Not Born a Travelin' Man

Mitt Romney has just completed his World Tour of the UK, Israel, and Poland.

While I personally don't feel that any of his actions were cringe-worthy, the media panned it as a gaffe-a-thon.

The trip, nonetheless, missed the mark.  Instead of building Romney's bona fides on foreign policy, it demonstrated that Romney can raise money, pander to Jewish voters, and travel via airplane.

Romney should have simply remained overwhelmingly positive on this trip.  He already looks the part of an America president.  Why not match it with some idealistic rhetoric?

"Is London ready for the Olympics?"
"Yes!  You know the Brits--Hitler couldn't stop them, and neither will rain and poor private security contracting."

Had I been an adviser to Governor Romney, I would have urged him to speak in Belgium or Switzerland.  In Belgium he could have visited a battlefield and in Switzerland he could have stumped at an international NGO.  He would have been able to speak in French and English.  I think it would have made for good optics--imagine a bilingual American presidential candidate talking to a European crowd in their own tongue!  Sure beats Obama's "foreign policy" experience eating dog and waking up to the calls of the Muezzin in Indonesia as a child.

Mitt, I trust you will learn from this experience.

あなたは今まであなたが読み取ることができませんでしたTシャツを見たことがありますか？

何かが外国語で書かれているという理由だけでは、それがクールなことはありません。

Pioneer Day Meme

My favorite Brigham Young quote of all time...

A Political Dead Heat in the ObamaNation

Conservatives are downright scared.

"How can Obama be in a dead heat with Romney given the dismal state of our economy and world standing?" they ask themselves.  "How is this man not losing the presidential horse race by a mile?"

I believe the answer lies in the increased role of government to provide for the basic needs of many citizens.

Food stamp rolls have expanded.

Disability benefit recipients are up.

More people rely on government moolah to stay in their homes and apartments.

Should Romney win, this rattled half of the population fears that its federally funded food, phones, transportation, and shelter will go away.

Mitt Romney has been cleverly labeled by the opposition as a miserly businessman out of the Dickensian era who will stop at nothing to grind the poor on the millstone of austerity--and this label has stuck.

Out of this primal fear of survival, Obama endures in the polls.

A Side of Rice

 I know that making Condi Rice Romney's VP could have a strategically positive influence for the GOP in the presidential race...

...but doesn't it play perfectly into Obama's argument that Romney equals George W. Bush, thereby negating any benefits of her candidacy?

Did You Know That People in Europe Can Sing?

Every year the Eurovision song contest rolls around and every year I realize I'm the only one within about 20,000 kilometers* who cares.

Not sure why I even enjoy it so much.

Perhaps it's the pageantry, the linguistic diversity, or its relative obscurity in the US of A.  To be clear, I've never lived in Europe.

Or maybe it's because I'm just glad Europe now competes through song and dance instead of world wars.

*Metric units seemed more appropriate here.

Chick Flickery

My quick reviews on two recent cinematic masterpieces:

The Vow
I vow not to see this movie again.

The Help
Exactly what I said during the film..."HELP!"

Car Radio

This is often how I feel when I listen to the radio these days...

Whoops

I only posted once in 2011?

That's embarrassing...

Imported from Detroit

At first I balked at this ad campaign.

The more I thought about it, though, I liked it.

I hope Chrysler's advertising agency continues to strike such a tone.

Beyond the world of commercials, I saw new Chrysler 200 on the interstate a few days ago.

It really is a slick-lookin' car.

"Chevy Runs Deep," however, is still a lame tagline.

September 1st, 2010

Independence Day!

 

Millions of Peaches

One of the all-time Maury Povich classics I was reminded of the other day while back home...

It's Hard to Rhyme a Word With Mosque

Initially, I strongly pooh-poohed the "Ground Zero Mosque" when reports of its planning first made news (the name had led me to believe it was actually going to be constructed in the Ground Zero complex).

Then I learned that this name is a misnomer--it's actually two blocks away from Ground Zero. My opposition quickly faded away in the warm and cherished parchment of the U.S. Constitution.

Shortly thereafter, I learned that the Imam behind the creation of this Mosque is a radical bloke--stating that U.S. policy was "complicit" with the 9/11 attacks. He also refuses to label Hamas a terrorist organization. My support was withdrawn.

Then it was made known to me that this "moderate" Imam is a "goodwill ambassador" for the Obama administration, preaching an (in his words) "Americanized Islam" to the rest of the Muslim world (courtesy of U.S. taxpayers). My opposition calcified.

Taxpayer dollars have no business flying radical clerics across the globe to speak with other radicals who happen to be closer to Mecca.

Public funds also have no business funding such a religious building project in direct violation of constitutional principles.

Once the doting Obama threw himself in the fray of the controversy, the majority (68%!) of Americans had made up their minds that the mosque should not be built.

We now see some interesting fallout as a result of the president's intervention (or perhaps due to his previous religious ambiguity)...24% of Americans in a recent poll thought Obama was Muslim. One in four!

Construction workers in New York and their unions also now have pledged to decline any work related to this mosque.

In the end, this issue boils down to 3,000 deceased persons whose families have sworn never to forget or dishonor.

To have a symbol of the fanaticism (in the minds of most victims' families) that drove men to kill next-door to the literal killing field and burial ground of their loved ones' is simply unacceptable.

Nine years is simply too soon to have had their collective memories fade enough from the horror and death they experienced.

It Takes Two To Play Chicken

On the way up to Au Gres this past week a large sheet of painted plywood in a front lawn in Standish caught my eye. It shouted:

ANY WORKING PERSON WHO VOTES REPUBLICAN IS LIKE A CHICKEN WHO SUPPORTS COLONEL SANDERS

In the spirit of bipartisanship, I wanted to erect a companion message next to it:

ANY UNION MEMBER WHO VOTES DEMOCRAT IS LIKE A PROSTITUTE WHO PAYS A PIMP FOR "PROTECTION"

The Funniest Thing I Ever Saw

In the 5th grade, every child is mandated to do a report on one of our fifty fabulous states.

Many students brought treats associated with that state (I brought oranges because I showcased the great State of Florida).

Several students also brought relatives to watch the oral portion of the report, as it was the largest project we'd completed so far in our elementary education.

The girl who exhibited Washington state brought green Granny Smith apples to share with everyone once she had finished extolling the virtues of the Pacific Northwest. Her grandmother and mother had come to support her.

Whoever had sliced the apples had forgotten to remove their trademark white stickers. In the corner of my eye, what did I witness...but GRANDMA eating an entire STICKER on a fresh slice of fruit!

I fell out of my chair in hysterics and almost got kicked out of class. I struggled to suppress my laughter.

To this day, I copiously inspect every apple I eat for proper prior sticker removal protocol.

So I don't end up like that granny eating a Granny in Mrs. Winter's class.

Lessons for Life, Lessons for Eternity

I don't remember much about that first blur of a day in the MTC, but I do remember the very last thing my father told me before I entered into those point-of-no-return doors after the rest of my family had tearfully said good-bye.

With the air of a proud patriarch, he simply said, "Work hard, son."

This vignette is demonstrative of the two greatest lessons I learned from my father's example.

Service to others, to the church, and the value of hard work.

It held true on the mission, and it holds true now as a father myself.

Thanks, Dad.

Knock Knock Knock Out

-Knock knock.

-Who's there?

-Interrupting one-term president.

-Interrupting one-term pres--

-BARACK OBAMA!

Parody or Desecration?

You decide.

Either way, George Lucas just made several more million dollars overnight.

Props to anyone who can name the cameos in this vid beyond Snoop Dogg and David Beckham.

Oh, and I officially don't care about the World Cup--Ecuador missed qualifying by ONE point.

Just a Phase

Hey, do you remember the smash internet phenomenon of 2004 known as homestarrunner.com?

Me neither.

How Do We Expect Our Children to Learn If We Can't Show Them?

This is perhaps the best warning to date we've ever read for one of Steven's toys.

It came off of a toy lawnmower that blows bubbles.

Please make sure your child does not follow you using this toy while you are operating a real lawn mower. Your child should play in a separate area away from the area where you are mowing.

Lawyers. They're always ruining teachable moments about landscaping with our children.