Halloween Movie Picks

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (The Original)

- This is pure horror at its best.
****


Hellraiser

- Ahh, Pinhead. Enjoy.
****


Wishmaster
- Interesting horror flick.
***1/2

Halloween Movie Pick

Black Christmas

- A gruesome holiday halloween movie. Enjoy...

***

Daily Thought

Truth is a demure lady, much too ladylike to knock you on your head and drag you to her cave. She is there, but people must want her, and seek her out - William Buckley

Halloween Movie Pick

Try this Halloween delight....

The Strangers

****

Watch the trailer:

Slipping Into Darkness

McCain is pitiful. I don't know how much more I can take. First, at the final debate, McCain was his usual grumpy grandpa self with his rolling of the eyes and petty character attacks against Obama. Next, came his pathetic and racist robocalls to voters hinting that Obama is "not one of us." When called on it - he said they will continue. After General Powell's endorsement of Obama this morning, conservative bashers George Will and Rush Limbaugh, quickly pounced saying Powell did it specifically because Obama is Black. As if his intelligence and temperament went out the window.

As dubious as the voter fraud complaints have been from the Republicans, now they are stooping even lower, by trying to appeal to the Supreme Court in an effort to stop Obama from being handed the keys to the White House. The Supreme Court luckily did not take the bait. In fact, Obama lawyers are challenging the Bush administration's role in this election. In essence, they are putting out the fire before it starts. 

Now, McCain is crouching even lower. He complained to Fox News' Chris Wallace, this morning about Obama's money advantage. This coming from a guy who was defiant against his own legislation. This elementary and rudimentary behavior coming from the GOP is laughable. I am by all means, not being cocky. After all, the last two elections were embezzled by the elephant party and there is still time for them to pull a fast one over on us Americans - but this is getting tiresome and nauseating. I am glad I mailed out my absentee ballot to avoid confusion at the polls on Election Day.

It's still early. There are a few weeks before November 4. McCain is a fighter. He after all has said he knows how to win wars. I wonder just how far he'll go to win this one.

Every One Wants An Answer

What is it about life that keeps us wanting to find its purpose? We all know that we are here for a reason. Our challenge or rather the journey is to find out what that particular purpose is. I have learned over the 24 years that I have been on this Earth - that the challenge gets harder, not easier. People often say that this is the time of your life - but what does that mean? The tired ole' cliches have got to stop. You know the ones you have heard for a long time. A long, long time. The live everyday like it's your last and all that. I am a firm believer that you will go when your time is up in this lifetime.

But what explains the kinds of events that blindside us? A friend that dies of an enlarged heart. A young man dying from a motorcycle crash or someone being in the prime of their life - suddenly finds themselves homeless. These kinds of unexpected tragedies happen all the time, everyday. And we ask why? There is really no answer to that question. Purportedly, there are those who say God will speak, as if he will say something audible enought for you to hear it.

I know that there is a universal force that exists. The divine mind. The man upstairs. The pie-in-the-sky guy. The Alpha & Omega. We all seem to question his existence whenever we find ourselves in turbulent situations or we are simply caught off guard by the rude awakenings we get from tragedy. We all say want answers to these pertinent questions of why things happen the way they do. Why we are here? But we really don't ask them with angst and urgency until we are face to face with a life altering decision or a cataclysmic disaster.

Hardly, A Maverick

The Republicans are professional knife throwers. Wielding sharp butcher knives, the GOP is armed and ready to attack Obama anyway, anyhow. In their desperate attempt to stay afloat, the McCain campaign has resulted to robocalls and portraying Obama as otherworldly. The nastiness has gotten nastier with one McCain supporter blatantly saying that members of Congress [along with Obama] should be investigated for being anti-American. But of course, I'd expect nothing more from that Congresswoman who also said that minority lending has caused this economic downturn.

The GOP has since Nixon ,won elections on wedge issues like same sex marriage, abortion and gun control. The party of Lincoln has become one of the most extreme parties of the 21st century. It started with the Bush-Cheney-Rove politics of sly sleight of hands. Hint: 2000. Bush "won" the electoral college, but lost the popular vote and many conservatives laughed when he was voted in again in 2004 to continue his power trip.

Under the Bush administration, America has witnessed 9/11, Katrina, and one of the greatest economic drops since the Great Depression. Despite this, John McCain continues repeating the conservatist mantra of low taxes, less government spending and more deregulation. Fine and dandy - but the DOW does not need to continue plummeting either and that is what will happen under the McCain/Palin administration.

GOP operatives are aware of this, however. So they had made sure that issues like William Ayers, and the fact that Obama is Black are front and center issues for voters. Hoping to stroke the racial cords of bigotry, the McCain campaign has allowed people to shout "kill him." "terrorist," and "bomb him" at their rallies. In their idiotic attempts to scale back the comments their supporters made, they found two noteworthy networks to make the case that what was actually heard, wasn't heard. Those two networks happened to be the birthplace of smearing Obama, Fox News, and the most trusted name in news, CNN.

What happened to the John McCain of 2000? That is the question on everyone's mind. He has hired political hacks and tricksters to run his campaign and made a devastating choice for vice President. People call her a breathe of fresh air. That she is for regular people. That argument might have worked had she not blown the interviews she had with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric and her general lack of knowledge about this government. Touting country first only gets you so far. There must be some substance there and with Palin - substance is null and void. But what happened to John McCain, the maverick? I do not think he ever was. A man who votes 90% of the time with a President who has put himself first, is hardly a maverick.

A Moderate?

So I took this quiz and I suppose by the quiz, my political views are conservative. I guess I should join the elephant party considering those facts right. Nope. I am going to remain an independent voter. I can be a moderate conservative and stay in the middle. I do have to say I was quite surprised considering I am not a fan of school vouchers or cutting earmarks, but I do like lower taxes and believe government is not the answer to all of society's ills.

I was reading National Review and found an interesting article by Kathleen Parker, who talks about Chris Buckley's endorsement of Obama. I agree with Chris, Obama has it in him to be one of the greatest Presidents we've had. He, I believe will be remembered along with both Roosevelts, Truman, Lincoln, Reagan and Clinton.

Marc Lamont Hill, a frequent Fox News Contributor, says that Obama is a centrist masquerading as a liberal. I agree. Obama's 95% tax cut plan is not liberal. In fact, tax cutting is a conservatist principle. The Republicans believe in low taxes and giving benefits to the little guy out there. Too bad over the last eight years, the little guy has been left out.

I must say I am still surprised by the results of that quiz. I mean it was only one....but then I took another and the same results came back. Funny thing about it - Rush Limbaugh and The Weekly Standard do not bother me as much as they did when I thought I was progressive. I am not saying that I do not believe in progressivism but not in all aspects. I guess that is what moderates do. They believe in ideas on both ends of the political spectrum.

#370

Welcome to the 370th post. Enjoy.

1) GOP In Trouble - Apparently, the GOP operatives have not quite decided on what strategy to use against Barack Obama. They don't know whether they should or should not continue in their bringing up of Ayers or should they focus on the crumbling economy. It is October, folks. If you don't have a strategy now, that's pretty bad for you.

2) Soft Rock Music - I have found a new appreciation for soft rock ballads. Lately, I have been listening to Mike and The Mechanics and Whitesnake. I cannot get enough of Mike's "Silent Running" or "The Living Years" and Whitesnake's "Is This Love?." I see why in most cities, the soft rock stations do so well, because the music is excellent.

3) William Buckley's Son, Chris, Endorses - Not John McCain, but Barack Obama. He said that Obama has the potential to be a great leader. This ultra conservative kid, whose dad started National Review, is voting for a dem for the first time. Cool.

4) What Bailout? - The 700 Billion Dollar bailout package that Congress passed has yet to kick in and the President seems aloof about it. What a shocker! He said "he's glad he is in charge." Of course, that $700 billion was never to benefit Wall Street - just the major cronies in the White House areana. So much for the fundamentals of our economy being strong, right McCain?

Chickens Coming Home To Roost

So the Republicans are crying foul because of some supposed voter fraud via the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now. Where were they 8 years ago when the Supreme Court was duplicitous with voter fraud by helping W become one of the most boneheaded simpletons in modern history?

Fox's Greta Van Susteren decided to devote 80% of her show last night to this ACORN debacle and conservative cretin Michelle Malkin wrote an article on National Review comparing ACORN to common thugs. The political foolishness that is happening now because of the right's desperation to defeat Obama is unfathomable. 

Why are conservatives trying to stop ACORN from registering voters? What is wrong with that? We as Americans have a right to vote! Why the allegations of voter fraud? Why because there were 211,000 more people in Ohio who registered and most of them were young voters or minorities?

If the right wants to call the left frauds and creeps for registering voters who have never voted or people who have not voted in awhile, that is not fraud. They might want to look in their own backyard before they make useless and baseless allegations. Perhaps Jeremiah Wright was correct. The chickens are indeed coming home to roost.

Honorable My Ass

This is pathetic.

What? You ask? The angry right wingers so fearful of a negro running the country. It is eating them alive like a flesh eating bacteria. And I am loving every minute of it.

McCain at his rallies had been allowing up to a point people to call Obama everything from an Arab to a terrorist and one supporter even decided to shout "bomb Obama." This is the honorable campaign John promised. 

Conservatives have for so long prided themselves on family values, peace, unity and everything that puts a smile on your face. Kool-Aid in a can basically. Well, if this is the Kool-Aid they are handing out, thanks but no thanks.

I am glad Barack is keeping cool. No need for him to join the ranks of the unseemly bigots and dimwit gasbags that make up the Republicons.

Movie Picks of The Week

Life Is Beautiful

- A superb foreign film about a Jewish Italian who uses wit and humor to endure internment at a Nazi concentration camp. Roberto Benigni won best actor for the role. Worth the watch.

****

To Sir, With Love

- A film starring Sidney Poitier. The film takes on racial and social issues in an inner city school. This film started the inspirational teacher dramas (i.e. Music of The Heart, Freedom Writers and Dangerous Minds).

****

Arthur

- A comedic masterpiece about a potential heir to millions who has to marry a woman he is not in love with. Dudley Moore plays the lead role. Great acting and whimsical comedy highlight this early 80s film.

****1/2

Young Franksenstein

- One of Mel Brooks most loved and entertaining films. This is simply a comedic masterpiece.

*****

Taking Off The Gloves Does Have A Price

Barack Obama has always been treading on thin ice. I mean he is running as a post-racial politician in a racist society. America is still one of the most racist countries in the world. Many Americans are racist or have a racist viewpoint of minorities, in particular. McCain is tapping into that now with his ranting and raving about Obama palling around with terrorists.

In their last ditch effort, the McCain campaign has decided "to turn the page on the economy" and focus on the "risky" character of their opponent. Obama has shot back saying that McCain is revisiting old stuff. I mean McCain even played the Jeremiah Wright card (which was exhausted during the primaries by right wingnuts and the mainstream media). We heard so much about him that I thought he was on the ballot for awhile there.

McCain today at a rally spent the majority of his speech lambasting Obama as unqualified and not ready - a line of attack they've used before (flashback: Paris Hilton ad). This seems to be the ground they feel they can win on. But voters are not so convinced. They are worried about pocketbook issues moreso than William Ayers.

The debate is on Tuesday - with the McCain campaign already launching numerous lies about Obama to discredit his character. Many Republican strategists have denounced McCain's new strategy saying it is very dangerous. And it is - because it insights racism and animosity in the bigotry sectors of America.

The kind who do not like Obama period. The voters who are afraid of him and what he "might" do as President. The ones who think MLK got his just desserts. McCain is running a dishonorable campaign. It is mimic-ing the silent majority ruse that Nixon used when he ran to discredit minorities (predominately, African Americans). The fireworks are ready to fire - I bet a $50 contribution to the Obama campaign that McCain will use the n word before it is all over. Palin has apparently given Johnny Mac the green light according to William Kristol.

 

She believes Mac should do whatever he can to bring up Obama's character. But this is the same woman who was rumored to have called Obama a sambo, so getting advice from her is not something McCain should be doing.

Obama is a brave man, though; "running while Black" as Bob Herbert put it. He has shown as great amount of cool and temperament throughout this adventure of campaigning for the highest office in the land. I am sure he will navigate the next thirty days very well. 

McCain better pray and hope that he does not slip up and say something that pops his new found hot air balloon (the "new" attack Obama strategy, although not really new). Palin told McCain to take the gloves off. Well, that sometimes has a price. A high price, indeed.

A New Reagan?

Conservatives have been looking for that shining star. With the low favorability of George Bush and Dick Cheney, the Republicans needed an injection of hope. They needed an Obama and they have one with Sarah Palin. While the choice of her as veep now is "political bullshit" as conservative writer, Peggy Noonan said; there is hope for Mrs. Palin. While I do not see her making inroads this time around, she would do well by herself. 

She comes from rural Alaska where caribou and moose are delicacies, fish is more than just a mere appetizer and cold weather is appreciated. Palin has struck a nerve with many Americans with her candor and folksyness. She is a breath of fresh air to the humdrum politicans who have graced us thus far with the exception of Barack Obama. 

By 2012, Palin will have four more years under her belt to run against the Democrats, who by then will be in rehab for lousing up yet another election or continuing to bask in Obama's landslide victory (the latter of course is a better scenario). She will espouse those hardcore conservative principles: low taxes, less government, less regulation. She certainly has potential. So does Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Eric Cantor of Virginia and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. But overall, Palin will be the most credible in four years time as President. Voters are not buying her Reaganesque behavior now, but perhaps America will be looking for it to be morning again. 

The GOP may have struck gold with Palin - of course, we'll know in four years time if she decides to give the White House obstacle course a try.

Hockey Mom vs Average Joe

The debate was no game changer. In fact - it did nothing but prove how effective Biden and Palin are as veeps for their respective teams. Palin, who was creating a severe bleed within the Republican party had to show those hard nosed conservatives that she was ready for primetime. She did - with a few zingers lost among questions she dodged. Palin proved herself to be quite good at deflecting how a McCain administration would be any different from George Bush's. In essence, it would not. Hint: she kept saying that Biden was looking backward. A key note that the McSame argument is working in those battleground states that will choose which senator ends up in the White House. But Palin did stop the bleeding - with a Band-aid. 

Joe Biden avoided any gaffes, which many were expecting him to have. He did not refer to FDR speaking on tv (despite the fact that tv was not invented when FDR was pres). Biden kept his cool during many moments when he could have tore Palin to shreds. He, of course, would have looked like a school bully beating up on a woman. That would not have played well to voters. 

Voters have shown to be more inclined to support optimism than negativity; which is why Obama's message of a new kind of politics worked so well. 

We'll see if any more undecideds became decided after last night's debate. I doubt it - although stranger things have happened. I have been surprised before, like I was with how well Biden and Palin performed.