The message from Osama Bin Laden

First I read the American newspaper interpretation of Bin Laden's message broadcast by Al Jazeera and the response by our presidential candidates. In typical response they said that we will hunt Bin Laden down and capture or kill him and that we will continue the war on terrorism for as long as it takes.

Now you and I know that we accomplished our task a long time ago by capturing Saddam Hussein and brought him to justice. Instead of leaving the country we have overstayed our welcome and now are trying to force our brand of democracy on a people who essentially don't want it. Their definitions of freedom and our definition of freedom are two different things. I really think that they resent having us shoving our form of democracy down their throats when they are not ready for it. They want to rule themselves the way they always have, simply put.

I would not be surprised that Osama saw Fahrenheit 9/11 too. Does that surprise you? It doesn't me. How do I know this? Well I did a search on the internet and read the speech on the International version of Al Jazeera newspaper. "Bin Ladin accused Bush of complacency during the September 11 attacks in 2001, mocking him for going on with a visit to a school."
Said Bin Laden "It never occurred to us that the commander in chief of the American forces [Bush] would leave 50,000 citizens in the two towers to face those horrors alone at a time when they most needed him because he thought listening to a child discussing her goat and its ramming was more important than the planes and their ramming of the skyscrapers."
"I am surprised by you. Despite entering the fourth year after September 11, Bush is still deceiving you and hiding the truth from you and therefore the reasons are still there to repeat what happened." All this taken directly from the speech by Osama Bin Laden which is printed in the Al Jazeera newspaper.
He blames American injustice on our actions "the injustice and tyranny of the American-Israeli alliance against our people in Palestine and Lebanon." An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
In the end he says "Your security is not in the hands of [Democratic presidential candidate John] Kerry or Bush or al-Qaida. Your security is in your own hands and each state which does not harm our security will remain safe."
Tit for tat, if you harm our security (terrorists) we won't harm yours. Sounds like Checkmate where neither wins.
How about a nice game of Chess?

The X-Factor

Guess what? The republicans are scared shitless. The reason is the X-factor, all those first-time voters, the youth who are just now coming of age to vote. Never before in the history of the United States has there been such an unprecedented rush to register new voters. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel http://www.jsonline.com posted an article about the stupendous turnout in Madison, Wisconsin for a Kerry/Bruce Springsteen political rally. Now I'm not saying some came to hear the 'Boss' but this is unusual. 80,000 people is a LOT of people to come to a rally. Look at the photo (enlarge it) and notice that there are people as far as the eye can see. This my friends is the X-factor that the Republicans are scared of. A factor the polls can't count and have no idea how they will vote. Might I point out that the polls only count the "known" voters. I personally work at a college in the City of Milwaukee and I think that the majority are in favor of Kerry. Most of them are sick and tired of the war and the fear-mongering of the Bush administration. They have been very active in a get out the vote drive and I am sure that they will cast their vote November 2nd for their favorite candidate. They call Wisconsin a Swing State and I think it will set the stage for the rest of the nation. This I'm sure is going to be an interesting election if not a contested one if the vote is close. My prediction is that it will not be. I predict it will be a landslide. My vote is for Kerry.

What makes a Leader?

Does the voting record of a candidate make a good leader? How about Vietnam? First of all I want to know why Kerry didn't vote before I make a decision. If he didn't vote, why not? Was he busy with something else? Was he apathetic? Or did he just plain forget? Only he can answer those questions. We on the other hand can only speculate. And what if our speculations are wrong, what then?
I question the swift boat veterans. Who's lying and who is telling the truth? Who was actually there and saw what really happened? Or is this another underhanded tactic cooked up by Karl Rove? Makes me wonder how he got the nickname 'Turdblossom?' Personally I think that this is another tactic to obfuscate the facts. Many of their credentials are questionable at best and many have already been discredited.
Remember there are a lot of lies and half-truths and downright dirty tricks being used during this election. You have to look at both sides of the equation, separate the wheat from the shaf, the lies from the truth, then and only then can you make an informed decision. Also don't let your emotions get the better of you for surely as I write this it will be a wrong one.
Bush and the administration are being manipulated by the likes of Karl Rove and the extremists (Ralph Reed comes to mind as a major player also). I think that Bush is basically a good person who believes what he is doing is right. He just isn't smart enough to realize that he is being manipulated, either that or he is in so deep he has no way out.
Kerry is far more intelligent than Bush and is very well aware of the underhanded machinations of the extremists and Rove. Neither is perfect, but I prefer Kerry to Bush any day.

The truth will set you free.
Do a search of Karl Rove aka Turdblossom. Also Ralph Reed. You may be surprised at what you find.

Oil prices. Why is it so high?

I know about the war in Iraq and all that, but how is the outrageous price of oil tied to the war? Where exactly is it coming from? Is this war about Oil? Is it about Big Business? I wonder.

Surprisingly when you look at where all the worlds supply of crude oil comes from, it all or at least most of it comes from the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait with very little of it coming from elsewhere. Does this surprise you, it doesn't me.

Sure the war is about Osama, Al Qaida and the insurgents, but it is also about Oil and Big Business and our reliability on this vital resource. No one will admit it but this war in Iraq is about our access to the oil supplies in the middle east. That's why Bush wants to win the election so that we can institute some sort of democratic government, one way or another. That is the real hidden agenda behind this election.

The problem is that we rely way too much on Oil in this country. I think it is about time we looked to alternative fuels. It has to be done now or shortly after the election when all the hoopla dies down and the nation gets back to business at hand.

The largest resource of energy is all around us and that is water. Yes good old H2O If we could find a way to separate Oxygen and Hydrogen cheaply, we could have an almost unlimited supply of renewable fuel. You see Hydrogen when burned combines with oxygen to form water. No dangerous by products. It can be used again and again ad infinitum. The ultimate renewable energy source. Similar to the movie "Chain Reaction" starring Morgan Freeman and Keanu Reeves where they discovered a process to cheaply produce hydrogen as a source of fuel. That was science fiction, but I think that if we worked hard enough we can find a way to do it.

What a concept. Ain't that the truth?

The Lesser of Two Evils

Last night while out patrolling the college I listened to Michael Savage on the radio talking about Bush and Kerry and the Muslims. He talks about Bush screwing up the war in Iraq and his not so elegant persona during the debates and how he didn't come across very well to the public at large. He went on to criticize Kerry as far too liberal and in his opinion how the world would wined up if he were elected. To me it sounded to me like typical doomsday rantings. We're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't.

He went on to discuss his theory that the Muslims are taking over the world and that the European nations will soon be taken over by them. About this I disagree. Granted that Islam and the Muslim religion are making inroads across the world much the same way Christianity did in the middle ages to the present time. Its like he is saying that my religion is better than your religion. I believe that is a very dangerous way to think. It is precisely this way of thinking that has lead to all the current wars and bloodshed in recent history (ancient history too).

It boils down to several questions. Will the United States be better off with Bush or Kerry and will this lead ultimately to the end of the world as we know it. In my opinion this is great fodder for the conspiracy theorists and doomsday advocates. "Oh dear the sky is falling, the sky is falling." The end of the world is at hand. GIVE ME A BREAK. The world didn't end New Year 2000 or 2001 and we are still here three years later. We haven't blown ourselves up nor has an asteroid hit the earth. Boys and girls, the end times haven't happened and I don't think it will happen in our lifetime.

As long as people continue to say that my religion is better than yours we will continue to have wars and bloodshed for the foreseeable future. Doomsday theorists will thrive because of the plethora of information at our fingertips thanks to the internet and instantaneous news broadcasts bombarding us at all hours of the day and night. Face it, there is no end in sight.

With the coming election we must choose a lesser of two evils. Remember Bush has done a very good job of mucking up the war in Iraq, isolating the USA from the rest of the world and making a lot of them hate us. He is pandering to the rich and large corporations and in bed with he religious right. Medical costs have skyrocketed and jobs have been lost. He has rewarded companies for shipping jobs off-shore. To top it off we have lost many of our cherished Constitutional rights and he wants to codify discrimination. I ask you is this a president you want in the White House for four more years?

Kerry on the other hand is a different story. A rather radical shift in the opposite direction. Something that is hard for many of us to swallow. He is diametrically opposed to the policies of the Bush administration and how to fix a weak and broken system. His ideas on handling the war in Iraq are a departure from the ideology and rhetoric the Bush administration is trying to shove down our throats. Bush uses fear while Kerry pushes for a new hope for our nation and the world.

The choice to me is clear. While Bush operates on fear and War, war, war. Kerry offers an olive branch of hope for the American people and the world. For me this is the lesser of two evils.

Ain't that the truth?

Update on the last rant

This notice of a public hearing is sponsored by a group pf community organizations trying to improve the neighborhoods in the city of Milwaukee. For this I commend them. I had a nice talk with one of the people in the organization on their goals.

I under stand their goals, however I still think that the city has their priorities backwards. Not only do we need the housing stock stabalized but we also need to work to drastically reduce the crime that is driving people away.

Do I still intend to move my investments elsewhere? You bet. I really don't want to buck heads with public officials who just don't care or think it is 'too much like work' to do anything.

Thats the end of that rant, and now back to the political stuff.

Another Rant about Milwaukee

I own a property in the City of Milwaukee in the "Hood" or at least very close to it. The area I'm talking about is bounded by 27th street to the east, North Avenue to the north, Lisbon Ave to the south and 43rd St to the west. The worst area is the area south of North avenue west of 35th St. Lisbon to the south and 43rd to the west. At least at one time it wasn't all that bad but over the years the neighborhood has deteriorated and become a cesspool of violence, drugs and gangs. The only people we can rent to have been really bad people. Last August I had to evict both upper and lower tenants for non payment of rent, a common occurrence in this part of town. The upper flat needed updating. The lower flat having been occupied by a girl who unbeknownst to me when she rented (perhaps because she was taking her medication) had severe mental problems. An unwed uneducated single parent, she got pregnant, went off her medication and spiraled downward causing damage to the apartment and finally eviction.

For the past months I have completely gutted the upper apartment kitchen and bathrooms and upgraded them, repainted and added new carpeting. I did the same to the lower apartment.

Now here's the kicker. Shortly after finishing this work to the tune of about $20,000 vandals broke down the new doors and busted many of the downstairs windows and stole some of the contractors tools. A claim was made to the insurance company which settled for little over $5,000. (they cancelled my policy by the way, something that upsets me also, but that is another rant) Most of the damage has been repaired and new tenants are scheduled to occupy the newly rehabed apartments November 1st.

I have been robbed at gunpoint within feet of the front door to the property. They were caught only because I was in uniform at the time. You see I am a licensed security officer for a major college in the city of Milwaukee. For that I am thankful. It just goes to show, you don't mess with a law enforcement officer and get away with it. Would anyone else have been as lucky? I doubt it.

What I really don't understand is why the City of Milwaukee has repeatedly ignored pleas to crack down on violence in this area but instead focus its efforts on honest landlords in order to preserve a so-called pristine look to its neighborhoods. It is like a nice shiny box filled with garbage festering just beneath the surface.

Now they want to conduct a witch hunt by calling a Public hearing on the housing in the area. They are more concerned about what it looks like than the shootings, gangs, drugs and violence festering in the neighborhood. Don't you think they have their priorities a little mixed up?

People come here and say "Oh what a pretty city" while underneath is a cesspool of festering violence, drugs, gang activity and shootings unabated and totally ignored by our city officials. What really pisses me off is that they don't care. No matter what we say it is like talking to a brick wall.

Because of this I am in the process of liquidating my properties within this city and will be moving on outside of this cesspool they call a 'Great place by a great lake. I THINK NOT This is the most anti-landlord city I have ever lived in. I'm not a native of this state. I SAY GO AFTER THE CRIMINALS, NOT THE LANDLORDS YOU DUMBBELLS.

By the way this so called public hearing will get full coverage right here. So stay tuned for more hard hitting reporting. The witch hunt continues.

Ain't that the truth?

Something I don't quite understand

Vice President Cheney stated after John Kerry made reference to his daughter, who is a lesbian whether homosexuality was a choice. Kerry said that "she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as"

Personally I don't see anything wrong with that remark unless you are in deep denial about the sexuality of a family member, in which case it would be construed as a slap in the face. Truth hurts, Mr. Cheney whether you like it or not.

Come on people, Cheney and his wife have been in deep denial about their daughter up until recently. They still don't want to face that fact. He is a republican who has denied or refused to recognize their daughter's different sexuality. By that I mean their refusal to recognize one of their own is Gay.

I got news for you Mr and Mrs Cheney, God doesn't make mistakes. Your daughter was no mistake. Its not a choice. She was put here for a purpose and that purpose is to teach both of you and others that not all of us are what you want us to be. I'm very sorry that your world has come crashing down around you, but you must face the music. Stop being so pig-headed. There is no other way.

Don't you think it is about time you both stood up regardless of the consequences and defend your daughter? Believe me, it will be the best thing you can ever do. Embrace her, love her for who she is and defend her. Be proud and stand up for what is right. Do the right thing. Is that so hard?

Its really sad when those who we expect to get support from, our family and church, are the ones who don't.

Ain't that the truth?

What I like about Kerry

He has been accused of flip-flopping and being indecisive on the issues. I disagree. Kerry is like me, he likes to get as much information as possible before he makes a final decision. Many times he changes his view as he gathers more and more information. Its called making an informed decision. He likes as many sources of information as possible to sift through. Once that is done he makes his decision. There are times however when having made a decision, new information comes to light and upon reevaluation he must change his views.

Bush on the other hand relies on a small contingent of advisors to sift through the information at hand and then advise him of their conclusions. By limiting his information sources and or quantity if sources, he has make some disastrous choices.

Bush's style of management, much like a CEO of a big corporation (he was a business major in college) rules with an iron fist. If I must say, I think, an autocratic style. Its my way or the highway. I may be wrong but I don't see Bush as a People Person. Bush has been continually insulated from the press and public and only the best bytes are put forward to the publics eye. I don't know about you but I want to know more than the glossy image. I want to know the real Bush. What I have seen I don't like.

Having been born and raised in Massachusetts and intimately familiar with New England Blue Blood, I understand the perception of Kerry as being aloof and somewhat distant. People must understand that he probably came from a family where showing affection (hugging kissing and other forms of intimacy) were not part of growing up. For the rest of us who like to show affection, this can be somewhat unsettling and we may get the wrong impression. I do think that Kerry cares, he just doesn't show it. He is however a 'people Person' and works well with others.

I'll be posting more on the last debate shortly. Work comes first. Such is life.

Why they won't let him speak spontaneously

Bush won't talk spontaneously to reporters. Now why is that? Well I'll tell you. He ain't no good at public speaking. He ain't smart enough. He don't got that sharp wit about him. Dats what. Anna hay? You betcha dupa, as they say up here in God's country.

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool them all of the time. Truth is the media has been sheltering Bush and only allowing carefully scripted media to reach the public. Until now that is. I think a lot of people have been hoodwinked into thinking that he is smarter than he really is. Sheeple wake up! The Truth is staring you in the face and you can't see it. Shame on you.

Even I can tell that he isn't the one running the show. He is a puppet. Someone is yanking the strings in the background. Cheney and his cohorts are the ones really running the country, not Bush. He is just the mouth piece, that's all.

Watch the debate tonight and you will see for yourself. The real Bush without the shiny leaves will be uncovered for what he really is. No one in their right mind would want any one like that reelected.

Ain't that the truth?

Liquor and Bush

I had two uncles who were both in the service and both were alcoholics. I don't believe they made any effort to go to AA and if they did it was sporadic at best. One got stupid and the other got mean and ugly when they got drunk. The stupid one also had a mean streak. I was at their houses when they were drunk and it wasn't a pretty sight. It was a downright scary sight for me as a little kid. Now you do know Bush Jr. has an alcohol problem? It is public knowledge. He says he doesn't drink. For that I applaud him...However....

Well guess what? Many alcoholics share the same personality traits. One common trait is when they swear off alcohol and enter a 12 step program they tend to become 'born again.' The problem is they tend to substitute one excess with another, in this case Christianity and religious extremism. Now it seems to me that good 'ole Bush baby has jumped on the bandwagon along with the religious fanatics. When he first became president he was ambivalent about what gays and lesbians do. Now he wants to change the constitution to codify discrimination against them. One extreme to the other.

Many alcoholics are downright mean when they are drunk and even when they are sober that mean streak tends to show through. A part of their subconscious personality. It does not go away, it just lurks below the surface waiting for the right situation to manifest itself in subtle ways.

Regardless of the authenticity of the national Guard documents, the question remains as ever about the presidents status during that missing time frame. Sources say he was a lousy pilot and had trouble landing his plane. That and a alcohol problem was the reason he cut short his stay I'm sure with daddies blessing.

Considering my experience with my alcoholic uncles, I for one don't want someone like that as the president. It was scary when I was a kid and it scares me more now as an adult. I hope it does you too. He went off half-cocked sober. I'd hate to think what would hapen if he hit the bottle. It's way too risky at this point in time. Don't you think?

Ain't that the truth?