Ron Paul Revolution? Stop kidding yourselves!

If anyone is tracking politics online, then you have definitely heard of Ron Paul. He's definitely generating a lot of media attention, especially amongst media bloggers, youtube aficionados, and the "revolutionist" youth.

Now, if you have read my other posts, you know I'm pretty much a liberal, and I guess I am so much of a liberal that my views line right up with the Socialist Party of America, hmm...imagine that. What bothers me, is that people who are opposed to the war, against the way things are going within the White House, etc. all support this moron. What makes him a moron? Well, how about taking a look at Mr. Paul past the "catch phrases" (war, constitution, freedom, etc.).

-Against constitutionalized stem cell research
-Voted NO on allowing human embryonic stem cell research.
-Voted YES on banning gay adoptions in DC.
-Voted NO on $84 million in grants for Black and Hispanic colleges.
-For abolishing the Department of Education
-Eliminating the CIA
-Says big oil profits are okay
-Voted NO on raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels.
-Voted NO on starting implementation of Kyoto Protocol.
-Don't pressure Israel to give up land for promise of peace.
-Voted YES on keeping Cuba travel ban until political prisoners released.
-Against the United Nations
-Close departments of Energy, Education & Homeland Security.
-Against Social Security

Read more about the record behind the rhetoric here:
http://www.ontheissues.org/Ron_Paul.htm


Now, I'll admit, Ron Paul is the best Republican out there if I had to pick one, but holy hell people, wake up! Most of the Democratic candidates would be a lot better for this country, notably Bill Richardson. Opposing the war is great, opposing our foreign policy is great, but there is a reason he is running as a Republican. Put the rhetoric aside and you realise that he would be an absolute disaster for this country in this country. Believe me, he would make a great libertarian if his views trickled down all the way to his ideas on immigration, health care, social services, government involvement, etc.

The point of government is to govern, wow, imagine that. Cutting funding for government projects or abolishing them altogether is ludicrous. The point of being involved with politics is to change things, not abolish things. These programs are great, but they have been misguided for far too long. Mr. Paul needs to learn to fix things, not throw them away.

Unfortunately, the "internet revolutionaries" of YouTube have decided to throw their idiocy across the networks of the internet. Just search for any political videos and you will find people SHOUTING IN BIG CAPITAL LETTERS to vote for Ron Paul. Here's a quick note from one of these idiots:

Bitches like Ben Ferguson were the kind of university comunists chicken hawks supporters that Castro had in Cuba when fighting goverment interests wars in Africa at the spense of their nation for their ego interests and wealth.Ron Paul for president 2008!!

Now this would be great if Communists were Conservative Republicans, which, unfortunately, they aren't. Communism could not be much further from capitalism and the republican view of capitalism. Honestly, I think people would change their views of Mr. Paul if they read past the propaganda.

Sorry to derail the "revolution train," but you idiots need to get your facts straight.

Good God.

I have officially been to the depths of hell on deviantART.

Would you like me to elaborate?  Wonderful!

Stumbled across a few people and things that I honestly want to cry at.  I've come to the realization that everyone who is under the age of 13 should be banned from the internet.  I'm sorry!  I know that they have a right to the internet as much as anyone else, but they just do not have enough brain cells to, quite frankly, "behave" on the internet.

Here's some examples:

http://beebop14.deviantart.com/ (None of her artwork actually contains mature content, nor does her personality)

http://desisan.deviantart.com/ (omfg, im so high right now!)

http://12344flora.deviantart.com/ (look at all my kool pix and stuph)

http://comments.deviantart.com/1/61971117/513587871 (Bipolar disorder is a problem, as is apparent here)

http://sasukefan234444.deviantart.com/ (Another 'tard)

http://jam-jams.deviantart.com/ (I have to further clarify something on this one, go take a look at this: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/61815289/ )

http://kitykitykity.deviantart.com/ (I was wonderfing why she was such an idiot, then I saw her age, and yes, if you are 11 you shouldn't be on the internet either)

http://kakashi123456.deviantart.com/ (meh...)

http://kakashi1995.deviantart.com/ (another one?)

http://hiddenintherain.deviantart.com/ (just look at the I.D.)

I rest my case.

A couple topics of merit:

Topic one: Our government - and its incredibly stupid statements and actions.

Yes, it is a known assumption, but recently, it has reached a new level.  First, let's start with the "commuting" (pardoning) of former White House Aide Lewis Libby, otherwise known as "Scooter."  Well, Lewis sure "scooted" his way out of this one, didn't he?  A few weeks ago, President Bush decided to revoke Lewis sentence of 30 months in prison for the disclosure of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame.  That might not seem like a big deal, but if you found out who a CIA operative was and leaked the information, you would not be coming back to the world.  Nonetheless, his sentence did include an abysmal 30 months of prison time for a capital offense, and then the President just went "You know, he's a friend, and he shouldn't have to serve time in prison, because clearly the judge and the jury and everyone who decided to charge him with proven evidence, is wrong."  That, is definitely possible. *sarcasm*

Second, we have the issue of the firings of the U.S. prosecutors.  Harriet Miers is the latest person to be told not to disclose information about the activities after being subpoenaed by a federal grand jury.  I find it ridiculous how our government's jurisdiction is now over that of the federal courts, judges, federal lawyers, etc.  I swear, Bush is wreaking more and more havoc upon this country than ever before, it just usually goes unseen.  Especially since the Scooter Libby decision was washed away with Paris Hilton; thank you, America!

Third: 3897 people (3610 American) deaths in Iraq - FOR NOTHING!

According to the latest report by our wonderful government, Al-Qaida "has rebuilt its operating capability to a level not seen since just before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks" according to the Associated Press.

Now, I'm sure it is more than 4000 dead if you include Afghanistan, but can you believe this!?  We have been at war with terrorism for six years and now they have pretty much come to the conclusion that we haven't done anything to damper the influence and power of the world's largest network of terrorist groups.  Now, I am, and never was, and advocate of this war, but the only upside to it could have been that we might have stopped some things from happening in the future.  Instead, our efforts in the Middle East have done little or nothing, despite more than 3600 of our own being lost and spending more than $442 billion!  That means, probably about 3300 families that have been torn apart and they will never be the same.  Can you imagine if your family was hit with the death of a son or a cousin?  Now multiply that by more than 3300.  Those who say that we are winning the war are wrong and those who say that they still support the war are wrong.  It is unbelieveable to think that families are being torn apart every day and people who could make a difference are dying every day.  Exclude the American soldiers and look at all the Iraqi's, Israeli's, Palestinian's, Sri Lankan's, Colombians, Africans, and scores of other countrymen and women who are dying every day.  Pitiful that we can allow this to continue happening.

Fourth: Hippies.

I really get quite angry when I hear about all these groups doing stupid things to spread their messages.  For the most part, I agree with them, but I don't endorse some of the things they do in public.

Here's a message: Direct your messages to people in power, especially celebrities.  People follow celebrities and people in power more than ordinary citizens.  It is a matter of idolatry, that's how you get people on-board with your ideals.

Fifth: The American Industry - What's that?

"Chinese product scares prompt US fears" 

"More products are being imported to the US from China than ever before - but a series of scares has left some wondering whether they are safe."

Thank you, BBC.  We've all seen it, the increasing dominance of China in our world.  If you don't believe me, look at where everything around you was made.  I'll tell you what I have around me and where it was made:

iPod nano: China

TI-83 calculator: China

USB drive: China

Optical mouse: China

Batteries inside the mouse: U.S.A.

Kodak Z740 camera: China

Nokia phone: can't tell, but I'm hoping Finland.

Dell 2400: China

GE Phone: China

My keyboard (logitech) : China

Do I really need to go on?  It is amazing how nearly everything that we take for granted is made in China.  The main reason there are so many problems is because Chinese manufacturing is cheap.  Why?  Well, due to the fact that China wants to use its industry to gain leverage in the world, they have very poor industry standards, from employee benefits, to quality control standards, and that leads to cheap products - which we all buy.

We really need to have a resurgence of American made products, otherwise we are doomed to a completely symbiotic relationship with China and the rest of the world.  My biggest issue is the American auto industry.  We all know the brands, Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, etc., but when you look at their products, they are either don't have as many affordable options as the Japanese, or don't have the standards of luxury opf the Europeans.  In a way, we're aiming to be in-between, but we're behind in both aspects.  American cars are cheaply made, not very reliable, slow, overpriced, and just generally suck.

If we reduce the intended profit margin that these companies have and raise tariffs on foreign companies, we could make American cars compete with the Japanese.  Also, a good refresher of American cars is due.  Recently I rode in a Dodge Avenger and it was a piece of crap.  It did not have enough power, due to engineering a car too big for a 4 cylinder engine to handle, and a car that was over-designed, in a sense that there are things so unnecessary about it.  One thing I have against modern vehicles is that they do nothing to reduce weight.  Weight gives you better performance and improved fuel efficiency, with proven technology, and without alternative fuels.  I'm a huge fan of alternative fuels, but why few companies choose to embrace lightweight materials and construction is beyond me, it is risk-free, and it benefits the car!

Think about this, if every American car was made lighter, smaller, and led the way with future technologies, we could be at the forefront of automotive innovation for years to come!  We don't need a dash that has so much fucking plastic that you jave to search for the base of the windshield and we certainly don't need to waste money developing cars that do not work.  That Dodge Avenger costs a little under $20,000 for a base model.  Now, why would you pay that money for a car that is an absolute bluster?  Save yourself some money, buy a Nissan Versa or a Toyota Yaris, and get more power and fuel efficiency, not to mention the more amenities you'll get in turn.

That's all for now!

The American Demise?

Whilst driving home from school today, I saw something that really got me thinking:

$2.71

If you guessed the price of a gallon of gas, you are correct. However, this is diesel we are talking about, and compared with the $2.88 price of unleaded, it made me quite intrigued. That was not the end of it, as this was a Citgo gas station, which many of you know is Venezuela's American branch of its now-nationalized (government-run) oil company. Think about it, the country who's leader has decried the actions of the United States government, quite frankly, has us by the balls. Hence why we rarely here of a comment made towards Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela.**

Let's say you pay $2.90 per gallon, now multiply that by the average size of your gas tank (say, 16 gallons) and you have $46.40 for each fill-up, now since most Americans fill up at least twice a week, for 52 weeks, you can say that on average, you pay about $4825.60 on gas each year. Of course, throw in a few rises in gas prices, long family trips, and you can easily say that you would pay about $5000 in gas each year.

Now, do the same equation with the price of diesel and you come out to around $4509.44 for gas each year. I don't know about you, but having $324 left over at the end of the year sounds pretty good to me.

What's the demise?

Good question. Quite simply, it is the prospect of the oil industry, and considering there are here around 143,781,202 cars in the USA (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_cars_are_there_in_the_US) you can say that the amount of money that goes towards gas each year, on a low side, is 6.93830568e11 (whether you remember algebra 2 or not, that number is staggering).

If Citgo gas is sold cheaper than the $2.90 amount at every other gas station, say...$2.60 a gallon, which is reasonable considering the amount of unnecessary taxes and profiteering that is factored into gas prices from big oil companies, the entire national petroleomic structure (as I like to call it for this situation) would be drastically changed. People go to the places where the gas is cheapest and while an $0.08 different won't do much when seen in everyday occurrences, a difference of $0.40 would, especially when it saves you around $5 each time you fill up. Now, if a chain of gas stations, let's say Citgo, decides to charge a gallon of gasoline for forty, fifty, or sixty cents cheaper than everyone else (making little-to-no profit) plus advertising the fact that you would save about $500 per year if you bought gas at Citgo, then it won't matter that the company is state-run by an enemy of the United States, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

Let's face it, if this were to happen, and believe me, people would flock to Citgo's, even if they had a nice picture of good 'ol Hugo on the front door, it would create a massive rupture in the Capitalistic system in the United States, especially amongst other gas companies. They would be forced to do one of the following situations:

1. Lowering their prices to compete with Citgo. (Best case scenario)

2. Bankruptcy for the other gas stations. (Mediocre scenario)

3. The government puts massive tariffs on Venezuelan gas. (Worst, but probably, most likely scenario).

Well, one can dream, can't they?


**FYI, Hugo Chavez was a freely elected president, so, frankly, you can't call him a dictator.

Aaahh, chaos!

...death and destruction.

Such is the title of this entry and what a past few weeks it has been.

So, I'm faced with these predicaments:

1. To go to MegaCon, or not?  MegaCon is basically this big comic book thing 
but the only reason I would want to go is to meet up with other florida 
deviants from dA.  Of course, most of them aren't really my style of artists, 
and I only know one other fractal artist who is going.  Of course, I asked one 
of my friends to go with, which was probably a really stupid idea (people I 
don't really know that well on a place where I'm at = place she isn't at (I 
don't think) = etc.).  Bleh, and only a day to decide.

2. Diffuse the chaos on the Apophysis group at dA.  A few members want 
to change the format, the staff doesn't, and I'm faced with having to play 
devil's advocate on both sides, please the members by not pleasing the 
staff - is that how it's supposed to work?

3. The damn iPod.  Okay, I have an iPod, or rather, had.  I despise Apple, 
their advertising, and most importantly - 99.7% of their products.  The 
brief percentage is my black, 1GB nano, that has now died.  I don't know 
why, but somehow water ran all the way down the counter and got sucked
 into the iPod "condom."  Nonetheless, it was completely soaked, and it fried 
my moozik.  Now, i'm faced with either: A. Refurbish? B. Buy from eBay. 
C. Pay $250 for a new one D. Buy an "MP3" player and re-buy all of my fucking songs ($77 worth).  Apple, of course, is stupid.  They 
sell 2GB iPods for $150, but of course, no black ones.

4. College App's:  Oh, shit, get 'em in, hurry!  Otherwise UCF will have 
no housing left - dammit.

Besides those of course, the random projects for school, and of course, 
politics!!!!

The media is overplaying these candidates like hell.  Clinton is crazy, 
Obama is inexperienced, Edwards has been out of the senate for a few 
years, McCain's got a personal agenda bigger than Bush's, and who are 
those other guys?  Honestly, the most intriguing candidate is Nebraska 
Republican Chuck Hagel.  Someone tell this guy to file his papers, he's 
probably the only Republican I've seen blast the administration and not 
be a lunatic.

Hagel/Edwards '08?

I'll leave you thinking about that for a little while. 

New Specs

Taking a little break from my usual common sense to just be indulgent:

Dell 2400

Microsoft Windows XP Home SP2
Intel Pentium 4 processor - CPU @2.4 GHz
1.2 GB RAM
Intel 82845G/GL/PE/GV Graphics Controller

19" Samsung flat screen LCD monitor @ 1280 x 1024 resolution

Optical Mouse and Keyboard


Will be back to the normal routine soon...