My intermission of blogging has ceased. I feel at this point I am finally “home,” back in Arizona, with my new employer. (Before I fully disclose my employment status here, I think it’s a good idea to run it by the bosses to let them know before they Google me and find out that way.) It was a fun, long and enjoyable three weeks of packing and traveling across the country to re-establish myself.
It was somewhat frustrating though because as I left, the weather where I lived became livable at 60F. Only those who live in NoVA would understand, that 9/12 months of the year it’s cold, overcast and it’s disappointing to be homebound for all that time. In addition to the fortunate weather pattern, there were many headlines that broke that I would’ve loved to dish my two cents on. Well, I digress from that, and will opine on the following headlines that I recall:
- Hillary Clinton Allegedly Releasing Adverse Photos of Barack Obama — Alright, I know it’s politics, but I find it incredibly disappointing that another opponent in the same political party would release photos of someone who was in a cultural ceremony, wearing a Turbin, completely playing on the fear of Muslims in America, further, denying all knowledge of it.
- Use of Barack ‘Hussein’ Obama by the Tennessee RNC — In a campaign speech (dare I even call it that), Bill Cunningham, said numerous disparaging statements with exaggerated Armageddon-like references against Barack Obama. McCain rightfully responded that he disapproved of those statements and intends to conduct his interactions with other candidates with respect. It’s disappointing to see that all it takes to attack someone in this day is to use their middle name.
- Gas Prices Expected to Soar Above $4.00/Gal. — While not surprising, it’s interesting to see that despite the upcoming (or present) recession, Gasoline continues to increase while Exxon rejoiced in their highest 4th quarter earnings, record breaking at that. What about that whole “blood for oil” thing that people were talking about? In any case, I live two miles from work, so I won’t be truly affected, but I do feel for those who have to sit on the 495 or commute in excess of five miles daily.
- Barack’s Pastor’s Remarks, Racially Motivated — While I do question Obama’s mechanics on how he plans on resolving healthcare, social security and the economy, I do not doubt his views. Since when is it appropriate to bring someone’s pastor into the media and chastise a politician on someone else’s remarks? I agree the Pastor made some rather radical statements, but I do not believe those are necessarily anything that falls into Obama’s agenda. So far, all three attacks on Obama all based on fear, insecurity and race — are we still stuck in the 60’s?
- Hillary’s ‘Who do you want to answer the call at 3am’ Propaganda — I usually try to cut Hillary some slack, but her TV commercial crosses the line. She has no right to claim “fear-mongering” from the right, when her own ad insinuates another terrorist attack at 3am, and she somehow believes she is in a better position to answer the phone. Sorry, Hillary, McCain is probably a little better equipped to handle a Military situation than you.
I don’t claim to be a political pundit by any means, nor do I believe I have all the answers, but I just want someone to shrink the size of government. This will accomplish two things: force people to become independent thinkers, lower taxes and once again restore the very qualities that makes America the best, freedom. I’m tired of empty promises, facist propaganda and corporate interests in DC! As I ponder this deeper, expect a future entry dissecting the very values of the two political parties, since that too is on my mind.
Another topic that I’ve had some time to think about — Photo Traffic Enforcement. For those who may not know, Phoenix was one of the first cities to deploy technology that combated Red Light Running (since, they’re #1). That technology eventually matured to include speed enforcement. I think it’s a great idea to make intersections safer and a good way to exploit technology to allow human resources (police) to handle higher priority matters. On the contrary, I disagree with speed enforcement, since speeding is subjective since it varies with the conditions of the road. My five priors are evident of this belief, but I must say the enhanced Radar speed limit signs that blink when you exceed 5MPH are keeping me off the gas pedal. Also, I am less likely to accelerate to beat the yellow mainly since if I get tagged, I will get two tickets in the mail and I wouldn’t exactly want that.
My new apartment is very spacious, good views, good neighborhood (sans theft) and I’m loving my Cox Cable package. The results speak for themselves:
I feel I got out what was on my mind for a while. My apologies for the lack of any pictures. Most of my driving took place at night, and there really wasn’t anything that interesting on the way. When I eventually get my pictures off my camera I’ll post them.
~Joe
