Barbara Walters Interviews of a Lifetime: Raquel Welch (1985)

Source:Drew David- Hollywood Goddess Raquel Welch.

Source:The Daily Review

Raquel Welch by 1985, was not the big star in Hollywood that she was in the early and mid 1970s, but she was still a big star. Who could find work easily and didn't have much if any trouble staying busy. She was 44-45 at this point and as you can see you still looked great. Even with the short hair, but take it up twenty-five years later to 2010 the year she turned 70, she was still red-hot and baby-faced adorable as a seventy-year old women who was collecting Medicare and Social Security. But that is Raquel Welch. She's said several times before that she sees part of her job to look great all the time. To take care of herself which is what she's been doing ever since she came to Hollywood in the 1960s.

Raquel, isn't a Hollywood goddess because she was born with a great face and body and hair. Those things are obviously part of it, but the real reason is because she's a true professional. She takes care of herself and does projects that makes her look great. And by the mid and late 1970s I believe we finally got to see Raquel as the actress and entertainer, doing roles that showcased her talents as a singer and as a comedian. Myra Breckinridge, whatever you think of the movie and I love the film, she was great and very funny in it, but go up to 1977 with Mother Jugs and Speed, where she uses all of the sexual talk about her and plays off of it and throws it back in those guys face. To show them how they sound, you see the great comedic timing, ability and improvisation of her as well.

Raquel Welch, is a true Hollywood goddess, because yes she's physically a goddess, but you need more than that otherwise you're going to burn out at a certain point when you're no longer considered fresh. The reason why Raquel stands up from lets say Hollywood playmates and even bimbos, because she has real talent as an actress and entertainer. She's a Golden Globe winner and has worked on Seinfeld and done other TV roles mostly in comedy. And has done more TV in her seventies as well. You don't last this long in Hollywood if you can't do the job. Play the parts that are given you, or even have the ability to create parts for yourself if you don't like what's coming your way. Raquel Welch, is built to last and when she turns 80, she'll probably still be seen as a Hollywood goddess.

Paul Richards: The Free Speech Movement- Civil Disobedience in Berkeley (1964)

Source:Paul Richards-

Source:The Daily Review

I hate as a Liberal hearing California being called a liberal state and some bastion of liberalism. And just go back to the 1960s and how they came down on students who were simply looking to express their free speech rights on campus and get involved in politics. If you go to the last ten years or so and they were one of the first states to pass a same-sex marriage ban and I believe they had at one time a ban on homosexuality, at least as it relates to sex. Ronald Reagan, was Governor of California there and served two terms from 1967-75. They recalled a moderate Democratic Governor in Gray Davis in 2003 and replaced him with a modern Republican in Arnold Schwarzenegger.

California, even with their individualistic hippie movement in the 1960s that was based in Northern California and a certain extent Southern California, was at the heart in support of the political correctness movement, but coming from the right-wing in America. Especially at the state level in the California State Government. And trying to ban students from protesting and speaking out against the political issues of the day. Now they're reversed course and still support political correctness, but do it from the Far-Left instead of the Far-Right. And will deny right-wing speakers from speaking on their campus's and even left-wing speakers like Bill Maher, if they don't like what he has to say. His views on Islam in late 2014, is an excellent example of that.

What the free speech movement of the 1960s especially the mid 60s starting around 1963 and going through 64 and 65 and through the Vietnam War, was about was free speech. The right for American citizens who happen to be in college to express themselves on the issues. Protest in favor of equal and civil rights for all Americans and protest against the Vietnam War. The political correctness warriors back then, were on the Right. Who still believed it was 1956 or something and that all Americans looked at America and American culture and the world the same way and if there was anyone who didn't share those cultural and political views. they needed to be shut up. Which is how the New-Left in America reacts when people disagree with them on cultural issues today.

The free speech movement back then and I at least believe still does today when you look at Bill Maher and Richard Dawkins, to use as examples and you have Conservative Libertarians on the Right as well, but back then at least the free speech movement came from the Left. From people who loved being Americans and America, but especially loved the rights, freedom and responsibility that came with being an American. Like Freedom of Speech and choice, the right for Americans to be themselves. And not have to either by legal, or cultural force to live life the way that the so-called establishment believes that they should. Which is what the hippie movement and the free speech movement, gay right and so-forth. The right for Americans to be Americans which are individuals. And not clones of the establishment.
Source:Paul Richards

Constitution Daily: 'Happy Days Are Here Again: The 21st Amendment Repeals Prohibition'

Source:National Constitution Center- "Let's break out the champagne: it's time to party!"

Source:The New Democrat

"The 21st Amendment to the Constitution was certainly popular on this day in 1933, when it was ratified and ended the long national experiment known as Prohibition. Here is what the text actually says."

Read the rest at National Constitution Center

"A short video detailing the unintended consequences of prohibition, the repeal of the 18th Amendment, and the approval of the 21st Amendment."

From Reading Through History

Source:Reading Through History- Americans protesting against the 21st Amendment.

If you think the so-called War on Drugs in America goes back to 1971 which is way too long for a failed bogus war to go back to, you would think that at some point the boy genius’ in Washington would get the memo that something is not working and a change of course is needed, you would be wrong about the year the WOD started. The first American War on Drugs started in January, 1920, but back then it only took the genius’ in Washington thirteen-years to figure that something is rotten in Denmark and a change of course is now needed.

Imagine if the genius’ in Washington figured out by 1984 that the second War on Drugs known as the Controlled Substance Act, was a total failure (and I’m being nice) and decided to repeal it then, or even in 1985: how many lives would have been saved as a result in prison spaces, prison cells, new prisons all together if we were instead sending drug users and addicts to drug rehab at their expense instead of prison, or even jail. And getting them off of their addiction so they could move on with their lives. Halfway houses, night school, job training, vocational training, etc. How much in precious tax dollars would we have saved by then? As well as legalizing with taxation and regulation of marijuana.

Alcohol, by the way is a drug for anyone sober enough to understand that as well as remember what its like to be drunk. Which is a form of a high and when you prohibit alcohol like you’re prohibiting lets say marijuana, which has similar side-effects as alcohol, you’re adding to the War on Drugs. Because alcohol is a drug. Alcohol prohibition, didn’t work, because the overwhelming majority of Americans back then over eighty-years ago and today, like to drink alcohol. Even if that meant going to jail for it. And Americans tend to be smart enough to know what alcohol can do to them, so they’re not going to abuse it. Which can also be said about marijuana.

So this idea that just you make something illegal simply because you don’t like it and because it comes with dangerous consequences like people being stupid and deciding to drive and so-forth while intoxicated, doesn’t mean people will stop drinking what they enjoy drinking. Just means they may end up in jail for it. And for what, because they drank something that wasn’t good for them and nothing else. Good thing Americans don’t like heroin, cocaine and meth and even tobacco as much as alcohol. Or we would have to take out loans from China and Saudi Arabia to pay for all of our government expenses. Because most of the country would either be too high, or in jail, but not working and paying taxes for that work.

The War on Drugs, whether it was alcohol prohibition in the 1920s and 30s, or marijuana, cocaine, heroin and meth in the 1970s, all the way up till today, doesn’t work. Because again good people even who don’t normally hurt people and go out of their way not to hurt innocent people, will smoke a joint and get high if they really want to, especially if they think they can get away with it. Or don’t think they could be arrested simply for consuming a product that is not hurting anyone else and perhaps not even them as well.

Even big government, is too small and not smart enough to be the national parents of a country of three-hundred and twenty-million people who is three-thousand miles long and two-thousand miles wide. At some point government has to prioritize at all levels and layout exactly what it should do based on what it is capable of doing. What they have the resources to pay for based on what their taxpayers are willing to pay for. Instead of trying to micro-manage everyone’s life for them. And instead focus on how people interact with each other. Not to run our lives, but to prevent and punish people when we actually hurt others. But short of that just leave us the hell alone and let free adults be exactly that.

Associated Press: Lynne Hollander-Savio: 'Berkley's Campus Free Speech Movement at 50'

Source:Associated Press- Back when Berkeley believed in free speech and the First Amendment.

Source:The Daily Review

"Lynne Hollander Savio, a former student activist and wife of the late Mario Savio, remembers the 1964 Free Speech Movement that launched a wave of student activism at the University of California, Berkeley and college campuses across the country. (Dec. 2)"

From the Associated Press

The Millennial's today who are still in college, the so-called Social Justice Warriors who want to establish their form of political correctness on the entire country who believe that minority Americans, are entitled to never having to hear anything that offends them, could learn so much from the Baby Boomers of the 1960s. The Hippies, who weren't fighting for collectivism and censorship, political correctness, but instead were fighting for individual freedom and Freedom of Speech. The right for Free Americans to express exactly how they feel about issues. On and off campus.

The Hippies, the long beards of the 1960s, the Baby Boomers, were fighting against the right-wing establishment who believe America was still in the 1950s. When individualism and individuality, were still not common and if anything looked down upon. Where people were told how to think, instead of taught how to learn and then base their own views on what they just learned. Where individual freedom and free speech were only tolerated if people were doing, saying and believing what the establishment approved of.

Again, free speech is exactly that. Take it for what its worth, because it by itself is not designed to make you feel good or bad, but to express how someone feels and when done right inform people as well. 'This is where you're doing well and this is where you need improvement. This is what you should do less of if not stop all together. This is what you should be doing more of.' And these are just some examples of what free speech is. Which is something the long beards of today, the Millennial's who are in college simply don't understand and approve of.

It means that you have the constitutional right to express how you feel about someone, or some group, or something, but that person next to you and everyone else not only have the constitutional right to not only tell you what they think about what you have to say, but express their own views on the same subject, or any other subject that they want to talk about. And you have the same constitutional right to express how you feel about what they have to say about whatever they're talking about as well.

Just because America has a history of racial and ethnic discrimination, which is the worst part of our national history, doesn't protect ethnic, racial and religious minorities from having to hear anything critical about themselves or their group in the future. Especially when the criticism is accurate. There's nothing bigoted about the truth and even when someone delivers half-truths about people perhaps to make partisan points and even racial or ethnic points to make a group seem worst than they actually are, you can always present the rest of the story and point out whatever hypocrisy the commentator is making.

There's nothing bigoted about saying that women and gays are treated like second-class citizens and slaves, or risk death if they try to convert from Islam in the Arab and broader Muslim World, since those things are actually true. Just like gays and women are treated like second-class citizens in the Bible Belt in America. Free speech, is free and facts don't lie and when someone is actually offended by the truth, then they have a real problem with dealing with reality. And have real self-improvement issues to deal with beyond whatever negative facts that have already come out about them. But that is no reason from censoring the truth and free speech. Especially in a liberal democracy like America.

National Constitution Center: Debating Affirmative Action

Source:National Constitution Center-

Source:The New Democrat

As a Liberal, I’m against racial preferences regardless of who they’re tended to favor over any other race and in favor of equal rights and protection, civil rights and civil liberties and the 1964 Civil Rights Act, not because I’m not a Liberal, but because I am. Because I got this wild Martin L. King notion that everyone all Americans should be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. Which really is about as liberal of a notion and value as liberalism gets. Liberals, truly believe in racial tolerance. Not just for minorities, but for all people regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexuality.

The same reasons why I argue in favor of free speech whether I agree with the speech or not, because I’m a Liberal and not because I’m not. When you have racial preferences even if they’re designed to help minorities over the majority, you’re still approving a form of racial discrimination. You’re saying that certain races of people should get special treatment under law over another, because of their race and circumstances. Just because one race of Americans and in this case European-Americans or Caucasians, have benefited from special treatment in the past, doesn’t mean other Americans are now entitled to special treatment for themselves. It was wrong for Caucasians to benefit because of their race in the past and its wrong for anyone else to benefit because of their race today.

The problem with government in many cases and why it tends to be ineffective and not trusted, is because they like to live under their own laws while they enforce other laws for everyone else. They say we can’t practice racial, ethnic and gender discrimination against other Americans, when that is exactly what they do with racial preferences under so-called affirmative action. If government wants Americans to not judge people for good and bad because of race, ethnicity and gender, then they can’t do those things and expect to be trusted and respected.

Americans, might not be the sharpest tools in the shed as a people, but we know hypocrisy when we see it and we see it everyday. Racial preferences under so-called affirmative action, days are numbered, because we’re finally starting to become that MLK dream of a country. We’re becoming that country that doesn’t like it when Americans benefit from, or are denied access in this country because of our race and ethnicity. And that is because of the Millennial’s. The same generation that says minorities are entitled to never have to hear anything that they find offensive. Also believes in Equal Protection Under The Law and oppose racial and ethnic discrimination.

When the U.S. Supreme Court most likely kills racial preferences under so-called affirmative action in America perhaps as early as next year, it will give America a great opportunity to develop a real affirmative action policy in this country. That won’t be built off of racial discrimination and preferences, but on empowering Americans who have been left behind in this country including because of their race and ethnicity. But instead empowers Americans who come from underdeveloped communities to be able to make a quality life for themselves. And even be able to stay in their community that now has quality schools, infrastructure and new economic development.

What we should do instead as a country is build on the 1964 Civil Rights Act and expanding it to include gays and having a real education, infrastructure and economic system, that’s built off of economic development that says all Americans regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender, and economic background, are entitled to a real shot at achieving their own American dream. Of living in economic and personal freedom based on what they’re created for themselves form their own skills and production. Not because of their race, or ethnicity, or father’s income level.

You don’t achieve a racial and color-blind society with big government saying, “it’s only okay when we do it.” You do that by saying it’s not okay at all and when you do it there are heavy economic prices to pay for it. To encourage you not to do it at all and to never do it again if you do it in the first place. That is what the 1964 CRA should be about. Not to expand the criminal justice system in America which is way over capacity to begin with. But to say racial and ethnic discrimination is wrong period and is illegal and have real strong enforcement. To encourage victims of racial discrimination to come out and report even if they think they can’t win their case, or can’t afford a good attorney.

Because good civil rights attorneys, would take their case anyway and their would be a criminal case to prosecute as well. And the victims would be entitled to financial compensation if the court finds that they’re victims of racial discrimination in the workplace, or in college, to use as examples. But we don’t create a society where Americans aren’t judged by their race and ethnicity with government not practicing what it preaches. That is what I mean by racial and color blindness, a society where Americans aren’t judged by their race, color, or ethnicity. Not a society that pretends its blind and can’t see race and ethnicity, but where we don’t judge people by those things.

The Week in Review: December 2015

Source:The Daily Review-

Source:The Daily Review

A slow week on this blog as far as activity. This blog hasn’t posted anything since Wednesday night, because I had a crazy week. I had to get my bike to the bike shop, making plans for the holiday season including getting together with friends who are coming to town who I haven’t seen in a while, as well as friends who live in town that I haven’t seen in a while before I head out to the West Coast, Seattle to be precise on the 23rd. Returning calls yesterday that I missed, because my phone was dead and didn’t get it get back until Saturday afternoon.

Speaking of that, I have a friend from high school and we go back to early 1991 our freshmen year in high school. My birthday was last Tuesday and he finally called me, because he was finally able to get my phone number and manage to hang on to it. At least long enough to call me. He’s been messaging me on Facebook every time he’s wanted to talk to me, really since 2011, because he now lives on the West Coast where he’s been since he graduated from college in the early 2000s. He’s lost my cell number and I only have a cell number, every year at least since 2011. And I told him the last time he Facebook messaged me, “that if you want to talk to me, you’re going to have to get my number and call me.”

We only talk about once a year anyway, because we’ve drifted apart the last 10-15 years and don’t have much in common anymore. And talk and get together during the holiday season because he comes back in town every year to see his family for the holidays. And we generally get together for the holidays. Anyway he finally managed to get my number from a mutual friend and he called me on birthday last Tuesday night. We talked for about an hour, caught up, talked about what we might do together as well get together with mutual friends and all hanging out together in a big group. It was a good chat and the phone number issue never came up.

My I-Phone dies on Wednesday and I mean just died absolutely no life whatsoever in the phone. Didn’t even respond to my charger. I make a call with it on Wednesday afternoon and it’s probably at 80-90% power at that point. I go take a shower, come back about twenty-minutes later and the phone is simply dead and non-responsive. The call I made was to the bike shop, I was just returning their call, because they wanted to ask me questions about the bike. The call was maybe ten-minutes and the battery on my phone is pretty strong to begin with. Tried a couple different chargers on it as well as calling the I-Phone with a portable phone and the phone didn’t respond to any of that. So I knew I had a problem and I was going to have to get the phone looked at.

I called the Apple Store in Bethesda, Maryland to make an appointment. Great store and very customer friendly and responsive. You can see why they have sold out football stadium crowds of business everyday and why people have to camp out the night before outside of the store people trying to buy the latest, well I-Phone or computer, just to get service there while they’re still young. But that’s the problem, because they’re so popular and efficient, at least in Bethesda, its hard to get timely service there. I made an appointment on Thursday to get my phone looked at and was able to get the appointment yesterday. They’re not called bar genius’ for nothing and I’m not talking about making drinks.

The guy who worked with me at the store, tried a couple a different chargers as well as scanning the phone with another device and opening the phone up to see what might be the problem. He finally got the phone to reboot and was able to get life back in the phone. And probably had the phone fixed about ten-minutes later after he saw me. And told me, “sometimes these phones just crash and shut off and perhaps just need a break and a chance to reboot and come back.” I’m paraphrasing, but that is pretty close and he told me what I can do to fix the phone myself the next time it simply dies on me and doesn’t respond to the charger.

There was plenty on my plate that I wanted to blog about last week, but I was borderline mentally exhausted by Wednesday. Really just dealing with my bike which is how I get around for the most part as far as running day-to-day errands, not having a phone for three days and getting word out that if you need to contact me, you’re going to have to email, or send me a private message on one of these social networks that I’m on. Dealing with what I might be doing the week of Christmas with hanging out with friends and then heading out-of-town a week from this coming Wednesday. This week should be pretty active on the blog and I’m looking forward to really my last active week on the blog before I go out-of-town and before the new year.
Source:Rascal Flatts Vevo

Constitution Daily: 'The First Amendment Speech Debate on College Campuses'

Source:Constitution Center- this should be a great place where the battlefield of ideas and debate goes on everyday. Where people are required to think and learn, especially about things that they don't understand or agree with.

Source:The Daily Review 

"Jeffrey Rosen: [00:00:00] I'm Jeffrey Rosen president and CEO of the national Constitution Center and welcome to We the People, a weekly show of constitutional debate. The national Constitution Center is the only institution in America chartered by Congress to increase awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people on a nonpartisan basis. Recently President Trump announced that he will soon sign an executive order that requires colleges and universities to "support Free Speech if they want Federal research dollars." On today's episode of we the people we ask, would the order be a good idea? What would the consequences be and would it be consistent with the Constitution? Joining us to debate the Constitutional and legal merits of the proposed executive order are two great friends of the national Constitution Center and two of America's leading experts on campus free speech. Sitting with me here at the NCC studio is Sigal Ben-Porath who is a professor of Education, philosophy and political science at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work focuses on citizenship education and political philosophy. And she's the author of the recent book free speech on campus. Sigal thank you so much for braving the cold and joining us here today in studio." 

From the National Constitution Center 

"As part of Uncomfortable Learning at Williams College, Greg Lukianoff spoke at Williams College about how colleges suppress free speech. Greg talked about the challenges that students have faced, such as students being arrested for handing out copies of the Constitution or Drexel's rule against derogatory laughter. He also addressed what students can do to encourage debate and free speech at colleges." 

Source:Uncomfortable Learning- Greg Lukianoff, talking about free speech on college campuses.

From Uncomfortable Learning

This point has been made several times before and I am one of those bloggers who has made this point over and over, but college is about learning new ideas, thoughts and expressions. If it's censorship that you want, then perhaps you need to create time machine or something that will take you back to the 1950s when the words damn and hell were essentially forbidden in public. Well, at least on TV and in the movies. 

And if it’s just a nice polite world that you’re looking for (well, for minorities that is, leaving majorities subjected to whatever everyone else wants to say about them for good and bad) then perhaps you need to create your own country. Perhaps Paradise Island or someplace in the Pacific or Caribbean where there isn’t any hate or bigotry. (At least towards minorities, that is) 

To paraphrase President Andrew Shepard from The American President: America, is not easy. You have to want it bad in order live and make it here. Because we’re a country where you can essentially say whatever the hell you want to short of inciting violence, falsely accusing people, or harassing people. 

Americans, have the constitutional right to be enlightened, but we also have a constitutional right to be assholes. We also have the constitutional to be truth tellers even if what we have to say may tend to offend people who we are talking about.

That is called America, that is called liberal democracy, that is called the land of the free. This is what a liberal society and free society is about. The right for people to be free and live freely even if what we’re doing and what we have to say may tend to offend people who are oversensitive, or have much more culturally conservative perspective on life. 

America is not a good place for tight asses and people who can’t take a joke and who always find the one cloud on a beautiful sunny day. America, is about freedom and individuality and free expression. Even if that may tend to offend people who can’t ether take a joke and even understand criticism, let alone take it.

I’m almost to the point that I believe everyone who attends college in America should be required to pass a class on both the U.S. Constitution and First Amendment and Bill of Rights in general. Because apparently they didn’t bother to learn those things in high school. I had to take and pass a government course in high school in Maryland in the early nineties just to graduate from high school. When most of these students weren’t even born yet. Gives you a little idea how old I am. And I’m glad I did do that, because it’s a reason why I’m a political junky and blogger today.

But I guess today’s students were too busy texting the student who sits right next to them, or listening to their I-Pod in class, or googling what shoes Khloe Kardashian wore with her new bag when she went shopping in Beverly Hills last weekend. Or whatever else they might have done when they should have been paying attention to their teacher’s lecture on American history and social studies. 

You want to know why Americans get stereotyped as stupid? I’ll tell you anyway: because we now have a generation of Americans who don’t understand their country’s history and form of government and their own constitutional rights, like Freedom of Speech.

And when these kids finally get to college after finally completing summer school, it suddenly occurred to them that some Americans say some rough things about other Americans including minority Americans and some of those negative things are negative facts. And they’ve decided they’re going to try to force their sense of decency on the rest of the country. But America simply doesn’t work that way. 

America, again is that gigantic melting pot of a country. The largest, the most diverse, most beautiful, the freest melting pot in the world. Where all sorts of people have the right to express their own views. And they can’t be shut up for telling the truth. Or because people can’t take a joke, or simply don’t like what someone has to say.

The Onion: House 'Speaker Paul Ryan 'Discovers Half-Finished Escape Tunnel Leading Out of Speaker's Office'

Source:The Onion- Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (Republican, Wisconsin) trying to escape the Tea Party, perhaps leave early?

Source:The Daily Review 

"WASHINGTON—Moving a 19th-century armchair away from the mahogany-paneled wall as he rearranged his new office Wednesday, recently elected House Speaker Paul Ryan reportedly stumbled upon a half-finished escape tunnel leading out of the Speaker’s chambers. “Oh, man, look at this thing—it must go back 100 feet!” said Ryan, who found the makeshift passageway strewn with numerous worn-down Montblanc fountain pens that had apparently been used to chip away at the plaster wall, the marble and brick of the Capitol building’s foundation, and the packed earth beyond. “Looks like he was digging away from Capitol Hill and toward the Amtrak station. God, he must have spent years on this.” At press time, a startled Ryan was said to be shrieking loudly after opening his office’s Lincoln-era cherry armoire and finding himself eye-to-eye with a homemade, business-suit-clad dummy that his predecessor had intended to prop up behind his desk to provide sufficient cover when making a getaway." 

From The Onion 

"Republican Congressmember Paul Ryan is set to become House speaker after winning his party’s backing. Ryan replaces John Boehner, who announced his resignation last month after a lengthy dispute with far-right members of his own party. The tea party "Freedom Caucus" had threatened to hold a no-confidence vote amid disagreements with Boehner over negotiating with Democrats and how to use the Republicans’ House majority. Boehner was pressured to take a more confrontational approach with the White House and congressional Democrats over issues including government spending, immigration reform, Obamacare and abortion. Ryan is known for crafting sweeping budget proposals that target public spending, cut taxes for the wealthy and impose deep budget cuts. We speak to journalists David Cay Johnston and John Nichols.

Democracynow.org - Democracy Now!, is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on 1,300+ TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9am ET:Democracy Now." 

Source:Democracy Now- Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (Republican, Wisconsin) "What have I gotten myself into?" LOL

From Democracy Now

After spending a few months trying to lead the Tea Party and rest of the House Republican Conference, which might be harder than trying to lead a pack of wild horses for the very first time, new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan might be looking for an escape tunnel in the Speaker’s office. “What have I gotten myself into? I can’t lead these people, no one can. It’s like trying to tell Anarchists what to do.” Speaker Ryan’s first quote walking into his first House Republican Conference meeting as Speaker. Well according to The Onion anyway. But The Onion is more reliable than Fox News and MSNBC combined. (Which  might not be saying anything)

Speaker Ryan, is going to have to lead a pack of wild wolves and get them to do things that they see as sinful: like funding government agencies, because you have to know that the House Tea Party Caucus, doesn’t believe in governing. Even though they supposedly serve in government. Just one of their ironies. He’s going to have to lead a Republican Conference that has no problems shutting down the government, even if it means getting exactly what they don’t want at the end of the day.

Paul Ryan, is no longer chairing the House Budget Committee or the Ways and Means Committee, where he can get away with passing legislation that will pass with only Republican votes in committee and then pass on the House floor on a party-line as well. And watch it die in the Senate like fish out of water. As Speaker, Ryan is responsible for passing legislation that can become law. Pass the Senate and then be signed by the President as well and of course pass in the House. And that means working with who the Tea Party sees as a Socialist Muslim Devil. Who secretly funds ISIS to kill Americans. Thats right, President Barack Obama. According to The Onion, I mean Tea Party.

And to do these things Speaker Ryan is going to have to do a couple of things that are seen as four-letter cuss words with the Tea Party: govern and compromise with Democrats. (Even though govern has six letters and compromise has ten letters, a little Tea Party math for you) And these things won’t be easy for him to do. The Tea Party sees themselves as Middle Eastern dictators, even though most of them are of Anglo-Saxon Protestant background and are House backbenchers. Not even freshman senators and live by the childish code: “If I can’t have that house, burn it down.”

It’s not so much Paul Ryan I’m making fun, but the people he’s now responsible for leading. Ryan, I believe is a good intelligent man who sees himself as a legislature who may end up dying in Congress even if his whole career is in the House, because he loves it so much and wants to do the right things. But like with football, a coach is only as good as his staff and his players. Then it's up to him to get the most out of what he has to work with. And like with Congress a leader is only as good as his staff, his leadership team, his committee chairman, and his troops.

Trying to get the Tea Party to compromise on anything is like trying to tell kids they can’t have cake for dinner and have to do their homework before they play video games. Speaker Ryan is going to hand his hands full and I wish him the best. Because for government to work, he’s going to have to be able to work with Democrats and then sell that to his troops. He’s going to have to tell his troops to vote to fund government agencies that the Tea Party believes doesn’t exist, at least in the U.S. Constitution. Which is like trying to sell broccoli for desert and doing your homework for fun to ten-year olds. 

Let's wish the new Speaker the best, he’s going to need it as well as the luck of the Wisconsin Irish and perhaps some Jack Daniels whisky as well.

USA Today: Qanta Ahmed: Islamism’s Double Pronged Assault on Liberal Democracy

Source: USA Today-

Source:The New Democrat

Islamism, from ISIS and other groups, is not just and assault on American and Western values, but its an assault on liberal values, whether it’s in America, Europe or in Asia. ISIS Islamists, want to destroy individual freedom, freedom of expression and individualism in general, all great liberal values and why I’m a Liberal. And replace it with their far-right view of religion and impose their values on everyone in the world that they can reach. Religious and cultural fascism where they decide how everyone should live and if you disobey in any way, or try to live like a human being an individual, you risk your life as a result.

The Far-Right’s version of Marxism which is religious theocratic fundamentalism. How today’s so-called Progressives, can ever say that what Islamists believe is just part of their culture, all I have to say to that is what Richard Dawkins said. Which is, “the hell with their culture.” When you take the side of a group like ISIS and other Islamists, you at the very least are showing sympathy for their perspective and worldview. A worldview where non-Islamist Muslims, women, gays and others, are considered to be second-class citizens who should be forced to live like prisoners in their tiny world.

You can’t have a liberal democratic world and a Islamist world when the Islamists are trying to destroy the Liberals. The Liberals and the West, have no choice but to fight back and destroy ISIS. This is not the Cold War where you had liberalism against Marxist Communism. Where both sides knowing they could destroy each other and the world agreeing not to in order to protect their self-interests. This is a war where the good guys have to win. Very similar to World War II when the West destroyed the Nazis. There’s no co-existence between the Islamists and Liberals. The Islamists have to be destroyed for the good of the West and for there to be any chance that someday Middle Easterners can have a peaceful home and region of their own. Where they’re not always dealing with extreme terrorism.

Paris last month, was the French 9/11 and France was already wide awake against ISIS and bombing them in Syria which is why ISIS hit them. So France is not some socialist pacifist pushover (to be kind) that doesn’t understand the use of force and that there are times that you have to be tough. They know what ISIS is about and what they need to do to destroy them and are already a great American ally in the War on Terror and now the War on ISIS as well. America, will probably have all of NATO, plus Iraq and the Syrian rebels, in the West’s fight to destroy ISIS now, thanks to Paris. Even though Paris was a hell of a price to pay for it, because of that insult on liberal values.

They don’t want another Paris attack happening to them and Britain doesn’t want a major attack in London, or one of their other great big cities and they’re now onboard to destroying ISIS as well and will provide airpower against ISIS as well. So what ISIS has done in Paris as horrible as an attack as that was, but they’ve woken up the West to the threat that they present against us and will take a hell of a beating as a result. What we’re going to see in this fight against ISIS is not neoconservatism and one country taking all the risks and collecting very little rewards for what they put up. But instead liberal internationalism, where a coalition of Western and Middle Eastern countries, take out ISIS together.
Source:The Blaze

USA Today: Dan Carney: 'Football is Foreign to American Values'

Source:USA Today-NBC SNF's Reporter Michele Tafoya, perhaps asking for her own turkey. 

Source:The Daily Review

I can’t think of another sport other than maybe baseball that represents America better than American football. Think about it, America represents almost everything that Americans love about America. Winners and losers, finale, hard work, teamwork, reward for success, physical play, toughness, violence, fair play, the game is designed for TV, for if no other reason that the field is a hundred yards long and roughly fifty yards wide. Not that different from an average TV set today. American football, is a working man’s game and even a working women’s game as well. It is a sport for hard-working middle class Americans which most of us are. Unlike golf and even soccer, which is about as yuppie and coffee-house a sport as there is anywhere in the world.

I can see why Socialists in and outside of America don’t even like football, or prefer soccer, or even a combination of those things. For the reasons why football represents America so well. With Socialists, the idea of winning and succeeding is somehow considered selfish if it is done on a an individual basis. With soccer, the idea is not to win and to even score, but to prevent your opponents from winning and scoring. Ties, are like kissing your sister, or eating a cheeseburger dry, or without fries. Somehow doesn’t seem satisfying in America. But for Socialists, “what’s wrong with a tie? Not about losing, but about how you play the game.”American football can’t be that bad if you got a billion people or more every year watching our Super Bowl. America only has three-hundred and twenty-million people and still growing.

Americans, are a people on to themselves. Other than maybe Canadians I think you’re going to have a hell of a time finding a nationality that is anything like us. We are the true rebels on this planet where we actually expect to get out of life what we put into it. Unlike most of the rest of the developed world where it is not about individual success, but about how everyone else is doing. With American sports and football is the perfect example of this, we expect one team to win and to know who had the better team at least for that one game. Because again we like winners and losers and whole concept is very foreign to especially Europeans who prefer soccer and collectivism. It’s easy to see why soccer is so loved in Europe and the rest of the developed world outside of America and Canada. But there isn’t another sport again other than maybe baseball that better represents America and Americans like American football.
Source:The Life of Baha