Meastick Idea: Self Made Bumper Stickers

I have an idea to make my own bumper sticker for the upcoming election. Here are some of the ideas I had:

"Barack Obama didn't turn me into a liberal, George W. Bush did"

"If Republicans are against wasting tax dollars, then why did the government pay Halliburton $90 dollars a day for me to eat doughnuts every morning when I was in Iraq?"

"Sometimes I hope Hillary wins so that Republicans know what it's like to get sick to your stomach every time you see the President."

Please feel free to think of some good ones on your own and let me know what you come up with!

Meatstick Picture: This is What a Horse's Ass Looks Like

Here is what happens when an Irish dude goes to the beach and tries to put sunscreen lotion on himself:

Meatstick Question: Why Does the Military Vote Republican?

During my five years in the military I often felt uncomfortable around the majority of my peers whenever the topic of politics came up. More often than not I was the lone liberal in a sea of conservatives. Being a Democrat in the military is like being the Jewish kid at public school during Christmas, or like being a White Sox fan at Wrigley Field during a Cubs game, or like being the person in the group who doesn't like wine when you are on a trip to Napa Valley. Sometimes I would try to explain to others around me that it makes no sense for people in the military to support Republicans but most times I would just keep my mouth shut and realize that they have been brainwashed and I wasn't going to change their mind. Most people in the military I talked to were Republicans long before Sept 11th. I assumed that they thought all Democrats wanted to take away their hunting rifles and let gays get married. Then came Sept 11th. That terrible event in history, along with the war in Iraq, oddly seemed to only strengthen their beliefs because soldiers felt that Republicans were sending them off to protect the American soil.

A few days ago Jim Webb, a Democrat from Virginia, gave a speech in reference to an amendment he was proposing to the Defense Authorization Act. You can read his moving speech at this site. Senator Webb has a long military history (US naval academy graduate, Vietnam veteran, former Secretary of the Navy) and is the father of a Marine who has served in Iraq. He simply wanted to attach an amendment to the current Act that would allow soldiers to have as much time at home that they served overseas. For example, if your unit was deployed in Iraq for 14 months, you would have at least 14 months at home until the next deployment. Furthermore, he was trying to get reservists three times the amount of time home that they spent overseas. This bill is clearly a non-partisan issue that supports the soldiers and their families. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue.

Yesterday, Republican Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, and his fellow Republicans were successful in striking down this amendment and never giving it the chance to see the light of day. He was quoted as saying he was pleased that the amendment "failed to advance to a final vote."

Sadly, I had to dig around to find out about this in the news. It wasn't talked about on any of the major "news channels." For example, a friend told me that Bill O'reilly started off his show by talking about the San Diego Padres having a "gay day" at the ballpark. I don't have much hope, but hopefully someday the people in the military will wake up and realize that Republicans don't really support them and their families.

Meatstick History: First Person To Run out of Gas in a Prius??

I am on vacation in San Diego. My wife and I drove from Seattle in 3 days staying at friends' places along the way. On Friday we accomplished something truly remarkable in hybrid history. We ran out of gas (and battery power) just north of Los Angeles. The Prius gave us warning well in advance that we were low but we decided to power on and make it to an In N Out Burger before filling up. The next thing I knew I was running down the highway in Santa Clarita, CA looking for a Shell station. In 98 degree heat I found the station. This was 1.5 miles later and after I lost 15 pounds that I can't really afford to lose.

The Prius brand is having a rough time in Cali this week. First Al Gore III gets arrested going 100mph with weed in a Prius and then I run out of juice on the highway in one.

To top it off...there is no sun in San Diego, the sunniest city in America. However, San Diego is still nicer with no sun than 98% of America with all the sun in the world.

Meatstick Results: SICKO

The results are in for this weekend at the box office. SICKO was ninth in total gross. However, it was only being shown at 441 theaters compared to Ratatouille (whatever the nut that is) being shown in 3,940. When you look at the average number of people per theater, SICKO jumps up to number two on the list, just behind Ratatouille (whatever the shit that is). SICKO averaged an impressive $10, 204 per theater with Ratatouille coming in at $11,986.

Meatstick Article: Bush Piece in Washington Post

The Washington Post has an excellent article here that gives a good look at how George Bush's policies are affecting his personal life.

Take a minute to read the article. It's a little long but worth the time.

Here was the most interesting part of the article. A quote from Michael Novak, a theologian who has participated in private conversations with Bush:

Much of the discussion focused on the nature of good and evil, a perennial theme for Bush, who casts the struggle against Islamic extremists in black-and-white terms. Michael Novak, a theologian who participated, said it was clear that Bush weathers his difficulties because he sees himself as doing the Lord's work.

Here is the problem. Bush thinks he is doing "the Lord's work." That is exactly what the Islamic terrorists believe. If you listen to web videos of freedom fighters in the Middle East you will find that they are also doing "the Lord's work."
I feel cheated and deceived because when I was serving in Iraq nobody ever told me that I was doing the Lord's work. I guess I should be glad the Army gave me an M-16 instead of a Bible to protect myself.

Thank the Lord this guy only has a year and a half left in office.

Meatstick Opinion: I like Kucinich

I care most about the war in Iraq. This is what Kucinich would do if elected:

1. Announce that the US will end the occupation, close the military bases, and withdraw.
2. Announce that existing funds will be used to bring the troops and the necessary equipment home.
3. Order a simultaneous return of all U.S. contractors to the United States and turn over the contracting work to the Iraqi government
4. Convene a regional conference for the purpose of developing a security and stabilization force for Iraq.
5. Prepare an international security peacekeeping force to move in, replacing U.S. troops, who then return home.
6. Develop and fund a process of national reconciliation.
7. Restart programs for reconstruction and creating jobs for the Iraqi people.
8. Provide reparations for the damage that has been done to the lives of Iraqis.
9. Assure the political sovereignty of Iraq and making sure that their oil isn't stolen.
10. Repair the Iraqi economy.
11. Guarantee economic sovereignty for Iraq
12. Commence an international truth and reconciliation process, which establishes a policy of truth and reconciliation between the people of the United States and Iraq.

If this stuff sounds good to you, think about Kucinich for President...