Anagram: Trick Or Treat/Cat Terror Kit

       I would say Happy Halloween, but it’s almost over and frankly, I haven’t been a real fan of this “Holiday” since i was around 11 or 12.   News and Politics up now….

      The Obama Campaign has kicked three journalists off of it’s plane for the final four days of the campaign, citing demand for seats on his plane far exceeding demand.  But there is another reason cited.  The Newspapers these three reporters work for have endorsed John McCain.  Members from these three news papers feel cheated, and rightly so.  It’s gotta suck to get the boot for the last four days of the campaign, especially when you’ve been traveling with the campaign for the past year and a half.  At least one of the newspapers, the Washington times, says it will pay to have their reporters follow the Obama campaign on their own. The other papers are The Dallas Morning News and the New York Post.  The DMN says it is disappointed and is protesting, particularly as both Jet magazine and Glamour are staying on board.  The NYP seemed pleased.  Guess they like getting their news third hand.

     I’m gonna start this next bit with a quote from a CNN story:  

Of 23,298,564 total in-person and mail-in ballots in 25 states, at least 6,057,527 — or 26 percent — were cast by Democrats or Republicans, according to election officials. Of that 6 million, 57.8 percent were Democrats, and 42.2 percent were Republicans.

       I got up right after reading that paragraph and had a think about it.  Three things caught my eye here. One was the fairly heavy early turnout.  The other is the 74% of the votes being cast by those who are not affiliated with any party.  I thought I was going to have an issue with the reporting here until I read the next paragraph, where it was explained that a number of states do not ask for party affiliation data.  The third was the states that were involved and the number of Dems voting.  Some of the western states have a fairly high amount of people who have already voted.  Almost 20% of the Population of Montana has already voted, as has over 27% of the population of Colorado.  Moving east, One fifth of the population of Florida has already voted. I did not say voters or registered voters.  The percentage of registered voters is considerably higher, one would presume. 

     And the early voting will continue in several battleground states, Including Florida and Ohio. It’s gonna be a helluva ride on Tuesday. 

     For those who like to follow these things, I will be On Twitter from around noon on election day, and will stay there deep, deep into the night.  Just look for MikeTheRhino.  I’ll be the one starting fights and calling John McCain a gay alien sex slave. 

    A viddy, A few quotes and I am out.

     John Cleese On Countdown W/ Keith Olbermann:

    

     That’s it for me.  Later!

Today’s Nuggets, From George Orwell, Via Wikiquote:  So far as I can see, all political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome. 

It is difficult for a statesman who still has a political future to reveal everything that he knows: and in a profession in which one is a baby at 50 and middle-aged at seventy-five, it is natural that anyone who has not actually been disgraced should feel that he still has a future.

Anagram: Propaganda/Papa Dragon

      It’s the title of a book I just bought.  Written in the 60′s by a man named Jacque Ellul.  Supposed to be a dark and heavy treatise on the subject.  Just what I was looking for!  Kewl.

        One thing that slightly annoys me.  Joe the Plumber (AKA Sam Wurzelbacher) has a publicist.  So much for the everyman picture that he was trying to paint of himself.  Talk was that he was also thinking about a music career, but thankfully he has begged off of that. 

      One other thing that truly annoys me.  A thought i had, and a fairly disturbing one at that.  Osama Bin Laden is alive because America wants him alive.  He is the symbol that justifies their expenditures.  He is out there still sucking oxygen because he is the foe America needs to justify spending billions of dollars on defense and anti-terrorism measures and all the other stuff that goes along with it.  If they really wanted him dead, he would be dead.  If they really wanted him in custody he would be in custody.  If he is free, it is because the powers that be have surmised that it serves their best interests for him to be free.

     Just thinking out loud.

      One thing that makes me happy.  Barack Obama looks like he has a lead that can stick even through an attack of the bradley effect.   The Gallup traditional poll, which had Barack Obama up by only two percent two weeks ago now has him up 5%.  He has maintained a double digit lead in the CBS/NYT Poll over the last two weeks.  Going through a few polls in battleground states, you can see that the man has a fairly strong lead in all but the strongest of Red states.  Montana and Arizona are in play at this point, something that would have been unthinkable only a few weeks ago.

    One other thing that makes me happy.  The New York Rangers just took the lead in their game Vs. the Atlanta Thrashers with 4 minutes to go in the game.  Goals by Naslund, Zherdev and Girardi. 

     A video, a few quotes, and I am done. 

     A short video, but a happy one, Gore Vidal and William Buckley going at it during coverage of the 1968 democratic convention:

     

    That’s it for me.  Later!

Today’s Nuggets:  By ‘radical,’ I understand one who goes too far; by ‘conservative,’ one who does not go far enough; by ‘reactionary,’ one who won’t go at all.   Woodrow Wilson

A Bill of Rights that means what the majority wants it to mean, is worthless.  Antonin Scalia

Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.   George Orwell

Anagram: One Year at WordPress/Peasants Erode Worry

       OK, It was Yesterday that marked my one year anniversary at wordpress, but my mind was elsewhere yesterday.  I had been thinking of doing an anniversary write-up yesterday, but i never got to it, in large part because, well, I got lost in the news.  It happens.  A short look back at the last year.

    1) Rhino as political animal:  I have always been into politics, but never the policy wonk type, never the guy to really look that deeply into the affairs of the day with anything but a casual eye.  Until this year.  This is the year where i got out my old copy of Tom Paine’s “Common Sense”, an old copy of ” The Federalist Papers”, and really started to delve into politics as strongly as i dove into fantasy sports, and before that, drinking.  My political philosophy hasn’t changed, if anything, it has been strengthened by this long hard look I’ve taken into the American political machinery.  

       I am of two minds about our country.

        In one way, I am more convinced than ever that America needs a much smaller but still strong government, that the rights as given us in the constitution have been severely abridged, that the biggest threat to our rights and freedoms is our own stupidity, and our inability to reign in government power, and more than convinced that we will not get what we need.  The power of government is not in the people, or even in the people in the government, but in the machinery of the government, and that those few who realize that are not keen to change things.  We are only superficially a democracy, and in some ways an oligarchy, and it doesn’t matter that you know it, because you are powerless to stop it, short of armed revolt, and the people are too content to be called to arms, or at the least too busy with their lives to listen and act in accordance with their real needs.

        In another, I am convinced that we have the power, at least superficially, to make positive changes to the world we live in through what democracy we have, and changes for the better.  We can still make changes to those who represent us in Washington, and in that way alter the power structure somewhat over both the long and short term.  Just because they run our government doesn’t mean they run our lives.  The Constitution and Bill of Rights, weakened as they are, are still in force, and still strong enough to help ensure that the freedom our forefathers purchased for us with their blood over 230 years ago will still exist for our children and grandchildren.

   2) Rhino as Injury plagued runner:  I’ve been running for the last 6 years, and I have run into more injuries this year than any of the previous five.  No less than 7 times have i been stopped by serious injuries that required me to take off several weeks.  I am in one of those injury stops now.  Well it’s not really an injury, it started out as a week off due to severe calf cramping, and I just got ill. I’ve been fighting a cold and crappy sinuses for the last two weeks.  And i tell you this, if I have a headache or a hard time breathing, I can’t run, and that’s where I’ve been these two weeks. 

     I’ve also had shin splints, hip pain, back pain, pulled hamstrings, Strained quads, and a sprained ankle.  The shin splints were the worst.  I think that’s what they were anyway.  There was so much pain that my left leg’s anterior compartment (that’s the lower front leg muscle, for those who don’t know) actually felt like there was pressure buildup in the muscle and it felt weak and i would get pins and needles in my lower leg.  That kept me off of my feet for the better part of two months.  And i will NEVER laugh at an athlete who has to take a few days off due to a strained Hammy again, that shit HURTS!

    3) Rhino as Musician:  I’ve since stopped playing as much as i was playing maybe six months ago, but i still play every day.  But there were days back then where i was probably playing one and a half hours a day maybe more, and the playing I was doing was, for me, amazingly complex.  My finger-picking, such that it is, has gotten much better, my picking is much cleaner and faster, and my left hand/right hand coordination is head and shoulders above where it was a year ago.  I was very much a legato player when i restarted in earnest, and while i still use that legato playing as a base, my staccato playing capacity has gone through the roof. 

     And if I lost you there, no worries.  I’ll explain.  I wasn’t a very fast or very good speed picker or player when i started up again.  Now I can rip with both speed and accuracy that simply did not exist 12 months ago.  My finger dexterity has improved, and dammit, I’m just a better player. 

    4)  Rhino as Writer:  This is what I am most proud of.  For all that there are a million things I probably do wrong, and a million things that I need to do to become a real writer, I think my writing, both in style and technically has made great strides over the last year.  But I will not speak of achievements here, since I have so much more to learn. 

     5) Rhino as Husband:  Ummmm….. You don’t need to know about this, that’s between me and my wife.  suffice it say that  I love my wife and she loves me and that all that could be good is good. 

     It’s been a good year.  Here’s to another good one coming through.

     A Viddy, a few quotes, and I am done.

    Former Senator Bob Kerrey, President of the New school, and Pulitzer prize winner Linda Greenhouse, talking about Supreme court appointments in the next few years.

    

That’s It for me.  Later!

Today’s Nuggets, Via Wikiquote: I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.  Douglas Adams

I do not believe in freedom of the will. Schopenhauer’s words: “Man can do what he wants, but he cannot will what he wills” accompany me in all situations throughout my life and reconcile me with the actions of others even if they are rather painful to me. This awareness of the lack of freedom of will preserves me from taking too seriously myself and my fellow men as acting and deciding individuals and from losing my temper.  Albert Einstein

Anagram: Senator/ Treason

       I just liked that Anagram.  I’m not accusing anyone of treason today.  At least not yet.

      There’s A Newspaper in New Mexico, a Bi-Monthly, called the New Mexico Sun News.  It puts out a copy this week, but won’t have another copy out until after the election.  I guess they felt a need to Grab some headlines, So they put out the Following Headline for the edition that came out today.

     “  OBAMA WINS!!!”  

       Now I don’t know about you folks, but I respect that kind Of moxie.  That takes guts!  And I am told that there is a bit of tongue-in-cheek going on.   You can tell that by part of the story that apparently talks about The Paper’s intent of getting One million readers per edition….despite only putting out 10,000 copies per printing.  They do ask that people go out and vote “Even if we gave away the ending” .  A quote of the Newspaper, Via CNN:  
  

“each copy must be read by 100 different and distinct people. This places an enormous burden on our intrepid readers. However, it is a burden that we must insist you carry. So, please, read quickly, care for the physical condition of the paper and pass it on to your next chosen reader.”

     I LIKE these people!  I am wondering if anyone could maybe send me a spare copy of this edition of the New Mexico Sun Times, Drop me a line and I’ll let you know how to get it to me!

    Next Up, The Stock Market. 

      RALLY!!!!!  Ladies and Gentlemen, I have become so used to doom and gloom from the markets recently, that when I saw the futures market yesterday over 300 points up, I thought the market would still end lower, seeing how most other markets around the world had taken a shellacking the day prior.  Nope.  Happily wrong on this one.  The Market ended the day up 889.35 points!  Holy Crap, that may be the good news that the market needed to pull it out of the doldrums!   As a consequence of the positive news, the Nikkei is up almost 7% as we speak,  and a combination of a rate cut and the wall street news move the Hang Seng market index up 1,580.45 points, a whopping 14.35% jump!   The Brazilian Bovespa went up in a similar fashion, up 13.42%, or 3,951.54 points.

      Now the problems in the economy are far from fixed, but maybe this signals a beginning of a return to sanity, a return to a little less volatility.  There is still much wrong with the world economy, consumer confidence is at an all time low, and we are still hemorrhaging jobs, but one hopes that we can look at this day in the stock market as being the day where the turnaround began. 

    It’s gotta start somewhere, and since the problems originated on Wall Street, why not have the Up trend start there as well?

      A video, a few quotes, and I am history.

       David Talbot, talking about Sarah Palin, calling her a creation of the right wing. 

    

  That’s It for me!  Later!

 Today’s Nuggets A series of short quotes from Samuel Johnson, Via Wikiquote:  Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we cannot resemble.

In order that all men may be taught to speak truth, it is necessary that all likewise should learn to hear it.

No oppression is so heavy or lasting as that which is inflicted by the perversion and exorbitance of legal authority.

Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords.

Anagram: News Of The Weak/We Knew Of Haste

   

     Weakness #2:  Sen. Ted Stevens was found guilty today on all 7 counts of making false statements on financial disclosure documents.  Not surprisingly, Senator Stevens maintains his innocence.  Of mild interest here is the fact that one juror had to be excused due to a family emergency, and an alternate had to be brought in, and deliberations had to be started over, and a verdict was reached amazingly swiftly after that.  I say amazingly because there were three days of intense deliberations and one instance of one juror being a major asshole at the other jurors, according to all reports that I read.  Maybe that’s the juror who left.  I dunno, I see nothing that says that is (or isn’t) the case. 

     Ted Stevens was a lock for the Alaska Senate seat he is defending, but now is locked in a tight race for that seat, with his challenger, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.  He has won every senate race he has participated in, getting at least 66% of the vote, but this may well flush any chance of his getting re-elected down the toilet.  I would feel sorry for the man, but he made out like a bandit for years. He is allowed to continue sitting until the Senate takes action on his inappropriate behavior. 

       Weakness #1: Ah, The Joy of Killing…or plotting it anyway.  Two young white supremacists, ages 18 and 20, have been arrested in what looks to be some twisted Nazi dream.  They had acquired several rifles, cased out one home, and a gun store, to rob it apparently.  They were apparently planning to attack a predominantly black school, and then were going to do a drive by and kill Barack Obama, with the assassination being the “culmination of a killing spree”. 

     Now there are a few things you should know here.  Obama had no plans to actually be in  Tennessee, where the charges were filed, and where the school attack was to take place, anytime soon.  How they were planning on doing it I have no idea.  They said they had spoken of Killing Obama, but whether they had gotten past the “We hate N***ers and we should kill some, and their leader too” phase is unknown to me, but any threat to either society in general or one target in particular MUST be taken seriously.  They have been charged with illegal possession of a sawed-off shotgun, conspiracy to rob a firearms dealer and making threats against a presidential candidate. 

     That’s it for the news.

     A quick message to everyone out there ready to Crown Barack Obama President.  Hold yer horses.  It isn’t over yet.  Let’s take a quick look at the electoral college and polling for just a second.

        According to the real clear politics electoral college/polling map, John McCain has 17 states and 130 electoral college votes, at least according to the Information at hand, locked down, while Barack Obama has 19 states + D.C. locked down, with a total of 255 Electoral votes.   But that also leaves 14 states and 153 electoral college votes in either the leaning or the toss up category. Any state that has a lead for any particular candidate of less than 10 percentage points is considered a lean, and anything less than 5% a toss-up.  Most of these states have, in past, voted with the Republicans and only two of these states have gone democratic once in the last two elections.  Toss-Up states include Missouri, Indiana, North Carolina,  and Florida.  Georgia is called a Lean state, as is Arizona.  Put those states in the McCain column, which could conceivably happen, all of a sudden we have a Much tighter race on our hands.  It then becomes 255-219.

     If you are a McCain supporter, there is no reason to give up hope. 

    But If you are an Obama supporter, things are very much looking up, but know that the race isn’t over until the last electoral vote is counted.  Why, with all I just said, do I say that Things are looking up for Obama?   A few reasons.  One.  Even without leaners, he is, according to the polls, only 16 electoral votes away from victory.  Two, even if you give John McCain every single tossup state, and all the leaners that are leaning his way, the states of West Virginia, Arizona, and Georgia, while giving Obama all the states he is leading in, Barack Obama still wins, and pretty handily at that, 306-232. 

    It;s gonna be fun next Tuesday.  Don’t forget to vote, and make sure you bring munchies, this is gonna be entertaining to the last second. 

    Damn! Politics is more fun than Baseball!  No Rain-outs On Election day, Baybee! And no shitty umpires fudging the calls….well…. Anyone who remembers Bush V. Gore might argue that Point.  Still better than Baseball though.

    A video, some quotes, and I am done.

    A Keith Olbermann campaign comment from today. Ashley Todd, John Moody, and a plea to John McCain.

    

       That’s it for me.  Later!

Today’s Nuggets:  Racism is simply an ugly form of collectivism, the mindset that views humans strictly as members of groups rather than individuals. Racists believe that all individuals who share superficial physical characteristics are alike: as collectivists, racists think only in terms of groups. By encouraging Americans to adopt a group mentality, the advocates of so-called “diversity” actually perpetuate racism. Their obsession with racial group identity is inherently racist. The true antidote to racism is liberty. Liberty means having a limited, constitutional government devoted to the protection of individual rights rather than group claims. Liberty means free-market capitalism, which rewards individual achievement and competence, not skin color, gender, or ethnicity.    Ron Paul

Walk a single path, becoming neither cocky with victory nor broken with defeat, without forgetting caution when all is quiet or becoming frightened when danger threatens.   Jigoro Kano