Banterrific's Open Salon Blog

A rebuttal to the state of the union address is asinine!

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:01:50 -0500

I wrote about this last year at this time, and I still stand by it...That news outlets treat the "rebuttal" to the state of the union with equal validity and importance is utterly asinine. So I ask again, why is there a rebuttal to the State of the Union address?

Why do news organizations run them as if they have to for "equal time" requirements? The State of the Union address is mandated by the Constitution. The very idea of a rebuttal is asinine. Here is what the constitution says, "He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the state of the union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." How can you rebut a constitutional duty? It is THE PRESIDENT talking to congress about the state of the country and recommending legislation and action. It is not Democrats shilling their agenda, then Republicans get to shill theirs. That is a political debate... that is what "equal time" during a campaign is for, this is not a campaign speech. Giving equal time to another political party for a constitutional duty is a bastardization of our government. As far as I know, the words "2-party system" are not written into the constitution. Nowhere does it say we should make false equivalencies between two interchangable political machines.

Which party is in power matters not to me at all. It is not that I think a Republican rebuttal is anymore unnecessary or useless than a Democratic one. The whole concept implies that the other party has something meaningful and useful to say on the state of the union (which is seldom the case) and reinforces the idea that there are only 2 ways to think on an issue, the Republican way or the Democratic way. As long as both parties get to go in and out of power on an endless cycle of outwardly fierce bickering, yet inwardly essentially agreeing on many major issue (corporatism, increasing military spending, warmongering, increasing the national debt, keeping 2 and only 2 parties in power, amnesty for elites, bowing to Wall Street and Banks). They both win every time and we lose... every time.

We need to open our eyes and see that if we want to get out of the hole we are in we have to stop thinking Repub vs. Dem, it gives the false sense that one is right and the other is wrong... one is working for America's best interests and the other is not. Political parties work for their own interests, WE need to work for America's best interests. We need to evaluate and listen to THE PRESIDENT in a state of the union address; we do not need to evaluate and listen to a political party or hear them shill their product... that’s what the other 364 days of the year are for.

if Juan Williams was white...

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:10:09 -0400

If Juan Williams was a white man and said, "I am not a bigot... but when I am in a 7-11 and there is a black man there.. in his "urban" garb... who identifies himself primarily as a black male... I get nervous..." If he had said that he would be fired with no questions asked. Because Muslims are the acceptable-group-to-be-racist-against-du-jour, somehow that is acceptable?

I dont know that he should be fired, but certainly not celebrated.. it is a sad day in this nation when the right celebrates this bigotry and tries to make out Williams to be some sort of martyr for "speaking his mind"

Let me give you some advice Williams.. if what is in your mind is bigoted and stupid... keep it there. Saying it at that point doesnt make you a hero, it means you have poor judgement.

I debate Robert Gates on "the burden of war"

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:09:48 -0400

Robert Gates: Too few Americans bear the burden of war

Banterrific: Too many Americans bear the burden of war.

Robert Gates is basically saying 1% of our population are professional soldiers and to the rest war in Afganistan and Iraq are abstractions...

Gates is saying this a bad thing, and I partially agree... I agree that for too many the wars in the middle east are an abstraction and not thought about on a day to day basis. I dont know why he is complaining however, it is this apathetic, abstract attitude to war that keeps him and the military industrial complex in business. If the average American thought every day about the loss of innocent Iraqi and Afghan life, American life, and a trillion or so dollars for these endless wars... I think the average American would rebel against them and tell the government to shove it up their ass when they beg for more American young people to give their lives in a desert half way across the world.

I disagree with Robert Gates that 1% of our nation as professional Muslim occupation force it too little of a number. I think our military is bloated and could stand to be cut in half. Even if we cut it in half we would still spend more money than anyone else in the world on our military.

Too many Americans bear the burden of war.... we all bear the financial burden and sadly many of us bear the burden of family members overseas in constant danger for years on end, only to come back with PTSD or in body bags... sorry Robert Gates, too many are bearing the burden... you need to concentrate on reducing the number of people who are burdened, not increasing it.

Joe Biden to Progressives: "Fuck you!"

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:09:02 -0400

Joe Biden: "remind our base constituency to stop whining and get out there and look at the alternatives. This president has done an incredible job. He's kept his promises."

Thanks Joe... let me reinterpret what you just said...

"Hey, Progressive base that got us here... FUCK YOU!!!!!! WHO ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO VOTE FOR?!?!!? Sarah Fucking Palin??? Look over there at Sarah Palin.. she is crazy! Look over there at Christine ODonnell! what a looney!!! What are you going to do about our limp dick "support" of the public option? What are you going to do about not closing guantanamo? What are you going to do about Obama claiming executive assassination powers for US citizens? What are you going to do about Obama not killing don't ask don't tell with an executive order? What are you going to do about the status quo continuing in our infinite wars? What are you going to do about Obama DOJ actively pursuing and in many cases expanding attacks on civil liberties? Are you going to vote Republican... cause that would be crazy.. those guys are wackos!!! You must be on drugs to even consider not voting for us even though we only give lip service to your agenda."

Hmmmm.... I wonder why there is an enthusiasm gap? I dont see a lot to get enthused about...

p.s. Here is someone more artfully describing the same thing as above

Robert Gates acknowledges the elephant in the room.

Sun, 9 May 2010 23:05:52 -0400

Robert Gates spoke this weekend about the need to curtail military spending. Kudos to him for bringing up this quite unpopular view. Military spending has been discribed as the REAL third rail of American politics, so Gates needs to be praised for even bringing it up. Gates eluted to "powerful people" that would be against cutting military spending.. that may be the understatement of the year.

I have written before about the disgusting bloated military spending, so I wont belabor the point too much in this post. There can be no real spending decrease/ deficit reduction in this country unless out unnescessary bloated military budget is addressed. One reason I cannot take teabaggers seriously is that none of them seem to want to address military spending as Bill Maher recently pointed out. It seems they would sooner cut Grandma's social security and medicare than touch military spending. We need as a nation to realize that spending 1/2 the whole world's military budget is a) bankrupting us b) makes us into the hugest warmonger assholes in the world, which leads to more people hating us, which leads to more terrorism, which leads to more military spending and saber rattling by the chicken hawks in Washington.. etc. etc.

If you cut the US military budget in half, we would still be the biggest military spenders in the world. In fact, if you cut it by 3/4s we would still be the biggest military spenders in the world... by quite a few billions. Is this the legacy we want to leave to future children? Bankrupting them so we can be warmongers and world police?