Nonpopulist Books: The Dharma Bums

I just finished reading The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac. Fucking good book. There are Buddhist overtones to everything I have ever read by Kerouac, but I glance over most of those notions and still get a good grasp on his work. He is officially my favorite writer of all time now, with Hemingway being a close second. In the book, Kerouac is the protagonist through his alter ego of Ray. The antagonist is his friend Japhy. The drink, party, and hike through their journey to find "what it is all for" as it intersects in the pages of The Dharma Bums to find that nothing really means anything so they might as well get drunk anyway which is a message I can get behind. Kerouac is such a hero of mine first and foremost because his writing evokes so much emotion. I know what you may be thinking because I have been there. You may say to yourself, "What can a stuffy old book tell me about living?" I do not think I have a sufficient answer to that except to say read one of his books, and we will talk about it.
Or follow me after the jump and watch a video that brings me to tears every time I see it.

Bad American Because She Likes Other Countries?

Patriotism is an idea that has been, at the very least, muddled over time. No one wants to seem unpatriotic so there is a bit of one-upping that takes place in our quest to let others know we are patriotic. One may start with the idea that I like America because of freedom of religion and say it calmly with a sigh at the end. Then someone overhears that and says, "Yeh, America kicked ass in the WWII, saved the Brits and the Frenchies." Then the quest to seem patriotic eventually turns to, "Yeh, fuck other countries, let's nuke all of their camel's asses and take a dump on their flag." Adolescent level thinking has led to situations such as this one. The author of that article, whose name is Montana Wildhack (pseudonym much?), is jesting that she is a bad American because she likes other countries. I think she captures a notion with the article that is so true it may make an American who previously thought they never even want to leave the USA give their stance a second thought. Well done, Montana, but I would never trade my right to own an "assault" rifle. In fact I am shopping for a scope for mine in another browser tab. In my experience with people from other countries, that is the freedom they envy Americans for the most.

Weak Dollar Is More Serious Than Some Realize

The U.S. Dollar weakening is one of those stories that you hear on a newscast or read on the internet and are immediately bored to tears. I personally enjoy keeping up with the U.S. stock market and other financial markets, but I was saying that for most people. Ok, I am calling you stupid. I kid. I kid. You are great. A "one-world government," "one-world currency," and "new world order" are all terms that have been thrown about for some time, mostly to desensitize us to them and give politicians a chance to call people in opposition to those ideals paranoid and not progressive. Let me keep setting this shit up before I get to the weak dollar. Stay with me. It is worth it.
As I have grown older, I see the world both more cynically and more clearly. Most hot button issues cycled by the news and politicians are rehashed again and again for a reason. They are usually a pretext for something else. Stories of gun violence are used to call for more restrictive gun control laws. Outcry over the environment and climate change on the brink of bringing destruction are going to be used to tax us to poverty. Remember what Public Enemy told us, "Don't Believe the Hype." Weak Dollar talk is a pretext to move us to a one-world currency. This story details it. The powers at be are not trying to hide it from us anymore. We are now in what I like to call "feeding us the rationale" portion of the process of moving to a one-world currency.

Net Neutrality: The Hottest Topic You Know Nothing About

Net Neutrality is a huge issue affecting the last bastion of freedom we have, the internet. Senator John McCain came out earlier this year to make a stand on the issue. At best, I think he just picked a side and decided to root for it. At worst, his policy is dictated by per$onal ethic$. Who is he kidding? I know he had an online presence during the election, but he paid people for that. This joker has no horse in the game, no rooting interest. I would be willing to bet he does not surf the internet for pleasure at home. He probably has one of his staff print off his emails and give them to him in a manila envelope. And this motherfucker is going to try to tell me about what I can and can not do on the internet.
To clear up any confusion on the issue let me explain it as simply as I can. This link also provides some good insight. The issue is pitting content providers such as Google, Yahoo, and the like against internet service providers like Comcast, AT&T, and others. ISP's want to not only give preference to certain internet traffic (i.e. the web pages ad downloading you do) but to charge you on a tiered basis for access to the internet. For instance, you can have cnn.com for free, but you have to upgrade to the higher package to get ebay.com and paypal.com- similar to satellite television service. If you are a person who wants the internet free and open then there is more good news than just having Google on your side. The FCC came out earlier in 2009 and set out rules siding with Google and a freer internet. For know, things look good as far as keeping the internet neutral, but if the government decides they need more tax revenue look for this to be a hot button issue (see: climate change.) Then you will no longer be able to view internet quality such as this at will.

Common Misspellings

I had never seen this website until Roger Ebert posted a link to it. He is probably the most prolific twitterer on the interwebs so I usually click on the links he posts. While grammar is never a very sexy topic I think it is important. I am not the most perfect picture of grammar, but I am way above average. This post from the Oatmeal details several words that are often confused and misspelled. Check it out.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling
I see people misspell these often.

Most irritating people of 2009

A list of the ten most irritating people of 2009 by the Globe and Mail did not look right to me at first, and then I realized it was Canadian. No wonder I did not recognize some of these people. Some of them, unfortunately, I do recognize. Number 1 is the Gosselins from that show I have not seen but by which I am still annoyed. Number 2 is David Letterman. I have thought him unfunny since I began watching late night talk shows. He has basically irritated me since I have been aware of him. Number 5 is Kanye West. As I have said before Kayne West does not care about white people. Most of the rest of the list is full of Canadian references. Note: beware of the rage of Canadians. You know what I am talking aboot? Noticeably absent from the list- people who cried with joy and hope at the election of President Obama. Sorry, I had to do that.

The Last Thing Anyone Wants or Needs

I do not remember putting a National ID card on my Christmas wish list. Who did it? This article by Sheila Dean for the Campaign for Liberty website is a good read as I am trying to burn off the rest of the content I had stored up for 2009 so I can start fresh in 2010.The most in your face part of this article- that the government expects us to finance our own freedoms being taken away. Thank goodness the states have sort of stood up to this act. I am glad this piece of crap legislation is stalled.

Nonpopulist Year-In-Review: 2009

What? A Christmas Eve post? Yahoo! did an excellent video recapping 2009, and it inspired me to do a cheap imitation. The first post of the Nonpopulist Year-In-Review on politics can be found here. This review segment is on the summer of 2009 which will forever be known as the summer of celebrity deaths. We saw the gamut of figures pass away from sports to political figures to pop culture icons. Walter Cronkite, Farrah Fawcett, Patrick Swayze, Steve McNair, Robert McNamara, Michael Jackson, Ed McMahon, David Caradine, Billy Mays, John Hughes, Les Paul, and Robert Novak all met their end this summer. Some theorize that we will see more periods like this and at an even greater rate since our society now basically microwaves celebrities and eats them like popcorn. Most of that list are well established public figures with the exception of Billy Mays, and I doubt we will all be affected and stop working to watch the funeral of the person that sang "Chocolate Rain" on Youtube.
Here is that cool video Yahoo! did after the jump...

Lazy Holiday Post

I'm out of town visiting family for the holidays. It all happened last minute so I was not prepared and did not explain the sudden lack of posts as if anyone cares. I try my best to catch an episode of the Colbert Report at least once a month just to check in, and I was fortunate to catch this episode in which Colbert does a verse on this song with Alicia Keys. I am not sure of the title but it talks about New York being where dreams are made of and it is all over the radio because when I get in my car and fumble around to get to the sports talk radio station I hear it sometimes. Anyway, Colbert's verse is hilarious and I always appreciate when someone is a good sport like Keys is on the show.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

Another Nonpopulist Hero: Bukowski

Charles Bukowski was a poet and prose writer who I have admired as long as long as I have been aware of his work. I tried unsuccessfully for a while to find the poem where something happens (I think he got fired from one of his jobs) and he says in the poem something to the effect of 'That's ok, because now I'm the bad boy of poetry again." I wish I remembered what the title was because that poem kills me every time. This man wrote volumes of poetry also. I have written a lot of poems, but no one can ever do it at the pace Bukowski did.
What spurred me to write a little about Bukowski was a page that Roger Ebert put together and linked to on his twitter page, @ebertchicago. He is definitely one of my favorite tweeters so it is nice to find out he was an appreciator of Charles Bukowski as well. Another famous writer, Jack Kerouac, graces the Nonpopulist blog and is sort of the unofficial mascot of what I try to do here. Kerouac is known as "King of the Beats," and Bukowski is often lumped in with all of the beats, but I consider him outside of that movement. His work stands alone in its wonderful deviance. Do yourself a favor. Pick up one of his books and read it cover to cover. The Wikipedia page had a great title ascribed to Charles Bukowski, "laureate of American lowlife." Embrace the dirtiness and deviance of which he writes.

Nonpopulist Year-In-Review: 2009

In looking at this video and page done by Yahoo! on the 2009 year-in-review I found some inspiration to do something similar. Everyone does year-in-reviews. Shut up. It is not stealing. Over the course of the rest of December I will occasionally go over a piece of 2009. My first post ever on this blog was about Michael Jackson so this will also give me a chance to bloviate on the first part of 2009. I have to give credit to Yahoo! This video is cool and the song fit well too (The Bravery? Who the hell is that?) Check it out.

Yahoo! '09 Rewind @ Yahoo! Video

As always, I will be keeping things Nonpopulist with this review. I will begin with politics.
The obvious story this year was President Obama being sworn and being the first black president. Awesome. The Oval Office is a big barrier that has now been broken down. It has done more to heal race relations ease white guilt than almost any moment during my conscious lifetime. I do drink a lot, however. People cried at his inauguration and each step he took along the way. Where I draw the line is the quasi-spiritual emotions people associate with President Obama. He is a politician. A politician. Do not ever put hope in a politician, people. A politician is not the rainbow after a storm. They are the next front in a continual storm. Few in America looked on the Obama hype scene and media masturbation with the disbelief I had. I looked around to see people who I thought were intelligent caught up in a rapture saying to themselves like was said to Calgon in the famous commercial, "Obama, take us away." More people are believing now as I did then. Things in Washington D.C. are business as usual. Today, news broke that the president is weighing creating a commission to propose tax hikes. Do you recall when he promised to not raise taxes for families making less than $250,000 a year. Lest I remind you...


He also said repeatedly that he would go through the federal budget line by line and cut fat. Fat chance. History was made with Obama's ascension to the White House this year, and he has proven that he can screw things up as well as any white president. Bravo, sir.

Nonpopulist Movies: Bad Lieutenant

Sexing this blog up a little...

I saw the original Bad Lieutenant for the first time the other week. I know there is a new one out with Nicholas Cage, and I will probably wait the same number of years from the release date to watch that one; even though Eva Mendes is a comely young lass. *Pauses to flip internet calendar to 2026 to make a note* Harvey Keitel is a great actor. I have enjoyed his performances in movies of his from Reservoir Dogs to even the National Treasure movies. I must say he is an all-time great. With that being said, I did not like this movie. I liked parts of it, but not most of it. I do not think it was Keitel's fault, though. I thought his performance was great. The plot, however, and the writing reduce this movie to mediocre. And Keitel's penis. That was a mediocre penis. It brought the picture down. The ending of the movie where he sends the kids that did it off on the bus was weak writing. Keitel's character would have smoked crack with them and then killed them. That is how I would have written it, at least. But, then again, we see what kind of writing I do (i.e. this blog.) Bad Lieutenant is a movie that is often mentioned as being an all-time classic, and while it was good, I think it could have been better.

Nonpopulist's Browsings of the Day/Week

Snoop Dogg rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Read that again. He was on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien the other night, and he declared that "the stock was at an all-time high" the day he was there. That is not true, of course, but Conan declared it a sign that the recession is over. That is the best sign I have seen so far. Video below. It is not that impressive other than providing visual evidence. Conan also demoed the Snoop TomTom GPS system when Snoop was on. In a related story I have not wanted a GPS because I thought it would make me weak and too dependent on technology... until NOW.



11 Dangerous Ingredients You Should Avoid at All Costs by Sarah Irani [Alternet.org]

Sage Francis has one of the better online presences as far as musicians go. Well, him and John Mayer are about tied. Sage always surprises me and gives me new reasons to appreciate him. He is doing a middle-of-the-night video chat he calls "Nocturnal Admissions" that I will stay up for one night. Also he and I share many of the same feelings about police officers and how oppressive they are. He keeps track of many examples on the forums on his website. [Strange Famous Records]

Kissing Suzy Kolber is a great website with incessantly creative humor writers. They focus on the NFL and always have something funny on their site. This season they have been doing a series featuring Rex Ryan... pure genius. [Kissing Suzy Kolber]

"Pelosi Backs Off of the Public Option." Wait, they still have not backed off of the whole health care reform bill? They have to realize it will be political suicide if they do not. [Huffington Post]

Irony Alert: Dynamite Choice for the Nobel Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize is already ironic enough. Its inventor, Alfred Nobel, was the inventor of dynamite. I think the folks who chose President Obama for the award were feeling the need for an homage to the founder of the award this year. The headline, Obama Defends US Wars as He Accepts Peace Prize, is like something I would expect Alanis Morisette to sing about along with "a free ride for which she has already paid." I am not even commenting on if either war is just or if the President is being a hypocrite or not. I think we can safely assume that he did not ask for the award, and although he probably should have turned the award down, defending the current American wars is not the best thing to do while accepting the Peace Prize. The above story has some excerpts of his acceptance speech that he wrote himself, and the speech has some good tenets of policy and reads well. The bottom line is being in the precarious position he is in, he addressed the two elephants in the room with as much class as one could imagine.

What We Eat

I enjoy Alternet.org for, you guessed it, alternative news. A story by Brad Reed called The 6 Weirdest, Scariest Processed Foods, caught my eye the other day. I struggle with eating right as many Americans do. Excuse me for wanting my food to taste good. This story by Reed puts a different spin on the struggle to eat right by scaring the shit out of you. He lists spray-can easy cheese number one. I love easy cheese, and although I rarely pick it up at the grocery I may do so even less now that the veil has been pulled back a little on how it is made. The filling in Oreos is also listed, and from the story we learn that not only is that tasty white filling made basically of crisco, but that a lawsuit against Oreos introduced the term trans fats to the public. Way to break new ground and spoil my favorite food to eat with milk, bastards. With new information being revealed about the food we put in our bodies through documentaries such as Food, Inc. and this story by Brad Reed, we need to look hard at ourselves and our obese gullets to decide if eating whatever we want is worth the pain it may cause in the short and long term. I would never eat avocado-free guacamole, though.

All Hail the Mighty Google

I am annoyed.

I was recently listening to an NPR report on how "out of style" Yahoo and Hotmail accounts are these days. This person whose name I wish I remembered so that I could request a meeting with him at the flag pole during recess, went on to say that any serious, business minded person who may be seeking employment from a serious, business minded employer ought to switch to the far superior Gmail. I believe he even said something to the effect of "Hotmail? Have you even heard of the internet?" I would like to remind this person, whoever you are, that you are first: an idiot who watches too much E, TMZ, The Hills, and those Housewives shows (that may be conjecture, but if he is foolish enough to say something like that, I'm confident he said it while his DVR had one of those shows/channels on pause), and secondly you are part of the problem. Why must we worry about what comes after the @? Society already judges us by how much our outfit costs, whether or not our chicken is organic, and, among many of the other superficial elements that make up ME, how much I love football.
I say no! I say no to you who would ask me to change my email provider in order to stay up with the latest trends. With a resounding YAWP I say NO!
So for those of you who may want to reach me, you can still find me at my hotmail account. I'll be waiting.

Tiger Woods- Quit Hating

We are some damn gossip whores in this country, are we not? America loves to see a celebrity fall, but just so we can see their miraculous comeback, right? Yes, Tiger Woods is a philanderer. Yes, he had kinky sex while on Ambien. Yes, there was some baby-mama drama outside of his home. So what? Everyone that is currently "outraged" or "appalled" at what Tiger has done is a phony, a player hater. The average American male can not tell me that if they were in the position Woods has been in during his phenomenal golf and endorsement career that they would not sex all of those ladies (save for the Perkin's waitress [The Big Lead.]) If they do, then the average American male is a damn liar, and I am outraged and appalled. We all thought Tiger was a gold robot, but it turns out he is a man just like the rest of us. He just has a lot more options and chances to cheat on his wife than the average person. Chris Rock once said something to effect of " A man is only as faithful to his wife as his options." I agree.
UPDATE: Radaronline.com reporting Elin Nordegren-Woods has moved out of the couple's home. By the way, I hate gold and do not think it is really a sport.

Nonpopulist's Browsings of the Day/Week

Here is where I burn off links that I do not feel like turning into full posts:

A funny video from Onion News

Report: Most College Males Admit To Regularly Getting Stoked

50 best films of the 00's according to the AV Club. I am a frequent critic of lists such as these, but this one is ok. One glaring miss is not including The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. There were some quirky movies in this list. [The AV Club]

The Sons of Anarchy season finale was last Tuesday. It was cool. There was not a lot of resolve to the season. It was awesome, but it raised more questions for next season. Still the best show on TV. Here is a review by Kris De Leon of BuddyTV. [BuddyTV]

An infuriating article about the foibles of the ATF [The Examiner]

Josh Gerstein of Politico raises an interesting question, What if Bush Had Done That? Good article, nice premise and follow-through. [Politico.com via Yahoo]

Campaign for Liberty article on Freedom's Destruction By Constitutional De-Construction [Campaign for Liberty]

Restricting Energy on TV's?

Is there a worse state to live in than California? Not only do they have earthquakes, the worse gun restrictions in America, and a host of flaky celebrities, but now the state is going to restrict the amount of energy a television can use. A fucking TV! That is one of the most invasive things a government has ever done. At least it is state mandated and not federal. A measure such as this could easily pave the way for a national restriction down the road, but we are talking about televisions. How much energy can a television set really use? I thought the energy-guzzlers were heating and air, stoves, and refrigerators.  
It is not that I want to just consume as much power as possible. I pay an electric bill just like everyone else and would prefer to keep it as low as possible. The problem is this measure is being legislated. Let me explain. Something like making a law that says TV's have to be more energy efficient is a fairly innocuous thing. That is where it starts. I see ideas like this one as a pretext for further, more restrictive laws down the road. For an example, what if another step would be to limit how much energy your computer uses or what wattage the power supply could be. Then how much energy a household uses in a day could be called into question. Depending on how many people live in your house you could be capped at a certain threshold each day. You see, I am one that is often afraid of falling down a slippery slope. And maybe that is a me problem, but it is still a possibility. Look at gun laws over the last few decades. If the NRA was not the behemoth of a wonderful lobbying force that it is we may not be able to own pellet rifles by now. In general, more laws are a bad thing.
I know everyone has a hard-on for all things environmental nowadays, but that does not mean the government should be able to tell me how much power my TV can use.
More after the jump...

My Culture is Better Than Your Culture, Fundamental Assumption Review

I was thinking last night as I was drinking that Americans have an attitude problem. We actually have many attitude problems, but the one on which I was focusing is the notion that out culture is great and other cultures are not so great. I made some notes because I wanted to write about it today.
First, do we really believe that out way of life is better than others? Sure we have amenities and conveniences that other peoples are not afforded. The converse of that is we are spoiled and weak.
Looking at the bigger picture, outside of the individual level, many of our dealings and relationships in the world are predicated on the stance that our human rights positions are better or our way of government (that is incorrectly called democracy so often, see current health care debate) will make a country great like us when we force it upon them. There is some truth in those two notions, but we also have many problems with our government and treatment of people in this nation. We are the world's biggest hypocrites. Bottom line. We espouse freedom for all people from presidential podiums while we are tasered if we look at a police officer the wrong way.
We can not simply leave everyone alone and do our own thing here in the States either. America is too vested in interests around the world. Shutting up and minding our own business would most likely do more harm than good in today's world. The isolationist stances of the Washington Doctrine and the Monroe Doctrine that I have been a proponent of personally will simply not work in a new, flat (Tom Friedman reference) world.
With my own ideas being so muttered I looked to the internet to for stories to corroborate and clarify my stance. I found this story about Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Yes, his name is Geert.

Nonpopulist TV Update: Violence and Saget

TV and Nonpopulism would seem at first glance to be mutually exclusive, but I would contend that your viewing habits are what would dictate a Nonpopulist television viewer from the rest. My working definition of Nonpopulism is not hating everything that is popular, but rather not liking anything just because everyone else does. Some things that are good are actually very popular. How much sense would it make to ignore such a thing? None.
Here are the TV programs on my radar right now.
1. I only have two WWII in HD episodes left. The series has been great. The new footage was amazing and the stories of the people they chose to focus on have been breathtaking. I really enjoy learning more about history (how is that for Nonpopulist?) and teaching history. I watched a few episodes with someone (who will remain nameless) who queried as the first one was starting, "World War II was the Hitler one, right?" *hangs head in disbelief*
2. Sons of Anarchy: This show is so bad ass. This season was good in the first season, but has taken off in awesomeness in season two. The season finale is tomorrow on FX. Watch it.
3. Bob Saget is doing a reality/documentary show for A&E about subcultures in America. I have to say this is one of the best ideas for a show I have heard in a while. Some of the possible episodes are "Bob rushes a fraternity on a college campus," "Bob travels the road on the back of a Harley with a biker gang," "Bob preps for the end of civilization with a survivalist group," "Bob submerges himself in the world of mail order brides," and let's not forget "Bob with partying Amish teenagers as they decide which life to lead."

Pelosi Is Akin to School on Saturday

This is an awesome idea. This website, http://www.droppelosi.com/, claims that somehow all of these messages get to Speaker Pelosi herself so put something mean, yet informed to really make it sting.

Politicians Forgetting How Politics Works

If the above video is not a wake up call, I do not know what is.
Well, the 2010 Congressional races are two-thirds of the way done. If the Senate passes the health care reform bill [CNN]and sends it to President Obama to sign into law I will call the race in favor of every challenger facing an incumbent who voted for HR 3200 and the Senate equivalent. These politicians are amateurs at their profession. Forcing this bill down America's throat even though you have seen the greatest grass roots opposition since the American Revolution in 1776 or maybe the Vietnam war is committing career suicide. Attention Democrats who have been assured jobs in the Obama white house or DNC. There are not that many jobs to go around. And after you guys all lose your upcoming elections the volume of work the DNC does will go down significantly. You guys will be lucky to get a job at McDonald's. Actually, I hear Walmart is now accepting only undesirables as associates. You can put me down as a reference as to you being undesirable. I hope everyone who votes in favor of the health care reform bill passing has that vote cling to their feet like cement shoes for the rest of their lives.
Now, for the first order of business in the 2010 Congress, immediate repeal of HR 3200...

Nonpopulist's Browsings of the Day/Week

Miller High Life, the Nonpopulist's beer of choice

The top thirty TV Series of the 2000's as listed by the A.V. Club. Lists are hard to make, and I guess they are sort of easy to make at that same time. I like this list better than the one that follows. The Shield and The Wire are in the top ten which is correct. Breaking Bad should be lower. One thing I notice is the number of HBO shows in the list which is correct, including two of my personal favorites Eastbound and Down and Flight of the Conchords. Good list overall. [The AV Club]

A list of the best music of the 2000's. I like about 7 of the 50 on the list. [The AV Club]

Quailty wins out? Really, Zucker? On NBC? Here's the list of things I watch on your network: 1. The Tonight Show with CONAN O'BRIEN (get bent Leno) 2. Sunday Night Football and Football Night in America 3. The four SCRIPTED comedies on Thursday night. [The Live Feed]

The push by Ron Paul and many others in Congress still has legs. It is at least moving past this one committee. Notice to the Federal Reserve: Begin shredding all documents now. Do not procrastinate.[MSNBC]

Oprah is going off the air in 2011. What am I, a middle-aged white woman? Why do I care? I haven't watched Oprah since I turned on the TV after school one day and that was the channel it happen to be on. In my opinion she is a transcendental nincompoop. [The Live Feed]
More after the break, bitches.

Newsweek Editor, You Cad!

The latest Sarah Palin Newsweek cover is causing a stir- IN MY PANTS! Zing... First off, I do not understand how the photo in question made its way from a Runner's World photo shoot to the November 23rd issue of Newsweek. Did industry buzz in the form of, "Hey, Palin's legs are hot and slick looking in this photo- who wants it" make its way around the circuit? Did a bidding war ensue because, wow (see: above pants zing?) Honestly the photo is a little trashy for Newsweek. Are we not supposed to take them seriously anymore? For Runner's World it is about right, contrary to what some may think. She looks like she could be going on a run with those clothes on. What is with the Blackberries, though?
The heat from the photo is apparently so intense that Newsweek editor Jon Meacham has been prompted to respond to critics with an ignorant, paint-yourself-in-a-corner comeback of, "We chose the most interesting image available to us to illustrate the theme of the cover, which is what we always try to do..." I read that as, 'She is certainly hot, and that is about all she has going for her. I am sexist.' My limited knowledge of how magazines are run leads me to the guess that editors have the final say on important things such as what goes on the cover. In this case the editor, Mr. Meacham messed up. He needs to own the decision or go to Us Weekly. Is not one of the accusations most frequently quoted against Palin that she does not take responsibility for her actions? Lastly, when President Obama is on the cover they do not have a photo of him smoking a cigarette or his image superimposed on a questionable birth certificate, do they? Has there been one of Michael Moore eating a cheeseburger? Hillary Clinton stepping on a scrotum with heels on? Rush Limbaugh with pills falling out of his mouth? I feel a twitter #hashtag# frenzy coming on.

New Moon Reflects Our Sad Lives

New Moon comes out on Friday *mouth-made fart noise* and the kiddies are all abuzz with giddy anticipation at watching effeminate guys and attractive girls run around the screen and posture like they intend to do some acting. As a society we are so ready to be obsessed with something. To me it reflects our overall dissatisfaction at being alive. Maslow would laugh at Western civilizations per capita self-actualization. How many of us can look at ourselves approvingly? No one is looking at you on the internet right now. You can be honest. I am as much at fault on this point as the next person. The difference with me is I can recognize crap better (e.g. New Moon/Twilight.)

Fundamental Assumption Review: Constitution

Tea party this, real American that, knowing where we all come out on every single issue facing our country right now is impossible. Besides that, I heard a very wise man say, "Consensus is a synonym for mediocrity." This article, written by Chuck Baldwin on prisonplanet.com, lists several sentiments he feels a Constitutionalist should echo. I'm not sure I agree with every single one of the sentiments although I do fancy myself a Constitutionalist (as well an asshole that sticks his pinky out when he sips hot tea.) I, with naive idealism, believe that if we can truly back peddle, rediscover, and reapply our founding document we can keep this thing afloat for a few more decades.
I am not sure number fourteen on the list is viable considering how long the U.N. has been around. We need to have our hands in there still.
Here are a few that stuck out to me with which I agree:
Number seven, "You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that the federal government has no authority to be involved in education or law enforcement, or in any other issue that the Tenth Amendment reserves to the States, or to the People," interested me greatly. Ever since reading the Constitution (link to full text) the whole way through I have wondered how law enforcement agencies have proliferated at the federal level over the past 200+ years.
keep reading...

Terrell Owens' Future

I was thinking about Terrell Owens, or T.O. to you, the other day. I was thinking about his numbers He currently has 14,488 yards receiving for his career which is currently 3rd, but he will probably end up 2nd on the all-time list. He has 129 career receiving touchdowns which is good for 3rd all time, but with 2 more touchdowns he will surpass Cris Carter for 2nd.  He caught the historic "Catch II" against the Packers in the playoffs and had an incredibly gutsy performance in the Eagles Super Bowl against the Patriots on a hobbled leg.  The man has had a big impact on the game. After he retires his name will come up for Hall of Fame voting. I think he should get in, and he probably will. What perplexes me is what hat he will choose to wear or which team he will pick to enter the hall of fame under. He's been a superstar journeyman, alienating and burning bridges as he has traveled his NFL road. I am a T.O. fan. His personality and soundbites provide me endless entertainment even though the popular opinion has been loathing of Owens ever since he left the way he did in Philadelphia.
How can you not enjoy Owens as a player? Follow the link below to see some entertainment.

Fox News Un-American?

Newsweek writer Jacob Weisberg asserts in this piece that Fox News is Un-American. If you look at the content of this blog you may notice a conservative slant more often than not, but I pride myself on judging everything on an individual basis on its own merit. That tenet is the main basis of this blog, and no matter what the assertion I will do that. And shutup, I know I took an extended break recently without explanation. As if anyone really missed this crap...
My first comment/question in not in any way an attack on Mr. Weisberg. In reading the title to his article I was spurred to think first we must determine what is American so that we may determine what is truly American. You have to actually think about that for a second. There is no cut and dry answer  except to say American as an ideology can not be pinned down. It has changed over the 200+ years this country has been trucking, and it is more convoluted now than before the telegraph even though we have "advanced" communications-wise so much from that time. Just an observation.
The author is right that Fox News is blatantly right-wing. There is no arguing that, although I do take exception with this portion of his piece. "Any news organization that took its responsibilities seriously would take pains to cover presidential criticism fairly. It would regard doing so as itself a test of integrity." So since Mr. Weisberg is singling out Fox News and not MSNBC or CNN I take that to mean that to at least some extent he is exonerating every network that is not Fox News. I find fault with that assertion. Number one neither CNN nor MSNBC are very balanced, making the odds stacked against Fox News 2-1. Number two, was presidential criticism handled fairly by either of those two networks when President Bush was still in office? They basically called him stupid stubborn with regularity. There was no integrity in that criticism. None.
Follow along after the jump if I have not bored you enough yet. 

Church Not Allowed to Do Good

Churches and Christians get a lot of bad press these days, and much of it deserved. Crossroads United Methodist Church in Phoenix, AZ, however, was actually trying to do some good so of course the city should look on with delight and a little envy that a church is pitching in to try to take care of the city's undesirables. *record scratch* Actually a city ordinance has been passed that allows the banning of feeding the homeless at places of worship. Reading further down in the story some dude was stabbed with an icepick so I guess I can kind of see why the people in that suburban neighborhood who are not members of that church would not want their kids playing outside while homeless people are getting shivved. I am disappointed that a church is being prevented from serving the community, though.

Most Christians Choose Not to Appreciate Humor

As if there needs to be further evidence to prove the headline, I read this post from my favorite TV blog, Warming Glow. I watched the episode in question last night with some friends and it was funny. A little bathroom humor never hurt anyone, even if religious icons are involved. It is called taking it to the next level, people! The source article quotes Deal Hudson of www.insidecatholic.com [insert dismissive wanking motion] as saying, "If the same thing was done to a symbol of any other religions — Jewish or Muslim — there’d be a huge outcry.” I have this to say in response. I will pee on a picture of Mohamed right now except I don't think they allow those to be made. If it is for comedy then I am alright with it. The show and episode are funny so they get a pass. Why do a lot of Christians have such a hard time laughing at themselves? People would like them more if they relaxed and quit spazzing so much. Here is a video of what has some Christians gasping on their own offense after the jump.

2ND Ammendment Refresher GUNS, Frick Yeah!

The new Sig P238

FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE
       
1. "Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson

2. "Those who trade liberty for security have neither." ~ John Adams

3. Free men do not ask permission to bear arms.

4. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.

5. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.

6. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.

7. You only have the rights you are willing to fight for.

8. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.

9. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.

10. Assault is a behavior, not a device.

11. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.

12. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.

13. What part of 'shall not be infringed' do you NOT understand?

 14. Guns have only two enemies; rust and politicians.

15. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves.

16. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

17. The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights Reserved.

The Funniest Shit I Have Read in a While

Someone sent me this link from this website, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and I must declare it the funniest thing I have read in some time. I am sure you will agree. Click Here if you chose not to click the links above. I'm not the video fucking professor. I can't figure this shit out for you all of the time. Anyway, I clicked around on the site a little bit, and it appears to be a new favorite. In fact, let me go ahead and click Bookmarks, Bookmark this page, put it under my main folder on the bookmarks toolbar (that's what the cool kids do), and click done. Yeh, I use Firefox, and shit, you tricked me into giving out free tech support. I'm possessed by the Video Professor demon.

You Think You Have Seen Some Weird Things on the Internets? Try This

http://apostoliclive.com/play.php?vid=492
Click that link and tell me that is not weird.
My first inclination on this video is that the baby is just mimicking his grandfather (see description of video underneath.) This video is as precious as it is disturbing. I do not know what else to write about it.

Pelosi Must Be Stopped

You may have heard the phrase, "You can't fix stupid." That phrase may have been invented for Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Windfall Tax on Retirement Income

Adding a tax to your retirement is simply another way of saying to the American people, you're so darn stupid that we're going to keep doing this until we drain every cent from you. That's what the Speaker of the House is saying.

Read below...............

Nancy Pelosi wants a Windfall Tax on Retirement Income. In other words tax what you have made by investing toward your retirement... This woman is a nut case! You aren't going to believe this.

Madam speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to put a Windfall Tax on all stock market profits (including Retirement fund, 401K and Mutual Funds! Alas, it is true - all to help the 12 Million Illegal Immigrants and other unemployed Minorities!

This woman is frightening.
She quotes... 'We need to work toward the goal of equalizing income, (didn't Marx say something like this?), in our country and at the same time limiting the amount the rich can invest.'

(I am not rich, are you?)

When asked how these new tax dollars would be spent, she replied:
'We need to raise the standard of living of our poor, unemployed and minorities. For example, we have an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country who need our help along with millions of unemployed minorities. Stock market windfall profits taxes could go a long way to guarantee these people the standard of living they would like to have as 'Americans'.'

(Read that quote again and again and let it sink in.) 'Lower your retirement, give it to others who have not worked as you have for it'.

Nonpopulist Movies: Black Snake Moan

I saw Black Snake Moan recently, and I was impressed. It is the 2nd movie from filmmaker Craig Brewer. His first was Hustle and Flow. On the basis of Hustle and Flow alone I wanted to see Black Snake Moan. Christina Ricci looked great and gave a great performance. A lot of people make fun of Samuel L. Jackson for his choice in movies. Say what you like, he was good in this movie. My only regret is that I waited so long to see this movie. Put it in your Netflix queue posthaste!

Global Warming, You Say?

I watched a clip of Al Gore vehemently declaring that a consensus exists that says global warming is a scientifically proven and accepted fact. Here is the video (skip to 1:15 to get to the meat of the video.)

Well, Al, suck on this! [The Standard.net]  31,000 scientists have signed a petition saying global warming is false. That does not sound like a consensus to me. The author of the article brings out the point that one of the main reasons global warming has become such a hot-button push for politicians lately is because they are running out of ways to tax us to bankroll their mismanagement of more billions of dollars. Anarchy has never sounded so good.

Nonpopulist Music

One of my favorite bands of all time is NOFX. NOFX has continually made good music, put on good live shows, and never "sold out." They have stayed independent, shunned MTV, and made an honest living. They were the first punk band I was into, and this song from them sums up some of their nonpopulist "cred." They are great musicians and singers also.

Can They Do That?

Fox News is a double-edged sword. I'm no fan of Glenn Beck. He is a tool, but he serves a purpose. We need critics to keep balance. Commentators like Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O'Reilly keep the left honest the same way Keith Olbermann, Alan Colmes, and Michael Moore keep the right honest. We have free speech and public discourse to help society move forward. Each side of the political spectrum should have a problem with the White House defaming Fox News [MSNBC.com]. It would be a terrible precedent for the White House, except for the fact that Nixon did something similar when he was president. The Obama administration is openly criticizing Fox News, even calling them not a real news organization.Wow, thin skin much? People were openly questioning whether or not Bush was mentally retarded. It was en vogue to do. That was out of fucking line. Obama does not want anyone questioning policies. Do you want to bring back the Alien and Sedition Acts? Do not question President Obama. He is infallible like the fucking pope.
Keep reading by clicking the link below:

Populist vs. Nonpopulist: Let Me Get This Straight. You Don't Want the Law Enforced?

Sherriff Joe Arpaio is a lightning rod of controversy to say the least. He has taken the most active and outspoken stance against illegal immigration since they used to drown the potato-mongers at Ellis Island (note: I am of Irish descent-lighten up.) His department has arrested 33,000 illegal immigrants since 2007 under a now rescinded mandate for the Department of Homeland Security that allowed him to enforce federal immigration laws. That power has been stripped, but he does not mind. There are still state laws in Arizona that he can use to bust immigrants and send them home. Most people fall on one of the two extremes on the issue of immigration. Some want more open borders and basically want to give amnesty to any illegal immigrant who has bypassed law enforcement and made their way into America. Others want to put a fence up and connect high-voltage electric charges to shock the would-be illegals back from which they came. Those are the populist views. My view, the nonpopulist view is that America as it is today is a country founded by immigrants, and we still need immigrants of all shapes, sizes, colors, education levels and skill sets to keep this country going.

Nonpopulists Browsings of the Day/Week

You say there's a lot of Muslims? Wow, captain Lou Al-obvious. [CNN]

Yeh, because our troops probably do not need much ammo to fight 2 WARS! [Washington Times]
Continue reading after the jump for some good ole Dennis Miller, link to another great article from Jason Whitlock, and a great GIF of Gina Carano

Wasn't It Made Clear That Americans Do Not Want HR 3200 Passed?

My least favorite quote from this story [AP via Yahoo.com] about the health care reform bill (HR3200) passing the Senate Finance Committee is, "When history calls, history calls." That out of touch quote was uttered by Maine Republican Olympia Snowe. That makes no sense. You are not penning the Declaration of Independence. What has just left your committee and is now headed to an eventual floor vote is another modicum push in a long trail of pork-barrel politics and seizing of any and all control the federal government can get over the populace of America. You need to pump the brakes because never in my memory do I remember such vehement opposition to a particular piece of legislation. That does not mean people want it. That means they do not want it. I knew people in Congress were not all the mental equivalents of Einstein, but I think people with an extra chromosome can determine the majority of Americans do not want HR 3200 passed. If this bill does get passed, it then becomes the mission of every voting American to not only vote, but to campaign against each Congressman and Senator that votes in favor of this version of the healthcare reform bill. It's personal to me, bitches. Oh, and we need term limits for both houses of Congress.

Internet Addiction is Real

Addiction is rampant in our culture because we do not strive for much. We are literally fat and metaphorically happy. Matriarchs don't carry laundry to the nearest stream to wash and bring back fresh water while men hunt and farm all day as once was the case. I think there is a scale on which the more civilized or advanced a society becomes, the more it has unfulfilled individuals and seeks any and all diversions to maintain happiness. Basically, I extrapolate the second law of thermodynamics applied to society. The latest example of American societal decline is internet addiction. I found this great article about internet addiction by Winston Ross in Newsweek. What really makes his article pop is the anecdotal example of his own brother choosing to be homeless and spend his days on the internet at the library instead of fitting into normal societal roles. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of not fitting into traditional societal roles, but not necessarily like that. Look, I spend a lot of time on the internet, but not at the expense of work, family, or anything else important. Maybe I'm in denial. Just another step toward the fall of Western civilization.

Death by Religious Stubbornness

The parents of an 11 year-old girl who died from a treatable form of diabetes were each convicted earlier this year for second-degree reckless homicide. The parents' religious beliefs led them to pray instead of seeking medical help for their daughter, Madeline. When the girl stopped breathing, someone (not specified) called 911. By that point, of course, the parents' decision had sealed the girl's fate. The parents religion was Christianity, specifically Pentecostal, or Charismatic as it is called in Christian circles. Christians follow the Bible. There are many miracles outlined in the Bible. People also die in the Bible from old age, disease, or any of the other reasons people die today. 

The Nonpopulist's Browsings of the Day

I definitely prefer Jennifer Morrison with brown hair.

Rush Limbaugh wants to buy the St. Louis Rams. [Profootballtalk.com] He'll definitely be buying low. The Rams are wretched. I vaguely remember him getting fired from ESPN for something racist... had to look it up. What Limbaugh said [The New York Times]  wasn't that bad. It surely wasn't as bad as "nappy headed-hos."

President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. [Reuters] Everyone is and will continue to talk about this, but here's the quick Nonpopulist take: While Obama may have helped strengthen international diplomacy simply by not being President Bush, his choices and the people around him are doing a good job of dividing this country. Also, the author who won the Nobel Prize for Literature seems to have some interesting work that I would like to read.

This list illustrates how difficult putting together a good list is from top to bottom. The Art of Manliness' list of the top 15 buddy movies. A good effort, truly. I love Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours, and I Love You, Man. [The Art of Manliness]
Read after the jump for crazy bombings, a beautiful woman, and more.

National Poetry Day (in England)

 Sage Francis, a modern poet

How much more Nonpopulist can you get than National Poetry Day?
I wrote my first poem when I was 16. I wrote my second poem when I was 16. The second one was so bad that I did not write any more until college. I have always enjoyed good poetry. Rhythmic verse is not as much of a commitment as a novel, but a good poem can still stir the emotions. Some of my favorite poets are W.B. Yeats, Dylan Thomas, ee cummings, Charles Bukowski, and Langston Hughes. There are too many to name them all. I encourage you, though, get some damn culture in your life. Read a poem!
Here are a few selections after the jump:

Another Group Obama Wants to Piss Off: School Children

I write that jokingly for once. President Obama has mentioned lengthening of the school year [Associated Press via Yahoo] (either by hours in a day or days in the school year) in order to keep up with the rest of the world in education. I do not think that is a bad idea. I at least will not dismiss it outright like most people under the age of 19. Let's face it. People in this country are dumb. A little more education would be good for the future of this country. How's that for contrarian? The story is a good read.

Gun Control- Stay Vigilant

I friend sent me this note on the history of how successful gun control has been in these particular countries. Now that Americans have one of the anti-gun attorney generals in their history and a president with a Senate voting record that reads like a senator from Alderaan (had to look it up for spelling) we need to have knowledge that will help protect a major freedom in America. 

"A Little Gun History
After reading the following historical facts, read the part
about Switzerland twice.

In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control.. From 1929 to 1953,
about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded
up and exterminated.
------------------------------

In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million
Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.
------------------------------

Things No One Else Is Talking About: Cloves Banned

WHAT THE FUCK? Are you kidding me? Why am I just now hearing about this?
Cloves are now banned in the US. [Kansas City Star]
Again the government is trying to tell us that we are too stupid to make our own life decisions. Well government, you're too stupid to not build up trillions of dollars in debt through mismanagement, overspending, and in general bad decisions.
I'll take my chances making my own decisions. The ban is not only on cloves, but all fruit and candy-flavored cigarettes and maybe even some flavored cigarillos. This seems like a small infringement because most people rarely buy cloves or other items affected by this ban, but the principle and the surprising backer of this legislation are what worry me. The principal of taking away/ infringing on our freedoms simply can not be tolerated any longer. Each freedom we are made to give up is another step toward living in shackles. One of the most shocking aspects of this story is Altria (Philip Morris) backed not only this piece of legislation, but the government's efforts to put tobacco regulation under FDA control entirely. I understand their short-term benefit. They plan next to push regulations against menthol cigarettes which will piss off a significant portion of the US population. Altria is attempting to gain the market share it has loss to menthol producers, namely Lorillard, who makes Newports. If menthols are banned Lorillard would almost certainly go out of business since 98% of their market is Newports, leaving Altria, who makes Marlboros, to sell non-menthol cigarettes with no menthol competition. That scenario would be a huge boon to Altria and RJ Renyolds, but the trend would continue toward banning all cigarettes, not just cloves and menthols. They are basically giving themselves cancer.
One day cloves will be the beginning of one of those poems that goes... First they came for _____ and we said nothing. Next they came for the __________ and we said nothing. Last they came for __________ and no one was left to defend it.

When the Internet's Down...

My internet has been out since Tuesday. I was reconnected to my lifeline (aka the internet) Wednesday, but I decided to not to dive full force back in to viewing all the pictures of cats in costumes the world wide web has to offer.
The forced withdrawal from the internet got me thinking. I live on this joker. I always have something to do on the internet. They vary in importance (read usually not that important, like this blog no one reads,) and they take up a lot of time.
I defy most people under 30 to tell me the internet is not like air to them. We have Blackberries, but we still need to get to the computer also.
This All got me thinking about taking a break from the internet entirely. I've done it with television before twice in my life, once forced as a child because our television broke and we were to repair to replace for about a year and again in the year 2006 for around nine months. I'm thinking about it. I did not say I was doing it. Non-committal this!

Bordering on Mental Retardation

The czars President Obama has appointed looks like a cast of characters meant to alienate a specific segment of the American people besides a few Americans that believe Communism worked in the past and will work for America's future. This story from examiner.com details the latest guy that is chapping my ass is Cass Sunstein. The specific group of the mainstream American populace he would like to offend is hunters. In his own words he believes we should, "regulate hunting out of existence." O wait, he also thinks animals should be able to sue humans in court. What kind of confused influences and series of experiences in this person's life led him to actually believe something like that? It is confounding that someone this unintelligent walks and breathes on the same planet as you and I do. And more confounding is that he is considered for any sort of leadership role in any context. Someone needs to pick Cass up and shake him.