The 2012 Presidential Election: Is It Over Yet?

It’s over a year away but I’m already tired of the 2012 Presidential election. The mudslinging was already in progress and now with last night’s Republican debate on MSNBC, the Republican candidates have started sniping at each other.

It’s tiresome…and it’s just started. I hope for the day that politicians can spend more time on actually fixing the problems that face the American people, not on trying to move up in the political world. Who knows, maybe the politician who actually gets things done wouldn’t need to spend so much time – or money – on campaigning if their results stood for themselves?



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Dear Michele Bachmann: God Is Likely Not A Terrorist

Michele Bachmann, who is hoping to be the Republican nominee for President, seems to have the opinion that God sends messages to politicians via natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes.

In a campaign stop in Florida this weekend, Bachmann said:

"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?' Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we've got to rein in the spending."

While I don’t know “God” personally and consider myself to be agnostic, I would hesitate to think that anyone’s God would use a natural disaster to send a message. Why? Because it doesn’t seem rational that God would be a terrorist. Isn’t this exactly how Bachmann describes God – as someone who has to inflict terror upon people in order to get attention?

Bachmann also contradicts herself in her statement when she comments that God says, "Are you going to start listening to me here?" but then goes on to say “Listen to the American people…” So, are we supposed to listen to God - or to the American people? Either God is confused, or Michelle Bachmann is confused (probably the latter).

If anything, words like Bachmann’s should be the real message to voters: find another candidate besides Bachmann to support. With her irrational viewpoint, she could be another looming natural disaster for the United States.

Update: Now Bachmann now says this was a joke - here is a video from another appearance she made the same weekend, her speech is slightly different but the message is the same. By the way - who jokes about earthquakes and hurricanes, especially when they've caused so much damage or even deaths?



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The Debt Crisis: Pathetic Politics As Usual

As the United States creeps closer to the debt ceiling, one thing is constant – some the country’s politicians continue to act like petulant children. House Speaker John Boehner, who I am ashamed to say is from my home state of Ohio, didn’t get his way and proceeded to walk away from debt talks with the Obama administration yesterday. It’s the equivalent of a child taking his ball and going home. Boehner, who is one to weep a the drop of a hat, apparently doesn’t like it when he can’t get his way.

President Barack Obama had something to say about the matter:



John Boehner and the Republican Party are playing a dangerous game of chicken with the debt crisis, and the American people will suffer because of it. These political shenanigans are likely why many companies aren’t hiring right now – who wants to invest in an economy that seems to be teetering on the brink of disaster? The debt ceiling has been raised many times before, by Republicans and Democrats alike, yet this time, the Republicans are using it as a stick to beat home some sort of political point.

No Congressman or Senator should be paid until this issue is resolved. In fact, they should get the negotiating team in a room together and not let them leave until they have the issued solved. The time to play games is over, it’s time for the politicians to do what they are elected to do – protect the interests of ALL the American people, not just the interests of their political party.


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The Court of Public Opinion Doesn’t Count

With yesterday’s not guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony trial, there was an important lesson to be learned:  the court of public opinion does not count. While many seem shocked over what they perceive as a mother getting away with the murder of her daughter, those same people need to reflect on themselves and be shocked at their own behavior by passing judgment on someone before getting all the facts. The media is most to blame for fanning the flames for a guilty verdict. They should know better that it is the jury – not the media or the viewers – that have the last word.

The Casey Anthony trial was not some sort of reality competition show like “American Idol” where viewers can call in and vote to convict, This was real life where the judicial system makes the decision.  Some think that the not guilty verdict means that the system DIDN’T work – and they are wrong. The jury heard the whole case and did not hear any conclusive proof that Casey Anthony was guilty of murder.

Sure, it is highly suspicious that Casey did not report that her daughter Caylee was missing for over a month after Caylee’s disappearance. It does suggest that either she murdered her daughter, or knows who did. But this is the whole point of the not guilty verdict – the jury apparently did not believe that the prosecution proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Casey herself killed Caylee. Caylee is dead, but the prosecution never definitively answered the question -  who killed her and how?

Casey Anthony may be not guilty of murder, but the case does seem to imply that her parenting skills are questionable, after all, no good parent would allow their child to go missing for a month without reporting it. But a possible uncaring parent is not proof of murder.  The jury did convict Casey on the charges of her lying to law enforcement officers.

While the not guilty verdict may seem to fly in the face of logic, it is an important reminder that facts, not feelings, is what should be the factor in deciding guilt or innocence. Will the media learn this lesson for the next big case? I seriously doubt it.


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Facebook’s Annoying Captcha Code And Their Attempt To Grab Your Cell Phone Number

I cannot stand Facebook. I grudgingly use it as a service to the readers of my blogs, but I find interacting with their site cumbersome,  annoying, and most of all, invasive.

The last few weeks, Facebook has been asking me to type in a Captcha code for all my posts on my own pages. It wasn’t required at first, but as the weeks went by, it kept asking me to input the Captcha code more frequently. Facebook says that if I want to stop the Captcha code, I can verify my account, but I have to do it by giving them my cell phone number.

Why? I don’t use my cell phone to post anything to Facebook.  When I looked to see if there is a work around, I found this explanation in their own help section:

[Q:]Why is Facebook asking me to confirm my identity by providing my phone number?


[A:] This is a security measure to help ensure that Facebook remains a community of people using their real identities to connect and share. If you ever lose your password, you’ll also be able to use your mobile number to access your account.


To access your Facebook account, just follow the on-site instructions to add your mobile phone number. If you are having issues or are unable to complete the confirmation process, you can report the problem here.

I guess Facebook doesn’t consider my identity real if I have an email address, yet they considered me real enough when they allowed me to sign up with Facebook using my email address. I am highly suspicious of Facebook and frankly don’t trust them with my cell phone number. (By the way, my cell phone number is only given to immediate family,  and I hardly consider Facebook a member of my family.)

I suppose that I will have no choice but to enter those annoying Captcha codes when I make a post on my own page. But one thing is for sure – I won’t be supporting any of Facebook's advertisers.


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Memo to Anthony Weiner – It’s the Lie, Not the Photos That Is The Problem

Dear Congressman Weiner,

You’re not my congressman so I really should not care about whether or not you’re in office. But I don’t get why you think you should not have to resign over "Weinergate."

It’s not about the lewd photos you sent to others. I could care less about that behavior, although I do wonder why you would feel the need to do something that so disrespects your office. It seems a major lapse in common sense.

The issue is – you lied about it. Maybe you thought you were being clever by avoiding answering any questions about whether you sent those photos with a direct yes or no answer. But the whole story you concocted about your account being hacked and that someone else was responsible for sending the photos was blatantly false. It is perplexing that you don’t seem to understand that you did anything wrong. This is not just a little “white lie.”

If you can lie about something as simple as this, what else are you capable of lying about? Can constituents trust anything that you say? Your lie has disgraced your office and the story has become a major distraction to the real issues of the country – like the economy.

My opinion is that you should resign, and do it quickly. Then you can devote all your time to emailing your photos to whomever you want.



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Newsflash: Everything Causes Cancer

Yesterday’s big news story from the World Health Organization that cell phones can cause cancer rattled many who use cell phones, whether they are heavy users or not.

That same story also is causing some cancer warning fatigue. After all, it seems every week or so there is a news story that something causes cancer. Sometimes organizations disagree on whether something causes cancer.

My conclusion is that anything done to excess will cause cancer. For example, if you eat too much, drink too much, or smoke too much, you’re asking for trouble. Travel by air a lot? You may be exposing yourself to too much radiation. Eat too many non-organic foods and the pesticides may give you cancer. Drink too much coffee, tea, acidic drinks and maybe you’ll get stomach or esophageal cancer. I could go on and on with all the cancer causers we’ve been exposed to over the years.

As electronics proliferate, and things that use wireless signals continue to increase in use, this may be the next thing that will be a cancer risk. Suggestions to use Bluetooth devices instead of putting a cell phone up to your ear doesn't seem like much of a solution to me unless someone can prove those devices right in your ear also won’t also cause cancer.

Living your life living under a rock isn’t the answer either, as rocks can emit radon gases which can also cause cancer. Yes, the living under a rock comment was meant as a joke, but the radon gas thing is not.

I am convinced that no one really has the answer for what causes cancer, whether it be one thing or a combination of things.   My oldest sister developed bone cancer in the late 1960s when she was 16 years old, and she died at 17. She had no cell phones, she didn’t smoke, drink, or eat too much. She didn’t drink coffee or tea or lots of pop/soda. At the time, the doctors said they were working on understanding what causes cancer. It's now over 40 years later and I think that medicine is still making educated guesses.

So it seems the best thing people can do to avoid cancer is to simply not overdo it with anything. Eat healthy, exercise, don’t smoke or don’t drink alcohol in excess, and get off those cell phones and get more face time with your contacts!

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