What in the hell was Illinois governor Blagojevich thinking?! I’ve heard of some pretty boneheaded, stupid, moronic, idiotic, ridiculously ignorant actions in my time - and in the past year in politics - but I think this one takes the cake and my personal ‘bonehead of the year’ award. I mean, seriously. Thinking you can ’sell’ Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder? I also heard this morning that when a children’s hospital refused to donate money to one of Blagojevich’s campaigns he held up their state funding to the tune of $8 million! What an absolute, pardon my ‘French’, douchebag. I’m sorry but that is the only proper word to be used here. Holding up state funding for a children’s hospital because they wouldn’t donate to your campaign; that is a new low.
Forget Ted Stevens. Forget Larry ‘Tap, tap-a-roo’ Craig. The name Blagojevich will go down in history as one of the most corrupt, appalling, abhorrent, awful, malicious politicians ever. And of course he’s a Democrat. Just when we gain a little bit of ground in the US political system with Obama winning the election and people turning from the Republican party, this a-hole goes and wrecks it. Seriously people, if you can’t tell, I’m pretty pissed off about this guy. I happen to be flying through Chicago in a few weeks. I don’t have a long layover but I might just have to pay this man a visit and give him a piece of my mind.
News is emerging that the US warned India of a potential terrorist strike similar to that which occurred last week in Mumbai. There are differing opinions on how specific and detailed the warning was. Beginning with September 11th every terrorist attack was, allegedly, preceded by warnings from various intelligence agencies. The outcry of ‘why was nothing done’ echoes through public opinion and the commentating classes for weeks, even years on end. The problem is, though, that I think in order to actually stop these attacks civil liberties would inevitably have to be trampled upon.
Take a look at the US in the aftermath of 9/11. Blatant spying on American citizens with illegal wiretaps and terrorist ‘watch’ lists with 98-year old grandmothers and 2-year old babies are just a few of the ways the US tried to prevent another attack. Did they work? One could argue yes since there hasn’t been an attack. One could also argue that none have been planned. We just don’t know. The point is, though, that I don’t think any warning from any agency could necessarily have prevented the Mumbai attacks or any other since 9/11. Unless a CIA agent had walked up to George W. Bush on September 10th and slapped him in the face with a big sign that said ‘TERRORIST ATTACK TOMORROW CANCEL EVERYTHING’ 9/11 would still have happened. That’s just the way terrorists work: sneaky, underhanded and untraceable so even with warnings you can’t necessarily prevent anything.
Thanks to this blog…it would seem.
Actively pursuing information through print media and participating in high-level conversations — even, potentially, blogging — makes one smarter.
The article from whence this came is on how most average Americans cannot pass a simple test on basic American government and history; in other words, civics.
I am currently obsessed with getting an iPhone. Look how pretty! My current mobile provider contract is up 6 January 2009. I only have a little over a month…unless between now and then I talk myself out of it. I highly doubt it, though, because I stop talking and listening and start drooling when an advert for it comes on. I am a material girl in a material world and, damn it, I want an iPhone.
Ok, I really didn’t want to write about tripe like this but lack of anything else good for the past week or so and how much I really, really, really hate this name have caused me to come down off of my moral high horse about blog posts. I give you the official (my opinion) worst ever celebrity baby name:
Bronx Mowgli Wentz
That’s right!! As in the Rudyard Kipling book and Disney film The Jungle Book character Mowgli. I used to think the poor son of Jason Lee (of My Name is Earl and Mallrats fame) had the worst name with Pilot Inspektor but Pilot is almost cool.
Naming children after boroughs in New York is firstly not new (Brooklyn Beckham) but they didn’t even pick the good one! They went with Bronx rather than Brooklyn. At least Brooklyn can be shortened to Brook should the child feel too ashamed. The poor boy will probably be called Bronco for short. Yo Bronco! (Use your best Rocky ‘Yo Adrian’ voice when you say it) Ugh.
Now don’t even get me started on Mowgli. Of all the fictional children’s characters you could choose, they went with Mowgli!!! Will the child have a teddy bear named Baloo? Will he cavort with snakes? Will he wear a little red loincloth diaper thing? Give me a break.
You know, I like London so much I think I’ll follow their lead and name children after London boroughs and other Disney charachters. I think Hackney Aladdin if it’s a boy and Hounslow Cinderella if it’s a girl. What do you think?
Well, gosh, what a week it’s been. America elected a black president and a Democrat to boot. I started a new job that, so far, I’m enjoying immensely. The question remains for me, though, and the thousands of other liberal bloggers (and satire shows such as The Daily Show): what do we do now?
Since this blog’s inception in April 2007 I’ve devoted much of my writing to Bush-bashing, Republican-bashing and general ‘why I hate the Right’ rants. With a Democrat in the White House and a Democratic Congress, I don’t know what I’ll write about. I don’t want to become one of thosse boring, nerdy blogs: “Today I went to the store and I saw a mango that was shaped like a cat. It was so cool!” I like to hope that my political writing is at least somewhat interesting and informative if not at least 1% intellectual. I started writing about political matters as a sort of intellectual stimulation because I got none from my job. That too will probably now change, but time will tell.
So for now my dear (few) readers don’t expect as much as one post per day. For a while, until Obama takes office and we see how the US is doing, I may not have a lot to write about. Even once he does, I may not have a lot to write about. I don’t always have the most interesting of life. I’m not off vagabonding around the world like two of my friends (though I certainly wish I were). I’m not pregnant (though I’m certainly glad I’m not). At the moment my life is pretty darn boring. But if anything changes or I see something that just really pisses me off (though that can happen on an hourly basis) I’ll let you know. Until then, Verbal DiarLeah might be a bit of a wasteland. Here’s hoping Gordon Brown really screws things up for a while.
As I woke this morning to the fantastic news of Obama’s election I was, at first, speechless. It is only in the past hour that I have come up with anything worthwhile to say. It may be cheesy but, by God, it’s how I feel and I don’t care.
I didn’t sleep all that well last night due to two factors: one, my annoying tickly cough that won’t go away; and two, wanting to know the results of the election. I had planned to get up early today to see the results rather than wait up for what looks to have been an all-nighter. I was almost happy when my cough woke me at 1.30 this morning because I decided while trying to cool my throat with water I would look online to see what the results were looking like.
For you see, in the back of my mind, like that annoying cough that won’t go away was the fear that McCain might just pull it off. That we would be in for at least another four years of right-wing nuttery and hawkishness kept me awake last night. Just before I awoke at 6.30 to finally see the results I had a dream that McCain won. In that dream I sobbed…like a little girl…who had her toy taken away…by a bad man…named McCain.
I was so nervous as I got up, walked to the living room and opened the laptop. What was I going to see? My stomach was in my throat (along with the phlegmy cough) and I braced myself for the news. As soon as I saw Obama’s face and the headlines I shed a couple of tears.
I’m bloody exhausted from tossing and turning last night but I don’t care. It’s a new day for America and a new day for the world. Call it clichéd or call it kitschy but after eight years of Bush and many more years of racism all Americans, black or white, can now say “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!”
I have but two words to say today (albeit repeatedly): GO VOTE, GO VOTE, GO VOTE!!!!
And finally, for your Friday enjoyment, the top ten US Presidents according to the Times of London.
10. Woodrow Wilson 1913-21 (Democratic)
9. James Polk 1845-49 (Democratic)
8. Ronald Reagan 1981-89 (Republican)
7. Harry Truman 1945-53 (Democratic)
6. Dwight Eisenhower 1953-61 (Republican)
5. Theodore Roosevelt 1901-09 (Republican)
4. Thomas Jefferson 1801-09 (Democratic-Republican)
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-45 (Democratic)
2. George Washington 1789-97 (No party)
1. Abraham Lincoln 1861-65 (Republican, National Union)
I figured Lincoln would be number one and there are no real surprises here. It’s a shame, though, how much I have forgotten of American history and, specifically, presidential history because I do not feel I can pass any kind of decent judgment on the list. I think this time I will leave it to the experts.
I will ask you, however, to name your favourite president. I don’t care if you know his record inside and out or if he’s just your favourite because he is. My favourite used to be Clinton 100%. On the spot, this minute right now though, I have to say Clinton 50% Jefferson 50%. Why, you ask? Because I think Jefferson was wise beyond his years when it came to his ideas on the separation of church and state. I think a lot of Americans who claim our founding fathers founded the US as a Christian nation should look again. Jefferson was a man of the Enlightenment and preferred reason and logic to unquestioning faith. I will always have a special admiration for Clinton though. He came from a tiny little town called Hope, Arkansas, and by his own intelligence, not any family connections, became the most powerful man in America.
Continuing the Times’ ranking of US Presidents, number 21 to 11. These are the presidents who just missed the top ten.
21. James Monroe 1817-25 (Democratic-Republican)
20. George H.W. Bush 1989-93 (Republican)
19. Grover Cleveland 1885-89 and 1893-97 (Democratic)
18. Ulysses S. Grant 1869-77 (Republican)
17. William McKinley 1897-1901 (Republican)
16. John Quincy Adams 1825-29 (Democratic-Republican)
15. James Madison 1809-17 (Democratic-Republican)
14. Andrew Jackson 1829-37 (Democratic)
13. John Adams 1797-1801 (Federalist)
12. Lyndon Johnson 1963-69 (Democratic)
11. John F. Kennedy 1961-63 (Democratic)
I’m sure we’re all a bit surprised Kennedy is not in the top ten but the reasoning is here.
