Thursday, September 27, 2007

When a laugh becomes creepy - 9.27.2007.1

While most would agree that Jon Stewart is a liberal guy, and his Comedy Channel television program - The Daily Show - is equally of a liberal or left bent, he is not above pointing out humor in Democrats.

In this case the wooden and cold demeanor of Sen. Hillary Clinton is where she hoists her petard. Nothing is more obvious of trying to capture votes on the cheap than perhaps the exact same response 5x in one day, calculated by pollsters and advisors as the latest 'thing to do'.

Remember, this false emotion belies something. If it's not figured out what that is before the Democratic primaries, she will be one of the candidates for President. If she were to win, and her true emotions (and possibly motivations) are still only percieved as this same kind of response... who knows what could happen.

Well if nothing else it's worth a laugh.

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Monday, September 24, 2007

Place your bets - 9.24.2007.1

Here is something that is a nice diversion from the constant bickering otherwise known as the Presidential primary debates. As the nation is coming closer to the actual primaries, and the 2008 election, odds are being placed on who could potentially be the next President.

Some of the bets placed are obscure, others are downright stupid. A few just have to be a joke. You can see all the odds at Superbook.com. [I must give credit for finding this to Mialka Bonadonna] There are a couple of good ones on the Presidential race.

One of my favorites is Arnold Schwarzenegger at 250-1 as opposed to Rev. Al Sharpton at 500-1. Remarkably Rev. Jesse Jackson is at 200-1. Mind you none of them are actually in the race, so it makes their odds even more ridiculous. Could you imagine how messed up the nation would be with any of them?

On a more interesting, and slightly more realistic, realm are the odds for Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. Respectively they are 50 and 30-1. Not too bad considering they aren’t running either, they are both Black, and one being a woman. That makes them pretty popular, more than I had imagined.

Thankfully the odds for the actual frontrunners of each party are rather decent. Even Sen. McCain, John Edwards, and Mitt Romney show signs of being pretty decent.

Of course, the current favorites found at my informal poll [it does not include Fred Thompson who was not running at the beginning of the year] shows Sen. Barack Obama with a huge lead on everyone, including Sen. Clinton. Judge that as you will.

Still time to get your bets in if you are so inclined. Don’t forget to share your bet with us here. Nothing like being able to point out your predictive skills in black and white after the election.

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Thursday, September 20, 2007

M V Consulting, Inc. Providing a Free Giveaway for Blog Readers - 9.20.2007.2

In celebration of the 500th post on Black Entertainment USA (http://www.blackentertainmentblog.com), owned by parent company M V Consulting, Inc., a give-away contest has been created in association with the Instinct restaurant and nightclub.
Photo found at www.vassconsult.com
Announced today by M V Consulting, Inc. president Michael Vass, the give-away contest will be open to all visitors of the blogs and websites owned by the Company. Mr. Vass stated,
"I wanted to give something back to all the repeat visitors that have helped the company and all the blogs grow. Without their attention, comments, and word of mouth there would never have been 500 posts seen in over 62 countries each month. That is impressive growth and repeat visits. It just seems to justify what I believe, that giving back to this community is the right thing to do."


The terms of the contest are as follows:

    1. The contest will be providing gift certificates for a full meal, with a bottle of wine for those age 21 and older, for 2 at the Instinct Restaurant located in Endicott, NY valued at $75 each certificate.
    2. For those that are not in the Greater Binghamton area, or not planning to be in this area to claim their prize, a donation can be made by M V Consulting, Inc. to the organization of the winner's choice (as allowed by the United States law) for an amount equal to the original prize.
    3. Contestants need to send an email to Contest@vassconsult.com with the headline or body containing the words "I'm Hungry"
    Photo found at www.blackentertainmentblog.com
    4. Contestants must be 18 years of age to be eligible, no purchase is necessary. Winners must be 21 or older to have any alcohol products.
    5. Contest will run from September 24, 2007 to October 14, 2007 at 11:59pm.
    6. All emails received must be valid email addresses.
    7. Upon notification winners must provide an address where gift certificates can be received. Only 1 address per family is valid for this contest.
    8. Winners of contest agree to allow the use of their first name, last name initial and state for promotional purposes by M V Consulting, Inc. and any of its websites.

President Vass went on to say,
"My thanks to all the visitors to all the sites of M V Consulting, Inc. (http://www.mvass.com, http://www.vassconsult.com, http://www.cafepress.com/nova68) including Black Entertainment USA. Good luck to all who participate."


**Review of Instinct restaurant**

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Rev. Jesse Jackson throws stones at Senator Barack Obama - 9.20.2007.1

It’s amazing what a mere 6 months allow. In this minor amount of time Reverend Jesse Jackson seems to have forgotten, and hopes we have as well, his endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama. That’s funny.

“He has my vote,” the Rev. Jackson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

“I just have an appreciation of him,” Jackson said.


That was on March 29th of this year. But on Sept. 19th the comments from Rev. Jackson seemed anything but supportive, or the words of a friend.

“Jackson sharply criticized presidential hopeful and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for “acting like he’s white” in what Jackson said has been a tepid response to six black juveniles’ arrest on attempted-murder charges in Jena, La. Jackson, who also lives in Illinois, endorsed Obama in March, according to The Associated Press.

“If I were a candidate, I’d be all over Jena,…”


Wow. Talk about a reversal of position.

Let’s get a couple of things clear on this. I don’t think that Rev. Jackson really cares about Sen. Obama winning. Jesse Jackson Jr. may but not his father. That presumption explains the comments about the Jena 6 and how Sen. Obama acts.

By the way, Rev. Jackson would be all over the Jena 6 as a presidential candidate, but as a civil rights leader, and a news media declared “leader” of African Americans, he has had virtually nothing to say about this case? I mean though this has finally gotten attention, enough to have been part of questions asked to President Bush in his press conference today (roughly at 11am), it is hardly a new thing. Black bloggers have long been speaking on this, for months. The major news media just ignored all the commentary on the case. And I am unaware of Rev. Jackson, or Rev. Al Sharpton, stepping up and making a national press conference on the matter.

That is not only hypocritical, it’s wrong. Rev. Jackson and Sharpton have the ability to bring many issues to the media that the rest of us have to work 10,000x harder to bring to light. Yet they are quiet on many until they can get the limelight, even if at the cost to others in my opinion. Take the example of Ms. Megan Williams.

I’ve already commented on the horrendous crime inflicted on Ms. Williams. I have already criticized the major news media for their failure to follow this story, especially when they choose to cover nonsense like Britney Spears and every single nuance and footstep of OJ Simpson. I was not alone. Several bloogers, were on this at about the same time and some made similar points about their local and national major news media outlets. I heard nothing from Rev. Jackson or Sharpton. They STILL have not mentioned anything about the case.

So I have to say, with due respect, that Rev. Jackson should stop throwing his stones because his glass house is already massively cracked.

And will the media stop saying that Rev. Jackson and Al Sharpton are leaders of African Americans. There was no vote. No one asked my opinion nor any other Black person in America. The news media made up that claim. The news media wants them to be in the limelight as opposed to others that may well deserve it. Some might say that both reverends are the lapdogs of the news media, which is far worse than being accused of “acting white”.

More on the “acting white” thing.

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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

What a MTV / Myspace debate means - 9.19.2007.1

The world has changed greatly in the last 20 years. In one generation the internet has become an integrated part of daily life, and the speed and ease of connecting with each other has increased exponentially. Unlike the generations before, the youth of America today are drawn to instantaneous communication and feedback. It’s all they have known.

Recognizing these facts are MTV and Myspace. Both are dedicated to feeding the need of the youth of today, the need to be able to email a thought and respond with a text message where older Americans might just wait. But when it comes to the election of the next President of the United States, a year may as well be a decade to some of the first-time voters. Thus MTV and Myspace have figured out, perhaps the best I have ever seen, how to involve these voters in the most crucial part of being an American, voicing their opinion in a free election.

In a format that is as integrated with technology, just like the youth of today would expect, a series of questions will be given by young Americans to the various Presidential candidates, and a real-time online poll will record the impression of the answers given. This is not the over crowded, soundbite laden debates that have been going on since before the summer; rather they are individual candidates answering live questions.

I must admit my surprise and pleasure with the format and involvement of the youth. Their voices are constantly called the key unknown factor of every Presidential race that I have been alive for. And each time the actual turnout is underwhelming. If this proves to be effective in motivating young Americans to vote, then that is a great accomplishment.

I’m also interested in the questions that will be asked, and how each candidate will react since they will not be able to prepare beforehand. I wonder what are the issues that younger Americans will find most important, and what degree of emphasis is give within that issue. Are many of the younger voters concerned about winning in Iraq, getting out, or just not having to face the possibility of fighting themselves? Are they fearful of a terrorist attack in the near future or do they see the current and proposed efforts as over-the-top? Are their concerns about the economy based on getting a job after high school or college, or is it more focused on longer term issues? Is national healthcare an issue they understand completely, including the costs and manner of service provided, or just something that they have heard about?

It’s as vital to understand what the newer voters are thinking as what the candidates are saying. They will be the new leaders of the nation one day. They will be voting on issues that will affect all Americans for decades. They can and will be the critical vote deciding many of these things, with more emphasis over time. This format is not only a motivation for them, but an eye-opening event for us.

We should not miss the opportunity, any of us.

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Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Update on some Presidential candidates on the web - 9.18.2007.1

Well the Presidential candidates continue to bring up some of the most interesting items in blogs and news stories as we approach the primary votes. From comparisons to Hugo Chavez, to reports of web activity, to MoveOn.org. And we still see that most of the nation is very divided on what the future will bring. The issues for the next President of America are widespread and intense.

We are seeing that the internet is being used by more people to discuss more fringe opinions than were ever known to exist by the mainstream before. Probably one of the now best known fringe groups would be MoveOn.org. Not only has this organization come into the full light of public attention, they have made an impact. Perhaps not the intended on though. The vile attack against Gen. Petraeus offended every veteran, military members and family that I know of. Many have come to question the Democratic Party and the presidential candidates that have refused to denounce the ad.

Whether it’s connected or not, we now can see a sites that questions some of the social views of Sen. Hilary Clinton are being compared to Hugo Chavez.

Quick, take a shot as guessing who said this: “Society cannot allow the private sector to do whatever it wants…”
If you said Hillary Clinton, I can’t blame you. That was my first impulse, too, …


"Many of you are well enough off that ... the tax cuts may have helped you," Sen. Clinton said. "We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."


Surprising comparison. One that you might expect MoveOn to make and defend. But they seem quite busy right now trying to claim yet another American figure is a betrayer. Having failed with the first target and ads with this phrasing, MoveOn has now targeted Rudy Giuliani as betraying Americans. The latest set of ads target is work with the 9/11 commission, and ignore his work on 9/11 and the weeks afterwards. But none have ever said MoveOn is good at making any point other than they represent a fringe of America, and due to the backing of billionaire George Soros they can get any ill-conceived message out to the masses.

Avoiding all this drama has been Fred Thompson. New to the race, officially, he has done quite well. The most recent results from Hitwise state that Thompson leads all candidates with views of his website din the last week. His lead is not shabby either, with more than double the second place candidate, Sen. Barack Obama. I will say that the site is very well designed.

So with all the activity on the internet, and still months to go, where do you fit in? Do you have a candidate you agree with? Do you understand the platforms the various candidates support?

If you don’t remember one thing. One of these candidates will be the next President. Know who you are voting for, and what they stand for. Understand who supports them. Otherwise you may be very surprised, at least, by what you get during their presidency.

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Friday, September 14, 2007

Republican candidates refuse Tavis Smiley debate - 9.14.2007.1

What is going on with the Republican candidates? There is a report out that they have again declined to appear in a debate before people of color. What is prompting this consistent decision, en masse, among that party?

It has been stated that 3 of 4 Republican candidates declined an invitation by Tavis Smiley for a debate this month. Mr. Smiley has responded with this comment

“Smiley told USA TODAY the rejections are part of a pattern, noting most GOP candidates declined invitations to address several black and Hispanic groups, including a Univision debate for a Latino audience.

"No one should be elected president of this country in 2008 if they think that along the way they can ignore people of color," said Smiley, host of radio and TV talk shows. "If you want to be president of all America , you need to speak to all Americans."


I have to agree that anyone that wishes to run a nation that is comprised by 1/3 of people of color, they must respond to and speak to these groups. How can any Presidential candidate justify ignoring questions from a full third of the nation. It just boggles my mind.

Without regard to any personal political beliefs, one has to wonder what this kind of shun portends for the future.

I don’t think more needs to be said on this, does it?

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Wednesday, September 12, 2007

How some candidates IQ's are rated - 9.12.2007.1

As the next election edges closer, I find it interesting all the commentary being made about the various Presidential candidates. Comments are coming out not only questioning the political positions of the candidates but also on various aspects of their person.

In this one site I found, there is a very subjective evaluation of IQ’s being stated. How the values were computed, even as a guesstimate, is very unclear. Photo found at http://www.ethanol360.com/2006/03/What you might notice immediately is that every Democrat is given a higher IQ than every Republican mentioned. That seems quite unbalanced and inaccurate.

For the Democrats out there, don’t get too happy. Senator Obama is described as a pushover, Senator Clinton is

Whatever Hillary is, she is a loner, likely very cold and power hungry. More than a liberal, she seems like a true power-hungry communist.


It’s slightly better for some of the Republican candidates. Mitt Romney is called a fiscal conservative (though it seems implied his religion and campaign lose the 2008 election). Rudy Giuliani is more Bush than President Bush

He would eventually expand federal powers beyond Bush and that very idea alone will pull all support from the right-wingers.

Photo found at http://www.e-z-smith.com/col.html
Perhaps most glaring is the IQ given to Fred Thompson, and the accusation that he is lazy (which I am unaware of). This one conclusion seems to be the most biased to me. It may be just my interpretation but Fred Thompson seems to be given the lowest IQ and called lazy due to his Southern roots and mannerisms. Conversely Senator Clinton is given the highest IQ and called cold due to her association with New York and the North. [Has everyone forgotten she is as Southern as Fred Thompson, and her roots are strongly tied to Arkansas, the same as her husband former-President Bill?]

Infer what you will but with this kind of insults flying through the net I have to wonder what the protests will be like in 3 years after the Presidential election?

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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Dear MoveOn.org - repost from 1800blogger - 9.11.2007.1

Some of you may be aware that in addition to my own blogs, I also write to and for several other blogs. A few of those blogs are owned by a friend and colleague of mine. While our opinions differ on what exactly to do about the war in Iraq we do agree about Moveon.org. As such I will repost his comments (any emphasis made is my own) about the article Moveon had in the New York Times. You can also find this post at 1800blogger.com:


The beautiful thing about blogging is that eliminates the saying, “It’s not worth the paper it’s printed on.” Hopefully, you hold this blog post worthy enough for your righteous asses to read it.

People always ask me whether I’m liberal or conservative and I always pause before I answer. Then I reply, “I’m not sure, it depends on the topic.” I answer that way because that’s how I feel. The one thing that I truly do believe in is that I need to respect some things in life, whether it’s a person or a religion because it’s just the right thing to do. Generals, religious views, old ladies, old men, clergymen …….. just to name a few.

Think about a General’s life. For as long as they can remember, they pledged allegiance to The Flag of the United States of America. It’s a calling - the same calling experienced by a rabbi or a priest. I really believe that. You make a decision to pursue a position in life not based on economic gain or most other material things but just because its something that you feel you should be doing. For 20 or 30 years, you give everything to this country not to get the title of General. In fact, most ranks in the military come as a by-product of exemplary dedication and hard work. And after you give everything you have for 20 or 30 years, you are awarded the distinction of being called General. I would guarantee you this. Some General sometime over the past 200 years gave their life so you could do what you’re doing today. Personally, I disagree with the war. In life, a smart man cuts his losses and a foolish man stays the course. In 2008, I will have the opportunity to vote and probably vote against any Republican who doesn’t have a plan to end this war because a smart man cuts his losses. This may be the good fight but it’s not the right fight.

Then, I come to your ad in the New York Times. Although, you probably believe in your cause, I often wonder who funds causes like this. Well, I know the answer. People like George Soros and the people who have an agenda. There are millions of people dying in this world and we have diseases such as aids, cancer, heart disease and diabetes killing millions, and your organization made a decision to pay for and display this ad in the New York Times.

General Petraeus or General Betray Us.

So what you did is that little boy who had a calling so many years ago that your work and dedication to our freedom was worth the ad in The New York Times.

One year ago, I contacted a father who lost his 2 boys in 9/11. One was a fireman, one was a policeman. He had no other children. When I saw your ad, I thought of that man. Before running another ad like that, why don’t you think of him too?

For all the people that I personally knew who perished on September 11, 2001, this company, this blog and the World will never forget. Neither should you MoveOn.org.

So allow me to apologize for you.

Dear General Petraeus:

We’re sorry.

Respectfully,

Our former righteous ass

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Monday, September 10, 2007

The Iraq report and politics Part 2 - 9.10.2007.2

Continued from The Iraq report and politics Part 1...

When Generals state, as many have said from day one, that this will be a long term battle (some even stating it could take up to a decade) all politicians ignored the statements and left the troops ill-equipped for the challenges that have faced them. I believe all the politicians were afraid of telling such a truth to their constituents. To make such a statement would easily open them up to challengers and cost them elections. Rather they all stated, initially, that this could be resolved quickly and with little loss of American life. Obviously they were wrong and the Generals were correct.

This is an interesting question facing the next President and the nation as a whole. This may well be the single most important issue facing America in the next 10 years, definitely the next 5. If we run, we will lose respect as a nation among other nations and fanatical groups across the world. Without a strong resolution, enemies of our nation will simply conclude that the will of America is weak and if they can out-wait the initial onslaught against them the commitment against them will crumble and fade. That is a troubling image to present to the world.

On the other side is the fact that if we stand and fight until we succeed, we will suffer internally as political groups drive a wedge between various factions within the nation. As families lose loved ones, which is an inevitable outcome of warfare, the divisions will grow as will the anger of nations around the world.

The answer is a difficult one. Like most answers, the middle ground is best, but hard to maintain. Since we have not decided to make Iraq a commonwealth, which I feel is the only winning strategy, we must seek the most reasonable outcome. Emphasizing the political aspects may allow elections to go in one direction or another, but such posturing will cause greater damage, in my opinion. I see that right now, all the candidates are posturing for votes as opposed to having their own convictions. The only 2 frontrunners that are perhaps convincingly maintaining their positions without regard to politics are Senator McCain and Obama. Both are somewhat blindsided though, I believe.

So the questions we must ask ourselves, are the presidential candidates taking positions that are the best for the nation, or the best to gain politically? Do we want a President, or any political leader, that cannot adjust their position based on the facts as they are presented? Can we have political leaders that can tell us the truth, and act in the best manner for the nation regardless of the backlash that short-term emotions ultimately evoke?

If we fail in this matter, if we act impulsively and without long-term foresight, we will suffer for perhaps decades. There are many issues involved in the current war, Iran, terrorist groups (not the concept of terrorism) like Al Quida, Israel, America’s prominence in the world, and yes oil too. If we just focus on one item at the exclusion of the others, we will fail to do the best thing. Again I mention best, not right. While I wish we could follow a path that is ideal, the reality is that there is no such path to take in regard to the current situation.

But this is what I think, what do you think?

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The Iraq report and politics - 9.10.2007.1

The question of the day has to be the fact that Gen. David H. Petraeus will be addressing Congress today. That report, being given as I write, has massive political ramification as well the long term effects on our nation. From what I have heard at this time, neither party will be completely pleased with the report I am hearing. But that leads to a bigger problem.

Overall the Republicans want to hear that the war is going well and that the Iraqis are taking over for U.S. troops. Democrats want to hear that the war is as they have long claimed a failed effort. The public though wants to hear that there is a timeframe by which they can expect to have our loved ones home.

The summary has been stated that ‘the surge has been effective, Iraqi forces are slowly making inroads to taking control of their own country, and it may be possible to see the start of a withdrawal in the summer of next year.’ That is a near direct quote from Gen. Petraeus as he has spoken live. In addition troops will be removed from December up to July 2008, to reach pre-surge levels at that time.

So what does this mean? We can expect that several of the Democrats, especially the leading 3 Presidential candidates will not be satisfied. Already Senator Clinton has stated

“There is no military solution,” Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said last night. “That is why I believe we should start bringing our troops home.”


And the other candidates have made similar comments.

On the other side will be the Republicans and their Presidential hopefuls. They have backed the President and the military from day one. Continuing to do so based on this report means that they will be identified for the continued fighting our soldiers will go through. Considering the large numbers of the public that is hoping for the end of this war in a relatively quick manner, this will not bode well for many during upcoming elections.

But why is this political at all? Did this nation learn anything from Korea and Viet Nam? Have we not realized that when politics override, or guide, decisions of an active war and the commanders waging it, that it inevitably leads to the wrong decisions and increased American deaths?

I was speaking with a philosopher (an actively teaching and writing philosopher) friend of mine over the weekend. She mentioned something that I thought was quite important. She seeks the ideal, the conceptual best path, and is upset that America does not try to attain more of that path. I can understand that and in part agree with it. I think much of the nation would also like to follow that path. But such a path is not completely feasible in real world actions.

Continued in part 2...

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Thursday, September 06, 2007

Discussing Presidential candidate Fred Thompson - 9.6.2007.1

Normally I would not go over the details of any particular candidate for President of the United States or in this case the primaries, but with the late addition of Fred Thompson, of the Republican Party, I'll make an exception. Now this is not to say that I'm picking any candidate or that I will be providing endorsement to anyone. It's simply that the attention Thompson has gained over the past several months based on his intention to run for President and his current rankings in the polls have not been balanced with information on his views and political platforms. In an effort to provide balance I plan to go over a couple of points stated on his website.

The website for Fred Thompson is Fred08.com, and is a very well designed website. The site takes into account that not everyone can read the small fonts often found on other candidates sites and is very plainly laid out. Getting from one section of the site to another section is a very simple process. While the site is set up so it's easy to traverse it is not deep in information. It does give an interesting overview of the platforms that Fred Thompson plans to promote.

The introduction video, which is featured on the site, does a decent job of going over what it is that he stands for. Perhaps one of the best ways to sum up his entire approach is to quote

A government big enough to do everything for us can do anything to us.


The video goes on to state that Thompson believes in a strong stance against terrorism, both on the domestic and international level. And that America must provide a united front against this threat. Beyond the issue of terrorism there are several other issues that are addressed. These include fixing Social Security, finding new innovations to reduce the need of foreign oil and improve the nation's energy security, improving education, providing affordable health care to the general public, reducing government red tape, protecting the borders against illegal immigration, lowering taxes and reducing government spending.

All of these items are matters that Thompson believes.

Need solutions that extend beyond the next election cycle.


While this viewpoint is rarely spoken by many of the candidates, regardless of whether they are Republican or Democrat, is somewhat belied by some of the statements made by Thompson. One of the most often used (with some minor variation) quotes by Thomson is that of

Occasionally, doors have opened to me, and I had sense enough to see that they were opening, and I would walk through them.


Mr. Thompson is hardly new to politics, of course. Previously he served two terms as Senator for Tennessee. He makes a great point of mentioning that he was the first in his family to go to college and that during his time in college he worked to pay for his education. As is well known Mr. Thompson, quickly made a name for himself as an attorney, which led to his work in Watergate. It was that involvement that ultimately led to his defense of the titular character featured in the movie Marie, which led to his appearance in 18 movies (including Die Hard 2, The Hunt for Red October, and many others), and his long-term television role on Law and Order.

Fred Thompson is perhaps the most publicly known, presidential candidates at this time. His visage is immediately recognizable by perhaps 70 or 80% of the population today. Given these factors, he has gained a strong position in the Republican primary race. Whether or not, this is enough to gain the Republican ticket and to be able to run effectively, versus the Democratic candidate is still unknown. Further details on how he plans to fulfill the goals he has outlined in his video are basically unknown.

The one general and consistent fact that is known is that he is a federalist. By this is meant that he believes the federal government should have limited authority in certain matters. Perhaps one other factor that can be said is that in comparison to all the other candidates and the positions currently being proposed. Thompson holds a centrist view.

Essentially, this is the full amount of information that I was able to garner from the website for Fred Thompson. There is one other factor, which the website states. Thompson is looking forward to hearing questions from the general public. To that end, I will be writing up a series of questions similar to those that I have created previously for several others of the presidential candidates. I look forward to seeing the responses by Fred Thompson. As with my previous letters to the candidates I will provide unaltered my questions for this candidate, and any response that is received.

This is what I know now, now it's your turn to find out more. Remember, your vote counts, and if you don't use it you can't complain on what you get!

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Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Republican presidential debate on Fox News - 9.5.2007.2

So everyone is ready for the Fox News and presidential candidate debates tonight. You have heard about this correct? If you have not I will make you aware. The Republican presidential candidates, with the exception of Fred Thompson, will be gathering tonight at eight o'clock to have a debate that will be broadcast on Fox News. This should be quite interesting.

For all the anger and animosity directed towards Fox News the fact is that this one news cable channel is the most watched in the nation, as opposed to CNN which is also more aligned to the left in its political spectrum. This alignment makes this debate, interesting as it will not be similar to prior debates on CNN. In my opinion I would expect it to be a superior debate. More importantly, this debate will do what all debates are supposed to do, present the nation with opinions of the presidential candidates.

The candidates will no doubt be in top form do to the fact that more people will be seeing this then perhaps several of the other debates combined. The questions that will be posed to them, should be far more topical, if not outright controversial than any they have received to date. I expect Fox news to challenge the candidates on issues including immigration, the economy, homeland security, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hopefully this will be an opportunity for the presidential candidates to stand up and give a serious answer to some of these issues. Of course, the debate is structured like all debates these days in that soundbite answers are far more important than actual substance. Yet, if the questions are posed substantively then serious answers should still be presented. The combination of these potentials in one place makes this perhaps the most important debate to date.

The fact that Fred Thompson will not be involved in the debate is a negative. Why he would not announce, running for the presidency prior to this debate bodes ill for his chances, in my opinion. I would have to seriously question his apparent reluctance to engage in debates with the other Republican candidates. The nation needs a president who is willing to stand out on issues of significance, and be honest with the public. Not engaging in debate prevents the public from being able to make an honest choice for quantifying the issues facing the nation in the near term future.

The fact that the Democratic presidential candidates have, to date, refused to join into a debate run by Fox News is troubling. One problem is that the future president needs to be strong enough to stand up to terrorists around the world. What kind of president, would we have if they were afraid of a debate made up of reporters and newscasters in their own home nation? Another reason why I think they should is simply a matter of fairness. Multiple debates have gone on at CNN, which is almost inarguably a left leaning news channel. Most of the debates held on CNN have gotten atrocious viewership numbers. In my opinion, the Democratic candidates owe it to the public to appear on a cable news channel that reaches a wider audience, not just a friendly one. The Republican candidates have appeared on CNN, addressing a questionably unfriendly audience head on.

Regardless of personal political leanings I think it is important for the general public to watch this debate. Hopefully this will add some clarity and direction for the upcoming primaries. I look forward to hearing what you feel was said, was not said, and was said well.

This is what I think, what do you think?

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Think you can get rich, overnight from home? - 9.5.2007.1

Have you ever been up at about 2 a.m. and noticed some of the infomercials that can be on at that time. These aren't just infomercials; they are almost gifts of manna from heaven. These infomercials drone on for maybe an hour may be more at a time. Luckily for those that happen to have insomnia, or are up for whatever reason, these individuals have the secret to wealth that the average person is too busy sleeping to hear.

One of the more recent ones that I've seen was on today, featuring a guy named Jeff Paul. This guy is just so special. For a mere pittance you are able to receive three websites that will sell various products. Instantly. According to his infomercial it will only take three clicks to set up these websites. That's it; no other effort is needed to generate exorbitant amounts of money on a daily basis.

If anyone believes that this system will make them money, you need to be smacked in the face with a 2 x 4. I cannot say that no one has ever made money via the system, nor will I say it is impossible. But I will say that the probability of consistently making money is equivalent, in my opinion, to winning the lottery for about $50 million. The odds I believe are so bad that to compare it to gambling would be like saying jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge might not kill you. It could happen, but you'd be a fool to try.

Who are the people that do this stuff?

Do you want to know the real secret to success? I'm being serious. I can tell you a system that will make a ton of money, and it's completely legal. Probably wouldn't cost more than pennies on the dollar.

Got your attention? I should not. And I'll tell you why. No one does anything involving money for free. It's true, and we all know that. There is absolutely no reason why anyone who's smart enough to make millions of dollars via some system, would want to share that same system and give themselves massive competition. It makes no business sense. Think of it like this, if you can sell a pencil that cost you five cents for five dollars, would you turn around and tell everyone how they could do the same thing? Even if you could only sell thousands of pencils why would you want to tell anyone else and sell tens of pencils? Does that make any sense when you think about it?

So you're probably wondering why these guys make these infomercials. Because they don't intend to sell anything other than an idea. The idea how to get your money. The best of them don't even care about keeping your money. They just want to hold it for a while. Either way, the goal is to put your money and the money of thousands of other people in one bank account and draw interest on money. That's how they get rich. Legal and simple.

What would be my idea? My idea would be a book, a short one, which says exactly what I just described. In a lot more paragraphs. I would sell the book for maybe $25 or $50. I would then go out and make an infomercial with the best looking models I can afford. A really good script, the women in tight fitting deep cleavage clothing, the guys on a beach without T-shirts and a six-pack and I'm done. Buy advertising at the absolutely worst time of day, from 2 a.m. until 5:30 a.m., and everything is in place. The setup costs are minimal. As long as the infomercial in the booklet announced someone could get their money back in 45 to 60 days, life is golden. That's roughly two months of interest.

After the first few hundred people. You can go out, hire a bunch of telemarketers make a new upgraded version of the book and sell that for twice the original price and life is great. Quite possibly at that point, you can start making new infomercials, stating that you are successful businessman, who makes thousands per day or tens of thousands per month. Technically, you'd be honest.

Seriously people, who falls for this stuff?

And by the way, if you were wondering why I would say this it's because it helps me make money. I have advertising, like many other websites, and the more people who read this the more money the advertisers pay me. It's one of the reasons why I write these posts. The other reason is because I love to hear my voice, and I have something to say, and I think are important things to be said. But I won't lie and say money is not also a motivation. I just happen to have integrity and a soul. I feel the people promoting these get rich quick schemes don't.

Just my version of a public service announcement.

This is what I think, what do you think?

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