I have a question I'd like to put forth to the good folks here at JU, a question that can be reasonably asked now that we're in the twilight of the Bush Administration. In your opinion, what was the biggest mistake the White House made in the last 8 years? I'm not asking this to attack Bush or his administration. It's an honest question. Everyone makes mistakes. So, as usual before I go any further I have to roll out my disclaimer; I don't give two rips about the democrat vs. republican...
It's time to pony up and admit it. With all the hoopla we've been seeing over the last couple weeks, Palin should be the one running for president in the Republican camp. She seems to be the focal point of the whole discussion at this point. McCain hasn't been getting too terribly much attention, for, well, anything, for pretty much this whole election. He's not charismatic. He doesn't have the charm or wit or any personable characteristics that will endear him to the American ...
All stories have two sides. Very rarely in life will you ever find a cut and dry case of "good vs evil" though by all means, from time to time this does indeed occur. In the case of the conflict between Georgia and Russia, constantly Russia has been painted as an evil aggressor who inexplicably attacked a smaller nation. That is the side of the story that the west has told. But let us now consider the other side of the story- the following are the words of Dmitry Medvedev, the president of Ru...
In the debate over energy policy we keep hearing about how there are no viable alternatives to replace oil, coal and natural gas as fuel sources. Well, I've got a solution. Invest in space travel. I can tell many readers are now rolling their eyes, but you should know that the Chinese agree with me. In fact, that's where I got the idea from. The Chinese are making serious efforts to get men on the moon in the next decade. And they're not planning on going there just to kick a f...
"Well doctor, what have we got- A Republic or a Monarchy?" "A Republic, if you can keep it" -Benjamin Franklin, 1787. The above mentioned Republic is, for all intents and purposes, finished. It was done with the flick of a pen by your supreme court last month. For anyone not aware, the determination was made that corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money to support political candidates in their run for office. The fallacy of this should be obvious to a five year old...
It's time for another edition of "Evil Corporations", a fun game in which we expose and lambast those slimy sons of bitches we all love to hate. These are the folks who wantonly ruin the planet with their activities and would gladly curb-stomp your grandmother if it meant another dollar of profit for them. Most importantly, they outright depend on YOUR ignorance so that they can continue to reap in whirlwind profits without too many uncomfortable questions getting asked. So, who's i...
Hey did you hear? It turns out that the recession is over! Nevermind that the real unemployment rate is creeping up on 20% Never mind that companies and individuals the world over have had to cut their spending to the bone, close their doors, lose their homes, declare bankruptcy, or visit pawn shops to make an extra buck. Never mind that trillions of dollars of public money has gone into private hands "for the good of the economy" all the while causing governments to make tough decisions b...
Do you remember that timeless saying, it aint over till the fat lady sings? Well folks, I'm sorry to say that she's backstage right now and is just finishing her warm-up. The United States as we know it has about nine years of life left, so you might as well enjoy it while it lasts. It is my opinion that by 2018 the United States could very well be in a state of collapse or worse. Why do I say this? The answer might surprise you, so please read on. My proposed reason for such a calamity has n...
I'm confused by all the ruckus going on in the States (or various states I should say) about allowing gay marriage. I live in the Northwest Territories of Canada and here gay marriage has been allowed for years. In fact, some of my friends and co-workers are married homosexuals. Has it had any measurable effect on our society? Has it caused our "morals" to erode and all the local children to turn into hell-spawn? Nope. In fact, I can't notice a damn thing different about our society...
One of my favorite authors (Joe Bageant) has posted a wonderful piece about Redneck America's view of the top. A redneck view of the Obamarama This column originally appeared on the web site of the Australian Broadcasting Company. By Joe Bageant When it comes to expressing plain truths, few are as gifted as American rednecks. During recent travels in the Appalachian communities of West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky I've collected scores of their comments on our na...
“Sir, I am deeply concerned about Iraq. The task you have given me is becoming really impossible ... if they (Sunni and Shiite) are not prepared to urge us to stay and to co-operate in every manner I would actually clear out. ... At present we are paying eight millions a year for the privilege of living on an ungrateful volcano out of which we are in no circumstances to get anything worth having.” Winston Churchill to British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Sept. 1, 1922 What do...
There's been a lot of talk lately about drilling in ANWR and opening up offshore areas for further development. In this article I will address only the issue surrounding ANWR, as I don't have enough info about the moratorium on coastal development. The Myth: Drilling in ANWR will increase domestic production and lower the price of gas at the pump (eventually) By increasing domestic production we will also be less reliant on foreign oil. The Truth: Drilling in ANWR will only maintain ...
There's an interesting article over at livescience.com about many of the myths being circulated about global warming. As per usual many of these myths are being caused by folks who are simply spreading speculation to further an ideological goal without any hard science backing it up. In this particular instance, a rumour has been spreading mostly on the internet that the American Physical Society has reversed it's position on Global Warming. This simply isn't true, and in response...
It looks like Dr. James Dobson is at it again. He is saying that Obama has a distorted view of the bible and a 'fruitcake' view of the constitution. First off you should know this article is not defending/attacking or advocating Obama in any way. In all truth, Dobson could have said the exact same thing about McCain, or the green party candidate, or GWB and I'd be just as incensed. My problem lies not with who the target of the day may be, but with the system that has been created tha...
There is indeed no oil shortage, nor is there a food shortage. Global demand for both food and energy has been regularly outpaced by the supply but prices on both commodities have skyrocketed. Despite political rhetoric about needing to produce more oil and build more refineries domestically, that will not change the price, nor will any refineries come online anytime soon. All of those "solutions" will take years and cost a lot of money. Besides, here in Canada we're reg...