American Warmonger

I Love my Dad

I know my dad was really getting political this year but I didn't know about this. He's running for the city charter review board in Bellingham, WA. Here's what he sent out for his political flyer:

Attention Tina Padilla
Whatcom County Auditors Office/ Election Division

J.H. Bol
3rd District

I’ll deliver a common sense approach. I was born and raised in Sumas, and spent several years in the Navy away from this county, and longing for home. This review is important; our charter is a well crafted document setting guidelines for a balanced government. Establishing a review commission, joined every decade, is evidence that the original drafters assumed that some adjustments may be required. I want to serve on the commission to help plot the course that the county government will follow for the next ten years. Some of today’s issues can’t be helped by changing the charter, while with good leadership some can.

I'm so proud of him! GO GAD!

Losing by Winning the Debate

At about 30 seconds left in each statement Bush would lean towards and stare directly at the camera. It was probably planned that way but if you were to turn the sound off Bush would have won the debate on mannerism alone. It's a good pshychological move. It gave the impression Bush was trying to talk directly to you as the American voter. The sharpness of how he would nearly snap his head at the camera made Kerry's looking at the moderator seem like he was just too aloof. It made Bush stand out as trying to connect to the American voter.

The presidential debates are not about who can "win" the debate. They are about who can connect better with the undecided voter. When you talk at these debates you are answering the questions the moderator asks. The biggest mistake Kerry made during the debate was to answer the questions to the moderator. The moderator is not formulating his voting opinion on how well you can reach him. The Americans watching at home, or at work in my case, are your target audience.

If you turned the sound back on it was quite clear who won the debate on eloquence. Kerry is most definitely the more eloquent speaker hands down. Just as an example, Kerry did not say "ummm..." one time during the debate. That is a matter of eloquence. If you had judges for debating there is no doubt who the winner would be. That's what happens when you pair a Massachusetts Lawyer with a Texas oilman. Unfortunately for Kerry, winning the debate on a professional standpoint does not equate to votes.

Something I learned a long time ago in high school is that you need to speak to your audience. This is probably one of the most overlooked points in politics today. Kerry speaks as an intellectual and misses the litmus test of the standard American. Joe Six-Pack does not want to try and figure out how Kerry will "legislate" better than Bush. Joe Six-Pack wants to hear real and tangible plans of action. Joe Six-Pack wants his answers straightforward with a yes or no, not with a nuanced explanation of a particular shade of gray.

Kerry won the debate but lost voters.

I am Emrooz

Jane and Nema have information about the supressed voices of Iranian Journalists. Two out of three of the journalists silenced are still in jail. Show your solidarity and/or outrage by sending them an e-mail here.

In addition I am changing the name of my blog to Emrooz for the week. The Iranians pushing for their release are doing similar things like re-releasing Emrooz's work on other blog sites. Please join in.

I AM EMROOZ!

A push for voter reform

A couple of days ago I went after a website called VotePair. They believe that they can win the majority of electoral votes for Kerry by a technique known as vote-swapping. While I completely disagree with their ideology behind trying to loophole the electoral college I can't find anything to say that what they are doing is illegal. In fact, the opposite is true. California, the state that injuncted Nader-Trader and other sites in 2000, is currently hearing a trial for damages incurred by the injunction. We shall see what happens in this case.

While I do not condone the last concept I do encourage something else I found on their site; Instant Runoff Voting or IRV comes off as a good idea to me. Australia and Ireland are already using this concept in three or more way elections. The way it works is to put in order your candidate preferences.

For example, Let's just say I'm a progressive (the new buzz word for liberal) and I would like to see Dean in the white house. My first choice would be Dean and my second choice would be Kerry. (Remember this is only hypothetical. Imagine this is Pusillanumous Wanker speaking.) If Kerry were to get 41% of the vote and Bush got 47% in first choices neither candidate would have accumulated the aquired the needed 51% for the win. You would then go to the second choice candidate list until one candidate had at least the required 51% needed votes. If you're still confused go to the site here. It provies real world examples of three way elections if they were to have taken place with IRV.

Bottom line, contact your congressperson and your senator and tell them to stop vote swapping if they can. If you have the time try and get them to push for IRV as well.

Kerry Already Making International Enemies

John F. Kerry has stated time and time again that he is clearly a better international negotiator than George W. Bush. He makes the claim that if he were the president he would have been able to garner the military support of the UN before going into Iraq. Other than his ability to speak French I don't see him having anything that would qualify him as a great international statesman. In fact, I see quite the opposite. He and his entourage have been systematically destroying international relations with several nations.

Many other presidents have made their mistakes when dealing with foreign nations. George W. Bush pissed a bunch of sympathizing nations off when he declared North Korea, Iraq and Iran as the "axis of evil". His father made the Nikkei crash (mostly coincidental but it did affect their market) at the dinner table in Japan when he lost his lunch in Prime Minister Kichi Miyazawa's lap. Some will even point to the breakdown in communication at the UN prior to us going into Iraq. It is a statement easy to rebut with the multi-billion dollars flowing through the oil-for-food program, particularly with reference to the business distribution being heavily influenced towards the descenting nations.

But I'm not doing this to highlight what presidents have done while in office. I'm doing this to highlight what Kerry has done before he's in office. Maybe presidential candidates have alienated foreign nations like this before but I can't remember when. So, without further adieu let's analyze the quotes:

Younger sister to John, Diana Kerry
"Australia has kept faith with the US and we are endangering the Australians now by this wanton disregard for international law and multilateral channels..."

Dear Australia,
Your support of the United States makes you an international law breaker. Now that you have chosen to support the United States you have put yourself in danger. You have shown that you have no regard for the methods and practices supported by the UN charter.

Thank-you for supporting the United States

Diana Kerry, spokesman for my brother John F. Kerry

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mrs. Diana Kerry,
Thank you for clarifying your ties with Australia in a John Kerry administration. If in the event you are elected we would like to clarify something as well. We will provide you with absolutely no support as it would further endanger our nation and enhance the misrepresented stigma that Australia is a nation of criminals.

Piss Off,

Howard, John Winston
Prime Minister of Australia

John Kerry;
''I will do what President Bush has not: I will hold the Saudis accountable...(paraphrased:) I will free America from depending on the Saudi Royal Family for oil."

Dear Saudi Royal Family,
I am holding you personally responsible for the terroists that have destroyed American targets in Saudi Arabia. I am also holding you responsible for the terrorist supporting environment bred by the Saudi royal family. Because of the dollars we spend for oil in the middle east and particularly Saudi Arabian oil that ends up in the hands of your terrorist supporting family we are working on gaining independence from your oil. We are cutting you off.

Love,

John F. Kerry
Democratic Presidential Candidate

Dear John, (Yes, I'm writing a dear john letter)
We are sorry you feel that way about us. It insults us that an infidel such as yourself would have the audacity to claim that the Saudi royal family is nothing more than a bunch of terrorists. We have been working hard for many years to change the ideals of many people in our nation. Something that has proven particularly difficult is shepherding all of our princes. Some of them have unfortunately chosen the wrong path and we are dealing with them. It is unfortunate that you feel that all of the Saudi royal family follows the same misguided path.

Because you have no faith in the Saudi royal family it is with a heavy heart that we must oblige you. In a show of good faith we are hereby cutting off all supplies of oil to the American people.

Good luck with Kuwaiti and Iraqi oil,

The Saudi Royal Family

Kerry's quote; (I can't find the exact quote from the interview but it was something like the following. If you have a good link to it please let me know.)
"I would have applied more pressure to the UN for a unilateral invasion of Iraq. I would have made it economically beneficial for them to join with us in deposing Saddam."

Since I am unable to find the interview for this you can discredit me all you want. I know what I read. Although the words are not exact it was the heart of the quote. The point in this one is that Kerry believes and actually stated he would be able to apply financial pressure to the whole of the UN if they did not see things his way. I would just love to see him try it in an address to the UN. I wouldn't be surprised if they laughed at him out loud. The naivety of this quote can be summed up into three little words: OIL FOR FOOD.

Kerry's quote;
"The prime minister [Allawi] and the president are here obviously to put their best face on the policy...But the fact is that CIA estimates, the reporting, the ground operations and the troops all tell a different story."

Way to go Mr. Kerry! You just called the authority in an unstable country a liar! I'm sure this will win points with the insurgents. It will especially win points with the insurgents that have already tried to assassinate him. I guess you forgot that you're not against Allawi in the elections and you will have to speak with him again if you get elected. Even if he was lying through his teeth it is still a bad idea to call him out on it unless you plan to invade or threaten invasion. It is talk reserved for leaders that are considered hostile.

Edward's Quote;
"The best lesson for any fledgling democracy is that leaders should tell the truth, to always be straight with the people...Prime Minister Allawi's trip to the United States was filled with all the wrong lessons, lessons from an administration that just can't seem to tell the truth when it comes to Iraq."

Excellent! Mr. Bob's Big Boy states that Iraq is a fledgling democracy. Traditionally, fledgling democracies, like most other forms of fledgling governments, are fragile and susceptible to easy overthrow if not supported unilaterally. Unfortunately, saying that the leader of a fledgling democracy is not telling the truth, AKA lying, is not really providing support. It is doing quite the opposite. Of course, all he's doing is puppeting the party's angle on Allawi. And speaking of puppeting...

Senior Kerry advisor Joe Lockheart quote;
"The last thing you want to be seen as is a puppet of the United States, and you can almost see the hand underneath the shirt today moving the lips..."

Let me puppet what I've said in the previous two quotes: Attempts to discredit the leader of a fledgling government do nothing but hinder that government. I have a hard time believing that the Democratic party would stoop so low as to try and get Allawi deposed by declaring him a puppet. Maybe they're just puppeting what the terrorist/insurgents have been trying to get across?

ATTENTION ALL DEMOCRATS! Your party is threatening the stability (what little there is) of a nation that is under our military protection! It is endangering the lives of American, coalition military and civilian members as well as the Iraqi people in an attempt to win the election! Are there no depths these people will not go? If Kerry plans to gain good standing with world leaders he is getting off to a horrible start. Australia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and even slightly the UN have been under his scrutiny. He is not making ties, he is breaking them.