I love being a blogger because I can say anything I want.

Liberals vs. Liberals

Is it okay for liberals to criticize other liberals?

I've said negative things about Bill Maher, Hillary Clinton, Michael Moore, Bob Costas (I don't know if he's liberal or not), and the guys from South Park even though they're libertarians (I'm still battling commenters for doing that post and that was in March 2006).  Why is it so wrong to call out other liberals when it's well-deserved?  I know we're a divided nation and we have to be passionately loyal to our own side, whether red or blue, but once in awhile we gotta keep each other in check.  I'll keep doing it and if it gets me kicked out of the liberal club, so be it.

Naomi Klein wrote what most would judge as a negative article about Barack Obama.  Naomi is liberal, but she made a good point about Barack not addressing New Orleans and the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  She wasn't saying he shouldn't be president or insulting him, she was asking him to make it a priority.  Go here for the article, New Orleans: The City That Won't Be Ignored.  I don't think Naomi was being disrespectful.  I think she was being a good fair and balanced journalist (not in the Fox News way, I mean the real way).  I also think that Barack would appreciate this criticism because he doesn't have a fragile ego.  He can differentiate between constructive criticism and personal attacks.  He has proven this.

Even though I took the piss out of Bill Maher (he deserved it) doesn't mean I don't like him.  Hell, I admire him because he gets paid for taking the piss out of people.  But, you know, sometimes he's an asshole and says stupid shit.  It's true, but I'm not anti-Bill Maher.  Most of you know that I'm a big Jon Stewart fan and even bigger Stephen Colbert fan, but there are times when they interview guests and instead of letting the guest speak, they interrupt with a joke.  Then, I'm like, "Hey, shut up.  I want to hear what this person has to say."  It doesn't mean I don't like Jon or Stephen, it just means...well, "Hey, shut up.  I want to hear what this person has to say."

I also counted the number of times Hillary referred to herself compared to Obama when she gave her speech at the DNC.  We all know how bad she wanted to win that democratic nomination.  I think she saw the love and adoration we (still) have for Bill Clinton and wanted the same for herself.  Except, she's not Bill.  She certainly had a large number of supporters though and I think that was hard for her to give up.  I still think her speech was too self-congratulatory and I criticized her for it.  But, that speech was important because she had just finished campaigning against Obama -- a little viciously at times -- then did a 360 and totally supported him.  I'm sure it was hard for her to do too, especially when still feeling the sting of losing.  When it came time for her to give her speech at the DNC, all I could think was she better be really convincing after all that mudslinging directed at Obama.  I'm sorry, but she did need to be more convincing.  It's not a personal attack on Hillary, it's politics.

By the way, Bill Clinton was convincing in his speech.  I hope Barack gives him a seat in his cabinet.  Bill's still got it and what can I say?  I love the guy.  He doesn't do talking points or memorized lines, he just speaks from the heart.  I have also criticized Bill before too, but only when it was deserved.

For the record, Keith Olbermann has never said anything to annoy me, but that doesn't mean he won't someday.

There are times when I've said things and have been called out by other bloggers.  Sometimes I disagreed with them, but other times I had to admit they were right and I was wrong.  To sum up my point, yes it is okay for liberals to keep each other in check and challenge each other's views.  It's okay to point out things they say that are truly offensive (for example, retarded kids are like dogs).

I like it that Ron and The Capt. aren't afraid to challenge my opinions.  Not only do I respect their views, I welcome them.  However, when anonymous commenters leave messages calling me names or insulting me, then I'm going to take the piss out of them.  Hey, what do you expect?

I came across a blog post while on BlogExplosion written by a woman.  She said she supports Sarah Palin because Sarah isn't afraid to be soft and feminine like real women, in comparison to Hillary who comes across as tough.  I wonder how many other women think in these terms about women candidates.

I don't think Sarah is right for the job anymore than I thought Hillary was.  It has nothing to do with being a feminist or which female candidate I would most want to go shopping with me.  Everything is on the line and it's about who can best put back together a very broken country.

I consider myself both feminine and feminist.  I was lucky to grow up in an era when our sisters of the civil rights movement, such as Gloria Steinem, fought for the rights I take for granted today.  I'll never be able to relate to what it was like to be a woman in the 1950's and I'm glad.  I've got choices.  I don't have to subscribe to anyone else's philosophical or political view except my own.  For instance (and I agree with Bill Maher on this one), I think feminists groups should lay off attacking strippers and saying they degrade all women.  Personally, I don't feel degraded by some other woman's career choice, no matter what it is.  I think prostitution should be legalized, because it's not like it's ever going away (just like illegal drugs -- they'll always be around).  If an adult woman makes the choice to be a prostitute, it doesn't affect or degrade me, but if she's going to do it why not make it safe for both prostitute and client?  It seems to be working out fine in Nevada.  AND, the government can tax them.  Win-win situation.

I don't have anything against porn either, as long as adult woman are doing it voluntarily.  Those are some of the things that separate me from the feminist groups, but most importantly, I can see both sides on the abortion issue.  I do believe women should have the choice, but I also know that in the third trimester there's a baby there, not a fetus anymore.  It only takes one little kick from the baby inside your belly to know that.  So, I think that third trimester pregnancies should be banned (unless it's life threatening to the mother).

I'm glad there are feminist groups fighting for equal pay and choice for women, but don't tell me what it means to be a woman or a feminist.  I once took a quiz in my psychology class.  The results were a scale, from extremely feminine to extremely masculine.  I landed right smack in the middle.  Does that make me androgynous?  Anyway, the text book explained that it was best for people to be in the middle (I don't remember why, but it's probably on the internet somewhere).  Also, it has nothing to do with sexuality, just what's considered traditionally masculine or feminine traits.  The results didn't surprise me and I'm sure a lot of other women ended up in the middle.  Most women I know are both strong and soft.  Feminine and feminist.

I didn't support Hillary and I don't support Sarah.  I always got the impression that Hillary would sell-out at the first opportunity, but what sealed it was when she was caught on mike with John Edwards plotting on how to keep other candidates out of future debates.  I took it as a bad sign.  One other thing, I think it was okay to criticize Hillary for crying on camera.  People say she was simply displaying a human emotion like real human beings do.  But, then the double standard comes into play.  If Barack started crying and saying how hard it was for him after someone complimented his suit, it would have been all over for him.  So let both men and women play by the same rules here.  In other words, if a man can't cry and get away with it, then neither can a woman.

There's nothing I can say about Sarah Palin and why I don't support her that 10,000 people haven't already said.

Like this.

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

An unapologetic rant that's long overdue.

What I noticed about pundits is that anyone can be one (literally).  You don't need to be educated or even know much about politics (Ann Coulter didn't know Thomas Jefferson was a president).  All you need is an over-inflated ego and an opinion.  Bill Maher is no different from Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, or Michelle Malkin.  He's just on the liberal/libertarian side (if that makes sense).  I think his show is entertaining and I agree with a lot of things he says, but just like conservative pundits he's only preaching to the choir.  Pundits also never say anything new.  Everything they discuss has already been said or written about.  They just talk about whether they agree or disagree with those things.  In order to survive, pundits MUST stay in the spotlight.  That means, every once in awhile they have to say something outrageous or offensive so that people pay attention to them.  Bad attention = Good attention for pundits, and Bill Maher is no different from conservatives in this case.

New Rule: If you've never been married, you're in no position to judge married people.  Yes, we all know Bill Maher is single, but he needs to stop putting people down who aren't.  People get married because they want to get married, and they're not all miserable.  I don't know how old Bill Maher is, but I'm guessing somewhere between 55-60.  When you're that old and still paying strippers and hookers for sex, you're not a bachelor anymore, you're a dirty old man.

New Rule:  Don't compare mentally retarded children to dogs.  By the way, is that why you got canned from Politically Incorrect?  Bill said, "Dogs are like retarded children," and when a guest said that her nephew is retarded and she never thought of him like a dog.  Bill responded with, "Well, maybe you should."  Here's the video on YouTube.

New Rule:  Bill Maher can't pretend he didn't know Ann Coulter was a dude when he fucked her.

New Rule:  Being an Atheist doesn't make you better than everyone else.  It's one thing to criticize religious hypocrisy.  It's another to state that all religious people have a neurological disorder (other new rule: don't use big words or terms you don't understand).  A neurological disorder means there is an abnormality in the brain or within the nervous system.  Sometimes a specific part of the brain isn't functioning normally or neurons are not firing correctly, causing too much or not enough of certain brain chemicals.  For instance, Alzheimer's Disease is a neurological disorder.  Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, and Dyslexia are all neurological disorders.  Religion is not.  If that were the case, then (1) 90% of the world's population would have a neurological disorder, and (2) you would be saying that growing up as a Christian Mennonite and becoming an Atheist later means that I HAD a neurological disorder, but after I became an Atheist it disappeared.  Gee Bill, you're a fucking idiot.

New Rule:  What is your problem with Pennsylvania?  Are you pissed because it went to Hillary instead of Obama?  Stop calling Pennsylvania a racist state when you live in California.  How many riots have there been in CA because of police brutality against Blacks and Latinos?  I'm just saying, we've never had one in Pennsylvania as far as I know.  Bill recently made this comments on his show:

"A black president? Half of Pennsylvania isn't ready for black quarterbacks. Forget Obama, they think Will Smith needs to be taken down a peg."

Congratulations Bill, that was real good.  You just regurgitated something Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show.  Although it's strange that the Pittsburgh Pirates were the first MLB team to have an all Black line-up.  By the way, at least we don't have millionaire cheap fuckers who say illegal immigration is wrong, but hire poor, desperate illegal Mexicans for twenty-five cents an hour to be their servants.  That seems kinda racist, doesn't it Bill?  I can't comment on the Will Smith joke because I don't even get it.  But, I think that Bill Maher should stay out of Pennsylvania.  I mean if you don't like it, don't come here next time you do a stand-up tour and expect us to give you our money.  I'm serious, just skip it.  Easy problem solved.

New Rule:  Bill Maher must play Pictionary with Erik Estrada at least once a week, so that Erik can knock Bill out cold and maybe bring his ego down a few notches.

New Rule:  Just because Maher admits to getting his ass kicked in school, and probably deserved it, he shouldn't take the side of high school bullies when it comes to beating up other kids.  I'm specifically referring to the 16-year old Florida cheerleader who was lured into a house by six other girls and beaten unconscious, and after waking up was beaten again.  The six girls said they did it because she had trash talked about them on MySpace.  Here's the MSNBC article and video.  Bill's response to this was that he thought it was funny and said maybe the cheerleader deserved it.  He also didn't think the police should have gotten involved:  "Why can't they let kids be kids? Is this what the police really should be doing? Don't they have better things to do?"  Because Bill doesn't have kids, he can't sympathize with the victim or the victim's family.  I mean, can you imagine being the parent who gets a phone call and finds out your daughter had been brutally beaten?  Bill can't.  And people wonder why kids take guns and go shoot up schools.

New Rule:  Don't lie and say you have two dogs when you actually have three.  We know you're dating Ingrid Newkirk of PETA.  Bill is also a high-ranking member.  PETA and groups like Operation Rescue have a lot in common.  They just fight for different causes.  One, both are categorized as cult groups because of their group mentality and behavior.  Two, they use tactics such as assault and destruction of property to make their points.  There are a lot of animal rights groups I have tremendous respect and support for, but PETA is not one of them and it never will be.  Their motto should be "We do unethical things to people for the ethical treatment of animals."  The good news is since Bill hates kids, we don't have to worry about them breeding.  Ewwww...I just had an image of Bill and Ingrid's old wrinkly asses having sex and grossed myself out.  Ick!

Can you guess which one is the dog and which one is Ingrid?  Woof!

And finally...

New Rule:  Replace Bill Maher on Real Time with Dan Savage.  Not only is he wittier and smarter than Maher, he's so much more likable.  I would go as far as bringing Michael Moore on to Bill's show and getting down on my knees and begging him to quit and let Dan Savage take his job.

FOR ANYONE WHO THINKS I WAS UNFAIR BY TRASHING BILL MAHER, THERE IS NOTHING I WROTE THAT IS WORSE THAN THINGS HE SAYS ABOUT PEOPLE ON HIS SHOW.

I haven't done a Top 10 List in awhile.

1.  Nerds are comfortable just being themselves.

2.  Nerds are funny and make good stand-up comedians.

3.  Nerds are creative.  They think outside the box.  Usually WAY outside the box. (Quentin Tarantino?)

4.  Nerds are more successful and usually make a lot of money.  The richest person in the world is a nerd.

5.  You'll never have a boring conversation with a nerd (unless they start talking "tech stuff").

6.  They have a lot of books and let you borrow them.  They also have every computer and video game, and every type of gaming console.  They're surprised when it takes you hours to get through one level of a game, since it only took them three minutes.

7.  Nerds aren't snobby or inclusive.

8.  Nerds are smart and being smart is never a bad thing.  If you criticize a nerd for being smart, you're just jealous.

9.  Their little quirks are usually endearing and amusing instead of annoying.

10.  They never complain about going into a bookstore, coffee shop, or stopping for ice cream.

That has to be the best blurb title I've ever come up with.

The Republicans have been using several classic rock songs for McCain's campaign and pissing off several classic rock musicians.

Ann Wilson of Heart told Entertainment Weekly, "I feel completely fucked over," after issuing this statement:

According to the The Colorado Independent, Van Halen's management said, “Permission was not sought or granted nor would it have been given,” after McCain used "Right Now" at an Ohio Rally.

Singer and New York Representative John Hall said, "What is at issue here is Senator McCain’s use of the song to try and advance an agenda that I do not support without respecting copyright law and intellectual property.”  McCain used "Still the One" at a New Hampshire town hall meeting.

Jackson Browne is suing McCain for using his song "Running on Empty" in an ad about high gas prices.  Besides Browne's claim that it's "an infringement of his copyright," he also claimed that his reputation had been damaged because it "will lead people to conclude he endorses McCain."  He's seeking $75,000 in damages.

Other rockers who complained about the GOP using their songs are John Mellencamp and Tom Petty.