To begin, I would like to assert that I am neither Right-wing nor Left-wing.

Sorry right-wingers, but some of those associated with you are stupid.

Stupid.

Stupid.

Stupid.

Portraying Obama as “The Joker” from Batman is a stupid and tasteless attempt by certain republicans to overcompensate for their mediocre run at the presidential campaign. Continue reading this post…

Great news for those of us who want our children to be smoke-free! Next week Obama will be signing the “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act” into law. This is great news for America, as it will force tobacco companies into the following:

• Tobacco companies must reveal all product ingredients to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and seek FDA approval for any new products.
• Our nation’s children – potential first-time smokers – will no longer be seduced by flavored tobacco products, including candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes, which will be banned.
• Consumers won’t be misled by cigarettes labeled “light,” “mild,” or “low-tar” as healthier choices. These terms have also been banned.
• Warning labels will be clearly visible, taking up at least half of the front and back of cigarette packages.
• No more public cigarette vending machines in places where IDs haven’t been checked.
• Children will be further protected from tobacco advertisements and sponsorships, which will be banned near schools and playgrounds and at sports or entertainment events. The law also restricts colorful store displays.

Probama or not, this is a victory for our health and well-being. Cigarette companies are too out of control and need a little push in the right direction for the sake of our citizen’s and children’s health.

Being a former smoker of cigarettes, quitting was one of the most challenging experiences of my entire life. There are times now where I still have the urge to have one, and I must refrain because I know that it will destroy me in the long run. Now is the time to stand up for yourselves and for your body. I’m just glad someone is finally doing something to help us.

I don’t care if you choose to smoke. What I do care about is how you were led into making that decision.

Omnibus? wtf is that?

An OMNIBUS BILL packages together several measures into one or combines diverse subjects into a single bill. Examples are reconciliation bills, combined appropriations bills, and private relief and claims bills.

-C-SPAN Congressional Glossary

So what’s the deal with Omnibus?

The $410 billion omnibus spending bill that is crawling to final passage and an unenthusiastic signature comes nearly halfway through the fiscal year. It covers spending for pretty much the entire domestic side of the government — yet none of the nine bills merged into the single giant package were ever considered on the floor of the House or Senate.
[...]
The uproar over the omnibus has centered on earmarks or, as defenders would have it, congressionally directed spending to the tune of almost $8 billion. No doubt some of these projects are egregious, others worthy. Certainly, it’s fair to question whether Mr. Obama, fresh from boasting that “we passed the recovery plan free of earmarks,” has abdicated the bully pulpit when it comes to this measure. But the amount of earmarked funds in these measures is down this year.

-Flat Tires on the Omnibus

Continue reading this post…

Transcript taken from RAW DATA: Transcript of Obama’s Address to Joint Session of Congress

I know that for many Americans watching right now, the state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others. And rightly so. If you haven’t been personally affected by this recession, you probably know someone who has - a friend; a neighbor; a member of your family. You don’t need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every day. It’s the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights. It’s the job you thought you’d retire from but now have lost; the business you built your dreams upon that’s now hanging by a thread; the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope. The impact of this recession is real, and it is everywhere.

But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this:

Continue reading this post…

President Obama has ordered 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan. From various sources:

Obama orders 17,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan

The announcement comes while the White House is still conducting a broad review of U.S. policy on Afghanistan.

The deployment provides two of three extra combat brigades requested by the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Army General David McKiernan.

The units had originally been scheduled to go to Iraq.

Obama has pledged to pull out all U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months, but commanders are pushing for a slower withdrawal, warning that security gains are fragile.

US troop surge in Afghanistan is just a ‘teaser’

President Barack Obama’s decision to send an extra 17,000 US troops to Afghanistan is in many ways a teaser. His generals wanted a further 30,000 troops, which would have almost doubled the number of American forces already there.

Obama is waiting. He is waiting first for a review of the whole situation in Afghanistan by General David Petraeus, credited with the “surge” in Iraq which brought relative – emphasise relative – stability to that country and a man by whom so many set so much store.

Obama: Troops alone cannot win in Afghanistan

Diplomacy will play a bigger role in U.S. efforts in Afghanistan in future even as the Pentagon announced a significant troop increase, President Barack Obama said Tuesday in an interview on Canadian television.

“I am absolutely convinced that you cannot solve the problem of Afghanistan, the Taliban, the spread of extremism in that region solely through military means,” Obama told journalist Peter Mansbridge as part of a wide-ranging interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “We’re going to have to use diplomacy. We’re going to have to use development.”

Call me old fashioned, but I don’t trust people that try to scare me into doing things; especially in politics. When a leader says “WE HAVE TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW OR WE’RE FUCKED!”, it usually means “DON”T LOOK TOO CLOSELY AT THIS”. Over the last eight years, we have become well versed in the politics of fear. Two foreign wars, The Patriot Act, The John Warner Defense Authorization, The Military Commissions Act, Homeland Security, Torture, and the first bankster bailout, and who knows how many executive orders on continuity of government are all products of this tactic.

So naturally, I’m apprehensive when Obama uses fear rhetoric to try and push through his first “stimulus” bill.

Link to original article.

House passed the Stimulus Plan, 244 to 188 (56% to 44%). Not one Republican voted for it, claiming there’s too much government spending and not enough tax cuts.

Click below for info on spending. Original article has more on taxes and businesses.

Continue reading this post…

Yesterday Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of The United States. There has been a lot of excitement surrounding this administration, and that may be because we just elected our first black president. Honestly though, I think the majority of Americans under the age of 30 don’t give a shit about race. We didn’t live through the civil rights movement, or have the dividing lines of race thrown in our face until we started watching cable news. We didn’t grow up in a racist society…our parents and grandparents might have, but we didn’t. In that way, I see Obama’s election as a great milestone. Pat yourself on the back, America.

Continue reading this post…

Well, another year has come to a close; time to look back and reflect on the retarded accomplishments of the most advanced human civilization to ever exist. Sadly, this is the last year we will be able to wear 2-0-0-x eye wear on New Years Eve. Shame, isn’t it?

Continue reading this post…