Is Democratic-Liberalism Compatible With Catholicism?

by Justin La Grange

To start, I'm not here to condemn, criticize, or pass judgment on any of my fellow Catholics who may be, uh, liberally or Democratically inclined. God judges a person by their heart to serve and intention to be good, not by whether they may have voted for a candidate that supported an abortion bill. I simply want to voice my opinion on how I think that as Catholics, the Democratic Party (and liberalism) may be incompatible with our lifestyle and religious ideologies.

`

Let's start with the obvious.

`

It's no secret that the Democratic Party and the liberal interest groups that have provided its lifeline over the last few years (moveon.org, etc) support very liberal pro-choice ideologies. Since we as citizens have the power to place and remove officials in and from elected office, we are complicit in the ideologies they support if we supported them -- if they have supported policies and forwarded interests that further erode restrictions to the termination of an unborn child, we are complicit. Whether or not I agree with this isn't the point -- the point is that if you firmly support the Catholic teachings and the word of the Bible, you should think about how you are complicit if the person you vote for goes in stark contrast to such an extremely serious ideology of the Church.
`

Now moving to a kind of a devil's advocate position (no pun intended), I'll be honest here -- I don't think embryonic stem cells and supporting gay marriage are really abberations in the eyes of God. However I think it's unacceptable to pass judgment on those who disagree with that opinion.
`

With regard to embroynic stem cells, take note that a lot of these "embroys" are little lab cell things that would often be destroyed anyway. Whether using these cells is really playing God is not something I can really answer to, but I can probably say that God would not have a problem with regrowing an arm for a soldier wounded in Iraq using embroynic stem cell tissue.
`

Gay marriage and homosexuality are difficult issues. Here you get into this gray area where some of these teachings in Leviticus (etc.) are just too antiquated and no one follows them anymore. While I invite you to look back at my previous notes for more discussions about this, I refuse to believe that if God created a gay person, God would condemn what he produces. Combinatorially, marriage is now an institution of the government, not the church, and therefore it is not the place of government to not provide a service all taxpayers pay for. This is going to be one of those things like interracial marriage that is going to be old news in 20 years, so we might just suck it up now and get with the program.
`

That being said, I think there is a serious modern day problem in the gay community of being severely wrapped up in far-left ideologies that defame Christian and traditional culture, support anything anti-Catholic out of spite, and support these out-of-control feminists (their fag-hags) who love to get tickled by their doctor's abortion utensils. And some of the far-left elements in the gay community need to understand that these exact elements of a "perceived" gay counterculture can turn people way off and make them not want to have such abberance associated with a traditional marriage ceremony. When folks see news footage of these counterculture far-left America and Christian haters at the forefront of the pro-gay marriage side, they enrage good people who don't necessarily hate gays but simply dislike the grotesque San Francisco SP counterculture they've become associated with. When it comes to helping themselves on gay marriage, I think gays just continue to shoot themselves in the foot with imagery of bondage queens at their high-profile rallies.
`

Moving onto economics, too many elements abuse and usurp charitable Catholics teachings to support leftist redistributional economic paradigms. This is a gigantic abberation. Catholics are supposed to condemn those who covet thy neighbors house (and things) -- and liberal economic paradigms are the pinnacle of covetness. Despite the poor in America having a grotesquely high standard of living (by global measures), ala nearly all have a dwelling unit and a color TV (and the majority owning an automobile), apparently liberals think they need more and life is supposed to be a cakewalk. Jesus and Catholic teachings would say the following about this:
`

First, you don't rob Peter to pay Paul -- heavy redistributionist paradigms to support both the slothful, covetous, and a large useless bureaucracy amounts to theft and robbery (one of the major commandments). Second, slothfulness -- statistically shown by Bill Clinton via the Welfare Reform Act to be largely produced by welfare -- is a major sin. Third, God and Catholic teachings want us to be charitable people by the good nature of our hearts. They never call for large bureaucracies and corrupt politicians mandating redistribution as they see fit. That is an abberation of church teachings that is abused by liberals trying to woo unsuspecting Catholics and runaway political bully pulpit priests like the Archbishop of Los Angeles. In fact, despite being disheartened by the gross taxation they must endure at the hands of leftist ideologues past and present, conservatives give a larger percentage of their income to charity by a large margin. So much for liberals really being the ones with the bleeding hearts. It's all talk the talk but no walk the walk.
`

You might notice I have yet to really discuss the Catholic Church -- as in the large bureaucratic organization riddled with Italian bureaucracy and corruption, and non-ironically headquarted in The Vatican/Rome. Let's just say that I refuse to give the Catholic Church a free pass because it's the "supposed" voice of all things Catholic. I'm in a state of fury with the organization at large -- it's a getting to be a huge bureaucratic corrupt entity, often spending hundreds of millions of dollars settling sexual abuse lawsuits instead of helping out the needy in its communities. The Catholic Church lives large, often sparing no expense while some of its most devout and loyal parishoners have not stopped tithing 10% of their incomes while their homes get foreclosed on. To add insult to injury, some priests are developing grand political bully pulpits to espouse liberal worldviews on illegal immigration and economics, despite not having quite covered those topics in Seminary. The church has lurched to the left and I think it's something we should be worried about. In order to be the best Catholics we can be, it's prudent to not follow some runaway politicos at the Vatican and simply do our best to follow God's teachings and live our life in service to others -- it's that easy.
`

In conclusion, I'd urge my fellow Catholics to do some deep introspection of whether your voting patterns coincide with real Catholic beliefs and teachings. My own introspection of the matter leads me to believe that Catholic ideologies aren't compatible with the ideologies on the Democratic-left -- not to mention the fact that lots of people on the left are hostile to religion period. We will be judged by what we do on Earth, and voting is an action that makes us a part of setting an ideology in motion. As Catholics, can we in good conscience set liberal ideology in motion? Hey, I'm not the judge.
`

Here's a complimentary article by Michael Gerson discussing Obama's "Declaring War On Catholics":http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/04/declaring_war_on_catholics.html

`
And here's a Time article that discussing why Catholic support for Obama may be fraying:http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1890595,00.html

24 Hour Bi-Curious Fitness

by Justin La Grange

Back in high school, my Bible Teacher offered that homosexuality was neither genetic or biological - it was pure "vanity". Vanity, or a love for oneself so extreme that it required one could only envision a carbon copy of his amazing self being worthy for sex or a relationship. One would see themselves or the magesty of their own sex and say, "shit, I'm pretty bad ass. I'd fuck me," and somehow that would translate into either a learned affinity for those traits in other people or result in a lowering of the threshold of sexual permissiveness.

Anyway, I've met enough gays and lesbians to know that this probably isn't the case - but I will offer that this very theory of her's translates to "bi-curious" behavior. Keep in mind that my expertise on bi-curiousness, at least on an academic level, stems from a South Park episode in which Butters was led to believe that he was bi-curious after a mistaken sexualized incident devised by Eric Cartman.

By now I'm sure you want to know why I'm writing this. Well, I just came back from the gym like an hour ago and was particularly astounded by two things.

First, everybody is looking at themselves incessantly in the mirror. I know people do that, but damn tonight was bad. Let's just get some water and stare in the mirror the entire time! Let's just stare in the mirror the entire time you're busting out a set and moan loudly! Damnit, if you're going to go to the gym, I don't want to hear your retarded ass grunting, groaning, and making sexualized noises the entire time. You're not a damn baboon, practice some etiquette for God sakes, and don't make it obvious your two homes are 24 Hour Fitness and a trailer. Anyway, just the way some of these guys are ogling themselves more heavily than a black man ogles the booty of Lil' Rounds from American Idol indicates preference. It indicates acceptance. It indicates the perception of beauty. Beauty and acceptance foster desire and permissiveness. And once you've reached this point, one begins to notice others crafted in their own image. And it spirals forth from there...theoretically...no pun intended.

Second, everybody is checking everybody else out. I scoff at this. When it happens to me I cuss to myself and then strangely appreciate it thirty seconds later. And as I'm improving and progressing at the gym, I'm finding myself doing it more and more! "Damn that guy is buff...that guy's chest is pretty defined, I bet he could bench 250...damn, that's exactly how I want mine to look, I'll give it four months", or even, "shit, I could probably bench more than that guy...look at that idiot doing a lot on the leg press but my legs look so much better."

`

I'm staring at myself in the mirror more and I'm comparing more, and I'm not the least bit worried. The sexual part doesn't really concern me, but I don't want to be an asshole. I deride these idiots that stare into the mirror and yet do not fear turning into one of them. I'm unafraid of the magesty of adoring myself. And it's getting worse and worse by the day.

In conclusion, bi-curiousness based on my theories and teacher's theories stems from an evolution into pansexuality which stems from adoring of the self. All this was running through my mind in the car so I figured I'd get it on paper...or Facebook. And surprisingly, I'm unabashed about it. I think most guys would rather put a bullet through their head than admit this stuff out loud. Oh well, my diarrhea of the mouth.

Oh P.S. -- While we're on the gym topic and bi-curiousness, I've never figured out why these idiots have to tote this huge bag into the gym, come dressed in informal clothes, and then change in the friggin gym locker room?! If you're coming in at 10pm wouldn't you just have departed from somewhere informal that you could just change there? Or even in the car, like I do? Why must you go in and do the whole locker room dance? And a shower? Take it at home. Everytime I tote myself into the bathroom to pee (which is a lot since I drink a 44oz Big Gulp before working out), I don't want to sail through a sea of nudity just to pee...especially if you're over thirty.That will be all.

Why The Current Economic Crisis Shows Conservatism Works, And Why We Must Combat President Obama's Policies

by Justin La Grange

We are in a massive economic crisis -- and Barack Obama's strategy is seeking to turn the United States into California. And California is the epitomy of what doesn't work and why we are in this crisis in the first place -- it is the microcosm of real Democratic liberalism.

`

California is about to go bankrupt, and let's examine why:

1. Massive government spending and wasteful expenditures, often perpetuated by a notoriously hard-left legislature.
2. As an extension of 1, you have a huge proportion of the workforce in government jobs to support these massive wasteful spending programs. This workforce is overpaid, have far above market rate benefits packages, and cannot be fired -- as a result this workforce has extremely low productivity because why be productive when you can't be fired. The positions distort the market for jobs in California and drastically harm the alternate private sector economy. You're also spending enormous amounts of money for what is comparatively a relatively miniscule output.
3. Broad welfare programs that encourage many not to work, or if they do, they again distort market realities when it comes to wages. Why work hard at a $25,000/year job when you can work in a $10,000 a year job with welfare subsidies.
4. Points 1-3 require very heavy taxation all around to support these outrageous policies. However California is finding out that companies don't want to pay huge corporate tax rates so they set up shop elsewhere, resulting in California loosing ALL of that revenue.
5. California is in the top 15% of states in terms of state and local tax burden, especially on upper income earners -- ironically, the people in the economy who have the capacity to innovate and create businesses and jobs. People either cannot innovate and create businesses because of disincentive from the tax and regulatory burden, or they're creating jobs elsewhere where there is less of a tax and regulatory burden. And by regulatory I mean massive regulations that are needless bureaucratic landmines that just sit on the books so they give some bureaucratic idiots something to do -- or not do.
6. California has one of the most rabid and powerful union environments in the United States, disincentivizing businesses from setting up shop where they cannot operate their own businesses in the most productive ways they see fit. Ask 10% of the unemployed in California whether they would want powerful unions in California or would rather have an anti-union low-tax haven where companies would like to set up shop and offer them jobs.

Moving away from this liberal landmine called California, let's look at the Republican South and the Conservative Mountain States. These "red" pro-growth states are on the up in this downturn, the bright spots amidst the liberal carcasses that surround them. They are low-tax, anti-union, small government havens, and people there are just happy to have jobs (relative to California, at least). Their economies are sustaining the best during this downturn. Let's also look at America in the global macrocosm -- it has been the most economically and socially free major country in the US, and coincidentally, has grown to have the highest standard of living amongst all its classes in the world, compared to major European social-welfare states who enjoy a standard of living about one-third that of the US.

`

So here we are, finally realizing that liberal tax and spend anti-growth heavy-welfare large-government paradigms aren't sustainable in a downturn economy and cause a downturn economy. And I thought "sustainability" was a liberal keyword.
`

Meanwhile, Barack Obama is seeking to ramrod more policies and programs almost identicial to those from 1-6 down our throat during an economic crisis. Much like industry and entrepreneurs

are fleeing California because their businesses cannot survive in such a greedy government environment (or they don't even want to try), industry and entrepreneurs will flee the United States for more sustainable places to do business. Ask Switzerland how its employment rate is doing after business is flocking there due to its low corporate tax rates? And what kind of business would want to set up shop in the US, with the second highest corporate tax rate in the world, and employ you? Do you want big inefficient government with heavy taxes, or do you want a job? We've already gotten far past a point where people in the private sector can no longer subsidize a massive uninnovative unproductive overpaid federal/state government. And

Barack Obama wants to grow government? It cannot happen. We are already running up debt and deficits out the wazoo, and federal expansion is something we cannot afford -- we will endure massive inflation, go bankrupt, and our currency will become worthless. It will be an economic decline much worse than Japan and even rivaling the joke that is "please cry for my union" Argentina (look up their economic histories after massive federalization).
`

Liberals love to throw out these idiotic stereotypes of greedy fatcats and profits out the wazoo, but the truth is that most American businesses, from the very smallest to the very largest, have extremely small profit margins. Even the oil companies during the crude spike only posted a limited profit margin of about 8%. And a lot of American businesses are in the red. And more than half of Americans are invested in the stock market, so the success of major corporations is tied into the wealth of the common middle class American.
`

In regards to charges that part of this crisis was do to lack of "regulatory" measures, yes, that is partly true. However, conservatives do encourage regulatory measures that ensure that companies hold up their end of the bargain with consumers in the marketplace since the free market works best when both sides of the company-consumer equation are equally well informed and free to make the best decision for themselves. And liberals are equally responsible for this banking crisis. Clinton and his cronies insisted to the Fed that everyone should be able to own a home, and therefore eased the flow of money into risky loans (to risky people). And Greenspan idiotically refused to reel back low rates and easy money when economically upward conditions did not warrant this easy credit.
`

In closing, the banking crisis and economic downswing is not the economic emergency -- Barack Obama's massive budget, increasing the national debt more than all of our former Presidents combined and increasing federal government and regulation to a massively unsustainable scale -- is the real emergency. I'd say go to Tea Parties, but it isn't enough. Barack Obama and his unprofessional cronies are ridiculing you while they enjoy your White House. You need to militantly mobilize for 2010 and 2012. America is at stake.

A High Schooler Was Asked, "If There Was A Plague in LA, Where Would You Go?"

My dear cousin was enlisted in writing a daily blog for her high school English Class. Unfortunately, it was an English Honors class, further showing the degredation of our nation's Public School System. I'd hate to know how mediocre the regular class is.

Here is the prompt: If You Heard There Was a Plague in LA, Where Would You Go?

THE RESPONSE:

"Ummm, since I am totally terrified of death, I would have to think of a really good place to go, really far from LA and from the epidemic plague thing and the undocumented immigrants who probably brought the disease through one of the Los Angeles area ports and spread it through the sewer system and the burritos. It couldn't be Victorville either because there's a bunch of freakin' hillbillies there.

So, ummm, I would gather all of my things, especially my brand new Gucci shoes, my phone, my dog Leonardo Christopher Shannanay Nicoli Jimenez Ricardo, and my boyfriend, cause he's a keeper - well, after he looses a couple pounds and learns how to not ejaculate prematurely.

But anyways, I would take my prized possessions, and buy my own island, if I didn't already have one at the time, because that is something I have always wanted to purchase. Haha. Like the ones off the coast of Dubai that are shaped like the world, yeah that is where I would go if a plague came to LA.

I think it would be pretty cool. Just me, my man bitch, and my most important baby Leo. If for some reason food became scarce, my dog Leo and I would eat him first, because he is a disposable commodity after I become pregnant and repopulate the island. It would be called [my cousin's name] island because I am a princess, and since the island would be off the coast of Dubai, when my boyfriend pisses me off I would send his ass away to get more shoes or makeup or whatever other necessities I need to be replenished.

Although come to think of it, I would like to go to a wet mountainous region. I would want it to be sort of like the jungle, kind of like the jungle book except Mowgli or that tarzan guy would be over eighteen and look fine fine fine and not like that one prepubescent twerp in the animated movie. It would have lush surroundings with very green vegetation. It would be a fertile land and have plenty of water in the form of streams, waterfalls, pond thingies and the water would be filtered so I could drink it and bathe in it. Although if Evian Corp. wanted to send me a gazillion cubic foot tank that might also work too, as long as the water is not bottled anywhere near Los Angeles or Latin America, cause this one time in Venezuela I got really really sick from whatever bacteria they have in the water and the locals are unfortunately accustomed to.

However, in that mountainous region, like my island, there would be a beach nearby just in case I wanna tan, and so I could have fresh sushi but close enough where it didn't bother me. So my fantasy place would be like the island of The Incredibles. I would want it to be very very simple...but technologically advanced and top of the line. Something like a device to cool the sand so I could walk on it in a hot day would be nice, while the island still looked lush and primitive like the beaches on the Mexican West Coast or Nicaragua.

The most important thing would be little treehouse cabana type things, covered with white linens, and equipped with champagne and cabana boys who feed me frozen grapes. It would be just me and my lover on the island with our male servants so I don't have to worry about him cheating. If he cheats on me with one of the cabana boys, or at worst, my dog, he will totally be executed.

And I would have perfect boobs and all the relaxed linen Tommy Bahama clothes, shoes, and accessories I could ever want!

Man, that would be the life. I would do this regardless of the plague."

Delta's Broad Network Changes During Its First Summer Married to Northwest

I believe this to be a comprehensive list of Delta's new routes and capacity/aircraft changes for this summer. Some major network notes include:

• This is Delta's first summer in the LAX intercontinental market in over 7 years featuring 3 different international aircraft types and 3 different BusinessElite products flying out of LAX. 1 777LR with lie-flat BusinessElite suites to Sydney, 1 763ER with a standard BusinessElite cabin to Sao Paulo, and 1 B744 from Northwest operating WorldBusinessClass to Tokyo-Narita.
• The 777 returns to Europe with introduction on New York-Madrid (July 2), and returns on New York -Tokyo starting June 4th. New York-Barcelona will also get a B764 upgrade, as does New York-Tel Aviv on a 777 until July 1st.
• A 767-400ER Version D will be operating all London-Heathrow routes to Detroit, Atlanta, and New York (JFK 2x daily), as well as New York-Moscow and New York-Sao Paulo. This version has a new kind of BusinessElite suite called "Thompson Vantage Suites" that are perfectly suited to give Business passengers immediate aisle access on B767 aircraft. Minneapolis-London/LHR will continue to be operated with standard WorldBusinessClass A332.
• Delta will be moving NWA's 744 on signature Delta routes like Atlanta-Tokyo (May 1) and Atlanta-Honolulu (April 2), as well as NWA's A333 on Atlanta-Amsterdam and New York-Rome. In turn, Delta's B763 will be operating on NWA's routes from Portland to Amsterdam and Tokyo, as well as Minneapolis to Paris-CDG. Delta's B757 (EX-TWA) will be operating Seattle-Kahului/Maui.
• This summer will see major beyond Tokyo capacity reductions with placement of more 757's on intra-Asia routes like Tokyo-Bangkok, Tokyo-Seoul, Tokyo-Ho Chi Minh City, and Tokyo-Taipei. However, Tokyo does get its first ever service to Salt Lake City on Delta (A332) as well as resumption of service to New York (B777).
• Delta is scheduled to operate 7 routes to Paris in cooperation with its Air France joint-venture, most notably to Pittsburgh (757), Raleigh/Durham (Jun 2010/757), Philadelphia (Oct 05/757), Salt Lake City (763), and Minneapolis (763). This compliments existing service to Atlanta and Cincinnati (both 763).
• Atlanta-Johannesburg will join Delta's Atlanta-Mumbai as one of the world's longest nonstop routes by mileage, both over 8400 miles, respectively. It will be flown with Delta's flagship 777LR (long range).
• In Africa, new Atlanta-Cape Town and Atlanta-Nairobi service with a stop in Dakar, Senegal. Also, Dakar (DKR) becomes a logistical connecting point for Delta service to the African cities of Malabo, Luanda, Abuja, and Monrovia. The plane that connects in Dakar to these cities will originate in New York and maintain connection possibilities both ways to the Atlanta flight. Not to be left out, Delta will be resuming the planned New York to Lagos, Nigeria service and upgrading New York-Accra, Ghana to a 764.
• The Northeast Brazil operations will hopefully be finalized this summer. As per what we see now, Brasilia, Fortaleza, and Manaus will be seeing either 3x-4x weekly to Atlanta on B757 aircraft.

Without further adieu, Delta's new summer routes and capacity/aircraft changes:

7x B77L LAX-SYD

7x B744 LAX-NRT

3x B763 LAX-GRU

7x A333 SEA-NRT

7x B763 PDX-NRT

7x A332 HNL-NRT

7x A744 HNL-NRT

7x B744 HNL-KIX

7x B744 HNL-ATL

7x A333 SEA-AMS

7x B763 PDX-AMS

7x B763 EWR-AMS

7x B777 JFK-NRT

7x B777 JFK-MAD

7x B777 JFK-TLV

7x B764 JFK-LHR (#1 early evening/VERSION D LF BE)

7x B764 JFK-LHR (#3 late evening/VERSION D LF BE)

7x B764 JFK-SVO (VERSION D LF BE)

7x B764 JFK-GRU (VERSION D LF BE)

7x B764 JFK-BCN

6x B764 JFK-ACC

7x B767 JFK-ATH

7x B767 JFK-VCE

4x B767 JFK-FCO

7x A333 JFK-FCO

5x B763 JFK-LOS

3x B763 JFK-PRG

4x B763 JFK-OTP

4x B757 JFK-VLC

4x B757 ATL-BSB

3x B757 ATL-FOR

3x B757 ATL-MAO

7x B757 JFK-ZRH

5x B757 PIT-CDG

7x A333 ATL-LGW

7x A333 ATL-AMS

7x A333 ATL-FCO

3x B763 ATL-CPT (via Dakar)

4x B763 ATL-NBO (via Dakar)

7x B763 AMS-BOM

7x B757 AMS-BDL

7x B764 ATL-LHR (LF BE)

7x B764 DTW-LHR

4x B744 DTW-PVG

4x B77L ATL-PVG

7x B77L ATL-JNB

7x B763 MSP-CDG

7x A333 NRT-HKG

7x A332 NRT-PVG

7x B763 NRT-GUM

7x B757 NRT-BKK

7x B757 NRT-SGN

7x B757 NRT-ICN

7x B757 NRT-TPE

7x B757 NRT-KIX

5x A332 NRT-SLC

7x B767 CVG-LGW

7x B757 CVG-AMS

7x B757 JFK-DKR (connecting to Malabo, Luanda, Abuja, and Monrovia)

35 Very Random Things About Me: Cause I Already Did It On Facebook

If Keith Olbermann knew me, he would no doubt label me the "worst person in the world". Unfortunately for Keith, he actually is the worst person in the world.

_______________

Mickey Dee's Please

1. One of the most important things in my life is food and drink. I'm extremely anal about going out to eat once a day and having at least two free refills. I refuse to frequent restaurants without free refills...except Gypsy's - for your delicious calzones I'll make an exception.

________________
Aunt Pay Is Famous

2. My Aunt Pay is famous via being written about in Shirley MacLaine's "The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit", which takes place in Spain. In the book she touches upon my Aunt Pay's lifelong affair with a wealthy Spanish banker named Carlos who ridicules her for her large makeup cases, diva-ish behavior, and taking buses during what was supposed to be a spiritual camino.

_____________________

Delta is My Drug of Choice

3. For the first 23 years of my life I traveled free on PanAm/Delta. It was a boatload of fun, and so far, I've been to all six inhabited continents and 30 countries (if I shamelessly include Vatican City). I've been to several countries twice - and Spain, France, Argentina, and Japan three times or more. My first trip was to New York to visit Aunt Pay when I was two and internationally to Nice when I was five or so. My last new country was actually the global crown jewel I'd for some odd reason waited years for - London. Up next on my to do list are: Peru, South Africa, Thailand, India, and maybe some Northern Australia (with a stop in Melbourne of course to visit Berkeley's favorite Australian).
___________________

All Alone in Salt Lake City

4. When I was younger, I got in a fight with my dad in Minneapolis and he promised he'd leave me behind if I got bumped on our 1 stop flight to Los Angeles via Salt Lake City (he went as a paid passenger). So during the stop some gentlemen showed up with a boarding card for my seat. I had a huge panic attack and the flight attendant escorted me in tears to the gate agent to figure out what was going on. It turns out they had upgraded me to First Class. Nevertheless, I didn't go on a plane for a year and a half after that.
_________________

Flirting at McDonald's

5. I'm not above groveling for a very large cone at McDonalds. I will flirt, lean on the counter, and bat my eyes to get a very large cone or a very full sundae. I don't care who I have to do it with either - girls or boys, fat or skinny. But my day will be ruined if I don't get an adequate cone or sundae.
_____________

The Hour Shower

6. I take obscenely long showers, so long that both my parents request that I take them at the other's house to avoid a doubling of their water bill. My Scottish-Jew father (who is not really either of those elements) even made vicious attempts to install a water-saving showerhead filled with little pebbles to prohibit adequate water flow.

___________
Ewww, Gross

7. I wear my emotions on my face through wild expressions. When something tastes shitty I can't hide it. When I find something morbidly distasteful I can't hide it. When I'm pissed I can't hide it. When I'm sad I can't hide it. When I'm happy to see someone I can't hide it (and no, get your mind out of the gutter). By the way, thanks for the lovely picture Anna.

________________________

May I Have a Diet Coke with...

8. My drink of choice is 85% diet coke mixed with 15% regular coke, with the cup about 70% filled with ice. A little rum if I'm feeling frisky. If any of this is not followed my day will be ruined.

________
Ice Habits

9. I consume extreme amounts of ice per day and per session. Some people regard this as nothing short of a miracle, as it would send a normal person to the hospital with a severe case of brain freeze. It's apparently a genetic thing on my dad's side, as my dad, granddad, sister, aunts, and cousins all chew ice. People have accused me of chewing ice because I'm sexually frustrated - so firstly, I'm not sexually frustrated, and secondly, I must have been a pretty sexually frustrated four year old.

_______________________

Prude by Day, Bitch by Night

10. I have different attitudes and feelings at different times of the day. Early in the day I feel more realistic, down-to-earth, and linearly productive; and later in the day I feel more saucy, naughty, provocative, innovative, and just all around better.

____________________________________

"Excuse Me? Seriously. What's happening?"

11. My life is made steady by predictable things. Just small things that I love so much. Like calling Rachael on the phone and hearing a loud "merf"! Or John complaining about being hungry. Or Carlos going "excuse me" or "seriously" or "what's happening". Or Chola's loud screams. There are a million more that I've learned not to share so they're kept special for myself, but these are some obvious ones.

____________________

Mary Rose Is a Smart Ass

12. My sister Mary Rose, who unfortunately has turned 14, is getting fresh and being a teenagerish/smart ass. I don't like it at all.
_______________

That's An Outrage

13. I'm sanitized to everything, so I get a kick out of inflammatory things that anger certain groups. Especially groups filled with self-righteous white people who need to stop worrying about other people's business. When NOW or the NAACP or anything else with an acronym is outraged, it's pretty sweet.

__________________________________________________

"I'm a Jokester"

14. Please see the photo above.

__________________________

Give Me a Big Mac and I'm Good

15. Some people think I'm a spoiled snob, but the truth of the matter is that I can live very simply and easily. I don't need things and I don't find much pleasure in buying just for the sake of buying. Although take me to Brookstone or Staples and I can do some damage there.

_____________________

Center-Right to Hard-Right

16. I grew up with my mom on the hard right and my dad on the libertarian free market hard-right. I've chosen to adopt my dad's "economic libertarian free market" principles and acquired my own ideas on social centrism. My dad also went to Berkeley and like me resisted the vulgar dominating hard-left elements of the 1960's.

____________________________
Win A Date With Johnnie Cochran

17. My mom has met so many celebrities over the years it would make TMZ jealous. I've pretty much only seen celebrities on the plane and stuff, but one of my greatest celebrity accomplishments was meeting Johnnie Cochran on a flight from New York to LA on Delta (way back in the day), and amusing him with my pitch to sue the Coca-Cola corporation for making kids fat.
___________________________

"My Parents Are Larger Than Life"

18. My dad worked on the Apollo project, has a patent, was an amateur race car driver, and has been nearly killed about seven times. My mom has been to over one hundred countries and has met countless celebrities, diplomats, presidents, and her personal favorite, Jackie Kennedy.

_________

Yeah, Sure

19. I'm super happy-go-lucky. I find joy in a lot of stuff.

______________________________________
"Matt Drudge"

20. I'm obsessed with the Drudge Report. I think I bought my i-Phone just so I could check Drudge every fifteen minutes.

_____________
Jay From Korea

21. At Carden (my elementary school) we had a Korean foreign exchange student named Jay to whom we taught a grand series of profanities, most notably "boobs", which he pronounced "boofs".

___________________

Militant Facebook User

22. The very first facebook groups I joined were "Americans Embarrassed by Americans Embarrassed by America", "Berkeley College Republicans", and "Racist, Sexist, and Generally Insensitive".

_________________________

"But It's The Scientific Name!"

23. My Aunt Pay insists on calling black people "negroes" (because she never left the 60's) and my mom insists on calling black waitresses "Barack Obama" (because she finds it funny). My Dad insists on using scientific terms, no matter how politically outdated they are, because he is a scientist. In trying to figure out why I have a big rebel streak, I look to the fact that in high school my mom decided to start the "El Club Comunista Sovietica" and lock nuns out of the classroom and jump out of the window.

_________________________________________

Mrs. Krueger's Singular Tastes For Classical Music

24. One of my favorite memories from high school was when my Chemistry teacher Mrs. Krueger sent a girl named Avideh out of the room in order to concoct a plan involving taping her without her knowing at cheer practice along to the track "Tiny Dancer" (and Mrs. Krueger's own rendition of Tiny Dancer with hand as fake microphone followed). While we're on the subject, going back to #11, Mrs. Krueger use to always play this one classical track during labs. It got very repetitive, but I loved it. I will never forget the track nor Mrs. Krueger's Chemistry labs as long as I live.

___________________

Why This Note is Here

25. In Senior English, my English teacher Mrs. Hein encouraged us to develop our writing in different and creative ways. If not for that I don't know if I would have enjoyed playing around with the craft as much, or at all. And I passed the AP Exam to boot, so double whammy! Thanks Mrs. Hein.

______________
I'm Goin' To Hell

26. I have a few things I need to go to confession for. Life ain't easy.

_________________________________
Sexy On the Outside, Nerd on the Inside

27. Okay, maybe "sexy" took it a little to far. Okay, a lot too far. But the point is that I'm a huge nerd on the inside, without looking like a dweeb on the outside. And I think that's the perfect way to be, because if I remember anything Mrs. Krueger ever said, it's that "nerds always make the best husbands". And I'm feeling a lot more confident than I did a few years ago, which is good going into this tough stage of my life when everything isn't as laid out and simple as I'd like it to be. I'm still tripping over myself on occasion, and the "double foot clap" incident does not count, thank you very much.

____________

Baby Blue Eyes

28. Apparently my blue eyes were a severe anomaly, as it would require that someone on my mom's side of the family have blue eyes, which is not the case as far as I know. My grandfather and perhaps great grandparents reportedly had "green eyes", but apparently green does not equal blue.

__________________

Those People Are Old!

29. My mom had me when she was 44 years old. And my dad has frankly stated that if her amniocentesis showed I had any birth defects or syndromes (common for that age), they were going to abort me. Anyway, on the old topic, my oldest aunt is 73 and my youngest aunt (half aunt via my grandfather) is 27. My oldest cousin is 48 and my youngest is 21 (plus a bunch of half-cousin toddlers running around).

_____________________
Dimmer Switches Please!

30. I've extremely oversensitive to light. Intense or even semi-intense light to normal light just beats at my brain and I can't stand it. My last year roommates, who were my first ever, can probably attest to my anal preference for turning lights off and using my dimly watted desk light, mostly in an ensconced fashion. People are always weirded out finding me in the dark.
______________________

New Friends I Have This Year

31. I was very lucky I decided to do the dorms last year because I met some really great people who I'm still pretty close to now, and we all know I don't make friends too easily. Anyway, as a result of those friends I've made a few other new friends, most specifically Babs and Alex, who I've both grown to appreciate immensely. The interesting part is that without these connector friends we would have never become friends in the first place because we all kind of roll in different things. Babs and I have this strange chemistry and we get along really well, and Alex is funny, quirky, inflammatory, and really chill - we're pretty different but I like him a lot. There are a couple friends I wish I had been more in touch with this year, but hopefully time and circumstance will change that.

______________

Favorite Clothes

32. I love to wear "Staff Shirt" (a simple deep blue Cal Polo that I feel at home in), "Metrosexoulis" (my edgy metrosexual t-shirt), "Santiago Chile Jeans" (these great jeans that I bought in Santiago that are significant because they are a size 31 equivalent in US men's jeans, which satisfies my anorexic tendencies), "Ennis" (a kind of wool/denim rancher jacket much akin to the one worn by Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain), "Australia Sweater" (this great zip up sweater that I bought in Sydney and fell in love with), "Bulge Shorts" (no comment, but thanks Josh), and "Cal Beanie" (my warm beanie that covers my ears and makes me feel cozy and protected, even on a warm day). In fact, as I write here on this cold rainy day, I'm predictably wearing Staff Shirt, Ennis, Cal Beanie, and Santiago Chile Jeans. In general however, I generally like dark blue colors, not cause I like the hippies at Cal or the Democratic Party or anything. It's just kinda deep yet low key, like me.



___________

Metrosexuality

33. If I pieced together different elements of my five most masculine guy friends, I would no doubt be able to craft an extremely metrosexual guy. The point being that I don't feel bad about being metrosexual in some ways, whether it be tight edgy clothes or specific grooming habits/manscaping, and I don't feel like less of a guy because of it. Let's not pretend that chicks don't like a little maintenance. And my metrosexuality often occurs on a non-constant basis, where some days I'll wear a non-tight sweater and sweatpants with no metrosexual grooming - or grooming whatsoever, period. I'd say some of my most masculine friends privately admit to some specific grooming habits or vain metrosexual obsessions - it's just not to be said out loud. But everyone knows it goes on.

_______

Eyebrows

34. Contrary to popular opinion, I do not alter my eyebrows in any shape, fashion, or form. I know I sound even more guilty after that metrosexual spiel, but I swear my eyebrows are naturally exquisite. Seriously.
______

Tragedy

35. In early 1985, my 76 year old grandfather and his 4 year old daughter Suyapa were boarding a bus bound for the airport to deliver Suyapa to my parents in the United States, free from her abusive and drug-addicted 22 year old mother and full of a sense of opportunity. Likely as a result of his concern that my mom would not accept Suyapa, he keeled over, had a heart attack, and died square in front of 4 year old Suyapa as they were boarding the bus. Needless to say, she has not made it to America. She is one of my grandfather's nine children, ranging from 73 to 27 amongst five different wives.
____________

A Lasting Effect

I don't think that a lot of people - whether they be relatives, good friends, or hour long acquaintances - realize the incredible impact they have upon my life in very large and positive ways. Isn't that really the focal point of our lives as social beings? When somebody is down, I wish I could tell them that they've made one life better and outline all the ways they've made mine brighter without realizing it.

God bless.

2008 Endorsement: John McCain

by Justin La Grange

I'm writing to you not as a Republican. I'm writing to you not with any racial mindset. I'm writing to you not with riches or richly in-debt. I'm writing to you as an American; from Warren Buffett to Joe the Plumber to Betsy the Smoking Homeless; from Harvard's Joseph Ocklesworth IV to Holland's Joe the Plumber to Huntington Beach's Jose Rodriguez; from J. Lo repping the Bronx to Mary-Jo repping the South to Scar-Jo repping SoCal. I'm writing to you as an American who wants to see the best of present and future. As an American, who wants to preserve the tradition and sanctity of the presidential office. As an American, who values a leader with only the top notch representation of American values and character. As an American, I can think only of John McCain as an option to represent this country going forward.

First and foremost, I would like to start out by paying tribute to and saluting Barack Obama. After witnessing the vicious, slanderous, unfounded, and hurtful attacks hurled at Governor Sarah Palin, I decided to take the upper ground in terms of fair political discourse. Senator Obama should be applauded for potentially becoming the nation's first black president. He's a man of unparalleled brilliance, style, and inspirational qualities. I don't want to take away from the magnitude of that achievement, and I think he has the character and durability to be a good leader.

However, I do have some significant reservations.

Senator Obama rose to fame and power after appearing at the 2004 Democratic Presidental Convention, during which time he gave a rousing speech that catapulted him to the United States Senate after serving for a few years in the Illinois State Senate. During his four years in the Senate, he focused two of those on his run for the Presidency.

The biggest question in all of this is why? Why now? There's a certain level of audacity to saying that you're going to run for President after such a short stint in major public office, notably one without any executive experience. Isn't there a certain level of effrontery to want to be President without waiting your turn and gaining more experience? Isn't there a certain level of effrontery to shoving yourself into the Presidental nomination without having a clear ostensible record for the American people to judge you on? One has to wonder why Barack Obama hungered to do all of this so quickly? One has to wonder if the ascendancy of Barack Obama to this level without much experience or record speaks to a dangerous cult of personality? One has to wonder if Barack Obama can get away with too much as President with such a dangerous cult of personality and an irresponsible subservient swooning media?

One of my best friends articulated this very well as he was fluxuating on who he will support in 2008:

"I must be at peace with my conscience. I am no longer a supporter of B. H… well you know the rest. My heart is full of regret for abandoning my beloved H. Clinton and falling victim to the empty promise that is Obama. Mr. Obambi has recently shown his true colors and demonstrated that he is no super hero, but simply a heartless and dispassionate politician. Obama’s thirst for power and popularity is unrivaled and frankly it scares me. Obama has acquired international fame and recognition and I fear that his first priority is no longer the interests of the American people..."

First and foremost however, we are in a center-right country that tends to average out to having center-right values, whether they be economic, foreign, social, etc. The fact of the matter is that Barack Obama is on the left. Perhaps, but questionably, not on the hard-left, but consistently left. Whether it's "spreading the wealth around", talking to rogue states without preconditions, relentless support for unfettered abortion rights, reasonable hostility towards free trade, massive union support including open voting, excessive support from labor unions, affirmative action support, anti-voucher or anti-significant European style competition overhaul of the education system (in favor of throwing more money at the problem), being strongly against gun rights, too much government intervention in healthcare programs, spending proposals ($1T in new spending), getting a grade of "F" by the National Taxpayers' Union, a poor grade by the "Citizens Against Government Waste" group, or a lack of commitment to immigration reform, his record is decisively left and arguably out of the mainstream. With the aforementioned record, policy proposals, and endorsements I find it probable that Barack Obama will certainly move towards the "implimentation" of policies outside the American mainstream, and with the trifecta of House and Senate control, there's a horribly large possibility that this unholy setup without checks and balances can lead to severe pushes of agenda outside the mainstream. Most Americans don't want this, and these policies don't align with mainstream values.

While I don't think Senator Obama shares deep sympathies with any of his controversial associations, I fault him heavily for deceiving the American people by throwing these associations under the bus when it was politically convenient to do so. Obama flat out lied to the American people when he denied launching his state senate career in domestic terrorist Bill Ayers living room. He has lied to the American people when he claimed that he did not know that his pastor of 20 years, Jeremiah Wright, was an anti-American and anti-white zealot who said that the government gave black people AIDS as a way to kill them off. He presumably has lied to the American people about his Aunt Zeituni's illegal immigration status (or for writing about her so much in his books, he sure is a sucky nephew). He's dishonestly downplayed his associations with Farrakhan and Tony Resko. He admitted to flirting with Marxist ideology and doing drugs in college, certainly not becoming for America's commander-in-chief. In summary, I think Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton said it best:

"The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training."
-Joe Biden

"Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the campaign, and Senator Obama will bring a speech he gave in 2002"
-Hillary Clinton

In contrast, recognizing that Senator John McCain is a significant and intelligent departure from President Bush, who Senator Obama shamefully and wrongfully puppets as a would be extension of Senator McCain, I very strongly endorse Senator McCain as President for 2008.

Senator McCain has an extraordinary record of leadership dating back to his days as a naval war hero who refused to abandon his men in his Vietnamese POW camp and extending to his present triumphs of extraordinary bipartisanship and running an underdog campaign in a toxic Republican climate.

Senator McCain has had an extraordinary amount of experience dating from his naval service over 40 years ago to his many years in the US Senate.

In an era of excessive partisanship, Senator McCain has been proven to be far more bipartisan and less divisive than Senator Obama, dating back to McCain-Feingold and calling religious-right leaders "agents of intolerance".

Senator McCain is as committed to combating climate change and dedicated to environmental issues as Senator Obama, and coupled with Governor Palin's extraordinary experience with energy issues, the McCain/Palin ticket is as formidable a ticket as the Democrats in leading America towards energy independence.

Senator McCain is one of the most experienced and respected leaders in America in terms of foreign issues and foreign policy. While the Democrats and Senator Obama would have sent Iraq into a cascading quagmire, Senator McCain demanded a troop surge as put forth by General Petraeus, which has now preserved and vindicated all the effort, blood, money, and tears Americans have put into Iraq. Iraq is now seeing its lowest levels of violence since combat began and the combined 53 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan now have a chance at a stable democracy instead of the excessive tyranny they lived with under Saddam Hussein and the Taliban.

Last, but most importantly, I'd like to discuss with you why Senator John McCain is the only choice for President in these troubling economic times.

Let's start with this idea of extra taxation, which in this case includes Senator Obama's proposed raising of the dividends tax, capital gains tax, corporate tax rate, and taxes on those that make over $250,000 (although that is changing day by day). When you are in an downturn slash economic environment in which people are not willing to take risks to further stimulate the economy, you have to incentivize people to take risks in a glum economy, and that includes tax cuts and not tax raises. All of these groups in which Senator Obama seeks to tax are the groups which have the potential capital to build, restimulate, and grow the economy, and create jobs.

It's NOT ABOUT RICH VS. POOR, it's about common sense and growth. It's no secret that when Reagan cut the upper class tax rate from 70% to 28%, revenue to the government doubled. People who are at the upper rungs of the economy need to be rewarded for their increased ability for entreprenurial output and innovation.

In regards to McCain's plan to lower corporate taxes, take note that our corporate taxes are the second highest in the world. During a potential recession, why would you scare international or internal investment in the US away from creating businesses and jobs in America? Why develop a business in the US, taxed to high hell, when you can open up shop in Ireland for 1/3 the tax rate? It's not simply about oil and other corporate fat cats. It's not about class warfare. Lots of businesses are struggling and if you make hostile business climate taxation policies, businesses don't grow and leave US shores, setting up in more business friendly economies, and our economy tanks. In our potential recession, we need to keep businesses in the US and lure more businesses here, and we can do that by lowering corporate taxes.

We've lived too long with a government that is not a good steward of our taxpayer dollars. John McCain, unlike President Bush, has vowed to streamline government programs and take out the veto pen to cut down drastically on wasteful congressional pork-barrel projects.

Here are some comments I've made recently about John McCain's general mantra to grow the economy:

"There's so much waste in the government. Republicans aren't about cutting programs like healthcare and medicare. We are about streamlining them, making them less bureaucratic, finding waste and cutting it, and operating government organizations more efficiently like a business. While Bush hasn't been responsible about cutting pork-barrel, McCain and most Republicans will be. Democrats will not allow that because they have to bend over to union interests and have no concern for spending Americans' hard earned money. No one in America should have to pay one cent more of taxes for an inefficent government that IS NOT RESPONSIVE TO THEM or RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS OF THEIR TAX DOLLARS!"

"Unfortunately, it's not just as easy as tax those above $250,000, not to mention Barack raises taxes on everybody with the doubling of the capital gains tax. 110,000 small businesses in America make revenue about $250,000, and raising taxes on them stifles growth and hurts their bottom line. In addition, citizens who make over $250,000 are generally more intelligent, innovative people who will cycle money back into the US market either through creating more businesses or buying products. They fuel the economy and create growth, innovation, and jobs - in a potential recession, it's better they have the money and not the inefficient federal government where a bunch of incompetent bureaucrats decide what to do with it."

"I know being poor in America sucks, but I am of the opinion that wealth is created for everyone in a very free market (semi-regulated to the point of enforcing contracts, external factors, and exchange of information) that heavily rewards innovation, growth, and risk-taking. The US took off because people were allowed to do that en-masse, and other countries with heavier redistribution paradigms are far more stagnant. In other words, we can live in a society where we have a gap between the rich and the poor or we have a tiny gap between the less poor and poorer. There are optimum tax rates for generating overall wealth, rewarding risk taking and innovation, and creating economic balance and fairness, with the acknowledgement that life just can't be fair and equal for everyone, but it can be reasonably decent for all. I believe tax rates are too high, and unreasonable when we have a government that wastes 40 cents of every dollar with bureaucratic negligence and inefficient waste. It's not just programs, although lots of those are ridiculous. It's about the need for streamlining."

McCain's healthcare plan will insure 21 million more people in America, versus Obama's 26 million. However, McCain's healthcare plan is far more efficient because it doesn't involve federalizing more healthcare and new federalized programs in America. This is not the time for larger government.


I'd also like to address Governor Sarah Palin's VP Candidacy. Sarah Palin is the only candidate on either ticket to have executive experience, which includes running the largest state by land size as well as a $40 Billion Dollar economy. It is unfair to judge her entire future on a couple of bad interviews only days after she arrived on the national scene. If you look back to her debates for the Alaska governorship you'll see her performance is tremendous when versed on the issues. Look at her progress from those interviews to the Vice Presidential Debates. Look at her performance as the most popular governor in America. Think how far she'll go when she arrives as VP at the White House. Think how amazing she'll be once she's sat in on foreign policy and staff meetings on all the issues. Sarah Palin no doubt has a reformer's heart and an incredible intelligence that some people refuse to see because folks like Keith Olbermann diminish her because they're scared of her and they patronize people who don't talk like they just came back from an elite Washington cocktail party.

People - I understand we desperately need change! I promise from the bottom of my heart that John McCain will offer the change you are looking for and represent you with the utmost honesty and integrity with which he has served this country for nearly half-a-century.

Please, vote for John McCain on Tuesday. From California to Maine. From men to women. From rich to poor. From straight to gay. My friends, I love you all and I feel strongly about this.

______________________________________________
Obama's Redistribution of Wealth Discussion Back in 2001:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3pck

Obama's Record on Voting 96% of the Time with his Party/Biography:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/

Key Votes:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/key-votes/

Project Vote Smart - Obama on the Issues:
http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=9490

Interest Group Support:
http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=9490

Quick State by State Electoral Update (Current as of 7P Nov.1.08)

by Justin La Grange

As we know by now, it is not the national polls that matter (although they are important trend indicators), but state polls that determine the outcome of the electoral college. Obama could be registering 60% to 40% nationally (theoretically), but if he's getting 100% support in California, Washington, New York, Massachusetts, etc, it is still hypothetically possible to lose the electoral college (just an illustrative example that national polls aren't necessarily king).

Funny things are starting to happen. States that McCain should have absolutely solidified like North Dakota, Arizona, Georgia, and Arizona are becoming bonafide swing states with Obama trailing by exactly 3-4% in all of these states. But states that McCain was trailing in recently that he needed to solidify have been tightening, like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina. Indiana and Missouri have actually switched back into McCain's column.

With all these polls, keep the following in mind:

In 2004, President Bush was trailing 13-17 points behind John Kerry in Pennsylvania right before the election. President Bush lost Pennsylvania by roughly 2 points. Today, John McCain trails by only 7.5% in Pennsylvania, after being behind about 10-12% early last week. Remember that Obama was also ahead in the Pennsylvania primary polls, and absolutely tanked in the primary outcome.

John McCain is the "safe candidate", especially in backwater states in places like Western Pennsylvania. And 1 in 7 voters are still undecided. This is the reason why John McCain's attacks on Ayers and "socialism", and GOP PAC's attacks on Resko, Wright, and Khalidi are not totally in vain. They solidify doubts in undecided voters who will view John McCain as the safe candidate: the white naval hero who has the bipartisan record. To illustrate, it was reported in Texas that 23% still incorrectly thought that Obama is Muslim. While I don't think that's specifically the case with these undecided voters, people will often vote for the candidate that they have the least questions and doubts about in the voting booth.

Also, these polling outfits take into account heavy turnout by African-American and youth voters. While African-Americans have been coming out en-masse, the youth vote this year is a little more dubious. Also, these polling outfits have not taken into account increased turnout among Republican voters, which if speaking to any Republican I know has been any kind of anecdotal indication, Republicans and many moderates will be out full force mobilized against Obama.

I've been looking at these polls, and a lot of them just don't seem right. For instance, California is a state far more prone to success for McCain than Bush, and yet the numbers are showing 57%-33% in favor of Obama. While it's true California is not that heavily polled, I can promise you that those numbers are inaccurate, especially when Bush has lost California in numbers like 57-43 and 55-45. If California is absolutely incorrect from an outfit like RCP/Yahoo Political dashboard, what does it say about the other polls in undoubtedly the most accurate polling outfit which averages all the other major polls.

And as a verbatim mention from my other note:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=33243837333&id=1219649&index=0

Possible Reasons for Polling Error:

Voters who are more enthusiastic about their candidate tend to respond to pollsters. More often than not, that candidate would be Barack Obama, perhaps making him overrepresented in the sample.

The Bradley Effect: People don't want to tell the pollster they're voting McCain or they put themselves in the undecided category for fear of seeming racist. This intimidation effect seems plausible, as I don't feel terribly comfortable going around Berkeley toting my McCain/Palin pin (but I do), but will be very comfortable toting McCain/Palin in the ballot box.

Safe Candidate Syndrome: People are not afraid to go with the more controversial and less safe choice (if their a moderate swing voter) when chatting with a pollster or doing some online survey. However, there's a certain finality and seriousness of the ballot box that makes people re-examine their concerns and fears and vote with the "safe" candidate

The Numbers
Taking into account how grossly wrong all these polls could be from the factors I've listed above, look at the current swing state percentages from RCP/Yahoo Political Dashboard, keeping in mind McCain can afford to lose a couple of these states:

Missouri: 48.3%/47.7% (McCain/Obama)

Indiana: 47.3%/46.8% (McCain/Obama)

North Carolina: 48.3%/47.0% (Obama/McCain)

Florida: 49.8%/45.7% (Obama/McCain)

Ohio: 49.2%/43.6% (Obama/McCain)

Virginia: 51.0%/45.0% (Obama/McCain)

Pennsylvania: 51.2%/43.7% (Obama/McCain)

Nevada: 50.5%/44.0% (Obama/McCain)

Colorado: 51.5%/45.3% (Obama/McCain)

New Mexico: 50.3%/43.0% (Obama/McCain)

Keep in mind the margins in these states are all below 7.5%.

While I definitely don't think McCain has an equal shot at winning, and he's certainly on the defensive with an uphill battle, I'm here to say that for anybody that thinks Obama definitely has this in the bag might just be a little too hasty. McCain has a chance here, and if he had no shot, Vegas wouldn't be riding 84-16 on Obama. They'd be riding 99-1. McCain has always been the underdog, and he's always come back from behind. They declared him dead in the primaries, and here he is today running strong against a major Democratic tide. Never count out John McCain.

McCain Tightening Up The Race and Positioning His Path to Victory

by Justin La Grange

I will write an endorsement note soon; not that it will be any surprise, but I just wanted to articulate why I'm endorsing who I am endorsing so I'm not further accused of being any of the following:
a. racist
b. stupid
c. devoid of hope
d. all of the above

At this point, October 22, Obama leads by slight margins in a lot of key states that McCain needs to pick up, according to RCP/Yahoo Political Dashboard (where you can find all this data). These are Florida, Missouri, Ohio, and North Carolina. And when I say slight margins, I really mean slight margins like 1-3% in all of these, within the margin of error. With two weeks to go, McCain gaining momentum, and growing worries of the Bradley Effect and polling error taking place in mid to high single digits on final poll outcomes, it is now looking likely that those states could easily and likely go to John McCain. When you have margins like this, I anticipate that these states, driven by the propensity of the undecideds to swing to the non-controversial candidate, will go to the "safe" John McCain.

Current Polling In FL, NC, MO, and OH:
Florida (27EV): Obama 48%/McCain 46.5%
North Carolina (15EV): Obama 49.2%/McCain 47.2%
Missouri (11EV): Obama 48%/McCain 45.3%
Ohio (20EV): Obama 48.3%/McCain 45.8%

Okay, that assumption tallies to 247 electoral votes for McCain and 291 votes for Obama. McCain still needs 22-23 electoral votes from somewhere. Below are some of the options.



Nevada (5 Electoral Votes)

Obama is leading McCain 49.3% to 46% in Nevada, which factoring in statistical error could make Nevada even. I don't think McCain is trending as well in the west as he is in the East Coast states I've listed above which is why I haven't given it to him as I have FL, NC, OH, and MO. However, when the polls start tightening up near the end of the race and given the factors I've listed for tightening above, I think McCain is in a very comfortable position to possibly win Nevada.

Pennsylvania (21 Electoral votes)

McCain is still campaigning very hard in Pennsylvania despite high single digit to low double digit trailing in the polls. You would think that this seems very odd as McCain has near abandoned states like Michigan and Iowa where he trails by a similar margin. Interestingly enough, Pennsylvania is a major anomaly, with pollsters and campaigns on both sides admitting that the margin in their internal polling is significantly tighter than national polling. In addition, Pennsylvania has a history of dramatic poll shifts in the final days, and the final results tend to favor Republican candidates heavily, albeit the polls had the Democrats at twenty point leads in those races (for example; so they ended up winning by narrow margins). Obama was absolutely trounced in Pennsylvania primaries by Hillary Clinton, likely by more socially conservative Democrats who saw right through his covering up of those Chicago and San Francisco liberal values. In that trouncing, Clinton saw a larger margin of victory than the polls had been predicting.

Pennsylvania is a state that stretches into the midwest and has a very large contingency of Republicans in Western Pennsylvania as well as socially moderate/generally moderate suburban voters all over Pennsylvania - exactly the kind of voter that caters to McCain (less so than President Bush, who lost the state by a very narrow margin). Rep. John Murtha also called Western Pennsylvania "very racist", which can only work the "Bradley Effect" in McCain's favor.

New Hampshire (4 Electoral Votes)

New Hampshire is a very libertarian state, and McCain had a large fan base there dating back from 2000 in which he called religious leaders backing George W. Bush "agents of intolerance". Despite a roughly 9% trail in the polls (52-BO/43-JMC), this is a state that was tied for McCain just a few weeks ago and could easily tie again with national shifts trending towards McCain. Keep in mind that New Hampshire is not a bonafide East Coast liberal state, much like Pennsylvania. Incidentally, McCain has been campaigning quite amply in New Hampshire as of late.

Virginia (13 Electoral Votes)

McCain is trailing by 7 points (51.5-BO/44.5-JMC). Again, national swings and polling error can put this state further into play. Virginia is also a traditionally Republican state, although it does have lots of blacks coming in full force for Obama as well as a lot of folks moving from DC into Northern Virginia. However, the 2004 election underrepresented Bush's actual support by a decent margin in the polls, meaning that it's possible such a thing could happen here.

Colorado (9 Electoral Votes)

Obama is currently leading McCain 50.4% to 45% in this traditionally Republican state. Again, national swings and polling error can put Colorado into play come November 4th. Somehow, I'm not terribly bullish on Colorado, but if McCain can continue to tighten it up a little, it may be possible to pull off a win.

Getting to 270

Making the assumption that McCain pulls off the aforementioned 247 EV's in OH, FL, MO, and NC, let's assemble some likely scenarios to 270.
247 + 21 PA + 1 in Maine = 269 tie
247 + 21 PA + 4 NH = 272 win
247 + 21 PA + 5 NV = 273 win
247 + 21 PA + 9 CO = 277 win
247 + 13 VA + 9 CO = 269 tie
247 + 13 VA + 21PA = 281 win
247 + 13 VA + 5 NV + 9 CO = 274 win
247 + 13 VA + 5 NV + 4 NH = 269 tie

As you can see, the road to the White House for John McCain lies in winning either Pennsylvania or Virginia, and then peeling off a small bit of something else to tip it over.

Reasons for Polling Error:

Voters who are more enthusiastic about their candidate tend to respond to pollsters. More often than not, that candidate would be Barack Obama, perhaps making him overrepresented in the sample.

The Bradley Effect: People don't want to tell the pollster they're voting McCain or they put themselves in the undecided category for fear of seeming racist. This intimidation effect seems plausible, as I don't feel terribly comfortable going around Berkeley toting my McCain/Palin pin (but I do), but will be very comfortable toting McCain/Palin in the ballot box.

Safe Candidate Syndrome: People are not afraid to go with the more controversial and less safe choice (if their a moderate swing voter) when chatting with a pollster or doing some online survey. However, there's a certain finality and seriousness of the ballot box that makes people re-examine their concerns and fears and vote with the "safe" candidate

References:

WSJ: Are the polls accurate?:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122463210033356561.html?mod=djemEditorialPage

News Outlets Sweat Over Exit Poll Accuracy:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081021/pl_politico/14778

BBC: Will Closet Racism Derail Obama:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7675551.stm

Is UC Berkeley Subverting State Law? It Sure Looks Like It

UC Berkeley has made no secret of its desire to eliminate Proposition 209, which was passed in 1996 to eliminate discrimination against certain races in the California public university admissions process. Specifically, Prop 209 made it illegal to continue the practice of giving applications with "minority" designations preference and a boost up in the admissions process despite having inferior "numerical" (GPA and SAT) qualifications. You could tell the process of discrimination was rampant before Prop 209 because minority enrollment plunged and their numerical data points surged upward, as evidenced by the data in the links I have provided.

The question in front of us now is whether UC Berkeley has disobeyed state law as mandated by the people of California by subverting the non-racial application review process in its admissions office. The evidence is quite overwhelming to support this.

Here's a pretty non-shocking yet explosive allegation made by an admissions committee member at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), who claims in his report that UCLA has covered up the fact that it takes race into account in its admissions process through this really dodgy process called "holistic" application review, or basically the notion that the application reader's touchy feely opinion of the student is king. The major charge is that application readers look at the application more favorably if there is a mention of race, and that is not likely preferable as a applicant if your father is a diplomat from Hong Kong and your major hardship was getting a lesser BMW than you wanted for your sweet 16. The report also charges that UC Berkeley uses similar admissions review processes and is more touchy feely; therefore is also quite likely to be subverting state law.

http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-ucla30-2008aug30,0,776059.story

http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/groseclose/CUARS.Resignation.Report.pdf

Now here is the primary beef at UC Berkeley. Look at the admissions data by SAT Score for applicants who were admitted and decided to come to Berkeley. The margin between the median SAT Score by race from Black/Hispanic and White/Asian is enormous. Furthermore, the margin between Chinese and everyone else is even more enormous. This data is unfortunately pre-2006, but it still says a whole lot about what's been going on these last few years. From what I've heard, the present data trends are similar.

Year 2005 Median SAT Scores For Freshman Registrants: 135
• American Indian: 1335

• White: 1360

• Asian American Average: 1380

• International: 1430

• Chinese & Korean: 1410

• East Indian: 1410

• Filipino/Pacific Islander: 1290/1300

• African American: 1080

• Hispanic: 1140

https://osr2.berkeley.edu/Public/STAFFWEB/KW/sat.percentiles/median_tables/tbl10.html

Look at that enormous discrepancy! What factor specifically caused the average admitted and enrolled Hispanic and African-American groups to get in despite scoring an average of about 200-300 points below the major White and Asian peer groups? What elements were so spectacular in their applications that made up for the obvious deficiency in test scores? Did these groups have an abundance of extra curricular or leadership attributes that the average Asian or White did not have? It certainly can't be GPA, as the school's provided tables show a lower average GPA for these groups as well. Maybe it is just me, but I'm going to say that, in the words of David Letterman, "something doesn't smell right."

This is a civil rights issue. This is a government entity discriminating against its citizens. This is a whole group of people in that 200-300 point SAT margin that did not get into Berkeley. Citizens have a right to an investigation of UC Berkeley's admissions office for these potentially high crimes.

More Links on the Issue

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/08/25_fall08-stats.shtml

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/04/14_admits_table.shtml

https://osr2.berkeley.edu/Public/STUDENT.DATA/PUBLICATIONS/UG/ugf07.html

https://osr2.berkeley.edu/Public/STAFFWEB/KW/sat.percentiles/median_tables/tbl6.html

Really Hilarious McCain Quotes = I Heart John McCain

"Do you know why Chelsea Clinton is so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father." --at a 1998 Republican fundraiser

•

"Washington is a Hollywood for ugly people. Hollywood is a Washington for the simpleminded."

•

"You know, the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who is still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn't have the face for it."

•

"I said, 'The nice thing about Alzheimer's is you get to hide your own Easter eggs.'"

•

"At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt." -to his wife, Cindy, after she playfully twirled his hair and said "You're getting a little thin up there,"
•

"You know the difference between a lawyer and a catfish? One is a scum-sucking bottom-dweller. The other is a fish."

•

"My Social Security number is 8." --joking with Jay Leno
•

"You know, by a strange coincidence I was not elected Miss Congeniality in the United States Senate this year." --after being asked by Rev. Rick Warren about going against his party

•

"The good news is that we now have enough money to run the entire campaign in Colorado. The bad news is, some of that money is still in your wallets and purses." --speaking at a fundraiser in Aspen, Colorado

"Fuck you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room." --to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), during a testy exchange about immigration legislation

•

"I had something picked out for you, too - a little IED (improvised explosive device) to put on your desk." --to Jon Stewart
•

"In case you missed it, a few days ago Senator Clinton tried to spend $1 million on the Woodstock Concert Museum. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I wasn't there. I'm sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event. I was tied up at the time." --on the years he spent as a P.O.W. in Vietnam

•

"Thanks for the question, you little jerk." -- John McCain, after being asked by a high school student if he was too old to be president. For good measure, McCain then threatened to draft him.
•

"Remember the words of Chairman Mao: 'It's always darkest before it's totally black.'"

•

"Presidential ambition is a disease that can only be cured by embalming fluid."

•

"I'm older than dirt, I've got more scars than Frankenstein, but I've learned a few things along the way."
•

"Never get into a wrestling match with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it." --to reporters in New Hampshire after being asked him about Mitt Romney

•

"We spent $3 million to study the DNA of bears in Montana. I don't know if that was a paternity issue or a criminal issue." --on wasteful congressional spending
•

"I spent several years in a North Vietnamese prison camp, in the dark, fed with scraps. Do you think I want to do that all over again as vice president of the United States?"
•

"We have a lot of work to do. It's a very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq-Pakistan border." --referring to a border that does not exist, ABC News interview, July 21, 2008

•

"I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don't expect to be a great communicator, I don't expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need." --New York Times interview, July 13, 2008

•

"Maybe that's a way of killing them." --responding to a report that $158 million in cigarettes have been shipped to Iran during Bush's presidency despite restrictions on U.S. exports to that country, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 8, 2008
•

"I will veto every single beer, um, bill with earmarks." --speaking at the National Small Business Summit, Washington, D.C., June 10, 2008 (Watch video clip)

•

"Well, basically, it's a Google." --on how he's conducting his VP search, Richmond, Virginia, June 9, 2008
•

"We should be able to deliver bottled hot water to dehydrated babies." --Kenner, Louisiana, June 3, 2008

•

"You know that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran? Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran." --breaking into song after being asked at a VFW meeting about whether it was time to send a message to Iran, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, April 18, 2007 (Watch video clip)
•

"I will conduct a respectful debate. Now, it will be dispirited -- it will be spirited -- because there are stark differences. I am a proud conservative, liberal Republica-- conservative Republican...Hello? Easy there."

•

"I am a illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all of the assistance I can get." -after being asked whether us uses a Mac or a PC.
•

"It's not social issues I care about."

•

"No, I'm calling you a fucking jerk." --to fellow Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, when Grassley asked "Are you calling me stupid?"
•

"Only an asshole would put together a budget like this ... I wouldn't call you an asshole unless you really were an asshole." --to Budget Committee Chairman and fellow Repulican Sen. Pete Domenici, during a Senate budget hearing

SOURCE: http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/johnmccain/a/mccain-quotes.htm

Complied by Daniel Kurtzman

Interesting Electoral College Scenarios

Here is today's electoral college map, making the assumption that all swing states go to the person currently leading, no matter the margin. According to this, Barack Obama wins the election 273-265. In order for this to happen, McCain will win Ohio, Virginia, Florida, and Nevada - he doesn't have comfortable margins in either Nevada, Virginia, or Ohio. However, this assumes Obama will retain his very uncomfortable leads in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Minnesota (all under 3%). Keep in mind that McCain is likely to keep Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and Nevada, meaning he needs to turn over only one other swing state to win (with the exception of New Hampshire). Pennsylvania, Colorado, or another dark horse state could easily go McCain's way.


According to recently released data, Obama could lose roughly 6 percentage points on election day because he is black. In other words, when the pollsters call folks, they feel comfortable being "progressive" because it is not their real vote. However, when they actually get in the voting booth and have to make that critical decision, they will vote for the safe candidate, which is John McCain. Anyway, assuming Obama loses 6 percentage point in each state, above is the resulting electoral victory for McCain - an absolute sweep (this is also assuming McCain gains no points and being very generous towards Obama - just dropping Obama's percentage 6% and keeping McCain's the same, even though that's not really realistic). It's fascinating that Washington currently has Obama leading McCain 49-45, which is an extremely small margin for a state like Washington. Consider New Mexico, a reasonably red state, having Obama leading 50-44. It is unfathomable that Washington is a narrower swing state. Also consider solidly Blue Minnesota, the only state to have not voted for Ronald Reagan, having a 47-45 lead for Obama - that's only 2%, also unfathomable. The point is that if polling behavior is really slightly different from voting behavior, it's going to be a very tough race for Obama.


What if everything is near the current status quo come election day, except McCain wins New Hampshire, in which he is only trailing by a little over a percentage point? That would give both candidates 269 electoral votes. In that case, the House would cast their vote for Obama (for President, the constitutional responsibility of the House), and the Senate would cast a tie for the VP vote since Lieberman (no longer a Democrat), would cast his vote for Sarah Palin. This 50-50 tie would then go to Vice President Cheney, who would most certainly vote for Sarah Palin. Boy, the Democrats were stupid for crossing Joe Lieberman. He's already spoken at the RNC, and now he might swing a VP election to Sarah Palin, with president Barack Hussein Obama! It's called karma Democrats - karma for swinging so far to the left that you oust absolutely respectable, honorable, and moderate Joe Lieberman. Horrible!

What The Fa MotherFa? Why Be A Republican With These Positions?

Recently I was verbally assaulted by a fellow Facebooker for some of my posted items and notes being "propaganda" and furthermore called a "chickenhawk". It's true that I have made no secret of my preference for John McCain in this election, but that still does not qualify this guy calling me a "chickenhawk". Instead of being a pussy and whining about it, I got us into an extensive message battle in which I explained why I should not be called a chickenhawk, and I stated some positions that are regarded as centrist to liberal. He then retorted, "Why on earth are you voting for John McCain?" I realized at that point that I had been asked that a lot, so I'm going to clarify exactly what I believe and how that likely correlates into a center-right preference. In summary, I'm pretty libertarian, i.e. conservative on economic/military issues and liberal on social issues. So why vote for the GOP? Because first and foremost I view economic issues and the limited role of government as king, and social issues are just philosophical formations to which I subscribe but have no use for. If you ask me whether I'm more likely to be overtaxed or have a gay marriage, I'd say hopefully overtaxed (yes Carlos, I can anticipate your retort already). If David Beckham offered me a gay marriage and half of his estate, you would see me swiftly move to the Democratic Party. And a year later, you would see me get a swift gay divorce and be swimming amongst Ferraris and Heidi Fleiss's whores.

_______________________________________
Here are some excerpts from my message regarding my political philosophy:

"Needless to say, I'm a tad bit disappointed. I take great enjoyment in my political writing, satire, and being provocative and inflammatory. Most of my FB friends (whom I know nearly all in person) know that."

"I'm sorry you disagree with my viewpoints. Most of my friends do, yet I have fun in a political back and forth jabbing and also enjoy substantive dialogue on the issues. We "jab back and forth" all the time (yes, via Facebook), reminding each other of our other candidates' triumphs and falldowns. It's a sport and a game - not that politics is a sport - it's a real sad affair actually - but one that is so sad that it needs to be livened up and "sportinized" in order to survive it. If I had conservative friends (Berkeley - hello?), my notes would be no fun and unprovocative."

"When other people incessantly post stuff about McCain being old, Bush being a retard, and Obama soaring in the polls, I take a friendly jab and then respect them for their viewpoints, because apparently with the exception of me everyone else is entitled to them."

"Despite my hope for a quick withdrawal, preference for gay marriage/LGBT rights, pro-choice position, hope for more public transportation infrastructure, progressive support for a female VP, alternative energy/environmental protection, stem cell research, moderate gun control position, support of vouchers to allow the less unfortunate and minorities to get a better education..."

"...but don't let any of that get in the way of calling me a chickenhawk."

____________________________________
I then clarified my positions (excerpt):

Because first and foremost I value economic freedom and freedom from a large oppressive government that overtaxes its citizens and then wastes their money with no accountability. No matter how rich or poor anyone is, they should not be unfairly taxed. I passionately believe in that. While that won't change much with McCain, and the Republicans have been terribly tax & spend as well, I cannot accept the Democratic party (especially Obama's) rhetoric and action on the issue.

I believe in every citizen earning their way in a market economy, and believe that redistribution harms people on the lower economic rungs by creating dependency and never giving incentive for people of lower economic status to move out of that class. I believe in Clinton's (wildly unpopular with Democrats) Welfare Reform Act.

You of course are familiar with how unions have brought down the airline industry (and other industry). Unions have outgrown their use, and whichever party has them in their back pocket is the party I cannot accept.

School choice - I sincerely want our schools improved - especially for the lowest tiers of society - and guess which party is in bed with public school teachers' unions, hijacking everybody's right to a good education. [If you allot $8000 dollars to each student/parent instead of investing the money solely in the school to which their child would normally subscribe, the student/parent can choose whether the school he goes to is good enough - if it's not, private institutions will be clamoring to take that $8000 to give a superior education. Then in order to survive, the public school will up their game if they have to compete against private institutions for the student].
I love immigrants and immigration, but we can't continue to be a country that can't properly account for who is in it [and the resulting balance of resources]. Whichever party at least has more rhetoric towards closing the borders is my party. McCain had a reasonable proposal on this about a year or so back.

Iraq is a mess/stupid idea, but there's no denying that the surge, which McCain supported and Barack didn't, was the right thing to do in stabilizing Iraq and will allow us to pull out AND have a relative amount of success in securing the country.

McCain = better than Bush on environment [went across party lines and co-sponsored bills promoting the environment and fighting global warming]

McCain = female VP, open to pro-choice VP

Whichever party/candidate is the best on those issues is first and foremost the one I will lean towards. I'm not rich - I just believe in smaller government - the power of the individual [and freedom from government oppression].

It's also a function of where I grew up and how I developed my thinking, but I'm sincere and passionate about a conservative libertarian ideology - I'm not evil, I'm not a religious fanatic, I don't hate gays...I just have ideas about the fundamental nature of government.

______________________________________________
Some More Issues Discussion (Liberal Positions):

I am pro-choice. However, I have a strong pro-life ethos and I loathe how too many left-leaning people are too quick to dismiss excellent arguments from pro-life groups. I did write a blogpost about the abortion issue, in which I fundamentally concluded that ending the right to an abortion would first and foremost be dangerous to women who really want/need an abortion and take illegitimate back door procedures to get one and the logistical nightmare of the government/taxpayer supporting 40 million unwanted babies that would have been born since the 1970's and more than likely be a drain on society financially and in terms of resources (prison, welfare, etc). I do however dismiss the notion that an abortion is something that women should be willy-nilly entitled to and I condemn the amount of abortions that have occurred in which lots women have no one to blame but themselves and should be deserving of no sympathy for murdering their child.

I believe in background checks for guns. Not every idiot, especially one with a hint of a criminal record, should be allowed to purchase a gun. However, law-abiding Americans have the right to own a gun for protection or whatever they see fit. As an American, you should be able to own or operate whatever you want, but when you infringe on the life or property of another American, you should be punished to the full extent of the law.

I believe in states rights to decide gay marriage, at minimum. It's been a long road to this conclusion, and I've come to believe that gays in a legitimate relationship should not be barred from having the same legal and ceremonial rights that straight Americans have come to enjoy. When you bring marriage into the "state", marriage is no longer the property of religious groups - it is the property of all people and therefore no citizen should be denied access to it. However I am not a fan of a large sector of gay separatism, and that is gays being hostile to Americans who happen to have more traditional values just for the sake of history and tit-for-tat. If gays want gay marriage to be an accepted concept in America, they need to separate themselves (no pun intended) from a separatist culture that usually includes severe indoctrination in leftist ideology. Be the better man (or queen), and accept their right to their opinion just as you should be allowed to have yours.