TV Offerings

I'm sure I am not alone, but it seems to me that the offerings on TV are getting worse and worse. I realize that I'm older than the demographics they shoot for but you would think that there would be at least one show a night on the 60 + channels on the cable that is worth watching. I can't believe the drivel that they try to pass off as entertainment. The reality shows have created a nation of voyeurs who seem to enjoy watching people plotting against other people so they can win a prize. I have nothing against competition, but at least they could require a little ability in some area. There are four Law & Order shows on the air at at least that many CSI shows. Can't our creative geniuses come up with something else?

Then there are the "NEWS" shows with some celebrity conjecturing about the Jon Benet' Ramsey murder 6 years after the fact. Get a life! Any lurid happening draws reporters like manure draws flies. About the same amount of substance too. I guess we could watch pro sports if you like watching a bunch of overpaid over exposed kids playing games for the benefit of overweight couch potatoes who have to be told what is happening by overpaid ex-jocks. The ex-jocks seem to think they're getting paid by the word, so they never shut up. They also think their opinions are worth something which in itself is laughable. Why don't they shut up and let us watch the game? Thank God I can read which I suspect some of the cretins on the tube are unable to do.

Well I've got that off my chest. Got to hurry, Boston Legal is on.

No More Ranting?

I read a letter to the editor in the paper the other day and the writer said that the Democrats wouldn't be able to rant anymore because they were in power. That would be true if they held the Presidency and held a majority on the Supreme Court. The GW Bush presidency will have long lasting effects, many of which we haven't considered yet. We're stuck in Iraq with an increasing insurgency and a rapidly destabilizing Middle East. Iran is ready to step into the vacuum left by the fall of Saddam Hussein and the Israelis are facing a strengthened Hezbollah fighting for control of the Palestinian lands. There will be no easy fix and I hope that the Democrats realize that. Maybe we can get Henry Kissinger to broker a peace deal like he did for Vietnam. No quick solutions.

The Middle East situation is just one of his major screw ups. How many people are still displaced by Katrina? What has been done for them except to pay contractors outrageous amounts to clean up some of the mess. Individuals can't get anyone to help them clean up and rebuild because the contractors are busy working for the government. It seems to me that the best thing we could have done as a nation would be to offer organization and some price controls. Most people don't like to live in cramped travel trailers for over a year. Help them to rebuild!

I think there will be plenty to rant about for the next two years.

Elections

Well, the Democrats seemed to have pulled it off. The pundits are saying that the Dems who won are middle of the roaders not liberals. Maybe, I think that the Dems bought in the idea that liberal is bad and acted accordingly. I thinks it's time for the true liberals to step up and reclaim the wonderful legacy of the liberal/ progressive folks have given us. Women can vote, civil rights, social security, and on and on. Liberal is good, conservative is bad. Let's get that straight.

Election Time

Well I voted yesterday. Oregon uses a mail-in ballot for all elections and I filled mine out yesterday. I won't mail it though, I'll just take it down to the County Court House and save 39 cents. We have a bunch of stupid things on the ballot this year. Oregon is the home of the initiative and referendum process and we have some real yoyos who get stuff on the ballot. Unfortunately the electorate isn't too smart either and we've passed some real dumb laws. The last go around we basically dismantled Oregon's exemplary land use planning process. This year we get to vote on term limits (again), various tax cut programs, and some poorly written campaign finance reform ideas. Hopefully we will be smart enough to resist the temptation to govern by a committee aof the whole.

Republicans may be in trouble. Across the border in Idaho (one of the reddest of the red states) there is a dead heat between the Republicans and the Democrats for both the Governor's chair and the U.S. House. When that happens in Idaho where they think that GW Bush has come to lead them to the Promised Land, then they are in trouble! Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of folks.

Kerry"s Gaffe

Well, the Republicans with the help of John Kerry have done it again. Poor ol' John Kerry, after being Swift boated out of the election in '04 has now let them take his comment about GW and turn it into a slur against the troops in Iraq.
When I heard the Kerry comment the first time there was no question in my mind that he was talking about Bush. I thought it was a pretty good slam. But, the Rep. spin masters go hold of it and it became a slur on the education of the troops. They knew he was talking about the boss, but were quick enough to see that it could be turned against poor dumb John. I think he hasn't figured it out that they will do anything to make him look bad. He is still trying to figure out how they turned his heroism under fire into a liability. He obviously has never been in a pissing match with a skunk. Ain't no way you're gonna' win. Karl Rove and his band are all skunks and they don't care who they spray. The truth is something to be warped and used against the truth teller. "A good lie well told and stuck to is better than the truth any day." Of course, the important thing is, that they have the media analyzing Kerry's comment and not focusing on the 105 troops killed in Iraq in October. Mission accomplished my A$$.
John expects folks to be honest and tell the truth. He should tell the world that he saw Karl Rove performing unnatural sex acts on GW and blare it to the media. They don't care if it's true or not. They publish first and check later. By then it's too late.
Well, that feels better! I haven't ranted much lately. It feels good to get it off my chest.