Okay, so I’m not a bandwagon kind of guy, and I certainly don’t want to associate myself in anyway with the distasteful likes of Rush Limbaugh, but then, who in their right mind would? And I don’t want to agree with McCain’s addle-brained perspective on things either, cause well, then I’m afraid I’d have to voluntarily commit myself to psychiatric observation, and possibly electro-shock ‘therapy’. But as I was reading the build-up and the hype around Obama choosing his running mate, and seeing the frenzy that the media whipped up about it, I began to see some of what McCain was talking about with Obama’s ‘celebrity’ status. I will say right here and now, that I totally disagree with McCain’s insistence that Obama is on par with Britney or Paris, and he is not vapid or empty at all, this is a man of substance. It just so happens that within the ingredients of that substance, there’s a dash of ‘celebrity’.

It’s not his fault by any stretch, but it’s not like he hasn’t played into it…fully. And this whole VP hype, and the texting of his decision, and all of it, just seems well, less than substantial. It seems gimmicky and, yes, a bit vapid. It just feels like a distraction…already! And he’s not even president, yet. This is probably the most important election we’ve had, since the last one, but it just feels like we have a lot to be talking about, and moreover, that they should be talking about. Seems to me, if Obama was really about the issues and changing things, he wouldn’t play into the bullshit games that this three-ring political circus revisits each election cycle. All I’m saying, is that if he was truly wanting this election to be different, he would have just be all like, “That’s my healthcare plan. And by the way, after much consideration, Joe Biden’s going to be my running mate. Now about that conservative deficit.” or something like that.

But that’s not exactly how it played out. And again, it’s not entirely his fault. We have let this hype and hysteria take over and given rise to this celebrity state that he resides in. Be honest. He didn’t just come forward and proclaim himself a celebrity. That’s not exactly how it works. (Right? Robert Bowen is a celebrity!! ….nothing. Didn’t think so.) So the public wrote the check, it just sucks that he cashed it. Good to know he can resist the temptation of influence. You know, in case he’s ever in a position of, say, power. So shame on Obama, and shame on us.

Now I know, in this election, Obama is the most exciting thing going on. Let’s face it, with McCain running against him, Obama could be ten times less dynamic and charismatic than he is and he’d still be kicking that old man’s ass from coast to coast. And there’s no way McCain could pull off this kind of build up for his running mate. Who’s it gonna be? Who gives a fuck? No one. Not even conservatives are really talking about it. Could be Romney, could be Lieberman. Could be nobody really gives two shits, because Obama’s celebrity shine is far brighter than anyone else in the race. So he’s the only one that matters.

Poor Biden, actually. He’s in a huge shadow cast by Obama, and is going to have to really step it up if he wants to seem like a contributing factor to this ticket, and not merely window dressing for those who have been critical of Obama’s experience. Especially in regards to foreign policy issues. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a feisty one, but that’s not quite gonna cut it. Hell, McCain’s feisty. Batshit crazy and detrimental to the health and well being of the nation, but in a feisty way. So can Sen. Joe measure up to the celebrity standard set by his partner in this campaign for the white house?

Who the fuck cares!!??!! That’s not what matters! Let’s not give the media another distraction for the next month and a half, as they try to gage whether or not Obaden fits as the next celebrity couple of the year. Forget all those issues you wanted to know about. This is the era of sensationalist yellow journalism. We don’t really do the whole issues thing. If it bleeds it leads, and if it has import, they won’t report. But that’s the price we pay for living in this celebrity state.

What can I say, I’m a sucker for the sucker punch. And once again the Angry Hippie’s Comics comes out swinging and there’s no saved by the bell in this match. Volumes 12 and 13 are squaring off and taking aim on Oprah’s vegan fad and the puppets at Fox News, and they are linked below. Don’t forget you can also check out the rest of the Angry Hippie Comics on the comics page! Enjoy…

So McCain has launched yet another attack on his rival in the presidential race, creating a talking point out of an asshat claim. McCain is stating that Obama’s opposition to the critically acclaimed, highly lauded surge in Iraq, not only shows poor leadership, but demonstrates his wanton disregard for our nation’s safety. Saying further that Obama put his political self-interest above that of his country’s. Wow, sounds like a scathing rendition of the events as they took place. And it is…if you occupy the same delusional state of mind that McCain seems to suffer from.

Here are some things that McCain failed to comprehend or realize that he was relating in his speech to a group of veterans on Monday as he tried to push his lame-brained propaganda like the dim-witted spin doctor he’s hoping to replace. First, as Obama has pointed out, that while violence may have gone down, the political reconstruction benchmarks that the surge were supposed to facilitate were not accomplished. So just as his predecessor before him, McCain metaphorically stands arms outstretched thumbs-up and grinning like the madhatter in front of a ‘Mission Accomplished’ sign, thinking that the surge was a rousing success that now puts victory within our sights. In fact, he’s so sure that we can win this conflict, he is still rejecting the idea of timetables for withdrawal of our major combat troops. Timetables that the Iraqi government are insisting that we provide.

And since he still fails to grasp the concept that such a time frame should be provided, his speeches about our military role in Iraq ring of a ruthless occupation that will only end at his satisfaction. I don’t know if that was an intended part of his message to these brave service folks who dedicated their lives to and served their military proudly, but since our military generally doesn’t like to be thought of as unwanted occupiers I don’t think it was a purposeful tone. Maybe they didn’t pick up on that insulting bit of the rousing re-imagining of the facts.

Furthermore, McCain’s claim that Obama not only predicted the failure of the surge, but that he literally tried to legislate failure in Iraq by not voting to fund the surge when it was up for vote before congress, is completely baseless and poorly played by the aged Senator. Here McCain, like the Bushites have done for years now, is hoping that the people’s emotional reaction to the statements made with as much vigor and vitality as McCain can muster (which isn’t much), will cloud their recollection of the facts. Essentially proving his inability to deal with the reality of the situation, and as a result, manufacture his own. Because if McCain would have remembered, the people (I know, I know, ‘the people’ don’t matter anymore but still) weren’t in support of the surge either. A portion of the public, who had lost their taste for America’s imperialistic actions overseas, and had foolishly hoped that Congress would follow in suite with the people’s will and not vote for funding to continue this unwarranted war.

That’s right, Johnny. Obama was simply trying to represent the people he promised that he would, not just appease the president and his band of profiteering corporate cronies who wanted to be able to keep conducting their illegal, yet profitable, business in the Middle East. Obama stood shoulder to shoulder with the discontent masses and he honored the promise that he made to uphold their voice. He did not undermine the soldiers safety who are being placed dishonorably in harms way to further agendas that have been kept from them, as did all those who voted to provide more funding to this foreign policy nightmare. He only acted in accordance with what we the people thought would insure that our brave soldiers would be swiftly returned home.

Again, it doesn’t seem like attacking someone who did their job the way it was supposed to be done, despite the uproar from the white house would be a smart move. In fact, one could argue that it simply points out the shortcomings of McCain’s position which was by contrast, the stance that he would keep funding this infected effort despite the people’s will, wishes, demands, or whatever. By arguing that Obama was putting his own political self-interests before that of the country’s, you are showing that your own political self-interests involve lining the pockets of despicable war profiteering corporations and not promoting the people’s idea of American mercy and might. You show that greed and corporate interests fair better under your rule, than actually acting with the responsibility and tact that would further act to keep American’s safe. I can’t think that was an intended statement either, but you never know with McCain. Maybe he’s just appealing to his true base, and he’s just hoping that the masses are too distracted with emotional reactions to hear it for what it is.

Ah, but therein lies the true crux of the situation. The distraction. McCain, like his tyrannical antecedent and apparent brain trust buddy Bush, is counting on people to be too afraid to be alert and aware. He’s counting on the Conservative created decline in public education, and our pharmaceutical fueled attention deficit disorder to keep us from being able to put two and two together and see the deep flaws in this lacking logic. This exemplifies McCain’s, and the rest of the Bushite leagues’, disrespect for and low expectations of the masses. Otherwise, they wouldn’t continue to turn substantial and factual public discourse into the lowest common conservative denominator of propaganda pushing, scare tactic, misleading political talking points to pander to their elite bases, and keep the people in a deluded state of reality in unrest. So many inflamed over nonsensical and baseless accusations designed to play on people’s sense of pride in their country and keep them from actually processing the ‘information’.

I’m not saying that Obama’s a flawless candidate, or even that I am supporting him. If you’ve listened to my podcast you know that I’m uneasy about both of the major front runners for the office. But at least Obama seems more like his own candidate, rather than a carbon copy of the colossal failure of a corporate figure head that is President Bush. Which is pretty much what McCain has shaped up to being since he totally turned away from his criticism of the Bush Administration years ago, and slid effortlessly into their blood money lined pockets.

So while saying that Obama, ‘tried to legislate failure’ may be a good sound bite, let’s hope McCain’s assessment of the people’s capacity for cognitive thinking is just as lacking as his mental facilities and it comes back to bite him soundly on the ass!

So national intelligence reports came in stating that Iran was no longer the nuclear threat that the Bush Administration has been insisting that they are. Saying that Iran had disabled it’s nuclear program in 2003. But did Dubya listen to those “intelligence” reports? Hell, no. And why should he? A man who has no intelligence, has no need of intelligence reports. Especially when they contradict his well rehearsed rhetoric, because, ‘aw shucks, Rovey, it was so hard to learn the first batch of propaganda, why can’t we just keep with it. I’m the decider, and that’s what I’ve decided’. That’s not really what the President said, that was me ranting.

What he really said was this.

“Look, Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.” Insisting that no policy change was necessary, the President further stated that these reports would not sway him towards more diplomatic methods in dealing with this looming threat. Bush also said that he would not remove possible pre-emptive military strikes against Iran from the table, and that he would not deter in trying to punish them with more sanctions.

This is a familiar arrogance and cowboy-esque stance, that Bush has taken and ran blindly away with before. This time, the bullying fratboy from Texas needs a reality check, telling him that he does not have an unchallengeable authority in this arena. The people, have spoken about Iraq, so Bush and the boys are changing the location, but keeping the themes. Greed and oil.

The people need to speak up again and make sure that our voice is heard. We cannot afford the lives that Bush wants us to sacrifice in his war. We cannot afford the financial strains and burdens that Bush wants our overbloated budget and paramount debt to bare. We cannot afford another international relations debacle, lead by this stubborn corporate puppet which furthers anti-American sentiment around the world.

Haven’t we heard all of this before? They are barely changing the script for this one. “Weapons of mass destruction” have become “Enriching uranium for the manufacture of nuclear weapons”, **or ‘Learning that leads to big bombs that go boom.’ from Bush’s weekly briefing update**. They are marching us to a familiar drumbeat, that we’ve not only heard before, (and openly bitched about it’s lingering chorus of devastation), but that we’ve voted against it and it’s overwhelming tide of aggression with a true demand for change.

Unite our voices! We need to contact our representatives and demand that they stand against George W. Bush and his push for war and doling out of punishment to other countries. He’s not the ‘global decider’, or the President of the world. I think we’d save that task for someone who’s actually smarter than a fifth grader!

Steven Tyler said it best, “There’s something wrong with the world today…”! But I know what it is… Avarice! The sadistic green-eyed monster is ripping its way to and through the heart of America. No one asks anymore, what they can do for their country because

they know the answer isn’t going to be nearly as appealing as the flipside of the quote that President Kennedy urged us so strongly to forget about. People are looking for the quick and easy dollar that for years has been promised on cheesy book covers and cheesier infomercials, and unless the action taken will bring them closer to that end, then the action just isn’t cost effective.

We have bred a culture that values wealth and status above all things. Above morals… Above compassion… Above justice… Above truth… Above peace… And above the lives of the innocent. This monstrous model we’ve built, is magnified in the unlawful occupation of Iraq. Where firms like Blackwater have established mercenary forces that operate above the governing law of Iraq and without the restraint of American military or societal laws. Let me repeat that… Due to the provisions that our government wrote just before handing over the control of the government in Iraq, to the Iraqis, this organization cannot be held accountable by the laws put forth by the Iraq government, nor are they bound by US law. They are a lawless bunch of murderous, cash whores who are running through the country committing numerous atrocities in the name of “US corporate employee safety”, all the while, undermining the efforts of our Military forces.

How do they undermine our forces? Good question. By wearing uniforms so similar to our troops, that civilians have had trouble distinguishing them from our soldiers. Iraqi civilians, that is. You can bet the corporate contractors whose companies are paying the extraordinary salaries to these mercenaries can identify them. They are the ones protecting them from the insurgent hordes, trying to kill them for raping and pillaging their country for American Corporate financial gains. That’s the other way, not only the mercenaries, but the US profiteers are continuously undermining our troops. By inciting more rage from the citizens that they are stealing from and murdering. By inciting the same citizens that our soldiers are there to protect. Beautiful system, isn’t it? These American corporations are making billions of dollars at the detriment of innocent civilians and American Military forces. Capitalizing through the most despicable of means imaginable, profiteering.

Placing the value of money, above the value of life. The American people are sinking billions a day worth of tax dollars into a bloodbath where our troops are being offered up as sacrifices to the green-eyed gods of the Capitalistic Free-Market system. And we do nothing. We let this beast feed greedily at the trough, waiting for our bit of scraps to trickle down, so we can get ours. Our shitty little piece of this catastrophic monstrosity of a pie. Because what’s more American than pie?

And so, we tolerate these atrocious behaviors, in anticipation of our portion, just as greedy as those who began the process. Just as responsible for the situation as those who started it all, because we let it continue. Maybe if we heeded a former President’s words, rather than the words our current one, we might be able to make the difference we once knew that we could. We might be able to be the leaders we were promised we would become. And we might just be able to help heal the world our greed is destroying!