Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Hugo Chavez, he's "our" idiot!

Hugo Chavez gave a very vitriolic speech today at the U.N., calling President Bush "The Devil," ridiculing him, and making charges of imperialism against our country. Okay, all of that may be true, but Mr. Chavez, he's our idiot to ridicule!

Our President certainly has his issues and I am generally not a supporter of his. However, Chavez is way out of line for his remarks. It seems that hating the United States (and Israel) is pretty popular right now and I will offer a reason why: Is there any other nation out there that could unilaterally invade two countries and topple both of their governments in less than a month each? Or, is there a country out there that could repel an invader (Iraq) out of a country (Kuwait) in, oh, about 96 hours?

Hugo Chavez and the rest of the third world and cowardly industrialized nations (France principally) are envious of our power and wealth. For all of Venezuela's oil, they still have a GDP of 153.7 billion, compared to our GDP of 12.36 trillion. Also, it would probably take us a week or two to destroy their armed forces' capability to wage war. As for France, well, we've bailed them out of two defeats, ie, surrenders (if you count Dien Bien Phu, that's three). They haven't been a world power since Napoleon I, and that gig went up in smoke in 1812.

The United States certainly has its share of problems, no doubt. However, they are OUR problems. Chavez should shut his mouth and be grateful that we even allowed him into our country. As for his statement that the U.N. be moved to Venezuela, I say go ahead. The U.N. would even be less effective than it is now and we could use that prime real estate for some good.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Islam, the Pope, and hypocrisy

So Pope Benedict said something inflammatory about Islam. What's funny is that his religion is no less violent than the religion that he criticized. Remember the Crusades? Well, the six Crusades to be exact. Muslims were slaughtered by the thousands in the name of Jesus Christ. So for the Pope to criticize Islam for being violent is like Pinochet accusing Stalin of being a criminal.

The problem is that these two "religions" are largely responsible for many of the wars that have been fought. It was once fashionable to invoke "God" in order to destroy one's enemies. Wait a minute, it's still fashionable. If there is a God out there, he must be a bloodthirsty bastard or he must be seriously confused about what the hell his humans are doing to themselves in his name. Either way, he's really not doing anything to stop the killing, so fuck him.

What we need to do is parade all of the Imams, Cardinals, and preachers of the world and ask them kindly to join their creator in never-never land, then push them all over a cliff. I think the world would be much better off.

Battlestar Galactica

I just finished watching the remainder of season two of Battlestar Galactica. I believe that this television series is one of the best (if not the best) on television. In the two seasons of the "reimagined series (RIS)," they have covered a variety of
political, ethical, and interpersonal issues that resonate with us today. The reason I mention this is that I've been to many sites that denigrate the RIS in favor of the original.

I am old enough to have watched the original series on television and compared to the RIS, it is quite unimpressive. I liken fans' love of the old series to our evangelicals who want to take us back to a "more simple time." While entertaining, the original series is campy, innocent, and a little shortsighted. Nothing of substance was ever really discussed, in my opinion, although they did have a token black guy and a couple of token female warriors. They weren't the primary characters, of course, and were put in (in my opinion) to show that that civilization was "advanced." Yeah, right.

The issues that the RIS discusses, such as the woman's right to an abortion against the backdrop of a potentially dying human race, the treatment of prisoners of war, and election fraud (even though it was the right thing to do) go far beyond anything that the old series ever came close to (or could come close to). The new Battlestar Galactica provides insightful and provoking coverage of subjects that affect us today and that have always affected us and that makes it relevant; just as relevant as The West Wing, or Law and Order. It is certainly better than Desperate Housewives, or Lost, but because it is "sci-fi," I don't think it will ever get the full respect that it is due.

That being said, if you haven't seen it and you are looking for a provocative, insightful, and thought provoking, you should tune in. The series premiere for season three is Friday, October 6. Enjoy!