The big 900.
900th entry using Blogger, wee! So Hillary threw in with Obama officially today and now the pundits are trying to figure out what she will do next. VP? Majority Leader in the Senate? Who knows? One thing is for certain, everyone is talking about why she lost. Change is what everyone ends up with as an answer and I have to agree. Two months ago I would not have had enough faith to believe that Obama was gonna make it all the way. Old school political brawling appeared to have its way and the pastor scandal coupled with her wildcat fanaticism seemed to have Obama on the ropes. Thankfully there may be a conscience in the American populace. I think that it will be very hard for McCain to topple Obama. I also think that Obama will not fix the mess once he gets in, but at least the tone will have changed. That alone will restore much of the world's faith in us and our way of doing things.
It's a long way 'til November and I am sure that there will be many shocks and surprises along the way. However, it will take a cataclysm to derail Obama. The "hijacking" incident yesterday is a great indicator of what we have in store. He sent the press corps up in a plane without him and made no apologies. It was a renegade move that said fuck protocol and put his wish for seclusion with Clinton before the interests of the mainstream media. Kudos. No pandering or bullshit. I cannot think of a better way for him to kick off his campaign. When was the last time we saw something like that that was not an act of outright malice? Bush has fucked with the press plenty, and the rest of us for that matter, by lying and cheating. Good things are in store.
If I had a moment to dream . . . I would see us all a year from now. Iraq will be almost devoid of US troops and negotiations would be underway for a possible Mideast peace agreement. The economy would be bad, but not in free fall. And we will all be watching the Bush trial on TV. Treason, high crimes against humanity and a host of other charges. Ah, it feels good to dream again, doesn't it? Ciao.
The Big Day.
Later today we'll have a better sense of things . . . Ciao!
Red Bull-shit.
A year ago I was an energy drink junkie. RockStar was my favorite and I would go through 1 or 2 a day. Then I started feeling like shit when I got done with one and figured I building an immunity - like I do with everything! - so I would do 2 at a time and ride the snake. Eventually they stopped working and made me feel just fucking awful. I weaned myself off of them by changing to a local energy drink that is 100% Organic and made by VISO in North Portland. I drink maybe two a week and only need half of one for a pick-me-up. For the past few years younger people at the bars and at shows have had the obligatory Red Bull before they start binge drinking and then another to keep the pace. It is legal cocaine you can get 24/7 at 7-11. Now the tweens and teens are turned on and that has the "experts" worried.
Many kids are displaying risky behavior and even winding up in ERs with heart palpitations. Some schools are trying to ban the drinks form their campuses altogether. I know these beverages are awful. They taste like shit and create a mild coke high with a sugar rush hangover. Plus they are so loaded with sugar that they pack on the pounds, a few of which I am still carrying around with me. However, I am a chain smoking, beer swilling Midwestern boy and I have done my share of stimulants over the years. Energy drinks are pretty fucking tame in the grand scheme, but there is a danger. The danger is our current social climate and the general change that America has undergone in the Internet age.
When I was in high school we did drugs, drank and engaged in "risky" behavior. But, we KNEW it was risky, illegal and potentially dangerous. I was in a bad car crash that ended my experiments with psychedelics. There was not all encompassing youth marketing targeted at addicting us to anything beyond cigarettes and booze. Now caffeine and ephedrine are in most anything a 10 year old can buy at the corner store. There is no sense that this shit can be really bad for you. Drinking 5 Red Bulls is not viewed as "risky" and is not illegal. It can stop your heart, but the general conception is not ingrained into young minds. They are soft drinks to kids and if they do pose a health risk then you should be 18 to buy one. Until they do regulate it the "experts" need to shut up and let kids experiment. If a kid drinks enough of these to kill themselves or jumps off an overpass high on Red Bull you have to wonder how bright they were to begin with.
And finally: outlaw smokes, booze and energy drinks of they are so dangerous, otherwise the public needs to shut the fuck up and make up their own minds. Ciao.
Hope.
I just read the latest reports about Clinton's intentions and I must admit that they are hopeful. She sent out an email early this morning (Thur) saying that she would support Obama no matter what and sought unity in the party. Finally. My great hope is that we actually see that happen. There is a lot of scuttlebutt about her potential for the VP slot. I guess that will be the next big question left to answer. All I know is that I can go to sleep tonight and feel a modicum of hope for this nation. Much better than I expected this phase of the election to end up. It is late and I am wiped. Ciao.
OBAMA!
Despite Hillary's best efforts Obama got the number of delegates needed tonight to clinch the nomination. Clinton congratulated Obama, but said she was not making any decisions tonight. By the end of the week the speculation should be over, she will either disappear back to the Senate or will try and wrangle the VP slot. The mainstream media has thankfully repeated ad infintum that Obama has broken the political color barrier and is making history. The avalanche of coverage should make it nigh impossible for Clinton to try and stage a coup at the convention. McCain also stepped in and congratulated Obama and then attacked his lack of experience. Insane McCain also said that he was the holder of "right change" whereas I guess Obama in McCain's failing mind just has . . . loose change? Who the fuck knows, the guy is a fossil.
At any rate, Obama will have a little grace period for a couple of days. The historical significance thing will be hot for a while and then it will be back to the dirty game that is presidential politics. Let's assume that Hillary will not rise up from the lake and kill us in our sleep and take a look at the Obama vs McCain scenario. The most important thing is demography. Young voters who hate old white rich people will be a boon for Obama. Conversely, rich and middle class white people who still peer out their curtains and call the neighbors when a brown person drives down their cul de sac will side with McCain regardless of their politics. Dumb patriots will be for McCain and young college kids will be for Obama. There's the blatant white/black schism with no political substance and then the same democrat/republican divide.
Those are easy. The rest of the nation falls into a category defined by another simple question: How do you feel about GW Bush? There are very few Bush supporters left and most of them are covered by the above categories. Those who remain and will go with McCain have to be torn. Many probably think that we need a military guy in there and may even think invading Iran is tolerable. Those who HATE Bush have an easy choice, but the gray area is where the election's outcome lies. Obama and McCain have to fight for those who are not racists or war hawks. Those who might question 9-11 but are not conspiracy theorists. One such voter is a dear friend of mine. He is leery of Obama because his proposed tax policies would hurt him. But, he hates Bush. Politically he is both liberal and conservative and has his personal interests mixed up in both candidates. He has to be won over and that is now Obama's job. It's good to have him there to take that challenge on. There may be hope yet, Ciao.
