A Trapdoor In The Sun

I know I said I was done with politics, but I heard this last night on Hannity and had to bring it up. I come off as liberal to a lot of people, and that's fine with me...but I do have strong roots in conservative idealism. My problem with Republicans currently, as I've oft stated, is that they have forgotten what they are supposed to believe in. Barry Goldwater must be rolling over in his grave right now. Republicans Are in Denial By TOM COBURN May 27, 2008; Page A21 As congressional Republicans contemplate the prospect of an electoral disaster this November, much is being written about the supposed soul-searching in the Republican Party. A more accurate description of our state is paralysis and denial. Many Republicans are waiting for a consultant or party elder to come down from the mountain and, in Moses-like fashion, deliver an agenda and talking points on stone tablets. But the burning bush, so to speak, is delivering a blindingly simple message: Behave like Republic...

1. American Beauty. I can't put into words how much this movie moves me every time I watch it. It's not a spectacle. It's not over the top. There are no real special effects. But the true meat and bone of American Beauty is the concept that no matter how hard we try in life, attaining perfection is a near impossibility. For Lester Burnham, perfection was going back to his teenage years, driving the cherry hot rod, dating the cheerleader. Now in his 40's, his life had become estranged from everything he wanted it to be. For his wife, Carolyn, perfection was success. For their daughter, it was simply love and attention. The last five minutes of this movie are spellbinding... 2. La Vita è Bella (Life is Beautiful) I caught this gem on DVD a few years back. Roberto Benigni put on the performance of his life in this story of a Jewish Italian bookstore owner who finds the love of his life only to be forced into the Nazi prison camps with his son. I love this movie...

Some of you more conservative types may be offended at what I'm about to say... but I want to personally THANK you people who voted George W. Bush into office again back in 2004. THANK you for the $4.00 a gallon gas prices and a dollar that's worth CRAP. THANKS for tax cuts that really only benefit the well off yet are being PAID FOR with our INCREASING debt to COMMUNIST CHINA! THANKS ONCE MORE, for this UNENDING war in Iraq that will end up costing MY SON TRILLIONS during his adulthood! Thanks for all the jobs lost to India and stagnant wage increases! Believe me, I could go on!!! Think about those things when you go to the polls this November. The right wing talking heads WANT the issue to be about a supposedly racist pastor (who, by the way, ISN'T running for President) and other issues that ARE NOT ISSUES. They want you to believe that the billions that have been wasted (ie. squandered) in Iraq have made America safer. They tell us that if we didn't fight them o...

RETIREMENT PLANNING FOR 2008 If you had purchased $1000.00 of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00. With Enron, you would have had $16.50 left of the original $1000.00. With WorldCom, you would have had less than $5.00 left. If you had purchased $1000 of Delta Air Lines stock you would have $36.00 left. But, if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling REFUND, You would now have $214.00. Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle. It's called the 401-Keg Plan.