Why the racism?

Well, it seems like Mexico just made its first car. 

The Mastretta MXT is a super coupe tha

t was designed, manufactured and eventually produced in Mexico. Mexico has finally made their own vehicle and they made it in style. The Mastretta MXT is meant to be a challenger to the Lotus Elise and Exige. Small car, with a huge engine for it size. 

Mexico successfully created a car that is quick in acceleration, quick in corners and turning but slow in top speed. Mexico also is targeting the European market because there are no emission test, the car has to pass in Europe (which is why we don't so many european cars in the US.)

So, the car is fast and it looks good. Is it another car to add to our Dream Car Wish-list? 

Well, you would be surprised. 

I visited many sites that wrote articles on the car, and the comments were extremely offensive.

such as:

"mount a lawnmower blade under one of those bad boys and jose will have my lawn done in a mere seconds"

"No way they did this by themselves, they probably stole the design. Besides, it will never sell in Mexico, it can't fit 7 people in the front seat"

"I heard the exhaust is going to smell like refried beans"

"This will be a complete failure, Mexicans can't do anything good but cut lawns. It's not meant to be."

"Haha, fucken beaners attempting to be smart and civilized, nice try beaners but you will never succeed" 

Not only was I offended, but I was also shocked that the website moderator did not block or delete those comments.

I hate the internet for that reason, these people hide behind a fictitious screenames, and they begin to say things they wouldn't normally say in real life. Not just about Mexicans (although I would argue that it happens the most to them)  but also happens with Blacks and the LGBT community.

Stuff, like this just makes me sad.

The truth behind the fall of the Big 3....

First off, for those of us who don't know who the Big 3 are, then here is a quick explanation:

Big 3: The name given to the 3 largest North American carmakers- General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. At first glance it may not be noticeable exactly how big these companies are, but the following list of brands sold under those carmakers will make it clear.

General Motors: Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Saturn, Hummer, Saab and Cadillac are the brands sold in the US. GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhal and Wuling are brands sold 

outside the U.S. Total= 13 brands.

Ford: Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda and Volvo. They also own a small portion of Aston Martin in England. Total= 5 brands.

Chrysler: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Mopar (large Auto parts brand). Total= 3 brands

Total Brands= 21. This is also excluding all other ownership that the Big 3 have, including financial institutions and small companies.

Now, looking at the Big 3... they are alot bigger then it seems.

Anyway, the future of the Big 3 seems gloomy. I honestly hope none of the Big 3 fall into bankruptcy, not only because it would worsen our economy, but because every car company I states above represents a small portion of American History. Ford gave us the Mustang and the GT, General Motors gave us the Camaro and Corvette, Chrysler gave us the Charger and Viper. American Icons. You see, these car companies mean a lot more to Americans than just a horribly mismanaged business. 

So why wasn't the Senate been able to come to a deal for rescuing the Big 3?

The United Auto Workers (UAW) is to blame, they are demanding more than what the companies can give. Remember when I posted the article on why the City of Vallejo went bankrupt? (Click Here to go to that Post) I stated that the city went bankrupt because the unions would not loosen their restrictions. The same is happening to the Big 3. The UAW is not willing to lower their compensation. According to an Article in Realclearpolitics.com, the average compensation for a worker in the Big 3 is $72.31, but the average for all other companies (excluding KIA, because they pay ridiculously little) is $44.20. The deal between Senate and UAW ended when the UAW refused to lower their compensation to that of other companies. 

Why did the UAW do this? If the Big 3 really goes bankrupt in 2 weeks, like they state, then doesn't the UAW realize that its members wont have jobs anymore? Isn't getting paid $44.20 better than getting paid nothing at all?

The answers all lie in what I stated earlier.  The UAW realizes that the US government (and the White House, specifically) would never allow the Big 3 to go into bankruptcy in a time when the economy is suffering. Beyond that, however, the US would never allow the death of such historic companies. 

I predict that the Big 3 will not fall into bankruptcy, and that the UAW will not lose compensation. The government will save them both.

__________________________________________________

What do I think the government should do?

I believe the government should stick a Hummer up the a** of the UAW and order their compensation to be lowered to that of other companies. They should save the Big 3 but also put restriction into place that would prevent this from happening again. Compensation should stay below $50.00 and it should only rise with inflation.

Oh, and they should also build more hybrids. :) 

BitterSweet Moment

Well, the day after the election.

Very happy that Obama won the presidency. Once I found out that Florida went to Obama I closed my laptop because I knew the race was over. CA was guaranteed to go to Obama which would push him over the top to win the

 election. McCain could have won the rest of the states and wouldn't have mattered.

SO.....

My President: Brack Obama

Also, very very sad that Proposition 8 passed. This would have an effect on me but it would have a major effect on my community and some of my friends. I'm very disappointed. I hated, HATED how supporters of prop. 8 stated that they wanted traditional family values. Since when do gays/lesbians not have family values? All people should have the right to marry whomever they like.

OH, by the way, someone is born gay/lesbian/bisexual. Someone doesn't just become gay, many religious people believe that being gay is a choice. 

Palin church promotes converting gays

"Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer."

What?! I didn't even finish reading the article. I read this and I was offended. I honestly was, even though I'm not gay. I felt for my friends that are gay, I will fight this to the end. This BITCH will not make it into the white house. She will not, she can not. This conservative scum needs to open her eyes and accept other people for the way they are. This is just as bad as racism and sexism, perhaps worse.

If you want to read this article click here.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/09/05/politics/p171257D37.DTL

disgusting.....

Time for Change....and I don't mean Obama

People are afraid of change. People are afraid of things different than their own. This has been the story of human history. Every war which has been fought, every political debate that has been controversial can all be traced back to my theory. The most beautiful thing about our world also causes problems for us. I am talking about diversity. We see diversity everywhere, from our work place to our school, in our neighborhoods and in the media. We are so lucky to have such a diverse world. But this diverse world creates humans with opposing views. Those opposing views create problems and war. There will always be people willing to change the world but there will also be people afraid to change the world.

Think of any war, for example. Let’s use the Civil War, The south did not want to accept black people as regular humans and wanted them to continue being slaves. They did not want to change the status of black people because they were afraid that it would cause a change in the way they lived their lives. The north was willing for the change, perhaps they may have not been ready for it, but they were, at least, willing to change. Add some guns and anger to this problem and we have a war.

Let’s take another problem, like the environment. We have to stop using gasoline to run our vehicles, and that is the bottom line. We have just begun to use other methods of powering vehicles. Such as Chevrolet’s Flex Fuel vehicles that run on Ethanol (which is basically corn) and we also have Toyota’s powerful hybrid led by the popular Toyota Prius. But what’s the issue at hand? Why can’t we just stop using gasoline? We have the ability to do so. The reason is change. People are afraid their way of life will drastically change. They will no longer be able to run their beloved 1969 Mustang or their mean-looking 4x4 truck. What will happen to sporting events that rely solely on gasoline such as motocross and nascar? I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to change those sports in order for us to keep our world and our lives healthy and happy.

Let’s talk about an issue more relevant to states that border Mexico. What is the big deal with illegal immigrants? “They come and take our money, our welfare our jobs….etc.” My answer to that is: SO? Is it directly affecting those American citizens who complain? No. If all the illegal immigrants leave will you have to pay fewer taxes? No. Will you take the jobs they are taking? No. And, to be quite honest, Americans took the land from Mexico plus they are indigenous to this continent. The problem is this: Illegal immigrants—and regular immigrants, for that matter—are coming into the U.S. at a surprisingly fast rate. They come into the U.S. with their culture and religion, changing cities and even states. The people living in those states do not welcome the change because it will threaten their way of life. They are afraid that change will be bad and therefore they don’t accept it.

Think about it. Use any example. All wars have been fought because people don’t want to accept change or something different. My advice is to change with the world. How boring would it be if we were all the same color and we were all the same culture? If the Chinese didn’t have buildings with cool, curvy roofs or if the Aztecs didn’t have those tall stone pyramids. How boring. We are blessed with diversity and with a changing world. We, as humans, must change with the world in order for us to advance and live happily. We must accept views, ideas, lifestyles, food, culture, race, ethnicity different than ours. We must accept it. Change is inevitable, let’s be part of the change instead of preventing and being afraid of change. It’s time.

Honestly, perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps I'm just a fool. I began to think about this when I was the recipient of online racism. Why would people think badly of me or not accept me? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

What do you think?

I just found this photo on one of my favorite blogs at williamlobdell.com,

What do you think?

Do you think God, would want this woman to run fully covered?

I'm not quite sure I understand.....

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against this woman or her religion. But I just don't get it sometimes.

Just stealing money........

Paul Dahliwal, shown here in the photo, is a survivor of a tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo.

Paul is the younger of two brothers who were attacked by a tiger about one year ago. Paul was with his brother and a freind. The freind died at the scene.

The family of Paul and Carlos Sousa (the freind who was killed) are preparing to sue the San Francisco Zoo for suffering serious injuries and emotional harm.

That is the basic story, but I'm not sure I quite believe this to be true. Paul has recently been sentenced to jail for stealing, possesing marijuana and for leading police on an 140mph chase. Something makes me believe that when they went to the zoo they weren't behaving like angels. Many witnesses at the zoo that fatal day said that the three boys were taunting and harrasing the animals.

I don't believe that it is completely the zoo fault for the attacks. I believe it is as much the kids fault as it is the zoo's. The three men brought it upon themselves. The tiger was taunted, probably scared.

BUT, the Zoo did have its faults because it should have assured that the tigers couldn't escape.

Paul is just searching for money from the SF Zoo and The City.

I hope the SF Zoo has a good lawyer, Paul is just a goldigger looking for money to pay his other court dues.

Send him to jail.

"Human-rights groups in France and Germany have sought to bring proceedings under universal jurisdiction against Donald Rumsfeld"

UH OH.

I found a very interesting story in one my favorite blogs, Texas Liberal (look at blog list in my sidebar for the link)

Mr. George W. Bush may face charges for war crimes. He cannot face any charges now because he is president and with the presidency comes tons of immunity, but as soon as he steps down...well, that's adifferent story.

Like my title reads, charges against Donald Rumsfeld are in process.

To read the complete story visit Texas Liberal or go straight to the article in the Economist.com

Video has been taken off...

So my last post has now become worthless because YouTube has taken the video off the air. I went back onto YouTube and clicked on the video that I uploaded and here was the message that came up:

Apparently, the video was taken down due to "third party copyright claim." Can someone please explain that to me?

Luckily, I found another video, it doesn't have the full clip but it is good enough.

enjoy!

Paris Hilton replies....

to McCain's ad against obama......



haha

Terrorist at home?....

Have you heard of the carbombings in Santa Cruz, CA? probably not because the media didn't call it a carbombing....it was just a firebomb.

according to sfgate.com, some animal rights activist bombed the cars and homes of some UC Santa Cruz professors.

The professors were experimenting on animals, more specifically, mice and rats. The activists did not like this, so I guess they decided to bomb the professors house (I'm not sure I see the logic in that.)
It wasn't only one professor it was two, whose houses were bombed, and another who received threatening calls. One professor even had to climb out of his second story house with a latter, he was with his wife and two children, who are both under 8 years old.

So I guess that humans aren't animals? The activists didn't want the professors killing the mice but they put a professor and his family in danger? I dont get it....

Check this video out!

haha



I'm sure you have seen it, John McCain new ad.
I love the random snip of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton....haha

GO Obama!

William Lobdell

was the man who go me into blogging. Well, he was actually one of my professor at UC Irvine.

Lobdell, is a writer for the Los Angeles times. The class I took at UC Irvine was, Blogs, Politics and the Media. Lobdell was a great professor. He brought in some great (or provoking) speaker such as Hugh Hewitt (a conservative blogger.)

Anyway, Lobdell has an interesting story about how he lost his religion while covering a story for the LAT. click here to read more. He has even written a book on it. Titled: "Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America."

Anyway, I would definitely recommend visiting his Blog at:

http://williamlobdell.com/

More Interesting Photos of San Rafael.....

I took some more interesting photos the other day. I took photos of buildings that were out of the ordinary. In other words, buildings and structures that you won't find in another city.

enjoy!

Highway 101 overpassing San Rafael at 3rd street.

"The French Quarter" at San Rafael, this is right next to the 101 overpass in the previous photo. It is located on the corner of 3rd st. and Irwin St.

I only have these for now, I'll post more interesting photos later.

My Private Blog.....

I have another blog in which I write specifically about me, myself and I. I have the other blog to document my life and look back at myself. Check it out. here

arosales.livejournal.com

Interesting Building...

Every time I see and interesting building I will take a picture and post it. Today I was driving through San Rafael and I noticed one building more than usual. I've been here over 12 years (and I'm sure the building has been there longer) and it was the first time I stopped to examine the building. It is pretty cool. Here it is.

haha, maybe I'm just easily amused.

How many homes foreclosed in you neighborhood?

I love the San Francisco Chronicle. It is a really good source for alot of information regarding the Bay Area and sometimes California.

The SF Chronicle works on databases that can be accessed by any computer. They have databases that show how much professors at UCs make. I was able to look up all of my professors at UCI. They all make over $200,000.

The most recent database, is a bit shocking. The database shows foreclosed homes in your neighborhood (only avilable for the Bay Area). I was able to look up my neighborhood. Here is what came up.

Vallejo (94589): 26 homes foreclosed in my neighborhood,

Total homes foreclosed in Vallejo: 100

Total homes foreclosed in Solano County: 283

San Rafael (94901): 4 homes foreclosed

Total homes foreclosed in San Rafael: 7

Total homes foreclosed in Marin County: 21

Can you see the differences?

Click here to check how many homes foreclosed in you area (only avilable in the Bay Area)

"Mexico's Navy Seized a Homemade Submarine Carrying a Drug Shipment."

wait.....what?!

OK, I know your not supposed to praise the enemy and all, but damn. Way to go! The cleverness the ingenuity.

According to an article on CNN.com. Four men were arrested in the Pacific Ocean near Oaxaca(wah-ha-kuh) Mexico. They were on board a green, arrow shaped, homemade submarine packed with cocaine.

Apparently, the Mexican Navy spotted and unknown submarine on their radars and followed it from a safe distance until the submarine emerged from the water. The Mexican Navy then proceeded to stop the submarine and arrest its passengers.

can you imagine what the navy must have thought when they looked at their radars?

Anyway, the submarine was, shockingly, not run by the Mexican Cartels but instead controlled by the Colombian Cartel. (watch out Mexicans Cartel, there is competition.)

The Submarine had left Colombia and was headed for California.

_________________________________

This is a little side not, but a good friend of mine has great blog. It is very well written and very interesting. He advocates for LGBT rights and the environment. If you have the time please visit

http://sophius.wordpress.com/

When do jokes cross the line?

Everyone is talking about it.. the cover of "The New Yorker."

So what does a very-liberal-former-Hillary-supporter-but-now-Obama-supporter think about it? I'll tell you.

(Let it be known, however, that I never became the national spokesperson for the Liberal Obama supporters of America, these are just my thoughts.)

I think it was stretch for The New Yorker to post such a far right cartoon as its cover. The cover has all the things that far-right conservatives hate:

1.) A non-patriotic American minority in office (portrayed by the way Obama is dressed)

2.)Flag burning

3.)Osama bin Laden

4.)A strong black woman willing to fight for their rights (almost looks like a black panther)

far right conservatives would just rather have another white president (which isn't a problem with me as long as he is a Democrat :p)

besides that, it also shows the ignorance of the people that think Obama likes the middle east or can relate to it just because his middle name is Hussein. Like that bitch, Ann Coulter. (I'm so sorry for my language, but I can't really type what I think about her.)

No wonder both McCain and Obama denounced the cover as unnacceptable.

What are your views?

New Post!

So I'm sitting in the cafeteria of College of Marin, as I type this.

I'm really only thinking of how hard life is for me and my family right now. The bankruptcy of our home city plus the housing slump has taken a direct shot at my family and we may be loosing our house. That, however, is not the extent of our problems. I can't get a job because I leave for Irvine in late September. I've applied to so many places, it's a bit ridiculous. I have applied everywhere from Borders Bookstore to Wells Fargo Bank, From Mervyn's to Best Buy. I can't get a job, the typical response is, "We are very sorry, you are qualified for our job but we require a minumum of 6 months employment to work." What bullshit! The moment in my life that I need a job the most. Plus it doesn't help that gas just went up to almost 5 dollars per gallon.

So why am I sitting at the cafeteria at College of Marin? I'm waiting for Gloria (my girlfreind) to get out of her class. I have class from 9:00am-12:00pm and since I don't want to waste money by unnecesarily driving. I just wait until Gloria gets out--she finishes her classes at 3:00pm.

I still attend UC Irvine, I'm just taking summer classes at my local community college to graduate faster.

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything lately but its been rough. real rough.

I should get back to my regular posting not that I have more time.

"The City that Captured the Sun"

Also known as Mexicali....

Sorry for not posting in a while, but I had final exams and I am finally back in the San Francisco Bay Area

Before I moved out of Irvine and came back to SF, I took a pit stop in Mexicali, Baja California Mexico.So, we are very very lucky to be living in the United States. In a country in which we can trust our government. Although Mexico has a functioning government, the feeling of anarchy is ever lingering in the atmosphere. The feeling of hopelessness when a crime is committed is prominent, the police cannot be trusted. It is no wonder the family ties or values are very strong, they are the only ones they have. I also got a first hand experience on border patrol and the problems plaguing the border.

On the U.S. side, there were many border patrol officer. I believe racial profiling is a prominent unseen problems. They are not openly racist but I felt that crossing the border would have been a lot easier if my skin was white, my hair was blond and my eyes were blue.

Here are some photos I took of my home country. Click on photos for larger image. I will provide a short explanation of the photos:

Vicente Gurrero: A Mexican War Hero during the Independence Movement.

The PRI building in Mexicali. The PRI is the conservative party in Mexico that ruled authoritatively for over 60 years.

La Rumorosa. Miles of mountains covered by rock. Mexicali is below see level, yet the mountains next to Mexicali are sometimes snow capped. The heat however, was still unbearable. 115 degree heat in Mexicali. 105 in the mountains.


On the U.S. side the border patrol stopped me twice to check if I was a citizen. In Mexico, we were stopped once by the Mexican Military (photo above). They were checking for drugs and drug trafficking. I was told not to take photos but I took one anyway. I could have gone to jail (haha such a rebel)

I will write more later. And show more photos. I will get my girlfriend to post on my blog. She will write about how she was detained by the border patrol even though she is an American born citizen.

Why McCain won't win the Presidency in November?

Because he is McCain....

Well, in reality, Emory University, according to realclearpolitics.com, says that the Republican Party faces a "triple Whammy"

1.) an unpopular president (Bush's approval rating is lower than Nixon....LOWER THAN NIXON!)

2.)weak economy

3.)second-term election

all of these factors combined, according to Emory Univ., will guarantee a Democratic party win in November. A triple Whammy! 

McCain won't win and Republicans are delusional if they think that McCain has a strong fighting chance.

According to the article on realclearpolitics.com: 

"Abramowitz has tracked the effect of those variables [the triple whammy variables stated above] on the last 15 presidential elections and found that they accurately predicted the popular vote outcome in 14 and came close in the 15th.

The formula adds the incumbent president’s net approval rating (approval minus disapproval), the second-quarter election-year GDP growth rate multiplied by five (emphasizing the importance of the economy) and then (factoring in time-for-a-change sentiment) subtracts 25 points if the in-party is finishing a second term.

Bush’s net approval now stands at minus 40. The first-quarter growth rate was 0.6 percent and Bush is finishing eight years, meaning that this year’s electoral barometer currently stands at minus 62."

haha, -62. that's alot.

Does McCain have a chance?

Time to change the poll and thank you for those who voted

Now that Hillary lost, the poll I set up on my website is irrelevant. Here are the results for the people who voted on my site.

John McCain: 12%
Hillary Clinton: 22%
Barack Obama: 60%
Who Cares?: 5%

I'll put a new poll, thank you for those who votes

The e-mail that Hillary has sent to her supporters.....

read it and weep............

" Dear Alex,

Over the course of this campaign, I have seen the promise of America in your courage and character, your energy and ingenuity, and your compassion and faith.

Your spirit has inspired me every day in this race. While I traveled this country talking about how I wanted to help you -- time and again, you reached out to help me. To grab my hand or grip my arm, to look me in my eyes and tell me, don’t quit, keep fighting, stay in this race for us. There were days when I had strength enough for the both of us -- and on the days I didn't, I leaned on you.

This has always been your campaign, and tonight, there's no one I want to hear from more than you. I hope you're as proud as I am of what we've done and that you'll take a moment to share your thoughts with me now at my website.

I want to congratulate Senator Obama and his supporters on the extraordinary race that they have run. Senator Obama has inspired so many Americans to care about politics and empowered so many more to get involved, and our party and our democracy are stronger and more vibrant as a result.

Whatever path I travel next, I promise I will keep faith with you and everyone I have met across this good and great country. There is no possible way to thank you enough for everything you have done throughout this primary season, and you will always be in my heart.

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton "

It's sad that Hilary isn't going to be president.....

I think it's over.....

Time to pack up my "Hillary 08" button and clothing. I'm a die hard supporter of Hillary but it just seems like its' over for her. The U.S. holds last few primaries tomorrow and Hillary needs to win by a huge margin. For Hillary to win tomorrow:

she needs 94% of the 193 super delegates to stand behind her.

If, by a miracle, she succeeds in winning 94% or more of the super delegates, she still won't reach the magic number of 2,118 delegates but she would have more than Obama. If she loses by anything less than 94% of the super delegates then Obama is the 2008 Democratic Presidential nominee.

How did I do this math? easily. Go to cnn.com and there is a section called, "Do the Math" it is a very simple site in which you control the percentage of super delegates that can pledge to either Obama or Hillary. The website then calculates how many delegates each candidate would get. (So in reality I didn't to the math, but cnn.com did, haha). Only at 94% did Hillary beat Obama on pledged delegates. Anything less and Barack wins.

I believe that in the next 72 hours (and that's a huge window)we will have our Democratic Presidential Nominee. I won't be happy, but I will still back up Obama.

I hope that Hillary supporters, like myself, don't react negatively to Obama's win which may cause McCain to win the presidency.

It's sad, you know, because Hillary won the popular vote (she won the huge states: CA, NY, FL) and if you think about how democratic is a country in which the people vote for a certain moniee but then another nominee wins? Than again, that also sounds like the 2000 election, in which Gore win the popular vote but Bush won the electoral vote.

All in all, I hate to say this, but: I support Obama.

How ridiculous......

A new article on politico.com has surfaced, titled: "Will smoking past effect Obama's health?"

and my answer to that: Not as much as McCain's past as a prisoner of war.

Jeff Stier, the author, writes:

"Just because he's young, looks great and exercises doesn't mean he's completely healthy. And given what an important figure he is, to ignore his smoking history is to miss an educational opportunity. "

Miss an educational opportunity? What the hell is this guy talking about?

But honestly, How can you compare smoking to torture? What's worse being tortured from being a POW or smoking cigarettes? Hmmmm

What type of political system have we evolved into? Why do we have to worry about presidents smoking? Many presidents before have smoked.

enough of my questions. 

What do you think?

Should it matter that Obama smoked or not? and Should presidents be allowed to smoke?

Clinton Wins HUGE in Puerto Rico!

Hillary Clinton won Puerto Rico by a landslide.

According to politico.com,

"The cable networks called the island territory for Clinton the instant polls closed at 3:00 p.m., indicating a landslide; exit polls showed her winning virtually every group, including young voters typically loyal to nomination rival Barack Obama."

So she won Puerto Rico, what does that mean in November? Absolutely nothing. Puerto Rico has zero electoral votes, which means that Hillary wont get an advantage if she wins the democratic presidential nominee (which is the first task she needs to accomplish.)

But her win in Puerto Rico does have some significance, 70% of people who took the exit poll state that they have family members in New York and Florida. Which is a factor that helps explains why Hillary won Florida, but not the main reason. (Hillary would have won New York anyway because it's her home state)

Anyway, Final Score:

Clinton: 68%

Obama: 32%

Clinton keeps on winning states, even though people tell her to drop out. I have respect for her because of that. Keep on Truckin' until the end.

Disasters Around the World

I found a funny photo on digg.com, so sad but true. Click on the Image for a larger view.

What's worse racism or sexism?

............................Fill in the blank.......................

The most interesting article popped up in the OCregister.com. First, not only was the article poorly written but it also made false accusations. It did, however, bring up a point which I have argued before. But before I get to that let me first explain the article.

Mark Steyn, the author, is a conservative writer from Canada. He wrote an article today titled, "Sexism, not Obama, beat Hillary." I clicked on the link to read the article but then I quickly regretted my decision. By the title you would think that the article would be based on sexism in U.S. politics and more specifically the 2008 election. At first it was, but then his writing had nothing to do with his title. He completely went off topic. At one point he wrote,

"As a general rule, large numbers of excitable lads who can't get any action are not a recipe for societal stability. Unless the Japanese have invented amazingly lifelike sex robots by then (think Austin Powers' "fembots"), we're likely to be in a planetwide rape epidemic and a world of globalized, industrial-scale sex slavery."

When did the topic become "Asian Sexuality." Go ahead, click on the article, I didn't take it out of context.

The title also states that Hillary lost the election. I checked 5 minutes ago, Hillary is still in the race.

Anyway, aside from the article being poorly written it did make me think. What's worse Sexism or Racism?

I once believed that sexism was worse than racism, but then I believed that racism was worse than sexism. I've always known one thing. Sexism and Racism are both damn horrible and have no place in society.

If Hillary loses than I can guarantee that someone in the U.S. will say, "She lost because sexism still exists in the U.S.?" AND

If Obama loses than I can also guarantee that someone will say, "He lost because racism still exists in the U.S.?"

What I'm trying to get at is this: Which of the two presidential candidates have had more challenges? Obama because he is black or Hillary because she is a woman?

African-Americans have faced the problem of racism for decades and to have Obama run for president is amazing. But Woman have also faced their share of problems, let's remember that woman received suffrage after black men did, but they weren't, however, slaves.

For Steyn to say, "Sexism, not Obama, beat Hillary" is to completely ignore the fact that Obama is black. If Obama was white then he may have a point, but Obama is black. I could easily write an article titled, "Racism, not Hillary, beat Obama."

so what do you think. Honestly.

Which of the two presidential candidates faces more campaign challenges due to the history of race/sex in America? Obama because he is black or Hillary because she is a woman?

"Young Hillary Clinton"

I must say that I'm still a Hillary Supporter but a new video has surfaced on youtube.com that is pretty funny even for Hillary supporters. Watch the video tell me what you think.

Thumbs up or thumbs down?

More Problems for Obama?

I find it really interesting that the Obama campaign keeps on getting plagued with "pastor problems." It's kind of funny. Here is what happened. Obama's church--Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois-- had a guest reverend, Rev. Michael Pfleger who said some things (which I think are hilarious, it's almost like comedy show) that are very embarrasing for Obama. He was mocking Hillary Clinton, well, just see for yourself: 

"I'm Bill's wife, I'm white, and this is mine. I just got to get up and step into the plate. And then out of nowhere came, hey, I'm Barack Obama. And she said oh, damn, where did you come from? I'm white. I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show."

haha, I just find it so funny. Anyway, Obama now has to distance himself not only from Reverend Wright but also from Reverend Pfleger.

Note: Obama was not present at Church when the guest reverend made his appearance.

At this point Obama should distance himself as much as he can from his church. I, honestly, don't mind Obama's reverends because it's not a reflection of him, but if it's going to cause him some campaign trouble than he needs to just back away from his church.

Should Obama leave his church?

Where do I get my stories?

So some people have asked me where I get my stories. I go to many websites, but I mainly go to sites that combine political news from many sources across the U.S. and the world. Sometimes I get my news from the U.K. Times Online and Sometimes its more locals like LA Times or SF Chronicle.

Below is a list of my favorite political websites:

realclearpolitics.com

politico.com

huffingtonpost.com

technorati.com

sfgate.com

digg.com

The First two are really the main ones I use. Realclearpolitics.com is websites that searchs the internet for political news and then they present them to the visitor in one easy to use website. It links me to political news written by other sources.


You can't really read it, but if you look closely I highlighted the different news sources that realclearpolitics.com brings together.

Anyway, enjoy.

High School Drama will NEVER die

Bob Dole is a nice, conservative old man. He is the former Senator of Kansas and even ran for the U.S. Presidency in 1996. He wrote an email to Scott McClellan, our beloved truth-teller. Here are a few excerpts from his email:

" In my nearly 36 years of public service I've known of a few like you. No doubt you will 'clean up' as the liberal anti-Bush press will promote your belated concerns with wild enthusiasm. When the money starts rolling in you should donate it to a worthy cause, something like, 'Biting The Hand That Fed Me.' Another thought is to weasel your way back into the White House if a Democrat is elected. That would provide a good set up for a second book deal in a few years
… if all these awful things were happening[in the White House], and perhaps some may have been, you should have spoken up publicly like a man, or quit your cushy, high profile job …

That would have taken integrity and courage but then you would have had credibility and your complaints could have been aired objectively … You’re a hot ticket now but don’t you, deep down, feel like a total ingrate? "

Wow, this is an old gentleman? A former U.S. Presidential hopeful?

Here is the killer, Politico.com writes:

"Bob Dole yesterday sent a scalding email to Scott McClellan, excoriating the former White House spokesman as a "miserable creature" who greedily betrayed his former patron for a fast buck."

miserable creature?

Dole's feelings were hurt and he had to send a nasty email because it would make him feel better. That sounds like something a high school sophomore would do. This is such high school drama, Dole just needs to accept what happened and admit that the republican ship is sinking.

haha, "miserable creature"

What do you guys think? Did McClellan do the right thing to speak out about the problems plaguing the White House when he was the Press Secretary or should he have just stayed quiet?

White Woman don't like Obama?

No they don't.

According to Politico.com, "Barack Obama’s favorability ratings among white women have significantly depreciated in recent months, particularly among Democrats and independents, posing an immediate obstacle for the likely Democratic nominee as he moves to shore up his party’s base."

This isn't good for Obama.

February:

• 36% White Woman viewed Obama unfavorably
  
• 56% White Woman has a favorable view of Obama

May:

• 49% White Woman view Obama unfavorably
• 43% White Woman had a favorable view of Obama

Whats happening Barack? Where did you drop the ball?

What's even more nerve-racking is this, "White women as a whole now prefer John McCain over Obama, by 49 to 41 percent. Last month Obama was ahead of McCain among white women, 49 to 46 percent." Politico is good at getting you to the edge of your seat.

Is Obama loosing his touch? I don't have any explanation for this, except for maybe the Bradley Effect, which I wrote about in a previous post.

Why do you think white woman are leaving the Obama boat?

Redrawing the Political Map of the U.S.

................Click on Image for larger view..........................

My favorite newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle, has stated that Obama is riding the "Swing Election" wave. This year, compared the the last presidential election is very different. 12 states that were republicans may switch and become democratic. Some of those states are very surprising. Florida (Which I wrote about in a previous blog) and Ohio were won by Bush in 2004 yet it seems like those states may possibly vote Democrat.

The reason, which I stated in a previous blog, that many states are switching is due to record breaking number of people voting Democrat. Many people have switched from being Republican to becoming Democrat and many more apathetic Democrats are voting. They learned that apathy sucks. Thank you George Bush.

But here may be other reason that America may be turning to the Democratic Party:

• Increase in younger voters
• Increase in the Latino Vote (Which votes mostly Democratic)
• Afr.-Americans (who already vote overwhelmingly Democratic) may come out to vote in larger numbers

Whatever the reason may be, I'm glad its happening.

Click here to go to the article in the San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/26/MNEU10S9PG.DTL&type=politics

What will Obama do in the first 100 days if he becomes president?

Obama has some major plans for the first 100 days in the White House. One caught my attention in particular. According to Reuters.com:

1. Work out a plan for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq
2. Make progress on alternative energy plans
3. Launch legislation to reform the health care system
4. Call an attorney general to review the constitutionality of every executive order Bush has passed.

I honestly have nothing against any of these things, honestly I support every single one of these issues, but the last one in particular caught my attention. What if the attorney general finds something that incriminates Bush or finds that Bush abused his powers? Obviously the executive order will be overturned but what will happen to Bush? Will he be fined? Will he be tried in court? Or it will it just be ignored?

I believe that Bush will just be ignored there is no way that he will be tried or fined. At this point everyone knows Bush is a liar so we just want him out of office.

What do you think they should to to Bush if they find that he abused his presidential power?

It's not to late to jump onto the Democratic Ship, the Republican Boat hasn't completely sank yet!

And that is exactly what Scott McClellan did. For those of you who don't know who Scott McClellan is and what he is doing. Consider this blog post a small overview of him and what he is doing.

Scott McClellan was a former White House Press Secretary from 2003-2006. He was a good old friend of George W. Bush and as the New York Times called him part of Bush's "Inner Circle."

So what did he do?

McClellan wrote a book about his life and his views on the White House. The book titled, What Happened, tells the truth about what happened in the White House when McClellan worked there.

A New York Times Article, states "In excerpts from the book, set to be published next week, Mr. McClellan writes that President Bush “convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment,” and has engaged in “self-deception” to justify his political ends. He calls the decision to invade Iraq a “serious strategic blunder,” and says that the biggest mistake the Bush White House made was “a decision to turn away from candor and honesty when those qualities were most needed.” "

Many of the people that worked with McClellan are shocked that he would write this.

Dana Perino, the current White House Press Secretary said this about McClellan, "[The] Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House.For those of us who fully supported him, before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad. This is not the Scott we knew."


Karl Rove said, "First of all, this doesn’t sound like Scott. It really doesn’t.Not the Scott McClellan I’ve known for a long time. Second of all, it sounds like somebody else. It sounds like a left-wing blogger." (I guess he is talking about me)

Anyway, it is just very interesting to see that many people in this election are jumping ship and becoming Democrats abandoning the Republican Ship.

George McCain? John Bush?

How can McCain try to distance himself from George Bush when they are exactly the same. According to CQ Presidential Studies John McCain has voted with George Bush 100% of the time in 2008 and 95% of the time in 2007. This means their views are almost completely identical. No wonder The Progressive Media, has called the republican presidential hopeful "John McSame."

I understand that using such biased sources--such as The Progressive Media-- may discredit my analysis, but the facts they bring up cannot be ignored. They researched how McCain voted and how that matched with George W. Bush's voting style and views. The CQ Presidential results are not biased and they bring up a clear understanding of how similar both McCain and Bush are.

It is going to be very difficult for McCain to win the Presidency running as Republican. As much as McCain tries to distance himself from the current president and he says he will be different. It can't be denied and the CQ Presidential Studies research results show that McCain and Bush are not different from one another on policies and political views.

So we all know the truth, McCain can say whatever he wants and criticize Bush as much as he wants but he will still be an extension of G.W.B if he is elected into office.

Mexico Refuses U.S. Aid?

Has the U.S., once again, destroyed relations with another country? It sure seems like it. Mexico is in a Drug War, doing the best they can to try and stop the drug smuggling into the United States. It's in a war that will benefit both countries:

Mexico: will get control,Drug Lords won't rule cities or states and the citizens of those cities/states, will be safer.

U.S.: Drug Importation/trafficking from Mexico will at least be reduced if not completely stopped and U.S. border towns will see less drug cartel violence.

The benefits are great for the Unites States.Mexico is the no. 1 importer of illegal drugs into the United States, now imagine if all those drugs coming into the U.S. were reduced or completely halted. The U.S. would certainly benefit from Mexico winning a successful drug war.

What the U.S. media doesn't portray or show on T.V., is the insane amount of weapons that are smuggled into Mexico. Weapons are easier to buy in the U.S. and many of the weapons the Drug Cartels use are actually American. So Mexico needs U.S. help to stop the smuggling of weapons from U.S. to Mexico

So, anyway, Mexico has asked the U.S. for monetary help to aid in the fight against drugs and drug cartels. Mexico asked for $500 Million USD and President George Bush agreed. That money would be used for buying military equipment and resources needed to continue a war.

But how has the U.S. destroyed another opportunity to work together with Mexico?

When the proposed bill went to congress it was changed and amended in such a way that Mexico no longer wants the U.S. help. Not only was the total amount--that Mexico will receive--drastically reduced but "strings" were also attached. The total amount Mexico would recieve went from $500 Million to $50 Million USD. On top of that the U.S. has to "certify" Mexico before it gives them money:

• The U.S. wants proof that Mexico is not violating human rights
• The U.S. wants Mexico to go through a Judicial Reform
  

according to an Article in the Dallas Morning News, "Mexico considered certification a violation of its sovereignty. " Mexico just wants unconditional aid in the Drug War.

Political Commentator, Ricardo Aleman said, "First you reduce the amount, and then you put on conditions, so why don't you just keep your money"

Mexico would rather not have the U.S. help in fighting the Drug War if it means that the U.S. will "stick their noses" in other non-related Mexican affairs?

SHOULD MEXICO TAKE THE MUCH NEEDED AID TO HELP FIGHT THE WAR AGAINST DRUGS?

Why are so many Democrats voting?

So many more Democrats, than Republicans have hit the polling booths and voted. Record numbers to be exact. But why suddenly so many people voting? Especially Democrats?

Democrats learned something with the current president. Probably President Bush's biggest accomplishment without even trying. Democrats learned that if they don't vote the consequences can and will be dire. G.W.B has become such a big failure as a president that it has actually encouraged Democrats to vote. According to another blog, "Apathy, Not Ignorance elected George Bush." Democrats and America don't want another George Bush.

Here are some example of voter turnout by states and by parties:

California:
5,066,993 (Democrats)
2,932,811 (Republicans

New York:
1,891,143 (Democrats)
670,078 (Republicans)

even Florida, which has voted Republicans for the last few years, almost had more Democrats that Republicans vote.

Florida:
1,734,456 (Democrats)
1,924,346 (Republicans)

(To see Voter Turnout for the Primaries/Caucuses that have passed and are going to pass click here http://elections.gmu.edu/Voter_Turnout_2008_Primaries.htm)

Here is a great video detailing how Florida Democrats made an impact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAUo_zVcC2A

You may be wondering why I'm writing about the Florida Primary now, but I just found it interesting all of the sudden and I also came to some realizations, which I stated above. Plus, its relevant to my topic, even though it was a while back when they voted.

Why does everyone want Obama dead?

It's a bit scary. So many references have been made to assassinating Obama that it's almost a bit nerve racking. Everyone from Nobel Prize winners to Fox correspondents, maybe even his rival, Hillary Clinton.

Doris Lessing, British Nobel Literature Laureate: "[That] would certainly not last long, a black man in the position of president. They would murder him."

Liz Trotta, Fox News Correspondent: "Now we are reading suggestions that somebody knock off Osama....ahh, uhmm, Obama. Well, both if we could."

And, finally you have all heard of the Hillary Clinton RFK remark, right? In which she says that she is going to stay in the presidential race until the end, just like her husband, because anything may happen. She meant to say that anything can and might happen but it ended up sounding like an indirect way saying that Obama will be assassinated.

Hillary said: "My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June. We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June."

What makes it a bit nerve-racking is that we are about to start the month of June. Hillary should have probably not said anything about assassinated Presidential hopefuls in the month of June.

I honestly, never thought about the idea that Obama might be assassinated and it's a bit scary. The more people bring up this idea the more likely it will be that someone will actually follow through with this event. Hopefully nothing happens and Obama loses quietly to Hillary Clinton, haha.

Ann Coulter comes to U.C.I

So radical conservative republican Ann Coulter came to UCI. First I thought this woman was a bitch but towards the end of her speech I just thought she was joke. She needs attention.

This woman is a crazy radical republican. She has been quoted as saying:

"If we’re going to nuke Iran first and then chit-chat, then I can applaud that"

"We should invade their [middle-eastern] countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war."

"...It would be a much better country if women did not vote. That is simply a fact. In fact, in every presidential election since 1950 - except Goldwater in '64 - the Republican would have won, if only the men had voted."

I honestly don't take this woman seriously. I was at her speech when she actually said the first quote. I wasn't surprised that she said that but I was disgusted when the crowd began to cheer. Why would anyone in their right mind cheer for the deployment of a nuclear bomb leading to the death of many people? What is wrong with this country? This woman is the reason I am a liberal demoocrat.

Here is a video portraying Ann Coulter's stupidity:


Ann Coulter is a disgrace.

Is Cuba really threatening?.....

....................Ernesto "El Che" Guevara.......................

As you all may know (especially if you have read my blog and previous posts) Cuban Dictator, Fidel Castro is close to death. In his place, Raul Castro, has stepped in for Fidel's. Raul is Fidel's younger brother and is healthier than Fidel--although only by 6 years. Since Fidel stepped down and Raul stepped in, this island country has been taking major steps towards modernization and democratization. It seems as though they are slowly abandoning the views of their Marxist hero, El Che.

Eugene Robinson, a Washington Post writer, has an article titled, "The Insane Cuban Embargo."

Robinson writes, "Now, with Fidel ailing and his brother Raul acting large and in charge, the United States has its best opportunity in years to influence the course of events on the island."

I must say, I agree with Robinson and his views. The "red fear" or "red scare" that the U.S. experienced earlier in its history is nonexistent anymore. I believe we should just begin trading goods with Cuba because at this point the embargo isn't doing anything for the U.S. or Cuba.

Imagine if we did trade with Cuba, their country would then take more steps towards modernization and democratization. Cuba would actually start becoming democratic...CRAZY!

But, when I say democratic, I don't mean that they will become like the U.S. and hold elections and have different parties. What I'm trying to say, and that Robinson clearly said, is that they will become more like China.

Robinson writes, "Raul Castro is not going to transform Cuba into a free-market democracy. But he gives every indication of moving at least some distance down the path that China's leadership has taken, toward becoming a free-market, one-party autocracy...Why wouldn't Washington want to encourage Havana to become more like Beijing?"

All in all, i don't think the U.S. is making a smart move, but as we all know, Bush won't do anything and we are going to have to wait until the next president.

Vallejo Officials Declare Bankruptcy

Some of you may have heard of a city in the Bay Area--Vallejo--that has declared bankruptcy, you may also be wondering why I am writing about this event. Well, I'm from Vallejo, CA. I'm not originally from there (I was raised across the Bay in Marin County) but my permanent home is in Vallejo. I even wear my Vallejo shirt with pride. Anyway, Vallejo has just recently declared bankruptcy, more specifically the Vallejo city council has unanimously voted to declare chapter 9 bankruptcy. Although Vallejo doesn't make much "noise" in the world, it seems as though everyone in the world has their eyes on Vallejo. Newspapers from the San Francisco Chronicle to the New York Times, UK Times to Los Angeles Times are all reporting on this city and the problems it faces going through bankruptcy. What is the world looking at? How does this effect people not from Vallejo? How is this going to effect me (Vallejo Citizen)? and finally, How did the this "City of Opportunity" come to declare bankruptcy?

Vallejo is a medium sized city in the San Francisco Bay Area. Situated next to the Wine Country, near Napa, CA and only 25-30 minutes away from downtown San Francisco and Oakland. At first glance, nobody would have guessed that Vallejo would have gone bankrupt. As the first Bay Area city one sees driving west on Interstate 80 (coming from Sacramento), they are welcomed by the a gorgeous view overlooking the city from hills. The city, however, stretched it self too far when it comes to dealing with tax revenues and labor unions. The main problem that effects Vallejo, is that it is spending more money paying 4 main labor unions than the money it gets from taxes. The four main unions Vallejo is paying are:

1.)Vallejo Police Officers Association (VPOA)
2.)International Association of Firefighters (IAFF)
3.)International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
4.)Confidential Administrative, Managerial and Professional Association (CAMP)

according to the bankruptcy papers Vallejo has filed, the city projects that in the 2008-2009 fiscal year Vallejo will be paying these four labor unions a total amount of $79.4 Million! Vallejo also projected that for the 2008-2009 fiscal year it will only make $77.9 Million.

Vallejo major Osby Davis, said that it was the only way the city could get itself out of debt.

What happened to my home city may also happen to other cities, not only in the Bay Area but in the United States. A few years ago, the Bay Area was the center of economic development due to the internet and now one if it's cities has gone bankrupt.

Vallejo, CA is the largest city in the state of California to go Bankrupt.

What happened in Vallejo has grabbed the attentions of a lot of people because it isn't the only city facing this problem. Many other cities are facing this problem as well, it is no wonder other countries are also following what happened in Vallejo. We live in a world that thrives on interdependence and if something happens to California (one of the best economies in the world, which propels U.S. to the number one spot in the world) then not only will the U.S. feel the pain but also other countries. Hopefully what happened in Vallejo won't happen in others cities. And I really hope that it isn't the first of many cities to go the way of bankruptcy to solve fiscal problems.