The Archives, According To Me 2004-2005

Gov Huntsman 4th Most popular

2005-07-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

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

2005-06-16T23:33:00.000-07:00

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

2005-05-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

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

2005-05-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

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!

2005-03-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

"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

2005-01-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-26T16:53:00.000-08:00

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...

2005-01-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

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.

2005-01-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

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

2004 in Review

2004-12-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

"Like, the worst day of my life! What did you think!"

"Sweet!"

Marriage was in the news. Whether it was Brittney Spears (twice), Bennifer (Zero times), or Mark and Kip (illegally in San Francisco, legally in MA). Initiatives to "protect" marriage by inacting the current standard were passed all over the country, where marriage is unsuccessful 50% of the time.

There was Hubub when Janet Jackson flashed the world her boob at the Super Bowl (I watched the Super Bowl and didn't catch it), worthy of weeks worth of primetime news, yet Dick Cheney openly lying in a debate was only exposed by a fake news show.

Speaking of Dick Cheney and indecency, the Vice President uttered the mother of all swear words. On the floor of the U.S. Senate. Directed at a U.S. Senator. And this from the "family values" camp.

While the election wasn't held until November 2, George W Bush locked it up one Monday night, when Democrats moved towards a Candidate with no clear platform, over the candidate that made people stand up and take notice. In the end, John Kerry is still looking for a platform that extends beyond Vietnam.

A bunch of nobodies became somebodies, whether they won Championships (Boston Red Sox), Ran for public office, or just lived in their own little world (Napoleon Dynamite), even if that world is Preston Idaho. But the biggest somebodies continued to fight in Afganistan and Iraq. We hope they can become regular joes again. Soon.

Whether it was four hurricanes (and a Tropical Storm) in Florida or earthquakes and Tsunamis in Asia, mother nature proved she is not to be underestimated.

-Bob

Please help

2004-12-20T21:59:00.000-08:00

I want this to stay near the top for a while. New posts below.

Please donate money to help the Tsunami victims in Asia. You never know when and where tagedy may strike. It could be you or I who needs help of annother next.

To donate online, visit the following sites:

LDS Foundation, Humanitarian Services (They already have a rep on the ground discovering needs/coordinating distribution)
American Red Cross (click on International Response Fund)

-Bob

[edit] edited to move down the list. By now, everyone knows where to go.

Super Size Me ~~ The movie that may have changed my life!

2004-06-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

It is rare that a movie brings me to tears. It is even rarer that a movie has led me to go do something -- to set a new goal for myself.

Last night, I went and saw the documentary "Super Size Me" at the Broadway Theater.

For those who are unfamiliar with the movie, this guy, Morgan Spurlock (SP?), goes to eat at McDonald's every day for 30 days. He doesn't just go once a day, but for all three meals. He can't eat anything that is not on the McDonald's menu.

He starts out visiting 3 doctors with different specialities on day 0. They all tell him that he's crazy, but he shouldn't suffer any major health effects as long as he does it for just 30 days.

He gains 10% of his body weight in the first 5 days or so. We gets phisically fatter by the end. He feels fatigued. His girlfriend describes in very PG-13 terms his sexual finction decreasing. We wakes up on day 21 with what feels like heart palpitations.

At the end of the 30 days, his liver shows the same damage as if he had been on a heavy drinking binge for 30 days. His doctors were floored by the tremendous health effects caused by his crazy diet.

I'm not eating fast food for a while, and I'm starting to work out.

-Bob

I met Howard Dean Today!

2004-05-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

Cross-posted on Mormons for America.

he·ro

1. In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.

2. A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life.

3. A person noted for special achievement in a particular field.

I don't throw around the word hero very often. In fact, my list of heroes is very short. Captain Moroni, Joseph Smith, Mr. Rodgers, and Howard Dean. Only one of these men is living. Today, I met him.

It was at a campaign fundraiser for his cousin, Peter Corroon, who is running for Mayor of Salt Lake County. After both he and Peter spoke, I snuck around the back part of the coffee shop, and introduced myself, including the fact that I had organized Mormons for Dean. He thanked me for my efforts.

I then gave him two Mormon Tabernacle Choir CDs. He was surprised and happy to have them.

Some mental notes from Dean's speech:

1) "Democracy is not a spectator sport." We need to actively engage in politics, not just show up in November.

2) The government must start acting like it is the citizen's money, not the government's. We must elect those who recognize this.

3) Dean supports Instant Runoff Voting, which is a major platform point of Mormons for America.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm going to write two entries on Memorial Day to be posted tomorrow, and then head back out of town.

-Bob

Gas Prices -- How much is it costing you?

2004-05-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

All information is courtesy utahgasprices.com.

I average about 1 gallon per day. If you fill your 10 gallon tank every 10 days, that's your average, too. It's actually a pretty low average. But that's what I'll use to figure gas costs in a new, irregular installment.

Today's average gas price in Utah: $2.026 a gallon
Yesterday's average price: $1.993; Annual Cost of this increase: $12.05
One Week ago price: $1.987; Annual Cost: $14.24
One Month Ago price: $1.886; Annual Cost: $51.10
One Year Ago Price: $1.534; Annual Cost: $179.58

-Bob

Picking the Worng Battles

2004-05-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

The last several years, we have seen many issues come up where our elected officials "fix" a problem by not changing what's broken.

First, it was the aftermath of Florida 2000. The reason the Supreme Court ended the recount in Gore v Bush was because there was no state standard for recounts. We "fixed" the problem by going to electronic voting where recounts are impossible, and there's no way to tell if you screwed up the ballot. That's not to mention the fact that the computers are prone to crashing, or idiot poll workers not knowing they have to plug in the machines.

Next, we were attacked. So, we go after the guy who was responsible, right? Well, kinda. We spend a few months looking for him. But, we can't find him. So, we keep some troops in that country (a number so small we now only control a few cities there), and we attack annother country. A country whose leader was hated by the guy we were looking for in Afganistan. A country where the group that attacked us had zero presence until they followed us in.

Lastly, a little closer to home, some government employees are abusing their car, er, SUV privlidges. So, instead of better monitoring on the system, they are going to take away the cars, giving everyone a $300-750 car allowance. THAT won't lead to abuses at all.....

Sheesh.

-Bob

A Bush Joke

2004-05-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well, President Bush *IS* a joke on his own, but here's a joke ABOUT Bush:

How many members of the Bush Administration are needed to replace a lightbulb?
The Answer is SEVEN:

one to deny that a lightbulb needs to be replaced

one to attack and question the patriotism of anyone who has questions about the lightbulb,

one to blame the previous administration for the need of a new lightbulb,

one to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of lightbulbs,

one to get together with Vice President Cheney and figure out how to pay Halliburton Industries one million dollars for a lightbulb,

one to arrange a photo-op session showing Bush changing the lightbulb while dressed in a flight suit and wrapped in an American flag,

and finally one to explain to Bush the difference between screwing a lightbulb and screwing the country.

-Bob

Bush = Liar

2004-05-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Bush is a Liar.
Bush is a Liar.
Bush is a Liar.

White House spokesman Trent Duffy: "It's been raining a lot and the topsoil is loose .... You know this president. He likes to go all-out. Suffice it to say he wasn't whistling show tunes."

The Rain totals for Crawford, TX:

May 22: 0"
May 21: 0"
May 20: 0"
May 19: 0"
May 18: 0"
May 17: 0"
May 16: 0"
May 15: 0"
May 14: 0.03"
May 13: 2.79"
May 12: 0"
May 11: 0.15"
May 10: 0"
May 9: 0"

So, the last significant rain was a full NINE days before the crash. NINE DAYS!!!!

Count with me, class: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine! Nine Days! Wah-ha-ha-ha! (My best Count von Count impersination)

I'm surprised the White House didn't just blame Clinton for this one. Or Saddam. Or John Kerry.

All I can say: Liar, liar, pants on fire, hanging on a telephone wire.

-Bob

EDIT: just to say this a courtesy DailyKos.

Iraq Torture

2004-05-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

I've resisted the temptation to post on the torture of Iraqi prisoners.

However, this post is not on the tortur itself, which was cruel, unusual, and worthy of sending people to the Hague for war crimes.

It's about the current PR going on from the right.

They are showing pictures of Saddam's torture, at the same prison.

It's as if to say that "Hey, it could be worse!"

Well, I say "The lesser of two evils is still evil."

-Bob

Now, with comments!

2004-05-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

Now, blogger has comments! So, Comment away! Let me know how much of a nutjob you think I am!

-Bob

A Number Is Just A Number, But A Name Isn't Just A Name

2004-04-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

739.

I want you to ponder that number for a moment.

739.

739 days ago it was April 22, 2002. Just over two years ago. Annother 739 from now it will be May 9, 2006. But, I give you those dates as a reference as to how big a number 739. The significance? 739 is the currant number of dead reported since the beginning of the Iraq war.

Viet Nam used to always seem distant to me. Even after seeing a traveling, half-scale replica of The Wall Sept 13, 2001 here in Salt Lake, it still didn't seem concrete.

Last summer, annother traveling wall came to Salt Lake. This one contained all the names from The Wall in Washington. There, I took the opportunity to rub the name of the person closest to my family to have died in Nam.

His name was Shirl. He was engaged to my Aunt. At the time, I had never met anyone from his family (I now happen to work with his sister). Suddenly, I instantly became connected to not just a name, but a person.

739 represents people, not just names. Tonight, Ted Koppel will read a list of names 739 or so names. He will also show the pictures. Even if we do not watch tonight (I probably won't), lets bow our head in a moment of silence to respect those we've lost.

Here is a random sampling of names. At the end of a few selected posts, I will add a few names, as a tribute. These young men a women are not respected enough. I do this to honor them.

2nd Lt Therrel S Childers, Age 30, Harriston, Miss., Mar 21, 2003
Staff Sgt. Thomas W Christensen, Age 42, Atlantic Mine, MI, Dec 25, 2003
Sgt. Michael D Acklin II, Age 25, Louisville, Nov 15, 2003

My Day at the Salt Lake County Democratic Convention

2004-04-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today was my first experience at a political convention. It was pretty much what I expected, for the most part. However, some observations:

1. If someone's going to come into the educators' caucus, please talk about what YOU can do for education.

2. My favorite shirt of the day: "Democrats are sexy. Have you ever heard of a nice piece of elephant?"

3. The pledge. Only about half the crowd said "under God." I should have said "Under Heavenly Father," but I didn't.

4. Kudos to the Peter Corroon Campaign. (DISCLAIMER: I am a Coroon volunteer.) They were the only campaign to use the multi-media capabilities of the Skyline High Auditorium. Most candidates probably hadn't even looked at that.

5. On a sad note, my friend Shaun lost at the Republican Convention. Well, he bowed out, endorsed Patti Florence, who then got creamed by Mark Crockett. That will give me more time to persue other things, including blogging here.

-Bob

OK, so I've been gone a while...

2004-04-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's been a while, but I've been busier and busier. Who knew that Kindergarteners could be so exhausting. Further proof that the movie "Kindergarten Cop" was fake. The Govenator would have died of exhaustion halfway through the movie.

But, they took the kindergartners away from me, so I have more time to think of other things. Fifth Graders are a whole new ballgame, but at least they know the name of "8."

Of course, my frien Shaun decided to run for County Council, and I'm his campaign secretary, so that has me busy as well.

OK, now for some general questions:

1) Who the heck are we going to turn Iraq over to June 30?
2) Why can Bush flip-flop but Kerry can't?
3) Why isn't Kerry campaigning more?

OK, that's all for now. I hope to post a few times a week.

-Bob

Why I'm voting for John Edwards

2004-02-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

I have liked Howard Dean ever since I first saw him speak on TN last June. I have been spending hours per week blogging, volunteering, and doing other things towards helping Dean.

However, I've asked myself the following question: What's more important -- electing Howard Dean, or taking the country back from George W Bush?

After much fasting and prayer, I have decided that the answer is the latter, taking the country back. While Howard Dean is the best position-wise, he is no longer the best candidate to win. He has allowed the media and DLC to steal this election from him, and change his style.

John Kerry scares me. He has changed positions every 16 months or so throughout his political career. His campaign is now against everything he voted for: NAFTA, NCLB, Operation Iraqi Freedom, to name just a few. He is a member of Skull and Bones, a large secret combination (of which GWB is a member of as well).

John Edwards can defeat John Kerry. He has Charisma. He has energy. He doesn't have the easy labels that Dean got stuck with.

Howard Dean is still my first choice. John Edwards gets my vote.

I will not be starting a "Mormons for Edwards" group, as I will be involved helping a friend. I have been asked to be a political advisor to Shaun Kruger who is running for Salt Lake County Council. It has also been suggested to me to start a "Mormons for Honorable and Just Men" PAC. If the Kruger Campaign gets shot down early, maybe I will do that.

Please contact me at bobiscookiemonster@yahoo.com, as I will no longer be checking my Mormons for Dean address. You can check out my new blog, covering just about everything, at http://bobiscookiemonster.blogspot.com

-Bob