The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

It amazes me how gullible people can be. Just last night, the following status was ubiquitous across my Facebook news feed (and many others' it seems): "Now it's official! It has been published in the media. Facebook has just released the entry price: $5.99 to keep the subscription of your status to be set to 'private.' If you paste this message on your page, it will be offered free (paste not share) if not tomorrow, all your posts can become public. Even the messages that have been deleted or the photos not allowed. After all, it does not cost anything for a simple copy and paste." This same claim was debunked by Snopes.com in 2009, again in 2012, and yet again here in 2015. It was a hoax 6 years ago, 3 years ago, and yesterday, so fellow Facebookers, please don't believe everything you read, stop believing this recycled hoax, and pass this information onto your Facebook friends so they stop believing in and posting it as well. http://www.cnn.com/20...

Just the other day, I came across the following post on Facebook, where the poster ironically added the words "Too true!" in his status. I say it's ironic because the post isn't true at all. It's entitled, "David Letterman's Top 10 Reasons to vote Democrat" and goes as follows: "David Letterman's Top 10 Reasons to vote Democrat #10.  I vote Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I've decided to marry my German Shepherd. #9.  I vote Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government taxing the same gallon at 15% isn't. #8.  I vote Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would. #7.  I vote Democrat because Freedom of Speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it. #6.  I vote Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are ...

It's been quite a week in this country as far as racism towards African-Americans goes. First we had Cliven Bundy providing all of his wisdom on the "negroes," and then Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling let his views be known about blacks via a secret recording, where he basically told his mistress (of mixed races, ironically enough) that he doesn't want her promoting blacks via photos on Instagram or bringing them to games. Of course, one of the right-wing conspiracy kinds - Matt Drudge - decided to make this a partisan issue, and tweeted this message: "GOT GAME: NYT informed the unwashed how Bundy is a Republican. Leaves out NBA Sterling is a Democrat..." This information was then spread about right-wing websites like those lovely chain emails seem to do all too frequently. The problem with the claim? It's not true. It even earned a "Pants on Fire" grade from fact-checker Politifact , where the site concluded with this: "...

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is back in the news and not for his closing of the George Washington Bridge. No, he's back in the news due to a speech he gave at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he riled the base but garnered a chuckle out of me for stating the following: "I've got asked the question last year. Governor you're very popular in a blue state. How can you export that to the rest of the country, given the intolerance on social issues in your party?' And I said, well, let me ask you a question. You said the Republicans are intolerant. I'll just tell you this: At our national convention, we've had people like Tom Ridge and Colin Powell and Condi Rice speak at our national conventions. Even though I don't agree with their position on abortion. Tell me, sir, the last pro-life Democrat who was allowed to speak at a Democratic convention? By the way, don't strain yourself, because there's never been one. They're...

I usually don't like to post about crazy rumors, but thought I could have a little fun with this one, so I thought I'd make this an exception to the rule. Yesterday, French paparazzo Pascal Rostain claimed that the Washington Post  would post a story today about President Barack Obama having an affair with pop star Beyonce. In a story published by the French newspaper Le Figaro , he said the following: "You know, at this time, in the United States, there is something big that is happening. It'll go out tomorrow in the Washington Post  - we can say that it is not the gutter press - an alleged affair between President Barack Obama and Beyonce." Rostain then attempted to elaborate upon his belief with this: "First, there are still or television images of the Obama couple becoming a little distant. It is legitimate to ask questions. We found the same thing, always through images, between [French President] Hollande and [his partner Valerie Trierweiler]. A...

Just last night, I read the following meme posted on Facebook and felt the need to comment on it: "Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents. your past relationships. your job. the economy. the weather. an argument or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make. Period" First off, I found it kind of funny that the meme closes its mini-rant with "Period," without adding a period after that very word, yet the author seemed content to place in periods throughout the piece where they would result in fragments. Secondly, I can understand how some people may get sick and tired of hearing individuals blaming their current situations on others (such as their parents), however, when one makes a claim using absolutes, he or she is almost always wrong. According to the author of this meme, does this mean that: Jews could blame themselves for being killed during the Holocaust? ...

Texas Senator and craziest person this side of anywhere - Ted Cruz - may be cuckoo for cocoa puffs for a very good reason - his father, Rafael. When talking to a group of Oklahoma gun rights advocates earlier this month, Rafael Cruz said the following: "And of course, this leads us -- when there are no moral absolutes -- leads us to sexual immorality, leads us to sexual abuse, leads us to perversion. And, of course, no hope. No hope." Ironically enough, according to USA Today , "Nearly 17,000 people have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the clergy since 1950." Those dam* atheist clergymen! I tend to find absolutes absolutely ridiculous. "Thou shalt not kill." That sounds simple and moral enough. However, what about in times of war? Defending oneself against an intruder? If Mr. Cruz is anti-war and anti-gun, perhaps he does believe in moral absolutes after all, but I'm thinking that's highly unlikely. If Cruz does believe in war...

Not long ago, Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul sent this e-mail on behalf of the National Association on Gun Rights: "Dear fellow Patriot,     Gun-grabbers around the globe believe they have it made.     You see, only hours after re-election, Barack Obama immediately made a move for gun control…     On November 7th, his administration gleefully voted at the UN for a renewed effort to pass the “Small Arms Treaty.”     But after the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut — and anti-gun hysteria in the national media reaching a fever pitch — there’s no doubt President Obama and his anti-gun pals believe the timing has never been better to ram through the U.N.’s global gun control crown jewel.     I don’t know about you, but watching anti-American globalists plot against our Constitution makes me sick.     This Spring, the United Nations went back into session to finalize their radical so-called “Small...

According to Breitbart.com , a public policy firm by the name of Demos just released a poll which showed that 45% of 18 to 34-year olds are unemployed. I saw this via a tweet by a Libertarian radio show host I know personally. Since the number seemed fishy to start with and Breitbart is so far to the right, they make Fox News look "fair and balanced," I decided to do a bit of research. What did I discover? Breitbart's "finding" is so far off the mark, it makes meteorologists look accurate. Yes, there was a recent poll released by Demos which centered around unemployment. However, the poll's finding was that "45% of the unemployed are between the ages of 18 and 34," not that 45% of 18- to 34-year olds are unemployed. How drastic is the difference? Let's look at the numbers, shall we? Real Numbers Total unemployed: 23,400,000 (out of 312,000,000) = 7.5% Unemployed 18- to 34-year olds: 10,300,000 (out of 71,760,00) = 14.4% Unemployed al...

My girlfriend and I got into a discussion about this a couple weeks ago. It's something I've wondered about for some time. While I've never sported just a mustache myself, I did go the way of the goatee several years ago for a little while. I honestly don't have strong feelings one way or the other. Whatever one wants to do in terms of facial hair is their call. But, what is it with this alleged link between mustaches and perverts/pedophiles/molesters? I've heard or read about it on a number of occasions - someone saying that another looks like a pervert/pedophile/molester. I ask why and they respond with, "Did you see that guy's mustache?" Yeah... So...? Wasn't there a time when mustaches were seen as cool, even sexy? Clark Gable and Burt Reynolds of yesteryear? Johnny Depp more recently? So, what happened? Now, as unfair as it is, I have a hard time seeing anyone successfully pulling off the Hitler mustache again. Michael Jordan gave it a whirl i...

More and more, it appears as if Republicans have garnered a false image of the Democratic Party as a whole. I think this has a lot to do with what is being spewed to them by conservative media outlets, such as Rush Limbaugh on talk radio and anybody not named Shepard Smith on Fox News. Whenever I've heard 98.4% of them throw an insult at the Democratic Party and I've asked them to justify the statement with hard-core evidence, I haven't received even a shred of evidence. It's starting to seem as if many of these people are taking bumper-sticker slogans and catchy talking points way too literally. I'm not thinking a prosecuting attorney would win many court cases if, when called upon to showcase evidence of the defendant's guilt, he or she told the judge, "I saw it on a bumper sticker, your honor" or "Rush Limbaugh told me it was true." On that note, I'll now list my five favorite insults that I consistently hear Republicans hurl at the De...

I would like to congratulate Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. In his first debate, he told 27 lies in 38 minutes - an average of one every 1 minute 24 seconds. In the Vice Presidential debate, Romney's running mate Paul Ryan told 24 lies in 40 minutes - an average of one every 1 minute 40 seconds. Last Tuesday night, Romney took the gold through the first three debates when he told 31 lies in 41 minutes - an average of one every 1 minute 19 seconds. So me of the following headlines could be seen in articles around the web last Tuesday night and Wednesday morning with regard to Mitt Romney's fibs at the debate: "Presidential Debate: Romney Lied 31 Times" "Romney's 'binder full of women' story was a lie" "Public taking greater notice of Mitt Romney's lies" "All False statements involving Mitt Romney" "Romney the Liar" Without wasting any more precious time, here are the 31 lies Romney told...

During a speech in for the Values Voter Summit in Washington on Friday, Republican Vice Presidential candidate - Paul Ryan - uttered the following words: "'We're all in this together' - it has a nice ring. For everyone who loves this country, it is not only true but obvious. Yet how hollow it sounds coming from a politician who has never once lifted a hand to defend the most helpless and innocent of all human beings, the child waiting to be born." He continued by saying, "President Obama has chosen to pander to the most extreme elements of his party..." Mitt Romney's running mate was attempting to play off the president's words from his speech at the Democratic National Convention, where he said that "We're all in this together." What I find laughable is Ryan of all people trying to paint Obama as the extremist when it comes to the issue of abortion. Ryan himself believes abortion should be illegal even in the cases of rape or...

I have finally discovered Mitt Romney's secret talent - he can see the future! Think about it - in the past few days, before President Obama even released a statement regarding the attacks in Egypt and Libya, Romney stated that the president sympathized with the attacks and apologized for America. Now, two and a half weeks before the debate, the Republican nominee for president had this to say in an interview with George Stephanopoulous: "I think the challenge that I'll have in the debate is that the president tends to, how shall I say it, to say things that aren't true. I've looked at prior debates. And in that kind of case, it's difficult to say, 'Well, am I going to spend my time correcting things that aren't quite accurate? Or am I going to spend my time talking about the things I want to talk about?" This makes sense. Perhaps Romney is behaving in the manner he is because he can see into the future, where on November 6th, he's going to...

I've read many comments from conservative Republican politicians and commentators whom suggested that all Mitt Romney was doing Tuesday night when he falsely claimed that President Barack Obama sympathized with the attackers in Egypt and Libya was exercise his First Amendment rights - freedom of speech. He may have been freely able to exercise that right and spew those words from his mouth on Tuesday night, but just as well, people have the right to criticize said words. I'd like to exercise my First Amendment rights and speak what's on my mind about Romney's false claims, but will refrain from doing so, because I know better. It's quite sad that a man running for president lacks that same maturity and will-power.

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...