Sunday, September 30, 2012

Bishop Paprocki: Democratic Party backs "Intrinsic Evils"

Interesting reading.


My Take: 'I'm spiritual but not religious' is a cop-out

By Alan Miller, Special to CNN
Editor’s note: Alan Miller is Director ofThe New York Salon and Co-Founder of London's Old Truman Brewery. He is speaking at The Battle of Ideas at London's Barbican in October.
By Alan Miller, Special to CNN
The increasingly common refrain that "I'm spiritual, but not religious," represents some of the most retrogressive aspects of contemporary society. The spiritual but not religious "movement" - an inappropriate term as that would suggest some collective, organizational aspect - highlights the implosion of belief that has struck at the heart of Western society.
Spiritual but not religious people are especially prevalent in the younger population in the United States, although a recent study has argued that it is not so much that people have stopped believing in God, but rather have drifted from formal institutions.
It seems that just being a part of a religious institution is nowadays associated negatively, with everything from the Religious Right to child abuse, back to the Crusades and of course with terrorism today.
Those in the spiritual-but-not-religious camp are peddling the notion that by being independent - by choosing an "individual relationship" to some concept of "higher power", energy, oneness or something-or-other - they are in a deeper, more profound relationship than one that is coerced via a large institution like a church.
That attitude fits with the message we are receiving more and more that "feeling" something somehow is more pure and perhaps, more "true” than having to fit in with the doctrine, practices, rules and observations of a formal institution that are handed down to us.
The trouble is that “spiritual but not religious” offers no positive exposition or understanding or explanation of a body of belief or set of principles of any kind.
What is it, this "spiritual" identity as such? What is practiced? What is believed?
The accusation is often leveled that such questions betray a rigidity of outlook, all a tad doctrinaire and rather old-fashioned.
But when the contemporary fashion is for an abundance of relativist "truths" and what appears to be in the ascendancy is how one "feels" and even governments aim to have a "happiness agenda," desperate to fill a gap at the heart of civic society, then being old-fashioned may not be such a terrible accusation.
It is within the context of today's anti-big, anti-discipline, anti-challenging climate - in combination with a therapeutic turn in which everything can be resolved through addressing my inner existential being - that the spiritual but not religious outlook has flourished.
The boom in megachurches merely reflect this sidelining of serious religious study for networking, drop-in centers and positive feelings.
Those that identify themselves, in our multi-cultural, hyphenated-American world often go for a smorgasbord of pick-and-mix choices.
A bit of Yoga here, a Zen idea there, a quote from Taoism and a Kabbalah class, a bit of Sufism and maybe some Feing Shui but not generally a reading and appreciation of The Bhagavad Gita, the Karma Sutra or the Qur'an, let alone The Old or New Testament.
So what, one may ask?
Christianity has been interwoven and seminal in Western history and culture. As Harold Bloom pointed out in his book on the King James Bible, everything from the visual arts, to Bach and our canon of literature generally would not be possible without this enormously important work.
Indeed, it was through the desire to know and read the Bible that reading became a reality for the masses - an entirely radical moment that had enormous consequences for humanity.
Moreover, the spiritual but not religious reflect the "me" generation of self-obsessed, truth-is-whatever-you-feel-it-to-be thinking, where big, historic, demanding institutions that have expectations about behavior, attitudes and observance and rules are jettisoned yet nothing positive is put in replacement.
The idea of sin has always been accompanied by the sense of what one could do to improve oneself and impact the world.
Yet the spiritual-but-not-religious outlook sees the human as one that simply wants to experience "nice things" and "feel better." There is little of transformation here and nothing that points to any kind of project that can inspire or transform us.
At the heart of the spiritual but not religious attitude is an unwillingness to take a real position. Influenced by the contribution of modern science, there is a reluctance to advocate a literalist translation of the world.
But these people will not abandon their affiliation to the sense that there is "something out there," so they do not go along with a rationalist and materialistic explanation of the world, in which humans are responsible to themselves and one another for their actions - and for the future.
Theirs is a world of fence-sitting, not-knowingess, but not-trying-ness either. Take a stand, I say. Which one is it? A belief in God and Scripture or a commitment to the Enlightenment ideal of human-based knowledge, reason and action? Being spiritual but not religious avoids having to think too hard about having to decide.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Alan Miller.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Lawsuit over retirement facility at 99th - Central Park


The school district is doing what the village didn't do. Go figure.  The concern seems to be about the future use of the facility. 10 or 20 years from now. 
SD 124 sues, seeking changes to Sisters of Mercy retirement center - Southtown Star

Monday, September 24, 2012

Southwest Chicago Post: Local Boys and Girls Are Needed to Write "Mail Cal...

Southwest Chicago Post: Local Boys and Girls Are Needed to Write "Mail Cal...: Two members of the Honor Flight Chicago Volunteer Coordinating Team are appealing to leaders of local schools, Scouting troops and other...

Angry Obama Supporters

The cause of black unemployment is not employment of white tradesmen. It's in part a result of Obama's economic policies. He has money for a war but no money for public works? Money for solar energy but nothing for the coal industry? Do you think it's bad now? Wait until Obama has had a few more years at the helm.
Prominent Businessman Leads Protest Over Lack Of Black Workers On Construction Crews « CBS Chicago

White Sox are horrible.

After watching their performance this past weekend, I am convinced that the Sox are doing everything in their power to blow this race but the Tigers won't let them.

We are a bunch of suckers!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Brother Rice Football

7:30 tonight. BR vs. Mt Carmel at BR. 

Is there a coverup going on?


White House withholds Fast and Furious files

Republican Darrell Issa said the Department of Justice was not co-operating

Related Stories

President Obama has taken the rare step of asserting executive privilege to withhold documents sought by lawmakers probing a botched US sting operation.
The attorney general is facing moves to hold him in contempt of Congress over the issue.
Justice officials said the privilege applied to files on how they learned of problems with Fast and Furious.
The operation saw US agents lose track of hundreds of illegal guns allowed into Mexico to trace arms dealers.
A US border agent was killed with a weapon linked to the operation in December 2010.
This is the first use of executive privilege for withholding documents by Mr Obama. Former Presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton used the privilege six and 14 times respectively during their eight-year terms.
'Extraordinary offer'
The Department of Justice says it has denied access to the files because they contain information that could affect ongoing criminal investigations.
Eric HolderUS Attorney General Eric Holder could be held in contempt of Congress over Fast and Furious
Its officials say they have already sent more than 7,000 documents to the Republican-led House Oversight Committee.
"I write now to inform you that the president has asserted executive privilege over the relevant... documents," Deputy Attorney General James Cole wrote to the lawmakers.
Wednesday's contempt vote looms a day after a meeting between Attorney General Eric Holder and committee chairman, Representative Darrell Issa, failed to end the impasse.
Mr Holder said lawmakers had turned down his offer to give them the documents, along with a briefing on the operation, in exchange for assurances that the panel would drop contempt proceedings.
"They rejected what I thought was an extraordinary offer on our part," he told reporters on Tuesday.

Start Quote

You've been holding the attorney general to an impossible standard”
Elijah CummingsDemocratic Congressman
But Republican Senator Charles Grassley, who is not on the committee but attended the meeting, cast doubt on Mr Holder's version.
"The attorney general wants to trade a briefing and the promise of delivering some small, unspecified set of documents tomorrow for a free pass today," he told reporters.
On Wednesday, the office of Republican House Speaker John Boehner said use of executive privilege raised questions about the White House's involvement with the gun probe.
"The White House decision to invoke executive privilege implies that White House officials were either involved in the 'Fast and Furious' operation or the cover-up that followed," Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Mr Boehner, told reporters.
The committee's top Democrat, Representative Elijah Cummings, accused Mr Issa of having "no interest" in resolving the dispute.
"You've been holding the attorney general to an impossible standard," he told CNN.
"You accused him of a cover-up for protecting documents that he is prohibited from providing."
It is not clear what will happen if Mr Holder is held in contempt of Congress.
Historically, Congress and the White House have negotiated agreements to avoid a court battle that would limit either Congress' subpoena power or executive privilege itself.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

What's wrong with the truth?


Truth Teller
Romney is being attacked for telling the truth? What do people want a continuation of the lies? What about the act of sneaking a video camera into a private dinner? Does anyone feel violated by that?
Not surprisingly, the former community organizer elevated in 2008 by the American Idol audience to his dress up role as Leader of the Free World is not running for re-election on his many notable achievements, including: 
And talk about a series of amazing coincidences, 1979 was also the year that Jimmy “King of the Useful Idiots” Carter was president, and it happened on the anniversary of 9/11! What were the chances?

I guess standing on a Chicago street corner with a clipboard and a bullhorn isn’t the best preparation for being POTUS, or even “Preezy of the United Steezy.”
Given the colossal, and very predictable, record of failure amassed by this inexperienced, narcissistic, smarmy empty suit, his only chance at re-election is to render his opponent an absolutely unacceptable alternative. Apparently, his campaign has settled on a strategy to make that happen; that is, catch Mitt Romney telling the truth. Last week’s media “controversy” was Mitt Romney’s completely correct and accurate characterization of the disgraceful performance by the Obama administration, wringing their hands, bowing and scraping over the possibility that someone in this country may have offended the tender sensibilities of people known for posting videos of beheadings online. 
 This week, the Left and the LSM are outraged by the truth about Barack Obama’s desire to make as many people dependent on government as possible. How dare people point out that he is an admitted believer in income redistribution! The nerve! Even though, the One has admitted it over and over, not that he needed to do so. He is a dyed-in-the-wool radical leftist. He has never been anything else. He has proudly trumpeted his tenure as a “community organizer.” What in the world does that mean? A “community organizer” is a person who arrives in a poor neighborhood to stoke the fires of entitlement, resentment and class envy, usually to enhance his own political fortunes, while leaving the poor people he claims to care about worse off than when he got there, despite the enactment of “programs” that throw more tax dollars down more social welfare ratholes. Barack Obama’s experience reflects that fact. 
In addition, in 2001, when Barack Obama lamented the failure of the Warren Court to be radical enough, what did he say?
If you look at the victories and failures of the civil rights movement and its litigation strategy in the court. I think where it succeeded was to invest formal rights in previously dispossessed people, so that now I would have the right to vote. I would now be able to sit at the lunch counter and order as long as I could pay for it I’d be o.k. But, the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth,(emphasis mine) and of more basic issues such as political and economic justice in society. To that extent, as radical as I think people try to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn’t that radical. It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, at least as its been interpreted and Warren Court interpreted in the same way, that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. Says what the states can’t do to you. Says what the Federal government can’t do to you, but doesn’t say what the Federal government or State government must do on your behalf, and that hasn’t shifted and one of the, I think, tragedies of the civil rights movement was, um, because the civil rights movement became so court focused I think there was a tendancy to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalition of powers through which you bring about redistributive change. In some ways we still suffer from that.
Just in case you need more evidence, there’s this speech from 1998, in which he says “I actually believe in redistribution” so “everyone will have a shot.” Sound familiar? Notice also the other mumbo-jumbo we hear from him today: “we’re all in this together.”
These speeches and his policies demonstrate how bizarre and ridiculous this latest alleged controversy is. Of course, it is simply a smokescreen to keep voters from seeing the obvious. 
Make no mistake. These “controversies,” and their accompanying “narratives” of the week, are driven by the Lame Stream Media working in cooperation with the other members of the Obama campaign. They are hoping to employ the Goebbels “Big Lie” strategy to cover up the truth about who Barack Obama is and his plans to complete his “remaking” (read destroying) of the country we grew up in.
The level of outrage by the Left is directly proportional to the amount of truth told about them. They hope to intimidate those who are closing in on their heinous agenda from actually talking about it. 

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The teachers strike is over.

1. Was Rahm too tough on the teachers union?
2. Did the union panic and cave in?
3. Are the taxpayers getting the short end?

Monday, September 17, 2012

Teacher's Strike

Rahm is trying to end  the strike and is going into court. What's his next move?

Beverly Art Center

I am very concerned about what is happening with the BAC. The director is out, 5/3 Bank is threatening foreclosure and a local pol has been making inquiries with the Chicago Park District about some kind of  funding package. This is about all we know as of today. This institution is so important to the neighborhood that more information is deserving.  I hope the BAC board of directors strives to keep the public informed and doesn't hesitate to make the case for more private donations.

What do neighborhood people think ?

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Brother Rice Football

Of course you all heard about the Rice victory over Rita at Rita. Congrats to the team and Coach Badke.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

South Side Parade Party

Tonight. Bourbon Street. It's a fundraiser for the parade so bring some money. 

Thank You CPD

Thanks to the CPD for protecting the neighborhood yesterday during the funeral for Lil Jo Jo. Most people were at work and didn't see what I saw when we were coming back from Dominick's. These gang funerals are intolerable and don't belong here.  It's time to put some serious legal heat on the owners of Mt. Hope who are aggressively marketing their cemetery to the gang bang people. 

Friday, September 14, 2012

Mike Joyce "The kids come first".

Boxing Coach
Mike Joyce is the son of a pol and could have done anything with his life. What did he do? He went to law school and then put his legal career on hold so he could work with the kids. That was 12 years ago. He still spends every afternoon in the gym at Leo, working with the kids, saving them from something and making them into something. That says it all. He is a man we should all try to emulate at least one day a week.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Leo, a place where the kids come first.


When Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis led her members out on strike this week, she said real school would be closed.
"Negotiations have been intense but productive," she said. "However, we have failed to reach an agreement that will prevent a labor strike. Real school will not be open (Monday)."
Real school? You mean that public system where four of 10 students don't graduate?
Since real school wasn't open, I was compelled to visit an unreal school.
A South Side school where 100 percent of the students graduate, and 100 percent are accepted to college. A Roman Catholic all-boys school that draws from poor and working-class neighborhoods, a school where there are no cops or metal detectors, no gang recruitment, no fear.
An unreal school that is mostly black, but with a smattering of whites and Latinos, and where every student who sees a stranger in the halls goes up to the newcomer, introduces himself, shakes his hand, looks him in the eye and calls him Mister.
Leo High School, at 79th and Sangamon, seemed pretty unreal to me, too.
Leo isn't pretty. It's 87 years old. The staircase steps are worn and scalloped from all those years of boys tromping to class. But the minds inside are sure springy, like that of Jeremy Clark, future G-man.
"I want to study criminal justice and join the FBI," said Clark, a junior. "Because I want to be an advocate for justice. It's been a dream all my life to join the FBI, and I will."
Clark hails from the Roseland neighborhood. He could have gone to a public high school. That, Clark said, would be "totally different. There, it's every man for himself. At Leo, it's a brotherhood. We're all brothers here. You get things done together."
I told him what Lewis said about real school being closed.
"So we're not a real school?" Clark said and laughed. "No, actually it's totally the opposite. The real schools aren't closed. The real schools are in session, because we're trying to learn."
It was my pleasure and honor to meet them, from Sirlaurence King, top student of the freshman class and standout distance runner who wants to become a lawyer, to the senior class' No. 1 student, James Fagan, a baseball player who will study engineering in college.
"I feel bad for the public students who want to learn, and get their education, and graduate," said Fagan. "I'm glad I didn't go to public school. I'm focused here. It's a safe feeling."
At Leo there are 15 students in a classroom. There are only 160 students in all. Tuition is set at $7,500, but that's just a number. The unofficial motto is that everybody gets something, but nobody gets everything.
My friend Dan McGrath, former sports editor of the Tribune, is the school president.
"It's about creating opportunities for these young guys," said McGrath. "I've always felt Leo helped get me off to a good start in life, and those of us who work here are trying to pay it back. Some of our kids might be just another number at a bigger school. At Leo they know they'll be looked after, they'll be safe and they'll get the type of values-based education that will help them become good citizens. We're not working miracles, we're educating kids, and doing a good job of it. Leo is a special place. I really believe that."
What if parents had the freedom to take the tax dollars spent on their children at public schools, and choose where to send their kids?
Yes, I'm talking vouchers.
"If there were vouchers," said Principal Phil Mesina, "we'd have parents and students lined up all the way down the block. We could accommodate 400. All of our classrooms would be full."
The strike has drawn an unreal amount of national media attention, in part because President Barack Obama is from Chicago and his former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is the mayor. And that has triggered a predictable response: that the system is broken.
Unfortunately, the system works just fine. It works for the teachers union that wins the big raises (the current offer: a 16 percent bump over the next four years) and for the bureaucrats who are creatures of patronage, and for the vendors who feed from the almost $6 billion budget.
It works for Democratic politicians. They increase property taxes to pay for union raises and, in exchange, receive union support and political donations in election years. It's been going on that way for years.
But does it work for the kids? Not when nearly half don't graduate.
"The Chicago Public Schools system is a monopoly provider of education for the children of the city of Chicago, and the Chicago Teachers Union is a monopoly labor provider, and this is a tragedy for the children," said John Tillman, CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute.
"The only way to create accountability is for CPS to empower parents to have a choice of traditional public school, charter schools or vouchers to private schools. … This is not about breaking the union, it's about breaking the monopoly control that the union has over children's lives. I think that's a key point that no one talks about."
Except maybe at places like Leo, where all boys graduate and are accepted to college, a place where the kids come first.
How unreal is that?

Jenny McCarthy

Native Southsider
Has been hanging in Chicago lately. Was seen at the Starbucks on Longwood Monday am in the company of an unmarried son of a local pol. Was she looking at houses? Nobody is talking.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

9/11

Do you remember where you were that morning? Of course you do. Our thoughts.........

Halloween Prep


Below is an email which has been sent out by the Alderman for the purpose of finding some way of dealing with the huge influx of people from other neighborhoods on Halloween night. O'Shea is on it. Give him your thoughts.
Thank you for attending our community meeting on Halloween Safety. Below, please find a brief description of what is needed from a Halloween Block Captain Volunteer. Please e-mail this information to anyone you know who might be willing to volunteer. Also, the South Side Irish Parade Committee has very generously offered the use of their white parade marshal jackets for our volunteers.
Aside from the block captains, we are proceeding with large banners. While the City of Chicago will not permit us to hang banners over the street like we discussed, we are exploring other ways of displaying them on 95th / 99th / 103rd Streets. Also, we have put in a request with the Chicago Police to strip the parking on Longwood Drive, from 95th Street - 107th Street for the day.
I will forward a draft copy of the banner when one is available. Please feel free to respond with any other ideas or suggestions.
Thank you,
Matt O’Shea
Halloween Volunteer Block Captains Needed
This year, a group of concerned residents are organizing efforts to promote and enforce a community-wide 7:00pm trick-or-treat curfew throughout our neighborhood. We are looking for volunteer block captains to help with this effort. Block captains will be asked to do complete the following simple steps to help ensure a safe Halloween:
· Distribute window signs (sample attached) to every home on the block & ask neighbors not to answer the door after 7:00pm.
· Identify two homes on the block to purchase & display larger yard signs promoting the 7:00pm end to trick-or-treating.
· Stand outside after 7:00pm on Halloween night and politely inform people that trick-or-treating hours are over.
The 19th Ward will provide window signs and make yard signs available for purchase; all block captains will be provided with a white jacket (generously provided by the South Side Irish Parade Committee) and large Halloween Volunteer Block Captain sticker to wear that evening. We will also be producing larger banners to put at the entry points to the community promoting area trick-or-treat hours.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Matt O’Shea at mattoshea@the19thward.com. Thank You!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Teachers Strike

The cause of this strike is the inability of Mayor Rahm and Union President Karen Lewis to get along. It's personal now. Tell it to 400,000 children. 

SOX vs TIGERS

Is the whole season coming down to this series?

It is the last head-to-head battle of the season for the two heavyweights in the American League Central Division, a sort of September super showdown.

The White Sox hold a two-game lead over the Tigers after both lost Sunday, but that can change very quickly in a four-game series that starts Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field.

The Tigers could leave town with a two-game lead — or they could leave almost hopelessly trying to make up a six-game deficit with 19 games remaining.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Finger pointing


Bill Daley and Rahm Emanuel are longtime friends and political allies.
Bill Daley succeeded Emanuel as White House chief of staff. Emanuel followed Daley’s brother as mayor after a campaign the Daley brothers pretended to stay out of, even though it was an open secret they were four-square behind Emanuel.
But, since Emanuel took office, the shadow dance with Richard M. Daley has been a constant sub-plot.
Emanuel has criticized or “turned the page” from many of the things his predecessor did.
On the day that Emanuel publicly defended his decision to cancel the 4 percent raises, he said teachers got the gold mine and students got “the shaft” with not a minute longer in the classroom.
The mayor’s “got the shaft” remark infuriated teachers. Bill Daley didn’t agree with that assessment of his brother’s tenure, either.
“I don’t think he gave away too much [to teachers]. He gave the opportunity for kids in Chicago to have a better education. That’s what he fought for. They had more investment by the taxpayers in the schools of Chicago,” Bill Daley said.
The former mayor’s brother said Emanuel “has to lead a city with shrinking revenues and growing demands. That’s a tough thing to do. Rich did that for 23 years and did it, in most voters’ minds, pretty well. He’s proud of his record, and we’re proud of him.”
Earlier this week, thousands of teachers marched around City Hall calling Emanuel a “liar” and a “bully.”
During a whirlwind, 36-hour trip to the Democratic National Convention shortened by the impending strike, Emanuel refused to take the bait.
“I’ve been in politics long enough. They can say what they want about me. It’s not about me. It’s not about anybody else. And it’s not a personality fight. It’s about our children,” he said.
The mayor was asked whether he can relate to the anxiety of parents whose kids attend CPS when his own children attend the private and pricey University of Chicago Lab School.
“Yes. Because I also have children,” he said. “People didn’t make a decision to vote for me or not vote for me based on my own children, but based on what I can do for their children.”
The mayor said there’s still plenty of time to avert a strike and he “didn’t miss a beat” by making the quickie-trip to Charlotte.
“If everybody stays at the table and works through the issues as we have through the weekend making good and steady progress, our kids should stay in the classroom,” he said. “Every day they’re not there is a day that’s been taken away from them. And it’s not necessary.”
Pressed on whether he is willing to take a strike if that’s what it takes to achieve his ultimate education goals, the mayor said he doesn’t believe in “negotiating in public” or “setting expectations.”
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, a former Chicago Schools CEO, was equally hopeful.
“They’re still talking. They’ve got some time. ... I’m very hopeful folks will work this out and do the right thing for kids and for the city. I’ve got a lot of confidence in adults that they’ll figure things out,” he said.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Notre Dame

ND is playing Purdue today. Is it me? I swear half the people I know hate ND.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Drew Peterson is guilty.

Do you think he got a fair trial? What do you think will happen on appeal? Will he ever be a free man again?

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Democratic Platform

TOP 12 REASONS TO VOTE DEMOCRAT during this convention week

Something to think about:
  1. I voted Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I've decided to marry my German Shepherd.
  2. I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.
  3. I voted Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.
  4. I voted Democrat because Freedom of Speech is fine as long as no-one is offended by it.
  5. I voted Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.
  6. I voted Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.
  7. I voted Democrat because I'm not concerned about millions of babies being aborted so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.
  8. I voted Democrat because I think illegal aliens have a right to free health care, education, and Social Security benefits, and we should take away the social security from those who paid into it.
  9. I voted Democrat because I believe that businesses should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as the Democrats see fit.
  10. I voted Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.
  11. I voted Democrat because I think that it's better to pay billions for their oil to people who hate us, but not drill our own because it might upset some endangered beetle, gopher or fish.
  12. I voted Democrat because my head is so firmly planted up my a**, it's unlikely that I'll ever have another point of view.