Creating Countries in Our Own Image

President Obama has upped the ante in Afghanistan. He is sending another 17,000 troops to the beleaguered nation to ‘take the fight to Al Quaeda.’ One of the criticisms of past military efforts in this erratic region of the world is in defining the mission. Well, what is the mission? It is two fold: We want to punish those who attacked our country on 911, and we want to make sure they do not attack us again.

Rovian Media, Applying the Dark Arts to AIG

We confess right up front, we are guilty of capitalizing on the economic crisis.  We have fallen into the trap of a mob mentality.  When you look into the mob, you can see me on the third row from the front, last person on the left.  Fortunately for all of us, Atticus Finch and his […]

Trust God, But Lock Your Car

The finger pointing has only just begun, and there is reason this is so.  People across this country have been devastated by the collapse of our economy.  The natural stages of grief have kicked in.  The initial stage is denial (John McCain said the fundamentals of the economy are sound).  Denial is followed quickly by […]

Conservative Hypocracy on Earmarks

The Fireside Post has been criticized in the past for supporting President Obama. The criticism often points to conservative railing points – most notably congressional earmarks in budget bills. The last assault noted the study of the sex habits of some obscure creature in South America. Of course, this was an exaggeration intended to discredit any argument for the President. But the tables have been turned today.

McCain Continues Trivial Pursuit

John McCain demonstrated his proclivity for trivia in the last election for President. While the country was facing two wars and an economic collapse beyond any seen in recent memory, McCain was harping about Bill Ayers. He lost the election but has not lost his desire to make a big deal out of small things.

Obama – Spending or Investing, Big Differences

President Obama has proposed a huge federal budget.  In actual adjusted dollars the budget is the largest since 1945, just as we were coming out of WWII.  The Republicans are shouting and whining and crying the traditional refrain: “The Liberal are spending our money!  Run for your life!”  Obviously, there is much spending – but […]

Promoting the Liberal Myth

There seems to be a mythology of the liberal cause. The term ‘Liberal’ is used as a noun to describe a secret sect of devil worshipers. The implication is something like this: Liberals meet in secret places, conduct secret rituals, and are the root of the new world order meant to destroy freedom and prosperity. Liberals prefer socialism to capitalism. Liberals prefer dictators to democracy. Liberals want to reward terrorists. Liberals think Labor Unions should run businesses. They are like the Freemasons, except they are more organized and more evil.

Homeless Community

This writer has worked and volunteered at the same social service agencies dedicated to cleaning up the river banks, to rescuing the downtrodden, to saving the helpless, threading the eye of the needle as a gateway to Heaven. We will walk through the Pearly Gates and God will thump us on the forehead with his middle finger, look at us in disgust, and then invite us in to the ultimate shelter from damnation. We will be seated in the middle row, the homeless will have front row seats.

Lincoln and Obama, Saving the Union

What is President Obama really saying about the economic stimulus package before Congress.  Here is what I heard, “It is of the right scope, and addresses the right issues.”  What does he mean by that?  Does he agree with all of the details of the package? When Abraham Lincoln faced the Ciivil War, the most […]

Delusional Politicians, Pelosi, Boehner, Blago

These folks are really off the rail, sidetracked, stumbling over old rhetoric. I am talking about politicians who somehow think that worn out political tactics can continue to fool the public.

The most obvious is the Illinois Governor. The Illinois Senate is holding impeachment hearings for unethical practices by the Governor. The Governor, known now simply as Blago, is tooting his horn in any parade that will have him. Blago made the rounds of the New York based talking head shows – he claims he is a martyr, being nailed to the cross of injustice by local politicians who want to rape the Illinois treasury. It is only Blago who stands between the corruption of the Illinois Congress and the safety of America. Just about everyone is entertained – and not convinced.

Economic Illiteracy

Illiteracy. Generally we think of this word in terms of simple reading and writing. Some have changed the phraseology to ‘functional illiteracy.’ I suppose this means that a person knows the alphabet, can discern some words, and can perhaps sign their name. People are ‘functionally illiterate’ when their comprehension of reading impairs their ability to function in a complex society. If we apply this axiom to our economy, we might easily conclude that most of us are economically functionally illiterate.

Detainee Hypocrisy of Politicians

Sam Brownback (an appropriate name for this man) is busy covering his tracks. He is a Republican Senator from the great state of Kansas. Senator Brownback ran for President and brought the morque of the Republican candidates down about 20 points. (Morque is the scale of combined morals and IQ). Senator Brownback is in a big toot about potentially having the detainees at GITMO being moved to the Federal Prison at Leavenworth, Kansas.

Super Nigger

Richard Pryor broke the rules, and we are grateful. Pryor was most effective in using humor to contrast the insanity of racism and the ultimate humor inherent in absurd words. Oprah will not like this post – but she failed to renew her advertising so we got nothing to lose, bro.

The Changing Face of Etiquette

As we, our culture, are catered to by technology and the marketing machine, we begin to feel more entitled to the things that we consume and the benefits of our service industry. The idea of serving others is lost on those who become complacent with being served themselves.

Politics of Racism, 1903, 1968, 1988, 2009

I collect political memorabilia. As I looked through my junk last night I realized how much we have changed.

I have a George Wallace neck tie from his 1968 run at the Presidency. It is a thin white tie with bold red letters horizontally positioned that reads Wallace ’68. Twenty years ago I attached a campaign button to the Wallace tie – it reads Jesse Jackson ’88.