Saturday, July 28, 2007

WHAT A JOKE. . .

ON CNN YOUTUBE DEBATE:

What an absolute joke. First, you have ALL the dems refusing to debate on FOX, then they kowtow to this ridiculous YouTube based debate where the CNN muckity-mucks put forth a bunch of Second City skits masquerading as "questions" to be answered - which they did. . . Now, excluding a couple second-tier candidates, the Republicans are skipping the side-show circus. I say good job! <Read Article Here>

Though Mitt had the cojones to call into question the format - most of the candidates skipping the CNN boondoggle (including the Romney campaign) point out that 3rd quarter campaign statements are due out at the time of the CNN scheduled de-excuse me while I laugh-bate. For the record, your Mittiot would skip the crap all together even if it's rescheduled. . . not because "real citizens" are asking the questions, BUT because the network chose goofy theatrics where a good question could just as easily be posed without all the falderal. Call you Mittiot ol' fashion, but answering a sock puppet on national television - during a debate for the future of the US (and, in reality the free-world) - isn't just beneath the candidates, it is beneath CNN and the rest of us who don't see the campaign as "entertainment," but as the extremely important exercise in the democratic process it is. . .

As a professor of political science, I have no time for the individual (or student for that matter) who has to be "entertained" to pay attention to problems our country needs to have addressed and the successes that need to be protected. In the end - though the Hufficrats will spin this as "Republicans too scared to answer real life citizens" the fault rests at the feet of CNN for cheapening the process for ratings. Here's a format for you: Ask a substantive question of one candidate and ask the next candidate to comment on that answer and give their own answer - in other words, lets have a real debate.

Call me ol' fashion, but the dem debate will most likely be the last time in our American experience where a sock puppet "deserves" to be addressed by someone wishing to sit in the oval office.

~ so sayeth the Mittiot.

Friday, July 27, 2007

BACK TO BUSINESS

ON THE FLORIDA TRIP:

Outside of the campaign effort for a moment. As told, your Mittiot took the fam to sunny Florida for a wedding and to visit the town Walt built. Funny thing, Disney, you'd think it's the happiest place on earth, but if you look at the park patrons for any length of time you'll note that not many people are smiling. . . And, I found I was in the same boat, until I thought about it. Disney has to be one of the most diverse places in the world (and not just Epcot). All languages, all colors, all ages - what a privilege it is to live in this country. It was that rediscovered revelation that put the smile back on your Mittiot's face. I danced in hour long lines and laughed out loud at tired jokes, not because I was at Disney - but BECAUSE I was at Disney. . . in Florida. . . 1100 miles from Michigan. . . in the great US of A. Now, let me ask you this reader: doesn't every individual on this planet deserve a chance at the freedom we too often take for granted here? Don't the Iraqis and those held hostage by the Jihadists deserve that chance?

Ohhhh, I hear you, Hufficrats, "How privileged I must be to be able to take my family on a vacation like that. . ." Not really. And, this is the second revelation regarding Disney. Stand in the middle of the Magic Kingdom and look around - you'll see what I saw, that so-called "poverty" is not color specific (name the skin tone and I saw it in abundance), nor age specific (from newbies to centenarians), nor region of the US (from Alabama to Wyoming), nor tied to a continent (I saw all manner of dress and heard a plethora of tongues). Poverty, my friends, is something we all may face - and, as such, ALL MAY OVERCOME! Hence the importance of "Equal Opportunity supported by Government" - NOT "Hufficrat Forced Equality BY Government."

ON THE NEED TO CALL A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION: Once again your Mittiot calls - nay, BEGS - Newt Gingrich, the Ben Franklin of the modern era, to use his pulpit and call upon the States to send delegates to a Constitutional Convention. The latest of a never ceasing number of outrageous acts? Read the following:

Illegal-immigrant laws struck down Pennsylvania city passed strict statute last year after two illegal immigrants were charged in a fatal shooting. Michael Rubinkam / Associated Press

HAZLETON, Pa. -- A federal judge Thursday struck down Hazleton's tough anti-illegal immigration law, ruling unconstitutional a measure that has been copied around the country.The city's Illegal Immigration Relief Act sought to impose fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny business permits to companies that give them jobs. Another measure would have required tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit. U.S. District Judge James Munley voided the law Thursday based on testimony from a trial held in March.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta called the decision bizarre and said he intends to file an appeal. "This was a case where a federal judge protected the rights of anonymous illegal aliens," he told the Associated Press in a phone interview. "This fight's far from over."

The Republican mayor pushed for the strict laws last summer after two illegal immigrants were charged in a fatal shooting.

Barletta argued that illegal immigrants brought drugs, crime and gangs to the city of more than 30,000, overwhelming police and schools.

Immigrant groups sued, saying the laws usurp the federal government's exclusive power to regulate immigration, deprive residents of their constitutional rights to equal protection, and violate state and federal housing law.

In a 206-page opinion, Munley said the act was pre-empted by federal law and would violate immigrants' due process rights.

(Federally defined, "Illegal" immigrants have due process rights that pre-empt the State's - and Citizen's - right to protect itself?)

PLEASE NEWT, IT IS TIME TO CALL THE CONVENTION ~ the public will be there to support the process, I guarantee it! (The Democrat controlled Congress has lower approval ratings than our media pummeled president)

ON ROMNEY'S INEVITABLE VICTORY: Thank the good Lord, TIME has another reporter other than Ana Marie Cox. . . From the recent TIME article on Fred Thompson:

Like McCain, Mitt Romney is a prodigious spender of campaign cash. Unlike McCain, Romney can dip into a huge personal fortune to supplement his fund-raising — and has done so. The former Massachusetts Governor is also the only Republican candidate in the top tier whose poll numbers have been inching upward since the beginning of the year. This is especially true in the lead-off states of Iowa and New Hampshire, where he currently tops the field, a fact that causes some strategists to declare Romney the race's "real front-runner." It is not an unreasonable claim if you consider national polls more or less irrelevant. "You have to accept that Iowa and New Hampshire are still going to have an impact," says Romney spokesman Kevin Madden. "We're far ahead of anybody... in terms of organizing in those states."

Your Mittiot asked Fred - a loooooong time ago - to "poop or get off the pot." Well, he seems to be poopin' - the problem is, he doesn't know when to quit. . . case in point, from the same Time article:

"The next Republican debate takes place Aug. 5 in Des Moines, to be followed six days later by the Iowa straw poll in Ames. . . Thompson advisers decided that the risk of underperforming at either of these high-profile events was too great. . ."

Hmmmmm. Maybe everybody should just "undeclare" until next June - that way no one has to risk anything. . . FRIENDLY NOTE OF ADVICE TO FRED: You will continue to shed doubt on your campaign if you continue to postpone your entry - in the mean time, you are a distraction to the party. It might just be time to flush, air-freshen, wash, dry and declare.

~ so sayeth the Mittiot.