Commentary on Flip-Flopping and the Presidential Race.

Untrustworthy, two-faced, and/or a backstabber. These are some of the words that come to mind when a politician takes a position on an issue and then takes a complete opposite stance on the same issue. This is known as flip-flopping. Saying that flip-flopping on just one topic, let alone a whole laundry list of them, is detrimental to a politician's campaign is an understatement. It is the equivalent of a breaching of trust between a politician and his or her supporters. A flip-flopping politician is on the same level as a general leading his troops into battle and when the those troops are confronted by the enemy troops, the general either surrenders, says "to hell with it I'm going home", or defecting to the enemy army right on the battlefield. In the case of any political race, especially a race for the President of the United States, the general would be the candidate and the troops would be the candidate's supporters and potential voters of that particular candidate. If that candidate flip-flops on an issue, whether it be one issue or one thousand issues regardless of the essence of that issue, it is not a telling, but a screaming to his or her supporters that you lied to them on an issue that they care about.


The flip-flopping that plagued elections past is in abundant supply in this year's Presidential race between Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Barack Obama (D-IL). This commentary is not about who flip-flops the most or about who rightfully or wrongfully accuses the other of flip-flopping. This is about holding the candidates accountable for switching their views and stances on the same issue. The trust of the American People should never be breached. Flip-flopping is a breach of said trust. Both Senators McCain and Obama, who have flip-flopped in this election, need to understand that flip-flopping can and possibly will cost them the presidency. The people, regardless of political affiliation, deserve better than a politician who can not keep his or her stance on an issue consistent. The aforementioned sacred trust is never to be violated. Flip-flopping violates that trust. How can the voters trust either Senators McCain or Obama when they both change their positions on Iraq, the economy, global warming, and oil drilling among other issues?

The presidential election this year will be hotly contested. There is no doubt about it. This election will have ramifications on the value of the U.S. dollar. This election will have ramifications on the price of oil, which determines how much we pay at gas stations. This election will have ramifications on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This election will have ramifications on the economy and our health care. This election will have ramifications on our environment. Senators Obama and McCain understand this well and so do the American People. The presidential candidates know what is at stake and they both know that they can not lose the trust of the American People. Flip-flopping will do just that. It will destroy the credibility of the candidate and cost him the election. The voters will never trust their future to a candidate who has no credibility. Senators McCain and Obama have both flip-flopped in this election. If either one of them hopes to win this election, they need to end the flip-flopping and to be consistent with the promises they make to the people of the United States of America. This election, given what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, given the state our economy, given the mortgage and home-owner crises, and given how much we pay at the pump is one of the most crucial in history. We need a president we can trust. We do not need a president that turns out to be untrustworthy, two-faced, and/or a backstabber.

Good night and good luck.

Comedian George Carlin Passes Away at age 71

Source: Reuters

George Carlin, comedian best known for his "7 words" routine which led to a Supreme Court battle over obscenity, passed away at the age of 71 at St. John's Health Center in Los Angeles last night. He died of heart failure. The grammy-winning comic was to recieve the John F. Kennedy's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor this fall.

Carlin was an icon among the counter-culture and his theme centered around humanity being a doomed species. He is also an icon in all of comedy. George Carlin will be missed.

The NBA's Boston Celtics Win their First NBA Championship in 22 Years

The Boston Celtics won their 17th NBA championship last night with a 131-92 pasting over the Los Angeles Lakers in game 6 of the NBA Finals. This was the organization's first NBA title in 22 years and their 17 championship banners are the most of any team in the Association.

Paul Pierce of the Celtics was named the NBA Final's MVP.

Tim Russert of NBC News Passes Away at age 58.

Source: NBC News

Tim Russert, host of "Meet The Press" and Washington Bureau Chief for NBC News, has passed away at the age of 58 as the result of a heart attack.

Tim Russert in an icon not only at NBC News, but in all of Journalism. Needless to say, this is very sad news. He will be sorely missed.

Senator Clinton (D-NY) to Suspend Campaign According to New York Times.

Sources: New York Times/NBC News

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) will leave the presidential race on friday and endorse the presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) according to the New York Times. The exact motive for the suspension is unclear, but reports insist that her supporters told the New York Senator to end her campaign for the sake of party unity.

UPDATE: Senator Clinton was pressured by Congressional Democrats to leave the race.

UPDATE 2: Senator Clinton will publicly suspend her campaign in Washington D.C. on Saturday.

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) is the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee.

Source: NBC News

Barack Obama, the Democratic Senator from Illinois, has finally reached the number of 2118 delegates to clinch the Democratic Presidential nomination. Senator Obama is the first African-American to be nominated by a major political party in the history of the United States of America.

Fox News Contributor Liz Trotta Jokes About the Assassination of Senator Obama (D-IL).

Watch and listen.




EDITOR'S NOTE: This is nothing short of vile, dispicable, and an embarrasment to the profession of journalism. If Fox News wants to separate themselves from these comments, then both Roger Ailles and Rupert Murdoch should apologize for the comments, not because people were offended.

Liz Trotta should be fired. Referring to Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) as Osama was alone disrespectful, but if either he or Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) get shot and killed, then Liz Trotta should be held morally and ethically responsible. There is nothing comical at all about the assasination of any human being, especially a politician running for the highest political office in the United States.

Liz Trotta is a sick, sorry excuse of a human being and this sorry episode is a big, brown stain on the underwear of all of journalism.

Commentary on President Bush's Iran-Appeasement Remark.

*Before I begin, I must apologize for my lengthy hiatus caused by college. Now that I have graduated, I now can return to this blog. Again, I apologize for my prolonged absence.*

If there is one politician who should never be a critic of another politician's foreign policy, that politician would be none other than the 43rd president of the United States, George Walker Bush. Although other politicians and presidents are dubiously known for their bad foreign policies, the foreign policy of our sitting president is nothing short of a disaster. Look at Iraq. Look at Afghanistan. Look at Iran. Hell, look at the Middle East. The fact, the notion, the very thought of President Bush critiquing another politician's foreign policy is not only a sickening irony, it is wrong.

That sickening irony occurred last week when President Bush spoke in front of Israel's Knesset, or legislative assembly, on the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence. During his speech, President Bush equated any diplomacy with Iran to those who appeased Hitler and Nazi Germany. The remark from President Bush was allegedly an attack on Democratic Presidential front runner Senator Barack Obama (IL), who advocates for diplomacy with Iran.

It is obvious that President Bush never went to a civics class. It is obvious that President Bush does not know the difference between diplomacy and appeasement, which are separate terms. Appeasement is giving in to someone to please them. Diplomacy is a stern talk with leaders of other nations. President Bush comparing diplomacy with the appeasement of anything, whether it be the appeasement of a disobedient child or the appeasement of Nazi Germany, is beyond despicable, it is low-class and simply embarrassing to all of the United States. Adding to the embarrassment is the fact that our president got these two different terms confused, as if one is just like the other. Diplomacy does not compare with appeasement. How dare the president compares diplomacy with appeasement. How dare he does this in front of the Knesset on Israel's 60th birthday. This was not an inexperienced freshmen diplomat who said this. This was not the first lady who said this. This was not a civics student who made those remarks. The equation of diplomacy with Iran and appeasement of Iran was from the mouth of President Bush. Our own president made those remarks. The president, who should know better, made that very equation without any shame at all.

Whether this was a direct attack, an indirect attack, or not even an attack against any politician, President Bush is in no position to comment on any foreign policy. This was the same president who waged a war in Iraq that led to the deaths of over four-thousand American soldiers. This was the same president who continued to demand Iran to drop their uranium enrichment program even though they already did so according to the N.I.E. about five years ago. The train-wreck that was President Bush's foreign policy made Al-Qeada stronger, made the Middle East even more of a hell-hole, and gave considerable comfort to Osama Bin-Laden, who is still on the loose nearly seven years after the horrible attacks on September 11, 2001.

Adding to this disgrace is the hypocrisy in President Bush's remarks. This was the same president who practiced diplomacy with North Korea and it's president Kim Jong-Il, which was another enemy of the United States. North Korea had nuclear weapons that had the potency to hit the west coast of America. It was diplomacy that got Kim Jong-Il to disarm. There was no appeasement. Why is practicing diplomacy with Iran appeasement when it was not the same as far as North Korea is concerned? Why won't you clear it up for us Mr. President?

The speech President Bush gave in front of Israel's Knesset last week is nothing short of hypocritical, sickeningly ironic, and uncalled for. Not only is President Bush in no position to comment on another politician's foreign policy, but he compared diplomacy to appeasement, which are two different terms. There is no place for this. There is no place for the leader of the free world to distort facts and to make false comparisons. If President Bush had any shred of dignity as a person, he would sincerely apologize for the speech he gave in front of the Knesset. If he fails to do so, then President Bush no longer deserves what little respect he has left as any politician, much less as President.

Good night...and good luck.

Kansas Jayhawks, Tennessee Volunteers win men's and women's college basketball national championships respectively.

*I know this is belated. My apologies*

The Kansas Jayhawks and the Memphis Tigers mandated an overtime period in the men's college basketball national championship game last Monday night. Memphis led the Jayhawks by nine points in the final two minuets, but Kansas came back and forced the game into overtime, in which Kansas victored.

On the ladies' side, the Tennessee Volunteers blew out the Stanford Cardinal to win their second straight national championship.

Dr. King Assassination Four Decades ago Today

It was on this day forty years ago when civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed at The Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN at the age of 39. He was in Memphis for a civil rights rally. James Earl Ray was accused and convicted of King's murder.

Dr. King was and still is known today as an icon in the civil rights movement. He was also a reverend and led an opposition to the Vietnam War. He is most known for "I have a dream" speech. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-President Carter in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. Dr. King's birthday became a national holiday every January since 1986.

The Lorraine Motel is now The National Civil Rights Museum.

North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas, and California-Los Angeles (UCLA), all #1 seeds, are in the Final Four

I assume the readers have been keeping up with the NCAA tourney and if not they should be ashamed. For the first time in NCAA men's basketball tournament history, all of the number one seeds in the tournament, North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, and California at Los Angeles (UCLA), made it to the final four in San Antonio, Texas. The final four will take place on Saturday on CBS. North Carolina will take on Kansas in the first match, while Memphis and UCLA will play in the second match. The championship game will tip off one week from today.

I did not have an official bracket made, but I will share you my prediction of the final four: North Carolina and Memphis will play inthe championship game with the former of the two winning the national championship.

Thieves Steal A Playstation Portable and the Medical Records of a 7-Year-Old Cancer Patient the day before his Birthday.

Source: Joystiq

Without a doubt one of the most sickening and depressing stories I've ever read, gutless thieves allegedly stole medical records, medicine, and a Playstation Portable that belonged to 7-year-old and brain-cancer patient Kyle Springs on the eve of his birthday. He and his family were having breakfast in a restaurant when the heist ocurred. Fortunately, though, the Dallas police raised over $1,000 in two and a half hours time and his PSP and games were replaced. The crooks are still at large.

Commentary on Jack Thompson's Conduct at His Bar Trial.

*Gamepolitics.com recently ran a series of excerpts from Jack Thompson's ethics trial in which he is facing permenant disbarrment. The series can be found here. It should also be noted that my commentaries are my opinions ONLY. THEY ARE NOT STATEMENTS OF FACT.*

It seems that Florida attorney and anti-video game activist Jack Thompson is hellbent on career suicide. If you do not believe me, then take a look at excerpts from the testimony at his bar trial, the very trial before the Florida Bar Association in which he is facing the loss of his bar license. Can it not be anymore obvious to Mr. Thompson that his career and reputation, or what remains of both, is on the line? Can it not be anymore obvious to Mr. Thompson that bringing video games into the trial will not win him sympathy of Judge Dava Tunis, who is presiding over the trial, and prosecutor Sheila Tuma? Can it not be anymore obvious to Mr. Thompson that his behavior will increase the likelihood that he may never practice law again?

Apparently not to Jack Thompson. After all, he is an attorney who does not know when to obey the judge and to shut up when he is told. This act has happened again and again like a broken record or a scratched CD. Every time he has yelled objection and was overruled, he talks back to the judge like a disobedient child. Mr. Thompson's conduct in and at times out of the courtroom has always been known to be unprofessional to say the least, but his conduct at the trial that determines his career's future is beyond unprofessional; it is reprehensible and suicidal to his career.

Who was Jack Thompson's layer in this trial? Who gave Jack Thompson advice to act like a tantrum-throwing child? Where did Mr. Thompson get the idea that he can conduct himself in such an immature manner in front of Judge Tunis and the Florida Bar Association and still think he can keep his license to practice law, much less not being held in contempt of court? Does he not get the idea that his misbehavior, arrogance, and stupidity will cost him his career?

Regardless of what one thinks about video game violence, or video games in general, it is obvious that Jack Thompson does not know how to conduct himself in the courtroom. It is obvious that Jack Thompson does not understand the implications that this trial has on the future of his career. Does Mr. Thompson never learn from the actions of the attorneys before him that lost their license to practice law? Does Mr. Thompson really want to flush his career, or the remains of his career, down the toilet? Does Mr. Thompson not have a sense of urgency that he could be in textbooks as an example of what not to do or as an example of what and who not to be like? Does he not get it? If he does not understand, then Jack Thompson needs to be disbarred. There is no place in this country for any lawyer to act like this. There is no place in this country for any attorney who does not conduct himself or herself in a professional manner and in an adult manner. A message needs to be sent to Jack Thompson. He needs to understand that he is not going to act like a petulant brat in the courtroom. He needs to understand that he is in no position to threaten a lawsuit against anyone who criticizes him. He needs to understand that he has no right to threaten anyone associated with the video game industry with jail time and to defame their families. Jack Thompson needs to be disbarred...permanently. There is no place in this country for an attorney such as him to be practicing law.

John Bruce Thompson has made a spectacle out of himself for the last time. He has made himself an embarrassment out of the lawyer profession for the last time. We have all seen this act again and again. Mr. Thompson's actions and conduct can no longer be tolerated by anyone. It does not matter whether or not one likes video games, those who read the bar trial excerpts can agree on this: It is time for Jack Thompson to be disbarred.

I have got one question to ask Mr. Thompson. This is a question that the late attoney Joseph Welch asked the late Senator Joe McCarthy (R-WI) when he accused Fredrick G. Fisher of communist association at the Army v. McCarthy hearings on April 22, 1954. Although what Jack Thompson is doing to the video game industry may be little when compared to what the junior Wisconsin senator did, this question applies to John Bruce Thompson today just as much as it applied to Sen. McCarthy 54 years ago. The question: "HAVE YOU NO SENSE OF DECENCY, SIR?"

Good night...and good luck.

Iraq War Soldier Deaths now at 4,000

A grim milestone in the Iraq War has been reached yesterday when four American soldiers were killed in action. The deaths now bring the number of dead American soldiers up to four thousand.

House Hits Bridge in Arkansas

The recent torrential rains in Arkansas and Missouri were needless to say devastating. The flood waters were so strong, they swept this house near Calico Rock in White County, Arkansas into a bridge.

Video courtesy of KATV Channel 7, Little Rock, Arkansas

Senator Barack Obama's (D-IL) Passport File Improperly Accessed by State Department Contractors.

Source: MSNBC

Two contractors from the state department were terminated and a third was disciplined for breaching the passport files of presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL). The records were allegedly breached on January 9, February 21, and March 14 of this year. The Justice Department has not yet launched a criminal investigation into the breachings and insists there were "no political motivations" into the breachings. The Obama Campaign demands to know who were the three that improperly accessed the passport and has called the breachings "outrageous breach of security and privacy".

UPDATE: The passport files of the other presidential candidates Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and John McCain (R-AZ) were also improperly accessed.

Commentary on the Iraq War

Mistakes and foolish errors have been made throughout the history of the United States of America. These include slavery, the Great Depression, Isolationism, and reconstruction to name a few. America also had its share of idiot presidents. Buchanan, Harding, Carter, and Garfield are the names that come to mind when it comes to the politicians that never should have been in the oval office. But never in American history has there been a blunder so erroneous and a president too damn stupid and too damn arrogant to realize that it was a mistake. The error I am speaking of is the war in Iraq. The president I am speaking of is George Walker Bush.

The Iraq War got started on the idea that Iraq under Saddam Hussien had weapons of mass destruction. It also got started on the premise that Saddam was linked to Al Qeada and Osama Bin Laden, the world's most wanted man who was behind the horrifying attacks on September 11, 2001. When President Bush announced that a war with Iraq will result if Saddam does not disarm his weapons of mass destruction, most of the country and the world was behind him. Those who were in favor of the war in Iraq were viewed as patriotic while those who were opposed to it were viewed as anti-American. When France objected to the war, they were seen as anti-American and an ally of the enemy. Boycotts on French products were underway. When the country-music trio "The Dixie Chicks" made the infamous statement, the statement that said "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas", their fans burned their CDs or threw them in the trash. Those who backed the war and President Bush were seen as loyal to their nation while dissenters were treated like modern-day Benedict Arnolds. The president told the American People that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. The president told the American People Saddam was linked to Osama and 9/11.

It was all a lie.

No weapons of destruction were ever found. No link was found between Saddam Hussien and Osama Bin Laden. Al Qeada was never in Iraq. President Bush told the American People one lie after another. He and Vice President Cheney lied us into this war. He lied to congress about Iraq and 9/11. He lied to congress about the WMDs.

It has been five years ago yesterday when this war began. Five whole years have now been spent in Iraq. Although Saddam was captured, his sons Uday and Qusay were killed in a fire fight, and Al Zarqary was killed in an airstrike, more bad has been done than good. At least 3,990 American soldiers lost their lives. About 29,000 American Troops were wounded.

All of this for what? There were no weapons of mass destruction. There was no link between Saddam and Bin Laden. There was no link between Saddam and 9/11. There was no Al Qeada in Iraq before American Troops invaded. In fact, Saddam was not even a threat to the United States. However, the president and the vice president do not wish to listen to the critics of this war. When the generals told President Bush that his strategy would not work, they were fired. Valerie Plame's name was leaked when her husband, Joe Wilson, criticized Bush's war plans and she had to leave the CIA.

The actions of this administration are nothing short of irresponsible and alarming. President Bush and Vice President Cheney are responsible for the mess that is Iraq. They are responsible for the loss of nearly 4,000 soldiers. They are responsible for the many lies that got this nation into Iraq. And what did this all do? This war made Al Qeada stronger. This war distracted us from the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, who is still roaming about the planet as a free man instead of being brought to justice. Iraq is a total mess. It is a bottomless pit. Even though the surge may have lowered the violence in Iraq, it has failed its main goal: political reconciliation.

But is this war all Bush's fault? It may sound like it, but it really is not. It is also the fault of the representatives and senators, both Republicans and Democrats, that voted in favor of the use of force. Although they were lied to, it does not change the fact that the politicians who voted for the use of force in Iraq still voted for it. I can not take back my support for the use of force in Iraq. Neither should they. America has been through mistakes and the arrogant presidents who made them. None of them were as bad as the war in Iraq and no president was so stubborn as President Bush. The many errors made by this president and its consequences will be felt for quite some time. Hopefully our next president, whether it be Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), or Senator John McCain (R-AZ) will correct the severe errors made by President Bush and .

The war in Iraq was a mistake...and President Bush may go down in American history as the worst president ever.

Good night, and good luck.

Iraq War: Five Years Later

The date was March Nineteenth. The year was 2003. It was on this day five years ago when the beginning of the end of Saddam Hussein's regime began. The Iraq War was started on the belief that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and was linked to the terrifying 9/11 attacks and Al Qeada. Most of the American people were in favor of the war in the beginning, but are now opposed to it and demand a troop pull-out.

President Bush will deliver a speech on the Iraq War from the Pentagon at 10:00 am eastern time.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I do not like to promote in any of my entries, but I feel it is necessary here. Tomorrow, there will be a commentary on the Iraq War. I apologize that I could not do so today, but I do not have the time for it today.

"Manhunt 2" Given Green Light in U.K.

The video game "Manhunt 2", which was originally banned in the United Kingdom and given the "Adults Only" rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) here in the states, is now finally available in England. The game attracted controversy from its brutal content. "Manhunt 2" was later toned-down content wise and given the "Mature" rating from the ESRB, but was still banned in England. Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive appealed the decision and won, but the British Board of Film and Literature Classification (BBFC), Britain's rating board that refused a rating for the game which led to its banning, appealed the decision to the English High Court. The Video Appeals Committee (VAC) lifted the ban on "Manhunt 2".

Source: GamePolitics

New York Governor Spitzer (D) Involved in Prostitution Ring - New York Times.

According to the New York Times, New York Governor Elliot Spitzer (D), known for his no-nonsense style of law enforcement, told his staff that he was involved in a prostitution ring. His involvement, particularly the criminal involvement, is unknown as of now.

The prostitution ring Spitzer is reportedly linked to is called "The Emperors Club", which according to the NY Times was under investigation from the IRS and the FBI.

UPDATE: NBC News confirms a federal wiretap on February 13th caught Spitzer setting up a meeting with a prostitute and was client 9 in a federal affidavit.

UPDATE 2: New York State's assembly minority leader is calling on Spitzer to resign.