Gov Huntsman 4th Most popular

My Republican friends (and by this I mean real people who are friends, not the generic term I sometimes use) often ask me how I think our leaders are doing. They have learned to not ask me about President Bush. The one I get asked about most is Gov Huntsman.

Well, the answer is that he hasn't pissed me off yet. And by occasionally pissing off conservatives, he's doing a fine job in my book.

Survey USA released July approval ratings for all 50 Governors. Gov Huntsman Ranked as the 4th most popular Gov with 68% approval ratings, 21% disapproving. Huntsman was behind the Dakotas and Connecticut, all with Republican Governors. The top Democrat was #5 from West Virginia of all places. To be fair, the bottom 5 were all Republicans also.

-Bob

Weak on Terror

President Bush claims he's Strong on terror, that we're winning the war on terror.

Why, then, was there a series of TERRORIST bombings in London this morning?

We're winning the war on terror as much as the insurgency in Iraq is in it's last throes.

Maybe Bush will go hold hands with the Saudis again.

We must tell the world: Bush is weak on terror.

-Bob

Patriotism

Happy 4th of July!

Today, I will be talking about patriotism. First, let's define the word. As always, from dictionary.com

pa·tri·ot·ism n. Love of and devotion to one's country.

July 4th, the day we celebrate our declaration of independance. The day we gave a big "f-you" to our government. We wanted a better way. However, this was unpatriotic, based on the above definition. So, I'll change it a little, to say "Love of one's homeland."

Patriotism is not about waving the flag, dressing in red, white, and blue, and shooting off fireworks. It's about doing things because, well, I love this country, my homeland.

That is why I became a Democrat. Because, contrary to what Sean Hannity would have you believe, Democrats give a crap about what happens to this country. Contrary to the statements of Karl Rove, I cried on September 11. I was madder than Hell, and I wasn't going to take it. I wanted Revenge.

I'm still waiting to get revenge.

Our lack of fighting real enemies, and making up imaginary foes to fight, has ruined our country. We have now taken longer since 9/11 than it took to defeat both Japan and Germany after Pearl Harbor. We are spending more money than we are bringing in, borrowing money from our children.

And yet, I am called unpatriotic because I fight against these things. However, I do it because I love my country. I want to see her grow, to succeed.

I'm a Patriot!

Reaching across the isle

Sometimes, I come across things that are just too funny. Like this diary from DailyKos:

+++++++++++++

Dear Republican Friend:

by PBJ Diddy [Subscribe]Thu Jun 16th, 2005 at 18:34:28 PDT

In the spirit of healing our nation's wounds:

I'll take the blame for Clinton's blowjob if YOU'LL take the blame for Bush's war.

I'm sick of arguing about it, so you can pin the stained blue dress on me, and yes, the LIE about it under oath, and I'll swallow it.

But, and it's an enormous but; you MUST accept that your man might just maybe possibly have stretched the truth into non-truth, and then reprocessed it into truth-free food by-product, and fed it to the American people under the label "Rationale for War" (or in some parts of the south "'Cause us Belly").

You see, I'll be honest here...I never thought Bill should've diddled that girl, I wasn't surprised mind you, just shocked. In fact my wife's first reaction was, "Well -- at least she's legal!" You might say I was never welded to the idea that my man had impeccable personal character. But you -- your man, he RAN FOR ELECTION on "restoring honor and integrity" to the white house...I mean WTF?

Little did we know; Bush thought that honor and integrity were more words he had just made up! What subliminable, misunderestimated strategery indeed! But let's be Frank here (and Plutonium Page will understand) people died, and yes, I've checked Iraqis count as people too.
I'll let you in on a little secret: None of us on the left liked Saddam Hussein. Not. Even. Michael. Moore. But then again, most of us hate warts too, we just don't feel the need to chop our hands off when we encounter one.

War is not good for children and other living things, my friend. And he's made American soldiers into torturers...step up and claim your "personal responsibility" for these atrocities.
Well, I'm sorry this attempted reconciliation has turned into more of a screed, I really don't hate you, but to misquote Mickey Rourke: "I just feel a whole lot better when you're not around the levers of power." Having republicans control the executive, legislative and judicial branches is a bit like having the Manson Family in charge of refreshments at the elementary school bake sale (I'm sorry for that image, I've been trying to use it for sometime, and there really is no appropriate analogy, but hey!)

Finally, let's kiss and make up. Of course, not literally, since I know you feel that sort of thing leads to tolerance which you abhor, and me? Well, I avoid skin contact with reptiles. But I agree to disagree with you, and respect your right to be dead wrong about everything including my welfare, safety and intimate life choices. And I'll stipulate that you disagree with me and respect my right to whine while your "Man in the white house" attempts to burn, bury and berate me and my kind. (picture Barry Manilow singing "I am Music" while skinheads stomp on his neck; except it's me, not Barry, and instead of "Music" I sing "Democracy", and the skinheads are Bushies -- but the tune is the same -- again sorry for the image.)

I am not a praying man, but someone told me if there is a person who bothers you, to pray for him, so I am praying for you...praying for you to drop dead see the light.

Cheers,

PBJ

Soccer

I'm in the process of writing a letter to send to our elected officials regarding the new soccer stadium for ReAL Salt Lake (I'm still not sold on that name).

Here are my choices of most favorable, in order. As always, I'm free to change my mind, as has happened the past week.

1. Murray. This location, unlike two of the others, currently has a Trax station. It is an area that has redevelopment potential. Not only does Murray Mayor Dan Snarr (whose son is in Napoleon Dynamite, BTW) plan to build a soccer stadium, but he plans to build a mini-city around it. Make it the centerpiece to a Gateway-like development, similar to West Valley's e-Center. It also has easy access from I-15's 4500 South exit and State Street. Ample Parking would be included in the plans. It is also close to Midvale, home of many Hispanics.

2. State Fairgrounds. This location was proposed by Rocky Anderson this week. There are thousands of Latinos within walking distance. It is a stop on a proposed Trax line.

3. Downtown SLC. Next to hotels, a Trax station, and downtown. Could help to revitalize the south end of Downtown. However, no parking.

4. Rice-Eccles Stadium. OK, so this isn't a legit option. R-E is a great football facility, but sucks for soccer. Kinda like the Delta Center sucks for hockey, arena football, and any other sport not called basketball. But, it's still better than choice #5.

5. Sandy. The city that makes the rest of Utah look racially diverse. I won't get into why this site is logistically bad, but I will say that is Sandy continues with this dishonest and unjust funding plan (stealing money is against the law), then I have spent my last dime in Sandy.

-Bob

Tags: /Utah Politics/, /Real Salt Lake/, /MLS/

I suck

Gosh, I suck.

I suck at this whole blogging thing. I have a small flury of posts (a flury meaning 2) every2 months, then silence. Maybe that's why this blog won that award. My problem is, that whenever I have something of note to blog, I don't have time. When I have time, I never have thought. So, from now on, I will have no thoughts on my blog. I will just have random ramblings. OK, I won't say no thought, because I will have some thoughts interspersed with my random nothingness. Maybe I'll change the name from TW,ATM to Random Nothingness with Some Thoughts Interspersed. Who knows.

Maybe this will just become a real diary, stuff for me to write about what's really going on.

We'll see.

-Bob

This blog is award-winning!

That's right. This blog has been named winner of the "Blogging the Obvious" award at Crushed by Inertia. How they found my little corner, I have no idea.

However, the fact that I won this award, and the fact that it has come to my attention over a month since I won is a sign that my blog sucks.

I'll liven it up some more. Or maybe I'll make it more Obviously Boring, so that it will be even more funny.

Oh, and I have a fan club of sorts...or at least a "movie" being penned about me....

-Bob

Hotel Rwanda

"As people see this, they'll say 'Oh my G*d, that's horrible' then go on eating thier dinners."

I just watch one of the most powerful films I have ever seen. Unfortunately, what's powerful about it, is it's true. And we could have stopped it.

Hotel Rwanda is based on the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, who was the manager of a 4-star hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. When genocide started in the country, Paul was caught in the middle. He and his wife were of different ethnicities, which now found themselves at war.

Paul sheltered some 1200 people at his hotel, and bribed his way out.

Over 1,000,000 people were killed in the massacre. It lasted 100 days. That's 10,000 people a day. At yet, a force the size of the NYPD could have stopped it. Yet, we were too concerned about other, more trivial things.

What's even sadder is that this type of thing still goes on unnoticed in Africa, namely in the Sudan and the Congo.

-Bob

Dean for DNC Chair

The following is an e-mail I snet to the Democratic Party of Utah.

I am writing in responce to your call for input on
National Party Chair. I support Howard Dean, and only
Howard Dean, for National party chair. This should be
the desire of all Democrats in Utah for a very simple
reason.

Howard Dean realizes that the best way to build the
party is through the grassroots. If you concentrate
on small races, even in states as red as Utah, you
will see success at the larger levels of government.

Before I go involved with Gov Dean's campaign for
President, I considered myself a moderate Republican.
I now realize that I fit more with the Democratic
Party. During this past campaign, I volunteered many
hours for Peter Corroon's successful campaign for Salt
Lake County Mayor. I also volunteered for several
other Democratic candidates. I got many of my
Republican friends to vote for Democrats. All of this
can be traced back to the inspiration of Howard Dean.

-Bob Aagard
President/Founder, Mormons for Dean
Holladay UT

No on Gonzales

I picked this up from DailyKos, which is my favorite blog (and no, I'm not just brownnosing).

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions. In this case, we, the
undersigned bloggers, have decided to speak as one and collectively author a
document of opposition. We oppose the nomination of Alberto Gonzales to the
position of Attorney General of the United States, and we urge every United
States Senator to vote against him.

As the prime legal architect for the policy of torture adopted by the
Bush Administration, Gonzales's advice led directly to the abandonment of
longstanding federal laws, the Geneva Conventions, and the United States
Constitution itself. Our country, in following Gonzales's legal opinions, has
forsaken its commitment to human rights and the rule of law and shamed itself
before the world with our conduct at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. The United
States, a nation founded on respect for law and human rights, should not have as
its Attorney General the architect of the law's undoing.

In January 2002, Gonzales advised the President that the United States
Constitution does not apply to his actions as Commander in Chief, and thus the
President could declare the Geneva Conventions inoperative. Gonzales's
endorsement of the August 2002 Bybee/Yoo Memorandum approved a definition of
torture so vague and evasive as to declare it nonexistent. Most shockingly, he
has embraced the unacceptable view that the President has the power to ignore
the Constitution, laws duly enacted by Congress and International treaties duly
ratified by the United States. He has called the Geneva Conventions "quaint."

Legal opinions at the highest level have grave consequences. What were
the consequences of Gonzales's actions? The policies for which Gonzales provided
a cover of legality - views which he expressly reasserted in his Senate
confirmation hearings - inexorably led to abuses that have undermined military
discipline and the moral authority our nation once carried. His actions led
directly to documented violations at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo and widespread
abusive conduct in locales around the world.

Michael Posner of Human Rights First observed: "After the horrific
images from Abu Ghraib became public last year, Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld insisted that the world should 'judge us by our actions [and] watch how
a democracy deals with the wrongdoing and with scandal and the pain of
acknowledging and correcting our own mistakes.'" We agree. It is because of this
that we believe the only proper course of action is for the Senate to reject
Alberto Gonzales's nomination for Attorney General. As Posner notes, "[t]he
world is indeed watching." Will the Senate condone torture? Will the Senate
condone the rejection of the rule of law?
With this nomination, we have
arrived at a crossroads as a nation. Now is the time for all citizens of
conscience to stand up and take responsibility for what the world saw, and,
truly, much that we have not seen, at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere. We oppose the
confirmation of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General of the United States, and
we urge the Senate to reject him.

Signed, Daily Kos Management (past and present):

kos
Steve Gilliard
Steve Soto
Meteor Blades
Theoria
DHinMi
Trapper John
DemfromCt
DavidNYC
A Gilas Girl
Hunter
kid oakland
Armando

Also signed by a ton of other bloggers (including myself). Follow this link to see the list.

-Bob

oops! 2 movie reviews...

Oops! I've been to two movies without reporting on either of them! eeek!

Finding Neverland

Loved it! OK, so it was far, far away from the real story people thought they were getting, but it was one of my favorite movies of the year.

I didn't notice anything offencive, or that would embarass me on a date. Screenit.com says it has 2 "S" words as the only swearing, and only a little clevage for sex/nudity.

Go see it, before it's too late!

Spanglish

This was annother good movie. However, it has one scene of a married couple having sex. Niether has on less than boxers for him and panties/bra for her. However, it was fairly unneccessary.

screenit.com lists 31 swear words, including 1 use of the mother of all swear words.

-Bob

Bush the law-breaker

It's bad enough for a commentator to be paid by someone other than his employer to plug a position. However, when the person singing the check is the US Government (read:taxpayers, or you and me), it's just plain wrong. In fact it's illegal. As in bad.

Education Dept. paid commentator to promote law

By Greg Toppo, USA TODAYSeeking to build support among black families for
its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a prominent black pundit
$240,000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to
urge other black journalists to do the same.

The campaign, part of an effort to promote No Child Left Behind (NCLB),
required commentator Armstrong Williams "to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts," and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004.

What's worse, this is annother example of the Bush administration's 4-year-old mentality. As diarist Michael in Chicago points out on DailyKos:

[four year-old:]

The Secret Action:Swipe a cookie before dinner even though
mom and dad said you couldn't have one.

When Caught:In a round about way, admit you did
something bad, but that you were really hungry.

The Actions:Eat the cookie anyway, then go
play.

[Williams:]

The Secret Action:Williams, a prominent commentator, is
paid $240,000 to promote No Child Left Behind in his national television show in
obvious violation of journalistic ethics.

When Caught:Williams says it was a poor choice and
showed bad judgment, but that he "believed" in NCLB.

The Actions:Williams refuses to return the taxpayer
money, noting that "he earned it."

Of course, maybe this law-breaking is like "jaywalking." I'll go ask Enid Greene.

What to see here in 2005.

OK, here's a few things to look for in 2005:

1) Movie reviews. I watch many movies. I'll let you know what I think. This includes DVDs.

2) Book reviews. I don't read near as much as I should. But when I do, you can read about it here.

3) My opinions on things more often. I know, you'll believe it when you see it...

-Bob

New Years Resolutions

1) A little less talk, alot more action. Actually, this is my theme for 2005.

2) More scripture study; Less Playstation.

3) Date more

4) Keep my car clean.

5) Save money.

6) Lose weight (obvious)

7) Start working on defeating Orrin Hatch in 2006.

-Bob