English 3010 Post 10

Sorry for the long time in between posts guys, I've been so overwhelmed with work, school, and family stuff. But, I think right now we have more important things to discuss like the sorry state of our economy.

Recently, a major government entity has come out and stated that we have been in a recession now for almost a year. Well, the truth of the matter is that most people, especially here in Michigan, could have told you that. With the auto companies burning through 2 billion dollars a month, jobs being lost every day, and the stock market dropping faster and faster we have a lot to be scared about.

But, this doesn't mean that we should start running around like chickens with our heads cut off. We've known we were in a recession a long time ago, and what we need to do now more than ever is to get behind our president-elect and start encourageing more responsible spending by corporations. Companies like AIG, the largest insurance company, who just received a bailout by the government are giving their executives expensive spa trips and golden parachutes because Republicans in congress were worried about too much oversite. Well, we obviously can't trust these companies with using the money in a fiscally responsible manner and must take it into our own hands.

Companies should not get any money from the feds without giving us first a plan for the future and massive oversite so that we as tax payers don't have to continue paying for $5 million dollar golden parachutes and $400,000 dollar spa days for executives.

This isn't about politics any more, it's about responsible spending with our money and we deserve to know what's being done with it, and to know that it's being spent responsibly.

English 3010 - Post 9

Alright, so great news! John McCain and his transparent attempt to garner women voters have lost. This is great news for the nation and the rest of the world, the international community was very excited to see Barack Obama win because they believe that this will be a step in a new direction for not only America; but, the international community as well. After 8 years of so called "Cowboy Diplomacy" read, "acting like a 3-year old who doesn't care what anyone else thinks even in the face of overwhelming evidence," once again we can start working together with other members of the international community.

Now, there has been much controversy about Sarah Palin's wardrobe and the 150K price tag that the RNC paid for the clothes she was wearing on the campaign trail. Now, I don't like to defend crazy, yes crazy, people... so I won't. She's crazy. She's absolutely the worst person for Vice President and with a little luck she'll tear the Republican Party apart into the Moderates and the Crazies, sorry, Conservatives. We need a middle party for those of us that are socially liberal, but still fiscally conservative and currently neither party plays to both of their needs.

So, with a little luck, and whole lot of misdirected anger, the republican party will split into two other parties and take some more conservative democrats with them. Three parties may be benefical to our country.

Anyway, I'm ranting now, so with that I say "good bye." haha.

English Blog- Post 8

Alright, so It's Nov. 3rd, the day before possibly the most important election in American history. Now, usually I don't like to just come and tell people how to vote because free will is our greatest freedom. But, I hope that when you're in the election booth you think of the million of other Americans that go every day without health insurance, that work blue collar jobs in constant fear that they will walk in one day and to find out it's been shipped overseas and fear they won't be able to provide for their families.

I hope that when you check that box in the voting booth you think about all the mothers and fathers that go without meals just so they can feed their children, and I hope you think about our 4000 troops that died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and which canidate wants to bring our troops home and who wants to continue the blood bath in fear of "losing".

I hope that when you vote tomarrow, and you exercise the right that people have died for you to have you vote for the canidate that will unite our nation.

I'm not asking you to vote for any canidate; but to vote against John McCain. We have a right to live without fear.

English Post 7

Ah Conservatives, I found this interesting - a recent fox news story had an interview with Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) in which Bill O'Reilly was essentially screaming, whining, blaming the (Jews, Arabs, Gays, pick one you can't go wrong) for the economic crisis the USA is currently facing, and then making a laughable connection between Rep. Frank and the crisis.... Isn't it funny how this only became a crisis in the eyes of Fox News after the Democrats took the house. Funny, they must've forgot that for 10 years the Republicans have been consistently deregulating the banking system and most of our economic system as a whole.

Selective coverage, I guess, is what I'm trying to get to. Fox News is pretty consistent in their completely biased coverage of the politic system in the country. With Sarah Palin essentially being their savior, the Republicans can do no wrong. However, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle giving eachother a fist bump? Why, that might be a sign of terrorism!

In addition, a lot of Fox News' stories now are about this character "Joe the Plumber", which has to be the greatest plant of the entire political season. The irony of this Joe the Plumber fellow is that he donated 100 dollars to the McCain Campaign and people at Fox Noise (Yes, I quoted MSNBC's Keith Olbermann) keep telling stories about how this "everyman" is voting for McCain. Well, of course he's voting for McCain, he donated a hundred bucks to his campaign....

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Fox News is a oxymoron.

and, I'm going to start a video of the week, today's funny video...

English Blog Post 6

Alright, so I go to this university in Detroit and there has been this crazy preacher guy standing outside of the UGL whining about the "Jews" and "Muslims" and making completely outrageous claims about both groups. What right does this person, who claims he's a pastor (or some sort of christian, I don't know...) to tell other people they're going to "hell". Many religions don't even believe in Hell. In fact, many people would say that hell was a concept completely manufactured by the church to scare people into following them in fear of eternal damnation.

So, this preacher was a little more blunt that businessmen like Pat Robertson, Mike Huckabee, and the like, but the message is the same, and oh so christian "Believe what I say or you go to hell".... well, hell sounds like a bad place, we all know what the humidity does to hair, so I think I would like to go somewhere less humid... and maybe with cable. Fear, which I've written about so much in the past is a powerful thing and even convinces some people that if they don't eat meat every friday than they won't go to "hell" which may or may not exist.

So why do we even have Religion then? You tell me... Let me first justify everything I've said with I'm a Jew and am basically doomed to hell anyway, haha. Religion is NOT a bad thing, to believe that life has a purpose is completely ok. But my issue with relgious people is that they try to discriminate against groups like us Jews, saying we need to be converted to go to heaven, or "the gays" must go through "repairitive therapy" to get into heaven which is narrow-minded to say the least.

Long story short, if people like Pat Robertson and Mike Huckabee are going to heaven, I rather go to hell. Religion teaches people values, and to be respectful of other human beings, it's unfortunate that a few certain people give Religion a bad name for the rest of us.

Oh, because this may be my last post before the Election for all you Californians Vote No on Prop 8.

English 3010 Post 5

Where has our media gone in this country? As time goes on in this election the media continues to cover more and more soft-core news to gain viewers rather than the hard-hitting news that voters who care about the future of the country.

More and more we hear about Gov. Sarah Palin, and a recent story on Fox News, (Yes, Fox News), on the shoes that Sarah Palin was wearing, now ignoring the fact that the shoes didn't match her outfit and the fact that red is just an ugly color in general, this is hardly a news story! I'm not surprised that I say Fox News, who makes no attempt whatsoever to be balanced, despite their tagline "Fair and Balanced" (HAH!). Shoes contrary to popular belief don't make the woman, and they certainly don't qualify someone like Palin to be vice-president. This fluff story on Fox News is an obvious sucking up to the White House (Whom they get their talking points from). When our news media is getting talking points from the Bush Administration and one of their commentators is pretty much satan (Karl Rove), are we really suprised when they kiss the rear of a completely INSANE Gov. from Alaska (seriously, who lives in Alaska?)

I guess for Fox News, Fair and Balanced, means covering Sarah Palin's new Prada Handbag as compared to her absolutely INSANE social views and complete rejection of science as a whole. Although, I'm pretty sure when you register to become a Republican they force you to reject things that may hold you back like, "Facts" and "Science" and even "Truth".

English 3010- Post 4

Alright, so I've been thinking about this whole concept of the "liberal media." It's become such a heated topic among conservative news commentators like comedian Bill O'Reilly (if you don't think he's a comedian, watch his show once and a while, no one is that insane and illinformed. You have to watch him like, Sarah Silverman, you have to know he's going to say stupid anti-semetic, anti-muslim, sexist, homophobic closeminded stuff before you go into it). Anyway, I believe it's important for news channels to have their facts straight, but at the same time --- news corporations like MSNBC are only there to make money from advertisers so they appeal to certain groups, like the Democrats. Some commentators make it clear that they are biased one way or the other, like Keith Olbermann, while others..... like O'Reilly, pretend that they're neutral.

So I should probably clear up what my political views are just to be clear as you may be wondering why someone who's name is "JKLCRepublican" is so mad at Republicans. Well, the simple answer to that is that the Republican party as it is now is NOT what the republican party once stood for. At one point Republicans stood for individual liberties, and the freedom to live life as you choose. Now, the Republicans have become the party of spying and controlling the relationships (Same-sex marriage), Medical Care (Abortion), and even religion (10 commandments in Alabama's Supreme Court!?).

I support gay rights, the right to choose, and affirmative action. So that would make me a liberal right? Well, I also support the free market and support copays on state/federal funded health programs (Medicare/Medicaid) while also believing that we as a nation need to completely revamp the corrupt welfare system that we have in this country, if we don't just eliminate it in it's entirety. In that aspect, I guess I am a Republican. So I walk the fine line between republican and democrat, a Social Liberal and Fiscal Conservative.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I believe that when we watch news channels people should be more forthright (spelling?) in their political appions and not try to pretend their neutrl when in most cases their not.

So, knowing this you should now not be surprised when I attack Republicans for trying to stop same-sex marriage or when Democrats try to expand the failed welfare system and commit what libertarians would call "Moral Cannibalism," but I think I'll talk more about that later...

Anyway, I'm going to call it a night and enjoy the remainder of my birthday. Good Night.

English Blog - Post 3

Alright, for this post I decided to skip the whole politics thing and ranting about how Obama is a socialist and how the republican party has moved so far to the right they've completely lost touch with American's and what they once stood for... see there I go again on politics. So, I just decided to blog about well random stuff that pops into my head...

I'm totally new to this whole blogging thing, I mean, I read my trashy blogs like E! News and People because I have no life of my own and live it pretty much through other people. But speaking of E! News... as much as I love it... where exactly has our news gone? What ever happened to questioning the candidates on stuff that mattered? Right now, if you turn on Fox News you'll see a story on Cindy McCain's fashion choices, and while she may have great fashion that certainly doesn't make her husband a better candidate for president and it has absolutely no intellectual value. Don't get me wrong I do love to know gossip and what not about people, just not from the "hard-core" news channels.

Why is that people have been covering Sarah Palin's hairstyle and glasses so much? Really? Do people think that looks good? Her hair is from like, the 1960's and the glasses make her kind of look like she's a librarian. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure she's very nice, but she's absolutely insane and her fashion needs a major update.... but that doesn't mean she makes a good/bad vice-president. She'll be HORRID as vice-president for many other, better, reasons. Like the fact that science is pretty much her mortal enemy.

Anyway, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that while it's ok to talk about how Michelle Obama dresses amazingly and always looks amazing (which is true) leave that to my People Magazine blogs and TMZ.com. When I watch CNN I want to hear about what Obama is going to do to fix this mess, not what Cindy McCain (or her plastic surgeon, haha) does to fix her hair.

Eng 3010 - Post 2

The way we communicated with one another, the words we use, the tone, and context make all the difference. When most of us read essays we feel bored and uninterested as often the writer fails to make any connection between the topic and ourselves, the audience. This is why I feel that the best way to communicate any message is to make it a conversation rather than a lecture.

Famous politicians like Al Gore utilized charts and graphs and facts to get their message across. However, often his speeches seemed like lectures rather than speeches and created dissonance between himself and the audience, the American people. Which is one major reason that experts attribute to George W. Bush's 2000 "win". Obviously, the American people don't want to hear about fact but rather be swayed by emotion, most notably fear.

Many Republican bloggers in the recent election have begun making attacks on Barack Obama by trying to accuse (I don't really like using the word accuse, it sounds harsh) him of being a muslim, and equating the religion of Islam to Sept. 11th and terrorism. Obviously, a false and diluted claim as there is nothing wrong being Muslim (But there is something wrong with being a right-winged narrow-minded hypocritical bigot, right Ms. Ann Coulter?) But this gained massive television coverage, mostly on Fox News, which is a joke in it's own right, but that's a post for another day. Nevertheless, it's these kind of attacks that hurt not only the Obama campaign but the view of American elections on the national stage.

Fear is becoming more important and influential than that of fact. Will the American people be able to think for themselves or give into the desperate members of the right (and some socialists, sorry liberals I tend to confuse them.)? Where do us members of the political center go?

ENG 3010

Our two major political parties, the only two that have a chance of having their nominee win president, have over the course of the past 50 years become increasingly more partisan. The Democrats have become so far to the left that they border on socialist. While the only difference between the current GOP and the government of Iran is their religion. People that are in the political center are left out and often don't bother to vote.

John McCain's campaign says that he's a "maverick," obviously, they don't have a dictionary on hand because their confusing maverick with "Bush Carbon-Copy". The Republican party stood at one time for individual liberties and the freedom for people to live life as they please. Well, that is of course unless your lower-class, gay/lesbian, or anything other than baptist. Choosing John McCain as their nominee was only the conformation of many centrist's fears, that republicans were out of touch with Americans. John McCain did vote against the Federal Marriage Amendment citing that he believed marriage was a state issue. However, in the mid 1990's he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act which allowed the government to, for federal benefits, exclude gay/lesbian couples and allow states to not recognize marriages from other states and countries. Yet, John McCain continues to brag about how he votes against the party and is a moderate. We're not fooled.

Politics has become a game to see who can "win", rather than who can help the American people. The Republicans are so desperate to win the game they aren't above lies and deceit to fool people into taking their side. In 2004, the George W. Bush made Same-Sex Marriage a keynote-issue scaring people into believe that the gays were going to tear their families apart and ruin our countries "Family Values." Funny, I didn't know intolerance was a family value.