ok, I’m not going to go into EVERYTHING I don’t understand about politics, because there is so much I don’t know that I don’t know.  I’m a generalizer… The voices agree that this isn’t the same thing as stereotyping.  Stereotyping is not good and assumes there really are no exceptions.  All cats are the same and completely unlike a dogs.  I know there are some cats that are more like dogs than some dogs.  But I’m simple and I need to generalize to be able to manage.

I’m a child of Cappra politics.  I want Mr. Smith to go to Washington… I want to vote for the American President… I want Dave to come in and balance the budget and just applying common sense to government.  But I’m an adult of modern America where one president sits on his ass letting the economy falter (dotcom, enron, etc) and have the next president take the fall; where America gets bombed, citizens on our own soil get murdered and years later we argue over the politics of oil and presidential mistakes in judgement.

So, here’s my random list of things I don’t understand about politics…

• why do we have a political establishment that in all practical sense only allows the wealthy to run for office?
• why do most bloggers or twitters fall to personal jabs in response to criticism of their candidates when we abhor our candidates doing such?
• don’t people understand that neither extreme in parties would benefit this country?  We aren’t red or blue, we are purple, right?
• I’m thrilled that a black man is running for president, but isn’t the historic event more important if we don’t talk about race other than acknowledge it? I’d feel the same about a woman (and do about Gov Sarah Palin).
• Aren’t elderly a protected group in America?  Why is it right to criticize someone for being older then they are?  The average age of presidents taking office is 55, right? good, bad or otherwise…
• does anyone think someone ever gets into a political office without making compromises?  Do they really think that changes as you become president?  Whatever they say they stand for is mostly what they think you want to hear to get your vote.
• Shouldn’t we judge based on experience?  Why is picking a candidate any different from hiring a new employee?
• why is it important how many houses someone owns or how many millions of dollars they paid for their home?  Politicians at the presidential candidate level are so far removed from the lower-to-middle class they really can’t relate on a personal level, right?  Why don’t people accept that and focus on real issues?
• don’t people understand that in order for America to help wore-torn, impoverished, threatened nations, we need a strong military?  Leaders of these countries or the thugs, mercenaries, terrorists killing people won’t respect us telling them to stop if we aren’t willing to back it up.  if we don’t want to back it up, why do we care what happens there?  They could care less about sanctions or embargos.  and I’m not just talking the middle-east… I’m talking anywhere we scream out in outrage because of injustice or human sacrifice.
• why don’t we learn how to better educate our children from the nations that are beating us (say Finland) and quit trying to fix things through more money or cutbacks?
• why can’t people see that we need to cut our dependency on oil?  But to do that, we still need oil until we have a solution?  In short term, isn’t it more important to cut our dependency on middle-east oil?  Alaska wants to drill… it’s why they were made a state.  We have fields hundreds of miles off the coasts… why is this wrong?  Why can’t we do both (research/drive alternative fuels while breaking our middle-east oil dependency while supporting US industry)?
• why do people think it’s ok to come to this country illegally?  Each year, thousands of people come to the US and become citizens legally after years of effort and hard work.  Why is citizenship something we should give away like candy on the corner?  Why is it ok to break the law and reward people who don’t even pay taxes?
• why does the government care if two people get married?  What do my religious beliefs have to do with their decision?  How does that take anything away from me?

I really don’t think these are that complicated, but I’m sure I’m missing something.  Pick a path, execute and commit.

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I’ve never liked snakes… As a kid, I’d run to the couch at night and jump on it with my feet curled under me. Those bastards would sneak off the ships down at Lake Superior, slither the mile or so through the streets and backyards to our apartment on the second floor of the house in the West End of Duluth and lay in wait for me.  They hung out in packs of mixed breeds, knowing instinctively that they could use their diverse abilities to more quickly take me down and then spend hours… days torturing me, eating bits of me to sustain them until finally killing me and having their full meal.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how preposterous it all was.  Their plan was easily stopped by simply moving.  Snakes couldn’t read.  They’d never be able to track me.  As long as I stayed away from major ports, I’d be ok… and buy couches that were very close to the floor… and not leave my feet hanging over the side of the bed at night.

About 6 years ago, I was walking down the blacktop driveway that wound through the trees on the 4 acres we had.  Laying in the middle of the road was a 5ft long, huge, midnight black snake.  It just stared at me.  That’s when I knew I had grown complacent.  Several years and several states later, they found me.  Slowly, without taking my eyes off of this venomous beast, I picked up a handful of rocks from the side of the road.  It would be pointless in killing it.  They would know I was there and just send more.  My only hope was to get past it.  The first rock sailed over it’s body.  The second bounced wildly to the right.  The third thumped into it’s bulging middle.  The tip of the tail twitched and I let a quiet breath out.  The fourth repeated the thump and with an amused glance, it slide into the underbrush.  A quick sprint back to the house, check to make sure the kids and wife were locked inside safely, I jumped on the computer.  It was a black rat snake.  These bastards climb trees and drop on small animals in order to knock them unconscious and slowly ingest them.  We moved shortly after for completely unrelated reasons.

Now, this… WTF?!?

The Ajolote - one messed up snake

What kind of genetic experimentation have these snakes been up to?  I’ve greatly underestimated them.  They can have HANDS… That means locks won’t stop them… they can drive… hell, they can steal airplanes and pilot them.  I bet if a couple of these guys were in “Snakes on a Plane” it would have ended very differently.

And check this snake out… he’s not just sitting their like other snakes with that dumbass tongue darting out… he’s looking at you… he knows you are there… and he’s thinking… I’m going thru that camera and gonna crawl into your house and climb up onto your bed and just sit there resting my head on my hands staring at you when you sleep!

I’m WARNING YOU
they are evolving
they are smart
they are pissed off
they are coming for me and will be looking for you next…

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