Random thoughts on recent politics

Hello, once again, all. I will update you on what has been happening in the past… well, forever…

I have left the oilfields for a better prospect and have been hard at work going through the classes needed to do my new job. For those of you who know my background, I have gone back to a previous field of work… nuclear power. For those who don’t know me well but want to know more, you have but to ask. There are so many more benefits to my new job (like spending time with my wife and children at home every night) that outweigh the fact that I’ll be making just a little less than I would have in the oilfield. Having been in fields that took me away from my family more times than not over the past 12 years, it has been a refreshing six weeks with them. So while I apologize for not updating this blog, I do not necessarily feel bad about it. But now it’s back to business.

I have been following just about every debate that I can, as well as watching Fox News (aka Faux News), CNN (aka Clinton News Network), and MSNBC (does anyone have an alias for that one?) and listening to National Public Radio. So I think it’s safe to say I’ve been hearing things from all angles. And here’s some questions and thoughts that have come into my mind recently…

1) How can people lean towards one candidate or another based solely on what they say at an event? I mean, are we so blinded by mass media that we do not look into their voting records and such? For example, Guiliani wants to be tough on illegal immigrants, but look what he did in NYC. Romney is against abortion all of a sudden, which is GREAT if you ask me (just another one on the side of LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness), but where’s the proof that he changed his mind years ago as he claimed. Without proof, he is just saying it so we hear what we want to hear. And Clinton… don’t even get me started on her. She continues to say what we want to hear, but do the complete opposite. Her voting record is against the benefit of the American people. And although she claims to have made a mistake for voting for the war, she is chugging along the same track to lead us to war with Iran, while stating that we shouldn’t do that.

2) How can these candidates campaign against recent votes, bills, and vetoes in Washington if they were not there to do their job and vote as well? Maybe because it’s very convenient, doing it their way. for double talk. Tell one group you would have voted yes, then tell another group you would have voted no, just so everyone hears what they want to hear. Note to all of them… do your jobs! Let me get this straight… we are allowing these people to run a year ahead of traditional campaigns, throwing money at them left and right in a time when we have no money anymore, and allowing them to spend our money while not actually doing their jobs? Shame on them and us. Oh yeah, shame on the States for playing along as well by moving so many primaries up.

3) Why do all the media outlets play snippets of Guiliani and Romney going back and forth like a couple of 3rd graders, but leave out real quotes such as Ron Paul, when asked about what he would do about the aging bridges across the country, who answered (and I’m not quoting exactly, but the gist is there) “We go to other countries, spend money to blow up their bridges and then spend money to rebuild their bridges while ours are in poor shape. Our priorities are not where they need to be”? I believe it’s because if there was no war… if there were no bridges collapsing, killing many… then there would be no sensational news. Then we could be content to watch 30 to 60 minutes of news every night again and get all we need to know. This would, of course, eliminate the 24 hour “news” channels.

4) Shame on nobody to actually ask Guiliani about him getting so much airtime on Fox News, which he helped come to a broadcasting power while mayor of NYC. It makes me need to shower thinking that he might actually be the leader of this country. I mean it… my wife already wants me to give this dream up and move away to a country where people are actually free.

5) Another shame… Shame on NPR for a recent report with a religious leader who said that his congregation might have to a) vote for the lesser of two evils, or b) not vote at all. People who do not even consider that they could vote for a third party candidate are idiots. I’m sorry, but there is no other way for me to display how I feel.

VOTING FOR THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS IS STILL VOTING FOR EVIL!

And not voting at all only makes you deserve everything that happens in that four years time. You would have no room to complain because you did nothing to prevent it.

6) What is with our President and his paper thin sham where he is trying to well now? First of all, he’s trying to make the Democrats look bad. He vetoed money for our nation’s children saying it was fiscally irresponsible. Then he asks for 200 billion to further the “war” effort. The House sent him a bill for 50 billion and a deadline to be out by. The President vetoed it and then said the Democrats were keeping the military from having funds. First of all, he sounds no better than a spoiled little child who didn’t get his way 9and if you ask me, he is just that). It is not the Democrats alone. It is all of them. There are people who say that by stating a deadline, we will admit defeat and tell the enemy the date we will retreat. To those, I present (and open for debate) that we won the war. We won it quickly and decisively a long time ago. Now we are acting as police. Iraq should have taken over their own country years ago. To give a deadline is not admitting defeat. We already won. It would be telling Iraq “no more suckling as of this date”. And for John McCain, who I have the utmost respect for. He has been through what any of us in the military dreads, and come out stronger for it. I also admire anyone who had the guts to do what he asks the current military to do. He did not run from his duty. I love him for his stand on torture and his dedication to the veterans, but I ask that when he go overseas he talk to the common soldier. Officers, like politicians, will often tell you what you want to hear. In today’s military, you don’t go far speaking out for what’s right. How many generals did Bush go through until he found one that said “your plan makes sense”? Today’s enlisted are not all like what they used to be either. A lot of them have smarts, are educated, and can tell you what’s really going on. I’m not even suggesting to hear one side, but at least hear both sides (and NOT a staged group of people either… I’ve been asked to do that when I was in the Navy, to which I said no). I would love to meet McCain out of respect for what he has done for this country, but I cannot agree with him about the war we are waging currently.

7) Lastly, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and will have an enjoyable Christmas or Hanukkah. Remember, times are tough no matter what the government says, but these holidays have nothing to do with money. This would be a great time to reflect back on what the meanings of these holidays truly are. And for those of you who are my oilfield friends or ex Navy buddies, I hope and pray that you get to be home for the holidays.

Please drop me a line, my friends, and spread the word. It’s time to throwback to the days when freedom was the way of life and we were the good guys!

Rich

P.S. Please ask me about things you want to know about... either my views on any topic at all or anything about me.