Author: therightliberal

RIP Reason

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I knew Jon Huntsman was not going to win the Republican nomination. But I still could not help but be a little sad when he dropped out of the race.

My friends and family know me as the Republican basher, that guy who always says the obnoxious and inflammatory comments about the Good Ol’ Party.

But Jon Huntsman was different, he actually was intelligent and reasonable. Now the GOP has members who are very intelligent, take Dick Cheney for example. But Dick makes Stalin look like a teddy bear. I’m sure the GOP has had reasonable members who were unintelligent too, I just can’t think of any.

But Huntsman checked both boxes. In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Huntsman explained that his reason for being part of the Republican party was just because he though the people of Utah (his state) would be the most open to it.

I’m not trying to claim him as a Democrat because he is not. There is probably some obscure party in Australia that his ideals fit perfectly in to, but because of our system, he has an R next to his name.

But he did not let that get in the way of trying to make sense. He was not like Romney, trying to make himself look like a crazy teabagger who just wants to get rid of every single government program and become an isolationist nation that is at war with every single Islamic state.

No, he supported socialized programs and tax hikes. He thought we should stop fighting people for no apparent reason and we should protect the environment. He also thought we should work to cut some redundant government programs and reduce big government and that Boehner is at least some what competent.

It says a lot that a man who just stuck by his beliefs seemed to be such an oddity. Our system has come to the point that someone in the middle, who works to bridge the two parties, is looked at as being ineffective and plain wrong.

It is sad that Huntsman could not gain more ground in the primaries but I hope that he changed a few peoples mind in the process. I hope that he made some people see that there is room for the middle, that reason can conquer our stupid polarization. Jon Huntsman gave me hope, and that is more than can be said for most candidates.

So I’m now switching to endorsing this man for the Republican nomination, and yes, that is a boot on his head. Free Ponies for All!

Environmental Policies

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I often question others sanity. Chances are it is me who is insane, but on occasion it seems that others are far off their rocker.

It was proposed, years ago, to build an oil pipeline from the oil sands in Canada, all the way down to the refineries in Texas. Luckily Obama delayed the building of it, but it is still being pushed for.

The reason for the proposed pipeline is far from surprising: money. And money in all sense. It increases the price that the oil sands companies get paid, it increases the refinery work in Texas and on top of it all, with all the transport, the overall price goes up.

But it is not the bogus price hike that will come from the ludicrous transportation; it is the environmental cost.

The whole process is full of pollution and dirty business. Tons of tar and other unhealthy things are pumped into the atmosphere as well as polluting water.

Oil is great, don’t get me wrong. I wish we could just keep using oil and not worry about it. But two things make that not possible. The first is that we are quickly running out and the second is that we are destroying the planet we live on.

And yet, we have no clear cut solution. Ethanol and biodiesel have to potential to replace gasoline usage for the most part. But that requires a lot of investing in switchgrass and distilleries.

There are other potential ways around oil but they all require us to change how we live everyday. With ethanol and biodiesel, we can keep our cars the same and we would not need to come up with a whole lot of new technology.

By doing these simple things, we can work to cut our dependence on oil as well as working to make the world cleaner.

But the key thing is that we need to wake up. It is not fun to admit but we are almost out of oil. We can choose to deny the facts and face a very harsh future or we can prepare and make the transition easier.

Debate

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With the Republican debates (if you can call them that) going on right now, I was reminded of how much I enjoy a good debate (this is how it’s done), mainly because I have not seen one during this election.

You see, the Republican candidates are either too crazy and misinformed to be able to argue their point of view, or they are stuck on advertising themselves to America in what they think is the way Americans want to see them.

Gingrich (who is crazy evil) does seem to have a bit of skill at the game. Unfortunately his combination of hypocrisy and shear Darth Vaderness makes him so unappealing to listen to that he is mostly ignored.

The ignorance that is shown on the stage pretty much cancels out any interest I have in the debates beside entertainment and the crazy things they say. And that is unfortunate, because the art of debate is a great one.

The whole trick is to stay calm and look for that one mistake. If you can keep up with good rebuttals and attacks long enough, your opponent will slip up, and when they do, you must be ready to pounce.

Once you have seen the mistake you must attack. In this case, offense is the best defense. They can argue all they want but you will always be able to fall back on their mistake. Hopefully, they become flustered, allowing you to find more and more mistakes.

The goal, in the end, is not to convince your opponents they are wrong, but everyone in the room that you are right. It takes patience and knowledge, but when played properly, a debate can contain fantastic results.

I am constantly looking for someone to debate with, about any issue that is found to be controversial. To test myself I often argue the side I disagree with. By doing so, I learn the enemy, giving me the upper hand if I ever end up on the other side.

Debate is really and art form and one that is not used enough in today’s society. If we talked more about the important issues, the whole country would become better informed, hopefully leading to a better society.

So get out there and argue! Don’t just yell, look for the mistakes and attack, attack, attack!

Herman Cain, You Make Me Laugh

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Herman Cain might know something about business and the economy from his time owning a pizza chain. But when it comes to foreign policy he is lost.

Just take a look at this map in which he displays his thoughts on the world.

Now I’m sorry, but I know some kids in middle school that could tell me as much. And yet, this is the most we have heard out of Cain as far as foreign policy goes.

But this is fantastic news. I will personally endorse Herman Cain for the GOP nomination because he is so clueless and such a mess that Obama could laugh his way to a second term.

On top of his ignorance of the world around us, Cain also is a hypocrite…big time. While many politicians often do not practice what they preach, Cain has taken it to drastic levels. He has had an affair with a woman for 13 years, and his wife just found out about it.

Now he has denied these allegations, stating that he was just helping the woman in question financially. Odd that he would be texting her at 4 in the morning and made over 61 calls to her.

Now this would not be such a big deal (it seems like almost all politicians are getting some on the side these days) but the fact that one of his largest points has been the strength of family. Every politician is a hypocrite but Cain has gotten to the point of being a joke.

The whole Republican lineup has gotten to the point of just being a laughing stock and for that I thank them. Every night I can turn on the TV and laugh as I watch them struggle to give coherent answers with the small amounts of knowledge they have.

If you want to laugh some more go read this article.

Super Failure

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The Super Committee was bound to fail from the start. But let me say this, it is not all bad that the committee did fail.

Whomever thought that putting 6 Democrats and 6 Republicans together to cut $3 Trillion from the US budget should not be in a position of power. I mean, let’s be honest; conservatives and liberals do not see eye to eye on many issues, but the one above all is how to go about cutting debt.

So from that it may seem as though no one is really to blame except for the system, but sadly, that is incorrect. The Republican party is to blame (I would highly recommend going to that link if you disagree, or agree for that matter) for the Super Committee not working.

With the above statement, I obviously have some defending to do, so here it is. Let me say this: I do not blame the Republicans for the failure because I am a Democrat (although usually I do love to blame them). The blame comes from the cold, hard facts.

Democrats were ready to make compromises on some key issues. They offered to lower the cuts on defense spending as well as put some more programs on the table that could be cut or have funding taken away from. Although they were not completely open (as is to be expected in negotiations) they were open to compromise.

That much could not be said for the Republicans. They refused to even look at a 30% decrease in defense spending, denied any attempt to raise tax figures for the ultra wealthy, and demanded that more programs be axed completely.

Now for the happy side. Luckily for the country, the Budget Control Act that was passed by Congress stipulates that if the “Super” Committee failed to come up with cuts, $1.28 trillion cuts would automatically go in to effect, half of which come from defense spending. Although a small amount compared to our $15 trillion of debt, it is a start, and everything has to start somewhere.

In an ideal world (which is probably just ideal to me) most of the cuts would happen in the defense department. But instead, unemployment payments will start being cut in July in many states and many government-funded programs will struggle for funding.

I think we as a country need to look deep inside ourselves and ask what we need and what we can do without. Do we need trillions upon trillions in defense spending? Or would it be easier to just have fewer enemies? These are stilted and bias questions but ones that we still need to ask ourselves.

Occupy America

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If this video makes you sick, good.

The video was taken at the University of California, Berkeley. And where on campus was this brutal beating in? Free Speech Square.

Now as the title says, this was one of many of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests going on around the country. It was made up of students from the university who were not being violent or trespassing. The college did not ask for the protest to be broken up.

So here is a video taken from the same spot, but from 1964. This was from a protest regarding the lack of free speech for the students.

The irony is clear that students were being attacked by police for speaking their mind in the FREE SPEECH SQUARE.

What is wrong with our country, people?

We have people who have been peacefully protesting, upset with the current state of our economy and our society. And yet, police feel the need to go through and violently break up many peaceful protests.

Now with that last video, look at the people running. Look at the woman running and the people taking pictures. Now do those people look like violent and dangerous people to you?

Before, I was very questioning of the 99% protests and the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. I thought it didn’t have a real object and that it seemed unorganized.

But that has changed. If I didn’t live in a small town, I would be right out there with them. These people are fighting for what the majority of our people want. They are fighting for a change that this country needs. To be honest, and I hesitate to say this, this could be one of the first steps to a full revolution.

But I don’t want to make it seem that they are working towards anarchy. They are working to find more equality in this country. It may seem that everyone here is equal but look at the separation between the uber-wealthy and the rest of America.

And now there is a movement towards change. So if you can do anything to help this movement, go do it. Bring a positive change to our country and support these brave people who are out in the cold fighting for a better country.

Nigel Tufnel Day

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Although I usually write about politics, today is a very special day, special enough to write about something else.

In Asia, today is singles day (because the date is made up of ones). In the US (as well as many other countries), it is considered an auspicious day.

But for Spinal Tap fans such as myself, 11/11/11 is Nigel Tufnel Day.

This day was chosen based on the famous scene where Nigel explains why his amp goes to 11.

Now if you have not seen Spinal Tap, go see it, now. It is a fantastically funny movie as well as being a cultural staple.

I cannot count how many times I have seen and I am now at the point that I can recite almost every line.

What makes this movie special is that, although it makes fun of Rock & Roll, the musicians/actors in the movie are actually quite talented. They play hilarious songs but they play them well.

If you enjoy humor and good music, watch this movie. It will help you in dinner conversations when people refer to the movie and it will help you in life because every time you see the number 11 you will giggle a little bit.

P.S. I would like to also acknowledge Veteran’s Day. Although there is this very silly post about a very silly movie, it is also a day to say thank you to the people who put their life on the line every day. Thank you to those men an women who put their lives on the line to protect us at home. You get an 11 out of 10.

Women in Politics

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Women are playing a larger role in politics than ever before. Their time may soon be coming and now we need them more than ever.

The governing style of women is not that much different from that of a man. But I think there are some key differences.

From what we have seen more recently, women seem to be a bit more level-headed. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein are good examples of this, they have been liked by most Californian’s and have made reasonable choices throughout their time in office.

Hilary Clinton has obviously been the largest female political figure of recent times. Her presidential bid, although coming up short, was a huge step for females in politics.

And we can go back to Geraldine Ferraro who started the upsurge of women in modern-day politics. All of these women have played a large role.

In case you have not noticed, all these women are Democrats. There are a few reasons for this, first probably being my extreme bias towards Democrats. But secondly I think the Democratic cause speaks to the female movement.

Democrats do not as often support the elitist ways of the white male supremacy known as the American Government. Democrats have a tendency to be much more open to minorities as well as change.

And think of all the good change women could bring to politics. Women make up half of our country, should they not have half of the representation?

It brings a whole new perspective that we are missing in our government. Every man will tell you that women think differently, and maybe we need that right now. Our country is not in a good position and we need change.

Change can com from different ideas and ways of thinking and it could be as simple as integrating more women in to our government system.

Our Army

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With the “Kill Team” in the news, I thought it would be a good idea to write about the US Armed Forces.

In case you have not heard of the “Kill Team“, specifically Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, then here you go. It is a group of US Army soldiers who killed Afghanistan citizens for fun, not just the baddies, innocent people too.

The Armed Forces takes a lot of heat for their actions. They are constantly looked at as being the evil doers in our wars. But is it their fault?

I think not.

Most of the people who join the US Military are joining to serve their country, to protect the people, and to get a pay check. They do not go to foreign countries to kill innocent people or to fight wars that are not meant to be fought.

I was recently having this same argument and the main point that I heard was that the people who are fighting must believe in what they are doing. But I for one am not convinced.

We sitting home in the US see the war as an overall thing, a (fairly) complete picture. But individual people fighting overseas are just doing what they are told to do. Should they be blamed for following orders?

It is our governments fault for putting the soldiers in these positions. The “Kill Team” should face very strict punishment; they should be put in prison for the rest of their lives. They were not following orders, they were killing for fun.

But the soldiers who face criticism for following orders, that is just not fair. The are trying to protect the lives of all the people at home. They put their lives on the line daily for American interests.

It IS wrong that they are in that position, they should not be fighting overseas for pointless reasons. The US government should be held responsible for all the killings that they ordered. They are putting these young people overseas with big guns and small amounts of supervision, they should have to face the consequences.

Occupy Wall Street 2.0

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I last wrote about the subject of Occupy Wall Street when  it was a relatively small protest in New York.

And then bang!

The protests started spreading throughout the country, with people even protesting overseas. It has turned in to quite the movement, with the media giving the protests quite the coverage (despite my complaints about their reasons).

But I still have some concerns. I agree that the top 1% needs to stop hiding and start being more responsible. That small population controls such a large percentage of the money in the country that they can control most of the goings on. And with things going so poorly with the economy, they need to stand up and explain why and give some solutions.

But the protesters have not been clear on what they are looking for. The go around marching with 1% signs but they have no specific demands.

There may be a good reason for this: they don’t (and most Americans don’t) know what the answers are, only that we are in trouble.

It is quite obvious that the general public is upset at the state of our economy. We need change. But what change do we need?

Here is what the protesters should be demanding:

Higher taxes on the wealthy. They are wealthy which means they have excess money. Why not tax them and help the country? Obviously giving the rich tax breaks have not worked because look where we are now.

Education. Our education system is quickly system towards the middle of the pack, and that’s a big problem. If we want to have a wealthy country that leads the world in most areas, we need to have the most and best educated young people. Let’s cut spending from other programs if we need to (defense spending) and use it wisely; on education.

Inaction. What has been done by the wealthy to help? To be honest I do not think it is the individual’s job to voluntarily help but the job of the government to enforce their help. Politicians in Washington have been so busy bickering over every small issue that they have forgotten that we need progress now.

I support Occupy Wall Street and I think that the people out there are doing a good job of showing the people’s frustration with the government.

That being said, I highly suggest they focus their protests and start suggesting solutions. By doing that, they could really make a huge step and make some large changes in our country.