The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Social media is a fascinating entity. It's allowed us to connect friends and family, no matter where they may reside. It's allowed us to interact with complete strangers on the other side of the world. It's helped limit total control of what would otherwise be dictatorial governments. It's helped bring people together to fight for equality and progress in other areas. Where there are pros, there are cons, however, and one of the most frustrating aspects of social media has been a certain mob mentality, which has infected both sides of the political spectrum. For as much as I hate to say it, the left is just as guilty as the right (if not more so) on this issue. If one person, typically of the celebrity variety, makes a controversial comment on a social media site, there seems to be an instant horde of people condemning him/her. There have been times when the original poster has been able to ignore such vitriol, but other times when said vitriol has led them to close t...

It seems the satirical site The Onion is facing a slow-down in readership, has blamed Facebook for it, and is responding by going social. At least, that's what the site says it's doing, over and over and over again. The Onion  isn't going social. It's just pretending to do so to continue poking fun at Facebook. There's even a make-believe form you can fill out to create an account. It, of course, gets rejected. The following articles regarding the non-existent social site have been posted at The Onion in the past few days: - "Onion Employees Return To Mundane Lives Of Writing Game-Changing News Coverage Read By Billions Across Globe" - "25 Million Onion Social Users Run Into Glorious Flames Of Headquarters In Hopes Of Using Website One Last Time" - "Onion Social CEO Vaporized By Wall Of Light While Trying To Stop Algorithm From Self-Destructing" - "'Humanity Deserves To Live In Darkness,' Onion Social Algorithm...

As terrorists struck Paris on Friday, like many Americans, I thought back to what happened on our soil 14 years ago. While I was only 20-years-old at the time of the 9/11 attacks and quite ignorant and indifferent to the world of politics, I'll never forget that day, and the days, weeks, and months thereafter. I was in college at the time, a night owl, and insistent on taking classes during the afternoon hours so I could maintain my atypical sleeping habits. Just as the Twin Towers were struck, my father raced to my room, woke me up, and told me something was transpiring which I had to see. When I first saw video showcasing the attacks, I was left speechless, perplexed, frightened, and wondering if I was still sleeping and experiencing a surreal nightmare of the worst kind. Unfortunately, as I fully awoke, I started to realize it was no dream, no film; it was real. The surreal sensation I experienced initially never fully escaped me. Here I was, a 20-year-old college student...

I can't tell you how many times I saw the words "Never forget" or "We'll never forget" sprayed all over the internet yesterday - social networking sites in particular. This was with regard to yesterday being the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. As strange as it may sound initially, the more I saw these words, the more irritated I became. The reason for this is it came across to me like a bumper sticker. Whenever I see these bumper stickers that say things like "I support the troops" or "I love my country," I want to sarcastically give them the slow clap, as I think to myself, "Well, gee, congratulations! How about showing this support or love through more than just a bumper sticker?" "We'll never forget" and "I support the troops" are just words. They don't mean much when in isolation. Wounded veterans aren't going to see that bumper sticker. They're not going to feel that support....

Benghazi has been back in the news lately, especially over at Fox News, which is soon to change its name to BSN or Benghazi Spin Network (yes, BS'n). But while Fox News, Congressional Republicans, and other conservatives obsess over Benghazi more than Screech Powers obsessed over Lisa Turtle, most Americans wish Congress would focus on something other than the September 11th attack of last year, according to a poll just released by Public Policy Polling . According to this poll, the public trusts Hillary Clinton over Congressional Republicans on Benghazi by a 10-point margin (49 to 39). Also, Clinton's approval hasn't declined at all due to the attacks, as it remains at +8 (52% approval, 44% disapproval), just like it was in a poll taken in late March. The poll also showcased that Congressional Republicans are still less popular than Oscar the Grouch when he first awakens in the morning, as they're at a net -21 (36% approval, 57% disapproval). That's the least i...

Wanna know of a sure-fire way to get everybody at a party drunk? Play a game I like to call "Getting Foxed with Benghazi." Here's how you play. First, you grab a bunch of shot glasses, bottles of liquor, and pass them around. Next, turn on the Fox News channel. Lastly, whenever someone on Fox News utters the word "Benghazi," you take a shot. This will guarantee that everyone is drunk and passed out within 15 minutes. You're welcome. In all seriousness, however, talk of Benghazi has been floating about Congress and the airwaves at a greater clip than Gerard Butler, Katherine Heigl, and Nicolas Cage star in bad movies. Congressional Republicans and conservative talking heads have compared Benghazi to Watergate and Iran-Contra more than I've been compared to Tom Hanks by drunks. As a result, the right and left are pointing fingers more than Hugh Hefner's gotten laid. The right's general talking point is that four Americans died in the attacks an...

Republican Minnesota Representative and person voted most likely to need an exorcism in the next year - Michelle Bachmann - has called on the nation to join together in a "National Day of Prayer and Fasting" on September 11th. Bachmann said, "Our nation has seen judgment not once but twice on September 11 and that's why we're going to have a '9-11 Pray' on that day. Is there anything better that we can do on that day rather than to humble ourselves and to pray to an almighty God?" I'm not going to come out and suggest Ms. Bachmann is either right or wrong in her beliefs, because I can't objectively do that, regardless of her beliefs. However, just those two sentences she constructed make me laugh some, because they don't make a lot of sense, especially when placed in such a close proximity to one another. Bachmann refers to God as "almighty" or omnipotent (all-powerful), yet also contends that the United States has been ...

On Fox News last night, former Secretary of Defense - Donald Rumsfeld - engaged in the following back-and-forth with Greta Van Susteren regarding a speech Susan Rice (Ambassador to the United Nations) gave following the Libya attacks: Rumsfeld: "I watched the presentation, and I thought it was amazing that someone in her position would go on with that degree of certainty, that fast and that authoritatively and be that wrong." Van Susteren: "Do you think she was perhaps hung out to dry? Because I thought it was unusual that the ambassador of the U.N. would be making that appearance right after that event. I would have expected some other member of the administration, not the ambassador to the U.N." Rumsfeld: "I agree. It would have been more likely that someone from the cabinet or the White House staff or the NSC staff might have said something. It may very well be that she was already scheduled and they just used her. But her - her presentation was demons...

As I predicted in wake of hearing Mitt Romney's premature, ridiculous and false comments regarding President Obama sympathizing with the attackers in Egypt and Libya based on a statement made by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, of which the president had no part, hours prior to the attacks.  In a Pew Research Center Poll, which was just released, it showed that 45% of the American public approve of how President Obama is handling the situation in the Middle East, while 36% disapprove - a net of +9. Mitt Romney, meanwhile, did not see such positive numbers regarding his reaction to the attacks. With regard to the comments he made, 26% approve and 48% disapprove - a net of -22. At this point in time, President Obama has a net +31 with regard to his Middle East reaction compared to Sir Romney's. Sadly for Mittens, the only group with which he scored better than the president were Republicans, who gave him a 58-11% edge. That was the only such group, however. Men and women approve...

In an interview with the Washington Post , a top Romney foreign policy adviser - Richard Williamson - said with regard to the attacks in Egypt and Libya: "There's a pretty compelling story that if you had a President Romney, you'd be in a different situation. For the first time since Jimmy Carter, we've had an American ambassador assassinated." Really? This is once again pretty low. We didn't hear then Democratic Presidential candidate, John Kerry, declare to the nation during his battle against Republican incumbent George W. Bush in the run-up to the 2004 election that if he had been elected president in 2000, 9/11 wouldn't have happened. I'm amazed by all the desperate moves the Romney team has made over this past week. Williamson's claim is merely speculatory, unprovable and through that, ridiculous. While he's at it, he should make a list of all the other things which may have happened if Mitt Romney had been the president at that point...

Former Alaska Governor and future host of the television show "So What If I'm Not Smarter Than a 1st Grader?" - Sarah Palin - wasted no time in criticizing President Obama over the attacks in Egypt and Libya on Tuesday night. The current desperate housewife said the following regarding the incident via a Facebook post: "America can't afford any more 'leading from behind' in such a dangerous world. We already know that President Obama likes to 'speak softly' to our enemies. If he doesn't have a 'big stick to carry, maybe it's time for him to grow one." From this quote, I think it seems pretty obvious that Sarah Palin likes men with big sticks. She likes for a man to show off that big stick to the world. She wants for him to be proud of his big stick. If a man lacks a big stick, then Dr. Douchepalin's suggestion is for a man to grow a big stick - in his garden perhaps. Nothing is more macho than a man growing his big stick i...

Mark it. It's over. I can firmly announce that Barack Obama will win the November election and continue his presidency through 2016. The past 2-3 weeks have been very good ones for the Obama team and not so good for the Romney camp. The Democratic National Convention resulted in a bigger bounce for Obama than the Republican National Convention did for Romney. In his speech at the DNC, former president Bill Clinton dismantled many of the Romney team's talking points, including many lies which were spewed forth from Romney running mate Paul Ryan's lips. Ending a three-month streak of being outraised by Romney, Obama came away with more donation money in the month of August than his opponent. Recent polls have increased Obama's lead over Romney nationally to between 4 and 10 points (6 seems to be about average), the largest such leads Obama has had over the Republican candidate in some time. In recent days, Romney has had to flip back and forth with regard to his thought...

I love dogs. I've owned 3 in my 31 years and all have made for great pets. I had a cockapoo for 17 years (Rocky) and two huskies. One (Tasha) had to be put down last November, unfortunately and the other - Tara - is 11, but still acts like a puppy. Keeping that in mind, I really wish my neighbors (generalizing here) would keep a closer eye on their dogs. Now, Tara is as friendly as a dog can get. She's never snapped at anyone or anything before and I honestly can't see her every doing that. She's nothing but love (and weirdness). When someone does something to her she doesn't care for (like brush her, wash her, etc.), she licks them, as if to say, "Please stop. Please..." A year or two ago, as I was walking both she and Tasha around the neighborhood, a dog from two houses down came charging at her. Tasha was the bigger of the two - kind of the mommy figure - and stepped right in front of Tara and barked. The dog backed off a little bit. Tara, meanwhile, ...