<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627</id><updated>2011-12-14T18:54:01.837-08:00</updated><category term='republican bullshit 9/11 election president'/><category term='republican larry+craig senator gay'/><category term='giuliani romney church state religious'/><category term='guiliani bush president republican rove'/><category term='bush mcdonalds iraq mre karl+rove cheney'/><category term='gonzalez richardson attorney+general bush'/><category term='god mccain robertson liberal conservative republican'/><category term='pat+robertson rudy+giuliani gay republican conservative president irs'/><category term='scooter+libby bush clinton'/><category term='republican mccain palin bush alaska roe wade pow'/><category term='gas president las+vegas suv pickup+truck'/><category term='mccain bush president surge iraq afghanistan russia america'/><category term='mccain bush president obama'/><category term='obama mccain republican warren saddleback evangelical'/><title type='text'>THE VIEW FROM THE BOTTOM</title><subtitle type='html'>The blog for those just a lottery win away from wealth. </subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>94</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-5473298812548403010</id><published>2008-09-09T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-09-09T00:22:44.018-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='republican mccain palin bush alaska roe wade pow'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;ANOTHER RIDICULOUS REPUBLICAN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Standing on a platform of, “He Was A POW And She’s a Mom And That’s All You Need To Know”, the Republicans again proved that they can always top themselves when it comes to ridiculous candidates.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hot on the tails of the Clown In Chief, George W. Bush, and his Warlord, Dick Cheney, we have another dynamic duo vying for the country’s top two political spots.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;John McBushCain’s political advisors dove deep into the bottom of the barrel and dredged up a running mate for him. They came up with beauty contest runner up and short-lived sports reporter, Sarah Palin, the current Governor of the dynamic State of Alaska.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Together McBushCain and Palin are the Republicans latest incarnation of Batman and Robin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The GOP convention was rife with speech giving losers such as religious loony Mike Hukabee, plastic man Mitt Romney, celebrity politician Fred Thompson, and another rejected wannabee Presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There would have been more speakers but the best of them are in various prisons for monetary fraud or deviant sexual behavior, or under indictment or investigation for one or more nefarious acts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then of course there was Sarah Palin’s delivery of a speech prepared for her by the McBushCain team, a speech that she continues giving, over and over.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When they get a new pencil they’ll write another one for her.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As is usually the case, the Republicans filled the stage with their kids, and their kid’s kids. Then they preached the politics of fear, and talked about how Roe v. Wade, if not overturned, might prevent them from loading the stages of the future with more kids.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course they want these kids for 2 reasons, a cheap labor force for the corporations that underwrite their campaigns, and, as cannon fodder for their future armies to fight more invented enemies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sarah Palin is a totally unqualified individual who is long of mouth and short on accomplishment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She believes that sex education is bad and that abstinence works for preventing teen pregnancies; yeah that really worked for her daughter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She belonged to a church where the religious loonies speak in tongues and are awaiting the Rapture, and that Alaska will be a haven for them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She is a proponent of the Alaskan secession movement; that’s patriotic, isn’t it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She believes in book banning and other forms of censorship, which makes her a perfect fit for the beloved Republican nanny society.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She heartily endorsed the famous “bridge to nowhere”, and now denies endorsing it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She lobbied congress for the “road to nowhere”, which would have connected her hometown of about 600 people to Alaska Senator Ted Stevens’ ski resort. Stevens a staunch supporter of Palin is now under Federal indictment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sarah Palin is nothing but a distraction so the voters won’t realize what an idiot and Bush clone McCain really is&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A vote for McCain is a vote for more of the same.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-5473298812548403010?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/5473298812548403010'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/5473298812548403010'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html#5473298812548403010' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-8965602803736306933</id><published>2008-08-20T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-08-20T02:08:03.954-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='obama mccain republican warren saddleback evangelical'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;MCCAIN TAKES TIME OFF FROM BEING AN IDIOT TO BECOME A JACKASS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There so much bullshit being generated by the McCain campaign that I could spend all my time writing about it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That’s not something anyone would want to do but I feel a need to point out some of the more outrageous and offensive nonsense being served up by this Bush clone. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Needless to say McBushcain is still farting around with overturning Roe v Wade, and opposing something as harmless as Gay marriage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The promise of prevailing on these wedge issues, along with the rest of the deliberately distracting, ridiculous Republican agenda is being offered up to the retrogressive, narrow minded Evangelicals in exchange for their votes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These Evangelicals are the same clowns who have prayer vigils going for the purpose of convincing God to make it rain on Barrack Obama when he addresses audiences outdoors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I guess they think God is a Republican; what arrogance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They apparently forgot that since God is credited with creating the Earth it’s obvious that the Supreme Being is a charter member of The Green Party.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This past Sunday McCain was interviewed by the current superstar preacher, Rick Warren, the master of ceremonies of the Saddleback megachurch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In answer to the question, “If you were President who would you consult with”, McCain answered: “John Lewis.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lewis, a Black Democrat Congressman from Georgia, quickly, and wisely stated on national television that he and McCain were merely Washington colleagues, and that he never consulted with McCain, nor would he.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nice try McCain; did you think that bit of name dropping would win you the minority vote?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Congressman Lewis looked as if he was nauseated by the mention of his name in connection with McCain.&lt;br /&gt;Now that McCain has worn out the “Surge” talk he’s back on his, “I was a POW”, “When I was a POW”, “As a POW I…”, kick.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I feel sorry for anyone who was a POW; but I don’t think McCain’s expectation that he be awarded the Presidency as compensation makes any sense.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;McCain is nothing more than a misguided, egotistical dilettante, who represents pretty much everything that is wrong with America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Frankly, I find his use of his former status as a POW, as a vote getter, to be more pathetic than the crying in front of women ploy some guys use to try to score some sympathy sex.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A vote for McCain is a vote for more of the same. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-8965602803736306933?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/8965602803736306933'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/8965602803736306933'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html#8965602803736306933' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-1540590536188563702</id><published>2008-08-02T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-08-02T01:47:03.717-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='mccain bush president obama'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;JOHN MCCAIN: DESPERATE, DISGRACEFUL LIAR&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;World class bullshit artist John McCain is continuing his lowlife series of attack ads against Barrack Obama.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It’s no surprise that McCain employs this tactic since he, and his campaign, are totally devoid of substance. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These vicious attacks are now so plentiful that it appears McCain has authorized a, “surge”, in these despicable substitutes for any meaningful rhetoric about what he would do as president.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But then why should he? It’s clear that one needs only to look at the present administration to see what we’ll get with a McCain presidency; more Bush bullshit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I say: “A vote for McCain is a vote for more of the same.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The McCain campaign has engaged in the use of deliberate misquotes, half truths, quotes taken out of context, and just plain character assassination.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There was the bullshit about Obama’s trip to a gym in Kuwait in place of a visit with the troops. The truth is that Obama met with the troops at the gym.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;McCain accused Obama of never having visited any injured troops. The truth is that he did at Walter Reed Hospital.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Even Conservative Republican Senator Hagel, of Nebraska, has stated that McCain’s campaign of hate is out of line, and a disgrace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All John McCain does is talk about, or should I say, diss, Obama, because he is a hollow man with nothing of importance or intelligence to say. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;George Bush once said that his friends were, “The haves and the have mores”, which thus far is the only truth I’ve heard him utter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Are you a member of that club?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;McCain is the same type of guy, and is not a man of the people, as is Barrack Obama.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you want more George Bush ineptness, arrogance, unnecessary wars, squandering of public funds, etc, etc, etc, then McCain is your guy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“A vote for McCain is a vote for more of the same.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-1540590536188563702?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/1540590536188563702'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/1540590536188563702'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html#1540590536188563702' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-1878862246206731466</id><published>2008-07-24T00:10:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-08-02T01:42:00.936-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='mccain bush president surge iraq afghanistan russia america'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;JOHN MCCAIN MAY ECLIPSE BUSH'S IDIOCY&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hard as it is to believe, the Republican Party has found a Presidential hopeful, in the form of John McCain, who may yet manage to make Bush seem as if he's only a mere idiot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;John McCain continues courting that part of the electorate that lacks a measurable IQ by distinguishing himself, a-la Bush, with an endless succession of public brain farts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This idiotic geriatrics' numerous appearances on YouTube may earn him an Oscar for best outtakes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then again, I'm probably wrong because it appears this his verbal missteps are deliberate statements of what he considers fact. One recent glaring example is his invention of a border joining Iraq and Afghanistan&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;McCain said this is an area of concern to him because of all the terrorist activity taking place there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey McCain, you moron, Iraq and Afghanistan are separated by 750 miles. Check it out on MapQuest. Oh, I forgot that McCain is computer illiterate, and proud of it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;McCain stated that Obama doesn't know anything about wars and that he, McCain, "Knows how to win wars."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Really Senator; which wars have you won? Is it Vietnam, another of our undeclared "wars?" How did you win that one; by spending 5 years on your back as a POW?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ah, what the hell, he's probably referring to imaginary wars between imaginary countries that share imaginary borders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Another of McCain's proofs of stupidity is his reference to countries that haven't existed since the fall of the Berlin Wall, such as Czechoslovakia. He has concerns about the fate of that country with regards to Russia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jesus Christ, that's over dude, and the Germans won't be fucking them over again any time soon either.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;McCain calls Obama a flip-flopper because Obama has the courage to change his stance when conditions change. Yet McCain voted against a bill that he himself introduced.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is that the ultimate in flip-flopping or what?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last week McCain said the rise in oil prices is Obama's fault because he voted against offshore drilling. Oh, and no one else voted against it? Wow what power this Obama guy has!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Check your voting record McCain; I think you voted against offshore drilling in 2003 too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course the fact that the country's two top public officials for the past 7 years, Bush and Cheney, are both oil men has nothing to do with the price increases.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And then there's this Iraq "war" "surge" thing with which McCain has an unhealthy obsession.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Good God, every third word out his yap is, "surge."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is all he talks about. Yesterday he talked about the "surge" before the "surge", and how he had advance knowledge of the "surge" from one of Bush's flunky Generals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The reason he has this fanatical preoccupation with Bush's "surge" is that it's an easy word to remember and pronounce and he doesn't know jack shit about anything else. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;McCain couldn't care less about domestic issues, and since he's married to an ultra rich chick he doesn't give a shit about the economy, which is in the crapper. Being married to a rich chick is acceptable for a Republican because they consider all the money to be their exclusive domain, but it's a negative if a Democrat,such as John Kerry, is married to a woman of means.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So if the "surge" has worked Senator, how come we can't get the hell out of Iraq?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It sounds to me like McCain just "wants" us to be in Iraq for 100 years without any reason.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this what America needs for a President?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-1878862246206731466?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/1878862246206731466'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/1878862246206731466'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html#1878862246206731466' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-6704997975015588862</id><published>2008-07-16T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-16T11:54:49.706-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='republican bullshit 9/11 election president'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;Extreme Republican Bullshit&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_zNFDpSKwkUg/SH5AbmR9snI/AAAAAAAAAAU/6v2QE7ahTso/s1600-h/9+11+billboard.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223683460672893554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_zNFDpSKwkUg/SH5AbmR9snI/AAAAAAAAAAU/6v2QE7ahTso/s400/9+11+billboard.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If nothing else the Republican Party is expert on getting people to vote against their own best interests, particularly when it comes to economics.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most people in America are struggling to stay afloat thanks to 7 years of Bush’s economic policies, but the Republican elitists’ suffer too, in a different way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After all there are long waits for tee times at the country club and some Republicans have to deal with delivery on the Ferrari’s they ordered being delayed another week.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Somehow though, these bullshit artists manage to convince the residents of trailer parks, who work for minimum wage, that they’ll flourish, financially, if they vote Republican.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The latest Republican gambit in their game of deception is to try to convince voters that 9/11 type tragedies can be prevented by Republicans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Excuse me, it was a FUCKING REPUBLICAN in the White House, and a Republican controlled House and Senate running the country when 9/11 took place.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The above pictured sign was erected in, where else, Florida, a Southern state, where the Civil War is still being fought by Republican bigots.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here are some details on this latest &lt;a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/15/fl-billboard-invokes-911-please-dont-vote-for-a-democrat/" target="_blank"&gt;Republican lie&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;                                    WAKE UP!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On Election Day, please don’t vote for a Republican. Don’t be defrauded by their never ending use of scare tactics and the politics of fear.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let’s throw out these worthless, arrogant, bullshit artists, and try something different. What we’ve had for the past two presidential terms has been a monumental disaster and nothing more than a bonanza for the rich.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com/"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-6704997975015588862?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/6704997975015588862'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/6704997975015588862'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html#6704997975015588862' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://bp3.blogger.com/_zNFDpSKwkUg/SH5AbmR9snI/AAAAAAAAAAU/6v2QE7ahTso/s72-c/9+11+billboard.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-1598632194086159449</id><published>2008-05-22T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-08-02T01:45:17.646-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='god mccain robertson liberal conservative republican'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;IS GOD PUNISHING THE PEOPLE IN GEORGIA, MISSOURI AND OKLAHOMA?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I sympathize with and offer my condolences to the residents and victims of the storms that recently struck Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma, but the situation does cause me to wonder about God’s role in this situation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whenever a tragedy strikes an area regarded as “Liberal”, such as San Francisco, or New Orleans, the Wrong Reverend Pat Robertson, quickly proclaims that “God is punishing the people in those cities” for one reason or another. His reasoning is usually that Gays, or people who support their rights, populate the area.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now that areas rife with his supporters, or, “People of Faith” as they like to be called, have been butt slammed by natural disasters, there’s no comment from Robertson.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now I’m neither a scientist nor a bible expert but shouldn’t there be a reason why these areas were hit with natural disasters? I think it’s just the randomness of the weather but I’m sure Robertson would have a more mystical explanation. So where is he and why hasn’t he revealed the reason to us?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Was God’s aim off this time?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you’re fed up with this kind of nonsense, and the blurring of the line between church and state, as perpetrated by Bush and his worshippers, and the currently most vocal of the Republican/Conservative bullshit artists, John McCain, check out this &lt;a href="http://www.venganza.org/" target="_blank"&gt;website&lt;/a&gt; for some enlightenment and a good laugh.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com/"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-1598632194086159449?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/1598632194086159449'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/1598632194086159449'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html#1598632194086159449' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-7706716609114391352</id><published>2007-11-07T15:46:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-11-07T15:50:35.003-08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='pat+robertson rudy+giuliani gay republican conservative president irs'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;RELIGIOUS LOONY ENDORSES POLITICAL LOONY&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Claiming that he, Pat Robertson, and Rudy Giuliani, because they are survivors of prostate cancer, think alike, the former has endorsed the latter as his choice for the Republican presidential candidate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is Republican political theatre at its best.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We have another Conservative/Republican/Gay hater, religious loony, Pat Robertson, whose thoughts always seem to gravitate towards a man's groin, endorsing a guy who wears dresses and marches in Gay Pride parades.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once again we have a religious leader endorsing a political candidate which is a clear violation of the rules governing a religious organization's tax exempt status.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey IRS, how about doing something about this?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-7706716609114391352?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/7706716609114391352'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/7706716609114391352'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html#7706716609114391352' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-1061260743764252986</id><published>2007-10-17T02:26:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-10-17T02:30:08.415-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='giuliani romney church state religious'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;RELIGIOUS LOONIES ENDORSE ROMNEY&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_zNFDpSKwkUg/RxXUhJhHrQI/AAAAAAAAAAM/yOMy2AyCBOQ/s1600-h/romneygiuliani.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122233817159412994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_zNFDpSKwkUg/RxXUhJhHrQI/AAAAAAAAAAM/yOMy2AyCBOQ/s320/romneygiuliani.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's yet another blatant display of political activism by the conservative religious wrong spearheaded by Mark DeMoss, founder of The DeMoss Group, a public relations firm that specializes in promoting the agenda of Christian loony extremists.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;DeMoss sent a letter to 150 Conservative Christian leaders urging them to throw their weight behind Romney, who is seen above asking Giuliani for a date, as the Republican presidential candidate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rudy Giuliani, the current Republican front runner, is pro-choice, as is Hilary Clinton, the leading Democratic candidate, and DeMoss has stated, along with other religious leaders that they don’t want a pro choice president.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can read the details of this latest Republican attempt to blur the line between the &lt;a href="http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071011/29669_Conservatives,_Evangelicals_Urged_to_'Galvanize'_Support_Around_Romney.htm" target="_blank"&gt;separation of church and state&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I've said this before, and I'll say it again, any tax exempt religious group that endorses, or works against a political candidate should lose its tax exempt status.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com/"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-1061260743764252986?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/1061260743764252986'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/1061260743764252986'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html#1061260743764252986' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://bp2.blogger.com/_zNFDpSKwkUg/RxXUhJhHrQI/AAAAAAAAAAM/yOMy2AyCBOQ/s72-c/romneygiuliani.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-3879296121512908311</id><published>2007-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-08-30T01:21:48.946-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='republican larry+craig senator gay'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;ANOTHER PERVERTED REPUBLICAN POLITICIAN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Republicans and Conservatives like to hee-hee-hee about Bill Clinton's illicit, but normal, extramarital affairs, and of course they blame him for everything under the sun, including things that happened before he was born.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you ever need an excuse for something you screwed up or just didn't go the way you want you can always be a Republican for a little while and &lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com/whatajoke.htm" target="_blank"&gt;just blame Clinton&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Republican Party, also known as the War Party, and The Party of the Rich, claims to espouse high moral standards and ethics. These guys align themselves with every religious looney that votes and can write a check to a Republican candidate or the RNC.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile these are the guys that are always getting caught screwing underage males, disabled farm animals, insects, including flying insects if he's a quick Republican, a handful of worms, a fur coat, ground beef, Astroturf, and pretty much anything but an adult human female.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After all, if these guys did try it with a woman they would run the risk of being told they weren't any good. You don't have that problem with a porcupine or an iceberg lettuce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Republicans crucified Democratic Congressman and world class philanderer Gary Condit when it was discovered that he was having an affair with the missing Chandra Levy. They wanted his congressional seat so badly that they distracted the cops enough with their insistence that Condit be the main focus of their investigation that Levy's actual killer was never found. Good job guys, anything for another election win, including being an accessory after the fact to murder.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So now we have Republican Senator Larry Craig, from the very red, and now red faced State of Idaho, caught playing "lemme see your pee-pee", in a Minneapolis public shithouse known to be a Gay hangout.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He pled guilty, and now says he didn't do anything, and is sorry he pled guilty. He also says he isn't and never was Gay.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You know, as a member of the "law and order" party, you would think he'd be happy that he got caught in a sting, run by cops, of course. At least he got first hand proof that he and his Party's supposed efforts to improve law enforcement are working.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm sure the Republicans will say it's all Bill Clinton's fault because he hogged up all the women.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com/"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-3879296121512908311?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/3879296121512908311'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/3879296121512908311'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html#3879296121512908311' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-9018072060073688370</id><published>2007-06-21T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-06-21T00:43:29.971-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FRED THOMPSON, NEW DARLING OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It looks as if Fred Thompson, the guy with the perpetual scowl on his face, will join the other idiots seeking the Republican Presidential nomination.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thompson, the actor who can't decide if he wants to practice his craft in Hollywood or Washington D.C., is undergoing grooming by his handlers, much the same as a race horse, for a probable run.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Comparing him to a race horse is appropriate too since the Republican Party has a field of contenders bigger than this year's Kentucky Derby, who possess, in the aggregate, less intelligence than the ass of any one of the horses in that race.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is another Thompson in the Republican stable, Tommy Thompson, who calls himself the "real" Thompson. I like him better, because he provides more entertainment with his never ending inane remarks, whereas Fred Thompson just makes, "tough" faces.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What a wonderful mess the Republican Party is in these days, being more disorganized than a Kindergarten class on recess.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Giuliani, an unaccomplished nasty bastard goes around explaining his views on abortion, Mitt Romney confesses to the world that he didn't have premarital sex, and John McCain, who still doesn't get it, continues aligning himself with the loser Bush's ideas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So now we have Fred Thompson, another boot in the ass Conservative who appeals to the "thank you sir, may I please have another" set that begs for direction in all aspects of their lives, due to a lack of imagination and a fear of anything different.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thompson has been undergoing disciplinary training under the auspices of Dominatrix Extraordinaire, Mistress Lynne Cheney, so he can come off as an even bigger son-of-a-bitch for the "I need a nanny" crowd of cowering, masochistic supplicants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Next up for Thompson is an audience with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who will no doubt administer a sub-zero high colonic to Fred to purge him of any lingering Hollywoodisms that may still be tenaciously clinging to his alimentary tract.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thatcher, at age 82, is the perfect headmistress to tutor a Republican Presidential contender. Totally devoid of any heart or soul, and hopelessly out of touch with both the masses, and reality of any type, she'll impart the kind of wisdom craved by devotees of the "never change anything, our Party leaders know what’s best for me," crowd.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All the Republican candidates want to be being likened to their ultimate hero, Ronald Reagan, and Fred Thompson is no different.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think he has the inside track on this one.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After all, who's better than an 82-year-old, stuffy, upper-crust Englishwoman for teaching Thompson the ways of dementia, a la Reagan? &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com/"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-9018072060073688370?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/9018072060073688370'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/9018072060073688370'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html#9018072060073688370' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-7953517712590278742</id><published>2007-05-03T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-05-03T01:33:57.631-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='gas president las+vegas suv pickup+truck'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GAS PRICES GO UP INTELLIGENCE GOES DOWN&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I never claimed to be the sharpest tool in the shed but I’m constantly amazed at just how incredibly stupid so many people are.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A few days ago I paid $3.07 per gallon for regular gas in Las Vegas; some places were charging $3.23 for the same brew. About six weeks ago I was griping about paying $2.29.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If they are to be believed, the gas pundits say that the reason prices are rising is due to high demand, and low availability.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;OK, let's take that at face value and then realize that, duh, if we demand less gas prices will go down. I, of course, don't believe that, but let's say, "in arguendo", that it is true.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, in Las Vegas it seems that every other vehicle is either a giant SUV or a massive 4-wheel drive pickup truck, usually transporting a sole individual and no load.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of the regular cars on the road there is a plethora of "hot rod" type vehicles, either old pieces of crap that have been restored, or newer foreign cars sporting thousands of dollars worth of noise producing after market add ons.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A few weeks earlier when I gassed up I noticed, for the first time, a separate pump that dispensed, "100 Plus Racing Fuel."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Two things struck me, one, the gas was $4.99 per gallon, and two, it was sold out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Next I went to the supermarket. At the entrance were two young yo-yo's who were happy holders of those great American jobs the President is always saying we're lucky to have in abundance. One guy was sweeping up and the other was collecting shopping carts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Obviously they were Harvard and MIT graduates, or they wouldn't have jobs in the first place.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They were taking a break and talking about cars. One of them said, quote: "So I thought, what the hell, I might as well get that one, it's faster, and a lot louder, and it costs the same."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Faster", now that makes sense in a town where the traffic crawls.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Louder", I guess that's important to an idiot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yesterday, on the Vegas news, they profiled a few crybaby/assholes who were griping at the news of the probability of four buck a gallon gas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They were acting as if they were veritable Einsteins because they were going to "car pool" with their behemoth SUV's. Apparently they just realized that more than one asshole at a time can be transported in these things.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh yeah,  some of them said they were going to get motorcycles for commuting. I'm sure they'll get bikes that are loud and get poor gas mileage as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;None of them said they were going to part with their fad vehicles and buy a gas efficient car. I guess they'll just park them in front of the house and continue making the $500.00+ payments, while they wait for gas prices to come down.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Smart, very smart. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-7953517712590278742?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/7953517712590278742'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/7953517712590278742'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html#7953517712590278742' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-4986028664089101734</id><published>2007-04-20T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-04-20T02:23:47.732-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='gonzalez richardson attorney+general bush'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BILL RICHARDSON, DUMBELL DEMOCRAT&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's another idiot who wants to be President, Bill Richardson, Democrat Governor of New Mexico.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On April 18, he was asked why he hadn't called for the resignation of Attorney General, Alberto Gonzalez.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;His reply was: "The only reason I'm not [calling for Gonzales's resignation] is because he's Hispanic, and I know him and like him,  it's because he's Hispanic. I'm honest."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Richardson is also Hispanic, and obviously, he's quite willing to make no bones about playing favorites.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, Gonzalez may or may not be guilty of wrongdoing, and we may, or we may not ever know the truth. What does appear certain though is that Gonzalez is an idiot and is way out of his depth as Attorney General. This is the result of Bush's widespread cronyism.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unfortunately that alone is not enough to simply demand his ouster.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The situation that gave rise to questions about Gonzalez' integrity is certainly suspicious enough to merit an investigation in my opinion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No one, however, should either be condemned or pardoned simply because he or she is or isn't a member of any particular group.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's fine to give someone the benefit of the doubt, in the absence of conclusive, damning evidence, but it's another thing to do so for a dumb reason, such as simply belonging to a particular group.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I wouldn't want someone with this mindset to run the country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fortunately Richardson has less of a chance of becoming President than a fart has surviving a tornado.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-4986028664089101734?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/4986028664089101734'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/4986028664089101734'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html#4986028664089101734' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-8236465823719171009</id><published>2007-04-13T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-04-12T23:58:19.149-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='guiliani bush president republican rove'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GIULIANI OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rudy Giuliani, the leading contender to be the Republican presidential candidate, probably clinched the nomination on Tuesday.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"America’s Mayor" could not state the price of a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread while campaigning in Montgomery, Alabama.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Giuliani thought that a gallon of milk sold for $1.50 and a loaf of bread went for $1.25.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm sure Karl Rove, when he learned of this, had a spontaneous orgasm as he envisioned the sometimes dress wearing Giuliani as the perfect Republican president.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I didn’t think it was possible to find another guy like Bush, who can't find his own ass with both hands, in the same millennium," is a likely thought in Rove’s mind.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"A Republican's dream, he's totally out of touch with mainstream America and he's been described as a "CEO type of presidential candidate", as was Bush, was probably another thought in Rove's mind.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Giuliani's failed attempt at playing, "The Price Is Right," was defended by his campaign staffers when they later stated that the average price for a loaf of bread in the United States is $1.17 per pound. They stated that the figure came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perhaps one of these dim bulbs should take a walk through a supermarket and see what a buck seventeen gets you these days.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some will argue that it’s doubtful that Giuliani actually shops for food and therefore has no way of knowing what current prices are.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sorry, that's no excuse for someone who wants the job of managing the country, which is inhabited mostly by people of modest means, a fact that is usually ignored by the Republican Party.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A potential president should know how much food costs the average citizen.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-8236465823719171009?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/8236465823719171009'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/8236465823719171009'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html#8236465823719171009' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-3136798448978239059</id><published>2007-03-27T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-03-26T22:44:31.319-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='bush mcdonalds iraq mre karl+rove cheney'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IS GEORGE BUSH STARVING OUR TROOPS?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Self proclaimed Super-Patriot, George W. Bush, who is always willing to spill the blood of our service members in defense of his big oil buddies, Halliburton, and most important, his own ego, is Commander-in-Chief of a starving Army and Marine Corp.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It seems that the much heralded "MRE's", or "Meals Ready To Eat," that are doled out in ever decreasing numbers to those troops in the most dangerous and stressful areas of the Iraq theatre, are inadequate. In fact they are so pathetically unfit that many of our troops are losing weight in alarming amounts due to malnutrition.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While the Bush's dine on some of the most expensive and exquisitely prepared cuisine, in lavish surroundings in the White House, with scores of footmen and various kitchen help at their beck and call, he's starving our front line troops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While Bush impatiently waits for his meat to be cut into perfect bite-size bits, and agonizes over the choices on the dessert menu, the Commander-in-Chief's troops have to get by on 4th rate garbage. Our men and women in harm's way, at his pleasure, have to get by on Smoky Franks and Chicken a la King, affectionately nicknamed the Four Fingers of Death and Chicken a la Death, and, the troops aren't even issued enough of them to satisfy their hunger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have no idea who supplies this slop but it wouldn't surprise me if the country's biggest welfare recipient, Halliburton, is in there somewhere.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Those of us who have been calling for the return of the troops, in order to save them from slaughter, are accused of "not supporting the troops" and being, "unpatriotic."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile, Bush and Cheney, neither of whom ever saw action, and in fact tough guy with everyone else's ass, Cheney, who wasn't ever in uniform, continue to call for more troops to be sent to Iraq, are hailed as the "patriotic supporters" of the troops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The real reason these two pinheads insist that this war is necessary is that Bush doesn't want to admit that he was wrong about going to war,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Can anyone explain to me how this is possible?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read about how our troops health and fighting ability is being comprised by the Bush provided &lt;a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-070325mre-story,1,2119239.story?coll=chi-news-hed&amp;ctrack=1&amp;amp;cset=true"&gt;MRE's&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nearly everyone has heard the expression, "An army moves on its stomach." Napoleon realized that all those years ago, and his chefs invented the "French Fry" as an easy to prepare, high energy, field ration.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maybe what we need for our troops are a couple of mobile McDonalds out there on the front line.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If the Karl Rove White House can figure out a way to get Halliburton 1000 times the amount of money necessary to bring the troops some McDonalds food, our service members will soon be saying, "Supersize those 'Freedom Fries'."&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-3136798448978239059?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/3136798448978239059'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/3136798448978239059'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html#3136798448978239059' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-9091005789841586256</id><published>2007-03-15T00:40:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-03-18T18:32:32.204-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HALLIBURTON CORPORATION TO BECOME AN EXPATRIATE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The darling corporation of the Bush Administration, Halliburton, the USA's probable biggest welfare recipient, apparently will be moving to Dubai to avoid paying US taxes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If this doesn't take the cake I don't know what does. Here we have a corporation of dubious quality that has been gifted, time and again, by Bush and Cheney, with huge, no bid government contracts, and they're moving out of the country for a better deal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course Halliburton will continue sucking the US Treasury dry and the Republicans will then state that anyone who doesn't like this set up is a traitor, a coward, and doesn't support the troops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this a gift to Dubai to make up for not allowing one of their companies to control security at US ports?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let's see, how will this all pan out? Perhaps something will happen in Dubai and their government will nationalize all companies based on their soil, excuse me, sand.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Next, Halliburton's remaining executives in Bush’s home state of Texas will pick up the phone and start calling Republican lawmakers/breakers to ask for help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then, all the "patriotic" types will start expressing outrage by mounting American flags on their 10-miles-per-gallon SUV's and pickup trucks, and riding around honking their horns and shouting "we're number one, let's kick Dubai's ass."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Republicans will then state that anyone who opposes war with Dubai is a traitor, a coward, and doesn't support the troops they want to send.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The religious wrong will finally prevail and convince our leaders to attack Dubai and save Halliburton and Christianity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Republicans will then state that anyone who expresses an opinion in opposition to the upcoming war with Dubai is a traitor, a coward, a Jesus hater, an enemy of the moral majority, is godless, and doesn't support the troops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Another "Shock and Awe" spectacle, planned and staged by The Disney Corporation commences during which we will expend $100 billion worthy of munitions, which are immediately replaced by the same amount of ordnance by our defense contractors, for $200 billion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wall Street goes wild as the Dow sets a new record and the Republicans lay claim to improving the economy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Republicans will state that anyone who says that this isn't good for America is a traitor, a coward, and does not support the troops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Shock and Awe, the Sequel", results in the destruction of both of the Dubai Navy's canoes, and the empty doublewide mobile home that houses their crews.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The follow up ground invasion results in the killing of all of Dubai's 100 man defense force that was contracted through Halliburton.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Congress then determines that it was all a misunderstanding and appropriates 2 trillion dollars for reparations and pays Halliburton 3 trillion dollars to disburse the funds to itself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Republicans state that anyone who feels this is wrong is a traitor, a coward, and doesn't support the troops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Halliburton subcontracts the purchase of 2 canoes and a doublewide for $175.00, to a Bush family relative in Texas, who runs a live bait and coyote trap store in a suburb of Crawford.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He in turn bills the Federal government $175 million for administrative costs and is paid $174 million after the Democrats determine that he overcharged. The actual payout though is $176 million when interest for the delay caused by the investigation is factored in.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the last day of his Presidency Bush endows the local American military commander in Dubai with the new title of Royal Viceroy. The following day The Viceroy then appoints Dick Cheney as the president of the new country of "The Republic of Hallidubuairton Incorporated".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Republicans state that anyone who doesn't see the sense in this is a traitor, a coward, and doesn't support the troops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Congress then approves a bill that stations 150,000 US troops in The Republic of Hallidubuairton to protect former Vice-President Cheney. It is justified by saying that the Secret Service isn't sufficient in force to protect him now that he is no longer in a "secure, undisclosed location."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Republican's then state that anyone who opposes this action is a traitor, a coward, and doesn't support the troops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Within 24 hours gasoline prices rise to ten bucks a gallon in the United States and Wall Street posts another record high on the Dow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Republicans state that anyone who disagrees with the theory that is good for the country is a traitor, a coward, and doesn't support the troops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anne Coulter writes 15 books about the 15 minute war and the Republicans state that anyone who doesn't buy the books is a traitor, a coward, and doesn't support the troops.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-9091005789841586256?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/9091005789841586256'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/9091005789841586256'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html#9091005789841586256' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-4151268667245495657</id><published>2007-03-07T00:01:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-03-06T23:27:15.856-08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='scooter+libby bush clinton'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SCOOTER LIBBY GUILTY!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Good news!  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Scooter Libby was found guilty of perjury in the first of what I hope will be a long series of trials and convictions for Bush's henchmen, spin doctors, thieves, manipulators, prevaricators, multi-purpose thugs, and other worthless reprobates.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After years of persecution by jealous Republicans over a lie that was harmless to the public, Bill Clinton must be singing the tune, "Who's Lying Now".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course we'll have to wait to see if this cocky little poop ever gets to play drop the soap with other jail birds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If the appeals and other legal wrangling fail we could be treated to another round of Republican pardons, a la Nixon, Oliver North, et al.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was reported that when the verdict was read one of the jurors broke down in tears. What the hell is going on in our courts with all these crying judges, lawyers and jurors?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many news people stated that there was a lot of sympathy for Libby's family, and remarks that it was such a shame that a guy like him went down the way he did.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Who the hell is kidding who? He’s a frigging lawyer for crissake which means he was half way to being a criminal right from the get go.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If people want to express sympathy, they should do so for people who deserve it such as the widows, widowers and orphans of the service members who died, and those who were wounded in an unnecessary war that the Scooters of the world help their bosses, such as Cheney and Bush, bring about.   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-4151268667245495657?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/4151268667245495657'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/4151268667245495657'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html#4151268667245495657' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-117066211702390563</id><published>2007-02-05T00:05:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-02-04T23:56:38.766-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;THE CASE AGAINST RELIGION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;People confuse belief in God with religion. You don't have to belong to a religious group in order to believe in, pray to, or praise God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Religion, no matter which one it is, is a club, or a cult comprised of members who share the same interest, much the same as a bowling league, or a quilting circle, or a photography club.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can bowl, make a quilt, or take pictures on your own right? You don’t need other people in order to do these things, and you don't need others in order to believe in God, or pray.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's the MSN Encarta definition of religion, copied and pasted without alteration:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. beliefs and worship: people's beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a deity or deities, and divine involvement in the universe and human life&lt;br /&gt;2. system: an institutionalized or personal system of beliefs and practices relating to the divine&lt;br /&gt;3. personal beliefs or values: a set of strongly-held beliefs, values, and attitudes that somebody lives by&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;See, the first definition doesn't bother me, but the second one does. The reason for that is that people who belong to a religious group, an institution, often try to impress their beliefs on others, and they demonize those who won't go along with their program.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the past few weeks the following occurred, as the direct result of the actions of religious loonies who forced others to adhere to their religious beliefs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While a 21-year-old rape victim was being driven around by the cops in an attempt to locate the scene of the crime they discovered that there was an outstanding warrant on her for a minor, non-violent crime she committed 4 years earlier. The search was broken off; she was arrested, and imprisoned.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While in jail the religious looney nurse refused to give her the second of her day after birth control pills, which were prescribed by a hospital doctor, because the nurse felt her religion wouldn't permit it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Elsewhere, an Islamic religious looney, cab driver, refused a fare because the guy had a shopping bag with a bottle of liquor in it. He said "his" god would be offended by that.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These actions are downright wrong, and in the first case, potentially terribly harmful. No one has the right to impress his or her "values," which are nothing more than that person's concept of right and wrong, on anyone else.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pharmacists who refuse to fill Rx's for any legal medication; medical personnel who refuse to administer, or allow a patient access to legally prescribed compounds or medical procedures should be held criminally responsible for their actions. They should lose their licenses and be barred for life from engaging in all employment in any aspect of the medical profession.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The cab driver should be charged with discrimination and barred from driving public and private conveyances.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Isn't it time we grew up as a Nation and stopped this silly intermingling of personal beliefs and public behavior that adversely affects the rights of others?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-117066211702390563?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/117066211702390563'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/117066211702390563'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html#117066211702390563' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-116902265710481133</id><published>2007-01-17T00:26:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-01-17T00:32:52.186-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;DICK ARMEY, STILL BLOWING SMOKE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Republican blowhard, Dick Armey, assured himself of an even higher spot on the "Republican Register of Ridiculous Rhetoric" yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The former majority leader was a guest on Tucker Carlson's show and the discussion drifted to Bush's abominable handling of his Iraq war.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Armey defended his god by saying that while the Democrats keep criticizing Bush’s failed plan they've yet to come up with a plan of their own.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;OK, fair enough, but of course if they did they wouldn't have the authority to implement it, after Bush is, as he say, "the decider."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then Armey goes on to say, "At least the President has a plan, it's better than no plan."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Uh, excuse me, Dick, 70+% of the country feels that Bush's plan is a "no plan." Worse yet is that Armey stated that he believed that people should go along with Bush's "plan," if only because there isn't another.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apparently Armey missed the results of the last election in which the American people overwhelmingly let Bush know that they wanted us out of Iraq or at least for Bush to come up with a better plan, as our sorry-assed "decider."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Later in the day I caught a newscast in which Bush appeared, sporting his usual smirk. He said, "There are two possibilities, one is to get out of Iraq now. That would be a quick defeat for us. The other is to do it slowly. That would be a slow defeat."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You have to admire a guy with that kind of insight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So it looks like we'll be in Iraq longer, so more of our guys can get killed, in order that Halliburton can make a few billion more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I wonder how it feels to not have a conscience. I'll ask Bush if I'm ever unlucky enough to be around him. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Idiocy #2&lt;br /&gt;The possibility that Barack Obama might run for the Presidency as the Democratic candidate was the next topic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Armey couldn't wait to jump in on this and said, "Who is this guy? He comes out of nowhere and wants to be President, just like Kerry."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If Danny DeVito was drunk on TV not long ago, Armey must have a severe case of wet brain, coupled with outright stupidity. No wonder he rose so high in the Republican Party.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;First off, Kerry, like him or not, has plenty of political experience at the Federal level. I guess old Dick was too busy playing footsies with lobbyists while he was on the hill and never noticed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Second, what does he mean by, "comes out of nowhere?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Who the hell was the pea-brained President we have now, before he was appointed President by the Supreme Court?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All he ever did was act as Governor of Texas for a few years; he didn’t have any Federal political experience at all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Obama had more years in the Illinois State Legislature and then became a US Senator, by actually winning the election.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Keep in mind that Armey was a principal in the drafting of the daft Newt Gingrich fantasy, "Contract With America", and oh yeah, he's a proponent of the privatization of Social Security, another of Bush's wet dreams that will enable even more wealth to be transferred to his rich supporters. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-116902265710481133?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116902265710481133'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116902265710481133'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html#116902265710481133' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-116676284620324232</id><published>2006-12-21T20:42:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-12-21T20:47:26.216-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;HOW TO KNOW WHEN CHRISTMAS IS NEAR&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are two unfailing ways for anyone who either doesnt own, or know how to use a calendar, to tell that Christmas is approaching.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The first hint is that advertisements for electric shavers start appearing on TV. It seems as if electric shavers are only sold in December.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The absolute giveaway though is when the world's biggest welfare recipient, NASA, presents its Christmas list to the U.S. government.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Usually this event is preceded by the announcement that they've discovered something useless, that is a million light-years away in space, and then there's the inevitable December shuttle launch that sends a broken down shuttle to repair something on the broken down International Space Station.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This and nearly everything NASA does is a shameful waste of taxpayer money.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As I write this NASA again has its ass in a sling over where the hell they can land the shuttle. As usual it may not be able to land in Florida because of bad weather. If it has to land in the alternative location in California it will then cost a million bucks to transport that monstrosity piggy back, on a 747.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But then, what the hell is a million bucks to NASA?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the scheme of things a million bucks to NASA is mere pocket change, out of our pockets, of course.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;NASA gives less thought to shelling out a million bucks for a plane ride than the average parent does when asked for a buck for candy by one of his or her kids. But then, the parent works for that buck, NASA's dilettantes don't.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bear in mind that these rocket joy rides are gleefully approved by the same guys in our government who insist that government sponsored health care is impossible for Americans because of a lack of funds. Of course they, the congress and the President, enjoy free health care for life, at our expense.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;That's fair.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What has the shuttle program done for you lately, or ever?&lt;br /&gt;This year's NASA Christmas list is a masterpiece of imagination and greed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These welfare recipients not only want to return to the Moon, they want to build a permanent base there. NASA has a grandiose plan that includes the manufacture of rocket fuel, on the Moon, if they can find a source of water there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;NASA went on to say that the Moon would provide a perfect place from which to launch expeditions to Mars, and then, if they can find enough water on Mars, a permanent base can be built there, so we can further explore space.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey, rocket scientists, how about finding some fresh, unpolluted water here on Earth?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have no doubt that this whole Moon base nonsense is the result of the announcement a few years ago, by the Chinese, that they intend to travel to the Moon and establish a base there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Holy shit, we can't have that; we can't be Moon base challenged; we have to do it first.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'll bet Halliburton is already lobbying congress for the assignment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maybe the government will put up some nice condos too, and offer daily commuter trips back to Earth for the rich people who will live on the Moon. That way they can go to their offices every day on Earth, and continue shipping jobs to other countries, and order more goods from China to sell in America. They'll still be back home on the Moon in time to have their "squeeze out of a plastic bag, 'Moon meals'" and Tang, with the family.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Chinese know how to make assholes out of our government alright. Have they done anything to get their Moon base started? No, and don't expect that they will anytime soon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They'll just sit back, and laugh at us, as we piss away trillions doing what our politicians fear they will do, while they wear out their abacuses counting the money we ship them for the things that are no longer made here.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Merry Christmas!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-116676284620324232?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116676284620324232'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116676284620324232'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#116676284620324232' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-116530812473994197</id><published>2006-12-05T00:37:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-12-05T00:42:04.753-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;NEWT GINGRICH WANTS TO CURTAIL FREE SPEECH&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, is back, with another lame-brain idea.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's about a month since the election and I guess Gingrich found a discarded Republican Party banner and decided to run with it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Newt, who apparently fancies himself as a potential Presidential candidate, wants to modify the right to free speech. As has been the case for years with the Republican Party, his idea is put forth under the guise of national security. In other words, it's the use of scare tactics to further promote the acceptance of, and expand Bush's self-conveyed, near dictatorial powers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are details enough all over the place on this radical idea which calls for government authority to selectively silence anyone who is felt to be a threat to what are quickly becoming the Imperial powers of the President.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gingrich says that the Internet is a prime vehicle for the terrorist's recruitment campaign and to convey messages. His plan would allow the Federal Government to shut down websites deemed suspicious.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This lunatic loser calls for a "New level of supervision", which translates into a furtherance of the beloved Republican, "Nanny Society", which would basically subject the populace to scrutiny by Right-Wing political/religious loonies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Can you say "Witch Hunt," or "American Inquisition?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Although Gingrich stated that he would not run for President, the egotist supreme said he just might allow himself to be drafted, if it's the will of the people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What a guy; how thoughtful of him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm in favor of sensible surveillance by proper police and government authorities to thwart all crime, including terrorism. However, these open ended, spur of the moment attempts to take away our basic rights and freedoms are dangerous for all the obvious reasons, and defeat the purpose for which this country was founded. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-116530812473994197?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116530812473994197'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116530812473994197'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#116530812473994197' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-116370887415083352</id><published>2006-11-16T12:23:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-11-16T12:27:54.180-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;HERE THEY GO AGAIN!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Six days after the election Hillary Clinton remarks that government sponsored health care should again be considered, and immediately, on Neal Cavuto's Fox/GOPTV show, Republican congressman Roy Blunt says:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"What a huge blow this will be to the taxpayers. After 12 years of a Republican congress people can see the huge strides that were made and now the Democrats want to reverse this."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Uh, excuse me, did he miss the election last week when his Party was told that they, and their lamebrain policies weren't wanted?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What we need is an overhaul of the entire US health care system which is incredibly bogged down in paperwork and stupidity all designed to enrich the corporate entities that have transformed Health Care, into corporate, "Wealth Care," for the rich.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There's no continuity of service because of constant changes to the various plans' list of providers. If you have to go to a new doctor everything starts over from scratch, which is wasteful and delays treatment. There are too many health plans, one worse than the other, and it's outrageous that an accountant or lawyer decides who gets what, after a doctor says a treatment or medication is a medical necessity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Who would be so stupid as to not want an efficient, cost effective system where everyone benefits, except the businessmen, who shouldn't be involved with your health in the first place?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What the hell good is a country if half its citizenry is sick?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What the hell is so wrong with spending some taxpayer dollars on the taxpayers?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;People like Blunt and his colleagues are the same clowns who readily sign off on hundreds of billions of dollars for "bridges to nowhere," e.g. They gleefully give NASA billions to blow a hole in a distant rock, just so they can see if it can be done, or to find water on Mars, so a spokesperson can say, "Hey, we found a teaspoon of water on Mars. Can we have 5 billion more so we can look for sand? That way we can say we found a beach."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A billion and a half bucks a week is being spent in Iraq, and for what? All that money does is get Americans killed, while making Halliburton's executives richer. Whether we stay there another day, or a hundred years, the moment we leave chaos will ensue, and the wrong people will take over.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why not use that money for an American health care system devoid of HMO's, insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid, countless administrators, advertising companies, and various and sundry other unnecessary middle men and failed programs?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The drug companies will make even more money by selling more products, at a lower cost, because everyone will get all the medications prescribed by their doctors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Who the hell is some congressman, who enjoys free healthcare, the best available, for life, at taxpayer's expense, to tell us that we shouldn't have it too, while NASA gets billions to play with the useless, overpriced toys produced by Corporate America?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But what can you expect from a Party that just installed racist Senator Trent Lott as its Minority Whip.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-116370887415083352?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116370887415083352'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116370887415083352'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.html#116370887415083352' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-116322341547066125</id><published>2006-11-11T00:00:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-11-10T21:57:36.610-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;THE PARTY'S OVER&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not the Republican Party, they'll always be with us, but most of the worst of them are gone, hopefully for good.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The party is over for King George II however, and that's what's important. The man with the big Rolodex and small brain will no longer be able to dream something up, make a phone call, and have his Legislative Branch snap to, and do his bidding, no matter how inane.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The arrogant Rumsfeld is also gone and hopefully his replacement will put the troops and not his ego first.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The American people have finally demanded what I've been saying we should have, elected officials who do what the majority of the people feel is best, and not just what the lobbyists tell them to do while golfing in Scotland.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let's never again let them forget that they were hired to get us what we want, by working together, and they're not to tell us what's best for us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You hire a doctor, or lawyer, or accountant, or a plumber to tell you what you should do, or need. You don't hire/elect a surgeon, or the unaccomplished son of a football coach to tell you that you shouldn't have online gambling, e.g.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These guys are put in office because it is believed that they possess the persuasiveness to get what their constituents want, and that's all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We've had enough of this nanny society, and politicians who say they are in direct contact with God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What's truly significant about this election is that the ouster of the Republicans was not accomplished by the far Left, or the Democrats, it was a team effort by Americans of all stripes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Democrats and Liberals could not have done this without extensive support from the Republicans and Conservatives who finally grew tired of the corruption within their own Party.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It takes a lot for dedicated party liners to defect and say they're not going to allow themselves to be represented by people who are deceiving them, and my hat is off to them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These Republicans and Conservatives did the right thing, and now the congress, the Democrats in particular, should do the right thing. They should use their new found power to insure that these Republicans and Conservatives become permanent converts to right minded, Independent thinking, and not go back to being slaves to party politics that benefit only a few. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-116322341547066125?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116322341547066125'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116322341547066125'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.html#116322341547066125' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-116268259494466587</id><published>2006-11-04T15:05:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-11-04T16:26:16.213-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;BUSH RELIGIOUS ADVISOR BUYS METHAMPHETAMINE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The hypocrisy generated by the Bush White House just keeps coming.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One of our religious zealot President's advisors, Ted Haggard, has been accused of paying a male prostitute for sex over a three year period.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Haggard first claimed on camera that he never so much as even heard of his accuser, Mike Jones, and then the next day claimed he bought methamphetamine from him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then the following day he stated that bought methamphetamine from the male prostitute so he could throw it away.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ya know Haggard, if you're going to be part of the Bush Bullshit Brigade, at least take some lessons from some of his well established prevaricators. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If ever one had reason to question Bush's ability to make decisions one only needs to consider the kind of people he consults for guidance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The possibility that Haggard is either gay or bisexual doesn't bother me in the least, but the fact that this Evangelical loony rails against homosexuality and gay marriage, which makes him a hypocrite, does.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What's worse is that the President apparently gets on his knees with this guy, and does whatever it is that he does in private with him in the Oval Office, and then tells the public that he communed with God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These private "consultations" with an admitted methamphetamine buyer confirm what many have thought about the type of advisors Bush has as confidants. It's obvious that that Bush and the Republican Party will play up to any individual who promises to deliver votes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What's especially galling is that these guys have portrayed themselves as moralists who were going to clean up government and stomp out the dreaded Liberalism, which they claim gives rise to the kind of people that they themselves consort with.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So far, the Republican Party, under Bush's administration, has brought us, just to name a few of the most notorious, Duke Cunningham, Jack Abramoff, Mark Foley, Scooter Libby, Tom DeLay, and now a possible druggie religious advisor, who most certainly is a liar.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Couple this with a President who lied about the reasons we had to go to war with Iraq, and consequently have nearly 3,000 of our troops murdered, and the Republicans will still say it's better than having a President who lied about getting his knob polished.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They'd rather have a guy running the place who takes advice from criminals, claims God talks to him, and who possesses that deadliest combination of faults, ignorance and arrogance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bush never makes a mistake; he never admits he's wrong. This is the leader of the free world and he says things such as: "The Internets," and, "The Google," both of which he proudly admits he doesn't understand.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But then, out of understanding and necessity we're froced to hold him to a lower standard than 12 year olds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is the same guy who said that men work so they can, "Lay food on their family," and that, "Gynecologists practice love on their patients."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember that this is the same man who is directing the war in Iraq and who says the economy is great because the stock market is high. Forget that this only benefits a few institutional investors, and the CEO's of Corporate America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All the schmucks with a few dozen shares of stock, who think they're players, love the feeling of association with the rich, and gladly lend their support to the party that does not have these guy's best economic interests at heart.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This President says he doesn't read the newspapers and doesn't care about popularity polls. This means he doesn't care about what's going on and he doesn't give a shit about the fact that the vast majority of Americans think he's doing the wrong things.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's proof of ignorance and arrogance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Next month the War in Iraq will have been waged for a longer period of time than World War II and there's no end in sight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;World War II encompassed most of Europe and the Pacific, while Iraq is a confined area the size of Texas. Germany and Japan possessed advanced military machines, and huge armies, while Iraq's combatants are a bunch of rag-tag losers utilizing makeshift armament.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is not a knock against our guys and gals in the field, it's an indictment of the way this war is being directed by the current administration, which is more interested in making Halliburton richer, than preserving American service member's lives, and limbs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;World War II was fought, and won, under the direction of two Democratic Presidents, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This unnecessary, and apparently un-winnable war, is under the direction of the Republicans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you haven't already voted keep all this in mind when you enter the booth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember that Bush wouldn't have his near dictatorial powers if not for the fact that he controls both the Executive, and Legislative branches of government, and holds great sway over the Judicial Branch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A vote for a Republican candidate, who will do as he or she is ordered by the Karl Rove White House, is tantamount to another vote for Bush, and his America destroying policies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's a link to more on the &lt;a href="http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_dean_pow_061103_haggard___it_s_gotta.htm"&gt;Haggard and Hooker&lt;/a&gt; story.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-116268259494466587?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116268259494466587'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116268259494466587'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.html#116268259494466587' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-116184715225339920</id><published>2006-10-26T00:10:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-10-26T00:19:12.270-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;RUSH LIMBAUGH, SCUMBAG&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Republican/Conservative lap dog Rush Limbaugh recently distinguished himself, along the lines of Ann Coulter, his frustrated bitch female equivalent. He accused Michael J. Fox of acting up his Parkinson's symptoms when he made TV commercials supporting candidate's who are in favor of stem cell research.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Michael J. Fox has the kind of class and talent of which a Rush Limbaugh could only dream and his attack is further evidence of the fact that he's nothing more than an immature, spoiled, overgrown child. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Limbaugh even went so far as to take time out from sucking on his now famous phallic symbol cigar to mimic the uncontrollable spasms that Fox endures as a result of Parkinson's disease.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This despicable creature has no bona fides to his name other than the ability to endlessly preach hate in a boring monotone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Limbaugh attended a minor college and dropped out after less than a year because he flunked a "speech class."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This Mr. He-Man, who revels in seeing others loose their lives in Bush's wars, avoided the military draft, after dropping out of college, by claiming he suffered from a Pilonidal Cyst, which is essentially a pimple on one's ass.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now this pseudo-entertainer has assumed the position that he is capable of acting in the capacity of a medical doctor by stating that Fox apparently skipped his palliative medication in order to emphasize the shakes that accompany this terrible disease.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But what the hell, Limbaugh has convinced his brain-dead audience that he's an expert on matters of war and diplomacy so why not stretch it to medicine? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perhaps he has some medical knowledge garnered from his association with scores of physicians with whom he has acquainted himself, and deceived, for the purpose of illegally obtaining prescription narcotics, under the guise of a sore back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It should be blatantly clear by now that Limbaugh's attitude rflects the mind-set of the entire Republican/Conservative/religious loony politicians and their kiss-ass worshippers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thus far the only person I've heard defend Limbaugh is G. Gordon Liddy, a Nixon flunky, and Watergate felon, who is also a Conservative radio bullshit artist.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Liddy sided with Limbaugh on religious grounds, by stating that stem cell research uses newly created humans to clone tissue, and it doesn't work. He's another pea brain bully Mr. Morality, who suddenly knows everything, and bestowed a medical degree upon himself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't know if stem cells derived from fertilized eggs will be effective in curing disease but I think it's worth a try. As for the morality of it, that's another bit of claptrap that the Right-wing religious loonies have burdened the scientific community with.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Limbaugh's overt lack of compassion and child-like behavior should bring shame to anyone who counts him or herself among his legions of misguided fans. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is the same odious character who, during one of his daily worthless diatribes, stated that anyone who uses drugs illegally should do jail time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Uh, apparently that would be anyone but himself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Limbaugh is the poster boy and standard bearer of the compassionless and socially disconnected "fuck you" crowd. He's a modern day Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister of the Neo-Conservative movement in America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I feel sorry for people who find it necessary to seek the daily counsel of a cretin like Limbaugh. He apparently fills a need for those who live in fear of making a decision on their own, and who feel the need to bow to the preaching's of a political party's leaders. These people live in fear of making a mistake, and out of desperation to just "belong" to some group or another, willingly surrender their right to free thinking.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Decent Republicans and Conservatives, and there are some among the losers those parties attract, should want to distance themselves from Limbaugh. He is really nothing more than a smart ass prick that got lucky by saying the same nonsensical things over and over and over to people desperate for direction in their no-life, lives. He's a bully who hides behind a microphone spouting the hatred ridden lies his worshippers are afraid to speak.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Limbaugh is a disgrace to America and an insult to anyone who suffers from a disability.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One can only hope that an incurable disease, an autoimmune disease, such as Parkinson's, befalls this despicable creature so he can experience first hand the suffering, and feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and desperation that accompany such conditions. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" style="border:0" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-116184715225339920?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116184715225339920'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116184715225339920'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html#116184715225339920' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-116124095093682883</id><published>2006-10-19T00:00:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-10-19T00:17:10.856-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ANOTHER CHURCH ENDORSES REPUBLICAN POLITICIAN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;The connection between organized religion and the Republican Party is becoming more brazenly open as politicians are increasingly emboldened by the lack of action by the IRS.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;Minor moron Michele Bachman, a Republican candidate for congress, appeared at the Living Word Christian Center, a mega-church in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota and with the blessing of church official gleefully stated:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;"...and in the midst of that calling, God then called me to run for the United States Congress. And I thought, what in the world would that be for? And my husband said "You need to do this." And I wasn't so sure. And we took three days, and we fasted and we prayed. And we said "Lord, is this what you want? Is this Your will?" And after - along about the afternoon of day two - He made that calling sure. And it's been now 22 months that I've been running for United States Congress. Who in their right mind would spend two years to run for a job that lasts for two years? You'd have to be absolutely a fool to do that. You are now looking at a fool for Christ. This is a fool for Christ."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Uh-huh, and soeth she doth appeals to other fools to vote for her.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This religious loony also claims that the Lord called upon her to marry her husband, etc, etc, etc.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pastor Mac Hammond introduced Bachman thusly:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Amen. Now be seated again for a moment please. I have somebody special I want to introduce you to tonight. State Senator Michele Bachmann is with us and I'm going to ask her to come in in just a moment, and of course many of you know Michele, know of her pursuit of the United States Senate seat vacated by Mark Kennedy or Congressional seat vacated by Mark Kennedy's run for a United States Senate seat. Keeping all this straight gets to be challenging. But ya know we can't publicly endorse as a church and would not for any candidate but I can tell you personally that I'm going to vote for Michele Bachmann, because I've come to know her, what she stands for, and I want her to share her testimony with you tonight. Would you give her a warm welcome as she comes to share? Thank you Michele."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Folks, that's an endorsement of a political candidate by a church official enjoying tax exempt status.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By the way, this "good Christian" politician also professes to practice, "Submission to her husband."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Uh-huh.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;Again I put the call out to the IRS to enforce its own code and revoke the tax exempt status of these churches. That will bring in plenty of tax dollars for the government.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;What's the matter guys? Don't you want to make points with your boss, the other politician who claims to take direction straight from God, President Bush?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="PlayTime Las Vegas" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlayTimeLasVegas.gif" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-116124095093682883?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116124095093682883'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116124095093682883'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html#116124095093682883' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-116038821112113301</id><published>2006-10-09T02:59:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-10-09T14:40:48.636-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;JERRY FALWELL'S TAX EXEMPT STATUS SHOULD BE REVOKED&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's a shame that this important matter will go largely unnoticed due to the ongoing self destruction of the Republican Party but it should be reported somewhere.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;During the last week of September, on Fox News/GOPTV, a blessed out Jerry Falwell clearly stated that his worshippers would galvanize to defeat the Democrats at the polls.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Falwell made no bones about endorsing the defeat of opponents to the Republican Party, such as Hillary Clinton, whom he said would "energize" the Christians who respond to his blather.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By stating that, quote: "Hillary Clinton might have 300 million dollars for campaigning, but he had 80 million votes among the people of faith in his congregation," he clearly violated the rules that grant his church tax exempt status.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This major league windbag's call to "oppose" a political candidate is no different than a call to "support" a political candidate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Director of the IRS made it patently clear a few days earlier that to either "endorse" or openly "oppose" any political candidate would be considered a violation of tax exempt status.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the first place it should be obvious that the Wrong Reverend is a blatant politico due to his frequent appearances on Fox News/GOPTV where he comments only on political matters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He's not on TV promoting Christian values such as protecting children, feeding the poor, or praying for world peace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No, he's on TV, all smiles, as he openly endorses the Republican Party candidates, and their agenda, while comparing their opponents to the devil.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It seems that Falwell has been taking clues from Hugo Chavez and applying them in reverse.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On September 22nd, during a "prayer breakfast," which was part of a "Value Voters Summit," in Washington D.C, Falwell also assured his worshippers that, quote: "God would preserve a Republican majority in congress."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Part of this blatantly political rally disguised as a religious function featured a number of Conservative/Republican/religious loony politicians who feature themselves as the successor to Bush.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is an outrageous situation and like a mad dog Falwell needs to be muzzled.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If he wishes to exercise his right to free speech regarding politics, fine, then he should resign as a clergyman.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I call for the IRS to revoke Falwell's tax exempt status, or at the very least, to issue a public warning to him, and others of his ilk, to go back to being the CEO's of their profitable religious corporations, and lay off the politics.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let's see if the IRS has the balls to do it.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;Check out my new blog &lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;"Playtime Las Vegas"&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-116038821112113301?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116038821112113301'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/116038821112113301'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html#116038821112113301' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-115969327338688415</id><published>2006-10-01T01:55:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-10-01T02:16:02.186-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REPUBLICAN PARTY GETS AN ENEMA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Duke Cunningham, Tom DeLay, Bob Ney, George Allen, Mark Foley, the list of recently disgraced, elected Republicans continues to grow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There's a long overdue and much needed high colonic being administered to hopefully flush the rest of the thieves, racists, sexual deviates, and other fecal matter out of this alimentary system known as the Republican Party.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Florida Republican deviate Representative Mark Foley has been text messaging sexually explicit messages to a 16-year-old minor House page using the handle, maf54.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nice, and this clown supposedly is concerned about protecting children. Well, this is one less frequent guest for Bill O'Reilly, another of Fox News', GOPTV blowhards, and charter member of their "Noise Machine."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At this rate he'll soon have only himself to interview, which I guess would suit him just fine,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Great guy this member of the party that's always aligning themselves with various religious groups and preaching morality.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens to House Speaker, Dennis Hastert, that useless, slug-like land whale. Republican Representative Tom Reynolds released a statement yesterday confirming that he informed Hastert about Foley's interest in young boy's genitals early this year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know exactly what the Republican/Conservative/Religious Wrong's reaction to this will be. They will compare Foley's deviate predilection for male children to Clinton's normal interest in adult females. They'll say, "Oh it's just sex," while completely ignoring the difference between illicit sex engaged in by a married person, and illegal sex with minors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I've often said that if the Right Wing loonies had more interest in sex they'd hopefully stop screwing the country in an economic sense, but Jesus Christ, I meant between consenting adults.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Check out my new blog &lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;"Playtime Las Vegas"&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-115969327338688415?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115969327338688415'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115969327338688415'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html#115969327338688415' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-115933640131674581</id><published>2006-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-09-26T23:05:37.600-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;GEORGE ALLEN-RACIST&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Can there be any doubt that this guy, the Republican/Conservative Senator from Virginia, who is attempting to extend his membership in the, country club like, "Millionaires Club," as the U.S. Senate is called by insiders, is a racist?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Recently this guy referred, with obvious disgust, to what he thought was a foreign student, as a macaca, whatever that is, and you can bet it's not complimentary. That should be proof enough of his racist tendencies. He was also careful to advise his worshippers that the macaca was with his opponent’s camp.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It turns out that the student is a Virginia born American of Indian extraction.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This guy, Allen, also concealed the fact that there is Jewish blood in his family, and when asked about it he angrily replied that he was raised as a Christian.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He didn't say it with pride or conviction; he said it for purposes of identification with the misguided religious wrong who support any yo-yo who puts his or herself forth as a Christian.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's more evidence that the separation of church and state is eroding in our country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My hat is off to the IRS which is currently investigating hundreds of Christian churches for violations of their tax-exempt status due to their open support of primarily Conservative/Republican candidates.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Several of his former college football team mates have accused him of using racial slurs during his good old boy frat house days.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I believe them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just by watching this guy react in his cocky, smart-ass, smirky manner, you can see his bully boy, life of privilege and, "I don't answer to anyone," attitude, emerge.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So far, one college pal of his has come to Allen's defense by stating: "I never heard him say anything like that."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Predictable, but was he with Allen 24/7/365, for years on end?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In all my years in Catholic schools I was never dealt with in any but the most correct way by the nuns, priests and Christian Brothers I came into contact with. I never saw or heard of anything untoward happening to any of my fellow students either.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Does that mean that child abuse never happened anywhere within the Catholic school system in the entire world?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unfortunately, no.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This guy, Allen, is supposedly on a short list of Republicans being considered as the party’s candidate for President.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know that party is rife with losers, and felons, and there isn't much of a choice, but can't they do any better than Allen?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hopefully the Republican Party will go back to its roots and select someone with a background typical of their Presidential candidates: rich, spoiled, unqualified, fairly stupid, champion of the rich, and willing to do what corporate America wants, i.e. be a good boy and figurehead.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It would be better for America, should the Republicans win the White House, to just continue with another idiot President, who claims he text messages God, than to have all the above with racist added.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Check out my new blog &lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;"Playtime Las Vegas"&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-115933640131674581?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115933640131674581'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115933640131674581'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html#115933640131674581' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-115879233697289308</id><published>2006-09-20T15:42:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-09-20T15:47:28.643-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MORE SHUTTLE SHIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Can someone please tell me what the hell this damn shuttle is all about?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;First off, it takes forever to get the damn thing off the ground, with delay, after delay, after costly delay&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then, when the damn thing finally gets into orbit, the first thing the crew has to do is go outside, and see how many pieces of the damn thing fell off.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The media is always sure to show a shot of the space shuttle in an inverted position so the crew can check its underside. They call this a "belly flop," and make a big deal of it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If anyone wants to see a "belly flop" the government should pay for them to go to "SeaWorld." It will cost a lot less even if the entire population wants to go.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Next the crew visits the International Space Station and installs some crap on that damn thing in order to keep that piece of shit going. This accommodates other countries that send their astronauts to it and charge "civilian visitors" 20 million bucks a pop for a trip up there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We have to be the dumbest country on Earth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then the crew has to "kick the tires" for a few more days to see if the damn thing can limp back to Earth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Would you buy a car that needed that much attention every time you drove it?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now the return to Earth is delayed because there's some space junk, possibly from the shuttle itself, floating around or near it, they think, or perhaps far away, they're not sure.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just now on a newscast, a NASA spokesman said that there's always the possibility that something can "get away," from a shuttle's cargo bay and float off.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Great!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This particular shuttle, Atlantis, hasn't flown for four years. Do you mean to tell me that with the hundreds of millions they piss away to prepare these damn things for flight someone couldn't get his ass over to Wal-Mart and plunk down 7 bucks for a broom so someone could sweep out the damn thing?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When the damn thing gets back on the ground, let's keep it, and the rest of them here, permanently, and declare this junior high science project finished.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Check out my new blog &lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;"Playtime Las Vegas"&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-115879233697289308?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115879233697289308'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115879233697289308'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html#115879233697289308' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-115842760583058791</id><published>2006-09-16T10:15:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-09-16T10:30:14.103-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WAKE UP AMERICA&lt;/strong&gt;!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yesterday the Ford Motor Company announced additional massive layoffs and other "cost cutting" measures.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Basically, they're going out of business.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A Ford spokesguy stated that their "business model," was about 10 years out of date and needed to be changed. His solution, "There's a shift to smaller, fuel efficient vehicles."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No shit Sherlock, you're only about 30 years behind the Japanese, the Germans, the Swedes, and just about any other country that manufactures automobiles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But hey, this is America, and we're number 1, according to so many people. Yeah, let's make that number 1 in stupidity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The magnates of Motor City have stated in the past that it's the labor unions that caused the collapse of the domestic auto industry with their outrageous demands for higher wages, health insurance and retirement benefits.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How dare an ordinary worker demand a crumb off the pie that the auto company's grossly overpaid, and highly ineffective CEOs scarf down in huge gulps.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's a fact that Ford has existed, for decades now, thanks largely on the sale of its F150 pickup truck, a vehicle designed for commercial use by tradesmen and farmers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is it possible that Ford sells enough of these vehicles to those who need them in order to stay in existence? Of course not, people who need a pickup for business typically buy what they need and replace it when it's worn out. These guys don't adorn their vehicles with blue neon lights along the running boards and equip them with enhanced exhaust systems and 3,000 watt stereos, so when they tool down the streets everyone within a 5 mile radius will know that Mr. Joe "I'm a Nobody" Asshole, is driving around wasting gas in an effort to get noticed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Farmers and tradesmen also don't buy trucks with 4 wheel drive unless they must, because a truck is a business expense, not a toy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Any independent tradesman I've ever hired, such as Steve, my plumber, buys the smallest truck they can get away with, in order to save money. That's why Steve is still in business and Ford may not be for very long.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's those moronic urban cowboys who add 4 wheel drive, even though the only time the truck is off road is when it's parked in their driveways.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But Ford and GM continue catering to the idiots, including the 5 foot tall, 100 pound women who insist on driving a Ford Excursion, because, well, they don't really know why, they're just doing it because everyone else is.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A few years ago when gasoline prices started going up the idiot head of Ford made the statement, "We will continue to build them as big as our customers want." when asked if he thought that perhaps the time had come for the domestic auto industry to build small vehicles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That moron was quickly followed by Utah's finest idiot, Senator Orrin Hatch, who was outraged by the idea that his constituency should rethink their love for monster trucks. His response to the idea of fuel economy was, "America is a nation of want not need."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well, Mister Smart Ass Hatch, at the rate we're going we soon may "need" everything that we currently take for granted as the country's business leaders continue to export our jobs, and import everything that used to be manufactured domestically.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This drain on the economy in the interests of a higher and higher dividend payout to the nation's greedy stockholders will result in other nations imposing their way of life on us once they control all the products we "need."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The time to say "no more" to the few rich oil families in this country is long overdue. The Bushes and the Cheneys and whomever else should no longer be permitted to continue blocking the development and deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and alternative methods of generating electricity.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We need to penalize the users of wasteful vehicles, including unnecessary, gargantuan motor homes that get 5 miles per gallon, and other gas wasters such as purposeless powerboats and pollution causing ATVs by imposing stiff luxury taxes on their users. This tax money should go into a fund to capitalize the construction of wind powered generators and solar arrays.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There's a lot more that can be done but I'll let someone else chip in with his or her ideas.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;Check out my new blog &lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;"Playtime Las Vegas"&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-115842760583058791?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115842760583058791'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115842760583058791'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html#115842760583058791' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-115762086551193905</id><published>2006-09-07T02:19:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-09-07T02:22:56.156-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MORE NASA WASTE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here we go again, another shuttle on the launch pad, another delay, and another, and another, and another.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's bad enough that the damn thing cots a fortune to fly, but it also costs a fortune for it &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; to fly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When is this useless bullshit going to stop? Never, I guess, as long as NASA has people convinced that there is a reason why the American public should want this outmoded and totally irresponsible space program.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm sick of this monumental waste of taxpayer money, and so should everyone else, except for the few fat cat corporations who are bilking the public out of billions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vote against any politician who supports this wasteful thing in a country where there’s never any money for health care and many other far more necessary causes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's another story about this continuing &lt;a href="http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1093"&gt;NASA nonsense&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Check out my new blog &lt;a href="http://www.playtimelasvegas.com/"&gt;"Playtime Las Vegas"&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-115762086551193905?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115762086551193905'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115762086551193905'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html#115762086551193905' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-115510068886523183</id><published>2006-08-09T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-08-08T22:23:23.066-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;LIEBERMAN LOOSES!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Finally there is some good news to report.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Republican in disguise, Senator Joe Lieberman, has lost the Connecticut primary.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why am I glad? I'm glad for a lot of reasons beginning with his affiliation with the Democratic Party, when in fact, his actions are those of a Conservative Republican.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm not a Democrat, but I don't like phonies, and that's what Lieberman is.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What I dislike about the guy even more is what he's all about.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joe Lieberman, is all about one thing, Joe Lieberman.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All he wants to do is hold elected office, the higher the better.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Reference the 2000 Presidential election when Gore committed the unforgivable blunder of choosing Lieberman as his running mate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lieberman hedged his bets by simultaneously running for the Senate. He did so not because he wanted to insure a seat for the Democrats, he did it to insure that Joe Lieberman would continue as an elected official.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Proof of that is that he already announced that he will run as an Independent this November.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's win-win for Lieberman. If he wins, he's still an elected official, and if he loses, he'll probably pull a Nader, and draw enough votes from the Democratic candidate to insure a Republican victory, which will please him no end.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's a classic example of the spoiled brat syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-115510068886523183?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115510068886523183'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/115510068886523183'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html#115510068886523183' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-114897819330595777</id><published>2006-05-30T00:37:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-05-30T01:36:33.370-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;AMERICAN CENSORSHIP&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In March 2003 The Dixie Chicks stated that they were ashamed that President Bush hailed from their home state of Texas. As a result the Country music crowd lambasted them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You know who these people are, they're the ones who play dress up by donning costumes comprised of denim pants, snap-button shirts, 5 pound belt buckles with castings of semi-tractors glued to them, and of course, the ubiquitous "cowboy boots." I suppose these clowns dress this way so they can spot a fellow shit-kicker at a distance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They love to knock anyone who lives in a city with a library, and are always threatening to kick the crap out of anyone who doesn't display good manners, and then sit at the dinner table while wearing a two foot tall "cowboy" hat.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These are the guys who have stringy, greasy hair down to their asses, and still see imaginary sandal-clad hippies with beards.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Dixie Chicks must be devastated over no longer being able to count these half-wits as fans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The girls then apologized for the remark, but were still ostracized by the sub-20 IQ crowd, because they were "unpatriotic," the favorite word used by Conservatives to describe anyone who doesn't do as they're told.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now The Chicks have withdrawn the apology, and the girls are being accused of "not supporting the troops," the latest bit of slanderous rhetoric used by the Conservatives to describe anyone who doesn't practice blind faith to the President.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yesterday I checked a Conservative message board for amusement and I wasn't disappointed. My favorite posting was by a pinhead who said that she: "Couldn't understand why anyone would be interested in a celebrity's opinions." She then went on a page long diatribe about recent celebrity opinions she had heard. Can you say: hypocrite?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The guy who made my day, however, was a staunchly pro war, pro Bush, pro anything he was told to be in favor of by the "right" people. He was on a Fox news show commenting on the Dixie Chicks and their "unpatriotism," and remarked that they should leave the President alone, and just shut their mouths and sing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's a trick I'd like to see.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bush says of our enemies, "They hate us for our freedom," but I guess that doesn't include the freedom to disagree with him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-114897819330595777?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/114897819330595777'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/114897819330595777'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_archive.html#114897819330595777' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-114707495741163740</id><published>2006-05-08T00:50:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2006-05-08T01:00:54.920-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;LATEST RELIGIOUS LOONEY NEWS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I haven't posted in a while so there's some catching up to do.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rather than rant I'll just give a brief explanation of, and links to, the latest lunacies engaged in by the, "people of faith," as the Religious Wrong prefers to be called.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Republican has been, &lt;a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1179853,00.html"&gt;Tom DeLay,&lt;/a&gt; plans to spend his time dissolving the separation of church and state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;DeLay also stated that he "is proud of the fact that he plays golf."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What the fuck does that mean? No sense in trying to make sense out of the mutterings of a looney I suppose.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Birmingham, Alabama Steeldogs, an Arena Football team, had a "faith night," during which the players wore &lt;a href="http://www.steeldogs.com/"&gt;"biblical themed jerseys"&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What I find particularly disturbing about this is that Birmingham is somewhat advanced as Confederate towns go. There are several residents there with full sets of teeth, and the ability to use them to chew gum, while simultaneously walking.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The State of Georgia is intent on offering &lt;a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0327/p02s01-ussc.html"&gt; bible study classes &lt;/a&gt; in its public schools.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thank Christ very few people in Georgia can read, especially the school kids.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A Knoxville, Tennessee bible college student-moron, set an adult bookstore on fire, in order to &lt;a href="http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=4867022&amp;nav=2FH5"&gt;"serve God&lt;/a&gt;."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I guess he'll become a bible teacher in Georgia eventually.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If the people of the South weren't such a demented, dangerous bunch, one could spend a lifetime laughing at their collective stupidity. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-114707495741163740?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/114707495741163740'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/114707495741163740'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_archive.html#114707495741163740' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-114392324483795325</id><published>2006-04-01T12:26:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-04-01T12:27:24.850-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;POLITICIANS PREFER CHURCHGOERS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I never thought I'd see the day when President George W. Bush, and Senator Ted Kennedy would utter the same bit of inflammatory nonsense.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let's face it; none of our politicians know what the hell to do about this illegal immigration situation, that is, without hurting themselves in the polls.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now if these guys had their wish, which is, get elected once, and you're in for life, you can bet they'd know what to do. The Liberals would declare the borders to be open, and the Conservatives would close the borders tighter than a clam's ass during mating season.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But these guys, except for the President, all face reelection and, like it or not, they have to deal with this illegal alien situation. But even the President, who does not have to worry about reelection, has concerns about the situation because whatever he does will reflect on his party, and could have an adverse effect on the outcome of the upcoming elections.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So we have a Conservative, President, and a Liberal Senator, who usually don't agree on anything, both saying the same thing, almost simultaneously.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Neither one of them wants to insult the illegal aliens, who will be able to vote sometime in the future, so the natural thing to do is make them appear more palatable to the general public.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, within the past few days, both of these guys gave speeches extolling the virtues of the people who entered the USA illegally.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The usual reasons were given, especially the one about illegal aliens working at jobs that Americans don't want, and so forth. But then, both of them went on to say that these were good people who are here to better themselves, and that they were the kind of people you'd want as neighbors because they go to church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So there you have it, Republican and Democrat alike, playing the religion card.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's the part that pisses me off. Once again, the idea that churchgoers are better people than those who don't feel it necessary to worship with others, in a public setting.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I take umbrage at the implication that anyone who worships in a church is a better person than those who don't.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;First off, far more people do not attend church services, than those who do. If you don't believe that then pick a Sunday, and drive by as many churches as you can find and see if there are mile-long lines of people trying to get in. I don't think so.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There will be a few people, perhaps a few hundred in the larger churches, but by and large, the vast majority of the nearly 300 million Americans will be somewhere other than church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;None of my neighbors attend any church, and they're all quiet, clean, decent, law-abiding people. And no, they're not all white bread, middle Americans, they're all kinds of people, Chinese, Blacks, Japanese, Hispanic, etc. In fact, the only time I encounter a pain-in-the-ass in the neighborhood, is when someone is going door-to-door trying to recruit people for his or her church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm sure the vast majority of the illegal aliens in our country are decent people looking for a better life, despite the fact that the first act they commit on American soil is breaking the law.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, to declare that someone, anyone, is a better person because he or she is a churchgoer, is not only wrong, it is a stupid assumption.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Again, I call for our politicians to stop allowing their views on religion to affect their political decisions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-114392324483795325?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/114392324483795325'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/114392324483795325'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_04_01_archive.html#114392324483795325' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-114189020724816813</id><published>2006-03-09T00:00:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-03-08T23:44:38.563-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;CATHOLIC CARDINAL PROMOTES LAWLESSNESS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cardinal Mahoney, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, has instructed his priests to ignore the law, and assist illegal aliens in their attempts to stay in the USA.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He is on record as being in opposition to any laws controlling immigration, or designed to prevent illegal immigration, and actively advocates helping illegals stay in the country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know my blog is categorized as Liberal, and despite my leanings in that direction, this does not assume that I, or any Liberal-minded individual, agree with lawbreaking.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As expected, the Cardinal, and his supporters, tag people such as me, as anti-immigration.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's bullshit, and he knows it. People like me are opposed to illegal immigration, as should any decent individual.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our country was founded by immigrants and has a long, uninterrupted history of welcoming foreigners who want to settle here legally. So this isn't about immigration, or aiding the disadvantaged, as the Cardinal purports. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is a hidden agenda at work here.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bear in mind that the illegal immigrants the Cardinal is concerned with are Mexicans, and Mexicans are Catholics.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He isn't doing this out of the goodness of his heart; he's doing this to gain points with God, in his mind. This comes loosely under the Church's order to its members to, "propagate the faith." That's why the Church opposes birth control; it wants its members to have large families, so they can assure heavy donations, ad infinitum.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How else are these guys going to get money, so they can live the life of Riley, without actually performing meaningful work?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Since priests are not allowed to procreate they depend on others to do it for them, and in the Cardinal's case, he's basically importing future donors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do you think this guy would help a bunch of Baptists, or a load of Lutherans, or a pile of Presbyterians, or a horde of Hungarian Jews, or a mob of Mormons, to immigrate illegally? Yeah right.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I've said it before, and I'll say it again, as long as the Vatican dabbles in American politics, and that's what this amounts to, it should forfeit its tax-exempt status.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.nbc4.tv/news/7589460/detail.html"&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; a link to an excellent article detailing the situation .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-114189020724816813?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/114189020724816813'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/114189020724816813'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html#114189020724816813' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-114085538392600726</id><published>2006-02-25T00:11:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-02-25T00:17:49.816-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;BACKWARDS STATE PASSES BACKWARDS LAW&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The House of Representatives of the not so great state of South Dakota, which is famous for being under the State of North Dakota, has passed an anti-abortion law.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a State with a population of about 750,000, not even enough to qualify as a decent sized city, and these morons have paved the way for another round of debate on the abortion issue.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Needless to say, the religious loonies have struck again, and the rest of us will have to foot the bill for what is certain to be another bit of Supreme Court nonsense.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;South Dakota's Governor, Mike Rounds, is certain to sign the bill into law because he feels that Roe v. Wade should be overturned.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If this clown is so interested in national/Federal policies why doesn't he run for Federal office?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This law will forbid all abortions except for those that will save the life of the mother to be. This means that the spawn of rapists will have to be carried full term, no exceptions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Isn't it humiliating enough for a female to undergo rape?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Must the victim of rape have to be forced to carry the unwanted child of a criminal sex offender, who brutalized her, and then have to raise this constant reminder of a crime and violation of her person, just to satisfy the whims of a religious zealot's theocracy?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is just plain wrong, and the people of South Dakota should be ashamed of themselves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The way things are these days, with mentally defective, closet sadist judges handing out light sentences for violent crimes, thereby insuring a healthy population of criminals among decent people, we will see more and more recidivism among sex offenders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can envision a scenario years from now that goes like this:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rapist impregnates victim. Victim is forced to deliver and care for his baby. Rapist is caught and incarcerated. An asshole lawyer then defends the rapist's "right" to have his child visit him in prison. Child's mother then has to comply with request.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I hope this never happens, but if it does, I hope it's only to the women of South Dakota.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-114085538392600726?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/114085538392600726'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/114085538392600726'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_archive.html#114085538392600726' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-113999182183008967</id><published>2006-02-15T00:20:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-02-15T00:23:41.840-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;RELIGIOUS LOONIES PROTEST UNDERWEAR&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;An Augusta, Georgia lingerie shop had live models in the windows attired in tasteful underwear to stir up Valentine Day sales.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This brought the far-Wrong, Christian, religious loonies out who picketed the panty palace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The anal-retentive yo-yos attempted to block the windows with their usual array of signs on sticks bearing such profound statements as, "Women are not objects."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some of the girls countered by wearing tight T-shirts emblazoned with, "Jesus loves me." I'll bet he does! And I'll bet that he couldn't care less about how people dress, and cares only about how they treat their fellow human beings.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The spokesasshole for the group said that they were concerned about, "the families."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Which families, the Manson's, the remnants of the Mafia crime families, or Joe and Flo Smith's family, who probably buy their racy garb and sex toys off the Internet?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What is this shit about families anyway? Is this bozo implying that single people count for less?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;None of this has anything to do with families, or God, or Jesus. It's all about bullyism being practiced by a bunch of good for nothings with a misplaced sense of morality.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These are the same creeps who were friendless as kids, because they were useless pains-in-the ass from day one.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-113999182183008967?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113999182183008967'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113999182183008967'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_archive.html#113999182183008967' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-113713765088774928</id><published>2006-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-01-15T11:39:13.176-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;VATICAN WANTS TO REWRITE IT'S OWN HISTORY&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Vatican never fails to give me something to either laugh at or get angry about.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This item falls into the former category.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Since the Catholic Church seems to have weeded out most of their child molesters, their legions of lawyers, now that they have plenty of criminal defense experience under their belts, have turned to a new challenge.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After more than 2000 years of scorn, the Catholic Church has decided that Judas of Iscariot, the Apostle who dimed Jesus, wasn't such a bad guy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The latest thinking is that Judas wasn't "deliberately evil," but was just "fulfilling his part in God's plan," and should be forgiven, etc, blah, blah, blah.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Am I wrong when I say that based on this reasoning it doesn't matter what one does since it is all part of "God's plan?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Catholic doctrine teaches that humans possess "free will," and if that's the case, and it is one of their few teachings that makes any sense, then Judas freely decided to flip on Jesus, since the Church also holds that we are not "predestined," to any particular act or fate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read all about this latest Vatican spin doctoring in &lt;a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3199362,00.html"&gt;"&lt;em&gt;Jewish Scene&lt;/em&gt;" &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-113713765088774928?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113713765088774928'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113713765088774928'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_archive.html#113713765088774928' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-113632776347128489</id><published>2006-01-03T14:31:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-01-03T16:53:34.100-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;BUSH FLIPS OFF COUNTRY AGAIN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6288/178/1600/bushflip010306.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6288/178/320/bushflip010306.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's a national disgrace that the Federal Government pisses away billions on the ridiculous NASA space programs that reap no benefits for the average citizen, and make corporate CEOs stupendously rich.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But now, as a further insult to the taxpayer, President Bush is throwing some space program business to Russia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once again, in the name of world peace, we have paid the equivalent of a ransom in order to get Russia to discontinue aiding Iran's efforts to obtain nuclear weapons technology.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Russia has agreed to discontinue its support of Iranian nuclear weapons development in order to allow the USA to purchase space equipment and services from them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this the ultimate case of outsourcing or what?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All this comes about because NASA wishes to continue visiting the nearly defunct International Space Station and apparently needs to have the Russians act as a taxi service. Our Space Shuttles apparently are a little less reliable than Yugos.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So Russia does what it should have done without prodding by the USA, and thereby opens the way for NASA to pay then off by paying for rides to the space station for our astronauts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile, Russia continues to advance their own military objectives, including new ICBMs for nuclear warhead delivery, and we, indirectly, are footing the bill.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read about it&lt;a href="http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/11/23/bushspace.shtml"&gt; here. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-113632776347128489?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113632776347128489'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113632776347128489'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_archive.html#113632776347128489' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-113514650056641834</id><published>2005-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-12-26T08:50:01.256-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;INTELLIGENT DESIGN THEORY AJUDGED DUMB&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Common sense has finally overtaken the nonsensical attempts at merging science with mysticism.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;U.S. District Judge John Jones ruled yesterday that the Bush endorsed theory of "Intelligent Design" is nothing more than a religion-based concept, and has neither scientific value, nor a place in a public school's curriculum.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's about time that this ridiculous, never-ending attempt by the Right Wing, radical religious loonies to inject their brand of religious belief into the nation's public schools is dealt a deathblow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know the fight isn't over yet. These ass-backward, self-appointed moralists will continue to waste public resources by reintroducing their agenda wherever possible.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, with a precedent such as this, at the Federal level, there's little chance that these relics of the 11th century will prevail.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's the complete story by &lt;a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1425096"&gt;ABC News. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-113514650056641834?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113514650056641834'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113514650056641834'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_archive.html#113514650056641834' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-113446409517162432</id><published>2005-12-13T00:31:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-12-13T00:54:55.636-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;TODAY THE WORLD IS SLIGHTLY BETTER&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Murderer Tooki Williams is dead. Despite reams of bullshit in his defense, his well-deserved execution went off as scheduled minutes ago, and we should all rejoice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In order for the world to progress peaceably it is necessary to mete out appropriate justice. Those among us who consider themselves to be "religious," should be happy that "an eye for an eye," as their vaunted bible states is the way to go, has been practiced by eradicating this vicious creature.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The amount of damage and suffering caused by Williams gang followers is incalculable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's said that we would be better off if he was alive because his "good works" have deterred many kids from gang violence. Well, since his books have been published there have been more than 10,000 gang related killings, so I don't buy into it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is said that the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime. Listen up, it's not intended to be a deterrent, it's intended to be a punishment for heinous crimes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Murderers kill without regard for one's political or social leanings, or religious affiliation, or the lack of one. Murderer's care not about a person's age, gender, race, or any other factor, murderer's kill for whatever reason they feel advances their agenda and without concern for anyone but themselves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Therefore they are everyone's enemy and should receive the same fate as their victims.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-113446409517162432?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113446409517162432'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113446409517162432'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_archive.html#113446409517162432' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-113398306229405601</id><published>2005-12-07T11:14:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-12-07T11:17:42.306-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;WILL SWARZENNEGGER DROP THE HAMMER ON WILLIAMS?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stanley Tookie Williams founded the criminal infested L.A. street gang known as "The Crips," an acronym for "Community Revolution In Progress."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Williams was found guilty of murdering 4 people in 1979 and is on death row awaiting execution on December 13th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While incarcerated, Williams has spoken out against gang violence, and written books decrying basically all the violent activities he and his gang-banger buddies previously espoused.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In addition, while incarcerated, Williams has continued to practice his violent ways, by assaulting prison guards.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because of Williams' supposed rehabilitation, a few people, such as Bianca Jagger, whose claim to fame is being divorced from Mick Jagger, and 2nd rate actor, Mike Farrell, have called for clemency.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;California Governor, Arnold Swarzennegger, will soon conduct a private clemency hearing to determine the murderer's fate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Williams, who has had about 24 years worth of appeals, has been unable to prove his claimed innocence, and has enjoyed that many more years of living than his victims.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I personally take umbrage just at the sight of this monster. Have you seen him recently? This son-of-a-bitch, who is 51-years-old, is he picture of health. He has an upper body befitting a 24-year-old NFL lineman and has obviously flourished at the expense of California taxpayers. He even has access to hair dye to further enhance his public image.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At a time when so many Americans are without medical insurance, and a trip to the dentist can result in a second mortgage on your house, this miscreant has been pampered to the extent that he now enjoys celebrity status. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The nonsense that he has, and will continue to do good works by dissuading others from gang related violence is not reason enough to grant him a reprieve from paying for his crimes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Granting him a reprieve is a slap in the face to the justice system and the victims of violent crime.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All this will accomplish is serve as proof to other criminals, or would be criminals, that you can commit an atrocious act and basically get away with it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Williams, who is seen by some as being repentant, should now act like a man and take his well-deserved punishment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If he really wants to set an example he should quietly submit to the ultimate act of repentance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Those Liberals who are trying to keep this guy alive should spend their time helping true victims of society rather than those who make victims of society&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-113398306229405601?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113398306229405601'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113398306229405601'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_archive.html#113398306229405601' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-113316501218695226</id><published>2005-11-28T00:00:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-11-28T00:10:48.250-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;JOKE OF THE YEAR&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The biggest embarrassment of the Bush administration, Mike, Brownie (short for brown nose no doubt), Brown, former horse's-ass/head of FEMA, is apparently finally off the Federal payroll.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For those of you who were unaware of it, Brownie, although he resigned from Federal service, was retained as an "advisor" to FEMA and continued to draw his salary until a short while ago.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The self-proclaimed, "fashion king," apparently feels that since the government saw fit to seek his counsel regarding emergency management, despite his pathetic performance during hurricane Katrina, he might as well offer his services to the general public as a private entrepreneur.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The now, seemingly ubiquitous, Brownie, who claims that his parents, who apparently maintain low expectations for their spawn, are very proud of him, is opening his own "emergency preparedness" firm, in idiot friendly Colorado.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Believe me folks; I couldn't invent stuff like this just to garner laughs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apparently the business plan is simple, he'll simply advise his clients of all the things he should have known and done and then refer them to someone who actually has knowledge of these things.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I guess Brownie's true talent lies in being able to make something out of absolutely nothing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's the story in &lt;a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051125/ap_on_re_us/brown_disasters"&gt; "Yahoo!news." &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-113316501218695226?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113316501218695226'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113316501218695226'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_archive.html#113316501218695226' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-113219897727644999</id><published>2005-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-11-16T19:45:48.676-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;RUSH LIMBAUGH, WAR PROFITEER&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Right-Wing Blowhard/OxyContin Addict/War Profiteer, Rush Limbaugh, is teaching our Service Members what Republican charity, i.e. Capitalism, is all about.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On Monday, the compassionate war hawk began a program designed to line his pockets, under the guise of supporting the troops. I guess he feels that if they are going to spill their blood, it may as well not go to waste, so he'll capitalize on their sacrifice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Limbaugh's shameless, "Adopt-a-Soldier" program, is quite simple, but, I have to give the doctor shopper his due, brilliant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Listeners can buy a subscription to his website, at the discounted price of $49.95, and donate it to a Service Member, or to their parents, or frankly, to anyone they wish to torture with a gift of his gabby garbage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why the hell anyone would pay to read his tripe is beyond reason for those who have not been lobotomized.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rumor has it that Limbaugh needs the cash so he can buy his own painkiller factory and hire himself as a tester so the D.E.A won't bother his copious ass anymore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He posted what were supposed to be excerpts of emails from Service Members praising his efforts to fight off the evils of National Public Radio (NPR) and bring them the news they want to hear.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I noted that the emails made frequent reference to God, e.g. "Thank God for you, Rush," so his business managers were obviously covering all the bases on this ploy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Limbaugh said that he was demonstrating his generosity by donating his time and offering a discount.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whoa, what time? He was going to produce his crap for his regular regiment of starry-eyed groupies anyway. I don't see any donation here.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He also said that he would use his, quote: "Super-secret credit card," to actually buy and donate few subscriptions himself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, I'm no financial genius, but if he buys these subscriptions from himself isn't he just transferring his money from one account to another?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jeez, if only I could bullshit like him, I might make some real money for my writing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-113219897727644999?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113219897727644999'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113219897727644999'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_archive.html#113219897727644999' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-113091133487532935</id><published>2005-11-02T00:00:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-11-02T00:29:44.156-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;RELIGIOUS FANATIC FALWELL LOVES ALITO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well that's reason enough to hope Samuel Alito doesn't become a Supreme Court Justice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Religious looney/quasi-politician Jerry Falwell appeared today on, where else, Fox/GOP TV, to praise fellow Jesus freak, President Bush.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Wrong Reverend Falwell was so visibly thrilled by the thought of another backwards-oriented religious retard being appointed to The Supreme Court that I fear he involuntarily loosed his bowels while on the air.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He made a remark that anyone who would oppose such a sterling example of fundamentalist, retrogressive thought as Alito, would also oppose "the Apostle Paul."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I should hope so since the Apostle Paul was quite the ass backward, mean spirited, son-of-a-bitch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alito is staunchly Conservative in a Roman Catholic way. He opposes a woman's right to choose and is on record as saying that a woman should "consult" with her husband if she is considering an abortion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I wonder if this guy is aware that 36% of the women who get pregnant in America are unmarried? Who should they consult, the guy who knocked them up, if indeed they even know?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's not so much his idea that a wife should discuss a potential abortion with her husband that bothers me; it's the premise that a woman has to answer to a man.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Falwell shows up on TV to render his opinions on political matters all the time and makes no secret of his endorsement of candidates that fit in with his religious beliefs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Isn't it time for the government to step in and tell him to either put a cork in his mouth regarding politics, or risk having his tax free status yanked?&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-113091133487532935?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113091133487532935'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113091133487532935'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_archive.html#113091133487532935' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-113022514237762856</id><published>2005-10-25T00:23:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-10-25T00:26:29.156-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;PRESIDENT HAS HISSY FIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Like a spoiled brat who didn't get his own way for the 50th time in an hour, President Bush is apparently stomping his feet and refusing to eat his broccoli these days, while lashing out at his staff from top to bottom.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apparently the heat in the house is rising rapidly by the problems brought about by the antics of playmates Frist, DeLay, Rove, and Scooter. Don't you just love those lifetime grade school nicknames the WASPY set imparts to each other?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Payback is a bitch, as they say, and the same type of brouhaha brought about by the Clinton hummer scandal, on the grounds that he lied under oath, may very well be visited upon the Bush White House quite soon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile fellow Texan/staunch Bush supporter/professional bullshit artist, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, was on TV yesterday defending Rove and company.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The problem you see is not so much in what they did, but in the apparent Nixonian cover up attempt. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hutchison, who had her first orgasm when the Clinton impeachment came to pass, responded to the similarity of the events by saying, "if there was a lie, it's just a mere technicality."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-113022514237762856?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113022514237762856'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/113022514237762856'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_archive.html#113022514237762856' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-112945372576129398</id><published>2005-10-16T02:05:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-10-16T02:10:27.326-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;WHITE HOUSE FLOPS AT REALITY TV&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Talk about being caught "in flagrante di lecto," did you see that nonsensical, staged candid satellite interview of US troops in Iraq by the President a few days ago?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The troops responded to the President's questions with glowing, supportive, "everything is all right," answers that were supposed to be spontaneous.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The problem though is that the entire event was staged and scripted by what must be the White House third team, now that the super bullshitters are all busy with their lawyers because they're being investigated for one thing or another.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Scott McCellan, the soft-spoken White House spokesperson who answers questions by saying nothing, while using 1000 words to do so, clearly lied when he denied that the event was scripted.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some yo-yo released the pre-show tape that contained 45 minutes of some woman prepping and rehearsing the troops. She even instructed them as to how to act, when to pause and what type of emotion to show when delivering the supplied responses.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This Administration has degenerated to the point where even Bush's hot line to heaven can't help.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-112945372576129398?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112945372576129398'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112945372576129398'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_archive.html#112945372576129398' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-112879992654333797</id><published>2005-10-08T11:27:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-10-08T12:33:46.773-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN CRONY COURT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;President Bush's candidate for the Supreme Court, Harriet Miers, is apparently another religious looney chosen by the President under his well-known "loyalty over ability" policy. He is perfecting the art of cronyism as evidenced by previous appointments such as the useless Mike Brown.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This woman has never been involved in any form of judicial judgment, as a jurist, but she has participated in many moralistic, religious type judgments of her fellow human beings, namely the condemnation of gays and abortion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That makes her A#1 to the narrow minded conservative Bush who can't seem to get his thought process out of the crotches of Americans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Supreme Court judges are supposed to be chosen based on their ability to be fair and impartial when interpreting the Constitution. Here we have a nominee who is basically a "yes woman," who is sworn to delver verdicts based on Bush's theories regarding morality.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is improper and a violation of the separation of powers in my opinion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's an excellent article about the Mier's mistake in the &lt;a href=http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12849136.htm&gt; "&lt;em&gt;Miami Herald&lt;/em&gt;." &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-112879992654333797?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112879992654333797'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112879992654333797'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_archive.html#112879992654333797' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-112792655209662979</id><published>2005-09-28T09:54:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-09-28T09:55:52.103-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;TOM DELAY INDICTED&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Woo-Hoo! The bold and brazen, wild-eyed, Republican/Conservative/Christian looney, House majority leader, Texas Tom DeLay, has been indicted.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The heavy handed, always smiling, even if an anvil just fell on his foot, DeLay, is facing criminal conspiracy charges concerning fund raising activities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's the story, as reported by &lt;a href=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/28/AR2005092801038.html&gt;  "&lt;em&gt;The Washington Post&lt;/em&gt;." &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-112792655209662979?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112792655209662979'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112792655209662979'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_09_01_archive.html#112792655209662979' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-112749595522277312</id><published>2005-09-23T10:14:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-09-23T10:28:32.413-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;WHERE'S ROBERTSON &amp; FALWELL?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm always glad not to see, and especially hear, the Wrong Reverend Falwell, and particularly the maniacal Robertson.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, these two promulgators of the Christian faith, who jump at every opportunity to appear on TV, have been absent from the airwaves during this time of natural disaster brought about by Hurricane Katrina and now Hurricane Rita.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I note that Rosie O'Donnell yesterday contributed 3 million dollars to the relief effort, and she, being a Lesbian, is on both these guy's hate lists.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But I haven't heard of so much as a public prayer, which is free, for the Hurricane victims, from either of these guys.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What the hell happened to good, old Christian charity? Did these guys misplace their checkbooks?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jeez, one would think that with the tragedy being centered in the deep South, where there are plenty of bible beaters, these guys would at least offer a public prayer service, on air, if they aren't going to pitch a few bucks onto the relief fund collection plate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;FEMA announced that it was going to provide mobile homes for the displaced victims and was in need of places on which to put them. The agency specifically asked that churches with land to spare allow some of this housing to be placed on their property.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I haven't heard either of these publicity seekers volunteer a few square feet of the back forty for such use, or even encourage the leadership of other Christian organizations to do so.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The tax-exempt, Radical Right-Wing, religious looney Robertson is always ready to chime in with his opinions on matters politic, but I'm hearing nothing from him about fundamental Christian teachings such as helping one's neighbors in time of need.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Keep in mind that this guy is supposed to be first, a man of the cloth. So far all he's done with his cloth is hide behind it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bloated, bigoted, big mouth, Falwell has also been conspicuously silent during this time of need. Of course if a report surfaced stating that a Gay was found dead among the rubble of New Orleans, he'd be quick to say that God sent the hurricane to punish him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I guess there's no glamour, or more important, profit, in doing what these guys are supposed to be doing, namely helping people.   &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-112749595522277312?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112749595522277312'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112749595522277312'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_09_01_archive.html#112749595522277312' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-112612111040188345</id><published>2005-09-07T12:20:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-09-07T23:41:53.303-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;TIME TO END THE BULLSHIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hurricane Katrina has shown us just what's important to the leadership of the USA.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The President has made his carefully orchestrated photo ops in the stricken areas and while visiting with the victims he heaped kudos on his appointees for supposedly doing their jobs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is interesting since the two top dogs in all this, FEMA Director, Michael Brown, and the head of Homeland Security, Michael Jerkoff, oh, that's Chertoff, are about as useful as screen doors on submarines.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These two useless appointees did jack shit to ameliorate the potential damage that the storm might wreak and the conditions the victims were forced to endure afterwards.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As an example Chertoff was quoted as saying that he was unaware of the conditions in the Superdome because there wasn't a TV set in his office.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's outrageous and probably a lie. Do you mean to tell me that the United States, with satellites capable of reading the fine print on a pack of cigarettes, relies on TV news for intelligence?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do you know what these two clowns did before assuming their respective positions?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They're friggin' lawyers! This makes about as much sense as appointing a bricklayer as Surgeon General.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If someone applies for a job, any job, the first thing a prospective employer wants to know is what the applicant's education and background is. Not so with political appointees, and that's a disgrace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It would have made more sense to appoint a Boy or Girl Scout Pack Leader to these positions because they at least are versed in basic survival skills.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What did we get to head up the agencies that are sworn protect the security of the nation and it's citizens?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We got a pair of prevaricating bullshit artists, lawyers, for crissake, which only adds to the insult.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Isn't it time that Presidential appointees possess the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the duties of their jobs, the same as like trash collectors e.g.? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-112612111040188345?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112612111040188345'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112612111040188345'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_09_01_archive.html#112612111040188345' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-112486779641903418</id><published>2005-08-24T00:13:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-08-24T00:16:36.426-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;RELIGIOUS LOONEY ADVOCATES MURDER&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pat Robertson, the Minister/Businessman/Bullshit Artist, and poster child, for the Republican/Conservative/Christian far right, has called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, before we go any further, let me state that Chavez' demise would not cause me to lose any sleep, much less utter any "Hail Marys" on his behalf.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But, Robertson, who professes to be a man of God, one who is so well connected to the Almighty, that he claims he has cured several people of brain cancer, merely by touching them, is acting more like a black ops guy than a Christian Shepard. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh, by the way, the people he claims to have cured did not know they had brain tumors until Robertson discovered them by using his God given gift of X-Ray vision, shades of Superman.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This guy wields a lot of power among his believers, who apparently possess a collective IQ of minus 240, and they vote.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember too that he is a "Prayer Partner," or "Bible Buddy," of President Bush.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Isn't it time we start to categorize his ilk as the worthless charlatans that they are, and demand that our politicians stop bowing down before them, and allowing them to influence their decisions?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-112486779641903418?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112486779641903418'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112486779641903418'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_08_01_archive.html#112486779641903418' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-112348774184830822</id><published>2005-08-08T00:53:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-08-08T00:56:54.393-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;DUMB ASS FBI&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This takes the cake.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here we are in the midst of supposed increased efforts by the Federal Government to protect us from terrorism and we have an illegal alien working for the Immigration and Naturalization service, who was helping other illegals enter the country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The controversial Patriot Act is in place, 90 year-old women in wheelchairs, clutching oxygen bottles, are practically strip-searched at airports, and the FBI no longer runs background checks on applicants for jobs as Border Patrol Agents.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jesus Christ, the dress wearing J. Edgar Hoover must be turning over in his grave! I'm not exactly one of his fans but this wouldn't have happened on his watch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It seems that the whole thing comes down to the FBI having turned the screening of INS applicants over to the Office Of Personnel Management, which to my knowledge has no law-enforcement operatives or experience.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A simple check of this guy's phony Social Security number would have revealed him as an illegal but apparently that wasn't done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maybe the President, congress, the FBI, and the rest of the people charged with our well being should stop worrying about gay marriage, prayer in public schools, medical marijuana, and take note of the real dangers in our country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's the story as reported in &lt;a href=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/08/05/state/n164416D94.DTL&gt;  "&lt;em&gt;SFGate.com&lt;/em&gt;." &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-112348774184830822?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112348774184830822'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112348774184830822'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_08_01_archive.html#112348774184830822' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-112314180692217836</id><published>2005-08-04T00:47:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-08-04T00:50:06.926-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;RIDICULOUS AMERICAN LAWS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Martha Stewart has had her house arrest sentence extended. She must wear her "prison jewelry," the electronic ankle bracelet for an additional 3 weeks for a parole violation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So what did she do to merit the additional punishment, sneak out to buy confectioner's sugar, or a bolt of cotton fabric?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know I'll sleep easier for another 3 weeks knowing that this dangerous criminal is secure behind her homemade draperies and shades.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After all this is a criminal who in a moment of anger is likely to throw a misshaped pancake at her kitchen trash can causing her pet cat or dog to ingest an unauthorized treat should the failed food miss its mark.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brutal sex offenders, particularly in the State of Florida, however, will be given break after break by asinine judges, who are guided by asinine laws, enacted by asinine legislators.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These monsters will walk the streets freely, without electronic tracking devices, protected by conscienceless defense attorneys who proclaim that they are only following the law.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's time for the laws to be changed, across the entire country. Mandatory minimum sentencing, without parole, should be initiated.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I say 20 years for a first offense, more, depending on the exact nature and violence of the crime, and life, without parole, for a second offense. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-112314180692217836?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112314180692217836'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112314180692217836'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_08_01_archive.html#112314180692217836' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-112262013047837520</id><published>2005-07-29T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-07-28T23:58:44.853-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;SHUTTLE FLEET GROUNDED AGAIN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once again the USA's biggest case of corporate welfare makes front-page news.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;NASA, USA welfare recipient #1, has grounded the shuttle fleet, again, after noting that a chunk of insulation fell off the shuttle, Discovery's external fuel tank. This is the same thing that caused the Columbia space shuttle's flight to end in tragedy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If someone attempted to register one of these contraptions with any State DMV I'm certain they would be denied due to basic safety violations, and yet, we routinely hurl them into space.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I could go on forever about this overt shuttle stupidity and the ridiculousness of our space program in general, but instead, I think I'll ask you a question.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What has the space program done for you? If you're hooked on Tang, love your microwave so much that you've given it a name or can't live without Velcro or Teflon; you're in luck.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These are the only by-products of the space program that I can think of that have somehow benefited the ordinary citizen, with the possible exception of Tang.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There may be others that I'm unaware of but was it necessary to funnel hundreds of billions of dollars through NASA in order for us to benefit from a few minor items?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Keep in mind too that these products have reaped billions for the corporations that produce them, so it's not a case of something filtering down to the public compliments of the government.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For more exposes of NASA see: &lt;a href=http://www.jimippolito.com/curiouscatarchives.htm &gt; "THE CURIOUS CAT ARCHIVES," &lt;/a&gt;in my website. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-112262013047837520?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112262013047837520'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/112262013047837520'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_archive.html#112262013047837520' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-111951053704229099</id><published>2005-06-23T00:04:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-07-29T00:06:02.126-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;RELIGIOUS LOONEY TO PROFIT FROM CRIME&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jennifer Wilbanks, the wild-eyed wacko better known as the Runaway Bride, has struck a half-million dollar book deal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She appeared on Katie Couric's show, which is on NBC and better known as the &lt;strong&gt;N&lt;/strong&gt;o &lt;strong&gt;B&lt;/strong&gt;ody &lt;strong&gt;C&lt;/strong&gt;ares Network, to announce the forthcoming tome.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The book will be published by Regan Books, a subsidiary of News Corp, which is the parent company of the ultra Conservative Fox News Network. The book will no doubt be promoted furiously by Fox which does likewise for the books written by its newscasters. Sounds like a circle-jerk to me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Regan Books is a pathetic purveyor of pompous poop penned primarily by right wing prigs and, Jennifer Wilbanks, who apparently takes direction from her pastor on all facets of her life, seems to fit into the mold.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now one would think that Conservatives should frown upon this venture since it was facilitated by a crime, but, aha, there's money to be made, so all bets are off.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By the way, the official reason given by her for her ridiculous action is that she was afraid that she would not be, "The perfect wife."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh, and lest we forget, this is the second time she pulled this stunt.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She is described as being naive, which roughly translates into, "asshole."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I guess her fiance, who describes himself as a "born again virgin," will have to settle for a "perfect asshole" for a wife.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-111951053704229099?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111951053704229099'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111951053704229099'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_archive.html#111951053704229099' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-111760602201273429</id><published>2005-06-01T00:00:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-06-23T00:09:26.353-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;PARENTS DON'T LIKE PARIS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here we go again with another million person march or something or another.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In their never ending effort to find someone or something on which to blame poor parenting, the "Parents Television Council," has taken umbrage at the Memorial Day weekend showing of the Car's Jr. TV ad that featured Paris Hilton.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These outraged parents are no doubt the same ones who sit around quaffing gallons of beer and booze as they watch their kids gleefully mow down row upon row of digital characters on the family TV via their video consoles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So now they're upset about a gal acting sexy while washing a car and eating a hamburger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Are these the same people who watch "&lt;em&gt;Desperate Housewives&lt;/em&gt;," and perhaps engage in the same activity?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The PTC has called for a million people to protest the ad, and boycott the burgers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why a million? Why not 100,00 or 50? I guess a million is a magic number to these numbskulls.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Carl's Jr's CEO responded with, "Get a life," to these people, who are now probably wondering just what the hell that means.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-111760602201273429?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111760602201273429'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111760602201273429'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_archive.html#111760602201273429' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-111492460201722648</id><published>2005-05-01T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-04-30T22:18:21.383-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;WHAT'S UP DOWN SOUTH?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well, not much, things are so-so, that is, same-old same-old. It's still hot, humid, and of course, oppressive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's the latest political rhetoric to which I'm referring by the way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The latest non-issue of concern to the small-time Southern politicos is the non-existent "Homosexual Agenda."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course this is nothing new since Southern politicians of the Conservative type address only 3 venerable issues when seeking office, God, guns, and Gays.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As long as the cock fights, and dog fights go on, as long as Evolution isn't taught in the schools, as long as NASCAR runs, and the beer flows, as long as the words God and Jesus are part of most Country &amp; Western music lyrics, even though it's usually just some loser praising God for providing him with a loose, easy woman, everything is OK in the Bible Belt.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But Alabama State Representative Gerald Allen is keeping his legs close together due to his huge concerns over books.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;His recent bill, which died due to a lack of a quorum, called for the banning, in public school libraries, of all literature written by, or referencing gays.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Allen, who denies attempting censorship, stated:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I don't look at it as censorship. I look at it as protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Does that mean that he sees himself as a kind of Savior?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here are more details on &lt;a href=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/26/eveningnews/main691106.shtml&gt;  "&lt;em&gt;CBSNews.com&lt;/em&gt;." &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-111492460201722648?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111492460201722648'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111492460201722648'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_05_01_archive.html#111492460201722648' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-111329214275112581</id><published>2005-04-12T00:44:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-04-12T00:49:02.753-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;VATICAN REWARDS INCOMPETENCE &amp; ARROGANCE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I've never been a fan of the late Pope John Paul II, because I think his refusal to modernize the Church set it back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For example, his staunch enforcement of the no birth control rule results in overpopulation, among those cultures that can least afford it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I also think that not allowing priests to marry is way out of touch with reality. I'm sorry, but despite the Church's arguments to the contrary, I don't see the sense in priests counseling married couples, or singles, on matters dealing with issues for which they don't have subjective experience.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Priests live in protected environments with all their needs provided. They don't have to worry about food, shelter, medical care, clothing, transportation, etc. It's an unrealistic world in which they live.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Worse yet is that they live unnatural sex-less lives, or at least they're supposed to. These guys can't possibly understand the day-to-day problems that married couples, and singles face trying to earn a living. Then, to top it off, Catholics are told that sex is out, except for married couples, and, only then only for purpose of the propagation of the faith. That's the Church's take on copulation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But, for those people who want the Church to remain true to its fundamental roots, and there are many, the late Pope's a hero, a saint even.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perhaps as a long time lapsed Catholic I have no right to comment but with Church leaders of all denominations taking an active role in politics I feel that makes them fair game for criticism. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But here's my current gripe. About 2 years ago Cardinal Bernard F. Law resigned from his post as Archbishop of Boston, an impressive position, given the large number of Catholics he oversaw.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The resignation was the result of the now famous scandal involving his shifting of perverted pedophile priests from one parish to another to keep them one step ahead of the law.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Despite this infamous act, which should have been regarded as criminal, he was not however punished. It seems the Cardinal was rewarded for his behavior by being banished to Rome, to the Vatican.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Law received what amounts to a plush promotion and has been appointed the Archpriest of The Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the four most prestigious churches in Rome.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's no secret that he was always a favorite of Pope John Paul II, and has wielded considerable authority in the appointment of new bishops. He serves on more influential Church committees than any other American Cardinal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One would think he would have been quietly retired, given the heinousness of the crimes upon which he seemingly bestowed his blessing. At the very least one would expect that he would have been reassigned to some less than desirable duty station, such as, oh, I don't know, perhaps, Iran.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But no, he gets the Vatican, and, in his current position, a lot more prestige and power.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He celebrated a special mass, as part of the nine days of mourning masses in honor of the late Pope, something reserved for only the privileged, among the privileged few.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He even gets to cast a ballot in the conclave for the election of the next Pope. We'll soon find out how much influence he really has if the next Pope adopts the name, Pope Pervertius I.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-111329214275112581?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111329214275112581'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111329214275112581'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_04_01_archive.html#111329214275112581' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-111250460812559093</id><published>2005-04-03T12:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2005-04-02T21:10:07.933-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;THE SHOW IS OVER&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Terry Shiavo was finally allowed to peacefully complete her journey to death, after 15 years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now what are the rabble rousers going to do? Where are all the self appointed experts, moralists, "do-gooders," and the rest of the pains-in-the ass going to go?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Talk about a sideshow. P.T. Barnum would have had a spot for them in his freak show.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The media would have you believe that there was a Super Bowl size crowd in attendance, when in fact there was about 100-200 sad sacks with nothing better to do than disturb the residents of the hospice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The camera crews are careful not to use a high angle view of the carnival lest viewers realize what a non-event this actually was. Instead they keep the cameras level with the crowds' chest area so it looks as if a sea of people were there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I spotted a weird looking woman brandishing a sign that read: "This is exactly how the holocaust started." Man does she need a history lesson, and a brain activity test.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There were activists who think they're doctors, doctors who think they're God, lawyers who think they're God's gift to the world, politicians who are just, well, full of shit, not the least of which are Tom DeLay, and Rick Santorum, the future leader of The American Inquisition.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There were preachers and priests in abundance, experts all of them, in every imaginable field, particularly bullshit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most amusing were the throwback to the 12th century priests parading around in sandals, with a cord cinched around the waists of their hooded robes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh give me a break! How normal could a 21st century Friar be anyway?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Someone who took umbrage at the fact that Michael Shiavo was with Terry as she died; he said that she didn't want to be with him, she wanted to be with her parents and siblings.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once, just once I'd like one of these news people, or interviewers or whatever they're called, news show hosts I think would be more appropriate, to ask one of these assholes, "How the fuck do you know?" &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No, that's too much to ask. They'll just continue to gaze at these pointless people with a look of awe.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These clowns always act as if they're friggin' mind readers, they think that what they want, everyone would want. Why? Well, because they feel they're the best people on Earth, perfect, and all knowing, just like God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-111250460812559093?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111250460812559093'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111250460812559093'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_04_01_archive.html#111250460812559093' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-111173893504623192</id><published>2005-03-25T00:16:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-04-02T21:06:53.773-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;HOW TO DETERMINE IF SOMEONE IS BRAIN DEAD&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The medical community can't agree as to Terry Shaivo's true mental state, despite 15 years of observation and tests.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The legal community can't agree as to who has what rights regarding the situation. But they agree that they should stay on the clock and debate it in court forever.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The right-wing politicians, spurred on by their religious wrong brethren, are certain that Terry will recover at any moment, despite more than a decade of nothing and a partially liquefied brain.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her parents stated that if she's released to their care the first thing they'll do is take her out for breakfast. Better bring a blender and hose.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;President Bush says it's better to err on the side of life. Well, he knows a lot about erring, so who knows?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Right To Lifers say keep her alive. Don't these people just love attention?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nurses are popping up all over the place claiming that Terry talked to them, that they found needle marks in her arm and discarded syringes and insulin bottles in the trash after a visit by her husband. Why didn't they tell the police and the doctors when these events ocurred?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some people say that her husband is a carrying on an extra marital affair and should be stripped of his rights as her guardian. Why?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yet more lawyers say that Terry never actually had a lawyer and that more lawyers are needed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The news people say, "I don't give a shit who's right as long as people stay tuned in."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Vatican, in an extraordinary display of generosity, took time off from shifting pervert priests around the world to keep them a step ahead of the law, and issued an Encyclical stating that Terry's husband is a fornicator, and Terry should remain in a vegetative state forever, because all life is precious.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note that this bullshit comes hard on the heels of last month's Vatican statement that people shouldn't worry about being sick, advising people not to seek too much medical care, just drop dead.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;See my February 25th posting for that story. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most of the people commenting on this issue appear and act more brain dead than Terry.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-111173893504623192?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111173893504623192'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111173893504623192'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_03_01_archive.html#111173893504623192' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-111026817593962059</id><published>2005-03-08T00:01:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-03-07T23:56:47.176-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;BUSH AND POLLS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;During the recent Presidential election the Bush camp constantly referenced the polls as evidence that the electorate clearly wanted Bush reelected.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The President's publicists said, for example:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"The President is leading Kerry 51% to 49%, this proves that an overwhelming majority of Americans are in favor of the President's policies!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Currently the President is on a carnival-like tour of the nation hawking his Social Security reform plan. Senators Frisp and Santorum claim that the system is broke and must be fixed while the President insists that nothing will change for those already collecting Social Security benefits and those who soon will.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't believe it, and I don't think that the plan to take a percentage of one's Social Security taxes and make a gift of it to Wall Street is sound.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;During recent TV interviews with mostly younger people the majority of them stated, quote: "I'd rather manage my own money." Well, if managing one's own money is as easy these people think it is how come they aren't already rich?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Playing the stock market is gambling, plain and simple, and just as with any type of gambling, most people lose.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The polls show that the vast majority of Americans are opposed to this proposal and I think the President should acknowledge that and drop the idea.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After all, this is supposed to be a government "by the people," and if the people don't want it Bush should abide by the majority.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember, our elected officials are supposed to get us what we want, not what they want.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-111026817593962059?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111026817593962059'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/111026817593962059'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_03_01_archive.html#111026817593962059' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-110931003806381250</id><published>2005-02-25T00:01:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-02-24T21:48:09.206-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;VATICAN SAYS IT'S OK FOR YOU TO BE SICK, BUT NOT THE POPE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In yet another example of elitism the Vatican recently issued a statement basically saying that if you get sick, tough shit, suffer, and don't expect medical science to help you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Vatican says that people are caught up in what it terms a "religion of health."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, the Pope was rushed to the hospital yesterday, and a tracheotomy was installed to ease his suffering.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'll bet he's getting the good drugs too; he's probably high as a kite. But don't you dare ask for any.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is that hypocrisy or what? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I was attending Catholic school, I was taught that neglecting one's health was a mortal sin because life was precious, and to neglect it was against God's will.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now The Vatican says, "fuhgetabouit, unless you're the Pope."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's the story as reported in &lt;a href=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/17/health/main674756.shtml&gt; "CBS News.com" &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-110931003806381250?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110931003806381250'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110931003806381250'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_archive.html#110931003806381250' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-110802602650566700</id><published>2005-02-10T01:59:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-02-10T01:02:28.400-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;CORPORATE IRRESPONSIBILITY&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cadillac has a new and completely irresponsible ad campaign playing on TV.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In it we are treated to a brief view of their latest offerings being driven haphazardly, recklessly in fact, by the usual, "professional driver on a closed course."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These cars are being marketed under their catchy "Cadillacunder5," program that emphasizes the fact that they offer 3 models that are capable of going from zero to 60 miles per hour in under 5 seconds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The cars, according to the hype, are designed to appeal to buyers of high performance foreign cars. I guess that's supposed to rouse feelings of patriotism in the bowels of BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche buyers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What it rouses in me is anger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The production of unnecessary, over powered cars is &lt;strong&gt;unpatriotic&lt;/strong&gt; during a time of war with oil producing countries upon whom we depend. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And, in addition, the fashion in which these things are portrayed gives rise to reckless driving on our overcrowded streets and highways.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This will encourage every asshole that thinks he possesses the skill of a NASCAR driver to emulate the stunts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But, what the hell, when was Corporate America ever concerned with anything but their bottom line?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Their website features multi-millionaire John Travolta as the carnival hawker for these speedsters and the rest of the site is devoted to their monstrous line of SUVs which are nothing more than Chevy trucks under all the glitz.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I did however get a chuckle over the fact that their website took forever to load the various images and videos, even over my broadband connection.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not a very convincing endorsement for something speed oriented.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-110802602650566700?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110802602650566700'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110802602650566700'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_archive.html#110802602650566700' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-110673035754906006</id><published>2005-01-26T01:05:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-01-26T01:09:52.306-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;CAN WE PLEASE MOVE ON?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It seems that nothing ever gets resolved in The United States.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Every damn year around January 22, the anniversary of the 1973 ruling,&lt;br /&gt;we have to put up with this protest of, and demand for the abolishment, of Roe V Wade.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This year was no different and the Pro-Lifers marched in Washington D.C. doing their fear and guilt thing, as do all self-appointed moralists.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Catholic Church officials took part of a day off from molesting children and chimed in with an ashes burial ritual in Utah, using the ashes of fetuses.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;President Bush, using modern technology, phoned in his approval to the protesters, and then quickly hung up lest he miss a call from heaven. He's been praying for help with the problem of how to turn the Social Security fund over to Wall Street to help finance the next round of golden parachutes for felon CEOs. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These people claim that there's a new attitude against abortion in the country and that Bush's reelection is proof of that.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Really? I thought it was his handling of the war in Iraq that got him rehired?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Look, there are a lot of things I don't like, such as noisy motorcycles, but I don't think we should ban motorcycles. People should be allowed to buy, but not use them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Realistically, motorcycles are just fine, except when asshole owners modify them to make noise. The problem is the person, and those persons should have the noise rules enforced against them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As for abortion, if it bothers you, don't get one, but don't try to impose your likes and dislikes, or supposed morals on others.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To me, it's no different than having to endure earsplitting motorcycle noise created by someone who thinks its way cool to let everyone know there's another asshole around. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-110673035754906006?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110673035754906006'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110673035754906006'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_01_01_archive.html#110673035754906006' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-110573445820796438</id><published>2005-01-14T13:23:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-01-14T12:28:54.730-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;INTELLIGENT LIFE SPOTTED IN GEORGIA!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper has ruled that Cobb County public schools must remove the "warning stickers" its school officials pasted inside science books.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The stickers carried the message that "evolution is a theory and not a fact." The Judge has determined that these stickers are unconstitutional.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The story can be found: &lt;a href=http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/0105/13evolution.html&gt; here. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Finally, we have the beginning of a separation of church and state in the former penal colony of Georgia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now one has to wonder if warning stickers will be placed in bibles? Perhaps, "Warning, creationism is a theory, not a fact," or, "Warning, the true origin of this book is undetermined," would be appropriate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;	&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-110573445820796438?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110573445820796438'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110573445820796438'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_01_01_archive.html#110573445820796438' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-110465314615723787</id><published>2005-01-02T00:09:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2005-01-02T00:07:58.073-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;BUSH'S BABY BROTHER BRINGS BOTTLES&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;of water to Tsunami victims.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What the hell is that all about?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jeb Bush is a Governor, not a Federal politician.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here he is in wherever, handing out bottled water leftover from the Florida hurricane relief effort to people in far away places.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this the greatest photo-op of all time?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The hook is that because of his expertise with water-borne disasters, he is showing empathy for his fellow H2O challenged sufferers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Give me a break! What the hell did, or frankly, could he have done in Florida, other than to hand out water, and say, "shit, this sucks, and, "I feel your pain, the Governor's mansion nearly got hit too!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For what it cost to ship Jeb and Colin Powell over to wherever, the Federal Government could have sent some real help in the form of disaster experts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But Campaign 2008 is obviously underway for the Republicans and already Jeb Bush will be able to say, technically, that he has international experience, even if only as a modern day Gunga Din, sans the danger of gunfire. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-110465314615723787?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110465314615723787'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110465314615723787'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2005_01_01_archive.html#110465314615723787' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-110247941188178037</id><published>2004-12-07T20:14:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-12-07T20:19:09.720-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;WILL THE SUPREME COURT GO TO POT?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Supreme Court is currently considering arguments about the suitability and necessity of medical marijuana.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The issue centers on whether states can adopt laws that allow residents to use medical marijuana despite federal laws banning the substance. Ten states have passed medical marijuana laws: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Diane Monson and Angel McClary Raich, residents of California have filed a lawsuit that seeks to make it unconstitutional to prosecute patients growing and using medical marijuana upon the recommendation of a physician.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Raich has been diagnosed with more than 10 serious medical conditions, including an inoperable brain tumor and several chronic pain disorders. Monson has severe chronic back pain and constant, painful muscle spasms.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Marijuana relives some of their pain and allows food to be consumed without nausea. Without this help, both would be confined to wheelchairs, and Raich would probably die due to malnutrition.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Opponents, who are generally not trained in medicine, unless they are pharmaceutical corporation lobbyists, claim that there are no medical benefits to be derived from marijuana.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You'll note too that the ant-pot scare commercials are hitting the airwaves again. It's no coincidence; they always get dragged out whenever marijuana is on trial or up for a legalization vote somewhere or another. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These public service announcements appeal to probably alcoholic parents to keep a close eye on their kids.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shouldn't they be doing this without being chided? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gone is the dog and pony show of former HEW Secretaries Donna Shalala and Joseph Califano, who used to tour the country spouting off inaccuracies about pot being highly addictive, and possessing terrible, but unnamed, side effects.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are however hordes of other grim faced purveyors of fear gleefully being interviewed by virtually every talking head on the news channels.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The warnings are always the same, that marijuana is highly addictive and destroys the brain. If that were true the country would be littered with millions of blithering idiots compliments of the freer times of the '60's.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It appears to me that these prophets of doom have confused pot use with the characteristics of excess alcohol use. Their inaccuracies are probably the result of foggy minds caused by their own use of "legal" drugs provided by the pharmaceutical corporations. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Federal Government likes playing games with States rights. When an issue arises that the Feds wish to control, it is declared to be within the jurisdiction of D.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If the item up for debate is one that will not profit the D.C. politicos, or if it's a lose-lose situation, a determination that the States should handle it will be forthcoming.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In this case the real issue isn't whether or not pot helps seriously ill people, it's about corporate protectionism.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;America's pharmaceutical companies are concerned about a cheap or free remedy for simple stomach upset, or a replacement for the millions of tranquilizers and other mood altering drugs taken on a daily basis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And, of course, let's not forget America's premier beer providers, Anheuser-Busch and Coors. The last thing they want is a substitute for their brain burning, liver-killing poisons.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We'll see soon enough with whom the High Court sides.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-110247941188178037?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110247941188178037'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110247941188178037'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_12_01_archive.html#110247941188178037' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-110021026396244030</id><published>2004-11-11T14:00:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-11-11T14:51:57.820-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;IT'S PAYBACK TIME FOR BUSH&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The margin of victory in last Tuesday's Popular Vote, the only tally that makes sense and should count, was approximately 3.5 million, not a lot really, considering that over 100 million votes were cast.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However the Republicans interpret this as a landslide, and according to Bush it has provided him with "capital," a variant of claiming that he has a mandate from the people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to the political pundits and analysts, and the Republican election strategists, President Bush won the election largely due to the Evangelical Christians.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;During the campaign, the President made frequent use of the political buzz phrase "person of faith," to describe himself, and he has implied that he has a hotline to heaven.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While he has never stated that Jesus speaks to him, President Bush has insisted that his decisions are guided by his faith, whatever the hell that means.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But there's a price to be paid for everything, and this time it's not an assurance of the passage of a Corporate America written piece of legislation that's favorable to their bottom line.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This time, the Religious Wrong is tendering the due bill.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What do these people want in return for their votes, or, "support," as is said nowadays?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They're not seeking new pulpits or bells for their churches, or anything material for that matter. What they want is a blurring of the line between the separation of church and state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I've heard all the rhetoric about the USA being built by men of faith, that most State constitutions contain the word God, and it's on our money, and so forth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"The country was founded by people who escaped England because of religious persecution," is another popular story proffered by "people of faith" as an excuse to inject religion into politics. Actually it's more probable that these people were thrown out of England because they were a pain-in-the-ass due to their attempts at forcing everyone to practice their faith.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What the "people of faith" want in return for their support of candidates they consider "right," is recognition and acceptance as a political force so they can impose their concept of "values" on all Americans. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Colin Hanna, who is the head of a Right-Wing Christian organization known as &lt;a href=http://www.letfreedomring.com/news.asp?DocID=76&gt; "Let Freedom Ring," &lt;/a&gt; is spearheading the movement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The stated purpose of this non-profit organization is to: "promote Constitutional government, economic freedom and traditional values. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The organization will endeavor to educate and activate business and entrepreneurial organizations, pro-family organizations and persons of faith in principles, policies and projects consistent with its stated goals."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For now they are seeking small concessions such as the posting of The Ten Commandments in public places that are government owned. The organization selects sites that have been designated as "historic," and in the past have had the Commandments posted, and subsequently removed by court order.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These demands are being made under the guise of "tradition," and while I personally don't have a problem with The Ten Commandments as a model for morality, I do feel uneasy about any merging of Church and State.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you don't think there's a direct connection forming between the Republican Party and Evangelical Christians check out the link on the "Let Freedom Ring" website to a group called &lt;a href=http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/praythevote/index.php&gt; "Pray the Vote." &lt;/a&gt; This is a "Presidential Prayer Team," which appealed to The Creator for intervention in the election on behalf of President Bush.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's an insidious attempt to establish the USA as a Christian nation that tolerates other religions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consider the phrase: "One nation under God," it does not say under "Christ," or "Jesus."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How about the USA adopting the concept of a "Universal God," not one that necessarily denotes Christianity?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If the President and his fellow Republicans are serious about one "nation under God," I call for them to denounce an affiliation with any particular religious sect.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-110021026396244030?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110021026396244030'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/110021026396244030'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_11_01_archive.html#110021026396244030' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109894690615652702</id><published>2004-10-28T00:03:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-10-28T00:01:46.156-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;WILL THE GUY WHO WINS BECOME PRESIDENT THIS TIME?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please click &lt;a href=http://www.jimippolito.com/whatajoke.htm&gt; here &lt;/a&gt; to read this article on my "&lt;em&gt;INDEPENDENT WRITER&lt;/em&gt;" website. Thanks!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="67" alt="The Celebrities Weblog" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109894690615652702?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109894690615652702'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109894690615652702'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_archive.html#109894690615652702' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109876590224573126</id><published>2004-10-25T21:52:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-10-25T21:52:56.916-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;BUSH SPINS 'EM LIKE A TOP&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This Presidential race is a classic "guns versus butter" situation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While Kerry has addressed both the domestic issues, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bush continues pursuing his policy of, "Let's keep kicking ass, even though we don't know why," under the guise of keeping the world safe.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course Bush hasn't forgotten the domestic front, why just this past Friday he approved the latest round of Corporate welfare, in the form of tax cuts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Didn't hear about this event you say? Well I'm not surprised, since it was done on Air Force One, more or less in secret, as are most dastardly acts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This little bit of political thievery was conducted without the usual media blitz because of the Bush administration’s shame over it, and a desire to keep it off the front page.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's so obscure a piece of landmark news that I had a problem finding a reference to it. I finally located a story about it in &lt;a href=http://www.etaiwannews.com/World/2004/10/24/1098586794.htm&gt; "&lt;em&gt;eTaiwan News.com&lt;/em&gt;," &lt;/a&gt; which headlined the story as having been cloaked in secrecy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This, by the way, is a tax cut opposed by the likes of Republican Senator John McCain.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But, back to Bush as a warrior and champion of the protection of America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Stay the course," "don't change horses in mid-stream," blah, blah, blah, etc. is the mantra of Bush's campaign.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So if people believe that Bush is the better protector, how come matters in Iraq are worse now than shortly after the main war ended a year and half ago?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Huge numbers of Americans and innocent Iraqi's are being killed every day, and now we discover that some 380 tons of high explosives have gone missing, explosives that have or will be used to kill Americans. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now how the hell could that have happened? Our forces knew of the existence of these explosives, and yet nothing was done to secure them, or destroy them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, the Bush campaign has put an amazing spin on the situation. Instead of expressing sorrow or shame over this inexcusable oversight, the matter is being used as an example of just how dangerous the terrorists are, and how necessary it is to reelect Bush so he can continue to keep us safe.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do Republican spin-doctors have titanium balls or what?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This happened on Bush's watch, and I don't want to hear any shit such as, "oh that was the Army's fault," because Bush has taken the credit for all the good that our armed forces have done, so he has to accept the blame for this mammoth fuck up as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So do  you want to stay the course, or change horses for a fresh ride to safety for America?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109876590224573126?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109876590224573126'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109876590224573126'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_archive.html#109876590224573126' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109817277126052963</id><published>2004-10-21T01:04:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-10-20T23:41:01.860-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;UNDECIDED VOTERS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What the hell is it with these "&lt;em&gt;undecided voters&lt;/em&gt;?" The news channels or TV networks gather a group of these clowns, sit them in folding chairs to watch the debates, and then afterwards the hosts ask them if what they heard made a difference.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They sit in folding chairs with practiced, super serious, somber expressions of skepticism on their faces. If one didn't know better you'd think they were going to make a decision that's going to either save the world, or end it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gimme a break for chrisake! With about 2 weeks until the election, and after thousands of hours of speeches, commentary, analysis of the candidates remarks, political ads and so forth these dufusses still haven't made up their feeble minds? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are only two guys up for the job, not 200.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These people are full of shit, from the woman who looks as if she cuts her own hair with a nail-clipper, and sits, unmoving, her arms folded across her chest, for 3 hours, to the fat-assed, beer-bellied guy in jeans, the waistline of which is an inch above whatever is masquerading as his balls.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They just want attention: "C'mon, try a little harder to convince me to vote for you," thinks the deviant looking guy who claims he's been searching for a wife for 30 years.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;"Ask me again if I made up my mind, and oh, can I have another corn dog and a paper cup of that blue stuff," utters another loser whose hobby is collecting used mousetraps.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You know these people all won the lottery for a free lobotomy and now they have their moment of glory, oh how they try to look so concerned.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Presidential candidates spend the bulk of their time trying to attract true Independent voters, and those from the ranks of the undecided. It makes sense since each Party has a hard core that will vote for their candidate even if he’s dead.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On Monday I heard some Republican clown rant about the evils of early voting. He claimed that anyone who votes before November 2nd would be doing so without the benefit of all the information necessary to make an informed decision.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this moron for real? I wish I had caught his name so I could publicly embarrass him but the station cut him short and went to something more interesting and sensible, a commercial hawking a cure for constipation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The trick here to understand the method behind this guy's seeming madness that was masked with phony concern. He doesn't give a hoot about voters being fully informed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What he wants is to prevent voters who would vote for Kerry from doing so, perhaps because his Party has another round of "Shitboat Veteran For Bullshit" type ads ready to air which he hopes will change people's minds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Actually, what he really wants is to have people hold off and hopefully not vote at all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;See, Republicans and Conservatives never miss a chance to vote, even if it's only in a runoff election between a pair of candidates vying for a job as a street sweeper. These people live, eat, and breathe politics, as opposed to most Democrats and Independents who approach politics as a part of life, rather than life itself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So Mr. Public Interest knows that if he can get the Indies and Demos to hold off, there's a good chance that they will either miss the opportunity to vote or decide to play Skittles on Election Day instead.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Early voting is great, by now nothing new is going to come out and the candidates have said all that they can possibly say. There's nothing new coming, it's all just a rehash of what they've said a thousand times before.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kerry will continue reaching out to the intellectual set by making eloquent speeches about domestic issues, sprinkled with assurances that he won't allow the terrorists to shit on us again.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bush meanwhile will reprise his trash talking, scare tactics, and silly attempts at humor designed to garner the thug vote. There's no need for Bush to play up to the intelligent, money people, and those who think they are, because they're already in his pocket since they're his greatest beneficiaries.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Early voting is great and it should be available in all 50 States. For people like me who have medical problems and can no longer stand in line for hours, which is what would happen if everyone had to vote in the same few places at the same time, it's the only way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What's that, I can vote by mail you say? I don't trust it. My ballot might end up in Fiji, or take 3 months to travel a mile. It's good for those who are completely house bound however; at least they have a shot at having their voices heard.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As for the "&lt;em&gt;undecided&lt;/em&gt;," most of them probably won't even bother to vote, not because they can't decide but because in reality they don't care, they just want attention.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109817277126052963?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109817277126052963'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109817277126052963'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_archive.html#109817277126052963' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109785546963938968</id><published>2004-10-15T09:44:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-10-15T09:51:05.326-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;MORE CHURCHES INVOLVED IN POLITICS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's not just the Catholic Church that's violating the separation of Church and State laws in America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Ohio, Reverand Rod Parsley of The World Harvest Church located just outside Columbus recently told his parishioners, "We are going to vote our values."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hmm, sounds like an order to his flock to me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Later, outside the church, the Reverand told ABC News : "I can personally endorse a candidate … I'd like to see George W. Bush as president because of the stands he has taken."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hmn, sounds like a church official playing politics to me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anthony Picarello, president and general counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of religious groups had this to say:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"If a pastor were to say the words 'vote' and 'Bush' or 'Kerry' in the same sentence, they are likely to have trouble from the IRS."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So what we have are religious leaders playing semantics, saying, from the pulpit, what they want to say without actually saying it. What we have are religious leaders taking a page from a lawyer's playbook and making suggestions or issuing orders to their faithful by inference.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To be fair, I must say that there are probably some religious leaders who support Kerry and make their feelings known to their congregations. However, it must be noted that Bush has made no secret of the fact that he and other Republican candidates have openly courted the "Evangelical" vote under the guise of "sharing the same values."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Use of the word "values" irkes me too. As used by politicians it is merely a synonymn for "preferences" and has no real relation to ethics or morality, which is what is being inferred.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As proof I offer the instance of a Wisconsin man, a self admitted Republican, who recently stated on National TV that many Wisconsinites: "go hunting, and watch the Packers play, and these are &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;values&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; that we share with Bush."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't see these activities as values but rather as preferences as to how one spends his or her leisure time. "Values" is just another buzzword used by politicians to align themselves with the "Religious Wrong," not Right.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Religious leaders should not be allowed to have their cake and eat it too. Anyone employed in a tax-exempt occupation by virtue of religious affiliation should stay the hell out of politics or start paying taxes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After all, these "people of faith" would not like it if some governmental body began dictating which articles of faith they should follow, or, worse yet, outright endorsed one religious sect over another.&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109785546963938968?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109785546963938968'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109785546963938968'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_archive.html#109785546963938968' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109760690273137742</id><published>2004-10-12T14:25:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-10-12T14:25:50.436-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SHOULD LOSE IT'S TAX EXEMPT STATUS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a topic about which I could go on forever, but since it really is a no-brainer I'll be brief.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I was born and raised a Catholic, and attended Catholic schools, so I feel I'm qualified to comment on this issue, but this is so obvious that anyone who is at all familiar with Federal law will see that the Catholic Church should lose its tax-exempt status.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Frankly I'm outraged by the Catholic Church's interference in our upcoming Presidential election.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This religious organization, which provides asylum for child molesters, as long as they are ordained priests, has made no secret of the fact that they favor Bush over Kerry. The reasoning given is that Kerry supports stem cell research, and that is a sin in the minds of the Catholic Church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;First off it's incredibly nervy that representatives of the Catholic Church would make public comments about any parishioner's status with regards to he or she being either in or out of, "the state of grace."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Second, there is no place for politics in any religious organization in the United States despite all the rhetoric to the contrary.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's obvious to me why the Catholic Church favors the Republican Party, the party of Corporate America. After all, the Catholic Church operates more like a Corporation rather than a religious organization.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When the priests don't have their hands down the pants of some 6-year-old boy they are busy rifling the parishioner's purses and wallets taking money to send to The Vatican the Church's Corporate headquarters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's right, the bulk of the contributions made by the Church's well intentioned members goes directly to The Vatican to buy more wine and veal for consumption by it's corpulent Cardinals, while they sit on priceless antique furniture in rooms full of valuable paintings and other expensive artifacts. The small amount that is left to the local churches goes for maintenance and so forth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When a parish requires money for a local project, a school e.g. a separate collection is made, and there are plenty of these special collections. When I was a kid there was a saying in my old neighborhood, which was nearly 100% Catholic: "Arrive at mass 5 minutes late and miss the first 10 collections."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But I digress because there are so many matters within the Catholic Church with which one could take issue.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In short, the endorsement of a candidate for political office, in any way, shape, or form, by a religious organization in the United States is wrong. Since the Catholic Church is actively engaged in this practice in a veiled, but obvious manner they should be stripped of their tax-exempt status.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's an article in &lt;a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/12/politics/campaign/12catholics.html?ex=1098594966&amp;ei=1&amp;en=9ada1c170396beec&gt;  "&lt;em&gt;The New York Times&lt;/em&gt;" &lt;/a&gt;exposing the latest violation of this law by the Catholic Church in Colorado. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109760690273137742?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109760690273137742'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109760690273137742'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_archive.html#109760690273137742' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109726766912878938</id><published>2004-10-08T13:23:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-10-08T13:37:14.633-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;WHAT IS A PROVEN LEADER?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I've heard a number of people, who are openly Republican, state that George Bush would be a better President than Senator John Kerry because he is a "proven leader."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lets examine the phrase "proven leader" starting with the word leader.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As soon as a person is elected or appointed to a leadership position, be it President of The United States, or head janitor of the night shift, that person is a leader.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As soon as this leader makes a decision, be it whether or not to go to war, or which toilet stall should be cleaned first, that person has proven that he or she can lead, merely by virtue of having made a decision to be followed by another, or others.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That person is now a "proven leader," because he or she has made a decision that another, or others must obey.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But does that mean that the "leader's" leadership is good, has the right decision been made?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;General George Custer was a proven leader, but he was also a brash asshole, and a murderer. Because of his ego he stupidly lead his troops against a group of innocent, but tough, Native Americans, who, rightly so, defended themselves by wiping out him and his forces.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 2000 Al Gore won the popular vote, which means that the majority of Americans felt that he was the better choice for "leader" of America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, the outdated, unnecessary, and completely senseless electoral vote process came into play and subverted the people’s will. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then, because of the foul-ups in the election process in King George Dubya's brother Jeb's Principality of Florida, The Supreme Court appointed George Bush as leader.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Suppose we had a lame-duck president and neither candidate had previously acted in a leadership role? Voters would have to decide between the two based on other factors they feel indicate the ability to lead.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This leads us to a wide variety of concepts regarding the perceived ability to lead.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A candidate may have been the CEO of a huge corporation. In many person’s minds this would indicate leadership ability. Others, however, might feel that CEO’s are cold, calculating, heartless individuals who would favor business over people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a subject on which one could speculate ad infinitum so I'll end it by saying that the words "proven leader" are meaningless.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Regarding the upcoming Presidential election the answer is clear. We have to choose between an appointed President with a 4-year record of his ability to lead, or the lack of it, and a seasoned, worldly, battle proven, caring US Senator with 20 years of experience from which to choose.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We can have 4 more years of the past 4 or elect a man with sensible, fresh ideas that will benefit all Americans, including our embattled armed forces.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As Ronald Reagan said: "Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109726766912878938?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109726766912878938'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109726766912878938'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_archive.html#109726766912878938' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109667167227716944</id><published>2004-10-01T18:10:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-10-01T18:59:31.906-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;KERRY WINS FIRST DEBATE!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;63% of the people polled stated that John Kerry won last night's debate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yet, on today's news every Republican and Conservative who commented on the debate claimed that President Bush was the strong, clear winner.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Were they watching the same debate?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Basically all I heard from the President was a rehash of his failed policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a promise of 4 more years of the same.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He was clearly outclassed and on the defensive. My opinion is that the President was appealing to his base and not in any way attempting to gain additional support from the undecided.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It appears that by sticking to his guns the President is relying on his slim lead in the polls to carry him through to victory rather than by trying to convince a substantial majority of Americans that he is the right choice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The President relied on the old attack tactics of the Republican Party by refraining his cutesy, but inaccurate "flip-flop" accusations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He acted more like he was playing up, and preaching to his typical supporters who have no idea about what the hell he's talking about, but who are satisfied as long as he makes fun of his opponent, mentions God, and assures them that he will kick ass.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Someone should have informed the President that he was addressing a diverse, national audience and not his usual handpicked mob of unsophisticated, indoor cap and cowboy hat wearing, booing, roughneck inbreeds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The point that the President misses is that changing one's mind in the face of changing circumstances is the smart thing to do, it doesn't denote weakness. Sticking to a failed policy accomplishes nothing other than to prove that one is unwilling or unable to properly respond to change.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Overall, the object is to defeat terrorism, and in order to do so a President must be willing to change the tactics being employed to meet a dynamic situation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kerry has stated that he will appeal to other nations to provide more help in this fight and the President has either ridiculed that suggestion, or he states that he is doing that. Talk about a flip-flop!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The same terrorists that our troops are fighting threaten the entire world. So why shouldn't we elicit help in the form of military and money from other countries?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This notion that by doing so is tantamount to yielding control of our destiny to our allies is nonsense. Our "allies" need to take a more active role in the preservation of world peace which will be brought about by the defeat of terrorism.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After all, they will benefit from it, so why shouldn't they shoulder more of the risk and finance more of the effort?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course if other countries become more involved they will want a fair share of the "spoils of war," which in this day and age are lucrative contracts for the rebuilding of Iraq.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This does not set well with Halliburton, so we continue, under Bush and Cheney, to sacrifice our troops and create an enormous National debt for our children, grandchildren and beyond.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We need to continue the fight against global terrorism, but we also need to change the way the battle is being fought.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We need a President who is willing to change his methods of fighting terrorism as the situation warrants, while achieving the goals of his policies, both foreign and domestic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We don't need, as Senator Kerry said: "More of the same." &lt;br&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109667167227716944?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109667167227716944'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109667167227716944'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_archive.html#109667167227716944' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109582097498435754</id><published>2004-09-22T01:02:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-10-01T18:21:25.283-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RALPH NADER, CLOSET REPUBLICAN?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000099;"&gt;A while back one of my "&lt;em&gt;INDEPENDENT WRITER &lt;/em&gt;" website readers emailed me suggesting that I write about Ralph Nader. Well I finally have, but I decided that the piece was better suited for my blog. I doubt that this is what she had in mind, but this is what I think of him.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*************************************************************************************&lt;br /&gt;What the hell is wrong with this guy? He has to realize that he has less chance of being elected President than a fart has of surviving a hurricane. Yet, he persists in meddling, and at this point that's all this ego maniacal political dilettante is doing. He's just meddling in politics now; no one takes him seriously.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nader had the chance to retire and be treated kindly by historians as a respected consumer advocate responsible for some much needed improvements in product safety. Instead he has allowed his ego to get in the way of his common sense, and if he tips the election in favor of the Republicans, he will be remembered as nothing more than a spoiled brat.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At this point Nader doesn't even have a point to make. No one listens to him, and the Green Party, which solidly backed him in the past, has abandoned him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There isn't much of a difference between the Republicans and the Democrats these days but certainly the Democrats espouse more of Nader's views than do the Republicans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nader still has intelligence, so he has to know that by staying in the race he is going to draw votes from Kerry and therefore help Bush.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, he helps Bush, which means that he could be a closet Republican.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the end though it's the voters who decide. Those who support Nader's policies will vote for him as a form of protest or to make a useless symbolic statement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rather than kneeling down in front of Nader and begging him to withdraw from the race, as Michael Moore and Bill Maher recently did on Maher's HBO show, they should have appealed to the Nader supporters to vote for Kerry.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Republicans will say that they could care less about Nader's bid but that’s bullshit. The RNC knows that a vote for Nader is a vote against Kerry and a vote for Bush. If they didn't, the RNC would not have been so active in helping to get Nader on the ballot in several states.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Florida's Governor Jeb Bush saw to it that Nader was put on the ballot despite the fact that the "party" Nader is listed under isn't recognized as a National party, and he wasn't nominated by delegates to a National convention. The "Reform Party" in Florida has a total of $18.18 on deposit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Should this be taken as a sign of that party's viability as a National force? It does according to Florida's Republicans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The last Presidential election was decided by a combination of Florida's election officials, court system, State politicians, and The Supreme Court Of The United States, which essentially appointed Bush as President.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course the Florida debacle was facilitated by my favorite Floridian, the Emmett Kelly School of Beauty Culture graduate, Katherine Harris. She was Florida's Secretary Of State and took just enough time off from applying her daily allotment of a cement truck size load of makeup to manipulate Florida's laws to ensure that Bush would be elected, and her own political career advanced.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This time around it won't be Katherine, or Jeb, or any number of Chads that interfere with Florida's election, it will be Ralph.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;DIV ALIGN=CENTER&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.celebrities-weblog.com/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCelebritiesWeblog.gif" height="67" width="200" style="border:0" alt="The Celebrities Weblog"/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109582097498435754?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109582097498435754'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109582097498435754'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_09_01_archive.html#109582097498435754' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109529443850410518</id><published>2004-09-15T22:10:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-09-15T22:15:53.660-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;GOD SAYS "ENOUGH!" TO BIBLE BELTERS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hurricane Ivan is currently bearing down on the Deep South. This storm arrives hard on the heels of 2 other horrendous hurricanes from which Bible Belters have not yet recovered.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I do feel sorry for the people affected by these disasters and my best wishes go out to them, but I have to wonder why God has chosen to bitch slap this area yet again?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, and Georgia are part of the "Bible Belt," meaning that many of these State's Christian residents consider themselves to be quite religious by virtue of whatever standards are in place at the moment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Along with the defense of their "right" to display the Confederate flag these people tend to treasure their other self appointed "right," that of vociferously denouncing anything or anyone which does not measure up to their definition of morality.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The area is rife with over the top Right-Wing Christian loonies who, in addition to their usual criticism of anything that runs counter to their own current beliefs, are quite quick to point out that as faithful followers of their various religions they are "right" thinking people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When catastrophe strikes a place such as New York, an area considered by Bible Belters to be a den of iniquity inhabited by the much-hated "Liberals," you can count on one or another of their religious leaders to proclaim that God is punishing the non-believers for their evil ways. Pat Robertson, the euphoric, holier than everyone, businessman/preacher comes to mind.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the other hand, when something goes amiss in the Bible Belters world, such as a flat tire, or a lost bible bookmark, it is considered to be "God's will," and not a form of punishment for a transgression.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So why is this area which contains the bulk of the Bible Belt's populace being butt-slammed a-la "&lt;em&gt;Deliverance&lt;/em&gt;," yet again? One would think that the combined bible thumping of the faithful would have sent these storms elsewhere, to, let's say Minnesota, where there are some freethinking people. Well, the naysayers might point out that Minnesotans receive an abundance of snowstorms as their punishment, but hey, one can ski there, and build snow people, whereas all one can do in a hurricane or tornado is croak.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So what does all this mean? Well to me it means that the weather is no more controlled by God than it is by meteorologists, or shoeshine parlor attendants. If there is a God I'm sure that he or she could control the weather but I believe it's left to chance, like most things.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The true believers however are victims of their own devices, and unless they are liars, are stuck with the stark reality that according to their own doctrines, they are being punished by their God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Therefore, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" seems like a good motto for the Bible Belters to adopt.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course the Muslims are saying that their entry into the God competition, Allah, has sent the storms to conquer the infidels. But that's a whole other story.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109529443850410518?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109529443850410518'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109529443850410518'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_09_01_archive.html#109529443850410518' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109462639351701569</id><published>2004-09-08T13:20:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-09-08T12:36:02.333-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;SEPARATION OF CHURCH &amp;amp; STATE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yesterday I saw a brief bit of Dick Cheney warning people that not electing Bush would result in terrible terror attacks on the United States. Does that mean that he and Bush will contract for these attacks if they are not elected?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With the Presidential election less than 2 months away it's impossible to turn on a TV news channel without encountering one or another of the candidates, or their proxies, babbling away about the merits of his or her party.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile the President was performing for a bunch of awe struck gawkers in Missouri. That's the State referred to as "Mizz-oor-ah," by its inhabitants and others of their ilk.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;President Bush dwelled for a while on the plight of our country's druggies and drunks, a subject all too familiar to him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was fitting that the speech was delivered in Missouri, home to the Anheuser-Busch Beer Corporation, whose bottles, cans and other debris of their drug delivery systems, litter the sides of America's roads in greater abundance than all other brands combined.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He said that these people are in need of help. OK, so far so good. Then he said that the help should be provided by "faith based organizations," funded by the Federal Government. Uh-oh, and he was doing so well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The President makes no bones about his own faith and religious beliefs, and he often hints about being guided by a higher power, although he stops short of naming Dick Cheney, or any particular Corporation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have no problem with a belief in God but I do have a problem with organized religion being involved in any way, shape, or form, with government.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm sick of hearing people spout off about how many States have the word God in their constitutions. I'm sick of hearing people yap about how this country was founded by "men of faith." And, I'm especially sick of hearing people say that they're religious, in a way that implies that they are better than those who aren't. They're not.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last week President Bush was preaching in Oregon and some yokel yelled out to him that he should pray for Oregon because it's the most "unchurched" State in the Union.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What the hell does "unchurched" mean anyway, and who gives a shit?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't want my President wasting time praying that Oregon become more "churched." I want him to do something tangible, for the good of the entire populace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apparently he didn't pray hard enough for Oregon since the Oregon State football team missed 3 extra point attempts and lost to LSU, by one point, last Saturday.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This concept of using federally funded "faith based" organizations to care for the country's addicts is nothing more than government sponsorship of, and worse yet, the subsidizing of organized religion, and it's wrong.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109462639351701569?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109462639351701569'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109462639351701569'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_09_01_archive.html#109462639351701569' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-109384352167448963</id><published>2004-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-08-30T01:10:22.480-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;WHY OBEY THE LAW?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A few days ago a young Cuban woman airfreighted herself from the Bahamas, to where else, Miami.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course the reason given for her act was "to escape political persecution and seek asylum."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And of course US Immigration authorities welcomed her with open arms. This is consistent with US policy of admitting anyone who claims to have suffered political persecution, particularly if they are from the hated Castro's Cuba.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this a good idea? I don't think so. Say what you want, but despite this seemingly admirable act against oppressive, Communist Governments, I honestly think that it is nothing more than lawlessness being rewarded.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One might be tempted to think that the Bush administration condones this sort of thing because of it's well known efforts to attract the Hispanic vote but, in fairness, this type illegal entry into the country has been tolerated for decades no matter who occupied the White House.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The rules governing illegal immigration have not been enforced with any degree of seriousness for years. "Refugee" stream across our borders day and night, most of whom are seeking employment, but a fair number have sinister intentions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course the blame for this must lie directly with those individuals and institutions that willingly hire illegal aliens, usually for sub par wages. The answer to proper enforcement is simple, heavily fine those who do this, and close down their businesses for second offenses.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This will never happen of course, Corporate America, the true ruler of this country, will not allow it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When it comes to Cubans the laws are different and allow for the belief that they are a persecuted people and thus entitled to a more liberal acceptance policy. This is all a left over from the "Cold War" days which started in the 50's.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most Cubans arrive here with some degree of fanfare and publicity and actually make no attempt to hide because of their knowledge that a few correct answers to some well publicized, standard INS questions will allow them to stay, permanently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As long as they are welcomed with open arms they will continue making the treacherous 90-mile voyage in 1951 Chevy trucks converted into boats, on swimming pool floats lashed together, and I suppose, now that it's proven that it can be done, in packing crates loaded onto airliners.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If the Federal Government wants to continue playing this silly game with Castro, one illegal immigrant at a time, for long outdated political reasons, so be it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, when it comes to the hordes of nightly overland infiltrators that the government seems to care little about I have a proposal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The cost of dealing with them, that is, medical care, schooling for their sure to come future offspring, the costs associated with any crimes they commit, and so forth, should be shouldered by Corporate America since they are the major benefactors of their presence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer"&lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-109384352167448963?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109384352167448963'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/109384352167448963'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_08_01_archive.html#109384352167448963' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-108732688764182553</id><published>2004-06-15T12:07:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-07-13T16:54:50.366-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DO YOU PAY FEDERAL TAXES?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If so you should be outraged by this.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We are, the richest country in the world, and yet a country where the Federal Government has the temerity to tax unemployment benefits. Now, a few days ago, it suddenly comes to the attention of our legislators that the winner of a 10 billion-dollar contract awarded by the Office Of Homeland Security, is based offshore, so as to avoid Federal tax.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What the hell happened? Did someone finally notice the address on their letterhead? Or, have they been using a ten-dollar per month mailbox at MailBoxes etc to conceal their location?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The company is Accenture, and they are/were to provide extensive security services by tracking foreigners at our Nation's airports, and other ports of entry.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Accenture used to be part of Arthur Andersen, Enron's book cooker. They split off in 2001, but apparently not before they picked up a few accounting tricks of their own.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, defenders of the company basically say that it's not their fault if the tax laws have loopholes that are favorable to Corporate America. They also remind us that the firm employees about 25,000 Americans. Woop-dee-doo!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Someone should remind their executives that someone has to do the work while company executives sit on the beach in Bermuda, which is where the company is based.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I wonder if the legions of unemployed Americans can obtain a Bermuda address so their unemployment benefits escape Federal taxes?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The answer is clear. The tax laws need serious revisions. I say take out the double-talk and make it clear that regardless of where a Corporation calls home it will pay full taxes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just think, that will require the rental or construction of office buildings in America, which is good for Joe and Jane Nobody.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Write to your Congresspersons and Senators and urge them to bring about this much needed correction to our tax code.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-108732688764182553?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/108732688764182553'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/108732688764182553'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_06_01_archive.html#108732688764182553' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-108172824632415677</id><published>2004-04-11T17:20:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2004-04-11T17:21:38.060-07:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Religious Ramblings&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It seems fitting that on Easter Sunday I take brief notice of happenings in the world of religion. While Catholics are feasting on a traditional rack of lamb and the wealthy are dining at McDonalds, a spokesman, a bishop I guess, has publicly proclaimed Democratic candidate John Kerry not a candidate for the reception of the sacrament of communion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This statement was issued from deep within the bowels of The Archdiocese of Boston, that perenial Paradise of Priestly Pedophiles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The reason Kerry has been barred from partaking of the consecrated host is his support of the Pro-Choice movement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I guess the Archdiocese never read the part about, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile as our brave troops in Iraq lose their lives in an effort to promote, among other things, freedom of religion, the two major Muslim factions, which hold historically opposite views, the Sunnis, and Shiites, have now begun to join forces in opposing the Coalition.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I guess these two groups have heard about: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For me the old saying," Lord save me from a religious person," seems like the best route to follow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"For centuries, theologians have been explaining the unknowable in terms of the-not-worth-knowing."&lt;br /&gt;H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-108172824632415677?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/108172824632415677'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/108172824632415677'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_04_01_archive.html#108172824632415677' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107789820936171867</id><published>2004-02-29T23:01:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-02-29T23:08:18.950-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reaganomics &amp; Social Insecurity&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;President Bush's claim that his administration is one of "compassionate conservatism" seems to have been missed by Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan. A few days ago he suggested that the way to trim the Federal deficit is to further increase the retirement age, and lower Social Security benefits for future recipients.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Almost simultaneously the President was attending a fundraiser in Kentucky where he swore to make the tax cuts for the rich permanent. He left about an hour later with a check for 1.2 million bucks in his pocket, compliments of the 1000 attendees.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perhaps "compassionate conservatism" is really just "compassion for corporations."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The President doesn't seem to be very concerned about the 3 million or so unemployed in our country but he sure is concerned about the 3000 or so same-sex couples who got married in California. It's easier to deal with smaller numbers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last week the President suggested that workers in America's fast food industry be reclassified as "manufacturing employees, rather than service industry workers." I suppose that the stacking of bun bottom, meat, cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and bun top is considered akin to building houses or cars.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This change would make the Labor Department statistics, which clearly show huge losses in the manufacturing sector of the workforce, appear to be taking an upward swing. Most people would not be aware of this bit of chicanery as the election approaches and the President points out the recent &lt;em&gt;increase&lt;/em&gt; in manufacturing jobs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I foresee a bright future for the members of this administration as top-notch Hollywood fiction writers after their tenure in office ends.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107789820936171867?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107789820936171867'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107789820936171867'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_archive.html#107789820936171867' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107714108581891144</id><published>2004-02-20T10:25:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-02-20T10:33:16.513-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are we really The &lt;em&gt;United&lt;/em&gt; States?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Taiwan's pro-independence president, Chen Shui-bian announced that he is not ruling out the possibility of reunifying with Communist China. Although the two countries are diametrically opposed in their approach to politics apparently the leaders of both countries realize that there is more strength in a united China. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chan Lien's Nationalists, who ruled China for five decades before being ousted by Chen, endorses a policy of reunification with Communist China, so it seems that regardless of who wins the next election reunification may occur. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile most of Europe is attempting to unify in order to better counter the economic prominence of The United States. Evidence of this is the recently adopted Eurodollar, a currency system designed to better allow for the exchange of funds among countries subscribing to the system. Open borders have further promoted the notion of a united Europe, similar to travel in the United States.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile in America we promote the concept of differences among our population and encourage the establishment of conflicting laws. This is most pronounced in the South where the melding of government and religion is constantly attempted.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While the rest of the world seeks to unify their legal systems Americans are consumed with non-issues as same sex marriage. Bible thumpers who claim that God abhors Gays scorn people who merely wish to profess their affection for and devotion to each other publicly. Is the word Gay even used in the bible? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course the real motivation for this push to invalidate same sex marriages is the avoidance of benefits, paltry as they may be, by Corporate America. If you assure America's CEO's that benefits will not have to be granted to the same sex partners of their employees they will gladly endorse any relationship. This would no doubt include cross species marriages such as a man and his horse, which may go over quite well in places like Texas and Oklahoma.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Other non-issues such as TV censorship over a harmless flash by Janet Jackson make front-page news while the complaining parent's kids continue viewing ultra violent movies, and playing video games that feature tasteless violence. I guess it's OK to feature a woman's mammaries as long as they're being sliced off in a movie or via a computer game joystick but the normal desire to view a nicely formed rack is considered immoral.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While on the subject of sex how about the President's recent request for virtually unlimited funding for his ridiculous "abstinence only" plan for teenagers, which is supposed to help prevent the spread of AIDS?  Is he for real? Does anyone actually believe this will work? Of course the sensible alternative of sex education is strictly taboo in the Bible belt, along with anything else that makes sense.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The government should get the hell out of people's bedrooms and concentrate on matters vital to our nation's security and economy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While foreign countries provide universal health care some of our states are asking the Federal Government for permission to purchase American made pharmaceuticals at lower prices from foreign countries while some states say to hell with any kind of help for the aged and the sick.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this really The &lt;em&gt;United&lt;/em&gt; States I ask again?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As Americans ponder Alex Rodriguez' trillion dollar contract to play games our government ships money to Russia by the boatload. They then use it to develop ICBM's that are better than ours.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Their latest strategic weapons are then displayed and demonstrated in the Barents Sea under the watchful eye of a not to be trusted President Vladimir Putin who presided over the activities while wearing a Naval uniform.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wake up fellow Americans!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107714108581891144?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107714108581891144'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107714108581891144'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_archive.html#107714108581891144' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107634808430341590</id><published>2004-02-11T14:17:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-02-11T14:17:15.093-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GOT GAS?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here in Las Vegas gasoline prices are rising at the rate of about 3 cents per gallon per week. Currently it's about $1.77 per gallon. I just saw a crybaby being interviewed on TV and he was complaining that he can no longer afford to drive his Ford Expedition to work and it just sits in his garage. Poor baby.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can't help but be judgmental on this one. The guy was barely over five feet in height, did not haul any cargo, rides alone, etc. So why does he need a behemoth like that? Well as Orrin Hatch, the great Republican luminary from my neighboring state of Utah said last year: "We're not a country ruled by need, we do and buy what we want." Ah, the wisdom of the rich.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Next up to the plate was some Corporate clown who defended the price increases without offering any reason as to why they are occurring. He did however feel it necessary to state that Americans should consider themselves lucky because in most of Europe the price of gas is about $3.00 per gallon. This pisses me off, and it should loosen your bladder as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Every time Americans complain about something there's always a well to do bigwig who compares life in America to life in Europe. This selective comparison is yet another way Corporate America and our current D.C. Monarchy attempts to convince people to look the other way while the Federal Treasury is raided by the likes of Halliburton.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why is it that the only time a comparison is drawn between the U.S. and Europe is when it's advantageous to the rich?  I don't hear any calls from the country club set for changes to government spending that would benefit the common man and woman rather than the Corporations and their CEO's who are eliminating and farming out American jobs faster than a tornado dissipates cow flatulence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Europeans may pay $3.00 per gallon, but they drive sensible vehicles so their overall gasoline expenditures for an equivalent amount of driving are no higher than ours.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The question as to why gasoline is going up in price remains unanswered. Our troops are dying in Iraq fighting terrorism, or so we, and they are told. The truth though is that an uninterrupted flow of oil is what's behind it all, oil that continues making the likes of Vice President Cheney richer by the hour.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile OPEC has just announced that effective April 1st, crude oil production will be decreased by 10%, which could trigger a 20% increase in prices at the pump.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I find it interesting that the date chosen is April Fool's Day.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107634808430341590?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107634808430341590'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107634808430341590'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_archive.html#107634808430341590' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107567112863368670</id><published>2004-02-04T12:22:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-02-05T11:47:14.686-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GOOBERS AND GOD IN GEORGIA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The former Confederate, and still retrogressive State of Georgia continues to distinguish itself as a haven for God fearing peanut brains.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Like most of the states south of the Mason-Dixon line, where a politician's stance on only 3 issues, God, gays, and guns, are taken into account by the voting illuminati, science and God cannot coexist in Georgia. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The word "evolution" will probably be removed from schoolbooks thanks to The Superintendent of Georgia's schools, Kathy Cox, a Republican, needless to say. Ms. Cox said she made the suggestion to avoid offending parents of children in the more religious, conservative parts of the state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God forbid the kids are thought of first by these people by insuring that they receive a well rounded, based on facts education. No, apparently it's better to satiate the parents and avoid conflict. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can just imagine the arguments from these pathetic excuses for parents:  "We all don't be wantin' our chilluns to get smarter than we all are. They gots their bibles and they got everything they all needs to know in there."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Georgia evolution is considered a theory, which of course it is, but then creationism can't be scientifically proven either, a fact that seems to escape notice in the Peach State. This is just great. America's children are often referred to as "our future." Well, while the rest of the world's kids are being taught cold, hard, useful facts, kids in America are still being screwed over by a bunch of backward people who refuse to stop farting around with mystic matters. I don't think the future of America is very bright when our kids compete with the rest of the world's kids armed only with  bibles and crosses.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now here's a hypothetical situation. Let's say that a family of bible thumping Georgians are faced with the prospect of Dad's place of employment being relocated by Corporate America. In our example Dad works for the Acme Bible Printing Company of Georgia, and its parent company, "The We'll Do Anything For Money Corporation," discovers that they can make a nickel more per bible if they move the factory to the Republic of Georgia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ok, the first thing Dad does is thank God that the company isn't moving to that God-awful latte loving state of California because Liberals live there. So, what to do? Move the family from God and corn dog loving Georgia to the Republic of Georgia, a former Soviet State where goats and yogurt are common fare, or go on unemployment?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chances are Dad will consult with the pastor of his church who will no doubt tell him to stay in the USA and continue attending services. When Dad asks what the family will live on since there aren't any jobs he will be told that God will provide. That of course will be his only hope because Corporate America and the government won't give a hoot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The point of all this silliness is that we need standardized curriculum for all of America's schools and we need to see to it that religion remains a private matter and not something insidiously injected into children's minds by easily insulted idiots who are smitten by fantasy rather than common sense.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How about striking a middle ground? Since the plan allows for the teaching of evolution, without using the word, and creationism will be taught as an "alternative" theory, why not do the sensible thing and combine the two notions?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I propose that my theory of "Evocreationism" be adopted whereby it is accepted that God created life which then evolved into what we are today?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That probably won't fly in Georgia though because the bible says that God "created man in his own image," and I can't imagine Georgians believing that the first humans were the half-monkey people unearthed by archaeologists.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;On A Somewhat Related Note:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On 01/23/04 an Eckerd's pharmacist in Denton, Texas refused to fill a prescription for the "morning after" pill, legally prescribed by a doctor for a rape victim. The pharmacist claimed it was violation of morals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What consummate gall this religious fanatic possesses. Are people who claim to be "religious" the most judgemental people in the world or what? How dare someone interfere with a legally prescribed medical practice based solely on his or her own interpretation of right and wrong.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fortunately the woman had the prescription filled at another pharmacy but what if the incident occurred in a tiny, in the middle of nowhere town with only one drugstore, and she had no means to travel elsewhere to obtain the medication?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Eckerd's announced that the pharmacist was in violation of company policy and had been subjected to disciplinary action but no details were given.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This person should have his or her license revoked and be permanently barred from the profession.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107567112863368670?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107567112863368670'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107567112863368670'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_archive.html#107567112863368670' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107524779575983912</id><published>2004-01-28T19:41:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-01-28T19:58:16.793-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;American Citizens Are Getting Bushwacked&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vicente Fox, Mexico's President, has given his stamp of approval to U. S. President, George W. Bush's plan to reward lawlessness. He said it's OK with him if President Bush forgives the actions of millions of his fellow Mexican citizens, who are in the U.S. illegally, and grants them some sort of semi-citizen status. What the hell, he doesn't know what to do to help his own people, so he may as well reduce their ranks.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What a great example this sets for our nation's children, commit a crime, get a pass, be granted privileges. What a great example from the President, our nation's number one role model. What a terrific impression of America this creates around the world, just sneak into the U.S. and demand rights. What strength this will add to the ability of our Chief Diplomat, the President, to negotiate with foreign powers. What a terrific message this sends to our gallant troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, sacrifice yourselves protecting Corporate America's interests so your homeland can be handed over to criminals by your Commander-In-Chief.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perhaps we should just poll the leaders of all the world's countries when a decision faces America. Should we build a new road? Let's see what the president of Russia has to say about the proposal. Should we change our tax laws? Let's query The Sultan of Brunei and the president of South Africa. Should Federal election laws be modified? Let's elicit input from the leader of Austria. Why not, everyone but the legal citizens of America, save the Corporate lobbyists, seems to have a say in the decisions made in Washington D.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever happened to majority rule in America? All the polls show that the majority of Americans, which includes many Republicans, oppose the President's plan, but he ignores the majority because Corporate America and the rich want an open border policy allowing the continued flow of the cheap labor they cherish.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board says new jobs will be created to replace those taken by illegal aliens. Oh, I'm sorry, calling persons what they really are is politically incorrect these days. I meant to say, "undocumented workers," yeah right.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And where are those jobs going to come from? He didn't address that issue, the rich never do. Is this man unaware of the number of highly educated, qualified workers in the U.S. who are unable to find employment?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Illegal aliens are demanding driver's licenses in California and Kansas, and there's a move afoot in California to allow illegal aliens the right to vote in non-Federal elections.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have our country's legislators gone nuts? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What incentive is there to be a legal, law-abiding citizen of our country? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Are our politicians determined to prove that crime pays? It seems so.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'll be posting an expanded report on this matter, including shocking revelations by the U.S. Border Patrol, on my website in the near future. Be sure to check for it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the meantime I suggest you visit:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight"&gt;"Lou Dobbs Tonight"&lt;/a&gt;, on The CNN website for additional information about the problem and a link to a list of U.S. Corporations engaged in exporting American jobs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107524779575983912?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107524779575983912'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107524779575983912'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_archive.html#107524779575983912' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107483374940105296</id><published>2004-01-23T13:01:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-01-23T13:12:39.530-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If There's Any Money Not In Their Control Corporate America Is Scheming To Get It. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The President delivered the State of The Union address on 01/20. I missed it due to a desire to do something meaningful but did catch the highlight's of it on ESPN, I think, or was it that other station that broadcasts nothing but reruns of the past 30 year's shows? Whatever, it was the same thing we've been fed by the Feds for quite some time now and I'm fed up with it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I must say though that I was impressed with the President's honesty when he shouted: "Americans are the hardest working people in the world." Sure, when so many people have been let go and the volume of work remains the same or increases the remaining employees have to work harder to get the job done. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now that Corporate America has fired enough people to get the stock market back over 10,000, and redistributed the &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;"savings"&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; to it's shareholders and board members it's time to tap some fresh resources to keep it going. After all, as much as Corporate America's CEO's would like to see everyone fired except for their personal assistants, chauffeurs, nannies, housekeepers, gardeners, personal trainers, attorneys, investment counselors, caddies, chefs and what nots, all the wishing in the world will not get the work done without at least a skeleton workforce.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, the President has resurrected his plan to privatize the Social Security fund, once again turning to the have-nots to provide the means to indirectly help the rich secure their third or fourth vacation homes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a dangerous concept which the Republicans feel will be appealing to the younger workers in the job force. The President's cry to "let people decide for themselves," is nothing more than a thinly veiled disguise to throw some money to their Corporate allies (big time contributors) on Wall Street.  After all he can't send all the money to Halliburton and NASA's contractors. Someone might notice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rest assured that while the Enron and Worldcom criminals are doing the "perp" walk to their jails cells others are eager to take their shots at lining their pockets with this new found source of wealth. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Young people rarely feel the need to prepare for the future, especially in today's "extreme" youth society where the live for today attitude runs rampant. By the time they realize the error of their ways, should this scheme be adopted, it will be too late to turn back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These are the same people who have already lost small fortunes gambling in the stock market under the guise of investing. What makes them think that the persons selected to manage the SSA funds in The Casino of Wall Street will fare any better with these public funds?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tax Cuts For The Rich, Part Deaux&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The President also called for a permanent extension in the recently enacted tax cuts for the rich. Tax cuts? I don't think so, it's more like a transference of "tax burden" to the country's already beleaguered cities and states. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't think the rich should be taxed &lt;em&gt;at rates higher&lt;/em&gt; than common folk, but they should pay tax on all their income, regardless of its source. I mean the Federal Government goes so far as to tax unemployment benefits so the least they can do is tax the money the rich take when they fire their Corporate workforces.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Food For All&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yesterday First Lady Laura Bush kicked off a campaign encouraging Americans to donate one dollar from their Super Bowl party funds to ease hunger in America. Excuse me but didn't her husband recently authorize the release of about 70,000 tons of food, to charter member of the "Axis Of Evil," North Korea, on top of what has already been sent? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is quite interesting since North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il, maintains a "military-first" policy whereby their army always gets first pick of food supplies while the rest of the population starves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How about a little "charity begins at home" movement? That will never happen because there's nothing to be gained from it by the rich whereas the taming of North Korea means new markets and yet another source of cheap labor.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I wonder if the President will try to enlist Willie Nelson and John Cougar Mellencamp for a "Farm Aid" concert for North Korea? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107483374940105296?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107483374940105296'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107483374940105296'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_archive.html#107483374940105296' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107441473717620518</id><published>2004-01-19T00:57:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-01-30T17:23:40.216-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CORPORATE AMERICA CELEBRATES&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unemployment is creeping upwards dragging the Dow along with it. If anything makes Corporate America and it's greedy shareholders blush with pride and pleasure it's cost cutting in the form of firing people. The CEO's and their minions know the remaining employees will gladly work even harder to avoid the axe.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The President says Corporate America knows what's best for the working class and the populace should be patriotic and go along. Meanwhile money monger VP Dick Cheney drives the point home by inferring that those who question the President's actions are harboring treasonous thoughts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So on 12/15/03, IBM announces their intention to outsource 4700 jobs to China and India, as a cost cutting measure.  Actions like this confirm that patriotism is for the little guy and gal, and money matters are best left to those who have the most and control what they can't purloin for themselves. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;White House spokespersons always say, "Corporations create jobs."  What's not stated is that the jobs will now be in foreign countries.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Again With The Space Shit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On 01/14/04 the President announces his commitment to NASA by calling for support for their recent wish list consisting of the completion of the mostly American funded &lt;em&gt;international &lt;/em&gt;space station, a new shuttle fleet, a moon base, and manned missions to Mars.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The President beamed when he said: "This is something that will lift our national spirit." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is nothing more than feel good nonsense in the guise of patriotism.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The pretext to justify this massive increase in Corporate Welfare, is that jobs will be created. I guess these jobs will replace those being outsourced to foreign countries by other members of the Corporate America Club. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Funny thing though is that the places that will reap the lion's share of the jobs will probably be Texas, the President's home state, where the Houston Space center is located, and Cape Canaveral, in Florida, where baby brother Jeb Bush is Governor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ah what the hell, the Super Bowl is nearly upon us so it's time to lighten up and allow it to distract us from contemplating dreary matters such as unemployment.  After all didn't the masters of ancient Rome provide entertainment in the form of feeding unpatriotic citizens to the lions in order to keep their populace from thinking about their problems?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This year's half-time show is supposed to be spectacular, but unfortunately that's when I clean the kitchen and take out the trash so I'll miss it again. On 12/10/04 Time-Warner announced that they paid $7.5 million for the privilege of sponsoring it. An early Christmas gift for the masses I suppose. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They then slipped in another announcement regarding the firing of 450 employees, as a cost cutting measure. A little something for the shareholders I guess.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I wonder if those 450 people are football fans? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107441473717620518?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107441473717620518'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107441473717620518'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_archive.html#107441473717620518' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107377497175428008</id><published>2004-01-10T23:14:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-01-10T23:26:29.403-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SILLY SPACE STUFF&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The European Mars rover, Beagle2, is still missing but the first of four of NASA's newest toys, the half-billion dollar Spirit, is alive and well and sifting through the dirt and rocks on Mars, much the same as I did in my parent's backyard when I was six-years old. The results will be the same, that is to say, nothing will be gained from said expedition.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;An astonishing 59% of recently polled Americans agree with the President that the U.S. should conduct manned, or womanned trips to the moon and Mars. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why? What possible practical good will come of this insane spending spree? Will this wasteful endeavor eliminate the National Debt or secure health care for all Americans, or create jobs?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, it will eliminate personal debt, insure good health care and continued employment for the precious few, otherwise useless egotistical eggheads involved in the space program.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is another corporate welfare program approved by the members of the party of the rich and funded by your tax dollars.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The average American gets bragging rights as a result of this folly. I can imagine a debate between a non-space program involved American and an average resident of Italy, Germany or some other industrialized European nation. It would go something like this:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"So, Joe Average American, what's new in the U.S.A.?"&lt;br /&gt;"We're going to the moon and Mars."&lt;br /&gt;"Why?"&lt;br /&gt;"It's really neat."&lt;br /&gt;"Why?"&lt;br /&gt;"It's like way cool man. You know, space travel."&lt;br /&gt;"What do you get out of it?"&lt;br /&gt;"It's like so cool. So what are you doing next week average European whose country lost WWll?"&lt;br /&gt;"My family is going on the first of three two-week vacations this year. How much vacation time do you get?"&lt;br /&gt;"Fifty-two weeks a year?"&lt;br /&gt;"Are you rich?"&lt;br /&gt;"No I'm unemployed."&lt;br /&gt;"I'm sorry for you."&lt;br /&gt;"It's OK, I can watch the news about the space program all day at my parent's house."&lt;br /&gt;"You still live with your parents?"&lt;br /&gt;"Yeah, I'm only thirty-seven."&lt;br /&gt;"Are your parents retired?"&lt;br /&gt;"Are you kidding? They're only in their early seventies. They got over fifty years with The XYZ Corporation."&lt;br /&gt;"When do they get their pensions? We can retire on full pension at age fifty-five, our government sees to it."&lt;br /&gt;"What the hell would they do if they retired? They like working, and besides, they don't have any money to do anything anyway. Their medicine takes up most of their income."&lt;br /&gt;"Oh, in Europe most people have free, government provided health insurance."&lt;br /&gt;"Yeah, but that's like Communism or something right?"&lt;br /&gt;"No it's just the way our governments use the tax money paid by it's citizens."&lt;br /&gt;"Yeah but that's like Communism. In America everyone has the right to make it on their own. The government doesn't make us do anything, like go to the doctor."&lt;br /&gt;"How many astronauts do you know?"&lt;br /&gt;"None, they're like special, you know. But anybody in America can become an astronaut if he or she wants."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;See "Federal Government Moons Entire U.S. Population" and "The Space Program, What's In It For Me?"  in &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com/curiouscatarchives.htm"&gt;"The Curious Cat Archives"&lt;/a&gt; for additional enlightenment on NASA's madness. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107377497175428008?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107377497175428008'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107377497175428008'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_archive.html#107377497175428008' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107329392055324743</id><published>2004-01-05T01:12:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-01-05T01:20:35.623-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WHAT'S NEW FOR 2004?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well so far, for me at least, nothing. People certainly haven't become more polite or developed better manners. During the first two days of the New Year I received 5 phone calls for other people. Of the 5, 3 resulted in slam-downs at the sound of my voice. I guess these cretins can't bear admitting that they had made a mistake. Certainly it couldn't have been the mellifluous tones of my Jersey boy accent that incensed them. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I made several short jaunts to take advantage of post holiday sales and encountered endless episodes of ridiculously bad driving, usually by those piloting SUV's or some other truck type vehicle. I guess size does matter to these mostly lone occupants of silly dinosaur sized livery vehicles. Anyway it was worth risking my life to get a nice new jacket at 60% off their "already heavily discounted prices."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Funny about people and their choice of vehicles, which so many seem to feel represents their status in society. Maybe it's just me but I always thought that farmers, for example, used pickup trucks, to haul things. These days, however, someone piss poor, who owns less stuff than would fill a short pickup bed, seems to feel that this is the way to go. People really do buy into Detroit's bigger is better marketing tactics.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So guess what? The new American philosophy, fostered by Corporate America, apparently has most Americans believing that "backwards is better." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Instead of producing reasonably sized, practical, safe, fuel efficient vehicles, today's "Detroit Iron" is offered in the form of behemoth trucks and now, by Pontiac, the reintroduction of the GTO, the overpowered gas-guzzling muscle car of the sixties.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chevrolet, America's self-billed "traditional car company" has upped the ante as well. New on their menu is an almost truck, almost sports car, almost convertible, almost sedan, sort of new, sort of retro vehicle called the SSR. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apparently it is intended for those confused about what image they want their vehicle to portray. It sports 300 horsepower, costs $42K+, and has a pickup-like cargo area so a farmer can race the nouveau GTO owner while relocating a load of animal manure.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's bad enough that America didn't learn its lesson from the oil shortages of the early seventies, but now, in the midst of the Iraq war, which costs American lives every day, the automakers are back to the old horsepower and size war, which will make us even more dependent on foreign oil and the whims of its purveyors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the 40's, 50's, and part of the 60's it was fashionable for those with money to burn and a desire to practice conspicuous consumption to buy an overpriced, undersized two seater sports car in addition to their American land yacht. The idea was to let everyone know that they could afford impracticality.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nowadays, it's an oversize, usually 4 wheel drive off-road capable vehicle, that sits in one's city or suburban driveway assuring that everyone who notices will be aware of the owner's ability to buy something overpriced and impractical. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So that's the start of 2004. Did I make a New Year's resolution you ask? Yes, the same one I've made for the past 57 years, "to have a better year than the previous one."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do I have any advice for you? Yes, never watch a TV show that has a laugh track.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107329392055324743?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107329392055324743'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107329392055324743'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_archive.html#107329392055324743' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107220288547462590</id><published>2003-12-23T10:08:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2004-01-05T01:22:00.436-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RETAILERS WAIL AT NO SALES&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here we go again, another holiday season gone bust for retailers. How many consecutive years is this now? Who or what is being blamed for this year's flop? How many more years of this will we have?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;OK, I didn't attend Harvard Business School, probably because I never applied, but here's my take on this now annual situation. Sales figures suck because people don't have enough money. There, I said it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now that should qualify me for an honorary degree from Harvard. I mean, no one else seems to be able to figure it out. Not the retailers, not the high priced consultants they employ, not the manufacturers, no one, but me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The next question is obvious, "Why don't people have enough money for a good old-fashioned holiday splurge?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Answer: People don't have jobs, and those who do aren't paid enough. OK, now I'm up for an honorary Masters Degree. Why not? It seems that none of the think tanks charged with figuring out this dilema have realized what I just said. Or, have they and no one wants to admit it?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Corporate America listen up! You can't have it both ways. You can't ship jobs overseas whether by outsourcing, or by relocating your factories  to take advantage of your beloved "cheap foreign labor," and still expect the dollars that go to these countries to be spent in stores in America, that sell 90% foreign made goods,  that you also own under another corporation. Have I now earned an honorary PhD?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Free advice to Corporate America:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1) Take a few hundred billion from your grossly overpaid CEOs and the rest of the alphabet soup crowd and spend it in your own stores on items for orphaned kids and the truly needy. This will probably qualify as a tax deduction too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2) Call your offshore employees and invite them to America to spend some of the dollars they've earned.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This should at least make your greedy shareholders happy; some of whom might even reside in America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;HAPPY HOLIDAYS!&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107220288547462590?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107220288547462590'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107220288547462590'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2003_12_01_archive.html#107220288547462590' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5361627.post-107154969118938977</id><published>2003-12-15T20:41:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2003-12-15T20:53:39.360-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.jimippolito.com"&gt;Visit "The Independent Writer" &lt;br /&gt;and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5361627-107154969118938977?l=ippyscribe.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107154969118938977'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5361627/posts/default/107154969118938977'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://ippyscribe.blogspot.com/2003_12_01_archive.html#107154969118938977' title=''/><author><name>Jim Ippolito</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/06109752938583821715</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='27' src='http://www.jimippolito.com/jimsun.jpg'/></author></entry></feed>
