Letter of Resignation Sent By Bush to Rifle Association

Following is the letter of resignation was sent by former President George Bush to the National Rifle Association on May 3, 1995: 

Dear Mr. Washington,

I was outraged when, even in the wake of the Oklahoma City tragedy, Mr. Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of N.R.A., defended his attack on federal agents as "jack-booted thugs." To attack Secret Service agents or A.T.F. people or any government law enforcement people as "wearing Nazi bucket helmets and black storm trooper uniforms" wanting to "attack law abiding citizens" is a vicious slander on good people. 

Al Whicher, who served on my [ United States Secret Service ] detail when I was Vice President and President, was killed in Oklahoma City. He was no Nazi. He was a kind man, a loving parent, a man dedicated to serving his country -- and serve it well he did.

In 1993, I attended the wake for A.T.F. agent Steve Willis, another dedicated officer who did his duty. I can assure you that this honorable man, killed by weird cultists, was no Nazi. 

John Magaw, who used to head the U.S.S.S. and now heads A.T.F., is one of the most principled, decent men I have ever known. He would be the last to condone the kind of illegal behavior your ugly letter charges. The same is true for the F.B.I.'s able Director Louis Freeh. I appointed Mr. Freeh to the Federal Bench. His integrity and honor are beyond question.

Both John Magaw and Judge Freeh were in office when I was President. They both now serve in the current administration. They both have badges. Neither of them would ever give the government's "go ahead to harass, intimidate, even murder law abiding citizens." (Your words)

I am a gun owner and an avid hunter. Over the years I have agreed with most of N.R.A.'s objectives, particularly your educational and training efforts, and your fundamental stance in favor of owning guns. 

However, your broadside against Federal agents deeply offends my own sense of decency and honor; and it offends my concept of service to country. It indirectly slanders a wide array of government law enforcement officials, who are out there, day and night, laying their lives on the line for all of us. 

You have not repudiated Mr. LaPierre's unwarranted attack. Therefore, I resign as a Life Member of N.R.A., said resignation to be effective upon your receipt of this letter. Please remove my name from your membership list. 

Sincerely, [ signed ] George Bush

Rachel Maddow offers Republican Voters 3 Minutes of Political Sanity

Definition of Vasectomy?

[vuh-SEK-tuh-mee]
noun: a 30 minutes of less surgical procedure intended to provide a permanent method of male birth control (see contraceptive)

Original photo by Peter Rimar.

Election 2012?

Paul Revere, after updating his status on Facebook and Twitter, sat down and wrote the disco hits "Ring My Bell" & "Macho Man". When asked about his opinion regarding "The King", Mr. Revere said what made ELVIS a "Great American" is the fact "the dude" learned how to shoot beer cans off a fence BEFORE he joined the Army.

When he first set foot on the moon, George Washington is reported to have said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Campaign Humor?

Sadly, this bit of YouTube political satire sounds less crazy than the candidate's actual quotes on the campaign trail...

Worst Political Joke of the Week?
Gynecologist to patient: Ma'am, I think I see your problem. There are too many Republicans in your vagina.

Grand Obstructionist Party?

"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."
~ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), in an interview with the National Journal, describing his goal in retaking the Senate.

One of the main political talking points of Republicans is that President Obama got everything he wanted his first two years in office:


"A lie told often enough becomes the truth"?

If one individual uses a specific grouping of words to express an idea at a particular time and place, and it's then cited by others (for example the Wall Street Journal), it's called a quote. If one or more individuals employ the same phraseology over and over again to support a specific political agenda, it's called a message. To put it another way, a slogan is a slogan is a slogan. It's how ideological soap is bought and sold in the political marketplace (see Echo Chamber).

Clearly, any video which includes Rachel Maddow must be pure liberal propaganda. So, what is the truth? Instead of accepting this politically partisan video at face value, this blogger went directly to the source: The U.S. Senate. Read More...

The public record is the public record. Numbers don't lie. Can you say Grand Obstructionist Party? This blogger has a theory. The partisan goal is simple: stop and/or delay every action of government in order to create a climate of economic uncertainty.


GOP Senator won’t seek re-election, cites Washington’s increasing polarization?
Read More...

Suggested Reading List:
Glass-Steagall Act
Cost of Wars

Ron Paul Wins Iowa?

Even though the GOP's establishment is carpet bombing Iowa with millions of dollars in anti-Newt campaign ads, once again, the candidate's worst political enemy appears to be the candidate himself. Seriously, Newt's mouth is like a "human hand grenade".


Believe it or not, during 2011, at one point or another, SIX different Republicans (to include Sarah Palin) have lead in the polls in Iowa. Since "7" is a lucky number, it just stands to reason that Congressman Ron Paul will narrowly win the Iowa Caucus.

Ron Paul Campaign Update: (12/23/2011)
Despite the latest media frenzy over the candidate's questionable affiliation with a series of racially charged comments printed in newsletters bearing his name, it's still possible for Paul to win the upcoming Iowa Caucus. Ironically, the newsletter controversy itself only reinforces a conspiracy theory held by many of his most ardent supporters. Basically, the so-called mainstream media (which includes Faux News) wants to derail his candidacy and silence his Revolutionary ideas.

Honestly, this blogger has never believed that Ron Paul could, would or should be elected President. Also, despite Ron Paul being upset that his integrity is being questioned, in 2011, it's fair game for reporters to ask questions regarding the comments contained within these newsletters.
Read More...

Political Quote of the Week:
"Trying to negotiate with Speaker Boehner is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall."
~ Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)

Election 2012 Update:
Mitt Romney wins Iowa with exactly six less votes than in 2008:

Newt Gringrich for President?

Seriously? Really? Could General Ripper's conspiracy theory linking "fluoridated water" with a Communist plot to weaken American society be true? Every time this blogger reads about the candidate's recent surge in the polls, a single rhetorical cliché best describes my thoughts regarding Newt's book selling run for the White House:

Can you say "Lipstick on a Pig"?

Despite Newt's well-documented, extremely checkered political record, a growing number of Republicans actually believe he's the best candidate to beat President Obama in 2012.

Good luck with that one!

Perhaps Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who's NOT known for her intellectual prowess or problem solving skills, put it best. On CBS' Face the Nation, Bachmann stated, "He's the 'King of K Street. For a person who's been influence peddling for over 30 years in Washington, D.C. - to think that Newt Gingrich is somehow an outsider, when he is the consummate establishment insider?"

Hopefully, between now and the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary, GOP voters will WAKE UP and take another look at Jon Huntsman and Buddy Roemer. Otherwise, Republican voters should be prepared for the GOP to suffer its biggest Presidential defeat in its long, proud history. In terms of Jon Huntsman, he has an extremely strong foreign policy background (which during the Cold War actually meant something with Republican voters). As far as supporting a candidate like Buddy Roemer, well, GOP voters could walk away from a 2012 defeat with dignity and some glimmer of hope for the Party's political future.

Political Quote of the Week:
"If a corporation is a person, I can't wait until they get drafted in the next war."
~ Buddy Roemer on MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan Show
December 8, 2011



Photo Credit: Peter Rimar's wife in a gallery located in Beijing's 798 Art District (May 2008).
Reference Links:
Lipstick on a Pig
Dr. Strangelove

Donald Trump? Kingmaker?

Hollywood insider rumors that CBS is negotiating with Mr. Karl "527" Rove to appear with the host of Celebrity Apprentice on an upcoming season of Survivor: #Occupy Wall Street are untrue?

Question of the Week:
When did the GOP become
the Grand Obstructionists Party?

...perspective...

"Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh." ~ George Bernard Shaw

GOP Flavor of the Month: Newt Gingrich?

Back in June, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann first captured the hearts and minds of the Christian Right. Then, Texas Governor Rick Perry rode onto the national stage only to quickly fall off his unsaddled horse. After drinking a six pack of Lone Star Beer while watching Faux News, hungry GOP voters ordered up a $9.99 pizza from Mr. Herman Cain.

Three political love affairs later (pun intended), the ANYBODY BUT MITT parade continues with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich taking center stage. Seriously? Newt Gingrich? This blogger has two simple questions: who is answering the telephone when one of more than a dozen pollsters call? Do folks actually believe this man could get elected President?

Even the conservative sage George Will is shaking his political head,"Gingrich’s is an amazingly efficient candidacy, in that it embodies almost everything disagreeable about modern Washington. He’s the classic rental politician."
Read More...

At what point will Republican voters sober up, change the channel and take a serious look at Jon Huntsman or Buddy Roemer?

Gingrich Update:
November 27, 2011
Evidently, this blogger is completely out-of-touch with the winds of political change. The New Hampshire Union Leader, the only "Live Free or Die" state-wide newspaper, endorsed NEWT for the top of GOP ticket. NEWT?
Read More...

...Americana...

Cowboy Intersection, Gene Autry, Oklahoma (May 2010).

Pulp Fiction [Blu-ray]

Duverger's Law?

I've always found it rather strange that a majority of Democrats & Republicans fail to understand the historical roots of each respective party. The Constitution DID NOT create America's two-party system. While I've witnessed firsthand the corruption & abuse of a one-party system (i.e. while living & working in the People's Republic of China), today's polarized political landscape has "Republicrats" displaying more goose stepping loyalty to "THE PARTY" then "OUR COUNTRY".

Former Congressman Weiner is still wondering how men like Thomas Jefferson & Benjamin Franklin would have survived an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Hat with Hair

The Former King of K Street Speaks Out?

"Our system is flawed and needs to be fixed."
~ Jack Abramoff
60 Minutes
November 6, 2011




According to the Center for Responsive Politics (based on data collected from the Senate Office of Public Records), in 2010, 12,951 lobbyists worked the corridors of power in Washington D.C. on behalf of a long list of corporate clients. Read More...

If you think corporate influence on the democratic process is limited to just the White House and Capital Hill, think again.

The residents of quiet North Dakota, a state rarely mentioned in the national media, got an education on the real workings of crony capitalism. Earlier this year, the former Republican Governor personally lobbied the state's representatives in Bismarck to lower the tax rates for oil companies. As a thank you, one extremely grateful oil company gift wrapped a new job title and 11,945 shares of its own stock (worth over $770,000) to Ed Schafer. Read More...

No Higher Honor:
A Memoir of My Years in Washington ~ Condoleezza Rice (Hardcover)

Subliminal Message?

Dear Abby ~ I have this second cousin who drinks WAY too much TEA. He wears a FLAG, paints SILLY signs & screams at everyone in the family. What should I do? Signed ~ Mr. Coffee

Dancing with the Candidates?

Despite six long weeks on the campaign trail, three mediocre debates, early Koch Brothers support along with raising over 17 million dollars in cash donations, at this point in the "GOP Flavor of the Month" lottery, Chaz Bono has a better chance at being elected President than Governor Rick Perry.

When your house is on FIRE, it's absurd to argue with your wife about how to rearrange the furniture?

IF the American consumer doesn't value the country of origin of a product or service, why should international corporations?
Until Americans start voting with their wallets, it'll be almost impossible to create new jobs in a tight global marketplace.

"We need conservative ideas to modernize the U.S. economy and reform American government. But what we have instead are policies that don't reform but just cut and starve government — a strategy that pays little attention to history or best practices from around the world and is based instead on a theory. It turns out that conservatives are the woolly-headed professors after all." ~ Fareed Zakaria 
Read More...

Definition of Political Hypocrisy [hi-pok-ruh-see]?

Tea Party Bus

Fargo, North Dakota

(August 20th, 2010)

A "Made in Canada" bus rolling down the highway on "Spanish Tires" so American Voters could sign it with "Made In China" markers, then departing Fargo to drink even more IMPORTED OIL definitely sent a powerful political message. A Hollywood script writer couldn't even make this stuff up.

Zippo "Made In USA" Pocket Lighter

Election 2012?

A political exercise in the Dog-Ma-Nomics of 'Stone Soup'?

Compare: As of March, 2010, seven years after the invasion, the United States had spent $44.6 billion rebuilding Iraq.
READ MORE...




Contrast: Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, better known as the Stimulus Bill, $40 billion was allocated to provide extended unemployment benefits through Dec. 31, 2009 (with an increase of $25 a week). While it did not directly create new jobs, this money prevented millions of Americans from becoming HOMELESS in a contracting employment market. NO Republicans in the House of Representative and only three Republican Senators voted in flavor of providing economic relief to struggling families.

“Generosity is giving more than you can and pride is taking less than you need.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

Stone Soup (Paperback)

Help Wanted:

GOP Candidate for 2012 Election

Requirements:
Must be able to stay awake during a grinding debate schedule, speak without a Texas accent, raise lots of corporate campaign cash, enjoy long bus rides, drink tea and somehow connect with mainstream, independent voters without sounding crazy or stupid.

Application Deadline:
October 1st, 2011 (or as soon as possible)

Flavors of the Month Update: 
"Now is not my time." ~ Governor Chris Christie (October 4, 2011)
And Sarah Palin? NOT. (October 5, 2011)

The New Big Book of U.S. Presidents: Fascinating Facts about Each and Every President,
Including an American History Timeline (Hardcover)

Newt Gingrich SUCKS?

It's sad that in 2011, candidates still use racism to score cheap political points. 


During the first GOP Presidential Debate in New Hampshire (June 13, 2011), Newt Gingrich used the HATE & FEAR card to describe America's GOD & the tradition of separation of church & state. To illustrate his point, he described Faisal Shahzad's (the 30-year-old Pakistan-born, U.S. citizen who attempted to bomb Time Square on May 1st, 2010) response to the judge for his reasons behind his attempted terrorist attack. 

What Gingrich FAILED to mention was that Aliou Niasse, the street vendor who ALERTED the authorities & saved countless lives is a MUSLIM immigrant. Prior to 9-11, Timothy McVeigh (angry about Waco) carried out the single, largest terrorist attack on American soil. No wonder Newt's staff quit. He got way too much sun on his Greek cruise.

This country's founding fathers DID NOT create a NATIONAL religion. They created the BILL of RIGHTS to PROTECT Freedom of Religion. 
Why?
Can you say Church of England & the Vatican? Can you say "religious tolerance"? AND, oh by the way, state rights DO NOT & CAN NOT supersede the BILL of RIGHTS. PERIOD. This country fought a bloody civil war to sort out the original sin of "state rights" created by our Founding Fathers.

It's OK for a person to be black, white, red, green, blue, pink or GAY!
REALLY!
It's OK for a person to be a Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or Atheist!
REALLY!

Update: Newt wins South Carolina Primary?


Small note to readers: Politically, I'm an Independent. When I feel myself getting sucked into simplistic PARTY rhetoric, I force myself to READ & LISTEN to ALL sides of an issue. With that said, no matter what side of the political fence someone sits, I will NEVER accept the politics of HATE & FEAR. Period.

Running for President causes Mental Retardation?

The Driving Mrs. Daisy Psycho Talk Express takes another WRONG TURN in Florida?



Vince McMahon is in backroom negotiations with Merck and Koch Industries for a WWE Raw Battle Royal featuring Crony Capitalism vs. Unscientific Rhetoric?

Herman Cain offered Iowans a Free Pizza with every Prostate Exam?

Ron Paul thinks Nuclear Proliferation is like playing Call of Duty? It's just a video game?

After the recent Florida debate, Rick Santorum asked Jon Huntsman, "Who cut your hair?"

Newt Gringrich sold three more books on e-Bay to the John Birch Society?

Sarah Palin plans to introduce a Mama Grizzly fashion line at Target?

Thaddeus McCotter told Buddy Roemer a knock-knock joke about his dark horse campaign for the White House but forgot the punch line?

When Gary Johnson was queried by reporters about being locked out of the recent TeaPot Debate, the candidate replied "I have the munchies"?

...Americana...

Harley Dog ~ Edmond, Oklahoma (June 2010)

The Merck Manual of Patient Symptoms: 
A Concise, Practical Guide to Etiology, Evaluation, and Treatment

When did the GOP become the Party of NO?

Looking for Ronald Reagan
— and Not Finding Him
By Patti Davis
Time Magazine (Sept. 08, 2011)

"The moment that would have broken my father's heart was the moment when applause broke out at the mention of more than 200 executions ordered by Rick Perry in Texas. It was stunning and brought tears to my eyes. This is what we've come to? That we applaud at executions?"
Read More...


The Long Goodbye (Paperback)