The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
This category is a main category for post dealing with political issues and politicians at any level of government.
I agree with Obama that, generally speaking, families should be off limits. I also agree that things don’t always work out in life like you expect or hope in families. Certainly that’s been true for me and my family in any number of ways. But Sarah Palin has had some things to say about Gay people, so if she’s going to put down my family, she makes her’s a target. So I’ll write this one post about the situation with Palin’s daughter, and then it’s over.
Read moreApparently some of the krazy kristian kooks had been praying for, and asking others to pray for, rain in Denver during Obama’s acceptance speech. Obviously it didn’t happen, and the Democrats had a perfect evening, so clearly our Republican God was asleep at the switch. But, just when the fundies were about to lose faith, God made it up to them and sent a hurricane to save the day.
Read moreLeading up to the Rethuglican National Convention in St. Paul, the federal government is leading local law enforcement in a disturbing number of high profile raids on homes and protesters. Most disturbing is the show of force involved in these raids, and the lack of evidence of any intent to commit any violence (other than protesting the state the Rethuglican have put the country in). Of course, trying to squelch these protests would be a violation of the Constitution. China has no Constitutional Protections, yet all the main stream media here in the U.S. was hand wringing over China’s efforts to quell protests during the Olympics…yet nary a peep from them about what’s going on in St. Paul.
Read moreIt seems the patients have once again taken over the asylum that is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS is reviewing a draft regulation that would deny federal funding to any hospital, clinic, health plan or other entity that does not accommodate employees who want to opt out of participating in care that runs counter to their personal convictions, including providing birth-control pills, IUDs and the Plan B emergency contraceptive.
Read moreI am certain I have previously discussed the idea that the President of the United States does NOT have the power to take the United States to war. That authority was reserved expressly for the Congress by the founders of this country. The Constitution is quite clear on this point, but that authority has been usurped by several Presidents in their over-reach. I usually find it best to defer to the founders in these matters, and when checking we find that James Madison once observed, “In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace to the legislature, and not to the executive department… [T]he temptation would be too great for any one man.”
Read moreKay Hagan is a Democrat running against Elizabeth Dole for a U.S. Senate seat from North Carolina. After trailing by as much as 14 points, Hagan has now pulled slightly ahead of Dole in a PPP Poll. This gain appears to come largely as a result of an ad being run by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. It is a great ad.
Read moreJohn McCain’s military service deserves the thanks and respect of the American people, especially given his time spent as a POW in Vietnam. However, the over-use of this status for political gain becomes laughable after a while. It seems to be used to explain everything. Problem is, according to George Bush and the Military Commisions Act voted for by McCain, the techniques used on McCain while a POW are merely, “enhanced interrogation techniques.” Who wouldda thunk it?
Read moreIt’s all that uncommon for me to, as my grandfather might say, let my mouth overload my ass. By that he meant saying things I’d regret later on. While I seem to have a knack for it, James Dobson seems to have perfected the art. To wit, his comments about John McCain from 2000.
Read moreMost likely it will come as no surprise that the Bush Administration’s Justice Department continues it’s assault on freedom and the Constitution. According to a report in the Washington Post, the Justice Department is about to issue guidelines for starting FBI investigations that a number of U.S. Senators believe could lead to innocent Americans being spied upon by government agents or informants, “all without any basis for suspicion.”
Read moreBack in the early ’80s, a movie was released staring Dan Akroyd and Richard Prior called Trading Places. Two characters in the movie, Mortimer and Randolph Duke (played by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) are wealthy commodity brokers who argue constantly over social issues, and enjoy a small wager from time to time. The $5 wager between the Mortimer brothers is that if they put the Pryor character into the right situation, he’ll rise to his new circumstances, and behave like a well-bread, educated wealthy person. On the flip side, if Winthrope has all the trappings of wealth and influence removed from him, he’ll quickly resort to a life of crime and scamming. In the end, the joke was on the Duke brothers, as Winthrope and Valentine came together to not only financial destroy the Dukes, but become rich themselves. I think Karl Rove made a similar bet some years back.
Read moreIt seems that the tabloid National Enquirer has a knack for catching wandering politicians, and they’ve nabbed another now…my favorite recent presidential candidate, John Edwards. It appears that back in 2006 Edwards had an affair with Rielle Hunter, a lady hired to produce campaign films for the Edwards campaign.
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