That hopey changey thing
Letter to the Editor
Sarah Palin is asking us, “How is that hopey, changey thing workin’ out for ya?” Probably about as well as abstinence is working out for your family.
BTW Senator Obama – You’re the President Now
Letter to the Editor
There’s a difference between getting elected and assuming leadership and I’m still waiting for President Obama to assume leadership. Obama’s management style seems to be that he’s just another member of a team rather than the team captain. America is in a crisis and both the Democrats and the Republicans in Congress are acting like a class full of unruly 10 year olds with a weak substitute teacher.
I am asking you Mr. President today to take charge. I am asking you to be a leader. I am asking you to assume your role as the decider. You are the chief executive and you are in charge. You are the leader but you have yet to assume leadership. A year ago we made you the most powerful man on the planet. We gave you the power and we expect you to use it. Instead you’re like a Jedi Knight who won’t use The Force. You’re like Superman in his role as Clark Kent. You’re like Charlie Brown who just tries to keep kicking the football just to have it jerked away by Congress at the last minute.
It is time, Mr. President, for you to take charge. It’s time to open up a can of whoopass and set Congress straight. It’s OK to be reasonable and rational in the way you make decisions but please, if you are passionate about something you can at least raise your voice and show it. Here in real America things are so bad that we are waking up in the middle of the night screaming. We want to hear you scream too. The role of President was given to you. We are still waiting for you to claim it. Be the leader!
Will Iran pass America in the Space Race
On this day when Iran has launched a rocket into space we have to ask ourselves if it is wise for the Obama Administration to cut funding to NASA and cripple our ability to put people and equipment into space. I’m old enough to remember how I felt when we first went to the moon and I was one of those people who skipped school holding my breath for 4 1/2 minutes to watch Apollo 13 made it back from an in-flight explosion on the way to the moon.
In the 60s the space race defined our national identity as explorers. TV shows like Start Trek inspired a new vision of the future. Yet now we have money to bail out banks, insurance companies, and auto makers. We have money to give tax breaks to the rich. We have money to fund war. But when it comes to our national identity as explorers, there is no money.
I want the Star Trek Future. I want America to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before. The idea that the Iranians are more interested in space than we are tells me that we have lost our national vision.
Ninth Circuit Screws Church of Reality in Pot Decision
On January 28th 2010 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals basically screwed the Church of Reality issuing a memorandum decision. As the founder of the Church of Reality I’m fairly pissed off about it. What the courts often do is to clear out the case load by letting law clerks decide cases using memoradum decisions and signing the judges name to it. That way the judges only deal with the cases the law clerks find interesting.
This is especially true of cases where the party is doing it themselves and is not a lawyer. They think that we aren’t smart enough to figure out when we’re getting screwed so they can blow us off easilly. And usually they are correct, but not with me.
The case is not over. I am going to file a motion for rehearing en banc, and I’m in the process of sending a letter to the chief judge of the court Alex Kozinski. The letter is to get their attention so that I might get some due process when they consider it. I need some public attention and public scrutiny to get a real decision out of the court.
This is a First Amendment case which under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act requires the Strict Scrutiny standard of review. It is also a case of first Impression. This is the first case to be reviewed since the UDV case of 2006 where the Supreme Court decided that religions could have schedule 1 drugs. Both sides have admitted that this is the first case. It is not the kind of case that should be disposed of with memorandum. It requires a real opinion. This was a go fuck yourself kind of decision.
The decision is an incomplete decision that relies on a statement taken out of context that I, Marc Perkel, founder of the Church of Reality somehow admitted that we can get along just fine without the use of marijuana. I made no such admission, and it is not the case. If not for marijuana there would be no Church of Reality.
I hereby challenge the legal community to read the decision and read the briefs and you tell me if you think this is a real opinion or you think I got screwed by some back room law clerk that wanted to clear cases out of the file so that the judges don’t have to be bothered. Below are links to the documents filed and the opinion.
Links:
DEA Denies Church of Reality Request of Exemption
Memorandum Decision of the Ninth Circuit
I am in the process of asking for rehearing. I would appreciate all the help I can get to at least get a regular opinion in this case. I realize that they might still rule against me. But I want a decision that at least makes sense.
Toyota Recall – Is it the Computer, not the gas pedal?
Letter to the Editor
As someone who has been in software for over 30 years I have to ask Toyota this question, “Have you ruled out the computer?” As I understand it the cars in question are all “drive by wire” cars. Unlike the cars I drove as a teen where the gas pedal was connected to the carborator with metal rods, these days the pedal is an input device that merely indicates to the car’s computer how fast the driver wishes to go. The computer is what directly controls the engine speed.
Even if the gas pedal was actually sticking the computer could be programmed to detect a faulty pedal and shut down the engine automatically upon fault detection. Such software would be trivial to implement and could save lives until the real problem is determined. However there seems to be evidence of cases that defy the pedal theory and that Toyota should be looking at the computer.
End welfare for the rich
Letter to the Editor
If President Obama and the Democrats really wanted to do something about the deficit they should have eliminated the Bush tax cuts for the rich in 2009 when they took power rather that to let them run for an additional two years. It seems when it comes to tax cuts for the rich, bailing out millionaires, baling out banks, bailing out insurance companies and big corporations, there’s no limit to the spending. But when it comes to helping out the middle class and the poor there’s no money left. We still have the Bush economy where the poor are paying welfare to the rich.
Free Credit Report is a Ripoff – Sucks
First of all the call it “Free Credit Report” but it is anything but free. I didn’t even want it for free. I just wanted to buy a single copy of my credit report. But it decided that I was signing up with Experian for their “Triple Advantage” which is really triple disadvantage. The allowed me to call a number to cancel this membership and I did, but the membership didn’t cancel.
I was printing off my credit card charges for my taxes and noticed charges from Experian Direct of $14.95 a month in addition to $29.95 that I paid them to get my “Free Credit Report”. So they ended up charging me over $100 for my free report and I’ve decided to get even with them.
Here is a recording of my call to cancel my account. This way you can hear what it’s like to deal with them. So if you think you’re going to get a free credit report frm freecreditreport.com you should think about this first and try someone else.
Ted Kennedy is spinning in his grave
Letter to the Editor
Different people will see tonights election differently but one thing I think we can all agree on. Ted Kennedy is spinning in his grave. And the voters of Massachusetts just screwed the rest of us out of health care reform. You would think that America has already inflicted enough bad judgment on itself. How many times will it take before the voter realizes the laws of cause and effect?
Obama – 1 year later
Letter to the Editor
Obama’s success might be best described in terms of what didn’t happen rather than what did. Although what Obama accomplished is impressive, what didn’t happen is the total collapse of the US economy. America was on track to fail the way the formers Soviet Union failed and the entire world economy was on the verge of collapsing with it. Although the economy is still in serious condition the Apocalypse has been averted for now.
Over the last 8 years Bush and Cheney virtually destroyed this country. No president can undo the damage that the Republicans did in a single year. It will take a long time to recover. We have to stay the course and not go back to the failed policies that created the problems we have today.
Let Big Tobacco Die
Letter to the Editor
According to the Associated Press the tobacco industry is pleading with the Justice Department not to go to the Supreme Court fearing a decision that would devastate them. I say that it’s time to wipe the tobacco industry out. These people have killed millions of people by lying for decades about the dangers of smoking. So I have no problem giving them a corporate death sentence, letting their stockholder lose their money, and putting their employees and tobacco farmers out on the street. I doubt there is a person in America who doesn’t know someone who the tobacco industry has killed. I think it’s time we the people struck back. I just hope the Justice Department doesn’t sell out the people to protect big tobacco’s corporate profits.
What a difference a real president makes
Letter to the Editor
What a difference a real president makes. Obama is getting aid into Haiti faster than Bush got aid into New Orleans.
Palin was God’s Plan
Letter to the Editor
In the new book released today “Game Change”, when Sarah Palin was chosen to run for vice president she responded that the choice was “God’s Plan”. So if it was God’s plan for her to run then what did God have in mind when she lost? Did God intend to make a fool of her? That’s the problem for those who claim their destiny was God’s plan. It makes God look like a loser. I think a more accurate description of Palin’s candidacy is “bad choice”.
Double standard for Democrats? Not a problem for me
Letter to the Editor
The Republicans are making a big deal about what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said about race. Republicans claim that there is a double standard claiming that some people are a lot more forgiving when a Democrat makes a racist sounding comment than Republicans get. I don’t have a problem with the double standard. Republicans have worked hard to disenfranchise blacks while Democrats have worked hard to empower blacks. Harry Reid has a strong record to fall back on. So if an old Democrat uses the word Negro it’s not that big of a deal.
I am amused however because the more of a big deal Republicans make of Harry Reid’s comments the less likely they are going to be able to get rid of their incompetent party leader Michael Steele. Democrats look forward to taking on the GOP with this year with Steele in charge.
Who do we screen for?
Letter to the Editor
Every time someone tries to blow up an airplane we start asking the question, “How do we spot terrorists? Who is safe to let through?” One thing that is common to all these terrorists is a strong belief in God. No Atheists are out there blowing up innocent people. That’s because Atheists don’t have an invisible friend promising us sex with virgins in the next life if we blow up a bunch of innocent people. So when you get on a plane you might want to ask yourself who you would rather fly with, Atheists or Muslims, because an Atheist is much more interested in keeping everyone safe in this world.
Politics or Treason
Letter to the Editor
People like to describe what the Republicans are doing as politics but that’s not the word I would use. I call it treason. All they are proving is that it’s easier to destroy America than it is to fix it. All one has to do is look around at the way the country is today and know that it was the Republicans that did it to us. I think it’s time to call it like I see it. When you are out to make America fail, it’s treason.
Filibuster Rule must Die
Letter to the Editor
In spite of what you hear in the news it does not take 60 votes in the Senate to pass a bill. It is not in the Constitution nor are there any laws that require 60 votes. The 60 vote barrier is an obscure Senate rule called the filibuster which requires 60 votes to end debate and get to a vote. This is a rule that can be changed.
In 2005 when Democrats used the filibuster Republican threatened to end the practice in a move called the “nuclear option” which is a procedure for changing the filibuster rule. The mere threat of ending the filibuster caused the Democrats to back down from using it. Now the Democrats have a far larger majority in the Senate than the Republicans did and the Republicans are filibustering almost every bill. Their strategy seems to be to get America to fail and then run in 2010 on the idea that Democrats are as bad as they are. But the Democrats can put an end to the Filibuster and bring back majority rule as the Constitution intended.
So we don’t really need 60 votes to pass health care reform. We only need 50. It’s time the Democrats get tough and use the power that the People elected them to use. We need reform and this rule is in the way. The time has come for Democrats to step up and quit acting like they are in the minority and use the nuclear option and put the filibuster down. I think it would be a mistake for Democrats to allow the Republicans to steal back power in the 2010 election because of a record of failuer.
President Obama’s War?
Letter to the Editor
When did Afghanistan become Obama’s war? The way I remember it Bush started the war in 2002 back when no one knew who Obama was. Now it’s Obama’s war? Give me a break! This war would have been over if Bush hadn’t pulled the troops out and sent them to Iraq to fight a useless war there. This war is Bush’s war, the Republican’s war, and the American people’s war for being stupid enough to elect Bush in the first place. It’s only Obama’s war to the extent that Obama has to clean up all the messes Bush left him, war, bailouts, deficit, and unemployment.
Money for Health Care not for War
Letter to the Editor
Even though health care reform will actually save money all I hear out of the news media is that we don’t have enough money for health care. Not true! What we have enough money for is the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. What we have enough money for tax cuts for the rich. We have enough money for bank and insurance company bailouts. We have enough money for tax credits for big oil. We have enough money to give away trillions to the super rich, but we don’t have enough money for health care? Give me a break!
Money for Health Care not for War
Letter to the Editor
Even though health care reform will actually save money all I hear out of the news media is that we don’t have enough money for health care. Not true! What we have enough money for is the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. What we have enough money for tax cuts for the rich. We have enough money for bank and insurance company bailouts. We have enough money for tax credits for big oil. We have enough money to give away trillions to the super rich, but we don’t have enough money for health care? Give me a break!
No communion for Kennedy?
Letter to the Editor
Now that Bishop Thomas Tobin has banned Patrick Kennedy from receiving communion because he’s supports a woman’s right to control her own reproduction, I have a question for him. Are you willing to deny communion to priests who have sex with children? I’m curious to see how your values on child rape compare to abortion. The way I see it, it’s people like you who make me say, “Thank God I’m an Atheist”. So – prove me wrong. I challenge you. Should priests who rape children also be denied communion?
The People vs. the Insurance Industry
Letter to the Editor
The way I see it the health care reform bill is the people attempting to get control of our health care from the insurance companies who control health care now. The insurance companies are spending millions trying to keep the people from gaining self control. It’s now down to a power of wills between the people and the insurance industry.
We the people, who want control of our health care, have to make sure that candidates who support our point of view wins the elections over the candidates who sell out to the insurance industry. We have to commit to vote for people these people, work for these people, and donate to these people, because if they win election then we lose. And we need to make sure that the candidates understand that if health care reform fails, or they vote against our position, then it will cost them their office. Our freedom has to be stronger than their money.
Republican victories on Tuesday?
Letter to the Editor
It’s kind of weird seeing the news media declaring the Republicans the winner in Tuesday’s election and that it’s some sort of referendum on Obama? Perhaps the news media is living in some alternate universe where everything is backwards? The Republicans won the governor’s races in two state elections, while the Democrats won all the federal elections increasing their majority in Congress where it counts. In one race the Republican candidate dropped out of the race and endorsed the Democrat. Seems to me that if you can’t even get your candidate to vote Republican then it’s the Republicans that should be worried about the next election.
What the People want
Letter to the Editor
A warning to my Republican friends. There are a lot more people in America who want to see Obama succeed than want to see him fail. You might want to take that into account if you think you can win elections on the pro-failure platform.
High hopes for Marijuana Users
Letter to the Editor
It’s good to see the Obama administration deciding to not go after medical marijuana the way the Bush administration did. it gives me “high hopes” that some day the ridiculous prohibition on marijuana will go away. This is a drug that if fully legal would be a benefit to society. I believe that it would replace alcohol, which is a much more dangerous drug, as a choice for those who want a little buzz but doesn’t want to wreck their cars or become violent and drug dependent. This is a step in the right direction and America is better off for it. Thank you President Obama.
4 letters word that Republican’s won’t say
Letter to the Editor
From Birthers to Teabaggers Republicans are angry. Republicans are saying a lot of 4 letter words but there’s a 4 letter word that Republicans never say under any conditions. A 4 letter word the Republicans don’t even want to think about. That 4 letter word is BUSH.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Letter to the Editor
When is Obama, who is the Commander in Chief, going to end the ban on gays in the military policy known as “Don’t ask, don’t tell”? Don’t ask because he isn’t going to tell.
Winning by losing – losing by winning?
Letter to the Editor
Today President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize and Republicans are angry. Last week America lost it’s bid to get the 2016 Olympics and the Republicans were cheering. Since Republicans have been doing everything wrong and caused our current economic crisis and started the two wars we are currently stuck with they are trying to redefine losing as winning and winning as losing. It seems that the angrier the Republicans are the more you know America is heading in the right direction. Congratulations Mr. President!
Republicans hope to repeat 1994
Letter to the Editor
Republicans are doing the same thing that they did in 1993. They are trying to make sure that health care reform fails so they can repeat what happened in 1994 in the 2010 elections. And they might succeed if Democrats are stupid enough to do the same thing they did in 1994. If Democrats fail to win it this time they are going to have a hard time making the case that they should be reelected.
Health Care Reform is about Values
Letter to the Editor
I saw a TV ad today against health care reform put on by a group called “Americans for Prosperity”. What’s right and wrong when it comes to health care reform depends on your values. If you put prosperity first then their position is correct. However if you put health care security ahead of making money then Americans for Prosperity is wrong. It all depends on whether you value profits of insurance companies or the health of this nation’s people. Who we are as Americans depends on what we value.
Don’t knock garlic milkshakes till you try one
Letter to the Editor
Last Thursday Republican House leader John Boehner said in regards to a public option for health insurance, “This thing is about as unpopular as a garlic milkshake.” As a home owner in Gilroy California, the garlic capital of the world, I have to say that I agree. However Mr. Boehner has never been to one of our Garlic Festivals where garlic ice cream is served and obviously doesn’t realize how popular it is. Likewise he also seems to have no idea how popular the public option for health care reform is. So because he is wrong on both counts his statement is barely correct. It just goes to show you that when it comes to Republicans, sometimes two wrongs do make a right.
