Random Political Inanities

My attention is all over the place. The election has me so revved up I can’t focus on any one particular topic. So what you get are random acts of brain synapses firing in different directions.

The Pulpit Must Pay

I previously wrote about my ambiguity regarding freedom of speech and tax exemptions. And my title and confusion tended towards the idea that it might not be a good idea for Freedom of Speech to be a pay-to-play system. But I’ve thought about it increasingly and come to the decision that everything about the Constitution is a pay-to-play system. As long as we are citizens and as long as we follow the law (including tax law), we get to participate in the freedoms described therein.

So it’s simple, the law reads [an exempt organization] “does not participate in or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.”

Give up your tax exempt status and say whatever you want. That’s what the 527 groups do. Pay to play.

Milk, It Does a Brain Good … When It’s Real Milk

I have a new conspiracy theory about the rising costs of food. It is being determined more and more every day that a child’s nutrition is absolutely vital to their future intelligence. We’ve been eating and feeding poison for generations, and in the last it’s gotten the worst yet with irradiated, preserved, mutated food. So came along the “slow-food movement” and the increased purchase of organic substances. People started paying attention. Now we can’t afford to buy the “good” food. The difference between eggs laid by chickens that are cage-free, anti-biotic and hormone free, and that are fed a truly vegetarian diet and other eggs is to the tune of $3 per dozen. Same with milk, meats, etc. Just when the American people started paying attention, we have a food crisis forcing the price of organics and natural food out of the reach of even the upper middle class, much less the average American. Someone doesn’t want the next generation to be smarter.

What Are You Voting for Him for Again? Free Market Ideology? Oooookaaaay.

I sincerely hope that anyone supporting McCain for the idea that he is in favor of free market ideas has given up the ghost. He’s for nationalizing banks, turning the federal government into a mortgage broker, and supplementing the incomes of the extremely rich. If we’re going to have a socialized federal government (as we apparently will with either an Obama or a McCain administration), shouldn’t we prefer the administration that is at least honest about that and has done some homework on what it means? It seems ridiculous to entrust the bailout and the mortgage crisis to someone who has never supported those types of systems. That’s like getting sex education from a nun.

Friends Don’t Let Friends Get Away With Bullshit

Obama is supposedly “a guy who hangs around with terrorists.” We all know about Ayers, and we know how tenuous the connection between Obama and Ayers is (just as we know all about G. Gordon Liddy and his very strong connections with John McCain). But this is the plural. TerroristS. So who are these supposed other terrorists that Obama hangs out with?

Frenemies Unite

Loved seeing Bill Maher on Jon Stewart. I’ve long wanted to see Jon Stewart on Maher’s panel, and I still hope to. Maher has made some snide remarks about The Daily Show in the past and it has seemed there is some animosity there. But Bill had to know that you have to go on The Daily Show to promote a movie like Religulous, so hopefully the favor will be returned. I think if these two loosened up around each other, they could make an amazing impact. Wouldn’t you love to see repeats of the infamous Crossfire appearance repeated all over by these two?

Pre, During, and After Parties

Has everyone seen the Fake Presidential Candidate Paris Hilton asking the advice of America's best fake President? Absolutely wonderful.

But I do have a serious recommendation. If Obama’s numbers hold until election day, I strongly urge all of you who are dissatisfied with either candidate to vote for one of the other candidates running for president. If you are a true free-market libertarian, vote for Bob Barr. If you are an extreme socialist and pure anti-war liberal, vote for Cynthia McKinney. If Obama is predicted to win by a landslide, then there is no better time than for you to get the numbers of additional political parties up. Neither will win of course, but most likely neither will John McCain. So get those votes out there for something other than the two major parties, and someday, they might actually become viable.