tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-136932222011-12-27T22:58:54.447-05:00Semper FidelisEducation, vigilance and thinking for oneself are the best defenses against regressive stupidity and obtuse religiosity.
“Vincit omnia veritas.”Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.comBlogger3171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-75573886116960228702011-12-27T22:51:00.002-05:002011-12-27T22:58:54.452-05:00My Uncle BudI sure get a kick out of my Uncle Bud Seawright. Oh, he’s not really my uncle, just a really good, long time family friend. The thing about Uncle Bud is, he calls things just exactly like he sees them. There’s no ‘finesse’ bullshit about Uncle Bud. And, Uncle Bud has a good bit to say about the current state of affairs in these good old United States of America today.
“Ain’t never been this bad Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-77945133219652823962011-12-15T17:36:00.001-05:002011-12-15T17:37:02.958-05:00The Evolution of EverythingCharles Darwin published his “On The Origin of Species” in 1859. And, the desperate battles by religious people were begun in attempts to disprove ‘evolution’ as it came to be known. Most religions, and most particularly the Christian varieties, must argue against evolution since their messages insist otherwise. Most fundamental Christian religious cultures maintain ‘God’ created our world and Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-49316406951073771092011-12-11T12:11:00.002-05:002011-12-11T12:24:23.376-05:00God is on Rick Perry’s Side!*Rick Perry was interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly shortly after the debate hosted by ABC on December 10, 2011:
O’Reilly: Welcome Rick!Perry: Thank you Bill. Glad to be here.
O’Reilly: Well Rick, you sure gave a better account of yourself in the last debate.Perry: Well thanks, yep. I studied up for this one and I guess it showed.
O’Reilly: Sure did. At least you didn’t make a stupid mistake Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-25143950668752337542011-11-14T10:57:00.003-05:002011-11-14T19:28:13.245-05:00Put Your Money Where Your Mouth IsWant to do something progressive which is both delicious and effective? Read on:Progressives wonder at the obtuseness of some of the worst of the Right Wing idiocy. Like Ann Coulter’s ‘perfection’ of Jews, and Rick Perry’s officially praying for rain, and Michelle Bachmann’s husband’s group for ‘Praying The Gay Away’. And then there’s all the blather about the sins of abortion, the U.S. being a Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-47376871251285134012011-11-10T13:10:00.017-05:002011-11-10T13:30:46.866-05:00You Might Be a Tea Party Conservative if . . .You might be a Tea Party conservative if . . .
You sincerely believe Jesus Christ was white, and likely spoke english;
You say you are a ‘patriot’ but the only Constitutional amendments you know are the first two;
You want Freedom of Speech - except for anyone who disagrees with you;
Fox News is your favorite news channel;
Fox News is your ONLY news channel;
You think the government should stayGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-31210858835734344632011-10-31T16:26:00.000-04:002011-10-31T16:28:01.776-04:00No, Rick Perry Wasn’t Drunk!
Some people thought Rick Perry could have been drunk, or stoned, or off his meds, or on his meds too much, or a combination of several of those things during a speech he gave in New Hampshire on October 28, 2011. Indeed, Perry did seem loopy, bizarrely flippant and drunkenly carefree at times, saying nutty things, slurring his words and making extravagant gestures. But it was simply all part Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-75058343304278599522011-10-10T11:47:00.001-04:002011-10-10T12:11:26.319-04:00Settling One Argument Over Health Care
One big objection to universal health care is the government’s insistence everyone participate. They say people should not be forced to pay for something they do not want to pay for.
Fair enough. The government can certainly give people a choice to opt out of something which they will inevitably need. Statistically there are few if any people who will never need health care, even Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-90313265118232493842011-09-08T18:13:00.000-04:002011-09-08T18:26:13.564-04:00A Whole Lot of Hat and Damned Little Cattle
“Wal,” said the cowboy as he blew the smoke from the barrels of his imaginary six-shooters, after the televised debate. “I guess I showed them varmints.”
“What varmints?” wondered one witness.
“Them panty waisted wannabes, o’ course.” he responded. “They ain’t got the right stuff, ain’t got the horsepower. None of ‘em do. I’m the one with the horsepower!”
“Yes, you took the fight right to Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-51510062626213857792011-09-01T16:00:00.001-04:002011-09-01T16:17:27.439-04:00A Whiff of Revolution in the Making . . .
Today’s Republicans are nothing like most Republicans of the 50’s through the 70’s who were THE progressive party. Republicans have always been ‘the business party’, but most members were reasonable and moderate - and were the responsible for things like the EPA and the Clean Water Act under Nixon for example.
When business morphed into huge mega-corporations operating on global scales is whenGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-33656562566346760202011-08-14T16:23:00.002-04:002011-08-14T17:11:53.254-04:00Texas Governor Rick Perry’s Amazing Track RecordTexas Governor Rick Perry, the longest serving governor in the country likes to brag Texas under his brand of Republican leadership gained more jobs that any other state in the nation. This turns out to be entirely true. But, it may not be quite the rosy picture the governor paints. Texas is #1 in jobs creation? * Heck, that's nothing! Texas ranks ‘First’ in many other areas too!Number of Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-47374756555162934782011-08-08T17:40:00.007-04:002011-08-08T18:09:18.387-04:00A Capitalistic OligarchyIt is glaringly obvious our democracy ain't that any more, and is now wholly subordinated to Capital (with an uppercase ‘C’), big corporations and uber-wealthy individuals. For all intents and purposes, the United States is now become a feudalistic super-oligarchy run largely for the benefit of Capital.We can not blame this on any particular political party as both are hugely guilty of carrying Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-83052982366186858902011-08-07T16:27:00.005-04:002011-08-07T21:16:20.497-04:00Rick Perry Connects With Jesus
Texas Governor Rick Perry, very satisfied with himself after his big Prayer meeting was relaxing in his hotel room in a fancy Houston hotel when the telephone rang. Perry never answered telephones unless he expected a call. He answered this call, but found it was not who he expected:
Perry: “Hello . . . ”Jesus: “Rick Perry, are you there?”
Perry: “Who the hell is this?”Jesus: “It’s me. YourGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-2177864758621229742011-08-06T18:27:00.001-04:002011-08-06T18:29:50.540-04:00The Tea Party Nation
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Don’t want no stinking immigration,Don’t want no stinking taxation,Don’t want no stinking innovationDon’t want no stinking information,Teabillies will run the Tea Party Nation.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Don’t care about no education,Don’t care about no medications,Don’t care about no starvations,Don’t care about no stimulations,Teabillies will Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-20591775909265947572011-08-02T17:30:00.005-04:002011-08-03T13:32:44.389-04:00What have Democrats and ‘Liberals’ ever done for America?
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What have Democrats and ‘Liberals’ ever done for America?
Take Thomas Jefferson for starters. Jefferson, considered the first ‘liberal’ president, was sworn into office on March 4, 1801 as a ‘Democrat-Republican’ who were the liberals of Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-33375671154007621232011-07-23T22:54:00.005-04:002011-07-29T12:15:27.222-04:00Deniamentia in WingnuttiaI made an unplanned trip to Wingnuttia just today. It was a mistake. I have been there before and thought I knew something about the place, but it changed since I last visited. Used to be there were just a few crackpots wandering around waving around flags with rattlesnakes on them and words saying ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ and ‘Time To Reload’. A lot of those people seemed to be Social Security types Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-85610158299981041462011-07-07T11:11:00.002-04:002011-07-07T11:11:55.320-04:00Famous Last Words
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Subject: Marksmanship
"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist . . . ." ~Confederate General John Sedgwick the instant he was killed by a Federal sniper's bulletGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-78811930731885263482011-06-09T23:01:00.002-04:002011-06-10T11:08:39.829-04:00How it REALLY went down!Operator at the White House Switch board: “Hello? How may I help you please?”
Caller: “I weesh to speak weeth the President Obama, how you say?”
Operator: “I’m sorry sir, but the President is not available for public calls. If you will tell me the nature of your business, I can put you through to one of his aides."
Caller: “The President has the AIDS?”
Operator: “No, the President doesn’t Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-58664537071628327502011-05-25T09:21:00.008-04:002011-05-25T13:39:00.950-04:00Praising God, God’s Will, and Testing Faith
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New York City, New York, Times Square, 6:01 PM, May 21, 2011Robert Fitzpatrick, of Staten Island, New York spent his entire life’s savings of $140 thousand to buy advertising to notify the Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-77587250271160113432011-05-22T09:32:00.009-04:002011-05-22T16:11:33.596-04:00APOCALYPSE YESTERDAYThere was an apocalypse yesterday,right on schedule and just as predicted. Only the event was not the scheduled event. Preacher Harold Camping assured his followers through his ‘Family Radio’ stations that ‘The Rapture’ would occur at 6 PM, Saturday May 21, 2011. Millions of dollars were spent on billboards and other signage notifying the public of the forthcoming event. Signs proclaimed, “Have Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-77085794694165464992011-05-13T14:03:00.001-04:002011-05-13T15:18:12.843-04:00TeabilliesTea Party people have many monikers. They call themselves 'Tea Partiers' or 'Tea Party Activists'. Their detractors - and there are legions of them standing in line, call them less flattering things such as 'Teaheads', 'Tea Partiers', Tea Baggers, Tea Bags, Teocons, Teatards, Teabirchers, etc.
They are even fighting among themselves and suing each other over the name! Which itself is a good Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-10773122571317870862011-05-06T14:25:00.005-04:002011-05-13T15:30:11.474-04:00President Obama, as perceived by Far Right Wingers
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Crusaders are now coming out of the woodwork and wormholes to save our nation! They tell us they know better than anyone else and can and will save us from ourselves. They will take us all back to a far simpler, safer time when everything is all milk, honey, roses and cash on the barrelhead. Back to the past where the world is flat and the Sun revolves around the Earth, the veryGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-3392376034728261022011-04-09T11:57:00.005-04:002011-04-09T12:15:42.870-04:00Republicans Hurtle Towards Party Suicide
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Republicans seem determined to drive themselves over the edge of the cliff. Candidates being considered these days as actual, viable Republican presidential contenders are one big reason. The leading contender is Mitt Romney, former governor of Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-57846084958023759432011-03-01T20:00:00.004-05:002011-03-01T22:32:41.806-05:00Creepy Guys!Is it just me, or do these two look like they came out of the same dinosaur egg?
They both give me the creeps. Same shining pates; Same loopy, gaga eyes; Same insolent smirks. They could be brothers, or son & father.
I don't know much about Loughner, except he thrust himself into the public consciousness through a single despicable, hate-filled act on a sunny day in Arizona by shooting Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-70003112091927020682011-02-26T14:18:00.004-05:002011-02-26T15:08:36.417-05:00How Crazy Can They Get?
Much of the country - the moderate people who comprise the vast middle ground of US political opinion - marvel at the political excesses of the Tea Party people. I have written about them in several times before, sometimes simply reporting the facts and sometimes trying for a bit of humor. *
The Tea Party mindset is not a recent development. We have always had the far out crazies on both the Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-15461910449075681242011-02-05T18:16:00.001-05:002011-02-05T18:17:54.501-05:00The Devil Went Down to Georgia
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The Devil went prospecting in Ohio Amish country, but found Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-88998042010886686572011-02-05T11:55:00.003-05:002011-02-05T12:26:32.801-05:00Another Norwegian Goes to HellA crusty and profane old Norwegian named Lars finally died, much to the vast relief of his family and all who knew him. Lars was stubborn, nasty, mean and contentious, and loved nothing whatever better than a good ruckus. He was forever starting up something with anyone he could seduce into a good fight. He fought with his wife, his children, his friends, his neighbors, the town council and the Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-41788632608823528532011-02-03T17:42:00.003-05:002011-02-03T17:50:23.872-05:00I Dreamed I Went to Heaven
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As an agnostic, I was very disturbed to dream about going to Heaven a few nights ago. After a traffic wreck I found myself at the Pearly Gates and wondered if maybe I was wrong about Christianity after all.At the gates, I met a unkempt bunch of Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-15134875247327762532011-01-28T11:32:00.000-05:002011-01-28T11:32:50.880-05:00Ronald Reagan - Lest We Forget . . .Today, many of us marvel at all the stupid and contradictory things said by the right-wing crazies who seem to be all around us. People like Glenn Beck, Michele Bachmann, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin come quickly to mind. But, there is one god-like person all of them idolize and bring up every chance they get as their heroic “Great Communicator”:
RONALD WILSON REAGAN
Reagan was the “B” grade Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-77674034849557216982011-01-16T11:35:00.007-05:002011-01-16T12:53:42.482-05:00The Second Amendment and Me
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I’m lately hearing lots of declarations - and screaming and shouting - about ‘Second Amendment rights’ - the right to ‘keep and bear arms’. The second Amendment to the US Constitution reads as follows: “A well regulated Militia, being Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-89358425567677840352011-01-07T17:35:00.001-05:002011-01-07T17:39:12.755-05:00The Un-Congress* House speaker John Boehner took control as Speaker of the US House of Representatives on January 5, 2011. Speaker Boehner immediately set to work to put the Republican Party’s spin on things.
“So, just so we all understand, we’re here to undo things.” he proclaimed. “Obamacare is disaster for our many friends in the health care and pharmaceutical industries and we can’t let that happen. We’re Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-23551714524982759712010-12-28T23:29:00.002-05:002010-12-28T23:45:01.944-05:00Net NeutralityThe FCC's new ‘Net Neutrality’ rules have created a lot of noise recently. Admittedly, the concept has been so fuzzed up it is hard to understand. Who can forget the memorable talk about net neutrality by former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens (now deceased) in the Senate?
(WARNING! DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW IF YOU PREFER NOT TO LAUGH):
Senator Ted Stevens talking about the internet
Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-11947746450335131502010-12-15T11:43:00.003-05:002010-12-15T12:01:44.374-05:00Political Verse Nonsense
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POLITICS
Republicans just blather and blather.While Democrats just get in a lather,Though the rest of us,We never much fuss,Still hoping common sense they could gather
John Boehner is certainly not crazy,Even if you think his man tan may Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-57607122723701832342010-12-02T14:28:00.003-05:002010-12-02T14:33:00.192-05:00Hijacking The Christmas Tree
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There has been mini-controversy lately about a ‘Holiday Tree’ installed by the city of Portland, Maine in their Monument Square. The controversy comes because the city does not call the tree a ‘Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-73006126719128784752010-12-01T12:51:00.001-05:002010-12-01T12:52:42.896-05:00The Tea Party and Alaska’s Joe MillerI've gotten a lot of entertainment watching the Senate election campaign by Alaska's Tea Party favorite Joe Miller. His campaign has been a Chinese fire drill of missteps and malapropisms from almost the very beginning. Now, he is widely considered by most Alaskans as a 'Nut Job'. In the primary election, Miller was a kind of a ‘sleeper’ Tea Party supported candidate who captured the Republican Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-88873890585295876512010-11-21T23:08:00.005-05:002010-11-21T23:19:45.283-05:00A Political Quiz for Americans in the Year 2020
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Concerning US political history:
What political ‘party’ was militantly opposed to immigration of certain kinds of people and wanted to impose strict rules and limits?
What political ‘party’ was disgustedGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-87016359707503642112010-11-21T16:37:00.002-05:002010-11-21T16:42:24.148-05:00America's Neros: Money Can Surely Buy You Political LoveRemember the story about Nero fiddling while Rome burned? Tragically, we now have our own versions of Nero’s fiddling (or worse) while our world’s climate degrades as a result of mankind’s pollution. Our Neros are political ‘Deniers’ of climate change. They are the ones we've elected, who choose to disregard over 95% of expert scientific opinion to tout the dissenting 5%. And many, if not all of Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-44686506188530634952010-11-18T10:31:00.002-05:002010-11-18T12:06:31.480-05:00Questions for Tea Party People *
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A few questions for the Tea Party people who say they are ‘Mad as hell, and won’t take it anymore”:
What the hell is wrong with you?
Why didn’t you get mad when the SupremeGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-66771691035679762652010-10-01T18:55:00.001-04:002010-10-01T19:00:27.035-04:00A Tea Party JesusI met a representative of Jesus the other day. That's what he told me.
He didn't seem a lot like the real Jesus, the one who was reportedly nailed to a cross over two millennia ago, then buried in a cave, then, if you believe in the legend, was raised from the dead to become the savior of Christian souls. No, this guy told me he was a retired tire vulcanizer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He carried a Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-60331356749787772592010-09-26T10:13:00.003-04:002010-09-26T10:50:28.253-04:00Grizzly FoodTwo Grizzly bears on a national forest were hard up for food one year. After a too-cold Winter and a too-hot Spring, there was very little to eat. What there was was dried up and frizzled.
So, the older, more grizzled bear Sam, said to his younger companion Roger one day, “You know what? I’m so damned hungry I think I’m gonna eat me a tourist.”
“You can’t do that!” protested Roger. “Don’t you Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-87818026416984771902010-09-23T16:42:00.002-04:002010-09-26T10:56:23.229-04:00The Tea Party Ship of StateI first saw the Tea Party Express down at the docks. I was drawn to that odd vessel by all those flags waving about overhead. That boat was a strange sight indeed. First, there was the hull itself which looked hurriedly cobbled together - and not very expertly either - seemingly out of discarded railroad boxcars, re-cycled army tanks, church steeples and a lot of other unidentifiable material. Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-63683458017830765612010-09-16T20:02:00.005-04:002010-09-16T20:16:38.009-04:00The Unfettered Capitalism Myth"Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains." -- so said Thomas Jefferson when he advocated against corporations having political power and worked to build a wall between them and our government. Corporations are the single largest form of dominance over people ever devised and have no particular Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-64619183111144293192010-07-19T14:51:00.001-04:002010-07-19T22:25:38.979-04:00Are Some Tea Partiers Gun Nuts?Are Gun Nuts Part of the Tea Party Movement?
You can bet your pink pig’s pretty lipstick they are!!!
Gun nuts are out in force at many Tea Party meetings - many openly armed with anything from pistols to assault weapons. No doubt many are carrying concealed weapons too. They are not hesitant about their belligerency and threatening postures. They are openly claiming to be ‘armed and ready’ Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-45650603769356865112010-07-18T22:08:00.003-04:002010-07-19T22:30:48.563-04:00Are Tea Partiers Racist?
We've always heard the saying, "One picture is worth a thousand words". Sometimes I find that is exactly true.
We have seen and heard the claims that the Tea Party phenomenon includes a lot of racism. I have seen some indications of this but figured, well sure, there are some racists in the movement, just as there are in all political movements. I did not believe it was rampant, or represents aGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-44568889500702519732010-07-10T21:55:00.001-04:002010-07-10T22:17:03.582-04:00How to Start a Marriage Off WrongMy first wife so earnestly wanted to be sophisticated and citified, and was as a consequence, a determined early woman’s libber. She had a ‘down home’ first cousin named Bobby Jack. Ol' Bobby Jack was a lanky and laconic Good Ol’ Country Boy who had a drawl that seemed to drag across two or three time zones. Bobby Jack was married to a buxom country girl named Sharla Sue - a name it seemed to Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-85045730729798343272010-06-24T12:30:00.003-04:002010-06-24T12:45:36.449-04:00Which Country is This?Let’s suppose you are working clandestinely for your government’s intelligence services. Because of your anti-war activist credentials you are able to make international contacts otherwise unavailable to the government. Your handlers routinely use you for ‘back door’ contacts to unfriendly foreign governments. Let’s suppose you have done this through years of service to your country with good Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-37944376435008051962010-06-23T13:26:00.003-04:002010-06-23T13:56:26.961-04:00AN INTERVIEW WITH SARAH PALIN *Potential candidates are jockeying for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. Some of the front runners are considered to be, not in any particular order, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul and possibly Governor Rick Perry of Texas.
Sarah Palin, who seems to be positioning herself for the nomination was recently interviewed by Rolling Stones magazine reporter Hugh Upps:
UPPS: “Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-51437920908187156262010-06-20T18:27:00.002-04:002010-06-20T18:32:33.998-04:00Capitalism and the Power of MoneyWhen any political system is controlled by the Power of Money (capitalism), you may predict - and expect - the invariable consequences. Many results of capitalism are good, even wonderful, to be sure, but some are bad, and some are downright dangerous to health, to the environment, and indeed possibly to civilization itself. Global warming, or climate change (or whatever the term of the moment isGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-54323734276373505992010-06-11T10:34:00.000-04:002010-06-11T10:34:04.544-04:00Marriages Made in Hell
Sometimes, often, marriages are for convenience. ‘True Love’ is the traditional motivation for a marriage, but other factors surely play a major role. There’s the old adage that ‘two can live as cheaply as one’ for example used as a justification. Many young women opt for an early marriage to get away from their parents’ rule, often accepting a less than ideal partner in a kind of lesser of Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-47104898910618645222010-06-10T14:12:00.002-04:002010-06-10T14:30:54.668-04:00Christians in the Deep SouthI live in the deep south now, way, way down there, in the Stephen Foster, ‘way down on the Suwanee River’ country. I went for a drive around my town a few days ago and ran across a neighbor a couple miles away who I at first assumed to be of the Christian persuasion . The reason I thought this was all the signs with biblical connotations posted around the yard and on the fence. Of course, the Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-46346663812974277642010-06-09T23:59:00.006-04:002010-06-10T14:46:16.142-04:00The Day I Met JesusI wanted to write up my meeting with Jesus. No, I mean really, I did meet Jesus. Jesus Christ, the real thing. I’m not kidding. I would not kid you about something like that.
It happened at the National Rifle Association convention in Pittsburgh back in early May, 2010. There he was, standing in the entry, in his purple robes and all, the brilliant corona around his head, the headband, the Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-49396002764291105292010-06-09T16:42:00.001-04:002010-06-09T16:51:37.997-04:00Our American Right to Bear Arms
Beauty and Reddy were returning from a visit to a well-stocked gun shop favored by Reddy. For his part, Beauty could care less; he went along just for the company and the ride. He himself had a rifle and shotgun, and even a large calibre pistol in his closet, all unloaded for safety. But, the fact of the matter was he seldom even looked at them and would be hard put to find the ammunition for Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-9047218802321703742010-06-09T11:16:00.000-04:002010-06-09T11:16:35.088-04:00Sweet JesusBeauty Spirken sat with his friend Reddy Fellowes on a park bench watching the squirrels. Beauty’s real name was ‘Elspeth’ since his mother had strongly pined for a girl of that name. He received the nickname when a teacher remarked upon hearing his name for the first time, “Well now, that name's a beauty, isn’t it?” After that, any other kid calling him ‘Elspeth’ was in for a fight. Reddy’s Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-7987212817687616242010-05-31T14:02:00.004-04:002010-05-31T20:37:29.132-04:00*Black-Balled from the Tea Party Movement
I’d seen so much about the Tea Party recently I thought I might look into it. I found the nearest group online on a site called ‘Tea Party Patriots’. I got a local guy’s name and phone number so I gave him a call:
Me: “Hi. I’m Erik and I’m trying to find out about the Tea Party movement.”
Voice on other end: “Well, you’ve called the right guy all right. I’m Jimmie Ray Smith and I’m the Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-54448827619446107522010-05-29T13:39:00.009-04:002010-05-29T15:28:38.103-04:00How To Stop The BP Oil Spill
From the beginning, from even BEFORE the beginning, BP lied about the oil spill, now the worst oil spill in US history by far. Or, being generously charitable, they at the very least stupidly deceived themselves passing that along to the public. However, in view of BP's history heretofore, I’ll still go with the lying - see below.
First, everyone was told not to worry; there were all kinds Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-64857364369186827362010-05-25T19:56:00.002-04:002010-05-25T19:59:40.439-04:00THE REPUBLICANS: A PARTY AT WAR WITH IDEAS - AND ITSELFFor years the Republican Party has been savaged as The Party of “NO” - for very good reasons in my humble opinion. This because they have been consistently against absolutely anything proposed by anyone else. Consistently and absolutely and 100%.
They are, and have also been ridiculed as "The Party of Fear". This because they seem impelled to resort to fear mongering in almost any situation Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-54741899526026073672010-04-27T21:32:00.004-04:002010-04-28T19:46:22.022-04:00Why I Think My Wife May Be a conservative RepublicanOh, my wife talks a good game all right. Oh yes,she claims to be ‘for the people’ and a champion of the little guy. She claims she’s never voted for a conservative Republican in her life. But, now I’m not too sure. In fact, after today I now have a strong suspicion she might actually BE one. A conservative Republican that is.
Why do I think this? Well, it’s pretty simple really. It’s like thisGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-71060755178566204582010-04-19T14:04:00.004-04:002010-04-19T21:15:40.662-04:00How to Tell If You May Be a Tea Party WhackoLately I’ve been troubled about how to define the Tea Party people. They seem to come from all over the map. It is claimed some are Democrats (Polls show 5%). A very many are conservative Republicans, and Libertarians to be sure, and many seem to come from radicalized fringe groups like militias and white supremacists.
From the hodgepodge of misspelled and mis-punctuated signs they like to Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-7711230975192076882010-04-13T22:20:00.000-04:002010-04-13T22:20:23.449-04:00Should I Be a Tea Party Member?Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-14906158211049476022010-04-11T18:02:00.002-04:002010-04-11T18:23:03.073-04:00*A Modern American Tea PartyJohn McCain called me last night. “There’s gonna be a Tea Party tomorrow. Six O’Clock.” he said. “And by the way, I don’t know how everyone got the idea, but I AM NOT ANY DAMNED MAVERICK! Just because I wrote that damned book with the sub-title, The Education of an American Maverick doesn’t mean I am one! Who’d a ever thunk?”.
“But never mind all that. The party is at Newt Gingrich’s placeGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-48055433240625787892010-04-04T19:14:00.002-04:002010-04-04T19:18:12.018-04:00Fascism in AmericaWhat do Fascists and Neo-conservatives have in common? A great deal it turns out. Most of us were not around during the 1920’s and 1930’s, but a quick reading of history provides some disturbing similarities. What first got me thinking on this subject was how closely our current Tea Party hysteria and neo-conservative activism seems to resemble the fascist and NAZI hysterias of back then. So,Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-83367757765745526842010-03-20T23:00:00.011-04:002010-03-21T10:42:29.872-04:00A Cynical Moderate in a Right Wing WorldThese days sometimes I feel like an alien dropped onto a strange planet. A surrealistic planet where very little is as it is purported to be and labels are opposite to realities.
I have always considered myself conservative, particularly on monetary matters. In fact, I KNOW I am financially moderate. Maybe even ‘penurious’ as my wife sometimes claims. I am a child of a child of the Great Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-15777686305950226302010-03-12T07:15:00.003-05:002010-03-12T07:36:08.576-05:00Gnarly Erik’s List of Top Ten US Worsts:1. Worst decision by any US president in the past 100 years:
GW Bush’s decision to ignore Afghanistan and invade Iraq;
2. Worst ever pick by any presidential candidate for a running mate:
John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin for Vice President;
3. Worst ever fleecing of investors by a trusted advisor:
Bernie Madoff’s gargantuan $50 billion ripoff of investors’ money;
4. Worst ever Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-28985105453199017872010-02-16T13:20:00.000-05:002010-02-16T13:20:16.121-05:00The Fair and Balanced Truth According to Fox News“Global warming?” sputtered *Rufus T. Hamhooker of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. “Climate Change? Absolutely ludicrous! Those damned scientists are just trying to blame it on people and human activities. It's a Communist plot by liberals to get more money.”
Hamhooker referred to articles in Fox News which question Climate Change, due to human activity. The Fox article quotes two scientists who they Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-64468531823320162732010-02-11T10:16:00.001-05:002010-02-11T10:17:08.091-05:00Sarah Palin Gives Herself a Hand Job on National TVSarah Palin proudly demonstrated she is a woman of the people in her speech at the Tea Party convention the other day. To make a political point, she rejected the use of a teleprompter as a speech aid and joked about Obama’s use of the device. Instead Palin used her own left hand as her personal mnemonic device and employed it rather conspicuously, though perhaps not wishing to seem so Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-9160822054507054542010-02-09T14:36:00.005-05:002010-02-09T15:03:26.827-05:00Conservative Christians and the Absolute Word of God“We’ve got serious problems.” said the *Very Reverend Pat Robertson at a staff meeting for the Christian Coalition of America back in 2006. “Those damned liberals keep using Bible verses against Christians and conservatives. They keep coming up with stuff in the Bible to confound us and make us conservative Christians look ridiculous and stupid.”
“How do you mean, Pat?” asked Roberta Combs, CCAGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-31213316958584953122010-02-08T08:32:00.003-05:002010-02-08T09:07:39.823-05:00The Day The Devil Scored BigIt was a great day for Hell.
The weather was overcast and cloudy and spitting a little snow occasionally in Nashville, Tennessee that day. It started out as just another day for Lucifer. He was out to claim more souls for hell, and he expected, good, perhaps extraordinary success on this particular day. Since it was a raw day, Lucifer wore his red sweater under his windbreaker. He wore a hat Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-35082566300511925242010-02-01T07:25:00.001-05:002010-02-01T07:25:55.680-05:00Where and Why ‘Conservatives’ Fall Off the Turnip WagonThe ‘Status Quo’ can never be preserved. It is impossible. No matter how so many may wish things stay the same, and fear the unknown, change will come. Recognition of this fact is seen in the old saying: “The only constant in Life is Change”.
You can not wish change away. You must embrace and accept it, and hope to guide it. It is a matter of simple survival. To demand or expect the status quo Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-47953145461001420582010-01-24T16:09:00.000-05:002010-01-24T16:09:17.845-05:00“Frack You, USA” - Part Two
I recently got the following email, apparently forwarded to everyone in the sender’s address book as suggested by the copy. Lately I've gotten into the habit of checking for myself every claim made in these mass-forwarded emails. More often than not I've found them to be part of some political agenda or doctrine - and either only part truth, or indeed, often outright deceitful frauds:
“By Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-17769323990320886352010-01-19T09:30:00.003-05:002010-01-19T09:38:56.945-05:00Why I Am Now A “Liberal Progressive”I used to call myself ‘Conservative’ until the term was redefined by those claiming the title today. I still consider myself ‘conservative’ in the sense of the original Latin ‘Conservare’ meaning ‘’to save or preserve’ and marked by moderation and caution. But I no longer define myself that way since I realized the ‘conservative’ label today describes a person mostly ruled by fear, paranoia, Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-80864340495382965062010-01-17T11:12:00.003-05:002010-01-17T11:35:20.982-05:00“Frack You, USA!” - A Corporate War On AmericansLet’s say you’d like to pump poison into the groundwater of your community - never mind why. Or do the same with combustible fluids. Or carcinogenic agents. And, let’s say understandably, you don't want to tell anyone what those poisons, combustibles or carcinogenic agents were. And let’s say your actions might even be suspected of causing seismic events on occasion.
Can you do that without Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-59122466172915962372010-01-14T17:43:00.006-05:002010-02-04T11:31:30.287-05:00Your Tax Dollars At Work - The Ongoing Saga of Glen IthGlen Ith was a wildlife biologist for the US Forest Service in Alaska, on the Tongass National Forest. Was, as in the past tense, for Glen Ith is now dead. He died four days after being summarily fired from his job, following 16 months of exile to a back room office. Why? He dared to expose the US Forest Service’s hypocritically arrogant decision to ignore federal law. More specifically, theGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-87679396213676025872010-01-13T10:23:00.009-05:002010-01-13T18:29:10.705-05:00Does Religion Make You Stupid, Fat, Poor, and Sick?
Religion may be bad for your health, butt, mind and wallet!
Recently in MOBILE, Alabama Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne stated publicly:
"I believe that the Bible is the word of God. That’s my faith. I believe the Bible is true. Every word of it,"
Byrne’s main competition, Republican candidate Tim James of Greenville, Alabama said, "I believe in the literal Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-73658946779172998042010-01-12T18:51:00.003-05:002010-01-12T19:30:32.297-05:00How, When and Why I Gave Up Religion
I am not a religious person. I want to clear that up right off the bat. In fact, I think I can qualify these days as anti-religious - as in anti ALL religions. But, once I was religious, at least as much as an adolescent boy can be. At the age of twelve I had convinced myself I wanted to become a ‘Preacher’, and announced the fact at church before my proud grandmother. I grew up living with my Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-80292317211015394732010-01-11T10:11:00.009-05:002010-01-11T17:15:58.863-05:00Sarah Palin is NOT the Wicked, Whacko Witch of the West!Sarah Palin is an extraordinarily special person. God takes the time to directly plan for her. That’s what she said after her nomination to be Senator John McCain’s Vice Presidential running mate according to Steve Schmidt, McCain’s top campaign strategist. Schmidt said he asked Palin about her serenity in the face of becoming "one of the most famous people in the world." He quoted her as saying,Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-24873651663953617862010-01-09T13:38:00.002-05:002010-01-09T13:55:01.959-05:00Fox Network BlowbackA few weeks ago the FOX Network wanted to charge other cable networks for programming including bowl games upon which they (FOX) hold as exclusives. It created an uproar between other cable companies and Fox because the bowl games were coming up. They would have no choice but to pass the increased costs on to their subscribers - about $1 each I believe - and subscribers are already in revolt.Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-3758673977930879942010-01-05T16:40:00.008-05:002010-01-06T08:30:31.466-05:00Profoundly Stupid StatementsI am bereft. Maybe it was the holidays and people were focused on other things. But, I am feeling so starved lately for Profoundly Stupid Statements. Since the change of administrations a year ago there has been a real drought of really, Profoundly Stupid Statements. I think we all got spoiled by the absolute surfeit of Profoundly Stupid Statements during the last decade until this year.
Oh Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-76980668822887461932009-12-28T10:17:00.003-05:002009-12-28T10:23:28.423-05:00Favorite LimericksLimericks are a few of my favorite things. Most limericks by nature are traditionally racy, antomical or scatalogical. This is how Wikipedia describes them:
The limerick packs laughs anatomical
In space that is quite economical,
But the good ones I've seen
So seldom are clean,
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.
However, I find that not so true as generally believed. I've discovered Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-61128184442393690262009-12-20T18:15:00.002-05:002009-12-28T10:37:29.044-05:00Got Snow?Schools in Valdez, Alaska have never been closed because of snow. Schools there have been closed only three times due to weather - high wind. Valdez lies in a narrow valley surrounded by steep, high mountains, near the head of Prince William Sound. Sometimes the way the wind funnels in there must be felt to be believed. I’ll always remember flying out of Valdez one April day in a small twin Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-43156928419426348232009-12-16T18:14:00.002-05:002009-12-20T06:24:29.840-05:00TOO BIG TO FAIL?Over the past several months, we in our 'capitalist' nation have saddled ourselves with a huge problem. When any bank or company is officially deemed ‘Too Big to Fail’, that is the base acknowledgement the entity has the power to put our entire nation in jeopardy. What else could it be?
The situation may be compared to a lollipop so big it will choke its user. Or, to a check so big it Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-49221428249424920132009-12-08T19:25:00.004-05:002010-01-26T12:24:23.113-05:00Homeless In Juneau, Alaska
“Get down off there!” - the shout came loud and emphatic.
*Startled, the homeless guy looked around. A large policeman stood a few yards downhill with one hand on the butt of his Glock pistol and the other on his nightstick and with a seriously stern look on his face.
“What for? What did I do?” asked the frightened guy.
“You’re trespassing. That’s what. Now get your ass down here!” Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-25531500149765179062009-11-26T12:17:00.002-05:002009-11-26T12:25:26.040-05:00Reality Denial Disorder
Once a rich politician, arch-conservative
Clinging to blind partisan dogmas, hallucinative,
Compelled always entirely to misstate
And implacably unable to play straight,
Became incredibly, regressively, degenerative.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Is something wrong with the Senator?" asked the new intern of an aide to the senator.
"Waddaya mean?" said the older and Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-91952493497921867652009-11-24T12:16:00.004-05:002009-11-24T12:32:45.451-05:00Irony Versus The Art of Disinformation(Click on photo to enlarge)
The caption beneath the picture of the glacier reads:
"TAKU GLACIER, ALASKA, IS A RIVER OF ICE STRETCHING 270 SQUARE MILES, YET THE PETROLEUM ENERGY HUMBLE SUPPLES AMERICA COULD MELT IT AT THE RATE OF 7 MILLIONS TONS A DAY!"
Perhaps a more prophetic ad was never run in history: In 1962 Humble Oil ran a two-page ad spread in Life Magazine. Humble merged with Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-30814501196031358992009-11-19T16:42:00.009-05:002009-11-20T10:50:19.422-05:00On Becoming Non-Republican
I've never joined a political party, but I used to think I was more Republican than anything else. I voted for the occasional Democrat, yes. I had great respect for what I read of Harry Truman who was before my time. But the preponderance of my votes over the years went to Republicans, including more than once I pulled the 'straight Republican' lever in the booth. Republicans seemed to Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-61421876914560938352009-11-10T14:28:00.001-05:002009-11-10T14:30:13.774-05:00The Quitter who Twittered
"THE DIM-WITTED TWITTER"
There was once a dim witted twit who twittered,
She quitted her governor's job with all its glitter.
And, promised to never, ever leave Twitter.
But soon did so with nary a back-look nor titter.
Then, later behold! About-faced and unquitted Twitter!
Yes, this dim-witted twit recanted and re-twittered,
She twittered about this and that and the other,
Death panels, Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-22655990698423910292009-10-19T11:53:00.001-04:002009-10-19T12:04:44.816-04:00The Real Golden Rule: 'Those with the Gold, rule'Special Interest Money Buys Elections - pretty much all the time today. Tom Ferguson in his book 'Golden Rule: The Investment Theory of Politics' says, "Elections are moments when groups of investors coalesce and invest to control the state."
Special interest money - and especially corporate special interest money buys elections. Historically, 9 out of 10 victors in elections have outspent Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-2498355615352915162009-10-15T10:14:00.002-04:002009-10-15T10:33:58.973-04:00The 'Soul' of the Republican PartyIn other posts I have mentioned the seemingly inexorable trend towards the destruction of the Republican Party. I have said it almost seems like some evil plot by enemies of the party. Perhaps that is so, but I can not find any real evidence of that.
Instead, it seems more like some ugly political suicide at the behest of the neoconservative far-right wing of the party, holding a gun on Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-41201363060324732162009-10-14T11:23:00.003-04:002009-10-15T08:06:12.452-04:00A 'Vast, Left-Wing Conspiracy'?The continuous naysaying of today's Republican Party is resulting in the diminished capability and credibility and the further disintegration of the Party. There's no doubt about that. The damage to the party is almost enough to convince you it is the result of some 'vast left-wing conspiracy'.
America's Right Wing has apparently been captured by fools, doctrinal idiots and people ignorant Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-18422585695708785832009-10-05T17:23:00.005-04:002009-10-06T17:05:50.395-04:00A Cheap Government Option Health Care Plan Already ExistsI'm having trouble about so much congressional opposition to a national health care plan with a government option. I am having so much heartburn over this because such a plan already exists. In fact, it has existed for years.
This is plan utilizing local clinics for everyone with full-time doctors you may access anytime you wish for a modest annual fee. Other costs, if any, are at Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-80203960976197502002009-09-25T23:23:00.003-04:002009-09-26T11:14:58.436-04:00BIG TIME CRIMINALS VS. EVERYONE ELSE
Suppose you're a big time criminal dealing in millions and billions thru fraud, deception illegal transactions, false statements and a myriad other nefarious machinations to feather your criminal nest. (Yes, I know this sounds a lot like the Bush administrations, but this isn't precisely about that)
And suppose the authorities get you cornered and dead to rights. You face indictment and Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-75501174416753002052009-09-16T21:14:00.003-04:002009-09-16T21:32:41.854-04:00How Joe Wilson Became "Old yeller"Once there was an old hound dog down in the state of South Carolina. He didn't have much going for himself, being long in the tooth and none too smart. Mostly, he just laid around licking his balls and living off the bits and pieces others funneled in his direction. He loved his status quo.
Lot's of people tolerated the old hound - they mostly loved the status quo too. He was old and been Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-34260774731458099022009-09-16T12:27:00.003-04:002009-09-17T09:48:30.147-04:00Liar, liar, Pants on Fire! (Or, Joe Wilson Versus the Truth)Maybe he believes it takes one to know one. Seems like Joe Wilson himself may well be acquainted with shading the truth.
Wilson of course is the South Carolina Congressman who outrageously disrespected US President Obama in his recent health care speech to Congress. Leaving aside the fact he also disrespected the office of the President of the United States, Congress itself, and his own Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-61523635323678395962009-09-11T09:58:00.003-04:002009-09-11T10:11:07.132-04:00The Conservative Whopper FactoryWe recently saw SC Representative Joe Wilson disrespect the President of the United States by crying out during a presidential speech, 'You Lie'! Wilson later apologized, under pressure from his own party, and the President graciously accepted his apology.
Never before in my memory have I ever witnessed such continuous and relentless, venomously acidic assaults on any US president. It is Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-22742891027668863882009-09-08T23:48:00.002-04:002009-09-09T00:00:16.672-04:00The New, Bipartisan Health Care Plan InitiativeSpeaker of the House Nancy Pelosi opened a clandestine bipartisan meeting of several top US lawmakers in an undisclosed location in Washington, DC. Republicans in attendance were House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and minority Whip Eric Cantor of WVA, and Senators John McCain and Mitch McConnell of KY. Interested spectators in attendance were former presidential candidates Mike Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-37972057218950187432009-09-03T10:42:00.021-04:002009-09-03T13:26:57.384-04:00South Carolina's God-Fearing Red State Family Values Folks!C'mon now! this is getting pretty serious.Aren't ANY of the good, God-fearing, Red State Republicans normal folks? Hey, I know everyone's been joking about it and all, but now I'm beginning to get pretty concerned:First there's this new story about South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer. You know. The same one who will take over when disgraced SC Governor Mark Sanford is impeached, or has Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-36565774465806364622009-08-27T21:14:00.008-04:002009-08-29T11:50:51.990-04:00THE WINGNUT OLYMPICSThe Wingnut Olympics were held Bayou la Batre, Alabama last week.The 'Birthers' came out of the gate strongly with strident claims that Barrack Obama was not born in the US of A. They trotted out all sorts of manufactured 'evidence' and theories to 'prove' their case. But, they were ruled out on a 'lunacy' technicality when a Birther fringe element laid out a case that, in fact, not only was Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-52851595394352055912009-08-18T16:16:00.010-04:002009-08-18T19:03:37.091-04:00Sarah Palin Has Left Alaska in Terrible Danger!We may all be mortally screwed.What many people lost sight of in the past few weeks since Sarah Palin quit as governor is the terrible danger she has left Alaska and the entire United States in. Did Sarah Palin quit in a moment of frustration at the treatment she perceived she got at the hands of her detractors? She had been after all, the darling of conservatives everywhere. But, did she evenGnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-28473155676010552972009-08-16T17:29:00.006-04:002009-08-16T17:55:09.665-04:00The American Media and the US Crusade Against Gog and MagogDid you know that US president George W. Bush viewed the war in Iraq as a mission from God to combat Gog and Magog? Well, neither did I, but apparently that is true, according to an article by editor James A. Haught of the Charleston, WVA Gazette.Bush actually called French premier Jacques Chirac by telephone in early 2003 and told him: "Gog and Magog are at work in the Middle East. ... The Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-82563715226427548202009-08-11T13:57:00.021-04:002009-08-11T21:02:05.059-04:00Health Care In The United States is BrokenHealth care in our country is broken. Big time.Almost everyone agrees on that. Costs are far too high and the overall benefit and quality of our health care system now ranks below those of many third world nations including Malta's and Costa Rico's. We rank just two notches above Cuba, an economically blasted nation as a result of nearly 50 years of strident economic sanctions courtesy of the Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13693222.post-78302368789258274192009-08-02T16:39:00.006-04:002009-08-02T16:52:04.283-04:00The Conservative Loony-Toony BinI've finally figured it out. I think.The idea has sub-consciously permeated my mind for years, but only recently formed into meaningful thoughts. The question: What makes so-called 'Conservatives' so diametrically opposite of 'Liberals' and why are conservatives so bitter and irrational?The simple answer is: "FEAR".I don't mean conservative in the sense of denoting 'conserving of money or Gnarly Erikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094971814599656203noreply@blogger.com0