"In this corner we have the Senator from Illinois..."

Click on the image above for an enlarged view.

So this is what it takes to get today's youth involved in politics: A bloody battle to the death, brought to you by the repeated smashing of your mouse button, and the allure of collecting $50,000 (like that will happen).

Xbox meets K-Street, anybody?

McCain: Nothing But Trouble?

MySpace ads are known for their off-the-wall themes, and this "give your opinion" ad is no different.



But is it just me or did they go out of their way to choose a picture of McCain to make him look like Dan Aykroyd's character from Nothing But Trouble?

Poll: Are you happy with the way your US tax dollars are being spent?

The tax filing deadline is quickly approaching next month which means we get to be excited over the fact that the government will soon be graciously repaying the money it borrowed from us, interest free. In other words, tax refunds!

Before we click that e-file button or staple that W-2 to our 1040 and mail it off to Uncle Sam's count room, I thought it would be appropriate to get your response to this question: "Are you happy with the way your US tax dollars are being spent?"




My answer is no. Wasteful domestic spending is my primary concern. Earmarks and the "$400 hammer" stories make me wonder, "who is running the store down in Washington, D.C.?"

I also have concerns over how the U.S. Government spends our money abroad when we have so much domestic disarray such as inadequate border security, homelessness, individuals without health insurance, a social security system headed for collapse and poverty at large.

How do you look a man living in the streets of Atlanta in the eye and tell him we're building housing for refugees overseas when he's standing in line for free soup and dreading another chilly spring night with only cardboard separating him from the elements?

I am not suggesting that we turn our back on the global community. But we've been so busy running around raising everyone else's barn that maybe it's time to finally finish raising our own.

Nebraska and the Nintendo 64 had a baby...

The New Nebraska Network Logo

The New Nebraska Network (NNN) needed a logo. So while cruising the Internet they found one that was too good to be true: three N's connected together in 3-D.

Unfortunately that "3 N" design is the trademarked property of Nintendo, a video game console manufacturer, and is the logo for their "Nintendo 64" video game system. (Don't believe me? Look at this Google Images search for "N64 logo")

Was this done to attract the N64 generation into politics? Or simply a way to make a cool logo out of something that fit their organization's name perfectly? Maybe it's a statement that politics are a game?

I'm certain it's not that deep. The logo just jumped out at me and I had to share this.

Nebraska... brought to you today by the Nintendo 64. Get N or get out!

Blogs and political views: Keep it to myself?

Photo courtesy of Flickr user JeremyRyan

I wrote in to the Cafferty File today regarding the stripping of delegates from Michigan and Florida, and whether or not those delegates should be in fact seated at the Democratic National Convention later this year.

Don't hold your breath for me to post that response here, as a good civil discussion on politics is hard to find on the Internet.

Instead, I'd like to pose the question: Should political views be kept to one's self on a personal blog, or should those views be posted for all to see?

When I read personal blogs of other folks, I typically don't see political viewpoints expressed. Now I haven't really browsed a whole lot of blogs as these Democratic primaries have heated up, so that could be a different situation now.

But for those blogs where I've found political commentary in a personal setting, I have actually found myself turned off by blogs where the personal viewpoints expressed are nothing but party talking points and completely lacking in fact and logic.

I love disagreements. I'm not going to see eye to eye with every person on the planet. My views, like the views of many others, are mired in personal conflict and are not firm principles of my life.

For example, when it comes to abortion I am pro-choice. It's a woman's body, a woman's own morals, and if she makes the decision to terminate her pregnancy, she should be legally able to have an abortion. That being said, if someone I loved was faced with that decision, I would strongly urge them not to have an abortion, as that could be my future niece, nephew, son or daughter... or down the road my future grandchild.

Pro-life advocates will state that all life is precious, and begins at conception. I refuse to get in their faces and them they are wrong. Frankly, they may be right. I haven't seen enough scientific evidence to completely support that notion, nor have I seen enough to firmly conclude that a developing fertilized egg is no more than a group of developing cells blissfully unconscious of its own existence.

Most of our own political views are not simple yes or no answers as I've demonstrated in my pro-choice conundrum. So is it a turn off to a reader when you invite them into your head and show the reader where you're leaning in terms of divisive topics such as this?