Welcome back, HWS students!  Our long hiatus has ended and it is time for everyone to get back to work.  It has been far too long since these sacred ‘Halls of Dissent’ have been filled with the bellowing voices of discontent typically associated with the likes of myself.

With that being said, allow me to take a moment and express my thanks (yes, sardonically) once again to Dr. Q for the following, enlightening Spam submission. 

Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein (AMEN!)

I only hope we find GOD again before it is too late!!

(You have to find him again…seems to me you should never have lost him in the first place; the other option is, of course, that you can’t find him because he doesn’t exist.  You see, this is what you get for believing in fairy tales and magic.)

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning

Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish.  And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees..  I don't feel threatened.  I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

(What he’s really saying is, “Listen up people, I’m part of a powerful lobby that is secretly running this country so you better pay attention to what I have to say.”  He doesn’t feel threatened by Christians because he knows his people are the “promised” ones so what does he care about anyone else…they are all going to hell anyway.)

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me.  I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto.  In fact, I kind of like it.  It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu.  If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

(Can you say sarcasm?  Damn it, I’m rich!  I pay excessive taxes not to have to see any trash, Christian or otherwise, cluttering the views along my commute to and from my multi-million dollar 2^nd or 3^rd home.)

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians.  I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.  I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country.  I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

(You have got to be kidding me.  When was the last time any religious entity in this country was “pushed around”? [Pensively taps fingers on desk] I would have to say back around 1492 when the Native Americans were forced to abandon their “religious beliefs” to adopt the beliefs of the Church of England—Good God, don’t get me started on this “religion”*.  I don’t know where you got the idea of this place [U.S.] being explicitly atheist either—in 2008, Agnostics and Atheists combined made up only 1.6% of the U.S. population!  You can’t find anything in the Constitution because you haven’t read it.)

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?  I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.  But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

(They have always been there and they were allowed to flourish because people like you and other sheep idolized them and not real people of import such as Jonas Salk, Gandhi or Robert Thom.  Let us hope that the America you knew is on its way out; that whole slavery, internment camps and lack of gay rights ideology really wasn’t the best.)

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:  This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

(Let us hope that you think more often than once a day, when Ben Stein tells you to.)

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina)  Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.  She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.  And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out.  How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

(Wow, so that whole Alpha and Omega thing was just a bunch a crap…told ya!)

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.  I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK..  Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school.  The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.  And we said OK.

(Aside from the fact that mentioning how she was killed has absolutely no relevance, I, and the ‘founding fathers’, agree that there should be a separation between church and state.  The Bible also states that you should stone someone for cursing [Leviticus 24:16] and non-Christians should be killed [Deuteronomy 13: 6-10], yet somehow you forgot to mention that.)

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide).  We said an expert should know what he's talking about.  And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

(It’s because their parents are not taking the time to teach them anything.  This is the result you get when you expect a television show or a teacher to take on your responsibilities; but at least this leaves more time for going to the Spa and attending dinner parties.)

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.  I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.  Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.  Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.  Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

(That is because the newspapers print facts, facts that can be verified and questioned not horror stories designed to scare people into submission—I’m not making this up, have you read the Old Testament lately?)

Are you laughing yet?

(I have been since I read the opening line.)

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they

will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.  

If not then just discard it... no one will know you did.  But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. 

(No, what is funny is that Ben Stein is saying all this on a Sunday Morning show that is obviously playing to a television/radio audience YET somehow he also has the presence of mind to address an internet audience as well… uh huh.)

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein 

*If you have no background on the Church of England, then I suggest you start watching the Tudors.

Well, it has been quite some time since Dr. Q has provided us with a piece of spam worthy enough of our dissection and running through the Shawn Wright Bullsh** filter but I must say, she has outdone herself with this one.  In case you missed or can’t remember the two previous Spam entries, please see Spam Anatomy 101 and Spam Anatomy 102.

The drivel located below is in a category all its own.  This piece of work must be ousted for its subtle insinuations and naïveté towards certain non-Caucasian cultures and for its blatant subjectivity/favoring towards Euro-centric cultures.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN

Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa, half discovered, half wild,

fertile and naturally beautiful!

(What the hell, you think African-American women are the only “untamed” and promiscuous women out there? You have obviously never been to a Sorority/Fraternity party at any major University—this most definitely includes Ivy League ones.  Fertile, Please!  Don’t even try to say that AA women are the only ones popping out kids, you obviously haven’t been anywhere close to Rednecks or the Bible Thumpers who run at the mere mention of contraception.)

Between 23 and 30, a woman is like Europe, well developed and open to trade,

especially for someone with cash.

(OMG, just come out and say you think any woman at this age is a whore.  Europe is “well developed”; I guess that whole slavery, colonization, imperialism, and two World Wars gave them plenty of experience?  You got the bit about being open for trade to anyone with cash right, if most of Europe weren’t off chasing behind the next “Big Score”, they wouldn’t have been hoodwinked into the sub-prime housing debacle.)

Between 31 and 35, a woman is like Spain, very hot, relaxed and convinced of

her own beauty.

(Why is it every nation with darker pigments, so far, has been associated with overly-sexual innuendos?  Do the phrases “Hot and Bothered” or “Too Hot to Trot” come to mind for anyone else?)

Between 36 and 40, a woman is like Greece, gently aging but still a warm and

desirable place to visit.

(Again with the innuendos.  A desirable place to “visit”.  This is code for: Go to the Hooker’s place because you sure as hell can’t bring to/don’t want her at your place!  If we go one step further and take this to a sexual level—“a warm and desirable place to visit”…Stop beating around the bush [I swear there was no pun intended there] and just come out and say vagina!)

Between 41 and 50, a woman is like Great Britain, with a glorious and all

conquering past.

(Yeah, that whole colonization thing worked out gloriously for India, Pakistan, Bahrain, Nigeria, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Burma, etc… I’m sure the inhabitants of those countries thank the British everyday for coming there and “conquering” their lands.)

Between 51 and 60, a woman is like Israel, has been through war and doesn't

make the same mistakes twice, takes care of business.

(Oh yeah, has been through war?  Tell me, how is that current 15-day war with Hamas going right now?  What, you mean Israel didn’t learn from the war with Lebanon in 2006 to give it up; definitely sounds like a mistake to me?  Oh wait, they have been fighting the Palestinians since 1967 and still don’t have their sh** together—unless you consider killing numerous civilians for no reason having things in order and taking care of business.)

Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Canada, self-preserving, but open to

meeting new people.

(Canada is self-preserving because it is cold as hell up there and nobody wants to go visit or live in those conditions.  Canada is open to new people as long as they are not from America…they had their fill during The Great Migration and when prescription drug prices went sky high.)

After 70, she becomes Tibet, wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past and

the wisdom of the ages...only those with an adventurous spirit and a thirst

for spiritual knowledge visit there.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF A MAN

Between 1 and 70, a man is like Iraq, ruled by Nuts.

(It’s ruled by nuts put in place by George W. Bush’s Administration, need I say more?)

Soon to be former President Bush passed the No Child Left Behind law. This law is basically for standardized testing. The child must reach a certain criteria for passing on to the next grade level. If this is not achieved then the child is left behind in the previous grade until he or she meets that standard. Which is redundant to No Child Left Behind, in reality the child is being left behind and emotionally scared. The law not only effects students, but teachers and the public school administration also.

            The students understand that to get into a good school SAT or ACT scores are required. Those tests alone have entry college level problem solving, reading, and writing skills. Most of these areas pupils have a hard time accomplishing because the public school they attend focuses on the state standardized test. Which brings about the pressure of having to pass the state test or be left behind to repeat the grade over again. It makes the student feel belittled and that he or she is not good enough to move on. Through out the school year the curriculum is set around the standardized test and most of the school work relates specifically to that test. Most teachers detest the idea of shaping their class to the state test that happens at the end of the year. 

            Their job is to just that, teach, however that is not the case. Teachers may not like the idea of standardized test but as long as they work in independent school districts they have to comply to that and the guidelines of their contracts. The lesson plans revolve around the objectives that are placed on the state standardized test. Educators spend a bulk of their time creating lessons for a state mandated test rather than shaping students to be well rounded. President Elect Obama feels that students should be well rounded and fine arts should be included on these tests. Obama is not against NCLB he just feels there should be some revisions to this law such as the assessments and accountability. Making the accountability trickle down to the public administration.

            Most of the pressure comes down on the school administration office to ensure that the schools in the district are running properly and meeting the standards set by the state. Ratings and student attendance is practically what brings money into the school to keep the school operating. In the end what happens federally in fact does trickle all the way to the future generation of leaders.

            These state tests weed out the students that are of good use and promising talent. Our education system is the best compared to other students in the world who won’t be getting an education. In other countries early childhood testing could show that child does not have what it takes for higher learning.

            Students stress out more about a test at the end of the year rather than a test given by the teacher during the school year. Standardized tests in the public school system do indeed take away from a child’s education, hindering a child from its full potential. The college entry test, SAT and ACT are just enough to get through. When the educator can not prep their class to meet college expectations then who does the blame fall upon? As a college student, I see some of the effects present in class rooms with professors amazed at how most of the students in a freshman class have horrible writing skills. Now the question is who to blame for not following state procedure of mandatory testing. At the college level these students should be excelling and more than competent to handle the college standards since following the No Child Left Behind law in 2002. . .right?

So he hasn’t been inaugurated yet but already president-elect Obama has accomplished more in the month since his election than Bush has in the last year.  I’m referring to actual, productive, beneficial work being achieved by the Commander in Chief, not receiving 1^st time awards from religious quacks who head Mega churches brandishing a name that reiterates the true nature of their sexually repressed [mostly gay, male] congregation…can you say Saddleback?

Some of the high-profile Cabinet positions that Obama has already filled include: Hillary Clinton-Secretary of State, Robert Gates-Secretary of Defense and Bill Richardson-Secretary of Commerce.  Eight Cabinet positions are still available: Interior, Transportation, Labor, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs.  Obama also has yet to name his intelligence team, including his director of national intelligence and CIA chief; I’m assuming that unlike his predecessor, he will appoint someone with enough intelligence to know that torture is inhumane, the Geneva Convention is a good thing and the VP’s office can’t bully anyone into handing over “bad information”.

I must say that I am in no way thrilled about Obama’s choice of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State.  Yes, she was the first lady from 1993-2001 and has served as the junior senator from New York since 2001 but, I’m sorry, that just isn’t enough experience for me.  You think having tea with the wives/mistresses of foreign leaders and dodging bullets as you land at an airport (Oh wait, she lied about that bit…more than once) gives you foreign policy Cred?  Um, no.  In my personal opinion, Bill Richardson not Clinton should have been offered that position.  Richardson is well qualified to hold the aforementioned post; he was a United Nations ambassador during the Clinton Administration for goodness sake (he is also a former energy secretary, served seven terms in the House of Representatives and is the two-term governor of New Mexico).  Not to mention that he is the Latino governor of a border state and he supported Obama when it was not the most politically expedient thing to do so [If somehow you don’t recall- Barack and Hillary were in the middle of a heated primary battle at the time when Richardson came out against the Clinton machine to support Obama, even though he was friends with both Clintons and it meant an end to his political career, if she had actually won]. 

With regards to Gates, the registered “Independent” appointed by Bush to the Secretary of Defense position, I think his a** should be kicked out with EVERY other Bush appointee once Obama takes over but I have to say he is one of the lesser infuriating Bush “Cronies” appointed to a prominent position.  Gates, unlike the former Department of Homeland Security director (who only knew how to handle horses, not real people in extreme circumstances) or the current Environmental Protection Agency director (who believes that we are in the “End Days” so it doesn’t make since to conserve resources), has the credentials and qualifications to support him holding this position. For example, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under Bush 41 as Director of Central Intelligence. Before he joined the CIA, he served with the United States Air Force.  After leaving the CIA, Gates became president of Texas A&M University and was a member of several corporate boards. Gates also served as a member of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan commission co-chaired by James A. Baker III and Lee Hamilton, which studied the Iraq War.

There is still time for Obama to appoint some left-leaning people to the remaining Cabinet positions and I would be greatly satisfied if that is in fact what he plans on doing.  Don’t get me wrong, I understand that he has to have a bi-partisan team of people around him, but it sure would be nice if he started surrounding himself with people that are more leftist than he and his current appointments are sometime in the immediate future… What is Dennis Kucinich up to these days???

          Last night I had a hard time sleeping as I thought about love. I know, February is still roughly 2 months away. It has really had my gears grinding in my head. I have never really experienced love for another human being that I would even consider to be my life partner/soul mate/better half. Love is a tricky thing and can stir up lots of trouble.

          What is love? There is not a good answer for it, being that everyone has their different idea of love. I look at some of my friends in relationships and wonder what they are thinking. Some couples are just adorable and look like they are meant to be. Every family has that one member who has a significant other that no one in the family likes. They don’t get the he’s-a-keeper vibe.

          Marriages to me are just a legal contract, which makes it that much easier for couples to split later on (Can you say prenuptial?). I only want to get married once or just be happily unmarried. Marriage is hard work and needs constant care like a new born. I look at my graduating class and how many of them have been married or have kids. I feel sorry for them because they just lost a bug chunk of their lives. Then I look at myself, I still have my whole life ahead of me and I still have my freedom with few obligations.

          Let’s say you’re in a relationship and things are pretty serious. The love of you life is down on one knee and ready to put a ring on your finger. You haven’t thought about the future and you are up in the air about saying yes. What would you do?

It’s time for the holiday season. Particularly the day after Thanksgiving, better known as black Friday in the retail world, is one of the biggest and busiest days for retail shops. Some get to enjoy riveting sales on their favorite items, mark off half of their Christmas lists, or just shop because it’s the day after Thanksgiving (one needs to work off all that turkey and stuffing).

            All shopping stores aim at pleasing the customer so that he/she will shop with them. With the experience I have in retail, sometimes it can really get upsetting, aggravating, frustrating, and overbearing. Trust me I get customers who can, at times, be very irate and irrational when it comes to sales. I have worked through many holiday seasons but the worse of them all is Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here are some of my tips to help it go smoothly for the customers and retail stores, alike.

1. Read the signs: We (the shop you’re shopping in) don’t mind specifying exactly what the sign is referring to. DO NOT assume a 50% off sign is for the entire wall/department. This includes marked down items also. Retail shops can’t control that, have a problem? Call the corporate office and complain to them, not me.
2. We may not have your size/item: It happens. If you wanted it so badly in the first place you should have purchased it when it was full price rather then waiting till that item was on sale.
3. Long line at check out: Walk around the store some more. People that check you out can’t help that all the shoppers decided to check out at one time. Honestly, retailers think customers have a weird sense of when someone else is checking out and it spreads. I wonder if it sounds something like this, “If I check out before everyone else, maybe just maybe, I’ll get a bigger discount!”
4. Would you like to apply for….?: Employee’s get paid to ask every customer about a brand credit card. Blowing things out of proportion because a representative asked, is not necessary. Simply say, “No thanks”. It won’t hurt their feelings to say no as long as you, the customer, are polite.
5. Pick up after yourself: You drop clothing, don’t just leave it on the ground to be stepped on, pick it up. Not just clothing, anything. Sometimes you may get a shirt you don’t really want and decide to dump it all the way over in the babies department. Don’t. Simply take the garment and place near the same item that looks exactly like it. Nothing makes retail employees more upset then that.
6. Fitting room: DO NOT grab every item in the women’s department expecting to only buy one item or nothing at all. It’s Black Friday and a massive line of people want to try on other things as well. Bring out what you brought in. Leaving a pile of clothes does not help anyone, shopper or employee. Oh…looks like that garment a shopper wanted in their size is in the pile that you left in the fitting room.
7. Relax: Apparently you have nothing but time on your hands, what’s the rush? If you’re calm, we’re calm and that makes our job easier.
8. Read the return policy: We don’t make the rules we simply follow them. Upset, call corporate or simply stop shopping at the store.

            Mostly this is what I see that happens in retail or just when I’m shopping in general. Failure to read signs is the big killer and what ticks retail workers off the most. Patience is what really works best for everyone. Granted it feels like there is never enough time in a day and that time is slipping through the cracks of our fingers. Breathe while you are shopping and be patient. Otherwise, the person that rings up your purchase will give you hell.

YES!!!!!! WOO!!!!!!! OBAMA!!!!!!! Thank you America for doing something right!! Honestly if McCain made it to office I would have moved out of the country and quite possibly cried. I’m sure my fellow contributors to HWS will gratuitously express how they feel about this sweet victory. I was leaving work when I got the news of Obama winning by a land slide. Did anyone else notice McCain looking peeved giving his speech? He looked strained while he was speaking and Palin looked clueless.

            This will be short and brief. Granted everyone has the occasional bad day/week. Those are the days when one imagines beating the next person to a blue pulp just for looking/speaking/breathing in ones direction. Well I was having on of “those” days. Minus the people that I love the most, anyone else could feel my wrath and looks of wanting them to take a one way ticket to purgatory. I was listening to my lovely iPod and this song by Satogold (Creator), came on. Usually I just skip that song, but I let it play this time. The beginning of the song sounds jungle like, the drums, mostly bongos and then this creepy animalistic, electronic sound drops in the song.

            I think that deep down humans have a need and desire to be animalistic. The biggest part is letting your body release and to let go. Since childhood one has been taught to hold back and restrain. This is the time I miss being a kid-- being able to run, hang around like a monkey, roll in the grass and not have back problems the next morning. Which is why some people have things like sports and hobbies to compensate for releasing that type of pent of energy. Granted it feels good to smash or hit some object, not some person, although the thought does creep in to one’s mind. It really feels good when there is a competition and you’re trying to beat out the other person to be “the champ”.  Letting our body release and be an animal for a few minutes could very well be the key to happiness.

Hello fellow HWS readers!  Welcome to the Obama Administration (okay, so I’m jumping the gun a bit but, my goodness, it is so lovely knowing that this is actually going to come to fruition).  Today is indeed a great day to be a blogger and, dare I say it, a great day to be an American.  Damn, I already regret saying that.  I’m just not “America-centric” enough to say such a thing without taking into account the fact that this world consists of more than the U. S. of A.  Saying such things evoke flashbacks of Republican rallies filled with hypocritical, mindless McCain/Palin supports expressing patriotic [idiotic] rants such as ‘America is the greatest country in the world’, ‘God Bless America’ and the dreaded campaign slogan of ‘Country First’.  Thanks be to “that mythical creature in the sky”; this is finally over and for once the majority of the American public has made the right choice.  Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t think the masses are smart and unselfish enough to actually support legislation and/or policy that will be beneficial to a majority of the people but at least they appear to be headed in the right direction. 

Once all the votes are tallied, the voter turnout for the presidential elections will be approximately 64.1 percent (136.6 million people), which is considerably higher than the usual 54% of Americans who normally show up to exercise their democratic rights.  Even though these numbers show a marked increase, the U.S. is still straggling behind other countries that usually have much higher voter participation such as Italy’s 90%, Germany’s 80%, France and Canada's 76%, Britain's 75% and Japan's 71%.

Here I am being negative again and pointing out more of America’s flaws, heck, if I were running for any political office I would have been called un-American and un-patriotic a thousand times over by now (by the far Right, of course) just for having a voice of dissent (and failing to wear a lapel pin as I did so).  It’s true, I do point out things that I feel need to be addressed because if we the people don’t make it known that things are not right, then who will?  No one in talk radio, the mainstream media or holding a political office can really get out there and say what needs to be said in a manner that is direct and to the point…not if they want to maintain their current position, that is.  They can’t do this because they have to worry about not pissing off advertisers, viewers or constituents/lobbyists; however, people like us that have absolutely no ties to a corporation or conglomerate should take it on as our moral obligation and duty to say what needs to be said. 

With that being said, rest assured my dear readers, that I will be as critical of the upcoming Obama Administration as I have been of the Bu$h Regime Administration.  Granted, I probably won’t laugh as much or find it as easy to make fun of President Barack as I did with Curious George but we all have to make sacrifices sometimes.  Today, let us all revel in the fact that the first African-American president [ever] has been elected to the most powerful position in this country and that each and every one of us played a part in making it happen.  Let us prepare for the tough times and sacrifices that lay ahead and will be required of each and every one of us, knowing that we will be better off as a nation when all is said and done.

         Yesterday I’d tuned into Hardball to catch up on the political debacles for the day and, of course, Sarah “Fancy Pageant Walk” Palin had not let me down.  I’m not referring to her infantile comment saying she would “wave a magic wand” to get rid of McCain’s robocalls (even though she wouldn’t do so for her own robocalls, though) or the $150,000 spent on her wardrobe by the RNC; I’m talking about her totally f*cking up the explanation of what the Vice President does… for the 4^th time!  Seriously, anyone that still believes that woman is qualified to hold anything in the Executive office besides a pad, pen and cup of coffee is insane.  Honestly, we learned the role of the VP in what the 5^th grade or so?  Do they not teach Civics up there in Alaska…I guess not, they are too busy teaching about secession to teach any pertinent information?  Anyway, this idiotic comment is replayed multiple times on the show (so everyone can digest this as something she actually said in all seriousness); nevertheless, guest analyst Pat Buchanan has the audacity to come on and actually make excuses for this woman.  Pat, WTF man?  Come now, Buchanan, you have said some pretty stupid things in your time but defending the indefensible by taking this woman’s side is ridiculous.  I realize that at some point she held a fundraiser for you up in tundra country and supported your 2000 campaign but damn Pat, how loyal do you have to be to this woman that you will risk losing your credibility in trying to make sense of her nonsensical a** and the foolishness that is forever spewing out of her mouth? 

          To his credit, Chris Matthews was not buying the bullshit that Pat was giving either and I respect him for that.  It’s about time people in the media started doing their jobs and calling people out for blowing smoke out their a**es.  I’m sorry, but saying that she gave her explanation of the VP’s duties [being “in charge of” the Senate and being a place where the VP "can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes"] in the manner that she did because she was responding to a 3^rd grader is just dumb.  Yes, she might have been answering a question posed by a 3^rd grader but it was being heard by many more people than just he.  Besides that fact, she should be reprimanded for giving him the WRONG information to begin with.  If little Billy (or whatever his name is) tried to put that as an answer on one of his Civics tests the “red X mark of death” from the teacher [hopefully one that knows Intelligent Design is not a proper scientific theory and therefore has no place in the classroom] would let him know that he had answered incorrectly!  It is so obvious that Palin has never looked at the Constitution or if by some miracle she did, she sure as hell didn’t retain any of the information she observed there. 

          Republicans need to stop trying to make the case that this woman is ready to lead this country, if she were put in that position, because she most certainly is not and probably never will be.  Pat Buchanan, Monica Crowley, Rush Limpballs and all of Fox Inc. need to go sit down and shut the hell up.  I’m giving the American people the benefit of the doubt in assuming that they will actually do what is best for them on November 4 by electing the people who are indeed qualified to run this country and it sure as hell isn’t the ticket she is currently on.  If the Repugs want to keep hoping, there is always 2012, that gives them 4 years to try and get her up to date on everything she needs to know about politics…I know it’s a stretch but stranger things have happened.

So, it is official.  All of the Primary, Presidential and Vice Presidential debates are done and over with (Now, where did I put my Soul Rebels and Rebirth music?)!  I have to say that this particular election season seems like the longest one I have ever witnessed.  I’m not sure if it appears this way because I have a greater interest this time around due to the importance and potentially monumental outcome or because I disliked all of the [Republican] candidates. Honestly, at certain times, trying to follow the 2008 campaigns was the equivalent of listening to Bu$h give a speech—mind-numbing and worse than having my fingernails, toenails and every hair on my head pulled out one by one before being forced to eat them all while listening to Neo-Conservative radio with my eyelids forced open so I had to watch Fix Noise [Fox News]. 

I must say that it really hit me today that this election is almost over; we are less than a month away from having the Bush Administration out of the White House, the removal of all the negative campaign commercials from the T.V., having to hear that one from Alaska boast her “foreign policy” experience (among other lies), see/hear McCain call strangers “my friends”, listen to the pundits get it wrong time and time again and worry about some idiot tossing out death threats like they mean nothing.  All I have to say is, Free at last, Free at last…Thank **wait for it** God Almighty we are ALMOST free at last!

It absolutely boggles my mind that there are people out there professing to still be undecided at this point.  HUH?!  How is this even possible?  Where in the hell have these people been for the last 2 years?  How can anyone at this point still make moronic assertions such as Obama is an Arab, Palin would make a good President or that Biden’s hair is all natural?  Seriously, it does amaze me that people are still so uneducated about the candidates so late in this election season.  With regard to Palin, we can give people a pass for not knowing anything about her for two reasons; first, she won’t give in-depth interviews to the press core (Sorry, Charlie and Katie but we all know you guys are 1 step from Jet Magazine…okay maybe 2) and secondly, quoting Gertrude Stein, “There is no there, there.”  There really is NO excuse in this day and age with the internet, television, newspapers, blogs and radio that people are still either undecided or do not know all the facts about the candidates.  If I were capable of feeling pity for such people I just might do so now but since that isn’t a possibility I’ll just say that these people should not be allowed to vote on November 4 or make any other decisions that could adversely affect others, like driving a car or speaking out loud in public settings.

One good thing our more refined [restrained…you know who you are…hey Ma!] readers here at HWS can look forward to is a decrease in the hostility level of some of the articles presented here, once the elections are over.  I make this statement with regard to only my own articles, of course, and I am assuming that McCain/Palin do not get in.  If by some miracle (or more likely, some scam/treachery similar to Bush v Gore 2000) they do get in, I suggest you just skip over my articles from January 20, 2009 until January 20, 2013.