Moral Values?

I remember on Election Night and all of the shock when, all of the sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, MORAL VALUES became the "buzz-word" of the night.

What are these Moral Values?

Automatically, in this country, that term seems to equate itself with the radical right. Moral Values means not allowing homosexuals to get married, being offended at stupid promotional tricks before Monday Night Football, and pre-emptive war.

Sheesh!

But, the impression was given that there are 60 million born-again whackos in this country, which is not true at all.

The real whacko's need to be marginalized and removed from the political process. I think Reagan got us started on this road that Bush and Rove have completed for them.

Have'nt we figured out by what's going on in the Middle East that giving these types political power is a bad thing?

If both of them would be intellectually honest with themselves (fat chance), Both Bin Laden and Jerry Falwell would be in agreement on more issues than anybody would be comfortable with.

Well, the truth is...they both suck. The fact that they have some power is the only thing that keeps these born-agains from shooting up the whitehouse and hijacking airplanes.

EXTREMISM is the problem. Most Christians, Jews, Muslims, and whatever are perfectly fine people.

I don't know, I'm just rambling...

Getting worse and worse

While the news media seems to be fawning and wondering what is going on in Bush's cabinet, this is going on in Iraq.

If someone can explain to me how that is any better than all of those beheadings, I'd love to hear it.

Bush is a war criminal. He needs to be impeached, tried, convicted, and...well....we DO support captial punishment, right???

Letter to Michael Moore

In the midst of depression or just trying to find a fellow liberal to talk to, I decided to write a long email to Michael Moore. I don't know whether he has the time to give a response, or if he would, but I guess I just wanted to see if I would get a response. He is a true hero to the left, and a true activist-hell, he'd be a good president. Here is the letter (I hope that he, and you, will excuse any possible spelling errors):

Hi,

First off, love your films (still need to see 'The Big One', but 'Bowlong for Columbine' and Fahrenheit 9/11' were both nothing short of amazing, and I have no doubt that they had an effect in slimming Bush's lead to a degree.

As for myself, I am a recent transplant from Chicago Illinois (the BLUEST of the blue state) to Ohio (regrettably, a RED state-more specifically, Warren county, where Bush won by over 70%[UG!]). But, I feel as if, because of that, I see both "America's"

Well, as you and the other 48% of the voters, I was and am pretty bummed out over the election results. I scratch my head in amazement that SO many people just buy into the daily LIES of the Bushes and the neo-cons.

Luckily (or not), since I have been here I have been debating with a conservative who is an avid Bush supporter. Whatever points I make-she just 'feels safer' with Bush. Wow-FOX news has done a job on her! But then, like most people, she just does her job and lives her life and raises her kids and does'nt pay attention to the media and politics as much as you or I do. But I would'nt consider her a neo-con or an insane right-wing wacko. She just gets her info from the limited sources she can find.

One thing that I think the Republicans are successful at is, through creative use of language, putting the Iraq war and the 'War on Terror' in so called 'moral' terms. Whereas John Kerry placed the war in strategic terms-which may have been confusing to much of the 'apathetic' electorate.

In truth, I strongly feel that the Iraq war is VERY immoral (no need to explain why), but since Kerry had already been defined as a flip-flopper by the evil genius himself, Karl Rove, so any nuance that Kerry gave to the war and his record was effectively nullified.

It seems that the Democrats are afraid to really address the morality of the war. I think that they are afraid that they will be portrayed as extremists (well...it worked with Howard Dean, who I would have preffered over Kerry).

The Dems just seem to spend too much time defending themselves. I recall one ad where Kerry said that he was going to kill as many terrorists as Bush. All of hi ads I felt were not strong enough. He had nothing with the impact of the 'wolf' ad or the attack of the 'Swift Boat' ad.

Here are some things I think need to be done-and to be effective, need to be started NOW:

1) Don't be afriad of a little morality. We really have the moral high-ground-lets use it! Where is the morality in allowing corporations to get giant tax breaks while there is still so much poverty in this country? All of the religions that I can think of hold charity, giving to the needy, and helping those less fortunate than yourself in high regard. If we are as religious a nation as the right wants to claim we are-a war on poverty would be more of an urgancy than a war on 'Terror.' Universal Healthcare for everyone also falls in the same catagory. Something tells me that if Jesus were with us today, he wouldn't be a neo-con.

2) If we can, try to find a candidate from a 'red state,' failing that, Barack Obama. The press wants to portray that Democrats and liberals are going extinct. But, Ohio WAS pretty damn close, as well as other states. I'm sure that we can find a southerner or a midwesterner that is a liberal progressive, and can also coinvince the 'red staters' that he or she is 'one of them'. I know-Clinton can't run again, but I'm sure he could refer us to someone who can. I'm sure I would be reaching too high if I were to suggest someone like a Jim Hightower--hahaha! Now that I think of it, maybe he should replace Terry McAulliff at the DNC.

3) Neutralize talk radio. Their effect on elections from 1994 on cannot be understated. That is something I can't figure out how to do. Our best hope here is Al Franken and airamerica, but I don't have a lot of confidence.

4) Start funding Dennis Kuchinich's 2008 campaign NOW! He was by FAR my favorite Democrat running. He seemed to have 'Nader' values with the Democrat label. Also, he was the only presidential candidate to give an interveiw at the greatest radio station on earth, WZRD in Chicago. A VERY small station (88.3FM the next time you are on Chicago's northside.) I worked there for over three years, and sadly, had to leave Chicago just recently.

5) We need a Karl Rove. As evil as he is, he IS a political genius-without him, Bush would still be a failure in Texas. I remember when Bush came out of nowhere and endorsed the anti-Gay Marriage amendment scratching my head, wondering why this was an issue. But, it was enough to get enough states to put this non-issue on their ballots and get the evangelicals out in droves, and it worked.

Since I have returned to Ohio I have been keeping a blog that I intend to use for transcripts of audio commentaries on www.radio4all.net for college, community, and priate radio stations across the country. Being stuck in Bush country, I feel the need to speak out more than ever.

I'm sure that you are being swamped with email from fellow liberals trying to reach out and comiserate, and we do need to lick our wounds, but we also need to come out on the offensive and take our country back from those who have stolen it from us.

I am going to post this letter on my blog at http://wzrdexile.blogspot.com and would be honored if you dropped by, as I gave a close account of what was happening on election day-ending with a lot of cursing-LOL.

I would love to hear your response if time allows.

A true fan, stuck in Ohio,

Dan Meyer

Well, there it is. Any bets on a response?? I am rather proud of it if I do say so myself. But, I'm sure he gets thousands of these. Hopefully this one stands out somehow.

I figured it out!

Here it is. Bush doesn't care about gay marriage. No logical person would. But, they got the states (many of them swing states-like Ohio) to put the amendment on their ballot to energize the base to get out and vote for Bush.

And it seemed to have worked.

Kerry is not ready to concede Ohio just yet.

Holy Crap!

It's almost over, and looks close to a Bush win-shit!

What is the left to do? Even if Kerry manages to pull Ohio out of his ass, this damn country is SOOO damn conservative. So many folks are upset about gay marriage. An issue that was NOTHING before six months ago or so.

Well, as I speak-Ohio went to Bush.

Damn.

Alaska too.

Shit-it's over. Well, what do we do now?

It's just wrong somehow. I hope that I hear about protesters tomorrow.

This conservatism needs to change.

Hmmm....

Pessimistic

So far Bush seems to be winning. Also-why do so many folks give a crap about gay marriage?

Also, it seems that the media have totally pulled back on calling the states. Hell, it may take a while--who cares? Do we NEED to know on the same day?

Ohio was going back and forth, and we may take the race into the morning.

But one thing that I found out was that the Bush voters are voting on Moral Values and gay marriage. Basically non-issues-or issues that have been made up by the Republicans.

Record turnout?

I suppose it could be said that the reports of record voter turnout that I have heard will help John Kerry to some degree, but as of right now, I will still stand by my prediction of this morning.

The Bush folks are motivated too, they are always motivated, and the news of all of the turnout will get them even more motivated to go to the polls and wait in line.

But, as for now-we wait.

Here we go!

Well, the courts have OK'ed the voter challenges in Cincinnati. I have a bad feeling about today, call me a pessimist, but I predict a very narrow Bush win. But, I won't bet a LOT on it.

Ohio-the new Florida???

Well folks, it seems that what happened in Florida in 2000 is happening in Ohio in 2004. And HEY, WHY NOT??? It worked out pretty well for the GOP in 2000-so if it works, use it, right?

Anyway, there ARE various voting shenanigans afoot already: voter registration rolls returned, attempts by Republicans to place "challengers" in predominantely African-American precincts in Cincinnati, the Secretary of State preventing anyone from voting outside their precinct, mysteriously dissapearing absentee ballots , and I'm sure that's not the end of it.

So, my friends, when you are sitting on the sofa watching the election results come in-pay CLOSE attention to what you see coming out of Ohio tomorrow.

On another note...

I had an enlightening conversation with a co-worker today (an ardent Bush supporter) that gave me a bit of insight as to the mindset. She admitted that the war in Iraq was mismanaged, but since she agrees with other Republican philosophies, the Iraq debacle is just a back-burner issue.

I, for one, cannot imagine how someone can just shove the hjorrible, murderous, devastating war in Iraq to secondary status. I think truly that this election is, and should be, a referendum on the war. A war fought for nothing more than political and imperialistic, selfish reasons. A WAR-not a BLOWJOB, a FUCKING WAR in which many thousands have died-simply for the glorification of W and his connected friends.

But, I should perhaps be a bit forgiving toward my Republican friends. All they know about what is going on in the world is what Fox News and/or Rush Limbaugh tells them, and they are simply concerned with their own lives-and have neither the time nor inclination to search out the truth.

BUT, then again...

Why be forgiving?? How hard is it to go to the Guardian.uk website in a spare moment, or Common Dreams, or Buzz-Flash? Hell, we have High-Speed broadband internet in FARMHOUSES these days-surely someone would be able to use this technology for more than porn and gambling.

O well, here's hoping that a lot of young people get out and vote tomorrow, and everyone else too.

Countdown to Insanity

Well, I'm tempted to say that I am glad this whole election thing is almost over, but maybe, like in 2000, it will have just begun on election day. But, I guess we will see tomorrow.

Over the weekend I remember feeling more optimistic about a Kerry win, but now I am not so sure. Admittedly, I may have become jaded by the prevailing conservatism and NEO-CONism in this area.

And....more than a few people are going to buy into this crap from the New York Post today. Ug, how stupid!

WZRD kicks ass!

The reason why I called this blog "Wizard in Exile" is because I am a former Wizard at WZRD Chicago, 88.3FM. I just had a chat with some of my pals up there on-air giving them a bit of an overview of what life in a swing-state is like. So, big props to Yahale and Effie for allowing me some airtime-and the same will be done on Tuesday as the Election results come in.