The Bush administration: Lowering Expectations for the next generations

Our kids are getting dumber, fatter, and more complacent. Now, without judging, simply sit back and look at that objectively and try to figure out why. Could it be because the American lifestyle is just too complex and busy to actually make sure that we are educating our children or feeding them properly, or teaching them how to go out into the world and be useful to society? Perhaps.

That is part of it, and no small part at that, but kids today have another target for their blame.In nearly everything they touch, the Bush administration is lowering the bar for the present and future of this country. Accountability and truth are being assaulted and drawn to the brink of extinction. What does it say that a crony of our president can get his sentence commuted simply because the president deems his sentence excessive? It tells me that well-connected people don't ever see consequences as long as they follow the leader. Already, this commutation is sending shockwaves through the law enforcement community, with prisoners throughout the country asking their lawyers to assert the Libby "excessive sentence" ploy.

Whatever happened to "honesty is the best policy?" What about, "the truth will set you free?" Our youth are being taught that you can lie your way to the top, and, once you get there, you and your friends will be bullet-proof. They're also being taught that the Constitution, that revered document our framers worked so hard on, is just a piece of paper. The rule of law is being perverted to help the few, while subjugating the many, and this is what our children are viewing every day on the evening news. Oh wait, their parents don't make them watch the evening news...what am I thinking?

Every day, we see our president appeal to the lowest of the low, as our country sinks further and further into the quicksand that we tripped into after the 2000 election. No Child Left Behind may be dragging the less studious kids along for the ride, but it's leaving behind quality educators. My generation and the generation of my parents, are leaving the teaching field as quickly as they enter it. It's no longer possible to teach class like that favorite teacher you had growing up. Now our kids are being taught based on curriculums set up by some guy in a room that wants test scores to go up. And if the scores don't go up...? Well, then the unthinkable and completely counter-intuitive occurs...funding is cut. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't the struggling schools receive more funds to try bringing themselves back to the level they should be? Of course not...this brainchild of a plan comes from the same administration that last week looked at benchmarks for the Iraq war and concluded that 8 out of 18 was satisfactory enough for Bush to waive Congress' benchmark requirement on war funding. For those of you who may not be math whizzes, 8/18 us roughly 44.4 percent. I don't know what new math they're teaching in schools these days, but when I was in school, that was a failing grade...what's next? kids being told that they cannot go to recess unless they pass their spelling tests, then being allowed to petition that the 2 words out of twenty they got right are the hardest on the page, so by extension they should be allowed to play kickball with the other kids even though they got a 10 on the damned test!

We need to change this road we're on because if we don't, it won't be long before someone will trump Bush as the dumbest and worst president in history!

The Decision-maker speaks

First, he was the "decider," and the world snickered.  Now that he's facing the most criticism in his entire tenure as president, and someone took him aside and explained that using "decider" made him sound even dumber than usual, so now he is the "decision-maker" on Iraq.  That's his response in answer to his critics' refusal to rubber stamp his troop surge. 

I think Bush is riding a little high on his horse at this point.  Yes, he is the president, but he has to be held accountable for his deciderism.  He needs to know that being drunk with power will not be tolerated, and that he's heading for a fall. 

Hell, it would be quite easy for me to go on public access and tell those few watching that I'm the decision-maker in Finland, but that doesn't make it true. 

As I said yesterday, though, the more often he says things like this, the more people realize just how out of touch with reality the man really is.  Still waiting on the announcement that we've conquered the moon and stamped out terrorism there for good.

Currently listening: Cruel Intentions: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack By Various Artists Release date: 02 March, 1999

The Democrats and Obamamania

In what seems to be a new trend of bucking the system, the Democrats have come out of their shells emboldened and ready to kick some ass.  The memories of their impotent do-nothingness being erased, the Democrats are in the process of writing a new chapter in political history.  With the majority they have secured, Democrats are stonewalling and standing up for something, which, frankly, is refreshing. 

The past six years, it has been sort of depressing to be a liberal democrat, seeing the entire world go to shit at the hands of a crazy man and his anal dwelling congress/administration.  At this point it seems that as long as Bush and his supporters keep talking, his opposition will continue to grow.  I really had never thought I would see rational thinking in Washington again. 

With this new bold approach to politics have come the men and women who deem themselves worthy to be candidates for a seat in the Oval Office(a seat that will undoubtedly need to be steam cleaned, if not replaced entirely...Don't even think about mentioning Clinton's chair...eventually that will be a fixture in the Smithsonian.) 

Among these candidates is Illinois congressman Barack Obama.  Obama has been a target of ridicule by the conservatives in the media for his name, among other things.  I guess having the name Barack Hussein Obama can do that.  Fortunately, he is a serious candidate; he's got the chops to see this through, and possibly win the nomination.  As the keynote speaker at the last DNC, he put his name on the map in distinguished fashion.  Now he is defending erroneous attacks that he spent part of his childhood in an Islamic madrassa, a claim that is baseless, and has been proven completely false.  Instead of the rote answer that we have come to expect, Obama is attacking back, accusing the right of trying to slam him with baseless accusations. 

Does he have the chops to see this through?  Only time will tell, but he's already gone over the drug hump.  There will be no impotent "I didn't inhale" in this presidential race.  Obama has admitted in his book that he did indeed do drugs at a younger age.  He has been open about his life, his past, and the mistakes he's made.  Let's hear it for a little honesty in politics, and vigorously fight those who would combat that honesty with lies and baseless accusations!

Obama stood on the floor of the capitol yesterday and showed why people are so excited about him running for president.

Click Here to read Obama's Speech in its entirety.

Currently listening: Skin and Bones By Foo Fighters Release date: 07 November, 2006

The Province of the Confederacy address

Tonight, President Bush will stand in front of Congress and try not to shit himself as he delivers what is being reported as a "domestic" agenda.  Seeing how well his troop surge idea went over, mentioning foreign policy could be a bad move.  I'm picturing bad, like Michael Richards at the Laugh Factory bad.

With Republicans jumping ship on his Iraq agenda, and his approval ratings beating their all-time lows with every new poll, Bush has to be careful on more than one front.  If he continues on his current path, he will risk increasing the republican voices crossing the aisle and speaking against him, but if he backs down, he will lose his base group of supporters, which I call "crazy fuckers".

Let me be clear, however...I'm not planning on watching this year's State of the Union.  I don't care what he has to say.  I have no doubt it will be barely literate, and all kinds of insane.  Now, you can say what you want about my refusal to watch...you can even call me a snob, but I tried last year, and was able to sit through his misplaced emphasis on words, and repitition of  Nuke-You-Lur for about five minutes before my head was ready to explode.  I would rather listen to audio files of Paris Hilton talk about how iodized salt is "hot" than actually sit through another state of the union.

Currently listening: Ben Folds Live By Ben Folds Release date: 08 October, 2002

Hugo Chavez tells American leaders to go to hell

Responding on behalf of their government, the american people say, "Have you not been paying attention?  We've got Dubya as a president...we're already in hell!"

 

Currently reading: Bloodsucking Fiends By Christopher Moore Release date: 25 May, 2004

Speechiferousnessosity, and other words only Bush could make up, but not pronounce

I have been remiss in my blogging in the wake of the latest Bush speechiferousness. So he admitted that there have been failures in Iraq. One little line in a speech does not make him all clear with me, however, especially in light of the fact that the remaining lines of the speech were pitching another idea that will make hundreds more mistakes.

He seems content to listen only to the voices in his inner circle and in his own head, and ignore the growing mass of his constituents who disagree wholeheartedly on his disastrous policy of sending our young men and women to die with reckless abandon to fulfill some sick little fantasy that he's actually doing some good.

Meanwhile, the only people making out in this situation are companies such as Halliburton, who are given lucrative government contracts to rebuild the cities that we have contributed to the destruction of.

Of course respected politician, turned anal-dwelling suck-up John McCain is trumpeting Bush's cause, seeing as he wrote it. And what of my favorite Democratic deserter, Joe Lieberman? He got himself reelected in the fall, mostly on his assertion that if people trusted him as an independent, he would continue his investigation of the covert and illegal goings-on regarding the proverbial ball-dropping that was Hurricane Katrina. Now that he's actually back in Washington, thanks in large part to the Republicans' brilliant plan of not even attempting to field a Republican opposition, which pretty much made it a fight between Joe and Ned Lamont. He's back and, as thanks to those cunning snakes that helped him get reelected, he's dropping the investigation into the dirty dealings that left so many people stranded in New Orleans. He can do that, see, because he's the fucking chair of the committee. That's the ultimate kick in the balls, if you ask me.

I just have to give a big FUCK YOU to all of you out there who thought giving him another chance was a good idea. I just knew he would screw us again, and I actually loathe to gloat about it because I had that same vain hope when he was elected. From Democratic VP nominee to Republican assclown in less than 8 years…it's just staggering!

Currently listening: One Fell Swoop By Spill Canvas Release date: 09 August, 2005