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!

There once were some people,
From all cultures and classes,
Who lived their lives surely,
With their heads up their asses.
Walking around listlessly
So dazed and confused.
Purposely scared and misled
By the 10 o’clock news.
Cowering all their days
From so many different things
Never realizing there were those
Who were pulling their strings.
You see the government
Enacted a strict rule of fear.
One they manipulated
And had fully engineered.
And the masses frightfully
All followed along.
Without ever questioning
What was going on.

Too afraid to believe
That they’d been betrayed,
Too ashamed to admit
They let themselves be played!

There once were some people,
Whose fear was disrupted,
Shaking themselves awake
And then they just erupted!
They saw the wool
As it slipped from their eyes,
They saw the strings and
The blood spilled by the lies,
They heard the truth,
With all it’s faults and it’s flaws,
And they knew they could
No longer live their life on pause.
They struck out for change
Trying to spread the word,
Of all that they’d seen
And all that they’d heard.
They knew it’d not be easy
No worthwhile fight ever is,
Vowing to keep fighting
As long as the lie lives!

Too afraid to believe
They’re too far down this slope,
Too ashamed to admit
That they have lost all hope!

There once was a nation
On the verge of dissolution
Until the awakened rose up
Sparking a revolution!
And just as they feared
When confronted with the proof
So many still refused to
Acknowledge this truth.
Even going so far as to
Violently resist
These notions that could act to
Crack the facade’s bliss.
So the enemy they faced
Came at them from two fronts,
But the awakened’s ground was held
Baring the battle’s brunt.
And they all held to their vows
Never relenting the fight,
For they knew they were just
They knew they were right.

Too ashamed to admit
They truly knew all along
Too proud to accept
The fact they were wrong.

Too proud to go gently
Into the dark of this night.
Too afraid of the lies
To not stand up and fight!

There once were some people
Who could no longer take it.
Who knew there’d be no future
Unless they fought to shape it!

So after reading a particularly enraging and frightening article on Bob Torres’ blog, and not really seeing the story cropping up anywhere else, I thought I’d post about it here to offer another word of warning to some of the folks who may still have missed this story. Apparently, United States law enforcement have been granted the right to confiscate your laptop (or any other means of digital or analog information storage) for an unspecified amount of time without warrant or cause! That’s right! I know it may seem unconstitutional…mainly because, well, it directly violates a person’s 4th Amendment Constitutional rights…but that’s neither here, nor there…okay, so it’s directly here.

So at the borders to America, if you are anyone who tends to live your life vicariously through your laptop (and especially if you live, say, dangerously without a back-up) then you may want to rethink bringing your computer with you at all. If you are like me, you are distrusting of anyone handling your most precious equipment and data, other than yourself. So the idea of letting some complete stranger (who may be frustrated with the number of bullshit search and seizures they’ve had to pull that day), savagely sort and sift through my meticulously, unorganized stuff doesn’t sit right with me.

Perhaps you’re thinking that I’m just being reactionary, and I’ll be the first to admit, I do get that way when my government acts to undermine the laws that protect the private citizens of this nation (yeah, I know, I’ve been angry quite a bit lately.). So you’re probably right. I am being reactionary. I’m sorry, but since safety can’t ever be fully guaranteed, I’m not willing to compromise freedom for nonsensical bullshit posturing. I don’t care how you dress it up and how frequently you try to force feed it to me.

Perhaps, since they are targeting our borders, they are hoping to impose these kinds unconstitutional laws on those who aren’t citizens of the United States, so technically, they aren’t governed or covered under those civil liberties. I know it’s hard to imagine our government trying to dance around a technicality like that with the laws that we are governed by…well, hard to imagine, unless you are currently being held by the United States Government in foreign countries that allow for operation outside those laws…I’m sure they have a pretty good idea about it.

I don’t understand the threat that they are trying to prevent either. It seems the only target here could only be information. Which, given the recent strides our government has been making lately to control not only the flow of information, but the content as well, I guess outside contradictory information coming into the country and mixing with ours could upset the status quo….of course, that would require people paying attention. Removing their heads from their asses and actually looking at the state of the world around them, not just the latest coat of bullshit that’s been thrown up over it today.

Kind of got off on a tirade their, but the substance is the still the same. Those who wish to keep their laptops, hard drives, flash drives, cellphones, iPods, pagers, beepers, video and audio tapes, all papers and other written documentation including books, pamphlets and ‘written materials commonly referred to as ‘pocket trash’ or ‘pocket litter’’, out of law enforcement’s hands and in your own, guaranteed, then leave all that stuff at home. At least it’s somewhat safer there.