Time For A Third Party

--- ------VETTING THE CANDIDATE-------------

I have quite a few friends and acquaintances who believe that America sorely needs a viable Third Political Party to better represent the interests of it's citizens. I somewhat agree, it's a great ideal but it's not a very practical idea- however, I have my own plan:

I'd like to see the creation of a Third Party; one that, much like the Greens and the Libertarians, has absolutely no chance of winning a national election, the difference being that my Third Party would place the best interests of the Nation and it's people near the bottom of it's rigidly dogmatic platform.

My party will be called The Divine Right(wing) Party and it will be entirely comprised of radical social conservatives and hardcore Christian evangelicals, a group that makes up approximately ten to fifteen percent of the electorate.

Why, pray tell, would a godless, liberal pseudo-Socialist advocate for the formation of a Third Party that pushes a platform of inflexible Biblical doctrine as a foundation for Government?

In a word: Reform.

It would be much easier to reform and rehabilitate the two established parties if the religiously insane members of said parties would go away- but as it stands they don't really have anywhere to go but to go Republican -and their influence on GOP politics has been nothing short of disastrous -witness the semi-theocratic regime of BushCo or see John McCain passing over the few Republican VP hopefuls that actually had the skills to take office and instead choosing a professional breeder who pushes for wildlife eradication, environmental destruction, book banning and faith-based contraception, all in the name of God.

Wouldn't it be great if the religious lunatics had somewhere to go where they could gather without bothering those of us who, like our Founding Fathers, are deeply uncomfortable with having the faith-based delusions of (insert sect here) forced on us as law?

If our political candidates didn't have to waste time and energy on irrelevant matters such as who is "faithier", they'd be able to concentrate on more pressing issues, such as providing health care and planning a return to a more peaceful foreign policy. Schools could once again be encouraged to teach subjects like Science, Math, History and Language and the Divine Right could keep their Creation Delusions where they belong-in Church and in private. I mean, if you want to believe that the world is a mere 6,000 years old, that's fine with me- until you start telling me about it. I really don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear your condemnation of gay marriage, reproductive rights, free speech or social tolerance- why don't you take that crap somewhere where people care? Somewhere like the National Convention of the Divine Right Party, which could be held in hotbeds of free thought such as Branson, MO.; Wasilla, AK or Squirrel Lick, WV.

With the advent of the Divine Right(wing)Party and it's own candidate, the other two parties could stop worrying about pandering to the willfully superstitious and concentrate on creating sound policies- the 15% of the vote that seems to be given far too much attention under our current system could be dismissed as a lost cause- those votes will go to the DRP candidate and no lip service need be given to them by Democrats or Republicans as they won't be voting for a 'major' party anyway. Theology will no longer dominate the political discourse of the Big Two parties - faith will be a personal,private matter for thoughtful politicians and a flaming Jumbotron for the DRP.

I honestly don't care if a candidate goes to church, prays or even if they believe in God or not- I just want someone who thinks before they act and doesn't make decisions based on "faith" or "belief"- I prefer facts and knowledge when it comes to deciding who to feed and who to bomb, although I must admit I have a soft spot in my heart for Jesus' teachings when it comes to caring for the sick, feeding the hungry and teaching the children- sadly, it's unlikely that the DRP will feel the same way.


(In the interest of "fair play", I suggest that the DRP be given the same media coverage and opportunities that the Green Party, the Libertarians and the Whigs receive.)

Irony

Two dominant news stories:

1) Barack Obama is drawing heavy criticism for suggesting that during difficult times, some Americans may become frightened, disillusioned or even "bitter"and that they may "cling to religion" as a way of coping with these feelings.

2) The Pope is here! The Pope is here!

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Why I Hate The United Arab Emirates, #29,648




What is that building, above? It's Ski Dubai, an enormous indoor winter recreational park containing five ski slopes, a tobaggon course, a snowboard trail and a cross-country trail simulator.
It, of course, is located in Dubai, one of the seven theocorporate CityStates that comprise the United Arab Emirates.

The interior ( below) is kept at a constant 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Dubai is a desert nation and it's outdoor temperatures reach as high as 135 degrees F, so I don't think it's a real stretch to say that it takes an enormous amount of energy to operate this facility.


This winter playground opened in 2005. Something important happened in 2004 that made it much easier to build this enormous, frigid abomination.
From the CIA World Factbook:

In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement with the US. The country's Free Trade Zones - offering 100% foreign ownership and zero taxes - are helping to attract foreign investors.

Foreign investors such as Dick Cheney's good friends at Halliburton. Halliburton execs vehemently deny that they opened a new corporate HQ in Dubai in order to avoid U.S. sanctions that prevent U.S. companies from trading with Iran.

The Dubai move sparked controversy among US politicians last March. Senator Frank Lautenberg at the time accused Halliburton of going "to extraordinary lengths in the past to do business with the terrorist government in Iran".

Not only does Halliburton get to use Dubai as a middleman to establish and maintain a profitable trade relationship with our alleged enemies in Iran, they get to do so without paying any taxes!
With this in mind, it's very easy to see why the Neo-Cons and other BushCo thralls are so dead-set against opening any sort of diplomatic dialogue with Iran- an end to or modification of the current US sanctions against Iran could make the carefully constructed and hugely profitable loophole in the 2004 TIFA irrelevant.

Mind you, I'm not getting this information from a left-wing conspiracy site...I'm simply connecting information provided by our own Central Intelligence Agency.

Interesting facts from the CIA:

-The per capita GDP, U.A.E. : $55,200 (2007)

-The per capita GDP in the U.S.A. : $46,000. (2007)

- 81% of the the U.A.E. population is comprised of foreign workers

-78% of jobs in the UAE are in the service sector...this, presumably, includes the Pakistanis who operate the lifts at Ski Dubai.

What does the average UAE national do for a living?
Nothing.
They don't need jobs. The UAE 'government' gives the native-born citizens welfare checks drawn from the national oil revenue and the citizens, in turn, use the money to employ foreign-born dishwashers, valets, busboys, prostitutes and lift-operators.

An unemployed native of the UAE can afford to go skiing.
Indoors.
Downtown.

This is what an unemployed native of the USA can afford:


Did I mention prostitutes when I listed the job opportunities open to foreign labor in the UAE? I'm sorry.

I meant to say sex slaves.

From the CIA World Factbook:

current situation: the United Arab Emirates is a destination country for men, women, and children trafficked from South and East Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for involuntary servitude and for sexual exploitation; an estimated 10,000 women from sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, South and East Asia, Iraq, Iran, and Morocco may be victims of sex trafficking in the UAE; women also migrate from Africa, and South and Southeast Asia to work as domestic servants, but may have their passports confiscated, be denied permission to leave the place of employment in the home, or face sexual or physical abuse by their employers...victims of child camel jockey trafficking may still remain in the UAE, despite a July 2005 law banning the practice...

That's just a snippet of the egregious human rights violations committed in the UAE ...certainly there must be some repercussions to such flagrant abuse.

The total number of trade sanctions imposed on the UAE by the USA?

None.

Instead of sanctions, Dubai was rewarded with the 2004 TIFA and now they have ski resorts in the middle of the desert... during the hotter portions of the coming summer there is a good chance that you will be forced with a tough decision- can you afford to turn on the air-conditioning?

While you sweat, think of our good friends in the UAE and the gigantic indoor freezers that we bought for them. Think about how the money to pay for these indoor snowparks got from here to there. It drove.


Hot enough for you?

Rabies on an Upswing

Do possums attack people? I sure as hell hope so.

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Animism:

1.	the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls.

2.	the belief that natural objects have souls that may exist apart from their material bodies.

3.	the doctrine that the soul is the principle of life and health.

4.	belief in spiritual beings or agencies.

Secular:

1.	of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal.

2.	not pertaining to or connected with religion.

I have combined these two disparate concepts into a unified whole, a belief system that works for me : Secular Animism.

Dude, you might say, that doesn't make any sense.

It doesn't have to make sense. That's where this comes in handy...

Faith:

1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.

I suppose Secular Animism could be defined thusly:

1. the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself exist.

This, I admit, is a pretty dull foundation for a religion. In fact, when you take animism and strip away all the parts about 'souls' and spirituality, you are essentially left with little more than science, which can be dreadfully academic. Science also requires proof, which tends to preclude faith.
Proof is also hard work, so we will exclude it and leave science to Dr. Moreau, Dr. Doom and their egg-headed ilk.

In lieu of proof, I proffer possum.


The New Breakfast Snob, March 23, 2008:

Claanad- The Hunter
Is there an award for reverb?

Alvin Lee- The Rapper
Ten Years After twenty years later.

Stranglers- Hallow to Our Men
From 'The Gospel According to the Men in Black'.

Damien Dempsey- Celtic Tiger
Greed. What is it good for?

Pentangle- Storyteller
Deep Purple- Hush
Savoy Brown- Poor Girl
Neil Young- Motorcycle Mama

Damien Dempsey- Colony
I sing the song of the colony
How many years and you're still not free
And your mother cries and you ask god why
Greed is the knife and the scars run deep
How many races with much reason to weep
And your children cry
And you ask god why

I look to the east, I look to the west
To the north and the south, and I'm not too impressed
Time after time
After crime after crime
They raped, robbed, pillaged, enslaved and murdered
Jesus Christ was their god and they done it in his name
So he could take the blame if it's not all a game
With bible in one hand and a sword in the other
They came to purify my land of my Gaelic Irish mothers
And fathers, and sisters and brothers
With our own ancient customs, laws, music, art
Way of life and culture
Tribal in structure
We had a civilisation
When they were still neanderthal nations
We suffer with the Native American, the Indian in Asia
Aboriginal Australia
The African people with their history so deep
And our children still weep and our lives are still cheap

You took what was not yours
Went against your own bible
You broke your own laws
Just to out do the rival
But did you ever apologize
For the hundreds and millions of lives
You destroyed and terrorised
Or have you never realized
Did you never feel shame
For what was done in your country's name
And find out who's to blame and why they were so inhumane
And still they teach you in your school
About those glorious days of rule
And how it's your destiny to be
Superior to me
But if you've any kind of mind
You'll see that all human kind
Are the children of this earth
And your hate for them will chew you up and spit you out

-Damien Dempsey

Whoa. Then I played a few choice snippets of Patti Smith...you know the ones.

Great Big Sea - End of the World
Well, I played 'Colony' and Patti Smith on Easter and lightning didn't strike me dead...but if it had...

John Prine- Please Don't Bury Me
I'm donating myself to science. Unless my cats eat me first.

Velvet Underground- Lonesome Cowboy Bill
Gentle Giant- As old as You're Young
Emerson, Lake & Palmer- Hoedown
Jethro Tull- Moths
Grace Slick & Paul Kantner- Earth Mother
Fiona Joyce- Cry Over You
Frank Zappa- St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast Medley
Steve Hillage- Wait One Moment
Dude. Collect yourself into the Cosmic Power of the Great Healing Wave or something...Hillage is a fantastic guitarist but he would make a lousy secular animist.

Nouvelle Vouge- In A Manner of Speaking
Brian Eno -Mother Whale Eyeless
Altan- Eoghainin O Ragdain
Mr. Acker Bilk - Easter Parade

Roy Buchanan- I Won't Tell You No More Lies
Dude, that's a double negative. Perhaps that is why this song is an instrumental.

Pretty Things- God Give Me The Strength To Carry On
Amen, y'all.

Have a Happy Day, Holy or otherwise.