"I don't think Newt Gingrich got into this race, originally, thinking he was going to be President. I think he was doing it for personal publicity. Ron Paul is a message candidate. He's just out there to get his Libertarian message out there. I think he's quite sure that he's not going to become the President of the United States. Mitt Romney is the only one that ever had a real chance once Pawlenty dropped out and Rick Perry imploded. He's the only one with a real chance to win this thing." 
~ Ron Reagan on MSNBC Live
February 6, 2012

Feeling depressed? Try hunting with Dick Cheney?

Remember when the word Google wasn't a word? Remember when the acronym W-M-D meant Waste Management Disposal? Remember when "corduroy pants" were cool? This status update was brought to you by the makers of Hostess Twinkies.


Corporate insider rumors that Bain Capital is planning a hostile takeover of this American snack food icon are untrue? Mitt Romney plans to announce his economic strategy to save us from a Twinkie apocalypse? Rick Perry wants President Obama to call out the Texas National Guard? Donald Trump demands to see the Twinkie's Original Birth Certificate?
Read More...
The Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food

Dear Governor Rick Perry ~ Why is Texas Pete Hot Sauce made in North Carolina?

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let each new year find you a better man.” 
~ Benjamin Franklin





The Wines of New Mexico (Paperback)

Karl Rove's Answering Machine?

Rick Perry: Hey Karl. This is Rick again. After our Vail meeting with the Koch Brothers back in June, this whole running for President sounded like a sure thing. Heck, waiting until after the debt ceiling crisis to announce the campaign was outstanding advice.

[PAUSE]

I'm not sure why no one is answering my calls. I've left a dozen messages with the folks over at Faux News, but they keep telling me you're out. Anyhow, it'd be great buddy if you could call me back. The wife's cooked up your favorite brisket and potato salad...

[BEEP]

Hello? Karl? You there? Hello?

[CLICK]

Astroturfing versus Occupy?
Wikipedia: The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies. Can you say corporate greed in bed with an unresponsive government?

Bilingual Sign in Burger King Parking Lot, Socorro, New Mexico (September 2009).
Burger King Deluxe Latex Mask

Bloomberg Markets Magazine
Koch Brothers Flout Law Getting Richer
With Secret Iran Sales
By Asjylyn Loder and David Evans - Oct 3, 2011
Read More...

The following comment was posted by an anonymous reader regarding Bloomberg's featured exposé on Koch Industries:

"As a Kock employee I know for a fact that if you call their compliance line to report anything that violates their code of coduct that you will end up being fired. I've seen it happen with several former employees, and they are in the process of trying to fire a person who just reported illegal activities.

So maybe you should look up the facts first. I live the horror of the Koch brothers everyday. They only believe in liberalism for themselves and their billionaire friends. The rest of us are just ants that need to be squashed."


"The culture of investment banks was conveyed to commercial banks and everyone got involved in the high-risk gambling mentality. That mentality was core to the problem that we're facing now." 
~ Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize-winning economist (September 19, 2008)

Suggested Reading Links:
Glass-Steagall Act
Astroturfing
Echo Chamber
Nation of Whiners?
Health Care Reform Fact Checker

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]

This week in American History?

Poor Rick Perry & Michele Bachmann. Who actually remembers the Presidential Election of 1936? Alf Landon? Or his running mate Frank Knox? The latter of which went on to serve under FDR as Secretary of the Navy during World War II, but I'll leave this feel good political story for another bipartisanship kind of day.

So, what else happened THIS WEEK? The approval rating for the U.S. Congress, the bedrock of this country's democratic principals and ideals, is now in single digits. According to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll, only 9% of the American people think our representatives are actually doing a decent j-o-b. While GOP voters are still searching for a Presidential candidate to support, Congressional incumbents from both parties are wondering if they'll still have a j-o-b after the next election.
Read More...

Beyond Lindsay Lohan posing nude for Playboy, the #Occupy Wall Street Movement and the ongoing trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, one story got this Blogger's attention. While it's a story which will never appear as some future newspaper sidebar highlighting this week in American History, it's a story which reminds us all, that during this specific week, the United States is still a country at war:

CBS News
Soldier in Afghanistan killed during
14th deployment
October 25, 2011
Read More...

...reflections...

IUC Nurse at the bedside of Medal of Honor Recipient 
Marine Corporal Jason Dunham 

Ibn Sina Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq

April 2004

Photos by Peter Rimar.

Rick Perry's New Campaign Slogan?

"Please STOP touching me!"

Another brick in the wall?

Bricks on the Great Wall of China

March 2008

Badaling, PRC

Dragon Rising: An Inside Look at China Today (Hardcover)

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.

Should politicians wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers to identify their corporate sponsors?

The following is a man-on-the-street interview about the 
Occupy Wall Street Movement 
that DID NOT make it on Faux News:


Onion News: 
Rumors that Rick Perry invited Dick Cheney to go hunting are untrue.

Bachmann Update: 
Candidate runs out-of-gas in Iowa?
Read More...

Class Warfare Update: 
Buddy Roemer is the first & only GOP Presidential candidate to issue a statement offering his support for the Occupy Wall Street Movement.
Read More...

Happy World Teachers' Day!

Photo of Chinese Classroom in Changsha, PRC by Peter Rimar (July 2009).

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)

$1,000,000 Peccadilloes Bounty?

Larry Flynt (aka Mr. Hustler) has offered a seven figure payday for anyone with sexually unsavory information involving the current GOP front runner for El Presidente. The following is a digital copy of a full-page paid advertisement which appeared in the Austin Chronicle (August 19th, 2011):

If the Koch Brothers can quietly spend over $100,000,000 marketing a repackaged brand of Libertarian soap, this blogger has no problem with Mr. Flynt offering $1,000,000 of his own money to uncover hidden dirt on the Texas Governor.

Why?

Honestly, I'm less concern with Perry's private life and more alarmed by the cozy business connections he's fostered as Governor of Texas. For this blogger, while most journalists focused on Perry's poor performance during the recent debates, considering Gary Johnson was allowed to join the GOP's Florida Beach Party, I questioned why Buddy Roemer was once again kept off stage:



Until the voters in this country demand real campaign finance reform, laws which actually limit the power of corporate money and influence, the politically-motivated pornographic paralysis being played out in Washington D.C. will continue.

After cutting taxes in 2001 and then spending $1.3 trillion for two ongoing wars, the GOP threatened to shut down the government over $3.65 billion designated for disaster relief? Playing politics with people struggling to rebuild their lives is just plain WRONG!

Observation: It appears that Karl Rove's GOP campaign strategy for the 2012 Election is to STOP the government from functioning while slowly driving the economy off yet ANOTHER financial cliff.
Read More...

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

Campaign Psycho Talk Update: Bush 3.0

Governor Rick Perry now says his understanding of Galileo comes entirely from the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.

"If there were only one truth, you couldn't paint a hundred canvases on the same theme." 
~ Pablo Picasso
Artists of the 20th Century: Pablo Picasso (DVD)

Dear Governor Rick Perry

This POST is NOT about your rather poor grades as a student at Texas A&M. Yes, that D in the Principals of Economics is a bit alarming, but then again, it was the summer of 1970. Love was in the air. The United States had just pulled the troops out of Cambodia, President Richard Nixon lowered the voting age to 18 and Casey Kasem made his debut as the host of American Top 40.

Report cards are overrated. Just ask Glenn Beck about his DAY at Yale. Heck, Albert Einstein was a bad student. But then again, he did win the Noble Prize in Physics and helped change the whole 20th Century (but that story is for another day).

Additionally, I'm not going to waste your time writing about the 21,000 Texas wildfires (which burned 3.7 million acres of land and destroyed 1,915 homes valued at $100 million dollars). Nobody can control Mother Nature. Not even the Prophet Ron Paul. Indeed, the best time to CUT state funding for the Texas Forest Service and assistance grants for volunteer fire departments is during a drought. It makes perfect sense. Why prevent a crisis when you can look like a leader during a crisis? Why waste oil revenue on land management or funding local fire departments when the Federal Government can ride into Austin and write the state a big fat FEMA check. Just look at how much money Louisiana made by not improving the levee system around New Orleans. Why spend 30 million dollars for levees (or fire prevention) when you can milk billions of dollars from FEMA?

To be honest, when I sat down to write this commentary, I was extremely tempted to bring up your cozy business relationship with the Koch Brothers. It's expensive to run for public office. Power is crack and money buys crack. It's tough breaking the political addiction to special interest cash. IF you ever decide to seek help, Buddy Roemer has just organized a support group for Presidential Candidates (see previous Buddy post).

Anyhow, this POST is only about Social Security. Enough educated folks have written about your incorrect usage of the words Ponzi Scheme, so I won't bore you with another silly classroom lecture.


This POST has only one simple message: Wall Street will NEVER get its hands on Social Security. It is NOT a 401K investment plan. Period. So, no matter how much 527 money the Koch Brothers pump into their private Libertarian crusade, Social Security will survive. And do you know why? It's simple. This country will NEVER allow millions of senior citizens to become homeless. Even Minister Michele Bachmann took the time to read Ronald Reagan's Presidential Memo regarding Social Security.

After the Wall Street Meltdown in 2008, do you really think a majority of Americans trust the financial markets to provide a retirement safety net? Social Security is NOT broken. Who fixes low air in a tire by driving the car off a cliff? Unless of course the real political prize is to completely privatize Social Security. Am I Fed Up? No.

Joke of the Week:
"Dick Cheney's memoir, 'Eat, Pray, Waterboard,' has a lot of revelations. For instance, Dick Cheney was actually born in a hut in Kenya. His first heart attack occurred when he accidentally saw himself naked. He also admits to fathering Beyonce's baby." ~ David Letterman

The Battle for Social Security:
From FDR's Vision To Bush's Gamble (Hardcover)

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)

The Psycho Talk Express Runs Out Of $2 Gas

Ann Coulter called Ed Rollins. 
She wants her crazy-right-wingnut title back.

Actually, this particular POST is not about Minister Michele Bachmann's recent crash landing in various national polls. Yes, less than a month ago, she captured the Iowa Straw Poll. However, once Texas Governor Rick Perry stampeded his 527 herd into the race, even the early financial affection of the Koch Brothers couldn't save her campaign.

Also, this POST is not about praying for $2 gasoline or the record number of rigs drilling for oil in the United States (highest level since 1987). The oil companies are pumping MORE American crude than before Bush senior's administration (but let's not allow silly facts to get in the way of the GOP's talking points).

Last night on MSNBC (September 6, 2011), Rachael Maddox interviewed Buddy Roemer. Who is Buddy Roemer? Twenty-five years ago, there was this term widely used in the media to describe a specific group of below the Mason-Dixon Line politicians. They were called Southern Democrats. Basically, this wing of the Democratic Party identified themselves as foreign policy hawks and fiscal conservatives. After President Ronald Reagan, many of these Southern Democrats switched over to the Republican Party.

Despite being out of politics for almost 20 years, Buddy Roemer, one of these former Southern Democrats turned Republican, is running for President on the GOP ticket.

Why?

This man knows he has a better chance of landing on the moon than winning the nomination. So, why should folks listen to his thoughts about the current State of this Polarized Union? Well, instead of putting words into his mouth or trying to loosely paraphrase his remarks, here's an extended excerpt from that interview:

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

In fairness to Comedy Central's Steven Colbert, the comedian has been working to educate Americans on the corrupting power of special interest money. In the case of Buddy Roemer, if given the opportunity, his campaign has the potential to expose the political onion to a wider audience. I wonder if the American people are ready to listen?

“If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything.”
~ Mark Twain

Photo by Peter Rimar. Changsha, P.R.C. (October 2008).
Hostile Takeover:
How Big Money and Corruption Conquered Our Government
And How We Take It Back (Paperback)

What?! East Coast Earthquake?

Bachmann, Perry and Romney BLAME President Obama?

The GOP's absurd campaign rhetoric has reached the point that if President Obama said he loved Apple Pie, the Republican candidates would find a reason to dogmatically call it left-wing, socialist food.



Photo of President Obama on a Bus in Hong Kong, S.A.R. (July 2009)
Apple Pie: An American Story (Hardcover)

Bachmann WINS Iowa Straw Poll

Do I BELIEVE that "she believes" she'll actually be elected President? No. Based on this answer, what's her agenda?


IF Congresswoman Bachmann wants to be elected to this country's highest office, she deserves the same level of professional & public scrutiny as President Obama (and ALL the Presidents before him).

The following stories take a hard look at this candidate's personal and political background:


The New Yorker
Leap of Faith ~ 
The making of a Republican front-runner.
by Ryan Lizza
READ MORE...

Rolling Stone
Michele Bachmann's Holy War
By Matt Taibbi
READ MORE...

The Los Angeles Times
Bachmann's had her share of government aid
By Melanie Mason and Matea Gold (Washington Bureau)
READ MORE...

Army Times
Bachmann plan would cut veterans benefits
By Rick Maze
READ MORE...

There must be a reason why 67% of "polled" Republicans DO NOT like the current field of TEN candidates. It's a bit curious that Texas Governor Rick Perry waited until AFTER the debt ceiling crisis to announce his run for the White House. Can you say Karl Rove?

Oddball Iowa: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Paperback)

Debt Ceiling Debate?

Some members of Congress negotiate like the North Koreans. IF they don't get want they want, they threatened the nuclear option.




Obstructionism is not leadership? 
FACT: The Federal debt ceiling was raised 18 times during President Ronald Reagan's 8 years in office. The last time Congress didn't need to raise the debt ceiling was under President Harry Truman.
READ MORE...

The American people elected our representatives to act in the best interest of the country as a whole and NOT on behalf of some mythical ideological brew supported by two billionaire brothers with enough SOFT money to influence national elections.
READ MORE...
READ MORE...

How Congress Works and Why You Should Care (Paperback)