Brad Carson, a liberal?
I've missed out on a lot of the political ads from the US Senate race in Oklahoma. I just don't watch that much local television programming - I especially avoid the vacuous local news so I miss the ads. But I did catch one from Tom Coburn this evening as I was flipping through channels - and it was very illuminating. Did you know that Brad Carson is a liberal? That's what Coburn says in his ad and if this rock of morality says so it must be true! Yeah right.
If Brad Carson is a liberal then Coburn must be just a tad left of center. Carson, a man in love with the NRA, is so conservative that this moderate will have to hold his nose to vote for him. Before this election started OkiePundit was of the opinion that Coburn was an unusually honest politician but too far to the extreme right and too interested in legislating morality - his idea of morality. Now I just think he's an extremist willing to lie to us to get elected.
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
He's for (wink wink) "Traditional Values"
It's still six weeks before the election but those automated phone calls about candidates have already started. I had one on my answering machine today. It was, as usual, from an anonymous voice and source but in support of a local candidate for state representative. The caller stressed the pro-traditional policies of the candidate and his support of "traditional marriage" (ie. anti-gay marriage). The word "traditional" was used several times - in a blatant attempt to appeal to the intolerance streak in voters. Until I heard this appeal I was leaning toward voting for the candidate but its my policy not to vote for people who appeal to the baser instincts in people to win elections.
In Oklahoma, gay marriage hasn't the chance of a snowball in hell - but it will someday. As the Pew surveys show, this type of intolerance is losing ground fast - especially among young people and educated people of all ages. The day will come, none too soon, when using codewords such as "traditional marriage" to appeal to prejudice will lose elections. In the meantime I'll just have to be content to be at the cutting edge tolerance in Oklahoma.
It's still six weeks before the election but those automated phone calls about candidates have already started. I had one on my answering machine today. It was, as usual, from an anonymous voice and source but in support of a local candidate for state representative. The caller stressed the pro-traditional policies of the candidate and his support of "traditional marriage" (ie. anti-gay marriage). The word "traditional" was used several times - in a blatant attempt to appeal to the intolerance streak in voters. Until I heard this appeal I was leaning toward voting for the candidate but its my policy not to vote for people who appeal to the baser instincts in people to win elections.
In Oklahoma, gay marriage hasn't the chance of a snowball in hell - but it will someday. As the Pew surveys show, this type of intolerance is losing ground fast - especially among young people and educated people of all ages. The day will come, none too soon, when using codewords such as "traditional marriage" to appeal to prejudice will lose elections. In the meantime I'll just have to be content to be at the cutting edge tolerance in Oklahoma.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
A Day's Mail
Judging by the links I receive I'm aware that many of my readers are from other countries. Many of you have emailed to ask me to talk more about what life is like in the middle of the USA. With this in mind I thought I'd let you know what mail I received in my mailbox today:
Judging by the links I receive I'm aware that many of my readers are from other countries. Many of you have emailed to ask me to talk more about what life is like in the middle of the USA. With this in mind I thought I'd let you know what mail I received in my mailbox today:
- an appeal for money from the American Cancer Society
- an appeal for money from the John 3:16 Mission
- an appeal for money from Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the US House of Representatives (the appeal was disguised as a "policy survey"
- an appeal for money from the Republican National Committee
- an appeal for money from the Democratic National Committee
- an appeal for money from James Carville on behalf of the Democratic National Committee
- a sales appeal (disguised as an invoice) from Internet Corporation Listing Service
- a sales appeal from AARP for their long-term care insurance
- a sales appeal from American Airlines Citi credit card
No letters from friends. Not even any news. Just people wanting my money. That's what's in a typical mailbox in Oklahoma USA.
Monday, September 20, 2004
"You can't get right of the guy."
That's what Kirk Humphries, the conservative former mayor of Oklahoma City said about Tom Coburn, the man who defeated Humphries in the Republican primary for the US Senate race in Oklahoma. Here's what publicity Tom Coburn is reaping for our great state from the New York Times.
That's all we need. The extreme of the right-wing extreme to represent us and lend credibility to the unwanted opinion that Oklahoma is a political throw-back to the good ol' 14th century.
That's what Kirk Humphries, the conservative former mayor of Oklahoma City said about Tom Coburn, the man who defeated Humphries in the Republican primary for the US Senate race in Oklahoma. Here's what publicity Tom Coburn is reaping for our great state from the New York Times.
That's all we need. The extreme of the right-wing extreme to represent us and lend credibility to the unwanted opinion that Oklahoma is a political throw-back to the good ol' 14th century.
Sunday, September 19, 2004
The Lord is Keeping Tabs on your Check book
Our preacher spent the entire sermon today trying to get us to believe that tithing has a direct impact on our salvation AND earthly rewards. Example after example was given of people who religiously tithed and were rewarded with promotions, windfalls, and health. He said we couldn't take it with us when we died, but we could send it on ahead (by tithing). The message being that those who tithed could buy their way into Heaven. "Have you ever seen a U-Haul behind a hearse?" he asked us.
As a finale leading up to the passing of the collection buckets he trotted up on stage a lady that told us she had glaucoma and had been unable to afford an operation - until she gave $20 to the church's fund for a new building and kapow! - she got a call from the gov'ment offering to pay for her operation AND pay for her to go to college anywhere she wanted for two years. Must be part of President Bush's faith-based initiative. As the congregation went wild I wondered to myself who it is that is paying for her operation and college education? Guess I'm tithing and didn't know it! Does this count?
Our preacher spent the entire sermon today trying to get us to believe that tithing has a direct impact on our salvation AND earthly rewards. Example after example was given of people who religiously tithed and were rewarded with promotions, windfalls, and health. He said we couldn't take it with us when we died, but we could send it on ahead (by tithing). The message being that those who tithed could buy their way into Heaven. "Have you ever seen a U-Haul behind a hearse?" he asked us.
As a finale leading up to the passing of the collection buckets he trotted up on stage a lady that told us she had glaucoma and had been unable to afford an operation - until she gave $20 to the church's fund for a new building and kapow! - she got a call from the gov'ment offering to pay for her operation AND pay for her to go to college anywhere she wanted for two years. Must be part of President Bush's faith-based initiative. As the congregation went wild I wondered to myself who it is that is paying for her operation and college education? Guess I'm tithing and didn't know it! Does this count?
US Automakers Choose Not to be the Best
I was talking with an out-of-state CEO of an auto parts manufacturer last week and he confirmed what I had suspected. This man's company supplies both American and Japanese auto manufacturers and he said that his Japanese buyers think first of quality and then price. The American car manufacturers, on the other hand, think first of price and then of quality. This comes from a man who knows both sides.
One thing about Americans is that we have a firm belief that that we can do a better job than anyone in the world. We have a lot of empirical evidence to back up this belief - and that deep-rooted belief in ourselves makes the excellence possible. Therefore it is all the more disturbing that we, as exemplified by our auto manufacturers, often choose not to be the best at whatever we do.
I was talking with an out-of-state CEO of an auto parts manufacturer last week and he confirmed what I had suspected. This man's company supplies both American and Japanese auto manufacturers and he said that his Japanese buyers think first of quality and then price. The American car manufacturers, on the other hand, think first of price and then of quality. This comes from a man who knows both sides.
One thing about Americans is that we have a firm belief that that we can do a better job than anyone in the world. We have a lot of empirical evidence to back up this belief - and that deep-rooted belief in ourselves makes the excellence possible. Therefore it is all the more disturbing that we, as exemplified by our auto manufacturers, often choose not to be the best at whatever we do.
More Aggressive Scams
I've noticed, in the last six months, a significant increase in the number of email-driven scams I'm receiving in my inbox. There's been a huge increase in the type of scam that purports to be a bank or other financial institution wanting me to "update my account information" by clicking on a link and filling out a form that asks for all the vital data someone would need to steal my identity. I just got one of these from "Citizen's Bank" wanting me to do just this. Got the same thing the other day from "Pay Pal" wanting me to update my account data. Only trouble is, I have no accounts with Citizen's Bank or Pay Pal. This is usually a clue that the appeal is a scam.
Another good clue to the lack of authenticity is the poor English and grammar of most of these emails. They are obviously written by the illiterate or by people whose native language is not English.
Why can't the feds or Interpol track down these scam artists? Can't they follow the money trail?
I've noticed, in the last six months, a significant increase in the number of email-driven scams I'm receiving in my inbox. There's been a huge increase in the type of scam that purports to be a bank or other financial institution wanting me to "update my account information" by clicking on a link and filling out a form that asks for all the vital data someone would need to steal my identity. I just got one of these from "Citizen's Bank" wanting me to do just this. Got the same thing the other day from "Pay Pal" wanting me to update my account data. Only trouble is, I have no accounts with Citizen's Bank or Pay Pal. This is usually a clue that the appeal is a scam.
Another good clue to the lack of authenticity is the poor English and grammar of most of these emails. They are obviously written by the illiterate or by people whose native language is not English.
Why can't the feds or Interpol track down these scam artists? Can't they follow the money trail?