In Greensboro, N.C. on Oct. 16, to a large crowd of supporters, Sarah Palin made the following statement:

“We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe, that the best of America is in these small tows that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all you hard working, very patriotic, very pro-America areas of this great nation.”

The next day in Mesilla, N.M., Joe Biden jumped all over this comment when he said:

“Ladies and gentleman, I have never been to a state that hasn’t sent its sons and daughters to serve its country. It doesn’t matter where you live, we all love this country and I hope it gets through that one of the reasons why Barack and I are running is that we know how damaging the policy of division has been. We are one nation, under God, indivisible. We are all patriotic, we all love this country.”

There are several things about politics that aggravate me, and this is one. When a candidate takes a statement by his opponent, interjects his own personal interpretation upon it, turns it around, out of context, to supply ammunition so that he can attack and belittle the other party to make them look bad. Both sides have been guilty of this, but I feel this is one of the worst examples of the race thus far. It is a complete misrepresentation of Palin’s actual words. First of all, the only juxtaposition that occurs within Palin’s statement is between Washington D.C. and the small towns of the nation. Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, Boston and the like aren’t mentioned, but just Washington D.C. Why is this? It is obviously because she feels that government has lost touch with the American people, and this extends out to the farthest areas of the Nation. I don’t see what is so disagreeable with this. In fact, I am inclined to agree 100% and I do feel the citizens of this nation make up the very “real America” that Palin mentions.

This is the ONLY contrast she states, and to interject anything else into her statement is, in my mind, ridiculous and not just messing with context, but actually adding words and wrapping it around your own personal bias, which Joe Biden did in his reply. This interpretation is a completely illogical one and it lacks any true reasoning. I myself, agree with Palin’s comments a lot more than Joe Biden’s conclusions.

Before we get into that though, let us first look at the definition of the word, “patriotism.” The dictionary defines “patriotism” as one who is “devoted to the love, support and defense of ones country; national loyalty.” However, is this really what most people think of when they think of a patriot? Do we think of someone who merely loves their country? This is an important aspect of what makes someone a patriot, true, but we see from historical contexts that a patriot is much more than this. A patriot is someone who puts their country first, above their very lives and well being, to defend the nation and its ideals. This is why our troops are patriots and so many of our citizens of this nation are not. It is funny how some see the exact opposite though, that the troops are guilty of treason and those with their picket signs on college campuses all over the United States are the real patriots. No Biden, not all of us are patriotic and we see time and time again that people only love this country when it can serve them. People forget the freedoms it offers them like to say what they want, worship however they desire and the opportunities this country provides. Such people are not patriots or patriotic, for a patriotic person is not self absorbed, but instead puts the needs of the country before their own. People now expect their country to serve them and not the other way around. This is not to say that protesting a need for reform is anti-American, rather what gets me is that people will cease to love or be proud of this country if there is something going on they disagree with. Government should be of the people and not serve the people hand and foot. We need to love this country unconditionally, but with our current leaders and much of society, this love is all too often condition based from issue to issue. This is not patriotism, nor is it love for the country, but rather love of the self. Biden’s statement that he has seen how damaging division can be, yet practices and encourages division in his very statements is an unfathomable contradiction to me. He consistently does this by twisting peoples words to mean something they don't even say and attacking reporters and citizens who ask Obama or himself thought provoking questions. Does Biden really have the right to lecture us on what patriotism really is? First, to Biden patriotism is paying taxes. Let us realize another component of patriotism; that it is completely voluntary. Patriotism is never required by the federal government as taxes are. Furthermore, is it patriotic to attack an American citizen on Jay Leno? No, of course its not! Nor is it patriotic or even decent to slam a person and refuse to answer a legitimate question on a Florida news station because you don’t like the question. You are a politician! Part of your job is to answer the tough questions! These actions certainly aren’t elements of patriotism!

Biden may have been a patriot at one time, when he was first sworn in, but he certainly isn’t now and therefore shouldn’t speak as an authority on the subject. A lot of our politicians are self serving morons that have no national pride, but instead insist on the government and the people of the nation to serve them and their ideals only! Most of these politicians are situated in Washington D.C. and these are the people Palin brought up in her statement, and who she has a problem with. Palin doesn’t raise issue with the people of America who do love this country and want to protect it, but rather those who love it only when it benefits them and want to change it to suit them perfectly.

(Interesting how people who protest in such ways always feel the need to keep their faces covered. Cowards.)

It is not the pro-American people of this country that need to change, but rather government and this is what was emphasized in Palin’s comments and eventually lost by the remarks of Biden. It is sad when even positive things said by a politician can be twisted to mean something completely different by their opponents and media. I did like when Biden said, “We are one nation, under God, indivisible.” I liked it, not because I feel that this is represented anymore within society or government, but rather because that’s what our country should be. It shows us what we once were, what we are lacking, but what we could be again. Considering the words that come out of Biden’s mouth and how he acts, it is time he started behaving like he actually believes those words and holds onto to their meaning.

On a side note, I found a rather strange phenomenon when researching this entry and it keeps popping up time and time again. As in this instance, I could find Biden’s comments at a drop of the hat, but for some reason, I had a rather difficult time finding Palin’s actual statement. I eventually ran across an article where it was cited, but they felt the need to include the verbal “um’s” and “uh’s” in her speech, even though these weren’t overly obtrusive during her address. It’s odd that periodicals never include these when referencing Obama and Biden’s statements, but often insert them for McCain and Palin. It was obviously added to make her sound more stupid, for journalists are actually discouraged from inserting such things into quotation’s, for they can detract from the point behind the quote and distract the reader as well. In theory these should all be omitted by real journalists concerning all the candidates statements, but they frequently aren’t for Republican’s, yet the same “attention to detail” in quotations isn’t applied to comments from Democrats. Odd.

Last thursday, I opted to watch Biden on Leno rather than McCain on Letterman for a couple reasons. First, I felt pretty sure about what McCain was going to say already, just as I was sure about the attacks he was going to get from Letterman. I was positive that McCain's responses would be pretty good, with no real huge sound bytes coming out of the appearance, other than what the crew at MSNBC decided to twist around. Also, Letterman, who I used to enjoy watching, tends to aggravate me because of his constant, shrewd, condescending bias towards anyone not sharing his particular beliefs and it was an added element that drove me to tune into Leno's show instead. (Note the irony when I say that, for this is the most condescending, shrewd entry I have ever written. In my defense though, I don't run a talk show to begin with and have no patience concerning media and elected officials in government going after a single citizen because he dared ask a question. Your damn right I'm going to be shrewd!) Despite his monologues that tend to make fun of the right exceedingly more than the left, I have always considered Leno to be pretty fair, for after all, it is a comedy show and I think it is appropriate to cut him a little slack concerning some of the content because, truthfully, you have to admit, it is pretty funny. Furthermore, I was sure Biden would do what he always does and make one of those famous "Bidenisms" that he is so well known for. So all and all, Leno seemed like the logical choice between NBC and CBS in terms of possible entertainment value. Biden certainly didn't disappoint, but Jay Leno sure as hell did. Leno himself initiates a rather moronic conversation with Biden when he says, "Joe the Plumber. I don’t know. It seems awfully convenient, I mean I am a little suspicious, but that’s just me. You know, worried about taxes, does it seem real?" Thinking back, I can't really remember anyone I have respected so much as Jay Leno saying something so completely stupid. I was appalled at this comment, and thought that perhaps Biden wouldn't be the highlight of the evening after all, but then Biden quickly added, "Don’t have many of those plumbers in my neighborhood. Well, let me put it this way… I don’t know many plumbers that make $250,000 dollars a year worried about it. We’re kind of worried about Joe the Fireman, Joe the Policeman, Joe the real plumber with a license." Please, someone tell me that both these educated men didn't say the things I just think they said! I don't even know where to begin to respond to the stupidity muddled comments these guys just spewed forth from their mouths, but I guess I will have to take it one step at a time. Let us focus first on Jay Leno's absurd moronic belch. Leno, brings up Joe the Plumber, whose real name is Samuel Joseph (Joe) Wurzelbacher, and adds, "I don't know." What is it exactly that Mr. Leno finds so hard to grasp about this "Joe" the Plumber guy? That he goes by his middle name? So what, I have known several people who prefer to be called by their middle names; that is hardly an issue to the voters. Is it the fact that Joe owes $1200 dollars in back taxes? Yeah, wow, thats a real rarity there. What a hazard to the United States Economy! Maybe its the fact that Joe lacks the plumbers license that would give him the ability to work within Toledo city limits, even though he still has the right to work in rural areas of the state.(Though, in all honesty I do find this odd, for most states have differences in whether contractors need to be licensed, bonded or insured or not, but these are usually state-wide laws and most states that I know of, don't break it up into "territories" concerning legal documentation, insurance and licensing.) No, as Jay babbles on, we see that what really worries Leno is that Joe the Plumber might be some sort of pawn or plant in a huge scheme orchestrated by the Republicans to ummm... uhhh... ask Obama questions I guess. This makes no sense and the fiasco would have had to been set in motion by the Democrats if anything, for it was Obama himself who walked into Joe the Plumbers neighborhood, followed by a huge news crew and taking questions from those that lived in the community. So I guess several years prior to this, the McCain campaign, that didn't even exist yet, found a random plumber, who was late on his taxes and paid him to move into a certain neighborhood so that when McCain's future unknown opponent visited, he could ask him a couple of tough questions. Yeah, sounds perfectly reasonable. To quote Billy Mays, "But Wait! Thats not all!" Leno goes onto say, "You know... worried about taxes? Does it seem real?" Well, speaking of out of touch, Mr. Leno apparently has lost sight of what it is like not to be famous and be affected by little things such as taxes and the government gaining an ever bigger hold on your wallet. Yeah, surely such concerns cannot be real and Joe the Plumber has to be a plant! Come on Jay, even you too were once affected by taxes, before you became this huge multi-millionaire with 500 motor vehicles. Perhaps this will help jog your memory:

Could you imagine if McCain was tied to a group such as ACORN, which has already admitted in some states to non-existent people, with non-existent addresses being registered to vote? It would be the fecal storm of the century and we the public would be buried up to our necks in dung from news organizations rushing to cover the scandal and their spewing of it into our homes through all forms of media. However, Obama has ties to this very group and it raises some interesting legitimate questions, yet he gets a free pass on it for the most part. It is true that my thoughts concerning media coverage between Obama and McCain in such circumstances is of a scenario that is mainly a hypothetical of a hypocritical, but based on the current trend of media and cultural biases, I do think this would be the case. Yet, with media hardly mentioning it, this isn't what really gets to me. No, in fact, media is just representing the culture in this case. This is very dangerous to the values that America claims to hold onto, but that are now, in reality, just hanging by a thin threat. Again, its our own fault for we Americans are apparently too busy or stuck in our ways to give a damn about any large injustice that takes place, as this certainly is.

Yes! Its time for another round of your favorite game show! Yes, its time to play: "Collins-or-Putin"? Wow, that bank bailout bill really did our country a whole crap load of good didn't it? I really wish politicians would just shut up for a while, for every time they speak or do anything, it has a disastrous effect on the economy. The very moment the bill passed, the DOW plummeted. When the Treasury Secretary spoke the other day, the DOW plummeted. Perhaps Wall Street realizes what the media won't report, that the free market is now dead and a stuttering Stanley of a socialistic economic dictator has now been thrust into power in the form of the Treasury Secretary Paulson. I truthfully cannot understand the logic. We had to have seen this coming, you cannot just keep spending money that you don't have, with nothing to back it up, without the bottom falling out. Don't we know this from our own personal lives? Of course we do, because we have learned that if you keep spending money that doesn't exist you are screwed. So now, while all these banks who have spent too much nonexistent money are going into debt, our brilliant government approaches us with a doozy of a plan... to spend more money that doesn't reside in the realm of reality! WTF?!? We need to really be asking the government how long they think they can keep spending air before we crash and burn completely and the public needs to hold them accountable accordingly. Yes, the news has been covering the current economic crisis, but I think, in reality, they are actually downplaying what happened last week. One of the elements that made this country great has just been taken away from us and more power has just been shoved in the hands of the government. It now has complete control on over half of all home mortgages and loans, and has authority over the credit system. Sure, it would be a gross mischaracterization to say that we are now in the grips of a soviet form of government, but let us just for one moment consider the ten planks of Marx's communist manifesto shall we? Perhaps it may seem a little familiar. Furthermore, I challenge and encourage everyone to read the whole text of the Communist Manifesto then compare it with our Constitution and see which one rings more bells. The ten planks of Marx's infamous work are: 1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. 2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. 3. Abolition of all right of inheritance. 4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly. 6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State. 7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan. 8. Equal liability of all to labour. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture. 9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equable distribution of the population over the country. 10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production. I would like to quickly focus on #5. Read it again, its dead accurate as to what just happened. Not only is government controlling banking institutions and being more involved in the private sector then ever in history, but concerning the monopoly, companies like JP Morgan Chase are creating it by buying out all these banks. Less market competition and more government power. Ah yes, a cornerstone of Marxist philosophy. Furthermore, the government now has the ability to produce its own capital by essentially running a business. This is extremely dangerous and right out of the socialist handbook. All these planks have American counterparts in forms of legislation and laws that have been passed since the 1920's. This bailout bill just took huge strides forward in bringing socialism into our economy. Our country and its ideals are now rapidly dying and we have nobody to blame but ourselves for letting it happen. The saddest part is when you take into account all the men and women who have shed their blood on American soil and upon the earth abroad to protect our country from socialism and assure its sovereignty. Blood and sweat has now been spilled for naught, for our Republic is no more, and capitalism is withering away. Its always under the guise of our own protection that our own government takes our rights away, and we just bend over and take it! We won't endure any hardship in our comfortable little lives for the good of our nation and following generations, even when we see that in relation with other peoples around the world we are truly blessed. No, we are selfish bastards, who can't see past their own lives to a greater cause or mission and we hand away our freedoms willfully. If people don't rise up, we deserve what is coming and trust me, its coming. It is on the horizon and if you look, you too can see the danger that lies ahead. The United States of America is soon to decay into another miserable country of the impoverished and we won't have any republican, democrat or independent to blame. No, fellow citizens of the United Socialist States of America, the blood will be on our own hands.

So I am at the local Shell station today, throwing down some snaps on the petrol and putting a light splash in my tank, when a scrawny, bearded man approached asking for money saying that his small pickup was just about out of gas and him and his girlfriend needed to get to downtown because of an emergency. I was a little annoyed. It could be because of the gas prices, or that I was late for school, or that I didn’t have time to pick up coffee, or that people were driving like idiots, or that people didn’t feel the need to “pull through” forcing me to back up to fill up, but in any case I was a little suspicious and perturbed. Of course, it could be the fact that he didn’t even have a girlfriend in his truck to begin with and that I had just seen him in the store buying cigarettes. I tried to be nice saying, sorry I was late for school and didn’t have time to help him, but it is a completely stupid excuse since all I had to do was reach in my pocket and it would have cost me no additional time whatsoever, but I was in a bad mood already, and this scam has certainly been played out before. I hate gas groupies who stand around making some excuse saying they have no way to reach their destination, usually traveling with some non existent family and then once you give them the money they drive off to go buy their Mad Dog or smack. I didn’t let myself fall victim this time though, even though after the initial request by the man he responded with a thought provoking, “Dude, come on.” No dude, you come on. Don’t give me that, you were just buying smokes, telling a sob story of how you can’t get into town with a girlfriend that you don’t even have, in a truck that’s not even pulled up to the pump, with a beard that looks like it needs to be ran through with one of those tiny Nix combs. You come on! Oh, and he was one of those close talkers too, you know the ones that just get right up inside your bubble for some reason as if they want to influence you, not only with their words, but their aura as well. Sure enough, the man didn’t even wait for another victim, but jumped into his small blue mid-eighties Toyota pickup and went across the street to the AMPM to scope out the sitch there. I don’t mean to sound like an jerk and I do give to people in need, but real people in need. Not some scrawny, bearded man wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt all up in my biznezz. Its sad because it makes people hesitant to give to those who truly are less fortunate, for now we are always suspicious, so nowadays more money goes to those scammers who wander the parking lots of BP and Walmart rather than to any real needy person. Before I get e-mails about my need to go to sensitivity training just let me say I do feel a little guilty, but sometimes a vibe is just too negative for me in good conscience to decide to dish out money to total strangers all the time. Especially, like when someone is waiting at the end of a Starbuck's drive thru trying to sell you VCR, stating he needs food for his kids, while his neck and knuckles glitter in the sunlight with bling he could easily pawn. True story by the way; and really a VCR? Its all DVD now, the only VHS tape I have left is The Goonies and its on TBS all the time anyway so I don't really feel the strong urge to go out and buy a VCR to play the movie. You might as well be trying to sell me a Beta Max.