The New Republic: Nathan Lean: Bill Maher-Ben Affleck Islam Debate: 'There is No Muslim World'

Source:Real Time With Bill Maher.

Source:The New Republic

Where I believe Nathan Lane and I agree is that there's a difference between jihadism and Islam. Islam is a religion and most Muslims tend to be peaceful. I think that is obvious because if Muslim was a religion of violence, the jihadist movement would be a hell of a lot bigger today than it is. It is jihadism where the terrorism is coming from when we are talking about North Africa and the Middle East. Jihadism similar to the Religious-Right in America, is a warped interpretation of what Islam is and supposed to be about. And that their beliefs are so strong, that they'll use violence to promote them.

I compare jihadism with the Religious-Right and when I'm talking about the Religious-Right, the militant Religious-Right. People who I don't even really consider to be real Christians in the sense because of how violent they are. And willing to blow up abortion clinics even if innocent people are murdered to prevent abortions from happening. And what they would call to save the lives of innocent babies. Well Jihadist's even though technically they are Muslims, are not acting in their faith when they blow up airports and shoot innocent people in crowded public spaces.

One thing that Islam and Christianity have in common, is that they have some serious radicals that give their religion a really bad name. And do horrible things and kill innocent people in the name of their religion, even though what they are doing goes against what their religion is about and what it preaches. I think that is where Bill Maher and Sam Harris and I would disagree. Bill Maher at least, perhaps not Sam Harris. Even though I've been with both of them when criticizing the lets say political correct Left about them unwilling to criticize Jihadist's. But more then happy to attack the Religious-Right.

CBS News: Take Our Poll: Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame

Source:The New Democrat

The only reason why Pete Rose is not in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and he would've gone in I believe 1992 which I believe would've been is first year of eligibility, but the only reason he's not there has to do with his gambling on Major League Baseball games. Which he gambled on even as manager of the Cincinnati Reds and even betted on Reds games. Pete being out of the Hall of Fame has nothing to do with his playing career and nothing to do with his playing career is keeping him out of the Hall of Fame.

I could understand banning Pete from ever being a MLB manager, coach or executive for life. Because betting on your own team's games is a pretty bad offense. Especially if you are betting that they lose and have a say in the outcome of their games. But to keep him out of the Hall of Fame in general, when he's arguably the best all around player of his era and generation and we are talking about a career that covers twenty-four seasons from 1963-86, makes no sense from a Hall of Fame perspective.

Keeping Pete out of the Hall of Fame also does more damage to Reds fans and the Cincinnati Reds organization that Pete. Because of all the respect and luster that comes from not just seeing one of your own players in the Hall of Fame, but having that person in the Hall of Fame. "That player was not just a great player, but he played for us and we won a lot of games with him and he's in the Hall of Fame as one of us". Things that the Reds organization and the Reds fans can't say right now because they are denied of seeing Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame.

We are not talking about whether Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame as a manager or even as a human being. He would never make it to the Hall of Fame based on that criteria. We are talking about Pete Rose the player and based on his playing career and because of the facts that he's the best player who's been retired for at least five years from playing, not in the Hall of Fame. And of course what he did as a player would've put him in the Hall of Fame over twenty-years ago. Pete Rose should definitely be in the Hall of Fame. Just don't allow him to manage or be an executive. 

Jaimelyn Gray: The American President (1995) Andrew Shepard's Speech

Source:The New Democrat

Just to be serious for a minute and perhaps only a minute. I was with President Shepard the whole time during this speech, except for the part about the guns. When he said that he was going to get the guns, not just assault weapons, but handguns in general. The Federal Government can't constitutionally outlaw handguns by statue. The U.S. Supreme Court has made that clear. So to do that, you would either have to amend the Second Amendment or repeal the Second Amendment.

But the rest of the speech about defending free speech and not just speech you agree with and not just people you like and respect, but that the opposition and other groups of Americans have just as much of a right to speech as anyone else in America, was a classical constitutional liberal argument. That all Americans have the right to speech and that there are few exceptions to that. When it comes to libel, inciting violence, or yelling fire in public spaces and causing panics.

This whole scene came about because of the fact that President Andrew Shepard played by Michael Douglas is a widower and single father of a young teenage girl. And meets a Democratic lobbyist who lobbies for environmentalists and pursues her even as President. And they start an affair and fall in love. And that Senate Minority Bob Rumson played by Richard Dreyfuss, who is running for President as a Republican, makes a big deal about this. And tries to make the case that the President who even though he is a widower by the way, having an affair in the White House is an example of the moral decay of America.

All this is going on as President Shepard is trying to finish the rest of his first-term agenda before running for reelection. Which is a crime bill and an energy bill and the affair that he is having with his girlfriend, Sidney Ellen Wade played by Annette Bening, even though neither one is married at the time, costs the President popularity and support in the House of Representatives. And he has to settle for a compromise energy bill, which is how he loses his girlfriend. The speech in the movie was about the President fighting back and saying that "the compromise is not good enough and that we need to go further to address crime and energy". As well the President defending liberal values.

Movie Clips: The American President (1995)

Source:The Daily Press.  

If you're someone whose a political junky such as myself and you love watching political movies and political documentaries, than The American President is a very good movie. Because its about a President who at the beginning of the movie is pretty popular and is going into to his reelection campaign having not finished his whole agenda that he ran on, trying to finish that agenda with a crime bill and an energy bill. 

And they go into how he and the White House work with Congress to get the votes to pass that agenda and how they set up the staff to do that. And how they work with special interest groups to get the support for their energy bill. If you're someone who like romantic comedy's that aren't predictable and cheesy and are clever. Than The American President is a good movie, because its about a President who's a widower and the single parent of a daughter who's somewhat lonely. 

President Andrew Shepard meets an environmental lobbyist by accident, walks in on a meeting she's having with his Chief of Staff. And he asks her to be his date at the next state dinner and even the process he goes through to make that happen is interesting because he calls her up at home. And she thinks the President is one of her friends impersonating the President. And makes fun of him, but the President doesn't give up and calls her back to convince her he's the President. The American President has hardball politics, romance and political scandal in about 105 minutes. A little something for everybody.

President Andrew Shepard, with a name like that he must be from New England, but he's the former Governor of Wisconsin played by Michael Douglas. And this is one of his best roles because you see his ability to act and I'm not a big fan of most of his movies, but I believe he's a great actor and you see his funny side in the movie and he can be very funny as well. He's no Danny DeVito, but he can more than hold his own in comedy. Again plays the President who's somewhat popular going in heading into an election year with still a big agenda to pass, and meets this environmental lobbyist played by Annette Benning who doesn't like President Shepard's Energy bill and they talk about it.

And the President and the lobbyist (sounds like the title of a movie) make a deal that if she can land half of the votes in the House for the bill she wants, he'll get the other half. And at the end of the meeting he asks her on a date. She doesn't take him seriously, threatens the President that he has to come through, or the President will lose the support of her group. The President gets his date and they hit it off and start an affair that causes the President trouble politically as well as with his agenda. 

Again The American President is a movie that has hardball politics, romance, and political scandal. With the romance and with Senate Minority Leader Bob Rumson who's also running for President making everything he can out of this affair even calling Sydney Ellen Wade a whore on national TV. And running as the Religious Right candidate for President, the Champion of Traditional Values. Running against a Liberal Democrat and a card caring member of the ACLU. And the scene towards the end of the movie, the press conference makes the whole thing worth watching where he sums up the whole movie in about five minutes.

Kristen Cherye: America's Hardest Prisons- National Geographic Documentary

Source: Kristen Cherye-

Source: The New Democrat 

This is what happens when you house the worst of the worst together. You have all of these violent criminal inmates who see their time in prison as nothing, but survival. And making their lives as comfortable as possible. And I do not have a problem housing these people together to isolate them from inmates in other prisons who simply want to do their time and go home. Or make their life sentence or long-term prison sentence as comfortable as possible.  As long as these prisons are doing whatever they can to improve the behavior of these inmates. And showing them what life can be like if they behave in prison and give them opportunities and incentives to improve their behavior so they can prepare themselves for life on the outside. Or have a productive life in prison if they are doing life sentences. But if prison is nothing more than a zoo or warehouse for the worst amongst us and it just becomes about survival for the staff there, you are going to continue to see violent outbursts.
Source:Kristen Cherye

Horror Ny Mphs: 'The Hillside Stranglers (2004) Angelo Bianchi & Kenneth Bianchi

Source:Horror Ny Mphs- From the 2004 trailer of The Hillside Stranglers.

Source:The Daily Press

"In the end of the 70's, the dysfunctional KENNETH BIANCHI lives with his mother and is obsessed to join the police force. When his application is refused, his mother sends him to Los Angeles to live with his sadistic cousin Angelo Buono. Kenneth unsuccessfully tries to join LAPD, and Angelo convinces him to start a prostitution business with him. They force two girls from Tucson to work for them, but their competitors destroy their business and steals their money. The frustrated Kenneth and Angelo decide to revenge against a prostitute, and Kenneth strangles her, feeling a great pleasure with her death. The two cousins become addicted in death, initially killing prostitutes and then attacking single women, dumping their bodies on the hill.

Released on 2004
Starring: C. Thomas Howell, Nicholas Turturro, Allison Lange, Marisol Padilla Sánchez, Aimee Brooks."

From Horror Ny Mphs

The Hillside Stranglers are two of the saddest people that this country has ever produced, because they were basically a couple of losers. Who didn't know right from wrong or didn't care and somewhat nuts in the sense, that they would be willing to do just about anything to get their pleasure. One of them was a Serial Murderer and the other was a Serial Rapist. 

The Buono-Bianchi victims would get raped and then murdered or the other way around, so these two losers could get their pleasure. With no sense of a conscience or should they even doing this, what are the consequences that could come from this. Or they simply didn't understand the concepts of these things, which made them even more dangerous. Because they could pretty much do anything, because they weren't worried about the results. 

Buono and Bianchi wouldn't care who would get hurt from it, even themselves and what would happen to them because of their actions. The only benefit from their stupidity, was they weren't very good at being criminals, in the sense that yes they could pull off their crimes, but were horrible at covering them up. So when they would murder and rape a woman, and they would get tied to these crimes fairly early on.

Angelo Bono was a fairly intelligent man who could've been fairly successful in life and could've lived on his own. And been self-sufficient and he wouldn't of had to be a criminal to make it in life. But Kenneth Bianchi his cousin, was basically a born loser who barely learned how to read and write and was an outcast since childhood. And is one of these people if someone could've gotten to him early on in life and realized that this guy had some serious issues who needed help. 

Maybe Kenneth Bianchi's life turns out differently with an early intervention. And had his cousin Angelo not of hooked up with him, not had brought him into his home in Los Angeles, this murderous team probably never comes together, but of course we'll never know this and Ken Bianchi represents a typical prison Inmate. A criminal who enters prison as an ignorant man who couldn't make it in the free world, without the skills to survive as a non-criminal.

What gets me is how long the Hillside Stranglers were able to stay in business, for basically two years, from late 1977 to 1979. Because of who this team was, with one of them essentially being a moron. Which tells me that Angelo Bono being the intelligent member of this team, was probably the leader of it and perhaps the only one that had any control of Ken Bianchi before they were arrested.

Real Time With Bill Maher: Center-Left Democrats vs. Occupy Wall Street

Source:Real Time With Bill Maher. Perhaps you know who the guy in the photo is yourself.

Source:The Daily Press

Bill Maher has this idea that since there's a Democrat in the White House, that President Obama should govern like Dennis Kucinich. What he doesn't seem to understand, is that President Obama and Representative Kucinich come from two different factions of the party. Barack Obama comes from the adult realist faction of the party. Progressives and Liberals that see the world for what it is and try to make it the best that they can, with what's available to do so.

Dennis Kucinich comes from the dreamer utopian faction of the party, Socialist Hippies from the 1960s, and early 70s and today that haven't grown up. And see the World that they want to create apparently not realizing what's possible, but believe everything that they want is possible. And its possible now to turn America into Europe to create their Socialist Utopia. And you got these two competing factions, the adults with the power in the party that see the world for what it is and try to make it the best that they can, against the Hippies that want to see the world that they want now.

And if you support any policy thats different from what the Hippies want, you're some type of corporate sellout to the Republican Party or something. President Obama is like a father with his only real life family, as well as his kids in the Democratic Party. That help him run the party, plus with millions of adopted children that complain about not being able to have cake for dinner. And throw temper tantrums when they can't have cake for dinner or have to eat salad with their meat. And tell their parents they hate them when they can't stay up all night on a school night.

The Socialist Hippies (the Democratic children) in the party that doesn't have a great grasp on reality, that want everything now and doesn't understand what Hubert Humphrey called the "Art of the Possible". So the state of the Democratic Party right now a political party that I'm proud to be a member of is basically two parties and I believe within ten years could become officially two political parties. Which I believe would be good for both American liberalism and progressivism, as well as socialism giving each political movement their own voice.

You have the Liberal Democrats led by the President and the Congressional Democratic Leadership and the DNC. And then you have the Hippie Socialists again from the 1960s and early 70s. And want to bring that movement about today and create their own Socialist Utopia a perfect world. Where there's no wealthy or poor people, no violence, no war, give peace a chance. Everybody is equal, sounds like a decent Hollywood film or Hollywood fantasy. No bigotry, but the only problem that they have, is that they don't have a damn clue how to bring those things about. They tell the Leadership "this is what we want now go out there and accomplish that". Without having any idea of how to bring that about.

Hippy Democrats are like a head coach who wants to have the best team in the league. But doesn't know what type of system he wants on offense and defense, or what type of players he wants. Or how to write a game plan or run a practice, that these things are just details, right. Sounds more like a great fan than a successful head coach. And then leave it up to the Liberal Democrats the adults in the room to get the job done.

And when the Hippies accomplish some of those goals that the whole party supports, what's the thanks for the Democratic Leadership, they get called sellouts by their kids the Hippies. Who weren't even invited to the party because they probably would've thrown food or gotten into a fight. It's like giving your kid a corvette as their graduation present. But then getting called as asshole because you didn't give your son a Porsche. Thats why the Liberal Democrats run the Democratic Party because they are the adults in the room.