Gnawfish

Minoritize

2010-04-27T21:41:00.003-04:00

It is said that the states are laboratories of democracy. So I am very interested to see how the new Arizona immigration law plays out.

If the world (or even just this country) is a place where justice exists, then the situation in which the Latino community in Arizona now finds itself in will eventually come full circle.

The current estimate for the percentage of white, non-Latino Arizonians stands at 58.4%. With the percentage of Latinos around 30%, and the rate at which it has been growing, it will not be very long before whites are the minority (a reality that will come much quicker if and when an inevitable amnesty is granted as part of a Federal immigration policy). The mistake that the majority made in Arizona is that it has not targeted criminals; it has targeted the minority.

The law will at best harass legal Latino citizens and at worse create a new Jim Crow culture. Don't think it's that big a deal? How angry are you if you get pulled over by the cops? Now imagine you did not do anything and the cop was just curious if you were a legal citizen. This will certainly motivate the Latino community. But to do what?

Once Latinos make up the majority, it would be within their ability to create the same law and target whites. What if a white person is an Irish immigrant with an expired student visa? Got to make sure, right? If you're a citizen, don't worry. Just be sure to have your papers and enjoy getting stopped constantly due to a newly elected and overzealous chief of police who is, at this point, a third generation Mexican immigrant.

A Terrorist Attack on Our Intelligence

2010-02-19T18:42:00.008-05:00

One of the only funny things I ever heard Jeff Foxworthy say was 'I thought I would be smarter at this point in my life.' Growing up, I just assumed adults were smart. They were bigger and sounded like they knew what they were saying. I have since learned this is not quite true.

Case in point: A crazy person doesn't want to pay his taxes (boo hoo) so he decides to crash a plane into an IRS building. This is of course insane and dumb beyond anyone's ability to express it in words. But is it terrorism? Um.. Huh?

The public is obsessed with trying to find out if this was an act of terrorism or not. Who cares? Like an infant looking for guidance, the American public seems to be looking for an adult to tell them what to think. And a lot of fringe crazies are happy to oblige. But what is the end game? What do we get if we call it terrorism? And why are people even asking the question? If someone could explain that, I would appreciate it.

Hume Ran Over the Buddha in the Road

2010-01-05T22:50:00.003-05:00

Ironically, all true Buddhists not only forgive Brit Hume for his offensive comments, i doubt any were even offended.

Speaking of Buddha, this is a picture taken by Meredith at a flea market with a plastic camera. She entered several pictures into a photo show and had one selected! Sadly, not this one though:

Jobs Summit Worked!

2009-12-04T09:14:00.003-05:00

Looks like Obama's job summit worked as unemployment improved more than expected today. Take that naysayers.

Kidding aside, I have been racking my brain trying to think of things to complain about. I keep coming back to the same thing every single time. I agree with what Obama is doing. What is wrong with me? Everybody hates Obama right now.

The left can't stand him for expanding the Afghan war. They feel he is moving too slowly on social issues and has not lived up to his promise of change and hope.

The right hates him because... well, I really don't know why the right hates him so much. He seems determined to compromise with their tiny and diminishing minority, treats them like adults and always brings them in on major policy points and hasn't even picked any partisan fights yet. I saw an 'Impeach Obama' and 'Don't blame me, I voted for McCain' bumper sticker the other day. I can't even wrap my head around why anyone would or could feel that way. I mean we had very good reasons to want to impeach Bush. And you really want the 90 year old guy as President?

Anyway, I still follow politics and events very closely. It just seems like every decision he has made so far, I see the wisdom in. Name the topic, I can name the rational and the pragmatic process in which it is being addressed. The Afghan war? I couldn't agree with more. BTW lefties, apparently you never watched a speech by Candidate Obama. And leave it to the right to come up with the dumbest talking points. 'Deadlines will just cause the Taliban to wait for 3 years'. Um, that would be great! You mean we would have three years to build up Afghan army/police/civilian infrastructure all the while incurring zero casualties? The Taliban would then attack when the Afghan's were united and at their strongest? What's the downside? And why do you think the Taliban would adopt such a stupid tactic? They want to win.

To sum up, good job Obama. Once healthcare is passed, you will have had the best first year as President since FDR. And seeing how the timing of the economy improving and troops being withdrawn will coincide with 2012 (2010 not looking great), looks like my 20's were dominated by stupidity and George Bush while my 30's will be dominated my pragmatism and Barrack Obama.

Rogue Speaker

2009-11-19T12:28:00.002-05:00

Jon Stewart had an interesting take on the Palin frenzy currently sweeping the nation surrounding her new book and book tour that kicked off this week. Essentially he tried to counter the argument that liberals don't like Palin because she's exotic, folksy, or a "rogue" telling it like it is. He argued liberals don't like Palin because she just seems to repeat the same old tired lines and tries to spin it as being new and fresh.

I would agree with that but I think her communication style will ultimately do her in politically. She seems to be incapable of stating an idea in a way where the way she expresses it does not distract the listener from the idea itself.

Now, I'm not talking about her accent, speaking tone, speaking rhythm, or anything mechanical. I'm talking about her diction. Each sentence seems to start on one side of a cliff and finishes on the other side of the cliff. It's evident that she is able to make the leap, but the problem is a lot of people aren't able to make it with her.

If this were the only problem, we would still probably be able to get the gist of what she says. However, she has a tenancy to also do the following:

1. Mis-conjugate verbs
2. Lose pronoun clarity
3. Mix metaphors

Hey, I'm not a perfect communicator. But I think these things will ultimately doom Sarah Palin politically. The family drama, the missteps, the gaffes, the bizarre behavior and decisions... I think she can make it through those. Being able to express an idea clearly and not make an audience uncomfortable trying to do so... that is where she'll lose out.

A Laureate Indeed

2009-10-09T09:03:00.002-04:00

"Psst. Sir. Wake up sir."

"Mmph. Huh?"

"Sir, wake up!"

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Big news sir! You won the Nobel Peace Prize!"

"Wha? I mean... huh?"

Vs Poland?

2009-09-17T11:47:00.003-04:00

Is there some Iranian/Polish hostilities I am not aware of? Iran and Israel. Iran and the U.S. I get it.

But the Czech Republic? What?

And do we have missile defense? I always hear about how the technology we currently have doesn't work. So i guess i have no real opinion on putting up fake missile defense protecting countries from other countries that have no desire to fire missiles at them. Seems like a good situation. They won't fire and we can't intercept. Win Win.

Had a Little Run-In

2009-09-14T18:15:00.017-04:00

As you may know, I am an avid runner. I was in the mountains this past weekend to do the Asheville Citizen Times Half Marathon and had an interesting adventure.

The course was different this year from year's past. The race organizers decided that the hardest half marathon in the state was not quite hard enough and so they decided to add a half dozen new hills to the course. It was while traversing up one of these hills that our story begins...

It was around mile 8 and I was completely focused on the task at hand. Half way up one of the larger new additions, I had my head down and was leaning slightly forward. This technique of 'falling-forward' is my biggest secret for toppling large hills (I guess having 5 foot long legs doesn't hurt either). I find that there is much art to climbing hills. Many whither at the mere sight of raised earth but I pride myself on focusing in and conquering the obstacle. Such was the case when I felt the earth slowly arch upward to the top. My speed was good. I was running around a 6:50/mile pace as i reached the top where I was momentarily interrupted by the mass of an above average sized man who had just walked directly in front of me.

While it is true I was looking generally down, I could still spot what was five to ten feet directly in front of me. So no one was more surprised than I when I suddenly saw a large mass invade my soon to be space. My pure momentum was too much to overcome and I plowed into this man at 9 or 10 mph. The blur was wearing a yellow vest indicating he was one of the many volunteers to help protect us from the dangers on the road. The event took me by such surprise, I immediately blurted out "JESUS CHR!!!" - I remember not finishing the sin due to years of Catholic orthodoxy. But, as it turns out, it was not Jesus Christ. A fact that would be made very clear in the moments to come.

It was over in an instant and before I knew it I was already 10 or 15 feet past the unfortunate barrier. It was at this time when i heard a completely unmistakable sound emanating from behind me - rage. I heard absolute and pure energy ignite behind me. Piecing it together, I replayed the events of the previous 10 seconds to try to understand fully what had happened. This thought was interrupted by a new noise - Foot steps.

Now you would think such a noise would be common. And in a lot of ways you would be correct. I mean, this was a race after all. I knew there to be several runners in my general vicinity. But these footsteps seemed different. Heavier and more labored. These were not the footsteps of a person on their 9th mile of a half marathon. These were the footsteps of someone on a short distance mission. Now let me be clear: I cannot validate that the man with whom I just shared a massive collision with was in fact running after me. I did not turn around to view the face of death nor stick around to find out for myself what (if anything) was taking place behind me. I moved on. To the future. I am not one to dwell. One most always look forward. After all, there were races to run. So on I did go. Running.

Down the hill I went. Turning potential energy into kinetic energy, i picked up speed as the earth curved downward beneath my feet. I have never been a big fan of going down hills. If you pass me going down and I pass you going up, I always win. That's a rule.

The bit of unpleasantness was a distant 20 seconds gone by. I had re-focused and was looking to find and pass the high school aged girl whom was currently (inexplicably) ahead of me in 7th place. This thought was replaced by the realization that there was a vehicle approaching at full speed directly behind me. Breaking all rules, I turned my head to assess the situation. Running in the middle of the road, I did all I could to get over to the right to avoid being run down. As i swerved right, the car, police lights flashing, swerved left. Our motion a high speed tango, carefully coordinated after years of planning in many high budget action films. After passing me, the flashing vehicle swerved directly in front of me. Out popped a man. A pudgy, red-faced man, about 5'10" and no less than 265 lbs. On the front of his yellow vest read 'Police'. He had one message for me and was not shy in delivering it: "GET OVER TO THE SIDE NOW!"

To say the man in front of me was upset would be completely inaccurate. His mood, if i could characterize it, would be much closer to murderous rage. This truly was a kind of anger that I had never experienced before in my life. As I ran closer to him a thought popped into my head. An awful, wonderful little idea - 'Keep Going!' I knew full well it would be illegal to disobey a legal order given by a police officer (whom this man apparently was). But every runner has the fantasy that they, if need be, could outrun someone if they were up against it. A burglar, a thug, a cop? I know I have. And I always get away in that day dream. But the thought of checking the 'Convicted of a Crime' box and worse explaining that i was convicted of "collide and run while participating in a fun run" was a bit much for me to accept. I stopped and obeyed the order of the red faced, pudgy hulk in front of me.

He looked right at me (disgusted) and made a motion to the car. I honestly was just about to put my hands on his car, 100% certain that he would cuff me. Instead the man started in with what, in a normal situation, would seem like very relevant questions. However given the current context bordered on the absurd.

Officer: Did you not see me?
What I thought: Did you not see ME?
What I said: I had my head down going up the hill. I never saw you. And i certainly did not know you were a police officer.

Officer: Did you not see this? (pointing to the front of the vest saying 'Police', his rage not diminished at all)
What I said: You had your back to me. It was all a blur [laughing at this point]

Officer: You just KEPT ON GOING!
What i said: It's a race. [I then looked down at my watch]
Officer: DON'T LOOK AT YOUR WATCH! I DON'T GIVE A **** ABOUT YOUR TIME!!!!!

Officer: We are out here protecting you and this is how you repay us?
What I thought: You almost killed me twice
What i said: [No longer piss my pants afraid of the red faced member of Asheville's finest nor the gun he had full access to] I'm sorry, I never meant to run into you.

All told he yelled at me for more than a full minute. Finally, he looked at my race number and told me to "Get out of here". His thoughts transparent. 'I've got your number buddy'. With a thankful smile, I continued on my way. No longer falling forward, I returned to turning potential energy into kinetic energy.

Putting a Face To Stupid

2009-09-10T09:26:00.001-04:00

Good job Joe Wilson. You really helped your cause.

Dear Crazies

2009-09-08T12:28:00.002-04:00

Dear Crazies,

The President of the United States can address your kids. Your biggest fears (such as your child will turn gay or black) are not based in the realm of what we call reality. If you don't like what he says to them (stay in school, work hard) then you are the problem.

A glipse into the mind of insanity (from the above referenced article):

"Thinking about my kids in school having to listen to that just really upsets me," suburban Colorado mother Shanneen Barron told CNN Denver affiliate KMGH last week, before the text of the speech was released.

"I'm an American. They are Americans, and I don't feel that's OK. I feel very scared to be in this country with our leadership right now."

I have always been a big fan of Americans who are too patriotic to support the democratically elected President of the United States. I don't know how such a small minority of people get so much press, but all i hear about are birthers, teabaggers, and this tiny band of conservative loons constantly from the main stream press. These sub 80 IQ morons must account for about 75% of political stories I see and are comprised of about 5% of the population.

Can't Throw Harry Out With the Bathwater

2009-09-02T15:49:00.003-04:00

We all know the Republican mantra - Big government is bad because its inefficient and ineffective (always sounded more the way Republicans govern rather than government itself, but i digress). Often, you will hear the urban legends of the welfare queens driving Cadillacs or the people who refuse to work and lounge around all day on their plush $800 dollars per month. What you never hear though is the Liberals amongst us calling our Conservative friends on this claim. How do we call them on it? More oversight.

That's right, more government. How is this not inefficient? Two words - Harry S. Truman. I guess that's two words and a letter. Anyway, how did he make a name for himself? The Truman Committee. Government oversight at its best. He investigated and even prosecuted war profiteers and recovered billions of dollars. He was even accused of being un-American (a charge that was especially powerful during a time of war). But his investigations put a stop to waste at a critical time in our history (when we could ill afford to waste even an old tire).

The Republican argument is that since there are inefficiences and waste in the system (see their views on healthcare, welfare, medicare, etc) that it is best to axe those programs and live with the consequences (lower taxes, more suffering unless i'm missing something). The typical Liberal answer is to deny these claims. It's a much better arument to just introduce better(perhaps sweeping) oversight. That's right, if you take money/services from the government, you should be prepared to be investigated by the government.

If we do that, the argument that we have to throw the baby out with the bathwater no longer works.

In the Skin of a Lion

2009-08-26T12:40:00.002-04:00

Mike's academic and thorough essay about Ted Kennedy got me thinking. Mostly about Richard Nixon.

You see, I had the same reaction Mike did about Ted Kennedy dying when I heard Richard Nixon had died. I remember hearing people say how great he was, his trip to China, etc and thinking if they were talking about someone else. 'Your are still talking about that monarch lunatic who ruled America like a king without regard to law or anything else?' I guess when people die, it is natural (for those not like Mike or I) to only want to think of their good sides.

So here are some good things to balance the man's evils:
1. He was a Kennedy. That's pretty cool.
2. He was a senator for like 50 years.
3. He did lots of liberal (read that as good) things for the country. Such as Title IX, voting rights, and AIDS funding.
4. He had a great head of hair on him.
5. He was a good compromiser in the senate.
6. Had one of the best speeches of the 20th century. At John's funeral. 'Some men look at the world and ask "why". My brother looked at the world and asked "why not"'.

RIP Mary Jo Kopechne

2009-08-26T10:18:00.002-04:00

I noticed that Chappaquiddick Killer died last night. While he was never punished by the law for his transgressions, he was forced to experience his brain rotting out of his head for the last year of this life. Karma truly is a bitch.

So long asshole.

The Death of Healthcare is Slightly Exaggerated

2009-08-24T12:20:00.003-04:00

I watch and read a lot of political commentary. I mix it up by reading very conservative, very liberal, and everything in between. But there is one thing everyone completely agrees with: President Obama is a complete failure and his health care reform bill is dead on arrival.

Ok, first off, he doesn't have a bill. He has provided for several guidelines on how Congress should go about making a bill. There are 3 major bills right now (1 in the House, 2 in the Senate). But there is no Obama bill. This certainly has made the legislative process more difficult than it even typically is (like watching the sausage factory be built maybe). The President has been forced to explain things in generalities and hypotheticals (two things our citizenry often have trouble with). But this process is far from failure.

First off, it won't be failing anytime soon. Depending on who you ask, there may not be a vote scheduled until well into next year. So literally, we are a way off before there would be a failure. Next, the House is pretty close to having enough support. The key sticking point seems to be if the Senate is dead set against a public option and the House is dead set for the public option. The kind of compromises needed here are not exactly historic. Finally, the Democrats control the Legislative and Executive branches of government. There doesn't need to be a great coming together of Republicans and Democrats. The Democrats just need to get everyone on board. Tough task, yes. Tougher than getting Southern Republicans to buy into Universal Health Care? Umm, no.

Welcome to the Gnew Gnawfish Blog!

2009-08-20T23:09:00.003-04:00

Well, I've finally done it. I've gone ahead and gotten rid of my grey-matter blogging engine. I spent about two weeks of my life getting it up and running back in like 2006, and now it's a memory (Actually all my old posts are available in the archives section to the left).

Anywho, you may have noticed a new blog email alert system as well. Just going to utilize google groups. Believe it or not, this entire blogging system you are looking at is just blogger (severely hacked of course).

To those whom would like log-ins to blog, just let me know. The best blogs are yet to come(?)