9/30/2003:   "California Recall Election: The Republican Empire Strikes Back" is coming to a theatre near me next week, and I think that at this distance I can pretty much call the outcome.

First, Davis is going down. Huffington, Schwarzenegger, and Bustamonte have too much brains, star power, and Hispanic backing, respectively and exclusively, for him to match. Sorry Gray. And by the way, folks, don't ever name your kid after a color. Just don't. And if that's short for Graham, don't ever take a nickname that implies neutral and colorless if you expect to make it in politics. You'll be percieved as efficient at best, if not weak and dimensionless.

Second, I think Huffington is going to lose. Not because she isn't qualified -- heck, I think she's the smartest candidate up there. She rocks. I'm always impressed with her grasp of the issues and the direction she wants to take, although I don't think she's making the friends she needs to make to win by attacking corporate tax law.

So it comes down to Bustamonte and Schwarzenegger. Bustamonte has the Latino vote wrapped up. I don't think there will be a backlash from non-Latino voters, but I don't think he'll carry the day just the same. People will perceive him as Davis Lite. It's the Incumbent Curse. It nearly cost Gore the Presidential election -- the Supreme Court did that instead -- and it will cost Bustamonte the governor seat.

Which leaves us with a politically inexperienced actor as the governor. Some folks have compared him to Reagan, who by the way I despised for his horrible antics with the economy policy. But it's not the same; to give Reagan his due, he was politically active long before he attained the office of governor. He knew what he was doing and did it as well as anyone would expect.

Sadly enough, in my crystal ball, I see a Governator destroying California with ineptitude and a gap-toothed grin.

9/29/2003:   I'd like to invite Judge Lee R. West, who struck down the "Do Not Call List," to kiss my butt. And *that* is protected by the First Amendment.

9/27/2003:   I was looking over my archive titles when I realized I'd never commented on euthanasia. Euthanasia encompasses assisted suicide and "mercy killing". In either case, those in charge of the care of an individual are carrying out the wishes of someone who had decided not to prolong a life which, without modern medicine, might have ended already or which has become unendurable.

I am 100% in favor of closely monitored euthanasia. Euthanasia should be inexpensive, tightly regulated, and easily attained. Right now the only way to obtain a state mandated suicide is to go to Texas, shoot up a school, and then waive all rights to appeal, and even then it could take years.

Every time someone speaks out against euthanaisa, I wholeheartedly wish them a very long, very disease and pain ridden life. I wish for them a disease that will eat them alive for years, then begin to rot their brain, stealing away memory and reason until they lie in a bed, vegetative and emaciated, the financial resources of their entire families wiped out to keep them alive in that state.

And I hope that just before the last cognitive ember dies in their minds, it occurs to them that it didn't have to be this way.

9/22/2003:   A very good friend of mine used to respond to stories about people waffling over some tough decision by saying, "He needs to get a spine."

Well, Ted Kennedy has spine to spare.

Bush got irritated that Ted Kennedy said the things that he said about Bush using the war to further his political career and using the billions he's lobbying Congress for to bribe other nations. Nothing quite like telling the truth on someone to get them to stand up and take notice, no? So Bush responded by saying that Kennedy was being "uncivil". "Mommy! He's being mean to me!" And Bush's lapdog, Tom DeLay, indicated that things had sunk to a "new low." Kennedy counterpunched by underlining how DeLay and Bush defend themselves from questions about Bush's policies "by attacking the patriotism of those who question them."

And Bush must have hated this part: Kennedy added that, if we'd just done it the right way, if we'd waited for the U.N. to catch up with us and OK a military solution, thus giving us needed validation, we could have solved the Saddam problem with a true coalition of the major world powers.

And so, I now bestow upon Ted Kennedy the first "Spine Award", given to those who display an inordinate talent for standing up for what's true and right in the face of nearly overpowering adversity. Ok, so the only thing overpowering about Bush is the aura of golly-gee stupidity he exudes coupled with his horrifying willingness to put our soldiers at risk to further his ambitions, but Kennedy seized the day.

Y'know I realize that Kennedy might as well put a target on his chest if he decides to run for President, but dang it, he definitely should. I'd vote for him, plain and simple. Hell, he and Clark are the only folks that could probably shake Bush out of the fortress he built using American G.I.'s bones. Gore couldn't do it at this point. He's gone limp, and that was the wrong ploy to use if he ever expected to try for the Presidency. No, Kennedy is the man. Clark would be a poor subsitute.

Kennedy For President!

9/19/2003:   It's been pointed out that, due to the Enron scandal and the ties between Enron and the Bush cabinet that Bush needs to be investigated, but I believe that we need a special prosecutor to investigate what Bush did and didn't know prior to going into Iraq.

Ted Kennedy questioned how much of a threat Saddam Hussein had posed in the U.S. fight against terrorism, going so far as to state that the cause for the Iraqi war was "made up in Texas." I'm guessing Ted is mad about being lied to. He went on to say that Bush used "distortion, misrepresentation, [and] a selection of intelligence" to justify the war. And I think he was being kind when he described Bush's current Iraq policy as "adrift."

Right now, Russians are shaking their heads at us as we begin the long stretch of guerilla warfare that follows the invasion and occupation of a country that dislikes us. Most Iraqis are relieved Saddam is gone. No Iraqis want the U.S. occupying their soil. It's a recipe for more deaths, and we are losing several soldiers a day to increasingly successful hit-and-run tactics.

And all because Bush didn't want to look like a chump after letting Bin Laden get away. Now he looks like a bigger chump because Saddam got away and his trumped up reports used to mislead Congress have been exposed. Ain't life hard for the big guy?

Well, it should get a lot harder. Where's the special prosecutor when you need him? And I don't mean a Ken Starr, "let's screw the President even if it means screwing the entire nation" prosecutor, I mean someone who will do a fair and unbiased job of uncovering every detail of how this President has bent over the U.S., and the world for that matter, and given us a royal raping.

And then let's impeach the bastard,

9/17/2003:   Don't think the election process is being abused? Let's take a closer look at it's main sponsor, Darrel Issa. Seems Darrel, whose only other claim to fame is selling car alarms, has financial ties to SDG&E, a power company that runs "dirty" power plants in Texas. To do this, they must build an "offsetting" clean plant somewhere else. Darrel has been trying to get a LEAPS initiative passed that would allow power lines to be strung across protected areas of California to support the construction of such a plant. This article presents the view that Issa and SDG&E want the public to see, that SDG&E is doing something good and beneficial and Issa is helping out, but in fact there's a certain level of collusion here. Informed congressmen keep voting the initiative down, and the PUC denied SDG&E's request to go forward with the "Valley-Rainbow Project." A state commission has determined that the lines aren't even needed. They simply create a path for SDG&E to get their power to more people and make more money. In fact, this article tells the story from the standpoint of the Californian people. So if Issa is not representing his consituency, who is he representing? Hmmmm.......

It's my personal opinion that Issa feels he needs more clout. How do you do that? Bump the governor. The governor didn't budge, so now you get him recalled. Issa is nothing if not bullheaded. He's determined to make his money, and getting Davis out of the way, or at least scaring him a bit will give Issa the clout he needs to push legislation through, even if it only benefits himself.

Hey, California! Don't like being used to further one man's sick dreams? Then either vote down the recall or put Bustamonte in power. Send a message back to Issa that we are revoking his clout. He's a sick pup, and he needs to be sent back to Darrel's Depot.

Oh, and Darrel, if you're reading this -- Have a nice day.

9/17/2003:   On the other hand, the argument that the election can't take place because some districts have outdated voting machines is just embarrassing. I don't think anyone in the state is proud to have other states know that one of the biggest weapons the opposition has to the election is that the voting machines are inadequate when those same voting machines were used to elect Davis.

So be it. Californians, if you understand that the recall is a mistake, vote it down. And when all this is over, if a Republican gets into office, start a recall immediately. I'll sign it, just to make sure that the score card is even. I don't feel this election should be taking place, and I feel that what Issa did borders on the criminal. He's a schmuck.

9/15/2003:   There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The CIA is being blamed, even though CIA directors protested the fraudulent "intelligence" being attributed to them and even resigned over its disclosure. Bush is hoping to dodge this bullet and pretend that it didn't happen in the hopes that it will go away. The American People are strangely silent. Hopefully, this will change. Because no one should be allowed to kill our citizens and get away with it, including the President. And we lose more soldiers in Iraq on a daily basis than we lose cops in the line of duty. And cops are not nearly as well trained, armored, or armed as these soldiers.

Why haven't the Dems taken the lead on this and begun an investigation and impeachment?

He is raping our natural resources.
He has destroyed our economy.
He has sucked us further into crushing debt.
He has used our army to boost his ratings.
He has bent our nation over so his oil buddies could have their way with us.
He has no foreign policy outside of "Bring'em On!"
He is incompetent and unwilling to listen to the American People.

I WANT THIS PRESIDENT IMPEACHED! If an awesome President like Bill Clinton can get marched in front of Congress to explain his actions for doing nothing more than letting an aide service him in the oval office, then WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE WAITING FOR WHEN THE PRESIDENT WILL LIE TO US TO PUT OUR SOLDIERS IN HARM'S WAY??!!

9/15/2003:   In today's news, there was violence between Israel and Palestine. But then again, that's not new.

U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq today. But then again, that's not news either.

Bush asked for billions of dollars to finance his war. Ok, so that's news. But it's not a surprise at all.

Bush conceded the 2000 election, stating that he finally had to admit he was in over his head and couldn't handle the job without lying, stealing, and killing.

I WISH! Ok, that wasn't news, and wasn't even true, but it sure would make my day.

9/15/2003:   Johnny Depp, in an interview with a magazine reporter, stated that the U.S. is like a dumb puppy with big teeth that it will bite you with. In response to the ensuing uproar, he vehemently denied his words, saying they'd been taken out of context, that he was American, he loved America, and he was outraged that he'd been so misquoted.

Hey Johnny, kiss my butt. If you're going to slander the U. S. of A., then have the spine to stand by your words. It shouldn't matter if we're the number one market for your films, that the millions of our dollars that are spent on your movies are what make you a big ticket star. You should be man enough to say what you mean and take whatever consequences ensue.

Personally, I think ole Johnny has been in France too long. He's a snot, and when confronted, he surrenders. Sad.

9/15/2003:   First, let's start by agreeing that the recall process was abused in this situation. Look at the numbers and you'll find that there is a greater percentage of people in California (and the rest of the U.S. for that matter) that believe in U.F.O.s and sasquatch than signed the petition for the recall of California's governor.

That being said, I think it's telling that Arnold Swartzenegger is pulling the big numbers on the Republican side. Come on, folks, he's not a politician. He's a figurehead. He's a mouth piece for a growing, changing, continuously metamorphasing blob of consultants and pundits hand picked not by him but by the leaders of the Republican party. The GOP (Gutless Old Party) threw him in the ring to see what would happen and the more mindless members of the Republican electorate said, "Kewl!" I'm sure the thinking members of the GOP are shaking their heads in dismay, but they'll keep quiet as long as someone, anyone, from their side is sitting in the big chair. What they're really saying is, better no leader at all than one that didn't come from my side of the tracks.

And that's just pathetic.

The Dems had to put up with a blatant crook like Pete Wilson. We waited patiently until the election, then voted his sorry ass out of office. And *that's* what we should be doing here.

Look, so you think Davis is doing a bad job. Ok, I don't necessarily agree, but alright. My question to you is, did he do something criminal? I don't believe he did. He had to scramble when the various energy contracts expired, but that's not criminal, not even criminally negligent. Part of the problem was that the energy companies colluded and forced Davis into prolonged negotiations until he had to agree with their outrageous price demands. In the interim, they gouged the hell out of California. This isn't just my opinion, this was decided by a federal court, and the energy companies, including Harkin Energy (Bush's and Cheney's personal favorite, btw), are now having to pay some of that money back to California.

The point is, unless Davis did something criminal, there is no reason to recall him. The state Constitution doesn't include that particular detail, and that's why I think there should be an amendment, but that's the obvious intent, and that intent is being ignored here.