06/21/05

            As for many people the morning of September 11^th 2001 was a horrible wake-up call, a rebirth of patriotism in many of us. We gave into our fears and aloud our leaders to make bad choices for us only to now have our voices heard. But today I am not here to debate those choices. For I voted for President Bush the first time and feel some of the blame.

When I look for the root of my patriotism I can look no further then my parents. A father who gave me a passion for history so I can look back to see where we came from. From the early writings of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine to upstart dreamers like Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. The knowledge I have gotten from history and the great love I have for my country I get from my father.

From my Mother I get the love for people and the energy she got from talking and getting to know them. The Great Spirit she showed during every holiday. For my though the 4^th of July was my favorite. Going to see the fireworks with my friends and family. The image of my mother dressed head to toe in red, white and blue. While the house was all deck out for the love of the USA.

            I miss those days since my mothers passing, but her spirit and love for life in America lives on in my sister and me. As for my father, we have our ups and downs but in his heart he’s just making me stronger. So that when the day comes and I am chosen to be one of our leaders of America I can live up to the standards of our four fathers and see past the dollar signs that have taken over our government and get back to the heart and spirit in which America was founded.

08/11/05

I agree completely with Christine Brennan’s column, “Keeping Score”. She forgot the sad truth, the truth that nothing is going to be done about it. The pro athletes, movies stars, politicians and rich elite of this country are treated to a softer law then most of us. If I was playing hockey at the YMCA and pulled something like Todd Bertuzzi I’d be sitting in jail a very long time and not be welcome to ever come back to the YMCA, ever. Then after the civil lawsuit I’d be in debt for the rest of my life and then some.

            This year I have not gone to a single baseball game. I refuse. It hurts since the Cardinals are doing so well and it’s the last year of Busch Stadium. I normally go to 10-20 games a year. I also do not watch them on TV. The only updates I get are from the paper. I guess others could do this, but I am sure they won’t. What if the fans boycotted the first game of the World Series?

            Along those lines and many more is why I hope to one day run for public office and take the fight to D.C. Not just for show, but also to make sure the superstars of this country are treated like everyone else in the eyes of the law.

08/06/05

So let me get this straight. A 5-year-old girl was videotaped tearing up a classroom and punching an assistant principal. The cops, not violating policy, handcuff the girl and take her off to jail. Then is released without charges. That sounds fine to me. I think the little girl got the point what she did was wrong. No harm, no foul. Not in today’s P.C. world. Then the officers get reprimanded for minor errors in handling the situation and the mother of the 5-year-old sues. What!? Does anyone else see why our children take no responsibility for their actions? Nor do their parents it seems. Times have changed, if I would of none that when I was her age I would have been punished by the school, then by my father and no suing was involved. I learned quickly what was right and wrong. Not this little girl, she’ll most likely keep throwing tantrums and getting her way. Much like her mother. Can I sue the mother of this child for not being able to raise her child and wasting our tax dollars? The sad thing is I could probably fine a lawyer to take my case.

07/12/05

            Newsflash! During the months of July thru September is hurricane season. Also in the news, it’s summer time and Americans tend to take more road trips during this time. New excuses to raise gas prices, do you have any? 

            These are the headlines on the oil company’s newsletters. As if these are new ideas. So why is it gas prices jump up every time we have a hurricane? Don’t they know they are coming? Couldn’t they increase the shipping before and after the hurricane season? This would make sense. It’s like the toy makes that decide to take a vacation months before Christmas. Isn’t like the kids need any toys for Christmas.

            As I am sure many of us are tired of paying high gas prices because our government, oil companies and foreign governments don’t find it in their best interest to help out the working class. Why should they? We will just mumble under our breath, talk it up with a friend or two and pay the high gas prices for their poor planning and lack of foresight of the oil companies. If we all worked and planed this way, we’d be homeless. But I guess if you have money, it’s best to make sure you keep it and let no one else can top ya.

            So to give you a heads up for next year, between July and September hurricanes will be blowing through the Gulf of Mexico and the rest of the world. Also, I am sure a summer vacation or two will be plan involving driving a car (which runs on gasoline still) from point A to point B and back again. So maybe you can plan for that and I don’t have to cancel my road trips because I want to eat this month. I couldn’t ask the President to help, he is to busy blowing up your country right now….

07/12/05

So it’s good to see the media is playing into the Bush propaganda of fear. Within our fear we become blind to the evil our country is doing on our behalf. I believe it was Gandhi who said, “An eye for an eye will make the world blind”. So let’s keep glorifying our actions of violence and demonize anyone else’s violence that does not agree with use, because this will bring the world closer together. What’s one of the first things I hear on the news after the London bombings? Comparisons to 9/11 and are we next. London, under 100 deaths, 9/11 over 3,000 deaths, I can see it. The London bombings were horrible, don’t get me wrong, but all us pig headed, blinded by fear, keep the faith American citizens can think about is ourselves. That is going to make us some more friends in the world. I don’t believe we are all like this, but our media would like you to believe we are. So for once can we not give into fear and make the smart, peaceful choice?

06/28/05

I may disagree with most of the Presidents polices, but I still have hope he may listen to the voice of peace. Violence is not the only answer to terrorism as Bush said in his speech tonight. It seems to be the only answers he can think of, the easy answer of never-ending trend of violence. If this were the case, then Israel would be the safest place on earth. The Middle East would be the pillar of peace. As we know, it is not and shows no sign of being that way anytime soon. Violence leads to more violence. Times have changed in the 21^st century; war is not the answer anymore. It was not in Korea, Vietnam, Panama or the first Gulf war. It cannot be the answer when the innocent civilians and children pay the price more so then the soldiers who fight either side this war. The survivors of these innocents are just being lead to the hatred of America. Which leads to more terror. There are other answers but our President was born into a family where an eye for and eye belief has made him blind.

06/23/05

I believe lobbyist in Washington could think of a few better ways to spend $46,000 on four Congressmen to go to the Napa Valley for three days. (“Lobbyist showing Congress the World” Wednesday cover story, front page) That’s half of what I make a year. $458 per person on meals for the three-day trip, I make that in a two-week check only if I get over-time. I am sure I am not the only one. I’m sure our elected officials can’t afford trips like that on their own dime. How do they ever get by? How about spending some of that money on the hard working Americas who cannot afford trip like that. How about a random lobbyist give-away for voters? Heck, if you can buy a Congressman, why not a voter to? I’m sure that is legal. Better yet, how about they put that money towards tax relief for parents who are trying to but their children through collage and no be in debt for life. Maybe fund unemployment-training programs or drive down the cost of renewing my car plates. Which seem to keep rising. I’m sure the money could go to much better use then sending our elected officials to the Napa Valley for a weekend Wine tour.

06/02/05

I have worked in restaurants most of my life. I have yet to see an owner hard up for money. Most are living pretty well. While us minimum wage employees are lucky to scrap out a living. I work for $6.50 and hour and barely make ends meet and lucky to eat 0ne or two meals a day. I am also smart enough to know raising the minimum wage also raises the cost of living. In the end we at the bottom are breaking even. So shouldn’t we find ways to drive down the cost of living? My rent goes up $40 to $50 a month and I am suppose to feel better about an extra .25 cents raise or even an extra $1 an hour boost in minimum wage. My last raise was given to me by the state, not my boss or business owner. Neither one seems to have a clue what life is like at the bottom. I work hard and get paid little. I do not mind the hard work.

06/01/05

What is this world coming to? It’s a world run by spoiled, rich brats who can and do whatever they want and take no blame for their mistakes. Take for example the Newsweek thing going on this past week and the violence it has brought, all because of a false source and bad judgment. Sound like anything that’s been going on the past 2 years. Can you say Iraq war? Why did we go to war again? To win the freedom of the Iraqi people and to spread liberty and freedom across the globe. To root out tyranny everywhere. (Except in small countries that do not have oil or anything else we want or need) Can you smell the BS? I can. The freedom of the Iraqi people was a nice side effect. Didn’t we go to war because Iraq had WMD’s and was soon to have Nukes? That was the bill of goods I was sold. Not sure about you. I thought it was BS from the start. But what do I know. So in the end it was false data (source), bad Intel (bad source) and one track thinking (bad judgment) that lead to no WMD’s in Iraq. Well, they have their freedom, sort of…. So where was I? Oh yeah, burn Newsweek to the ground. They are responsible for thousands upon thousands of deaths. Including U.S. troops which is over a thousand. How about the wounded? Hundreds of thousands of them mounting everyday. Oh wait, that was Presidents Bush’s bad, not Newsweek. Newsweek only lead to under thirty deaths and several wound. But they are rioting in the streets in the Middle East. But they should definitely burn for that.

            So who took the fall for the bad Intel in Iraq? Director of the CIA, no he got the Medal of Freedom. The Sec. of Def., no she got promoted to Sec. of State. Ok, so maybe the President right. The buck stops here? He couldn’t have been re-elected, right? Damn, we are dumb. All because we are afraid gays could have the right to marry into a same sex marriage or even join in civil unions. Hell, what’s next? Are we going to aloud Black to marry? How about a white person and a black person, is that ok? How about a bi-sexual male and bi-sexual female, that is sort of ok, right? I think gays should have none of the rights we straight folk have. That’s against my moral values. But is it ok to lie to us and send off our good men and women to the U.S. military to die in a war based on someone else’s lie. In the wake of this war hundreds of thousands of civilians have died. But this is morally ok, right? The Iraqi people got out and voted for freedom while staring death in the face. While we sit safe at home and barely 50% of use can work up the time to vote. Maybe Iraq will get it right? The people have a voice. Everyone, except the poor, homeless and starving people do. But the big business, the rich or powerful will speak for them, right? Because it’s morally ok. Go Bush, go big money. We are well on are way to a gay free country. Why don’t we just send the gays to fight the war in Iraq? Oh, but they can’t serve in the military either. But they can pay taxes! That’s all that really matters. Welcome to the world run by spoiled, rich brats who take responsibility for nothing. (Unless it’s a good thing like inventing the Internet.) I think I just saw someone flush the Bill of Rights down the toilet….

 

                                                                       

The Intro to Me

08/14/05

I’ll begin with my name, Jeremy. I am 30 years of age. I currently work midnights at a hotel and I live in a house with 4 other roomates. When I am not working, I play volleyball, watch movies, read, listen to music and play video games. I get most of my reading done at work. It’s keeps me awake. I am fans of Jon Stewart, Bill Mahr and Arianna Huffington.

So that is me in a nutshell. Much more will be learned as we go. My first entries will be thoughts from months ago in responses to the USA today newspaper. None of which have been published.