Saturday, March 29, 2008

"Stop-Loss" A Bust: What a Surprise Current mood: blissful Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities If you haven’t guessed yet, I am a conservative, a Republican, and a supporter of the president. This does not mean I agree with everything that is Republican or every decision our president has made. But I tend to believe the man has made the best decisions based on the information at hand at the time in regard to the War on Terror and Tax Cuts. I also believe that the Iraqi conflict is one front of the War on Terror. But before we get too sidetracked, let me just swing us back toward the topic of this blog... I understand we don’t all agree about the current war. I accept that and I respect my fellow Americans who disagree with our war policy since 2001. But may I remind us all that there likely has NEVER been a conflict our nation has taken on that has gotten 100% approval from the American people? Even our own Revolutionary War met with it’s own share of entrenched resistance. And during the age of television and movies, the conflicts we have had during this time have had an equally divided response. We all have agreed that we "support our troops" whether the conflict has been World War II or Iraqi Freedom. And we have had vigorous debates and discussions (and maybe even some fistfights) about the way war was being conducted. Even in the arts we have found this so. Movies and television shows have come along over the years that have been equally supportive and critical of the whole concept of war. But when it was World War II... there may have been some critical works, but there were many, many others that praised our brave military people and showed them in a positive manner. This could also be said of shows based on the Korean and Vietnam experiences. Much has been critical, but always something positive on occasion. What about this time around? We’ve been in conflict now for 7 years, 5 in Iraq. How many movies have been produced? Specials? TV shows? Name 1 (just 1) that has been overall positive toward what is happening in Iraq today? You can’t, can you? And what has been the fate of these "works of art?" They have each been flops at the box office... including the latest, "Stop-Loss".  I am not as surprised as the so-called experts. They don’t seem to understand that this one-beat samba was worn out on the ears of the American public long ago. And I think that because they own the networks and the microphones and the shading of the polls they produce, they think that there’s is the only point of view, that which thinks our president is both an idiot and a diabolical mastermind, that Al Quaida was in every corner of the planet EXCEPT Iraq before our entry there, etc. They think it, so they assume this is what everybody in the country thinks. They are against the war, so everyone is against the war. Have they stopped to think that if this was so, Congress would have already successfully pulled us out of there? If this was truly the sentiment of the American people, we would have already flown the white flag of surrender and tucked tail and run out of there. But it clearly is not. How do I know? Once again I point at the box office, where the people of America voted once again with their feet that they are sick and tired of seeing our troops put down, our cause demeaned, and nothing ever positive about the nation they love. Perhaps it’s time Hollywood listened? But when’s the last time that happened?

     Congratulations John McCain. You have garnered recent endorsements by the Des Moines Register, Boston Globe, and Joseph Lieberman to win your party's nomination for president. You must be so proud. People who have no intention of voting for you anxiously await your arrival on the other side of the docket from the choice of the Democrats. Just think, you'll get to hob-nob with the elite snobs. Pencil-necked geeks in politically correct outfits will smile at you. The world is your oyster so long as you play the part of asphault to their nominee's steamroller. 

    If this was baseball, John, they just walked the guy in front of you in order to get the chance to strike you out. They know what a liberal-in-Republican clothing you have been. They know how you have hog-tied things between that wonderful anti-first-amendment bill you co-sponsored with Mr. Feingold and your on-again, off-again disdain for President Bush, his policies, and the people who voted for him. They know about how luke-warm you have been toward the "Christian right" and how much more you seem to enjoy the company of liberals than your own base.

     They want you, Mr. McCain. They want you because they are sure they can beat you. I'm not so sure they are wrong. If you are the party's nominee, I will support you. But I will do so knowing that we are headed that much closer to the socialist-state any of the 3 front-running Dems want to take us to... a state I am sure you will be more than happy with.

     Still sporting the sort of voice that is perfect for being the reader in one of those audio Bible packages, waxing eloquent about his cliche'd inanities, Barrack Obama finds himself toward the head of the Democratic pack as the political mudslinging slogs through the Christmas season. After all, nothing screams "Happy Holidays" like two socialist candidates debating about which of them can fill the people's stockings with more government loot. Barry has found the strategy of using big words to say nothing with presidential seriousness to be a winner thus far. And, next to the lady who has been saying a whole lot of nothing for the nearly 20 years she has filled our screens and airwaves with her screech, Hillary Rodham, his utter lack of exposure nationally has been a real benefit. But this was not his title to win. The tiera was never meant to rest on his head. This was Hillary's moment. It has been Hillary's pre-ordained moment from the time she first found herself snout-to-snout with that most-famous Razorback, Bill. So here comes the mud. Duck, because the slime is a-flyin'. And, from the woman who has a long history of seeing campaign funds on a Chinese menu, here comes the slush. The would be queen of the world is sensing her throne slipping away. And it's time to do what the Clintons do best, drag others down to the trough with them. Psss... "Obama's been achin' for the Oval since kiddy-garden!" Hey you! "Barrack HUSSEIN Obama experimented with drugs when he was young... what's to say he isn't doing it now?" Ahem... "As an expert in the subject, I can tell a "slush fund when I see one... and Barry's definitely got one." Maybe these are the last couple of months of having the Clintons in everyone's hair. One can only hope. But if they are, there can be no doubt that the Hillimonster will not go down without plenty of mud and slime and slush to go around. This isn't going to be pretty folks, regardless of the color of the pantsuit.

Our favorite British teacher, Gillian Gibbons, is safe at home now after the ordeal she just endured in the whole "teddy bear" fiasco in the Sudan. What's already been stated is that the over-reaction of the rent-a-mobs that took to the streets in Sudan and other places in the Muslim world was just that, an over-reaction. It was also absurd, stupid, ignorant, and non-sensical. And the fact that the more reasonable segments of the Muslim community did not make their feelings known in condemning these riots is even more ridiculous.

No doubt, "enough is enough" is the phrase of the day when it comes to these silly riots and bloodthirsty mobs. So I was thinking the other night as I was preparing to go to bed that if I were a nation's leader and the Muslim world was not going to stamp out these retarded machete-wavers, I would give their leadership a strong incentive to do so. It might likely come with a picture of the cross-hairs of one of my missle-bearing vessels overlaying the nation's palace. The implication would be, "let the teacher go or you die." That's easy to understand isn't it? If reasonable people are not going to step up, maybe it's time to stop with negotiating with madmen. And maybe if it wasn't a big missle on the way, perhaps it could be one of my special forces units, or a small contengent of secret agents. In British terms, that might have meant James Bond, .007, or whoever fills that role in real life. Imagine him slipping into the palace, coming up behind the president as he ate his lobster, and placing the barrel of a pistol next to his temple. The message would be the same. "Let the teacher go or you die." 

     Then, in my next thought, I wondered, "how do I know that's not how it happened?" We may never know, but it's exactly how these folks need to be dealt with. They laugh at diplomacy. They tremble at .007.

I wanted to state right off the bat that I hate everybody. So I hope the reader doesn't take offense. It's nothing personal. It's just the way things are when you are a conservative. We hate everybody. We hate all races. We hate all religions. We hate all cultures and languages. We hate both genders and everybody of any and all sexual preferences. So, being a conservative, it makes perfect sense that I hate everyone. Please understand.

I also need to make sure the reader knows I am basically ignorant. I can't spell my way out of a paper bag and I can't comprehend anything that isn't a football score. The reason I see the world as I do is because I am a simpleton, a moron, and a big, fat dummy. I didn't go to the right school. In fact, it's questionable if I actually attended any school in the first place. I'm sitting in my easy chair now, waiting for the little woman to bring me a peanut butter sandwich because I haven't mastered the jar lid just yet.

Just one more thing here. I am astoundingly rude and insensitive. This could probably be explained by the fact that I'm dumb as a stump and hate everyone who isn't a knuckle-dragger just like me. But I have an opinion and I sometimes share it. I don't treat the front page of my newspaper like the Holy Bible. I don't even treat the editorial pages that way. I don't care what the foofs on television have to say or the folks who play pretend for a living in Hollywood. I laugh out loud when they tell me how to vote, think, act and speak. I cry when a baby's life is snuffed out for someone's convenience. I get angry when someone squirms to explain how we need to get out of Iraq right now while they "support the troops." I pray to Jesus, listen to Rush Limbaugh AND Glenn Beck, and think CNN really does stand for "Communist News Network." I began cleaning my oven MORE when I heard we were creating the hole in the ozone layer and once that began to shrink I started going polar bear hunting in my gas-guzzling SUV in my efforts to support global warming. I think it's time Muslims began putting a stop to all those machete-welding "peaceful" people who turn into a bloodthirsty mob every time someone draws a cartoon or names a teddy bear they don't like. I don't think old ladies are carrying bombs in their purses when they board airplanes on the way to see the grandkids. I DO think terrorists could very easily slip across our border with Mexico and release a dirty bomb in an American city because Bush AND Congress AND everyone else in authority doesn't seem to give a rip. I think that when Hillary Clinton moves her lips, she's either chewing her food or lying. I think Obama's an air head who memorized a dictionary and Edwards is a clown with a hospital-chaser's grin. Mormonism IS a cult, but Mormons are decent people. We can drill for oil without killing fuzzy little bunny rabbits and WHILE we develop alternative energy sources.

I think I have a brain in my skull and I was under the impression I have a license to use it. But every time I talk to a liberal or hear one speak, I get no reasoned response. All I get is cliche's and put-downs. My prayer is that lots and lots of ignorant people-haters like me will have had their fill of it all just like me when it comes time to vote next November. What about you?

I love football. I'll say it right now and get it out of the way. I'm from Ohio and we grow football players like we grow corn, by the bushel. High school football is a religion here. And I won't make you sick with talking about how we love our college football here. You already knew that. But I just don't miss my Buckeyes. I watch them or listen to them every weekend during the season, win or lose. And the NFL? Who doesn't love the NFL? Whether it's pre-season or the off-season or Thanksgiving... or the Superbowl... the NFL is an event. And I have always been faithful to Monday Night Football... It's not as good now that ESPN has it because the matchups just aren't as good, but it's still a good take.

 

Sunday Night is now known to be the classic "Game of the Week" for the NFL because it tends to be the premiere matchup the average fan is going to want to watch. And watch it I do. Every Sunday night. Now I was already avoiding the irritating little man with the condescending tone, Bob Costas, by waiting until the actual time of kick-off to flip the channel over to NBC. And I had already learned that the "don't-you-think-I'm-smarter-than-everyone-else?" Keith Olberman is on at certain moments that are also easily avoidable.

 

It has been bad enough to have to deal with Costas and Olberman in the middle of my favorite sport. It's been bad enough that one has to dodge and weave to avoid the next Bush-hater joke being slung out of my TV while the commentators review the games earlier in the day.

What in the world was going on last night with the candles? WHY OH WHY is NBC trying to shove the religion of global warming down my throat? I don't watch the TODAY SHOW... never have, never will... I like the Law and Order shows and I love "Heroes" and that laugh-a-minute that Notre Dame football is on a Saturday afternoon... I don't need messages about my carbon footprint and the melting of the glaciers in the middle of watching the Bionic Woman kick some bad-guy in the head (yes, she did say, "I wonder what Hillary Clinton would do" in a recent episode, but that's a different topic).

I want my football game back. I know where I go for serialized entertainment and political commentary. I don't need my escape from the every day, sports, soaked in the vinegar of liberal talking points. I need football, plain and simple.

     I don't remember everything I was supposed to have learned in high school, but one of the things I recall from those decades ago is what defined a "Comedy" and a "Tragedy" in the Greek world. A "comedy" was a story that ended well, no matter how harrying and dark the path toward the end, a happy ending gave a theatrical production the "comedy" stamp. Likewise was the case for the "tragedy". Things may be going well even late into the last act, but if our hero dies of poisoning, that's it... it's a "tragedy" for sure.
     What has me thinking on this is the recent revelation of some of Mother Theresa's memoirs which revealed some of the doubts that she had in her heart about God. And it would seem that there are those who are trying to make some real hay out of that. It's as if, "if Mother Theresa had doubts, shouldn't we question our faith?" Now I am a pastor. I know the "Christian thing". And I am revealing no deep secrets when I say that almost everyone who ever decided to walk with Jesus has had his or her doubts and struggles. In fact, it's pretty safe to say that all of us, regardless of our relationship with faith, have experienced many of life's peaks and valleys. Life just isn't a straight line toward the sun. If layed out like a topographical map, it would have more bumps than a kid with chicken pox. And the definition of faith and sainthood and all the rest isn't whether you've had doubts and fears. What defines us all is how we finish. It's "News at 11" now that the world's most famous nun had her doubts at times and even wrote them down in her personal journal. What we already knew is that after that day (or days, or week, or however long it was) there was yet another when she got up at 4AM to dedicate herself yet again to the cause of Christ. She doubted, but she did not allow her doubts to lead her to despair. The Lord she served had gotten her too far for her to turn back when questions and feelings of spiritual distance came her way.
     Maybe you're reading this and faith is just not your bag. You have no interest in Christianity or church or any of that stuff and you would rather I not preach. That's cool. But in case you wondered, yes, those of us who believe sometimes have our doubts... just like you do. But the trick is that we're not staying there. No matter what I feel, one thing I know... God loves me and desires for me to live for Him. Therefore I will believe and I will trust and I will follow Jesus no matter what peaks and valleys lie yet ahead. That's in case you were wondering. But I suspect that most have the same reaction so many of us had when the broadcast media revealed the shocking revelation that saint Mother Theresa went through the valley of the shadow of death like everyone else... "What's next? The sun goes down in the west?"

    I don't watch many horror movies, so I'm a little unclear on just how zombies are finally defeated. Is it some sort of ritual thing or the breaking of a spell or something? The reason I ask is I have the feeling this illegal immigration issue is one that just will not die until it eats the heart out of America. Where is Michelle Malkin when I need her? Is there some way we can make her the official potentate of all things immigration? Of course not. She makes way too much sense for the beltway crowd. And without her leading the charge, I really feel that the concept of a Canadamerixico is very, very real. And this incident with scofflaw-turned-cause celibre' for the left Elvira Arellano only serves to to cement that feeling. I want to scream, "We'll welcome you with open arms should you come back LEGALLY!" But the more I think about it, the more I can see around the corner and down the lane of the future to a day when the shouts of "Here we come, like it or not!" will drown out my desperate plea. And as long as certain people control the majority of television cameras and printing presses and microphones, those of us who think we are making a reasonable request will be evil tyrants in the eyes of way too many to beat back. So, just as the politicians are waking up to the political expediency of not only backing down on the most recent Immigration bill to saunter through Congress but of actually putting some teeth to border security, here comes Ms. Arellano. And it's not a personal thing with someone whom I am sure is very nice and kind and a good person, it is the cause she brings back from the grave that sends a shiver down my spine. I am a Christian, so the break-up of families portion of this whole debate disturbs me greatly. I am a minister, and I am determined to help anybody who needs my help, illegal alien or native citizen. But I am also a proud American citizen in a world rife with terror and a father of three little ones who deserve to be safe. So all of this does keep me awake some nights.

     But Michelle or someone else needs to tell me this is winnable. Because right now I cannot see it. I can see the "zombie" rising again and again until it eats America whole. I do not see a future in which Mexico says, "okay, we will only come in legally from now on." I can, unfortunately, envision a day when American throws up the white flag and gives in to the more determined group. Is there anyone out there who can show me another scenario in which this whole "spell" is broken and the rule of law reigns in our country again?

I never know what headings to put on these things. Anyway, I just read the headline on the Drudge Report that W. is on pace to be on vacation more than any POTUS in history. Let's pause for a moment and let that sink in. One of the most successful, effective leaders we've had in this country is on pace for more hammocks and golf clubs than any leader of the free world ever. I know it drives the "Drive Bys" and the Dems crazy, just how often Bush is away from "Mecca" on vacation. Then you have to take into account just what the president has done WHILE on vacation. How many military campaigns has he been involved in, international incidents, sticky negotiations... all while down in Crawford in his bunny slippers out on the back porch with his hound dog? He's running circles around his opponents, folks. Don't let the prevailing media fool you. He's not intimidated or worried or backing down one iota. I say we give the man a raise and a few more weeks' vacation. He's certainly earned it and we certainly benefit from it. So do you have some fishing tackle he can borrow? A cottage in West Virginia? A speed boat on the Missouri River? Tickets to Disney World? Whatever the components of the president's vacation might be, he's proving one thing for sure... Washington is NOT the center of the universe or the only source of power. President Bush is proving that power, true power comes from above... and from within.

I don't know if this is allowed or not... This isn't one of those "stupid Dems" posts or anything like that. This is a simple recommendation of a cool television show my wife and I have come to enjoy over this summer. The show is called "Burn Notice" and it airs at 10pm on Thursday nights on the USA Network. The concept is cool. An international spy of an unknown U.S. agency, is in the middle of an operation in Africa when he gets a phone call. Right in the middle of negotiating with what looks like a very dangerous person in that person's "lair" the caller informs him he's been "burned." When a spy is "burned" it means he's been let go. It really means more than that, however. Whatever resources were available before are gone. All money, contacts, knowledge of his existence by his former superiors is gone. He has to figure out how to get out of his situation on his own. Our main character gets the tar kicked out of him and wakes up in Miami. He does not know who "burned" him or why. But when he goes to find out he gets major heat. It's as if he is imprisoned within the city of Miami. His estranged mother lives there, as does his hot-headed former IRA guerrilla girlfriend and an old spy-buddy who is ratting him out to the FBI. He has an FBI tail wherever he goes and has to learn to get by on his wits and the training he has had as a field agent (no Valerie Plame desk-jockey this guy). As much as it pains him he has to make contact with his mother and find a way to generate cash while he is trying to sniff out just who "burned" him. This ends up being a series of "private eye" cases to which our main character applies his very formidable skills and experience. With the help of his quasi-girlfriend and rat-fink buddy, he brings a terrifying level of justice to bad guys in Miami. The show is slick and cool and very well-paced. It is the one show my wife and I cannot wait to watch each week. You should check it out.

 At a website devoted mostly to sports, there is a corner where a person can talk about just about anything that is not sports related as long as the National Guard isn't called in. After staying away from a thread entitled "Election 2008" for weeks, I waded in this past weekend armed with facts and in the mood to tweak some progressives. And I learned a couple of things in the process. One is that most people are not privy to the facts I had in hand. This is most likely due to the "weighted" reporting my progressive friends claimed was not happening. The other thing I learned is that being confronted with reason is very upsetting for progressives. First of all, in calling themselves "progressives", they are implying that those of us who are not of their political/philosophical persuasion are only slightly up the evolutionary scale from Neanderthals. So it unnerves them to hear one of us conservatives speaking in complete sentences and using a grown up vocabulary. Also, "I think" has very little place in an "I feel" world. If a person "feels" a certain way about the world or about one aspect of the world we live in, what one thinks or what facts are presented that dispute that feeling are irrelevant. For example, the Bush Tax Cuts have caused a huge swell of revenue for the U.S. Treasury. The response I got, "What has Bush done with this extra revenue?" Regarding my questioning of Barak Obama's Pakistan policy, talking about specific candidates was apparently taboo. Again, the thread's title was "Election 2008..." Bias in the media? "Not since 1984," opined one U.K. Guardian devotee. And the thought of Democrat candidates sitting down with Brit Hume for an interview? "Why should they go over to Fox News?" The disdain nearly dripped through my computer screen. I guess getting interviewed by a snowman is preferable. I also learned that Ralph Nader is "above politics", Bush "thinks he's king", and all sorts of wonderful things. How I crave an actual debate between ideologies. How I wish for intellectual honesty on the part of my political opponents/fellow Americans. Alas, my reason is the problem. If only I could see what an evil jerk George W. Bush is and how socialized medicine and education and the like are the way to go. But then I'm not progressive. I wouldn't understand.

      All I want to say at this time is that I am tired of "news cycles". The current "cycle" involves the barely day-old tragedy involving the 35W bridge in the Twin Cities. People lost their lives. Others were severely injured. Many more have had their daily lives affected for the foreseeable future. The human element of this incident can be explored in depth. But here we are, roughly 26 hours have passed, and already it would seem there is a "crisis" involving America's infrastructure. And there are some who seem to think the answer for every problem is more taxpayers' money. And there are others, many others, sniffing around in the fog of other peoples' pain for someone to blame. What does it mean that the bridge was given an evaluation in 2005 that was "structurally deficient?" Whose head should roll for this? I haven't heard yet that it's W's fault for diverting funds that should have went to bridges and sending them to Iraq, but we are just hours into this. 
    Isn't it true that sometimes a tragedy is just a tragedy? Don't we have men and women doing the best they can all over our country to inspect and repair and evaluate our bridges and highways already? Does anybody doubt that the folks in Minnesota were doing their best? (Don't answer that). Is it at all possible that everyone was doing their jobs and tragedy struck anyway? Is there room for that sort of thinking today? Or are we destined always for a parade of experts and pundits and university professors to analyze the "crisis" to death each time something happens in this country? Are FoxNews and CNN that desperate for ratings? I really wonder if there isn't someone at PMSNBC who sees something like this as a "ratings winner". It's sick I know. But how much more sick is it to see how long something like this is strung out. Every ounce of relevance is milked out of the accidents and spills and murders and missing person cases that most catch the public's eye. It is making careers for certain people in media today. There are certain folks who seem to cover nothing but the mistrials and collapsed bridges of America.
     I think there are times when we just need time to mourn. We don't need the networks to figure it all out for us and have someone to finger for our tragedy before we turn in for the night. And we certainly don't need more from the Democrats turning every incident into a political football. Sometimes we just need to cry, to reflect, to rebuild, and to try to get on with our lives. So pack up your news trucks, shut down your helicopters, roll up your microphone cords and get out of our faces. Sometimes tragedy is just tragedy, not a ratings winner.