Monday, December 31, 2007

Those Who Believe In Darwin Need Not Apply

As we draw to the close of 2007 I want to express my thankfulness for the sectarian purity of the Republican candidates. An increased emphasis on the religious beliefs of the individual candidates has lead to religion coming to be a litmus test; those who believe in Darwin need not apply. As that happens, there is an increasing tendency for the debate to become one over religious beliefs, rather than about their plans for our nation. I welcome that, since my sense is that it makes them increasingly irrelevant to the lives of most Americans, who while they may personally have strong religious beliefs, would rather leave their pastors in a church, rather than having one of them as President. I mean, would you like your Pastor pulling beers at the local bar? or selling real estate? There is an appropriate place for religion, and the government not one of them.

The increasing identification of the GOP with Christian fundamentalism is generating a level of nonsense that exceeds anything I have ever witnessed. As proof of that, I offer this NY Times discussion of Huckabee's musings about the Mormon faith.

But here is the article in question:

Here is the money quote from the article, with a bit of a set-up. Ready?

But the theological underpinnings of Mr. Huckabee’s question is at the root of evangelical disagreement with Mormon theology and is a common evangelical attack on Mormonism.

Traditional Christianity upholds the doctrine of the unified trinity, which teaches that the Godhead is made up of three distinct but co-eternal persons, the Father, the Son — in the form of Jesus Christ — and the Holy Spirit, a concept Mormons disagree with. Instead they believe that Jesus Christ is one of God’s literal offspring, just as Satan was, making them “spirit brothers.”

The Web site for the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon Church is officially called, addresses the issue:

“On first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers. Jesus Christ was with the Father from the beginning. Lucifer, too, was an angel “who was in authority in the presence of God,” a “son of the morning.” (See Isa. 14:12; D&C 76:25–27.) Both Jesus and Lucifer were strong leaders with great knowledge and influence. But as the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus was Lucifer’s older brother. (See Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21.)

How could two such great spirits become so totally opposite? The answer lies in the principle of agency, which has existed from all eternity. (See D&C 93:30–31.) Of Lucifer, the scripture says that because of rebellion “he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies.” (Moses 4:4.) Note that he was not created evil, but became Satan by his own choice.

When our Father in Heaven presented his plan of salvation, Jesus sustained the plan and his part in it, giving the glory to God, to whom it properly belonged. Lucifer, on the other hand, sought power, honor, and glory only for himself. (See Isa. 14:13–14; Moses 4:1–2.) When his modification of the Father’s plan was rejected, he rebelled against God and was subsequently cast out of heaven with those who had sided with him. (See Rev. 12:7–9; D&C 29:36–37.)”

Got that? I'm glad I was able to clear up that point for everyone, I know these IMPORTANT theological points have been much in your thoughts this Christmas season, transcending all other concerns and thoughts of family you might have. Phooey.

I strongly recommend the film "Jesus Camp". Forget about Freddy Kreuger and that guy with the chainsaw. Trust me, this stuff is far, far scarier. And to give even credit to other religions, the movie "Osama" is even scarier. It is the fictional story of a young girl in Afghanistan during the Taliban period who masquerades as a boy in order to be able to go out and work to support her widowed mother who was not allowed to leave the house unaccompanied by a man. About half way through I had to stop watching it and take it back to the video store. Rationally I knew it was fictional, but it was the most terrifying film I have ever watched and I found that I could not comfortably finish it. I can see why it won an Academy Award. A friend of mine thought it was hogwash, an anti-Taliban hit piece, but it conveys a sense of danger and threat that I think Alfred Hitchcock would have been in awe of.

Sorry, how did I go from talking about the Republican candidates to talking about the Taliban? which of course is an entirely different subject. My mind seems to be wandering...

Arthur

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Sons

("Weekend Update" will be back next week. This week has been a trying one for several of us. My love to all of you, and best wishes for the best New Year ever.)



It's been a long week around the Bad Hat compound.

Christmas afternoon my son (Jonathan, 8) said he didn't feel well, and when this boy says he doesn't feel well, he means it. Jonathan hates being sick. He'll play through a temperature of 101 without even telling us. Oh, I know, kids get sick. At 62 years old I'm still just a novice at this, but I could tell he really didn't feel good. He even left several of his presents unopened. Bad sign.

His temperature hit 103 that afternoon, in spite of the Melt-a-Way Tylenol and Ibuprofen I stuffed down his throat.

The next day was the same. Fighting the temperature, 102 for a while, then 103, all day. That night, around midnight, his temperature hit 106.1. I had been frantically putting cold washcloths on his forehead, one every two minutes, but something had to be done. His Mom was beginning to really panic and suggested we call 911 and get him to the hospital. She suggested we put him in the bathtub and cool him off with tepid water (what temperature is "tepid?) so we did, twice during the course. It seemed to help a bit, so I held off taking him to the E Room (in the middle of the night) and pumped more Ibuprofen into him. Before dawn, his temperature was back down to 102.

The next day we, of course, got him to the doctor and Dr. Johnson said he had the flu. He said we were doing everything good, and that he'd be okay in a week or so.

Jonathan is still very sick. His temperature goes from almost normal now to about 102, then back down. He feels miserable and this is the sickest he's ever been in his short life. But he's handling it like a trooper, and being very brave. He still has presents he hasn't opened yet. I, on the other hand, am a nervous wreck.

My friend Bob Neis lost his son on December 18th. Adam Tyler Neis was only 35 years old. Goddamned diabetes. I've known Bob for 35 years, and knew Adam as a great kid. I went to Adam's funeral today, and there were a lot of people there, besides us old guys there were a quite a few young people who knew Adam well. They all spoke of a young man who loved life and loved his friends, and one speaker said it was a revelation to him that there was not one thing about Adam he didn't like. Adam will be missed. He was a great kid.

And so I pause for a moment in all this nonsense of politics, to consider our children. And today in particular, our sons. Arthur has two of them, I haven't had the honor of meeting either of them, but from their pictures I see the greatness Arthur has passed on to them. Uncle Bob has a wonderful and extended family, and his son Steve is someone I've proclaimed "the nicest guy I've ever met."

Bob Neis did very well today. Better, I know, than I could have ever done. Bob said something very true. "You're not supposed to outlive your children."

Before this year is out, before the new year begins, I ask that each of you, if you have children, give them a big hug. I don't care how old they are, just give them a hug. Tight, and close.

Hug them for as long as they will let you.

Love, JP

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Holiday Notes From Arthur

Diaried elsewhere, but worth emphasizing: the GOP is lining up for a circular firing squad this election cycle.

I am fascinated by one item in the Noonan editorial, where she talks about the GOP including one "error" in each major ad in order to get the nattering nabobs talking about it and reshowing it endlessly. I can think of some good examples of that trick working just fine, where a single ad buy got endless replay over all the networks, with all the newscasters tut-tutting about how awful and unfair it was, so sad, so bad... and in the process helping its message sink into everyone's consciousness. That worked great for the Swiftboaters, didn't it?

I'm feeling pretty seasonal, with both boys home for Christmas, full of high energy and gnarly youthful folly. The oldest is majoring in Feminist Studies, under the tutelage of a staff member labeled "one of the hundred most dangerous academics in America". The youngest is going to school with Ron Paul's grand daughter. Education is so broadening, isn't it? A friend has wanted to take the boys on a junket for many years, it is finally happening after Christmas, with she, they and my wife going to Istanbul for nine days. Unless a war starts over there. I think it will be great for the boys to get a glimpse at a Moslem country, up close and personal instead of through the addle-pated musings of the American press. Istanbul is supposed to have a massive disco scene and be the haven for hordes of Scandinavians over the winter break. The hot word among the youth set is that DANISH women are the most universally hot of all the European babes, so there is enormous anticipation building.

It is heartwarming to see that the old Christmas traditions, like youthful lust, are still being upheld.

--------------------------------------------------
Economists can tell you the wonders of how Wal-Mart has lowered prices for the average American. Um, okay, but what if it also has lowered their income in proportion to those theoretical savings?
While it is nice, if you have a nice tenured position, to speak of the wonders of global free trade, ask yourself if this article is describing a level playing field. Not to step on the Holiday Cheer, but I find it worrisome that the formula for success is to hook up with a Chinese sweatshop, have them make something for the US market, get rich, become a Republican. Kind of a death spiral, in my opinion.
Arthur

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Merry Christmas From Mudcat Saunders, and Arthur

I read Mudcat Saunders' book "Foxes in the Henhouse" and found parts of it quite intelligent, if somewhat in need of an editor. Saunders was also a consultant to (now Senator) Jon Tester and (now Senator) Jim Webb, both of whom I supported in 2006. Now Saunders is on board the John Edwards campaign. And the Edwards campaign has released a DVD which features Saunders and his view of the heartland States and their importance in the upcoming election. It can be viewed on Youtube here.

Saunders and his partner in crime have long maintained that rural and southern voters are more naturally aligned with Democrats, based on the values and needs they share with those of the Democratic Party, but have only been peeled off to the GOP by very clever manipulation and race-baiting, as well as by Democratic Party indifference or pessimism about whether the effort is worth it. Tester and Webb's electoral success suggest that it is worth the trouble (Montana and Virginia) in States that party pundits had written off as not worth the effort, since they leaned red and had incumbents, usually a tough combination to overcome. I should remind you that Tester took out Conrad Burns and Webb took out George Allen, a racist jerk who was also a top-ranked GOP pick for President. Nice saves. Webb has distinguished himself by having an aide get arrested for trying to carry Webb's pistol through Capital Security, thus firmly establishing his credibility. Just joking, but a nice way to insulate himself against an attack by the NRA, isn't it?

And, because the Christmas season would not be complete without political satire, here is a Director's Cut version of Mike Huckabee's Christmas advertisement, which introduces the now-famous soft-core "bookcase as cross" subliminal theme, and with the added voices of some of Mike's band members. In the end it was decided that their voices blocked out some of Mike's soothing platitudes, so that part of the soundtrack was edited out:

...and in answer to your query, Mike, yes we ARE tired of political ads, particularly those that feature flag-wrapped, Bible-thumping, corn-pone, cross-waving scoundrels like yourself.

And to help celebrate the impending final year of the Bush administration it is appropriate to note what Samuel Johnson said in 1774 about false patriots:

The true lover of his country is ready to communicate his fears, and to sound the alarm, whenever he perceives the approach of mischief. But he sounds no alarm, when there is no enemy; he never terrifies his countrymen till he is terrified himself. The patriotism, therefore, may be justly doubted of him, who professes to be disturbed by incredibilities.

Arthur

John Edwards, and "The Vision Thing"


(More from our Chief Political Correspondent, Arthur in Marin County. "Transplant Tourism in China?" Book me up. I'm going to need a new liver before this all over. Jesus H. Christ.)

I saw Edwards about three months back. Good, but not as concise and focussed as he appears in this appearance in New Hampshire. He has his rhythm down pat, he doesn't wait to bask in applause, he just powers on through and lets the audience run to keep up. Dennis Kuchinich could learn a thing or two, but instead he keeps stopping and smiling like a goofus every time he gets off a good line.

Edwards continues to be a long-shot, but that said, he has hung in there, during the period of time when others were getting all the press and adulation. Now that they are fading, Edwards seems to have his groove (and another $100 of my assets) and is making a serious run at it. Win or lose, I always saw Edwards as someone who addresses important issues and works about twice as hard as his opponents. A hard worker is what we need. It is going to take a lot of work to clean the stink out of the White House, a legal mind to work with a reconfigured Justice Department to clean up how government operates, and of the group of candidates I have the most confidence in Edwards as the one best suited for that work.

I like Barack Obama. I think he would make an excellent and visionary Vice President. In eight years I think he could be an inspirational and healing President. In the meantime I continue to believe that his efforts as a roving Ambassador of a renewed American democracy could help cut in half the time it will take our country to recapture our stature in the world.

If we do not recapture our stature in the world, China is going to have us for lunch. No joke. The world gravitates toward power, ours is bleeding into the gutter of Iraq. The other kind of power the world respects is economic power. The dollar used to be in parity with the Euro, now it taks $1.47 to buy 1 Euro, $2.08 to buy a British Pound. That means people think our currency sucks, a suspicion further supported by countries noticing that their dollar holdings have lot 1/3 of their value Since Bush (SB). China's economy is exploding, driving in good measure by sales of discounted goods to the United States. Looked at any tools for sale recently? And where they are made? Entire industries are being shipped to China where they can find labor for $1 an hour. Or less. China has the largest Gulag in the world. The fathers of two of my friends each were Chinese political prisoners for just over twenty years. And it is a renewable resource in China, since political crimes are handled outside the normal justice system in China. Make someone in power unhappy and you just disappear. Or die. Or first one, then the other. Some prisoners in China are essentially "archived" so that they can be killed according to a schedule suited to that of an organ recipient. Yup, if you are willing to pay for it, you too could go on a "transplant tourism" trip to China and get a freshly- harvested kidney!

And that sort of sums up our competition for world influence. But you know what? Most countries don't give a damn. All they care about is snuggling up to power.

Is President Bush critical of China? How could he be? His hands are dirty, too. The Chinese have just done it far longer and to a far greater degree than Bush and his tiny and inefficient terror-prisons ever dreamed of. The Chinese Gulag may be 12 Million. And boy is THAT a source of cheap labor!

No, I think the next President is going to need "vision", but also a realistic belief that the world is often a not-so-nice place. Where just wishing for things to get better is not going to work.
-----------------------------------------------
POSTSCRIPT ON HUCKABEE: Fortunately, the sort of nutty Bible-hugging that Huckabee seems prone to is a lot more likely to play well in Arkansas than elsewhere in the country. My growing impression of Huckabee is that he has some decent instincts and ideas, but he also has the common sense of your average chicken. When he melts down on the campaign trail it is going to be a doozy.
Oddly enough, Rush Limbaugh can't stand him. To the best of my knowledge that is the first time that particular Rush and I have agreed on ANYTHING. Miracles can still happen.

Arthur

Weekend Update - December 22nd


  • Damn, I'm in the holiday mood here, so let's start off with the religious and profane. First of all, here's the T-shirt I want for Christmas.
  • Now here's Ron Paul messing with the minds(?) at Fox Noise.
  • Looking for that last minute gift idea? Here's one from our own Chief Political Correspondent Arthur.
  • Remember J. Edgar Hoover? Here's a little article that the Bush administration probably has etched into it's playbook.
  • p.m. carpenter comments on the "Huey Long of Arkansas," Mike Huckabee.
  • I love it when the Republicans say "prone to exaggeration," when they really mean, "he's probably lying." Oh Mitt. Mitt Mitt Mitt.
  • How George Bush’s wartime administration used a magician, Hollywood designers and Karl Rove telling 1,001 stories to sell the invasion of Iraq. Here.
  • Gore Vidal on the Democratic Debate Debacle. Damn, this is good reading.
  • A little gift sent to me from Brother Danno: Mariah Carey singing "Oh Holy Night." Now this is what we mean when we say "She got pipes!"
  • And here's a Christmas present for all of you. This was sent to me by a good friend, and it needs to be shared. Roy Orbison and Friends, singing "Pretty Woman." It don't get any better than this.... Love to all.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Headed Back To Arkansas!


(From our beloved Chief Political Correspondent, Arthur in Marin County:)


You gots to love this crew of GOP miscreants/candidates. Have so few ever done so many foolish things and then thought nobody would remember them when they ran for President?

Dream on, aged delusional geezers.

note: when I use the term "geezer" it should not be construed as an "ageist" term. Look at Uncle Bob, for example, where age and wisdom dance in complete harmony. Incidentally, in China it used to be the custom to consider there to be three notable ages that merited respect: 60, 70 and 80. Eighty was the big one. If you made it to eighty and had all your marbles, your every utterance was considered golden, since it was (I think rightly) assumed that you had been around long enough to hear every example of sophistry and official bullshit not once, or twice, but three or more times, and could spot it instantly as hogwash.

But then there are honest-to-God feeble minded elderly white guys. And for their many sins, the Republicans have decided to carefully select a group of these birds and present them to the American public as a set of "choices". Oh, I know, you are going to say that Huckleberry Governor and the guy with big hair and big capped teeth (and you KNOW who I am talking about, don't you?) are not all that old. I would argue that these two worthies are examples of premature mental aging, from disuse of their critical thinking skills.

By the way, if you want to get some of the flavor of Huck, read the NY Times Magazine profile from this Sunday. Must be online somewhere, and oh what a read it is. Not pretty.

Arthur

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Weekend Update - December 15th




  • Well let's start things off this week with something seasonal: Christmas Time with Mike Gravel.
  • Here's some GOP bashing by that old Liberal rag, Time Magazine.
  • Gift idea for those little Catholic tots on your list, The Anti-Pedophile Coloring Book. Mark Morford reports.
  • Finally: A United Iraq!
  • Office Max has a promotional program called "Elf Yourself." Here's one Brother Alexander made just for Bad Hat.
  • The increase in incomes of the top 1 percent of Americans from 2003 to 2005 exceeded the total income of the poorest 20 percent of Americans. Wonder how that happened?
  • BlackWater in Baghdad: "It was a horror movie."
  • The Investigations of the Destruction of CIA Torture Tapes: How An ACLU Lawsuit Might Force the Bush Administration To Reveal What Actually Happened. By John Dean.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Build Your Own ClusterMonkey

(For the Geeks out there. And we are out there, believe me.... Thanks Arthur.)

So in ten years the amount of computing power that cost IBM five million dollars can be assembled for... $1,256. And dropping in price as I write this.

You can (I am for a navigationally-challenged son) buy a touch screen GPS navigation system for $300 that:

(a) has color maps of every city and highway in the US and Canada built into it
(b) will track your travel and tell you verbally when to turn and the name of the street to turn on
(c) has a bluetooth wireless connection so you can link a cell phone to it for hands-free talking
(d) has an MP3 player built in, just because they had some extra storage

I know something about tech stuff because I took two half-years off from work to volunteer in my kid's school to help build the technology programs there, which lousy public funding had starved. We got hundreds of computers donated and constructed school-wide networks in three locations. All very educational. And everything I learned is obsolete, six years later.

But I learned some curious facts. Boys are currently better typists than girls. Why? because they do more game playing and online communicating by IM and other quick communications. One of my boys sent and received 1200 text messages in one month. By contrast, girls tend to talk to each other to a greater extent, which develops their keyboarding skills to a lesser degree.
Now it seems quite possible that elementary school kids in a surprisingly short period of time could find a supercomputer under their Christmas tree. I can't even imagine the possible uses of that much computing power, but my best guess is that the first application will be a really, really astounding computer game.

One other section in this article caught my eye:

Large computer clusters that act as one system are used today to drive the most data-intensive applications. Those systems, which are more than 100 times faster than Microwulf, are used by the National Weather Service to process meteorological data and by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to simulate nuclear tests.

So... by linking a hundred of these discount puppies together, for a parts cost of about $14,000, one in theory could construct a computer cluster as powerful as those used to model weather data, apparently one of the more complicated computing challenges? I hope that potential for widely-distributed computing power is used for something worthwhile. Another good reason, if one was needed, to elect an intelligent President.

And here's how to build one.

Arthur

Weekend Update - December 8th



  • Rudy tells us what "the essential nature of Americans" is all about. Thank you Mr. Mayor, now sit down.
  • Here's Keith Olbermann's best Special Comment to date. An ode to our "Idiot-In-Chief," "You Sir, have no business being President." It made me stand up and cheer. (Video)
  • The Fakest Time of the Year - "The 2007 Falsies Awards".
  • Remember Bush's "Coalition of the Willing" in Iraq? Well it's getting down to our troops, the Blackwater idiots, and a couple guys from Kazakhstan, wherever the hell that is.
  • Something's rotten in Alaska. So what's new?
  • Stupidest Republican statement of the week: "Nobody is happy about losing lives but remember these are not draftees, these are full-time professional soldiers.” Mitch McConnell, (R-Ken): Douch bag.
  • December 8th, 1980, the day John Lennon was shot to death. John, we wish you were here...
  • Big Oil's big dreams are close to coming true as Iraq's Oil Ministry prepares deals for the country's largest oil fields. Gee, maybe we can start bringing the kids home now....

Politics, and Well-Intentioned Nutbags, et.al.

(Our Chief Political Correspondant Arthur sends his stream-of-conciousness in our general direction, purely for our edification. And we are better for it....)


Mike Huckabee strikes me as a well-intentioned nutbag. He seems to have a bit of a heart, though, which sounds as though it may be a deal-breaker in regard to his bid for President. It seems to pit Chuck Norris against the Club for Growth. When you weigh the financial resources and political savvy of the two opponents, I am afraid this is a battle that Chuck Norris is not going to win.

Giuliani is toast. This has been a good week. He probably would have had the White House guards dressed up as Mussolini's Palace Guards. Not a nice man. Even his kids can't stand him.

Romney is going on radio to television to explain that Mormon thing, you know, that God lives on another planet, that the Garden of Eden is in Missouri, that blacks used to have to go part way to heaven, turn white, then go on? Wonderful quirky stuff, but would you want your President to believe crap like that? And they poke fun at Dennis Kuchinich? Please.

McCain? I mean, if the other two fade, who is left? McCain's brother says that he thinks McCain is done because he dissed the Evangelical leaders in 2000, and they have very, very long memories. The fact that what he said was true is what really hurt, when he called them "agents of intolerance". That was as mean-spirited as calling an ugly woman ugly. It is just mean-spirited.

Thompson? Oh my. Fred seems... tired. So used to working with a script that all this ad-lib stuff is a bit fast-paced for him. But he just LOVES guns, and conservative positions, and his wife's alarming cleavage. So much so that his wife is said to be running his campaign, and not running it very well. But since Fred just loooves his wife he is gonna let her keep doing it, because secretly the guy has retired, has enough money, will always have work, and could give a shit. He could be dangerous, if nominated, because he is so good at reading lines. If the might of the GOP got behind him and kept him propped up before the cameras, well, something could happen. But, I don't think so.

Who else is there? I was struck, watching a recent GOP debate, that when they walked on to the stage almost all of them walked with some difficulty, limping, crab-walking, looking stiff and sore. They are already worn out, and they want to be President for four or eight years? Good luck. It looked like it would finish most of them off within a month. I think if elected most of them would collapse, Romney (who is fairly fit) would start having messianic visions, Huckabee would begin binge eating.

***********************************
Now that Clinton can't quite act Presidential (because when she acted that way everyone decided that it was smug and premature for her to do so) Edwards is taking many people's advice (including my own) to chill out a bit and give voters some impression of his humor and what it would be like to live with the guy on a day-to-day basis. Populist passion is fine, the principles behind it are valid, but voters also need to see a President who can be congenial and collegial, when things are going okay. Obama has done a quite decent job of that so far. Constant anger, even when there is a valid reason to feel anger, is not healthy. There is a stack of work to do, but the best spirit in which to attack an overwhelming task is in an upbeat mood, not an angry and resentful one. I think Edwards, if he wants to get elected, has to give us a sense of his version of "the vision thing". He has to demonstrate his ability to help us visualize a better future, a better world, not one that is inevitably doomed to slide into a sea of crap.
We may not be able to solve the world's problems; an exploding population, the risk of epidemics stemming from that massive population, widespread misery and poverty, the risk of nuclear or biological war, the risk of religious wars, the risk of global warming or the death of the oceans, a catastrophic asteroid strike, and who knows what else? Bad stuff could definitely happen. Just like all other points in history. But in the meantime, even if we are already doomed by events that cannot be prevented, the best way to live is to muddle on ahead, as best we can contrive to do so, and work to make it all come out okay, so we leave an intact and functioning world for our children to try to make sense of and something out of.
Bush never figured that out. He offered us a future in which we could dance on the corpses of our enemies. Eventually, but little more than that. Heck, he didn't much care. In his secret dark heart he may think that Jesus (who is a Texan) is gonna come and call his anointed up into the (Texas) sky and make it all swell. No need to bust a sweat cleaning up the room when everyone is about to check out of this hotel anyhow...
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I must admit, in a sick way I (heart) Huckabee. He weighed 5,000 pounds and then slimmed down (with the help of God no doubt) and now runs marathons and eats only green food. And he hangs out with Chuck Norris. And he can tell a joke. What he apparently can't do is tell the truth, or tell a rightwing mania from commonsense. And, by any measure it seems as if he is some sort of retro Clinton-hater. I feel that whole Clinton thing, that Bill, that Hillary, that vast rightwing conspiracy, is so yesterday. I think we need to elect a President who does not believe the End Times are a'comin', Glory, Glory!
Call me old-fashioned, I'd like a President who could look forward to see the consequences of our actions as they play out over the next centuries to come, rather than one who thinks we won't be here anyhow, so why bother to fix the plumbing?
Actually, I can't stand Huckabee. If you want to have some fun, take a look at Huckabee's wife. In a lot of the photos of Huck there is this absolutely rigid lady to his right, sort of blonde hair, who appears to be a hostage. What is she so afraid of? What other impossibly dumb thing has Huck done?
Arthur