First Presidential Debate


America witnessed the first debate of this presidential election. Well, calling it a debate is a bit of a stretch. It was really just an extended campaign speech cut into really small segments. It should have included Ralph Nader. His inclusion would have brought real issues to the forefront and forced real answers - not the prerehearsed, canned responses that both candidates spewed.

So who won? Despite the clearly liberal slant to pundits on network television, George W. Bush won the debate. Even with his trademark long pauses, mumbling and often-confused looks, his answers destroyed those of Kerry.

John Kerry attempted to dispel the flip-flop issue, but only succeeded in proving it is justified. He said that the President did not give enough equipment to our troops, but was zinged by Bush when it was pointed out that Kerry voted "against" that very funding.

Kerry was for and against a preemptive attack policy. He stated that "as long as we remain a country that will conduct a preemptive war, we're inviting people to do the very thing that we don't want them to do." But a few minutes later when asked directly if he would support preemptive action, he stated "The President always has the right, and always has had the right for preemptive strike.” And then as if to save face, he committed his largest flub when he said that he would only support a preemptive action that passed a "global test." What the hell does that mean?

How can you trust a guy that can't even wait until the end of his own answer to flip-flop?

The media will tell you that Kerry won the debate and will use almost all their air time to pump up Kerry or denegrate Bush... don't believe it? Get a stopwatch and time it.

Does this debate clear anything up? No. We all knew Kerry was a flip-flopper before the debate. We all knew that Bush stumbles over his words and occasionally appears to have brain lock while speaking. We all knew that Kerry would say whatever he thought would get him elected. We all knew he would attack George Bush. We all knew that Bush would pounce on the flip-flop issue. We all knew he would defend what our troops are doing in Iraq. We all knew Kerry would lament what our troops are doing in Iraq. So what was the reason for the debate? It wasn't to reveal any new information to the public.

What is the difference between these candidates? On foreign policy, the difference is that Bush will continue to push aggressively to defeat terrorism. Sure, Bush will slide HUGE big business pork through the back door while beating a drum and waving a flag out the front - but Kerry will slide HUGE big business pork through the back door while weakening the US position in the world... and that is just too dangerous a difference.

In addition, there will be several Supreme Court justices appointed during the next term and their effect will last for a generation. That is a scary thought...

- posted by Chris @ 9:59 PM 0 comments

 
Thank you
I want to take a second to say thank you to all the people who have called and/or written with their condolences. I am truly thankful to have so many great friends and family members and I appreciate all the support.

I thought I would also give the complete rundown of what led to Sam's passing - as much for exercising of personal demons as to explain to those of you still unclear about the details. (CAUTION: What follows is sad and very emotional - I stopped to cry three times while writing it and cried again when I reread it.)

Being a very large dog, Sam was stricken with hip dysplasia. As a result of this condition, Sam's rear legs had slowly degraded in size and range of motion. While he was still able to get around, Sammy walked stiffly and from time to time his hind legs betrayed him enough to give him trouble getting up or moving quickly. A little over a week ago, the always-stoic Samson started limping while favoring his right front leg. He never really showed too many signs of pain or discomfort - an occasional whimper when he moved the leg wrong and a sad glance my way was the extent of his complaining.

Thinking the limp was some acute overuse injury, I decided to give it a little time and see if it got better. It would get a little better and he would move more freely and then without warning would go back to being more severe. After a week of spending most of the day on the couch and limping when it was time to go out, I decided to take him to the vet. The idea was to see if he had dislocated his shoulder or had some other treatable injury.

The ride to the vet was very tough as I had to lift him into the vehicle and out. He also had a lot of trouble with the slick floor of the vets office. (I think these floors are reprehensible and obviously put in place for ease of cleaning with no concern for the comfort or needs of their patients.)

The vet and I agreed on a set of xrays to determine what was going in the troubled limb and I helped get him into the xray room. The waiting room was a horrible experience as I spent what seemed like eternity, but was actually about 15 minutes waiting to hear the results. The doctor returned with the xrays and a very long face.

The problem with Sam's leg was cancer of the long-bones... a common form of cancer in large breed dogs. The vet was amazed at how far the disease had progressed and that Sam was able to walk at all. He was also shocked that Sam was not constantly whimpering in pain... but Sam was like that - a very tough dog that never complained. His prognosis was 1 to 3 months to live at the outside.

The options I was given were a) treat the cancer with kemotherapy and the pain with pain killers, b) do nothing and let nature take its course, or c) put him to sleep.

I was told that treating him would possibly prolong his life by a month or two and would put him in a zombie drugged-up state. It would also require him to be carried from room to room - assisted in his trips outside to use the bathroom and he would not be very responsive throughout. Doing nothing would increase his pain substantially as the final months ticked by and would not only entail the same assistance, but it would also be painful to him each time he was moved. The final option seemed the most humane... I really could not see making his pain last any longer.

The doctor asked what I would like to do and I couldn't find the words to answer. He assisted me by asking if I would like to put him down... again, I tried to answer, but could not. With tears swelling in my eyes and a lump in my throat, all I could do was nod without making eye contact. The doctor said he would make the arrangements and asked if I would like to be present. Again, a nod was all I could manage.

When the doctor left the room, I lost it... my body heaved and convulsed in violent jerks as the realization that I was losing my closest friend sunk in. Not only had he lived with me for the past ten years, he shared my joys, my pain, my food, heck, he even slept in the same bed. My head swam with thoughts of guilt over giving the okay and thoughts that not doing so would be selfish on my part.

An attendant came in with a paper to sign with which I acknowledged my consent. In addition, she wanted to handle the payment for the visit before the procedure... makes sense from their standpoint, but just seemed so cold.

With the paperwork completed and my composure regained, I was led to the back room. One step into the room and all heads turned to face me. At least a half dozen vets and assistants all turned to see the guy who was losing his friend. I was composed, although I imagine very red-eyed from the waiting room breakdown. I glanced down and saw that Sam was laying on a large blanket on the floor resting. That glance nearly killed me. Again, I lost control of myself and sobbed in large heaving jerks. I had to stop walking because I couldn't see as tears flowed in a torrent down my cheeks. I convulsed over and over with my face in my hands standing in the middle of the room... all eyes on my pain.

After again regaining control, I went to Sam and layed prostrate on the floor face to face with my bud. I petted his face and kissed his snout. He raised his head and licked my face and for a third time I violently wept. I hugged him so close and kissed him over and over while petting him profusely. With my face buried in his and my body heaving in pain, the doctor said, "Let me know when you are ready." I couldn't say anything once again. I couldn't tell them to go ahead, I couldn't tell them to stop, they vanished from my awareness altogether.

It was only Sam and I there and I needed him to know how much I loved him just then. I couldn't tell him enough... I couldn't prove it enough... over and over I sobbed, "I love you buddy" "You're my good boy" "I love you Sammy" "That's a good boy." "You're okay buddy" I reeled them off rapid fire... "You're my good boy" "I love you Sammy" "I love you buddy."

The sound of the doctor sounded far away and muffled... "Are you ready?" "Should we do it now?" Again, no words were available for anyone but Sam. Covered in tears, with dog hairs stuck to soaked face I nodded quickly to the vet and again buried my face deep in his. "I love you buddy" "You're my good boy" "I love you Sammy"

It was horrible as they couldn't hit the vein for the injection. I was crying like a schoolgirl, hugging my beautiful buddy, and desperately trying to make sure he knew the depth of my feelings for him - while they were consulting over how to get the needle in. I wanted to scream, "STOP! I changed my mind! Please don't do it! STOP STOP STOP!" But, I couldn't. I couldn't take a break from loving Sam. I couldn't let him go on in pain and couldn't go on without him. I have never felt so helpless and useless in my life. The only thing I knew how to do was to love my best friend, so I did it. I did it with all my power. I did it without regard to how I looked. All that mattered was that I do it. The only thing I had in the world at that instance was my love for my Samson.

The procedure finally happened and Sam's breathing slowed and then stopped. I continued sobbing through many more "I love you buddy" "You're my big boy" "You're my Sammy" "I love you Sammy." He was still warm, he was still Sam, he was still there damn it, and I still loved him. Over and over I wept and proclaimed my devotion, all the while locked in a full hug around his neck and smothered in his fur. Then, as if in answer, after being still for over a minute - he let out one large sigh. The doctor had warned me while in the waiting room that this would happen but just as I thought I had reached the absolute bottom, that sigh ripped me apart. Here I was, a full-grown man laying face down on the floor at the vet's office, hugging my dead dog and crying like a child. I have never felt so destroyed nor so alive.

In my life, I have only cried over four events from the time I was a teenager through today. Even the tears caused by the sight of my father in a casket did not compare to the depth of pain I felt in losing Sam. I couldn't speak for hours afterwards. I left garbled messages for friends and family that Sam was gone and that I did not feel like talking. I am not sure what stage of the famous Seven Stages of Grief I am currently in... but I know that writing this helps.

- posted by Chris @ 1:37 AM 1 comments

 
A bloody riot!!
Time to escape - time to keep busy. I need some happy time.


The British-zombie-comedy-thriller, Shaun of the Dead was indeed a bloody riot. (Multiple puns intended. If you like the dry-witty pacing of an off-the-wall British comedy, you will love this movie. if you like blood-dripping zombie thrillers, you will love this movie. If you love hyphen-ridden-repetitious blogging, you will love this entry. :)



SOTD was great though. Simon Pegg is a perfect anti-hero. You may remember him as 1st Sgt. William Evans in HBO's Band of Brothers. Nick Frost is the perfect sidekick - you may remember him from... well, nothing... but he is a wonky nutter in this.

Hidden within the amazing dry humor and side-splitting zombie parody is a comment on the brain-dead existence of going to work each day at the same cookie-cutter jobs. (Wow, three more hyphens in that sentence.)

If you want to have a good time, go see this movie. If you don't wet your pants with laughter - maybe "you're" the zombie.

RATING 9 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 10:32 PM 0 comments

 
Sam,

You gave me devotion. You gave me joy. You gave me peace. You gave me love.

You gave when you were tired. You gave when you were scared. You gave when you were in pain.

You gave more than I could ever repay. You only asked for love... and gave even when you didn't get it.



I tried to measure up to you, but I am just a human... thank you for keeping me as long as you did.

Rest in peace, buddy...

- posted by Chris @ 2:36 PM 0 comments

 
Fuggetaboutit!

The Forgotten was, well... forgettable. The film had some serious star power, but Gary Sinise, Alfre Woodard, Anthony Edwards and Julianne Moore were not enough to save to poor writing. The premise seems like it could have been interesting, but it would have taken a complete rewrite. This film is long on setup and short on delivery.

RATING 4 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 11:34 PM 0 comments

 
Cowboys hang tough


Season is Halfway to a Success!!

The ONLY criteria for success when you are a Dallas Cowboy is defeating the Redskins. Despite still having major problems with the team, the Boys held on to beat the most hated franchise in all of sports. Vinny Testaverde who is exactly ONE year older than me (we share the same birthday,) has really opened up the offense with his arm strength and accuracy. Huge kudos to Richie Anderson for his TD pass to Glenn - it was a thing of beauty.

As usual Terence Newman continues to get beat by opposing receivers and is costing the team dearly with his penalties.

- posted by Chris @ 11:12 PM 0 comments

 
The Joy of Thinking


I recently completed the audio college course The Joy of Thinking, by The Teaching Company. I have posted numerous times about the great college level course available on audio CD. These selections are available at the library and allow me to continue one of my great loves - learning. The Joy of Thinking was not what I expected. I thought it would be some sort of philisophical look at the development of the mind, but instead I found a course in mathematics. While I have always been amazed by things such as the Fibonacci sequence and fractals, the course failed to live up to my expectations as it rambled off into things like the probability of picking the right door on Let's Make a Deal and surgery in the fourth dimension.

Overall, it ranges from extremely interesting to downright trivial.

- posted by Chris @ 11:11 PM 0 comments

 
Klein Bank - they actually remember its OUR money!
I have been meaning to add this blog for quite some time... well, ever since I opened an account at Klein Bank. It started innocently enough... I was given a mystery shopping assignment to see how well Klein Bank performs. I was to see how thorough the associate was in explaining all the benefits of banking with them as well as report on their customer service skills. Not only did they get a glowing report, they got a new customer.

I had been very disatisfied with banking in general for quite some time - both personal and business. My personal credit union now has only monitors in the lobby and no face-to-face interaction with tellers. IN THE LOBBY!!! It is like a walk-up drive-thru with a ceiling. I used to be a person at the credit union... I knew the tellers at three different locations and knew about their lives just as they knew about mine. Now, I can't even write a check to myself from my own company without getting a hold placed on it. I have been writing these same checks for a dozen years and suddenly, it's "Sorry, that's just our policy." Well, their policy is CRAP.

Business banking has been even worse... Running a small business (under $1 million in annual revenue,) I was a veritable non-entity. To the bankers, I was not a large enough profit center because I didn't borrow money. My holding were not large enough to warrant even the offer of a cup of coffee upon my arrival... and as with my personal account, their policies always outweighed my needs as a bank customer.

What did they forget here? That is is MY MONEY! They forgot that they are making a profit by using my money. They forgot that they should be kissing my feet for allowing them to hold my funds... not charging me for each deposit, withdrawal, inquiry or each time I scratch my ass. What happened to interest? Remember that? You used to be paid interest to let them use your money. That is almost gone now entirely and where it does exist, it is a joke... the mattress pays better.

Flash forward to today... Klein Bank. They get it! They are still small and the cynic in me says that they are just doing it to grow their business and once they do, the same thing will happen. Regardless though of their motivation - the fact remains that they are doing the right thing now. There is NO FEE for a checking account... (not even hidden ones.) They give you a free set of checks, free printed deposit slips, a free endorsement stamp, free debit card, free this and free that. And we are talking a business account... that is unheard of. In addition, everything is free on the personal account as well.

It is rare that you find a good deal anywhere and as the temptation to complain about things is far greater than urge to congratulate, I thought I would share my positive experience with Klein Bank. Check them out (pun intended.)

- posted by Chris @ 9:33 PM 0 comments

 
Fun time was had by all...
Saturday, Pennie, Tatiana, Carlos and I took a jaunt down to Clear Lake for the meeting of the Houston-Social-Gamesters. It was a really good time. It is a gathering of good folks who just like to get together and play games... board games, trivia games, tile games, card games - you name it. There was never a lull in the evening as there were always different games starting up in various groups.

We played Cranium, dominoes, Scene-It, Flexx, Spite & Malice, heck, I can't remember the rest... if you are looking for a group that you can join and play games with in the Houston area - join the Yahoo Group using the link above. Here are some pictures from the event...

Carlos is is showing Denise how to use her camera, while Pennie is concentrating on winning...


One of my new friends... Frodo.


I am not even going to attempt to get everyone's names right, but here is about a third of the group all playing Cranium... it is a great game.


My teammate, Brandi scoring big with her silent charade of "Demolition Derby"


Part of the gang playing Scene-It. This is a cool movie trivia game that uses clips on a DVD... very cool.


As you can see... it was a lot of fun. I look forward to getting together with them in the future.

- posted by Chris @ 8:28 PM 0 comments

 
A Better Resident..

In a case of the sequel outdoing the original, Resident Evil: Apocalypse was actually pretty decent. The first film in the series, Resident Evil, was pretty terrible. I actually have a review of it in the blog somewhere, but to sum up - within five minutes of the start, I saw the boom mike in the shot and a huge continuity error. The amateur start is behind the series as Paul W.S. Anderson moved from writer/director in the first one to just writer in the second. Alexander Witt got a promotion of sorts as he graduated from DP and 2nd unit director to the head honcho in directing this film. He did a really good job in his rookie film.

Milla Jovovich was tough as nails reprising her role as Alice, the lead badass. Sure, it was shlocky sci-fi based on a video game, sure, it was thin on plot and thick on explosions, but - it was fun... and that is all it set out to be.

RATING 6 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 8:18 PM 0 comments

 
Movie on Fire

I blew off Man on Fire when it came to the theater mainly because the trailers never gave me a reason to want to watch. It appeared to be a typical bodyguard shoot-em-up flick, so I wrote it off as Denzel Washington making what I call a "cashing in" film - just filler to score a quick $20 mil until the next good film came along. I can admit when I am wrong.

Boy was I wrong... This film has great acting, a very good storyline and good direction - all of which add up to you caring about the people in the film. Dakota Fanning seemed to be the smartsy cute girl-du-jour when she made it big in the film Uptown Girls, but she can actually act really well.

Tony Scott goes a little overboard on the jump cuts and MTV-style effects ala Darren Aronofsky. Take away some of the camera and editing silliness and this is an exceptional film... granted, some of it was powerful (ala the drinking scenes), but some of it was just Scott jerking off on film.

RATING 8 out of 10



- posted by Chris @ 3:31 PM 0 comments

 
High School Gridiron
Wow... we have some exceptional high school football right here in the Houston area. In fact, it was that realization that prompted Mike Wright and I to start going to high school games. After some football small talk, it just slowly dawned on me that there are about a dozen state champion caliber teams all within a short distance of us...

Last week Mike, Dave and I went to Humble to see the Humble Wildcats take on the Katy Tigers. This battle of the behemoths turned into a showcase for another great Katy Tiger team. Katy's defense took control as the Wildcats deep bombing threat never got off the ground.

Before the game...


Yes... of course I am focusing on Dave in this shot...


Friday Night Lights BABY!!!


Pennie, Mike and I went this weekend to Conroe to watch The Woodlands Highlanders hosting the Humble Wildcats. Again, we picked the right team as The Woodlands threw 58 points up against Humble's non-existent defense, thanks in large part to former major league baseball player, Doug Drabek's son who played wide receiver, punter and kick returner.

- posted by Chris @ 11:56 PM 0 comments

 
Presidential Campaign
So here is the final tally with the weighted scores. (To see how these grades were derived, read through the blog as each of the candidates was scored according to each of these issues)

As you can see, Nader wins in both the raw score and the weighted score - with Bush a close second and Kerry a distant third. So what do you do now? Rush out and vote for Nader? Let's take a look at the implications and arguements for such action.


The pundits in both major parties tell you "You are throwing away your vote" or "Your vote only gets my opponent elected," when you vote for a third party candidate. Is that the case?

Well, living in Texas, I can tell you that by that rationale, ANY vote in this state is throwing away your vote. If you support Kerry, and vote as such, Bush still wins - wasted vote. If you support Bush, and vote as such, Bush still wins - wasted vote. BUT, if you vote Nader, and vote as such, Bush still wins - but growing support for a third party candidate sends a clear message to both parties that the citizens are getting wise to the scam they are running. It sends a message that the voting populace is not just a bunch of mindless joe-six-packs that believe and do whatever MSNBC or FOX tell them. It tells them to start reforming their corrupt systems or the public will do it for them.

What about those of you in other states - those so-called 'battleground' states? Well, here is where you can have the most impact and where you need to be the most cautious.

Look, Nader is NOT going to be elected this year. Nader is in the mix as a mouthpiece to a growing population that is becoming wise to the political lies, trickery and corruption of the two party system.

Of the two candidates with a chance to win - there is a CLEAR choice. Bush will knock the tar out of these fundamentalist radicals and keep them off US soil - Kerry may not... that is a pretty big gamble to take. If you are in a battleground state, a vote for Bush is the safe bet - sure, Kerry will step to the plate and kick some ass AFTER we are attacked again, but Bush will keep pushing now.

Bottom line, if you are in a state that is clearly Kerry or clearly Bush - a vote for Nader does more for this country than anything else. If you are in a battleground state, Bush is probably a safer bet, although a victory will be seen as a mandate by the Republicans to pile on the corporate greed and corruption. A victory for Kerry puts our country at higher risk and will be seen by the Democrats as a mandate for free spending and more liberal giveaway programs - while still piling on corporate greed and corruption.

- posted by Chris @ 8:57 AM 0 comments

 
The Sims are Coming!!
That's right - The Sims 2 is almost here!

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past decade. The Sims 2 is the sequel to the best selling computer game of all time! This version will feature fully developed 3D graphics, and a family tree. No longer is your sim one age forever... now they go through several distinct ages, toddler, child, teen, adult, elderly - and they DIE! But fear not - your genes will be carried on by your offspring. Children now share traits and features of their parents and understand and maintain complex family relationships. (No more brother/sister marriages) It should be a blast.

Here is what Maxis (the publisher) says about it...

"In the The Sims 2, you direct your Sims over a lifetime and mix their genes from one generation to the next. You set your Sims' goals in life; fame, fortune, family, romance or knowledge. Give them a long, successful existence or leave their lives in shambles. Take them to extremes, from getting busted to seeing a ghost, from marrying an alien to writing a great novel. Unleash your creativity with the all-new Create-A-Sim, new building options, and the new in-game movie camera. Get ready to mix their genes, fulfill their dreams, and push them to extremes. What do you want to do with your Sims' lives? "

Sure, it's a total waste of time - but isn't that what playing is all about? I am sure that there will be more than one sleepless night spent trying to make my Sims happy.

- posted by Chris @ 11:11 PM 0 comments

 
Plane Terrible

Soul Plane was rotten. No, that is too kind. Soul Plane was horrible, terrible, apalling, rancid even. There that about covers it. There was one funny joke every 87 minutes - oh wait... it's only 86 minutes long... the only joke was the fact that the creators expected you to sit through the whole thing. I am proud to say that I did not make it. Jerry Terrero directed this, his first major motion picture. His background is in extras casting, which he has done for several forgettable films... so I guess his background is just in being lame. I cannot place all the blame on him however, the writing is not even good enough to call juvenile. Bo Zenga and Chuck Wilson share writing credits (blame?) and neither is a writer. They both have executive producer credits on other films - which is a throwaway title they give to the people who put up the money. They apparently have no talent for anything other than investing in films. Do us all a favor and step away from the cameras and word processors - you are all out of your league.

RATING 1 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 8:48 PM 0 comments

 
Not much labor, but one heck of a day!
I never really understood the whole Labor Day thing... it just sounds like some sort of Communist holiday. Anyway, despite doing some billing early in the day, I made it a point to try to kick back. I watched some stuff on the idiot box, did some silliness on the computer and generally took it easy.

Pennie, who had worked a little on her Labor Day too, came by after her tasks. The general plan was to generally have a plan, but not much more. We decided to load up the bikes and go find a place to ride. A week or so ago, I had went to the County Commissioner's office to pickup a copy of a big wall map they hand out listing all the parks in Harris County. Pennie and I checked it out when I first got it and saw George Bush State Park.

While out looking for a suitable place to ride, she reminded me about the park and we headed over there. When we reached Millie Bush Bark Park we were thrilled. Yes, the former Presidential English Setter has a dog park named in her honor. It was the coolest thing and we met the coolest dogs. (and one jerk)

As we approached, Pennie spied a St. Bernard...


The pretty female, named Piggy was much smaller than Sam, but every bit as huggable. After playing around like a big puppy, things got a little heated and it was time to cool down...


...and you can guess what comes after a nice cool swim...


.... that's right, a nice plop in the mud. Piggy lived up to her name.


The Labradors were really loving the water as five of six of them were constantly in and out chasing balls, sticks, toys and just generally enjoying themselves.


This is Smarty, a 1yr old Beagle girl - a great dog, but a little nervous around all the giants.


It was a superb outing as we were surrounded by dogs of every shape and size. That is until this jerk showed up with his two Pit Bulls. From the moment they entered the park, this dog was starting scraps with the other dogs. Despite clear signage stating that any dog showing ANY aggressive behaviour must be removed from the park immediately, this shit-for-brains just put a cheap muzzle on her instead.

It went from annoying to downright criminal as the Pit Bull got out of the muzzle and attacked a small terrier. The terrier is now on his way to the vets office with two deep puncture wounds in his side from this dogs teeth. This jerk-off ruined a great day for a couple dozen dog owners by not following the rules. What an ass.


BUT WAIT!!!! This was not just a day at the dog park... THERE'S MORE!

We hit the hike and bike trail at the park and set out in search of more adventure. A couple miles into the trail, we came across a guy we nicknamed Ranger Rick with a group of 5 or 6 grade school boys. They were all huddled together, off the trail, staring at the same spot on the ground. As we rode up, RR told us they found a water snake... sure enough...


Rick was apparently out snake hunting as he had all the gear handy for wrangling them and the boys were all gathered around like it was a toy. It looked like a snake bite accident waiting to happen... look at this genuis...


Further down the trail we found another park. The creatively named, Sport Park, has sand volleyball courts, a skateboard/rollerblading skate park (named Skate Park), BBQ grills, clean restrooms and great shade. This city is just full of hidden treasures like this and we have made it our duty to find as many as we can.


Four parks in one day... not a bad journey. Oh yeah and we spent ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA, NOTHING (you get the idea.) There is great fun and adventure to be had - just get out there and find it.

- posted by Chris @ 10:47 PM 0 comments

 
Pre-election Report Card PART V
Issue number five is a collection of things rolled into... Social Issues

Social issues are a collections of things such as the death penalty, abortion, war on drugs, gun control, education reform, and litmus tests for the Supreme Court. It is amazing how each of the candidate can be FOR death penalty and AGAINST abortion or vice-versa... aren't they both killing? Overall, there are FAR bigger issues to deal with and this category is mainly put out there to keep the focus off the important things.

Bush/Cheney
Bush benefits greatly by being the conservative representative here as conservatism tends to make more sense on these issues. Bush opposes abortion and is for the death penalty. His idea of gun control is to eliminate lawsuits against gun companies (further action in favor of big business.) He has a plan to reduce illegal drug use by 10%... gee thanks Uncle George... but that doesn't really mean anything. No Child Left Behind makes sense in theory, but implementation could be another issue and it could lead to teaching to the test.

Kerry/Edwards
Kerry falls victim to the liberal mindset here. He is in favor of abortion rights for women. He is against the death penalty. He wants stiffer penalties for drug traffickers (but not the pharmaceuticals) and wants to spend more money on treatment programs. He wants to require child safety locks on guns. Kerry too supports NCLB and wants to ban voucher programs. He is in favor of appointing only justices that pass liberal litmus tests.

Ralph Nader
Nader is pro abortion rights and against the death penalty like Kerry. He suggest the legalization of some drugs will end the war on drugs and that drug abuse should be covered as part of his nationalized healthcare system rather than as a criminal issue. He is in favor of gun locks. Nader is also in favor of banning vouchers as well as standardized tests for education.

Current report card. Remember, you should NOT agree with your candidate on EVERY issue. If you do, you are mindless automaton and you deserve the government you get. The only thing you can do is to do as I am doing and decide which issues are important to you and vote according to which side has a preponderance of their record in alignment with your beliefs.


Here are the unweighted scores...

Nader 40
Bush 28
Kerry 23

Nader is still in the lead, but WAIT... it is time to add weight to each of the subjects...

Here are the issues again adjusted for importance.

War on Terror 44%
Environment 21%
Economy 8%
Healthcare 22%
Social Issues 5%

Unweighted they would be worth 20% each, but gun locks is not nearly as important (at least to me) as healthcare and national security.

Here are the weighted results...

Nader 31.6
Bush 30.0
Kerry 23.5

The amazing thing to me is that Nader is still in the lead even after weighting the issues... It begs the question - what is the most important thing for THIS election? Will winning the War on Terror be enough for this go-round or will fixing Healthcare and the Environment solve more? There is no candidate who will take care of all of them.

Even if you chose Healthcare and the Environment as the most important for this election... with Nader being the only candidate committed to these issue... can he win? Certainly voting for anyone but Bush in Texas is pretty much nothing more than a gesture.

As of this writing, I am leaning toward voting Nader right now... the problem with that is that Nader is not yet on the ballot in Texas. His campaign has filed a lawsuit in July which should result in getting him included... but if he doesn't then what?

Bottom line is Kerry is NOT an option... I will keep you informed on the other decision.

- posted by Chris @ 7:13 AM 0 comments

 
Walkie Talkie Man...
I really like the song "Walkie Talkie Man" by Steriogram. It might not ring a bell until you see a reminder...

It is from the Apple Ipod ad which uses dancers in silhouette rockin out while their Ipod remains colored white. Here is a screen shot from the opening segment....


- posted by Chris @ 11:22 PM 0 comments

 
Yet more football....
Wow, it has been a football year and the pros haven't even started. Mike and I went to the Battle for the Bayou Bucket featuring the Houston Cougars and Rice Owls. Last season, the Coogs had one hell of an offense and regularly put up 50+ points so I was expecting a high scoring whupping on the lowly Owls who are struggling to even keep their athletic program.


As a show of solidarity for Mike who graduated from UH-Victoria Campus, I wore my UH Hispanic Media Association tshirt I was given after speaking to the group about video production. I have always liked Rice more simply because I like their uniforms and colors better... plus since I have never chosen a team to follow in college, I kinda root for the underdogs.

Well, these underdogs bit. The Owls not only shut down the Cougar scoring machine, but ran the option to perfection enrout to the 10-7 victory. It was a shutout until 9 seconds left when Houston scored a trash TD.



Mike gave me a hard time about missing most the Texans/Bucs preseason game because Manny and I were running around getting pictures and just generally screwing around. I promised him that I would watch the game... (and frankly, Manny is tiring to be around, I would much rather sit and watch a good football game)

I did however sneak in a photo with the designated driver girls before the game...


Overall, it was a lot of fun. The atmosphere at a college game is so much cooler because you are watching people who are not only not spoiled millionaires, but are actually working their butts off. The college bands and the fans just help add to the aura that is college football.

High school football is the same way and Mike and I plan to try and catch some of the great matchups this season. We have some of the top teams in the nation and state within 50 or so miles of us so hopefully we can view some of those games.

- posted by Chris @ 9:46 PM 0 comments

 
Pre-election Report Card PART IV
Issue number four is... Healthcare

We are up against the third issue in a row which is in the midst of a corporate stranglehold. Healthcare is also another of the lightning rod issue. The entrenched two-party system must answer to the corporate health care giants, but will anyone step forward and give this country the 'real' medicine it needs?

The function of doctors used to be to treat acute problems... broken bones, cuts, traumas etc. Since then the pharmaceutical companies have taken control of the Congress, their function has changed to pushing lifestyle and feel-good medications. Lost in all this is prevention. Nine preventable diseases are responsible for more than half of the deaths in the United States, yet less than 3% of health care spending is directed toward prevention. The system is not interested in our health - only our money.

Bush/Cheney
There is nothing good in the Bush/Cheney healthcare plan. The prescription drug benefit really only benefits the drug companies. Bush wants to privatize Medicare - another fiscal land-grab. Possibly the largest bit of wizardry is convincing the public that limiting patient lawsuits against HMOs is a good thing. These lawsuits are the only way the little man can strike back when being sold up the river by an HMO. There is NOTHING in the Republican plan that is good for the citizens of the US.

Kerry/Edwards
Kerry barely leads Bush in the category because at least on paper he endorses sueing the HMOs when appropriate. He is still beholden to the drug companies and wants to fund healthcare shortcoming by raising taxes... or as he puts it 'repealing tax cuts.' I guess it sounds less painful that way. Either way, it means money out of our own pockets.

Ralph Nader
Nader is really leading the pack on this issue. The United States is the ONLY industrialized nation without nationalize healthcare. The Republicans call is 'socialized medicine' to throw the old red-scare at you, but it makes sense. We are the wealthiest nation in the world and what has all that prosperity gotten the average citizen? SUVs, nice houses? NO - we paid for those things. Healthcare should be a constitutional guarantee. Now, of course I am not talking about elective surgery - but knowing that if you have a heart attack or broken arm, you will be treated as well as the person with the best coverage should be demanded.

Current report card. Remember, you should NOT agree with your candidate on EVERY issue. If you do, you are mindless automaton and you deserve the government you get. The only thing you can do is to do as I am doing and decide which issues are important to you and vote according to which side has a preponderance of their record in alignment with your beliefs.


Breaking these scores into numeric totals, after two issues, here are the standings...

Nader 35
Bush 22
Kerry 19

At this point Nader is leading... It is interesting because I went into this thinking that I would ultimately choose Bush. I am surprised by 1) how close Kerry actually is to Bush and 2) that Nader not only is ahead, but by a large margin. It will be interesting when I get to the final standings as then I will be adjusting them for importance. This weighted rating is sure to radically change up the ranking as to my thinking the War on Terror is MUCH more important than the economy (which I think is strong enough to take care of itself.)


- posted by Chris @ 7:34 AM 0 comments

 
Lincoln could not be elected if he ran today.

Abraham Lincoln - one of the greatest president of all times simply could not get elected if he ran today. His ideas at the time were radical and would be squashed by today's two-party machine. He is not a 'pretty boy' by any means so he would be ridiculed by the media on both sides. He was single when he first won office (and for several reelections after) and that seems to scare the right wing.

After 20 years in the Wig Party, Lincoln joined a then-radical third party - the Republican Party! He changed the country and the world as an independant.

What is the point? Our system is a stiffling one that crushes any chance of getting a truly great leader in office. The stranglehold on public office held by the Democrats and Republicans goes against the very grain of what our founding fathers intended.

Thomas Jefferson feared greatly the prospect of career politicians and would be aghast and outraged at the way our system takes true visionaries and convinces the public that they are idealistic whack-jobs.

In a letter, he wrote:

"I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent."

For those of you who cannot navigate the prose, let me paraphrase. What he is saying is that it is WRONG for you to just pick sides on any matter and just go along with the beat of your political group. He insists that one should always think for themselves and remain a free agent - or in the parlance of today - an independant.

Stop listening to the media (left and right wing) and read for yourself. Read the voting record of those fighting for office and read the writings of those attempting to gain office. If all you know about a candidate is what you heard on CNN, MSNBC or FOX - YOU ARE BEING DUPED!! Get off your ass and do your own homework... don't let these people tell you how to think!

- posted by Chris @ 1:31 PM 0 comments

 
Pre-election Report Card PART III
I am changing the third category from Others to Nader as the more I research, the more I see that Nader is quite different from the Greens. The Greens have turned too radical to even bother including.

Subject number three is... The Economy

The economic issues fall under the same problem as environment... in a capitalist society, big business runs the show and the primary interest of big business is profit. Economic prosperity for the average American or even the country itself is secondary to their own profits. Again, the political machinery makes it tough for anyone to reach office challenging the status quo. Believe it or not, capitalism with controls on big business is not socialism - it is needed. The fear mongers on either side would have you believe that you can have one or the other. The truth here as in most cases is that a balance is what is required.

Bush/Cheney
George W. Bush wants to invest Social Security in the stock market... that is a bad idea. SS is a lightning rod issue and is not the problem it is reported to be. Social Security was designed as a 'supplement' to retirement... not a retirement guarantee. As long as it is used in this manner, there is no problem funding it. Bush's tax cuts have been largely symbolic and criticized as purchasing votes. I don't know about you, but getting $300 of MY MONEY returned to me did not change my spending habits. The fact is that this tax cut like most everything he proposes is much more beneficial to the extremely wealthy than anyone else. His plan to reduce spending by keeping budget growth at only 4% is more fiscal sleight-of-hand. Cutting the growth of spending is NOT cutting spending. Zero based budgeting is the ONLY proper solution.

Kerry/Edwards
On the economy Kerry just simply cannot be trusted. He advocates whackiness and sensibility at the same time. It is more of his famous flip-flopping. He opposes privatizing Social Security - that is good. But he has voted and spoken on both sides of the issue. As it stands, he claims he wants to repeal tax cuts for the wealthy, but that is too extreme. Class warfare is wrong even if it is the little guys declaring war. He suggests closing tax loopholes by corporations, but wants his buddies to get their loops. If he would stick to what he is saying this second, he would get a B+, but his history has proven you cannot trust him.

Ralph Nader
Another strong point for the indys... Nader realizes that the retirement fund is not in danger and wants it removed from the conversation. He wants to increase corporate taxes and favors taxing the sale of stocks and bonds. (If ever there was something that needed taxing, it is stocks and bonds. The government is quick to tax the things all of use - gasoline etc. but strangely all the stuff that big business and the ultra rich do is tax free.) Nader also looks to change NAFTA, which make a lot of sense as well.

Current report card. Remember, you should NOT agree with your candidate on EVERY issue. If you do, you are mindless automaton and you deserve the government you get. The only thing you can do is to do as I am doing and decide which issues are important to you and vote according to which side has a preponderance of their record in alignment with your beliefs.


Breaking these scores into numeric totals, after two issues, here are the standings...

Nader 23
Bush 21
Kerry 15

- posted by Chris @ 6:58 AM 0 comments

 
Amish in the freakin' city?
As if I needed another reason to hate network television... I was surfing channels in search of a 48 Hours segment about a video client of mine, when I came across Amish in the City. No joke! This is a reality show where they take five Amish kids and put them in a house in LA with six city kids. The show is an exaggeration of "rumspringa" — a rite of passage in which young Amish adults may elect to leave the community and experience life in the outside world. The difference is that in the real rumspringa, they are not purposely tempted by show producers to make the show more interesting.

The good news is that it doesn't appear to be an outright slap in the face to the Amish. The producers do seem to respect the Amish tradition enough to make sure the show doesn't just become a series of gags making fun of the "backwards country folk." Regardless though, this show is dribble and insulting.

- posted by Chris @ 8:29 PM 0 comments

 
Cowboys banged up but looking good...


The Dallas Cowboys again looked good Thursday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Testaverde looked rather average and Eddie George has been a total bust so far, but where last week was the coming out party for Drew Henson, this week it was Tony Romo.

The bad news is that rookie guard Stephen Peterman, who was expected to be a starter went out with a hurt knee. Peterman joins the ever-growing list of injured players... further evidence that the preseason is good for nothing but injuring players.

Well, the preseason is over and the regular season is here. September 12, the Boys will open on the road against Minnesota.


- posted by Chris @ 3:54 PM 0 comments

 
Texans - Buccaneer Preseason Game
I was all set to attend a Bush/Cheney acceptance speech party Thursday night when I got a call from Mike Wright. In a move indicative of the voter malaise in this country, after hearing his offer, I instead went to the football game with Mike and Manny. The game was preseason so the real entertainment was Manny himself. While on a freebie run (I got a Texans beach towel for signing up for a credit card that will be cancelled immediately if they are desperate enough to approve me,) he was drooling over anything remotely female that passed so I took the initiative to get him a photo with the girls handling the Designated Driver booth. (You sign a little card stating that you are not going to drink and that you will agree to drive your drunk friends home - and you get a free soft drink at the concession stand - at these prices... SCORE!!)

Here is the Dark Diver with his love-interests-of-the-moment...


We had a lot of fun and actually saw some football too... haha. The conversation however, cannot be repeated, reprinted or even hinted at. :)

- posted by Chris @ 11:22 AM 0 comments

 
Pre-election Report Card continued...
Subject number two is... The Environment

The problem with the established parties on the subject of the environment is that there is so much money tied to the status quo (big oil,) that it is hard to reach the presidential stage of politics and still have the freedom to do the right thing. The right thing is to transition from fossil fuels to clean burning renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydrogen etc. Electric car technology is advanced enough to currently replace 86% of all miles driven today by fossil fuels. Those advances have all been made by shade-tree mechanics and tinkerers. If this country would have invested in an electric vehicle initiative years ago that figure could be nearly 100% by now.

Bush/Cheney
The Bush administration has really given nothing more than lip service to the environment. In their quest for more natural resources to plunder, they have proposed new drilling and mining in reserved public lands at every turn. The problem is NOT that there is not enough energy. The problem is the current energy broker's stranglehold on what forms of energy are available. The only thing keeping this grade from an F is the fact that they have proposed funding for hydrogen fuel-cell research. (This too is lip service and I can guarantee there will not be a wholehearted effort in the area of any new fuel forms.) His support of a 'market based" solution to air quality issues is crazy.

Kerry/Edwards
John Kerry is against drilling in the Arctic and while it is a pie-in-the-sky-feel-good policy with no real way to reach the goals, he is proposing a series of goals to lower our dependence on fossil fuels. He fails however by his constant pandering to the ethanol lobby. He pushes this inefficient solution because of the financial backing to his campaign. Ethanol is NOT the solutuion - clean, renewable energy sources are REAL and need to be the focus.

Other
This is the strongest area for Ralph Nader and the Greens. Nader supports initiatives to research renewable energy sources. In addition, he is for the removal of subsidies for companies involved in the production of fossil fuels and instead give incentives to the renewable energy entrepreneurs. While the other candidates push for tokens like Bush's proposed 1.5 mpg increase for SUVs, Nader proposes a serious push for more efficient automobiles in terms of the energy sources used. The Greens on the other hand are much more radical in their proposals. Their whackos have made unrealistic proposals that would result in the upheaval of our economy and lifestyle for them to happen. A clear case of head-in-the-sand, unrealistic radical thinking.

Current report card. Remember, you should NOT agree with your candidate on EVERY issue. If you do, you are mindless automaton and you deserve the government you get. The only thing you can do is to do as I am doing and decide which issues are important to you and vote according to which side has a preponderance of their record in alignment with your beliefs.



Breaking these scores into numeric totals, after two issues, here are the standings...

Bush 14
Others 12
Kerry 11

- posted by Chris @ 7:42 AM 0 comments

 
Report Card time...
Between now and the election, I hope to be able to take each of the subjects of concern and grade the Bush/Cheney and Kerry/Edwards campaigns on their record. I will cover one subject in each post and keep an updated report card at the bottom of that post.

First subject is... The War on Terror.

This is listed first because to my thinking, it is the most important.

Bush/Cheney
The current administration has done a great job of executing the initial war on terror. The rapid response in Afghanistan has all but stopped terrorism in the United States. Early coalition building efforts were effective in getting our true allies to assist in this war. The foray into Iraq was a good move, but a public relations nightmare. Bush rushed to war without fostering enough public and international support and has felt the pressure because of this short-sightedness.

Kerry/Edwards
John Kerry's record on the war is spotted at best. It is now public knowledge that he has voted both for and campaigned against the war. In addition, he voted for funding the war and voted against funding the war. In addition, Kerry has voted against EVERY military expenditure in the last 20 years (although he will be quick to note that he also voted for some of them.) This is a classic tactic perfected by Clinton - if you vote on both sides, you can always just focus on whichever side is the most popular at the moment. Clearly, national security is not important to him. With Kerry in office, the US will be much more vulnerable to these type of savage attack.

Other
Ralph Nader is an independent candidate for President. He has broke from the Green Party over some issues within the party platform. I have strongly associated myself with independent candidates in the past, but this year, there is nothing out there but radicals and flakes. The Greens have put up David Keith Cobb as their whacko-du-jour. While I do personally agree with a large number of the Green ideas, they are being taken over by an even more radical left-wing influence than the Democratic Party. Their plank of total non-violence is just naive and immature. While they are taking hits off their legalized pot, the US will be taking hits by terrorists. Love does NOT conquer all - sometimes you need a big boot to the head.

Current report card. Remember, you should NOT agree with your candidate on EVERY issue. If you do, you are mindless automaton and you deserve the government you get. The only thing you can do is to do as I am doing and decide which issues are important to you and vote according to which side has a preponderance of their record in alignment with your beliefs.


- posted by Chris @ 7:48 AM 0 comments

 
Election countdown
Here it is - the election countdown



- posted by Chris @ 9:40 PM 0 comments

 
Have you saved a life lately
According to the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, I saved three lives today. How did I do it? I donated blood. I was doing some banking at Klein Bank and saw the Bloodmobile in the parking lot. I have always been what I would term a lazy blood donor... meaning, I am happy to do it, I am just not too hip on getting off my duff and making a trip to do so.

Not only did I save three lives today... I GOT A T-SHIRT!! ..and a coupon for a pint of ice cream... SCORE!!

This is Theresa... the whole crew thought I should be taking it a bit more serious...


- posted by Chris @ 4:26 PM 0 comments