Archive for the ‘opinion/news’ Category

The Bookstores they are a changin’

Posted: July 5, 2010 by datechguy in internet/free speech, oddities, opinion/news
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Went to breakfast with a friend who is in town for the 4th. When I brought up the parade with John Olver and Bill Gunn, he expressed satisfaction that Olver was being challenged but expressed doubt that he could be beaten. It’s been a few years since he lived in this neck of the woods, if he had followed me to the local Barnes and Noble he might have changed his mind.

One of the signs of a down economy is that business that once catered to political whims don’t have that luxury, they have to make money to survive and act accordingly. Just two years ago at the local B & N you would find plenty of liberal books in your face while you need to search for conservative volumes near the back.

I’ve mentioned that last year conservative authors started to get more space but I was still shocked when in the prominent works section I found The Road to Serfdom not only in the area for notable books and new bestsellers, but with only 3 copies left on a practically empty shelf.

My surprise was even greater when as I headed for the history section, there on the featured author table were the works of…Glen Beck!?!

Glenn Beck a featured author in Leominster Massachusetts? Totally unheard of. Even worse for the left was the lack of liberal volumes on display. I found Stephen Colbert in the bargain section and he wasn’t alone. He was joined by Bill Bradley (not so odd) but also by…Ted Kennedy?

Run that through your head for a moment. The last of the Kennedy Brothers, the man who won 69% of the vote in 2006. Gone less than a year yet Liberal Lion the fall and rise of Ted Kennedy. is in the bargain bins. 47 years in the Senate and he is an afterthought. His widow had better take that into account when 2012 comes around.

If you want to know why John Olver and company feel the need to run like the wind, this is it. People are voting with their wallets and retailers can’t waste shelf space on unwanted liberal books.

Oh and there is bad news for Mitt Romney as well. Both his new book and Sarah Palin’s were available as audio books. Sarah’s Going Rogue was discounted 20% after being out nearly a year. Mitt’s No Apology was discounted 40% after being out 3 months.

If this is Massachusetts what must be happening in New Jersey?

Maj Bill Gunn & John Olver in Fitchburg: Update that’s a “1” you idiot!

Posted: July 5, 2010 by datechguy in elections, local stuff, opinion/news, special events, tea parties
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In addition to the proximity of Romano’s Mkt, one of the great advantages of the house I live in is the path of Fitchburg’s 4th of July parade is only 2 blocks from the house, less than a 5 min walk. So every year since December of 1991 we go and watch it.

Six months before we bought the house John Olver became my congressman. In all the years that I’ve seen Fitchburg’s 4th of July Parade I’ve never seen Congressman Olver there…

Mayor Lisa Wong with Congressman John Olver at the July 4th Parade in Fitchburg 2010

…until yesterday.

Not that is it odd for a congressman to march in one of the largest cities in his district but what brought about the change. Well oddly enough I think it had to do with the presence of Bill Gunn candidate for the 1st district marching in the same parade.

It was suggested at the tea party meeting on Monday that Mr. Olver’s presence was added at the last minute when he heard Mr. Gunn would be there. If a liberal as established as John Olver sees the need to electioneer this year in Massachusetts then the times they are a’changin.

P. S. Yes that was an abrupt end to the video. My camera memory filled just as he was finishing his last sentence. The rest of his sentence says we need fiscally responsible candidates on the Local, State and Federal Level.

UPDATE: As I was writing the post I was looking at the flyer on the table. it said “MA 1” but I thought the “1” was a “J” so I thought it was “Maj” as in Major. Mr. Gunn has corrected me. That’s totally my bad.

Ok readers tell me why I’m wrong and I’ll post it.

Posted: July 2, 2010 by datechguy in opinion/news
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Had a long discussion about my ranking of presidents with a reader today. It got me thinking that plenty of people might have their own opinions so I’m going to give you a chance to express them here.

I invite any reader to e-mail me a paragraph on who should be higher and why and who should be lower and why. I’ll publish the paragraphs as guest posts under your byline.

Not a bad thing for a July 4th weekend.

Two nasty thoughts…

Posted: July 2, 2010 by datechguy in Afghanistan war, opinion/news, war
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…one about the past and one about the present.

Nasty Thought #1: All this draft nonsense:

Do you get the feeling that MSNBC and the left are pushing and talking draft right now because they are afraid of Gen Petraeus? Not afraid of him politically but afraid of him as a general. I have the horrible and uncharitable feeling that they are afraid he will actually win this war.

Success in the war would mean a more powerful US. One more likely to act rather than talk. The concept of the US military as a force never to be used is even more sacred to the left than the first black president. They aren’t in a position to attack Petraeus so the only way to counter him is to get the country talking draft. With a high unemployment rate and college so expensive it is a tempting solution to several social/economic problems but it would scare the britches off of many in the ME generation.

The left has never lost their love of 60’s radicalism, it was their greatest moment, it is their dream to bring it back in living color.

Such an appraisal is not very fair to most of the left and is as I said a nasty thought, but right now it is stuck in my head and won’t come out.

Nasty Thought #2 Al Gore

For years I’ve wondered why Al Gore didn’t assert himself during the Clinton Impeachment stuff. It would have been up to Gore to talk to the president and say it was time for him to go. If he had conventional wisdom says he would have easily won election in 2000 and maybe even in 2004. Not only did he not assert himself but he after the impeachment vote made that ludicrous speech calling Mr. Bill “One of our greatest presidents” (talk about grading on a curve)! In my mind the question has always been: Why did he play along?

I have the nasty feeling that question has now been answered. Does anyone believe for one moment that if the Clintons knew Gore had some ahem “interesting diversions” they wouldn’t have held that over him? Al understood that people judge a Rogue differently than a “strait arrow”. It’s the expectations game. People were not surprised that Clinton was messing around and judged him accordingly, but Gore? He would be judged by his strait arrow image.

Again this is a nasty thought and assumes Gore’s guilt but I can’t get it out of my head.

Are these thoughts a sign I am becoming paranoid or am I just becoming more street savvy? What do you think?

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