PAUL RANTS

Posted by Paul at July 13th, 2008

I’ve been teaching seniors to use the internet for over a decade. Most of them want to research a medical issue or get emailed photos of their grand kids. The more mouse-savvy get introduced to the the wonders of Google maps, internet radio, online shopping, and the like. They are usually retired, but sometimes, because of the bad economy, they are re-entering the workforce and need to learn how to get around on a computer. A little late in life perhaps, but then none of them aspire to be President of the United States or anything.

That’s right, John McCain doesn’t know how to use the internet. The most important mode of communication and information retrieval and he has no clue how to operate it. He wants to be president in 2009 but he couldn’t do a Google search if his life depended on it. I find this troubling. A president should be intellectually curious. The internet has been around for twelve years. Personal computers have been around for twenty. He never thought to try and use one? Four year olds can do it. He ought to read what blogs are saying about him, or at the very least, check the weather. Maybe he can discover online that people are legitimately concerned  about the economy. Then he could instruct his wealthy surrogates to not refer to Americans as whiners. Or at least he could watch a dog skateboard on YouTube.

I have an opening for him Saturdays at 11 in the morning — be happy to clue him in to modern technology. But then he may need a nap.

Posted by Paul at June 24th, 2008

Sushi Planet in Moorpark, CA opened in Summer 2005 and has become one of the most popular eateries for miles around. Why? Larger portions and lots of extras that you won’t find in other sushi places, including Thai inspired specialty rolls and softball-sized deep fried green tea ice cream drizzled with chocolate, to name a couple. There’s a reason people wait 20 minutes for a table some Friday nights when there’s sushi alternatives nearby. Maybe the others don’t use a variety of seafood vendors to get just the right fish, or offer freshly made boba drinks as well as beer and sake cocktails. Now along comes Sushi Planet Camarillo, right off the 101 freeway, featuring a premium Thai menu as well as all the sushi goodness you’ll find in Moorpark.

(Photo: sashimi salad at Sushi Planet)

Posted by Paul at June 23rd, 2008

No one remembers laughing for the first time, but it may be possible to remember when something first struck you as funny on an intellectual level. At a certain age, around 11 or 12, I left knock knock jokes behind for what humored my new found sensibilities. Luckily, that’s exactly when George Carlin’s second and third ground breaking comedy albums were released. Fueled by cocaine (he eventually gave it up cold turkey), he hosted the debut of Saturday Night Live in 1975, the obvious choice. Possibly the most prolific stand-up in history, he taped a record fourteen HBO specials. Listening to Carlin in my room as a kid was pure unadulterated joy. Irreverent and profound, insightful, and in the end, curmudgeonly, he enlightened and validated, but mostly made — and makes — us all laugh very, very hard.

Posted by Paul at June 21st, 2008

Charles Gibson of ABC news has a thought. It’s about fairness. It seems Obama is raising much more money than McCain. And Obama intends to spend that money on the campaign. What Gibson wants to know is this: is that really fair? Raising money for your campaign and spending it on its intended purpose? Notice Gibson’s concerned gaze. Did I mention he’s on a major television network?

Posted by Paul at June 19th, 2008

The quote below is why Obama is the nominee and not Clinton. Obama does not appease and enable on Iraq, like most of Congress, but calls out those responsible. Just as more evidence of White House sanctioned torture and a trusted insider’s account of how we were misled in to war are plastered across the news, the next president points out what we all now understand.

I refuse to be lectured on national security by people who are responsible for the most disastrous set of foreign policy decisions in the recent history of the United States. The other side likes to use 9/11 as a political bludgeon. Well, let’s talk about 9/11. The people who were responsible for murdering 3,000 Americans on 9/11 have not been brought to justice. They are Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda and their sponsors – the Taliban. They were in Afghanistan. And yet George Bush and John McCain decided in 2002 that we should take our eye off of Afghanistan so that we could invade and occupy a country that had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11. The case for war in Iraq was so thin that George Bush and John McCain had to hype the threat of Saddam Hussein, and make false promises that we’d be greeted as liberators. They misled the American people, and took us into a misguided war. Here are the results of their policy. Osama bin Laden and his top leadership – the people who murdered 3000 Americans – have a safe-haven in northwest Pakistan, where they operate with such freedom of action that they can still put out hate-filled audiotapes to the outside world. That’s the result of the Bush-McCain approach to the war on terrorism. - Barack Obama

Posted by Paul at June 8th, 2008

Someone needs to tell Celtics Forward Paul Pierce that he’s in the NBA, not the WWE. Supposedly suffering from a seriously injured knee in game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Lakers on Thursday night, Pierce had to be carried off the floor by two men — no, he didn’t hobble, he didn’t limp — he was carried. Tears streamed down his face. You had to feel for him as he winced in pain. There it was: the tell-tale agonized expression of a seasoned player who knew he was done for, a broken man. And just as the Lakers were making a push.

My feelings were mixed. I wanted to see the Lakers beat the Celtics on an equal footing, but also felt relieved to have their best player and captain out of commision. And of course, big things happen in championship games. It’s all part of the drama of the greatest rivalry in NBA history. Magic’s impossible hook shot. Larry Bird twisting an ankle. Now current superstar Paul Pierce, struck down by fate with a dislocated knee in game 1 of the final.

But wait!

I’m not sure if it was the next time-out or the one after that, but it was just minutes after Pierce was carried off. Now pain-free and on his feet, Pierce came bounding on to the court as if he had just been introduced by the PA announcer, hand raised in victory as the Boston crowd cheered. He entered the game and immediately hit a 3 pointer. Then another one. A miracle! Or really good sports medication. Or…

OK, I’ll say it: chicanery. Manufactured drama. Pro wrestling level histrionics. Except, unlike in wrestling, the other guy wasn’t in on it. There’s nothing in the NBA rules about faking a debilitating injury so you can triumphantly re-enter the game to pump up your team and fans. But it seems we are witnessing the Hollywoodization of professional basketball. And not by the team from Hollywood.

Go Lakers.

UPDATE: Game 2. It was the referees this time who thought they worked for the WWE. They gave a Celtics second-stringer more foul shots in 14 minutes than the whole Lakers team had the entire game. It hardly mattered that the Lakers overcame a 24 point deficit in the last 7 minutes. The fix was in. A questionable win for the Celtics, a bitter loss for the Lakers.

Posted by Paul at May 23rd, 2008

The nominees for president have their first policy debate over a GI bill that would help soldiers pay for college. On the right, we have the son and grandson of admirals, a Vietnam vet raised in privilege and married to a beer baron’s daughter. On the left, we have the son of a single mother, too young to have served in Vietnam, too old to have served in Iraq, who rose to the top of his class in Harvard on his own merits.

I respect Sen. John McCain’s service to our country. He is one of those heroes of which I speak. But I can’t understand why he would line up behind the president in his opposition to this GI bill. I can’t believe why he believes it is too generous to our veterans. I could not disagree with him and the president more on this issue. There are many issues that lend themselves to partisan posturing, but giving our veterans the chance to go to college should not be one of them. – Barack Obama

It is typical, but no less offensive that Senator Obama uses the Senate floor to take cheap shots at an opponent and easy advantage of an issue he has less than zero understanding of … Unlike Senator Obama, my admiration, respect and deep gratitude for America’s veterans is something more than a convenient campaign pledge.

I take a backseat to no one in my affection, respect and devotion to veterans. And I will not accept from Senator Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did.

Perhaps, if Senator Obama would take the time and trouble to understand this issue he would learn to debate an honest disagreement respectfully. But, as he always does, he prefers impugning the motives of his opponent, and exploiting a thoughtful difference of opinion to advance his own ambitions. – John McCain

I am proud to stand with Senator Webb and a bipartisan coalition to give our veterans the support and opportunity they deserve. It’s disappointing that Senator McCain and his campaign used this issue to launch yet another lengthy personal, political attack instead of debating an honest policy difference. He should know that this is not about John McCain or Barack Obama — it’s about giving our veterans a real chance to afford four years of college without harming retention. Senator Webb’s bipartisan bill will do this, and the bill that John McCain supports would not. These endless diatribes and schoolyard taunts from the McCain campaign do nothing to advance the debate about what matters to the American people. – Barack Obama

If Obama had actually attacked McCain rather than praise his service before disagreeing with him, McCain might have a point. But he didn’t, and McCain doesn’t. One man sounds reasonable, one sounds self-serving and reactionary. One stands for those hardest hit by the neocon misadventure in Iraq, one stands for Bush and the corporate interests that put them there, none of whom served in the military themselves. One is having an honest debate on an issue before the Senate, one is engaging in sound bites aimed at Troglodytes. One is the future, one is the past. You decide.

Another thing regarding McCain the “war hero”. I know we’re all supposed to call him that, but I disagree. Did he serve honorably and endure years of torture? Sure. He also crashed five Navy aircraft and got shot down bombing civilians in North Vietnam. Then he cracked under torture. All hail the conquering hero!

Posted by Paul at March 27th, 2008

Hillary Clinton creates her own reality: Sniper fire on her airplane as it lands in Bosnia. She sprints to safety, ducking bullets. But CBS has the 1996 news footage from that day: no snipers, just Hillary being greeted by… a little girl with flowers.

Senator Clinton claims she “misspoke”. Somehow, when misspeaking, she invented a story out of whole cloth that didn’t happen. Did she confuse it with another dangerous landing? Sorry, the First Lady never had any such landing anywhere. Well, Hillary’s only human. She made a mistake. Oops, lied about being shot at by snipers. Now she asks us to just excuse it, as if it means nothing.

Back to attacking Obama and empowering McCain.

UPDATE: Bosnians Shocked, Angered by Clinton’s Lie

See Hillary fall

Posted by Paul at March 24th, 2008

White House counsel and torture enabler John Yoo makes a case for crushing a child’s testicles:

Cassel: If the president deems that he’s got to torture somebody, including by crushing the testicles of the person’s child, there is no law that can stop him?

Yoo: No treaty

Cassel: Also no law by Congress — that is what you wrote in the August 2002 memo…

Yoo: I think it depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that.

The President needs the legal option to crush a kid’s balls, should a suitable reason come up. Well thank God it’s entirely George Bush’s decision.

America: Don’t mess with us, or we’ll crush the balls of your children.

It’s about time we had the power to torture kids. They’ve had it way too easy for too long. If I’m subject to having my balls crushed, then really, kids should be too. How did government sanctioned child torture stay illegal this long? Finally Bush/Cheney put a stop to all that.

Posted by Paul at March 16th, 2008

The attacks on Obama have come fast and furious from the Clinton campaign. We can only now catch our breath and address some of them (in chronological order):

1) Obama plagiarized a speech. First of all, it wasn’t a speech, it was a few lines about the power of words and some examples from great speeches. Maybe Obama shouldn’t have re-used those lines (which he borrowed from a friend). But only because it makes him a target for Hillary. By the way, she borrowed phrases from John Edwards, without asking. Welcome to Hillary’s bizarro world.

2) Obama praised Ronald Reagan (gasp!). Obama said the Reagan presidency represented a major shift in American politics, which it did. He wasn’t making a judgment of Reagan, he was pointing out how conservatism rose in the 1980s. Obama’s record hardly makes him a conservative. And like it or not, Reaganism did happen. Oh yeah, and there’s no such thing as Clintonism. Unless you’re talking about behavior like this:

3) Hillary, when asked if Obama was a Christian: “As far as I know…” The easily verifiable facts: he’s been going to the same church for 20 years and she’s attended Senate prayer breakfasts with him. But I guess it depends on what the meaning of “know” is.

4) Obama is not ready to be Commander-in-Chief, unlike John McCain. Did she really say that? Oh no she didn’t! I mean, wait, yeah, that’s exactly what she said, more than twice. The nominee for the other party is more qualified. That has to be a first.

5) Obama’s pastor made some anti-U.S. statements so Obama must agree, despite all evidence to the contrary. So to sum up: Obama hates America, is secretly a Muslim, can’t write a speech (Hello? Have you heard this guy speak?) admires Ronald Reagan, and can’t be trusted in a crisis. But he’d make a great Vice President. For a candidate who trails him by 100 delegates and a half million votes. Is anyone following this?

6) In planned acts of televised desperation, Clinton attack dog Geraldine Ferraro tells us Obama got this far because he’s black. Following in the long line of black nominees for President of the U.S, I suppose. So it comes to this: “No fair, he’s black”? What next?

UPDATE: A forthright speech from Obama on race in America.

UPDATE: 7) Hillary is waiting for Obama to get shot. OK, she didn’t exactly say that, but she made everyone think it, including the millions of black voters whose greatest leader was gunned down, and who used to support her. Creepy, wrong, and not the first time she’s brought it up.