Office of the Independent Blogger

Al Gore was in Australia this weekend and their Prime Minister, John Howard, refused to meet him, criticizing his movie and his person by taking the stance that he doesn’t take advice from failed Presidential candidates or movies. Instead, he says he gets his information from his good friend The Crocodile Hunter. Or, he used to, before, you know.

Really, I’m appalled by his comments because Al Gore is more than a political figure, in terms of environmentalism, and Howard’s comments betray a narrow mind. The fact is, if someone has advice for you, especially if they’re experts in their field, you at least listen to it, and if it’s an international leader (even a former one), you especially listen to it. Put me on record as being in favor of listening to even your opponents, ingenious though that may be, and I’m not in favor of it because it can be used as a political powerplay. I’m in favor of it because everyone is capable of a good idea. Which is to say, there’s nothing wrong with Howard consulting with the Crocodile Hunter or Nancy Reagan begging the Stars to save her husband from Iran-Contra, but it’s a good idea to talk to an environmentalist or a shrink every so often, too.

Everyone should be of the opinion that the lockbox of knowledge can be opened by anyone at anytime and that we should see who’s got the keys at any given moment.

Speaking of Al Gore: he’s in the news again, not just by alienating the Ancient and Most Noble Prime Minister, but for saying that he has not ruled out a second run for President. This is fabulous news in my blog — and, hey, this is my blog — because Gore is a strong candidate, probably our strongest. He’s smart, humorous, strong and principled, and this time around, nobody’s listening to Ralph Nader, Katherine Harris is locking herself out of her own home instead of him from the White House, and two now-ex Supreme Court members are gone. Al Gore ought to run again, and he’ll win, too.

There could be nothing better for the unification of this country than to have Al Gore march back into the White House, and there’s no man better suited for the job. A long long time ago, when I was younger, I used to tell people that Walt Disney should be President (back when I was young and stupid, as opposed to just young now, and before I knew that Walt Disney had been frozen so as to take over the world in the future), but now, oddly, instead of bringing people together, he and his company are a source of disillusionment and friction.

Guangdong factories producing merchandise for Walt Disney are still ill- treating their workers by underpaying them and making them overwork, according to a concern group.
A report released Sunday by the Hong Kong-based Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, or SACOM, accused three factories in the province of gross violation of mainland labor laws and called for immediate action to halt the malpractices. It said the workers, besides being underpaid and forced to work overtime, were also not offered occupational insurance.

How some men can go through life without shame in their lockbox is beyond me. I suppose it’s okay because they’re Chinamen?

If you’re disappointed with me for the fact that I haven’t updated in days, you should be, but bear with me a moment. I attempted to return on Friday to post, and I couldn’t. There were technical difficulties with this website into Saturday morning, and I’ve been gone this entire weekend until just now. But, rest assured, I am back, now. For real.

Apparently, ABC wants to release a docudrama about 9/11 that shows Clinton in a very negative light, and Democrats are throwing a fit over it, as they should be. Republicans, of course, are countering that the airing of it is free speech and we should allow it. Dick Polman of the Philadelphia Inquirer shows why Philadelphians are some of my favorite people, not only pointing out the Hypocrisy of Democrats and Republicans on this issue but noting the true problem at the root of this all: the entire concept of a “Docudrama.” History is the greatest passion play, and does not need to be dumbed down for excitement.

Today, I came across two embarrassing news stories. There’s this political advertisement being run, an advertisement so absurd that if one of my candidates ran it I’d pull my support from them. The other is the fact that, yesterday, certain types of political advertisements criticizing Congressional candidates can’t be run past a certain date. Don’t you love it when the government meddles in the name of reform and makes things worse by, say, cutting criticism of its policies during election years?

It’s okay, some say, because McCain and Feingold are passionate about electoral financing reform, but I come from the school of thought that says, Crimes of passion are not acceptable, especially not if your passion is a love of power. I’m in favor of changes to our financing in campaigns — mainly tweaks to help eliminate corruption — but I don’t believe in McCain Feingold anymore than I believe in Cheney-Rumsfeld.

Forgive me dear reader, for I have slacked. I promised a Tuesday return, but I’ve not returned until today, and for that I’m sorry. If it makes you feel better, there is now new, absolute, undeniable proof that the Bush White House is absolutely retarded.

Her head didn’t spin around, but Sen. Hillary Clinton was momentarily tongue-tied when a reporter asked what she made of Bush adviser Karl Rove bringing in three Catholic priests to cast her evil spirit from her old West Wing office - as reported in the new Rove bio, “The Architect.” After a long pause, Clinton could say only: “I’m speechless.” Asked if she thought it was time for a new exorcism in the White House, the possible presidential candidate laughed uncomfortably and said, “Ah … let’s talk about the American automobile [industry],” which is what she’d been discussing before Rove’s name came up.

Really, I’m lost for words. I can only imagine what George Walker Bush did to cleanse the Oval Office of Bill Clinton, and so I will. I imagine that George Bush bought gallons of Holy Water and poured them about the Oval, and I speculate hereforth that the reason we have such budget deficits is that Rove spends money on exorcisms and George Bush, I don’t know, pours Holy Water all over the Oval Office. Presumably, this Holy Water would crack the floorboards and lead to serious reconstructions in the Oval Office.

Hey, if they can claim that Hillary Clinton is a lesbian having an affair with Vince Foster despite it, I can claim that the Administration has wrecked the floors of the White House with Holy Water, right?

Here in Illinois, the big news of the week is that former Governor Ryan has been sentenced to six years in prison. Earlier, he had pled for a shorter sentence because he’s an old man, and if he were sent to jail for over thirty months, it’d be the equivelant of a death sentence. That takes a lot of nerve, from my point of view, to say, “I shouldn’t be fully sentenced because I might die in there.” There’s a good article here on the ethics of my crooked ex-Governor, so enjoy it. And enjoy the fact that I’m back.