goes back to what I wrote the other day about keeping religion out of political decision-making. Huckabee's thinking process was obviously clouded by his own religious beliefs. As a preacher, he wants to believe that redemption can occur through Christ. But why would you take the word of clergy, let alone that of the convicted criminal himself, over that of prosecutors and professionals who maintained that some of these people were continued menaces to society? I definitely believe that people can turn their lives around. But to believe the veracity of every jailhouse conversion that comes down the pike is the height of naiveté, and there is case to be made that it is atrociously negligent.

When we saw Huckabee speak a while back, I was perplexed by his little tale of "Hucktown." I wrote this at the time:

He went into this weird shtick about a fictional place he called "Hucktown," where there was only one law: Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you. Because of this law, Hucktown had no economic woes, no need for a large police force, no drug problem, no crime, blah blah blah...basically, all of our problems are due to the loss of our "sense of decency" and our lack of "ethical behavior."

WTF? I wrote down on my little pad of paper "Simplistic." To me, that is a fundamental problem with the recent Republican agenda...they want to return to a time that never existed. He painted a pretty picture, but you know what, Mike? There will always be liars, cheaters, and thieves. There will always be those who are motivated by nothing more than sheer greed. It's laudable to hope for better, and to believe the best of mankind, and you all know that for the most part, I try to be that way. I'm also a realist, and I know that there is no changing human nature, and that's why there must be regulatory agencies in place. Wow, he totally sounded like a Pollyanna on that one. "Everyone is wonderful, trust that they'll do unto you the way they would want you to do unto them!" Riiight, Mike. I bet they'd do unto me, all right.

It would seem that that is the way he lives his life, and hey, more power to you, Mike. However, this attitude, colored by your beliefs, led you to pardon some very mentally unstable and dangerous people, and now more people are dead. If you want to live your life that way, have at it; however, it is dangerous to let such a simplistic world view influence what should be a rational, logical decision based upon documented evidence from professionals. "Yeah, I killed a buncha people but I love Jeebus now" just isn't good enough.

Susan Atkins also became a born-again Christian while in prison. Remember her? She was the Manson family member who repeatedly stabbed Sharon Tate--and her eight-month old fetus-- while Tate pleaded for mercy. Henry Lee Lucas, the notorious serial killer and profligate liar, also had a jailhouse conversion. They both rightfully died in prison. There are countless others. Even that skank Paris Hilton took to reading the Bible in her cell during her incarceration and declared herself a changed person. Odd that we haven't heard more about that since she's been out.

My whole point is that it is exactly this reason that religion has no place in politics. Huckabee's own belief system, based on his religion, caused him to make horrible decisions. With a snowball's chance in hell of winning the GOP nomination in 2012, I would guess that most of his supporters will throw their support behind Sarah Palin, who quizzed Billy Graham about what the Bible had to say about Israel, Iraq, and Iran. Yeah, way to trade up there, people. Go from a guy who lets violent criminals out because they say they’ve found God to someone who apparently thinks she has a direct line to God and wants to blow the holy hell out of people based on what the Bible has to say about it.

Palin and others of her ilk are the first to squawk about how they're losing their freedom of religion. Bullshit. They're taking away our right to freedom from religion, whether personally or within our government. Such demagoguery is incredibly dangerous, and I hope there are enough of us who realize that.

The Have-Nots

I talk to my folks at least once a week, just to find out how they're doing, family news, etc. Of course, we usually end up talking about current affairs, and yesterday was no exception. When I was talking with Dad, after the requisite Notre Dame hoops discussion and a little talk of the "Octo-Mom" (Why does that always make me think of Doc Oc?) and her freaky lips, we ended up on the economy.

A lot of things with the economy and some of the criticisms of our new administration have been weighing on my mind lately, and it's always good to talk with Dad. There are some things that I don't think we'll ever agree on, and I usually end up saying, "You know I don't agree with you on that" and we move on. It's cool. In what was a major coup for me, yesterday Dad had to admit that President Clinton did some good things with welfare reform. *gasp* I know!

In watching the coverage of the C-PAC and various news stories, as well as things I've been reading on the Interwebs, what strikes me the most about the GOP and the conservative right is how incredibly cynical they've become. Whether it's that gasbag Limbaugh saying that he hopes Obama fails (and cut the spin, Limbaugh...you said it, and you meant it), Palin calling the Defenders of Wildlife a "fringe" group, or the continued denial of any culpability on their part for our current situation, the GOP seems like a bunch of grumpy old men.

I'm not unrealistic. As Dad and I were discussing yesterday, I realize that there will always be greed, and people who try to play the system. Even Dad agrees that a completely unfettered market is part of what got us into this mess and that there has to be some government oversight going forward. But while so many on the right seem to think the worst of humanity, I have always tried hard to see the best. It's not always easy, and there are times that I really have to work at it...but for the most part, I believe that if you raise the bar people will rise to meet and exceed it. I believe that the majority of people want to work; I believe that the majority of people love their country and want her to succeed; and I believe that the majority of people are willing to help their fellow citizens in a time of hardship.

Why is it so hard to believe that there are people out there that might have the greater good in mind and be willing to do their part, and more? And I believe they should. When Ken and I heard Mike Huckabee speak last fall, he spoke of his belief that a flat tax is what our country needs. That seems like a decent idea in theory, but it doesn't hold up because it ignores proportion. Look at it this way...say there's a flat tax of 25%. (I don't know the exact number that Huckabee proposes.) Someone making $2 million a year is going to have $1.5 million after taxes. The person making $20,000 a year will be left with $15,000. I don't know about you, but I could sure support a family a lot easier with one and a half mil than I could with $15 grand. The millionaire should pay more. That's not being penalized for working hard and being successful--it's realizing that you're in a better position than most and being willing to help your fellow citizens who are less fortunate. And for God's sake, you've still got one and half million in your bank account!

We have a long history of philanthropy in our country. Philanthropy doesn't need to be the domain of billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. We can all recognize that we are in dire straits in our country and if we are in the position to do so, we can do our part, even if it's a small one.

One final thing. Is it really necessary to ridicule President Obama's heritage and name by calling him things like Nobama and Obamessiah? Isn't that a tad bit junior high? Even as President Bush showed himself to be increasingly incompetent and dragged us all down into the quicksand with him, I still referred to him as President. (Although I have to admit that one of the funniest nicknames for him that I saw was The Evil Shrub.) Sorry, but if you keep calling our President "Obamalamadingdong" and continue to reference the "street monkeys" who voted for him, you've lost your non-racist cred with me.

It's a Bucko Birthday, plus a little Huckabee

Today is Ken's birthday, so go over and show him some love!

The other day, he said, "Remember when I posted about your birthday? Don't do that!" Yeah, right. Being the uppity woman that I am, and since I don't know my place, I am being willfully disobedient and indeed, I am FLAUNTING my disobedience! Hahaha! [hands on hips, triumphant laugh] I'll make up for being a liberal feminist by making one of his favorite dinners, enchiladas. I can't make them as good as his Mom, but they're still pretty tasty. And some refried beans, too. It will be a Mexican fiesta here at Casa Nutwood! Olé!

Sometimes I can be serious, and I'll just say what I've said to a few people. I've been in relationships with guys who brought out the absolute worst in me. Ken does just the opposite. Seeing the way he treats people, and the way he loves my Mom and Dad and my family, his work ethic, and of course the way he treats me...it all brings out the best in me, and he makes ME want to be a better person. I hope he has a wonderful day, although it will be a long one...but I hope that he continues to enjoy coming home to me. LUWAMHHP! (Yeah, it's a code, and no, I'm not telling!)

Happy Birthday, Ken! Huzzah!

Now for the Mike Huckabee speech we attended. It was as big a crowd as for Karl Rove, but we found a couple of seats together pretty easily. There were a couple more empty spots to Ken's left, and a few minutes after we got there, the Chief Nuclear Officer for Ken's plant came in, and sat by Ken. I had seen Mike at the Habitat house dedication, but never got to meet him. He seems like a really decent guy, pretty low-key. He wasn't eating, because it turns out he had just had dinner with a few others, including...Huckabee. He sort of downplayed it and said he must have gotten lucky or something, but the truth is, he's the CNO of one of the biggest employers in the area. He said Huckabee seemed like a really nice guy, but obviously he didn't go into details about what they talked about.

Oh, and Mike mentioned that at the last election, he was working at AEP headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. You all know that Ohio was a major swing state in 2004, as it is this year. He said that the weekend before election day, the phone rang NONSTOP the entire weekend. Indiana is supposed to be a battleground state this year...I told Ken we might have to go out of town! I guess turning off the phone would work, too, for that matter!

As for the dinner...remember that last time it was really barfy? They must have gotten some feedback, because this time, it was totally NON-barfy! In fact, it was prime rib! It was a little more done than I like prime rib, but it wasn't dry at all. They also had some steamed veggies with it, including some of those cute little pattypan squashes. Yum! I didn't have one of the little zucchinis, but the guy across from me held up one and said, "Does anyone know what this is?" Ken said, "It's a baby zucchini!" I told Ken on the way home that I felt like saying, "Dude, you need to eat more veggies!" The people around us seemed a little more lively and talkative than last time, and there was a little bit of political discussion, but nothing major. One thing that was brought up was Obama's fundraising abilities. A couple of people felt that there's so much money there that there has to be some foreign countries or corporations contributing. Ken said no, they can't contribute to his campaign fund--there's a dollar limit (we think it's $5000) that an individual can contribute to a campaign, and I don't believe that foreign countries and foreign corporations can contribute to their campaigns at all. On the way home, we talked about how that's a matter of public record...anything above $200 is reported and out there for people to look up.

Back to the speech. We turned our chairs around to face the stage, and I got out my pen and notebook. Yes, I really took them! Huckabee seems genial and generally affable. He started out with some joking remarks...some were fairly funny, some I thought were pretty lame. His speech was mostly a reiteration of his primary campaign platform. He said that there are a lot of bad things being said about America right now, but there's still no place he'd rather live, because of our freedoms, etc. I agree, but I think that ignores the serious problems we've got, and while I think most of us are still very happy to live here (I know I am), it's small consolation for those that are struggling. I'm quite certain they are also happy to live here and have an abiding love for our country, but I have a feeling that they want a few more answers than, "No matter how hard it is for you to make it, you can be proud to be an American!" Yeah...we all know that. So how does that help those who are barely keeping their heads above water?

He went into this weird shtick about a fictional place he called "Hucktown," where there was only one law: Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you. Because of this law, Hucktown had no economic woes, no need for a large police force, no drug problem, no crime, blah blah blah...basically, all of our problems are due to the loss of our "sense of decency" and our lack of "ethical behavior."

WTF? I wrote down on my little pad of paper "Simplistic." As we were walking out, I told Ken, "That place doesn't exist. It never existed!" To me, that is a fundamental problem with the recent Republican agenda...they want to return to a time that never existed. He painted a pretty picture, but you know what, Mike? There will always be liars, cheaters, and thieves. There will always be those who are motivated by nothing more than sheer greed. It's laudable to hope for better, and to believe the best of mankind, and you all know that for the most part, I try to be that way. I'm also a realist, and I know that there is no changing human nature, and that's why there must be regulatory agencies in place. Wow, he totally sounded like a Pollyanna on that one. "Everyone is wonderful, trust that they'll do unto you the way they would want you to do unto them!" Riiight, Mike. I bet they'd do unto me, all right.

He also talked about his big thing, the consumption tax. I.e., instead of paying income tax, there would be a consumption tax on everything we buy. While it has a certain appeal, and I'll have to do more research on it, I just don't see it happening. He says that everything has a 22% built-in tax, and if that was taken out, we'd pay less in taxes. Hmmm. Do you really think manufacturers would drop all their prices by 22% if this were enacted? I doubt it!

Then it was time for Q&A, which Huckabee said wasn't questions and answers, but questions and avoidance. He said if he ever wants to run for public office again, he needs to do the latter. (There is some speculation that he may run again in 2012. Ken said he'll have to go through Palin. I said, "Nah. She's toast.") Someone asked about term limits for Congress. He said he's all for that, they enacted that in Arkansas, and even in the military, general officers are required to retire at the age of 64. (More about that in a moment.)

Another question was from a pharmacy student, and it was about health care. I actually liked Huckabee's answer to this one: he said that we have a procedure-based system, rather than an all-around care system based on prevention and healthier living. His phrase was that we're treating snakebites instead of killing snakes. A pretty good analogy.

One guy stood up and said that he's a lifelong Republican, but he thinks it's going to be a total slaughter in a couple of weeks. Huckabee said, "I hope you're wrong, but I think you might be right." A-haaaa! He went on to say that Republicans need to figure out why that is. One of the problems he referenced was the handling of Hurricane Katrina. He said that while a lot of Republicans want to blame it on Louisiana's governor at the time, he was Arkansas's governor then and that state saw a huge influx of displaced people. He said there was mismanagement on many levels, including on the part of the federal government. (There's a news flash.) He said that he remembers, as we all do, people stranded on top of their houses for 5 or 6 days, and that "We are better than that." There was the sound of one person clapping in the audience, and oops! It was me! A few others finally joined in, thank goodness.

So that was all the pertinent stuff I wrote down. As Ken and I were talking about it afterwards, we said we were both tempted to ask a question (I actually had two I thought about asking), and Ken's question was kind of related to mine. I suppose if I'd had another glass of wine, I might have had the guts to ask it, but one glass wasn't enough! In Huckabee's little dream sequence about "Hucktown," he mentioned "morals" a few times, as well as a "sense of decency" and "ethical behavior." Ken said he would have asked how Huckabee defines the difference between "morals" and "values." (I think that's right--correct me if I'm wrong, Ken.) My question would have been, "You mentioned a sense of decency and ethical behavior. Do you feel that the recent negativity of Senator McCain's campaign is ethical or decent?"

My other question would have referenced his comments that general officers must retire at the age of 64. "If general officers in the military have to retire at 64, do you feel that Senator McCain, at the age of 72, is too old to serve as President?"

Yeah...in retrospect, it's probably good I didn't have enough in vino veritas to ask those questions. Remember, we were sitting right by Ken's head honcho! Oddly enough, I found Karl Rove more interesting *gasp*, probably because he gave more of an analysis of the presidential race. Although I suppose that Huckabee saying that he thought it might be a "Republican slaughter" in a couple of weeks was worth hearing!

So there you go! I find that I enjoy hearing these speakers, no matter if I agree with them or not. Politics is FUN! [said in a Barbie voice]

It's almost 2 o'clock, and poor Ken has to get up at 3, because the forced outage starts tomorrow. I've been trying to do well with getting to bed earlier, but I'm afraid I'll disturb his sleep if I go to bed now, so I'll stay up a while and catch up on blogs. I'm sure I'll be crashing hard at 3 or so!

Oops, she did it again

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Oct. 21) - Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.

Whoops! Quick! Somebody call Marge Gunderson to investigate! You betcha! ("Fargo" is one of my all-time favorites, by the way. End a' story!)

You can read the full article here. It should be becoming increasingly clear to everyone--and polls show that it is--that this woman was not properly vetted by McCain's campaign, and that she is no "reformer."

The other news yesterday was that she explained that the Vice-President is "in charge of" the Senate, and can work to get laws passed that are part of the administration's plan. The way I understand it, the VP does not have a say in legislative matters, unless it is to break a tie. While obviously the VP is going to deal with the Senate, she gave the impression in this interview (as well as in the debate) that she wanted to expand the VP's role. I reeeeeally don't think that's such a good idea....

It was pretty funny, because we were watching Chris Matthews on MSNBC, and one of the people he had on was Pat Buchanan. (ack) Apparently this interview was about asking questions that were submitted by second or third graders, and the VP question was one submitted by a kid, then posed by the reporter. Buchanan kept saying "She was talking to a second grader!" and Matthews kept saying, "No, she wasn't, she was talking to a reporter" and Buchanan would say, "It was a second grader!" Sheesh, sheer insanity. First of all, she WAS talking to a reporter, but my bigger question was, "So it's okay to lie to second graders about our government?" I wonder what the cutoff is. Junior high? High school graduate? That's when you can start telling them the truth? I suspect that for the course of this campaign, age limits for when to stop lying have been completely suspended!

Oh, and did you see this? The RNC has so far spent more than $150,000 on clothing and accessories for Palin and her family, at Saks in St. Louis and New York, and Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis. I don't know about y'all, but I don't think I've spent $150,000 on clothes in my LIFE. Considering that some people are finding it tough to put food on the table and to keep a roof over their family's heads, that seems a little...UNaverage to me. Hey, when they go back to Alaska in November, do you think they get to keep the wardrobe as a lovely parting gift?

I've been feeling feisty the past couple of days. Could you tell? Must be all that evil rock and roll I listen to. It's giving me ideas!

If I don't get to your journals blogs today, I will as soon as I can. Tonight we've got the Huckabee speech to go to. I'll give you a report tomorrow. In fact, I was even thinking of taking along a little notepad and pen, and playing Girl Reporter. That way I can be accurate for you. Oh boy, I get to play Liberal Elite Media! Yippee!

There's that feistiness again.

LFA

I don't know if you all saw my friend Dan's comment, so I wanted to make sure you did:

Beth, your blog item about me and the pic and life at Ball State was too cool and a great birthday treat! I figured your entry would be short and sweet. Silly me! The entry was great! And just as cool as the photo and entry were all the friendly comments from your friends about my birthday. The coincidence of my birthday and the photo and your entry have left me nearly speechless! To all who wished me a happy birthday, thank you Big Time.

-dan(Formerly Guido;Currently CatManDude)

Thanks from me, too, for the nice birthday wishes for my friend. He got to see what a nice bunch you are. Hmm, he's a journalism major, maybe I can get him to start writing a blog...!

Do you all remember when we heard Karl Rove speak at the Economics Club dinner a while back? I wrote that even though it was Rove, it was pretty interesting, and I managed to not implode. Well, I had a note from Ken this morning that he got a pair of tickets for the next speaker, this Wednesday: Mike Huckabee.

If it seems like it's all about Republican speakers at this club, that's only because they can't have speakers who are currently in office, so there's a cycle of when an administration comes to an end, they get those speakers. Next year they're hoping to get Pres. Bush, and then Condi Rice. When the Clinton administration came to an end, they had Pres. Clinton and other Democrats. (I think before he announced he was running for President, they had Barack Obama.) It's definitely a conservative bunch, but they make it clear that they are nonpartisan, at least as far as choosing speakers.

I think I'll enjoy hearing Huckabee speak. I hear he's a pretty good speaker, and he impressed me a couple of times during the primaries. (When talking about allowing children of illegal immigrants to go to school, some of his fellow candidates said, in effect, no way, and Huckabee said, "We [the country] are better than that.") I'm also very pleased that this is happening just a couple of weeks before the election. It will be interesting to get his take on it. He has to know that things aren't looking good for their guy. Let's just hope the food isn't barfy this time, but I'm not going to get my hopes up!

Speaking of "their guy," I saw a video this morning of FoxNews's Chris Wallace interviewing McCain. Wallace asked him if he thought the choice of Sarah Palin was dragging down the campaign, or something like that. McCain said no, absolutely not, and "as a cold political calculation, I could not be more pleased." He went on to say that "she's a direct counterpoint to the liberal feminist agenda for America."

Dammit! He figured us out! For years, my sistahs and I have managed to keep our liberal feminist agenda (heretofore known as LFA) under the radar, but that crafty John McCain somehow infiltrated our ranks and now he's telling everyone about the LFA! Darn you, John McCain! [shaking fist] We would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you and your meddling!

This could ruin everything. All my early work with my great-niece might now be for naught. I started when she was just tiny, whispering things in her ear as she lay in her crib...things like, "Equal pay for equal work" and "Girls can be scientists." And it was working, too--she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. As soon as she got old enough to officially join the club, I was going to get my free toaster oven! (For each one we "turn," we get a toaster oven.) I've been trying to spread the word (quietly, of course), and I was doing so well that I was getting close to reaching LEFA status! (Liberal ELITE Feminist Agenda)

I just don't know what's going to happen now. I'm afraid we might have to go deep underground. But I shouldn't fret too much. We have an emergency plan for just such a scenario. I can't go into great detail, but have you ever seen the movie "The Stepford Wives"? Or do you remember the FemBots in the Austin Powers movies? Our contingency plan is based on that model. I guess I'm going to have to go shopping soon for dresses with Peter Pan collars, and Mary Jane shoes. A few years of that should lull everyone into thinking that there is no threat from uppity women who don't know their place.

So, John McCain, you get the temporary victory in this battle [she said as she stroked her cat], with your formidable anti-feminist Sarah Palin weapon. You've made me angry, and when Beth gets angry, Sheeba gets upset. And when Sheeba gets upset, people DIE!* But rest assured, the war continues. We won't give up, Mr. McCain. We'll be right here, watching you, and our struggle will go on!

*This is a joke. An Austin Powers reference, to be specific.