How I voted 2006 style

Bob Corker v. Harold Ford Jr. - U.S. Senate

I voted for Mr. Corker in this one. My reason is simple, I believe the totality of Mr. Corker's experience in the Mayor's office, in private business, and in state government give him the ingenuity and innovation necessary to be a successful Senator. Congressmen Ford turned me off a while back when he called for a withdrawal of troops in Iraq but his most recent behavior is perplexing to say the least. Also his plan for Iraq, to divide the nation into three regions, would unfairly ignore two constitutional referendums and a national election-the entire democratic progress made over three years would be ignored. The plan doesn't take into account how an autonomous Kurdish region would affect the Kurdish population in Turkey and how a Shia region would interact with Iran. Ford is more conservative than most liberals, he is a supporter of the 2nd amendment and also believes marriage is between a man and woman and I liked the fact that he pledged to term limit himself.

John J. Duncan Jr. v. John Greene - U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd District

I voted for Democratic candidate John Greene as a protest vote. Congressmen Duncan has not been supportive of the Iraq war since the beginning and has in fact voted against it and supplemental spending bills several times. Plus he's been in office since I was eight years old, that's plenty of time.

Jim Bryson v. Phil Bredesen - Governor of Tennessee

Easy, Phil Bredesen. He is strong supporter of education. He handled the TennCare crisis well and the man is a genuine hunter and conservationist. He works well with both sides of the aisle and seeks consensus and not partisanship. I like him and I wish Democrats would pay more attention to him. He's a dark horse candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2008 and if not then a qualified candidate on anyone's cabinet.

Constitutional Amendment 1 - Tennessee state Constitution

Text reads:

Shall Article XI of the Constitution of the State of Tennessee be amended by adding the following language as a new, appropriately designated section:

SECTION 3. The historical institution and legal contract solemnizing the relationship of one man and one woman shall be the only legally recognized marital contract in this state. Any policy or law or judicial interpretation, purporting to define marriage as anything other than the historical institution and legal contract between one man and one woman, is contrary to the public policy of this state and shall be void and unenforceable in Tennessee. If another state or foreign jurisdiction issues a license for persons to marry and if such marriage is prohibited in this state by the provisions of this section, then the marriage shall be void and unenforceable in this state.

I voted no and do not support this amendment. I believe constitutions exist to limit the powers of government and protect the rights of individuals. A definition of what marriage is has no place in a constitution but rather as a state law. On the flip side would you define what divorce is? Cheating? If we let the Constitution define the marriage aspect of a relationship why not the end of a relationship. A slippery slope is what I worry about. I support marriage between a man and a woman but if gays and lesbians want to get married go ahead, just call is something else.

The tally adds up to two votes for Democrats and one for the Republicans and a no vote supporting the Marriage amendment.

Random notes: Yesterday we got four phone calls at my parents house asking us to go and vote, one of which was from President Bill Clinton. How sweet of him. I thought I would have a little fun with it and play a joke on my mom and call the house pretending I was him ask for her to go vote. It went something like this,

Phone rings

Mom: Hello?

Me: Hi there sugar this is President Bill Clinton and I just wanted to call and tell you how important it is for you to go and vote. I myself will be supporting Harold Ford Jr. for Senate and would hope you do the same. He's been to a Playboy bunny party after the Super Bowl and boy would I have loved to have gone to that one. Shoot yeah! Ohhah gotta go, Hillary's here. Go vote honey!

Mom: audible laughter. Barrett is that you! You need to let your father hear this!

Finally, I miss those old fashioned lever-action voting machines where you could hear the gears of democracy in action! Electronic voting machines take away the old fashioned goodness out of the voting process. Sigh.

Thanks to everyone for wishing me a happy birthday. We had a wonderful time with friends and family. I'm off to the beach so I won't be able to blog much but I promise to post when I return.

Some girls are tougher than others

But my girlfriend is the toughest. Voldoll and I decided, rather hastily Saturday afternoon, that we would go to the mountains and hike. The weather outside was dreary but our spirits were up so we set out to the Great Smoky Mountains. We chose to hike to Andrew's Bald, a nice exposed area that enjoys a beautiful view at 6,600 feet. If you've never hiked to it you must know that the path is incredibly rocky and sometimes painful, but its short at only 1.8 miles. We reached the Sugarlands Visitor Center and bought a day-hike map and set out toward the starting point of the trail.

While I was driving Voldoll told me she couldn't remember if she had put her hiking boots in the car before we left. I told her she probably did but couldn't see them in the back seat. So I pulled over and we both searched desperately for her hiking boots. Nothing. Voldoll had on a pair of Crocs, and knock off Wal Mart versions at that. Crocs are comfortable and heelless, but when it comes to hiking you might as well be wearing flip flops. We got back in the car and I offered to turn around ( I wasn't to keen on her hiking in Crocs) but she was adamant, we go and we hike no matter what. To her credit she was unrelenting in her desire to finish the trail even when the slimy mud was ankle deep and rocks jutted out all around the trail. My girlfriend hiked four miles in Crocs across some nasty terrain but not once did she complain although she came close to breaking an ankle. It turned out to be a wonderful time together. I'm so very proud of her and I was very impressed by her tenacity.

Campaign with Bob Corker

**Warning-silly hippie nudity in this post**

Currently I am on sabbatical, i.e. I'm unemployed. More on that later. While I'm not at work I thought it best to participate in something I have a good deal of interest in, politics. I've always enjoy following national and local politics so I wondered to myself if I could volunteer with a political campaign since we are in the midst of a Republican primary here in the great state of Tennessee. Enter Bob Corker. I am a conservative in many areas however I like to call myself a South Park Conservative. Mr. Corker's stances are closest to my beliefs and values and I knew very little about Ed Bryant and I can't stand Van Hilleary. So the choice was clear. Last Thursday night the three candidates had a debate at West High School and it was there that I had my first campaign experience.

I arrived at West High School in the evening, the debate was scheduled to begin in an hour. The heat and humidity were depressing but the three individuals dressed up as chickens made the hour pass by fast. Three men ( I think they were guys) were dressed up in chicken suits standing in front of the school holding signs that read "we flew down here because Bob Corker was too chicken to debate the candidates". That sign was referencing some non televised debates that Mr. Corker decided not to attend and campaign elsewhere. No matter, the chickens lasted all of fifteen minutes in the sun before they had to move underneath an entrance under the shade in order to cool off. When I arrived I happily grabbed a 'Bob Corker for Senate' sign and held it up high, meanwhile I probably sweat off about three pounds of water weight. About thirty minutes before the debate I was still holding that sign up and someone spoke up "here he comes" and as I lowered the sign Mr. Corker was walking straight towards me and he shook my hand (nice firm handshake by the way) and thanked my for helping out. He made a point to shake everyone's hand (about 45 of us) and say thank you. I thought that was a very nice gesture. I got to know some of the campaign workers and they were very cordial and relaxed. I couldn't say the same for the war protestors though.

Around the same time we set up some hippies came out in front of us and planted their little 'No Illegal Wars/No war for Oil" signs. From a personal st andpoint, I am so sick and tired of arguing about Iraq so I did my best to ignore them. That lasted about five minutes. A little hippie granny kept telling the folks walking by to "Vote Democrat. No more illegal wars". That's sweet. As I walked by I knew they were going to say something to me, I was white, I had a short hair cut, and I was with the Corker campaign. No one said much, one guy asked me if I supported an illegal war which I responded, "darn straight I do and I served there so don't preach to me about the legalities of war". I expected a smart response but he said something unintelligible like "whatever I don't care, lets not argue, make love not war". I didn't pay much attention, it was time for the debate to begin.

The debate included all three candidates and was hosted by a local tv and radio station. Some people complained that the candidates did nothing to differentiate between themselves which is hardly surprising since all three are conservatives but if you pay close attention you will notice some differences. For instance, Van Hilleary likes to make up words when he speaks. Words like "gobblygook" and "yukatty yukk". Van Hilleray came across to me as confused, unintelligent, and scattered. Ed Bryant was very impressive. He was stoic and firm but lacked the kind of panache that it will take to defeat Harold Ford, Jr. , the Democratic candidate for the Senate. Mr. Corker had a witty demeanor and came across very well rehearsed which some might not like but, for me it's a sign that his campaign and he himself are very well organized and practiced.

It was a great time and I hope to volunteer some more this week. Additionally early voting has started and voting will begin on August 5th. I'll post more when I volunteer again.

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Every dog has his day

Winston is your typical puppy; He likes to go to the bathroom everywhere and loves to bark at people, cars, and inanimate garbage bins. However he saves his best for when he attacks the dreaded water sprinkler!!! Watch below.

Horse Blogging

I spent a wonderful weekend with Voldoll riding horses. She's feeling a good bit better now. I'm trying my best to learn how to horse-back ride properly, but it takes a good deal of patience and strong thigh muscles...oh and good posture.

To the left is Susie and on the right is Oscar. Both are Arabian horses and both hate being separated from each other.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is an adventure-filled flim with some great moments but if your looking for substantial plot, keep digging and you might get lucky.

Dead Man’s Chest, directed by Gore Verbinski is the second movie in a trilogy of movies based on the Disney theme park ride, Pirates of the Caribbean. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was wise enough to deliver more of what worked best from the first movie, Captain Jack Sparrow, played handsomely by Johnny Depp. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley return as Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, respectively. Captain Sparrow finds himself in a bind as he must pay a debt to the notorious pirate of the sea (literally) Davy Jones. True to form Sparrow tries to squeeze his way out of the debt by searching for a chest that contains something intimately connected to Davy Jones. But before the action can begin, and it really doesn’t until Davy Jones shows up, Will and Elizabeth have their wedding crashed ceremoniously by an agent of the East India Trading company demanding an artifact that, of course, only Captain Sparrow has in his possession.

At some points in the movie the plot becomes convoluted and busy. Seeing the first movie before watching the second would help since so many characters and story points are brought back. Most enjoyable is watching Davy Jones, played by Bill Nighy, in what must be a seamless combination of makeup, costume, and special effects. I just loved watching him and his crew in action. Fans of Orlando Bloom will be disappointed as his character never really evolves in this movie, in fact he might de-evolve, as he becomes increasingly gullible throughout the film. Knightley can’t even serve as simple eye candy since she’s dressed as a boy for most of the movie. Only until the very end of the film does she contribute to the story by committing an act of sheer treason. Most awkward is the love triangle that forms between the three with no promised resolution till the third movie. In fact there is no ending to this film at all, the last moments are spent in solemn remembrance of a friend lost and then, bam!, it’s time to go and rescue him…..in the third movie.

Overall an enjoyable movie and worth the price of admission to a matinee, but only go if you want to see more Jack Sparrow and Johnny Depp at his best.

Much ado about North Korea

It's been several days since the North Korean’s launched missiles toward Japan and apparently even Hawaii. So naturally since I've been in the military, people ask my reaction. Well, I don't have a strong reaction here. Having nukes brings a sense of legitimacy to your regime in the world order and they are the great equalizer in world politics (see India and Pakistan) or should I say great neuter-izer. Few options are available here with the exceptions of sanctions. Sanctions will accomplish little because there is little left to sanction. The DPRK's economy is so bad that they have resorted to some drastic measures. Stealing trains now, how can you sanction something like that?

A friend of mine asked me, "since we can bomb the shit out of them why do they even do this?". Good question. An incentive package was offered to Iran recently with the expectation that they end their nuclear armament program. North Korea is trying, desperately, to have something similar handed to them . Kim Jong ll's actions make little sense to many but his intention is clear. He wants to become a major military power in the Asian community. He wants legitimacy in the world order and has seen India, Pakistan and others accomplish that by going nuclear.

So what can we do? We can continue to work with our partners in the region (Russia, China, Japan, South Korea) and report North Korea to the Security Council and send Mr. Kim Jong ll a very nasty letter from the United Nations. Maybe Hanz Bwix could deliver it person.

Austin Bay has more about North Korea's negotiation strategy.

Sickness is not fun for anyone

Last night I talked with Voldoll and she told me she felt sick and was running a fever. This morning I might try to stop by and see her and make her feel as best as I can.

Superman Returns

I saw Superman Returns on opening day. I will never grow too old or get used to seeing a movie on opening day. I love it. This day was even more special for me because I grew up with Christopher Reeve as Superman and I had the toys, underwear, blankets, and appropriately themed Superman parties.

The title, Superman Returns serves as both movie title and story. Superman, played by Brandon Routh, has been away from Earth for over five years searching the remnants of Krypton for any survivors. Upon his return he discovers a world and some close friends that have moved on. Clark Kent returns to the Daily Planet to find Lois Lane, played by Kate Bosworth, has had a child and is engaged to the editor’s nephew. Arch enemy Lex Luthor, played devilishly by Kevin Spacey, has in his unique diabolical fashion wretched away a fortune from a dying woman. What ensues over the course of two plus hours is a movie that transported me back to my childhood and but never completely satisfied my inner comic book geekyness.

The opening credits began flying at me like the originals and I was immediately transported back to my youth. I was psyched to see Superman fly above the stars and wait to be called into action. Unfortunately this does not happen for the first thirty minutes of the movie which at times seemed painstakingly slow. Just like King Kong, this movie could've been shortened by twenty minutes and still worked well, perhaps even better. Superman's return in the movie happens in an effects laden scene involving a shuttle launch that has gone terribly wrong. Indeed, the effects are so good (and they should be with a $250 million price tag) that you will believe a man can fly. The movie was filmed in sequential order to you can watch Routh grow into the part and watch his confidence soar, literally, by the third act. Routh and Bosworth have chemistry which I cannot say for Bosworth and James Marsden who played Richard White, her fiancé. Still by the end of the movie you grow fond of Richard White (I found myself rooting for himl) as he is unflinching in risking his life to save his family. Marsden's makes us believe that any human can be a hero without super powers.

The biggest disappointment I had with the movie dealt with Luthor’s not so ingenious plan. Luthor has discovered the Fortress of Solitude and its secrets. Kevin Spacey delivers in the role as should be expected from a fine actor but Lex's plot seemed far fetched and silly. Create a new land mass that people will want to live on. The only problem with this is the land mass is ugly and unhabitable, no one will be able to by it because its creation will destroy 1/3 of the world's population, and said destruction will cripple the world's economy thus rendering real estate a market nobody can invest in. This is what we call in the Marines, good initiative, bad judgement.

Kate Bosworth is entirely too young to play the role of Lois. I found it hard to believe she could manage a fiancé, a son, and a career as a journalist. How did she manage to win a Pulitzer with all that and she's only in her mid twenties? Seems implausible.

Highlights of the movie were the exceptional piece of acting from Tristan Lake Lebeau who played Jason White, Lois's son, and a scene in which he protects his mother by demonstrating some other worldly strength. A final touching scene in which the father becomes the son and the son becomes the father, where Superman finds what he was looking for, gives the movie a loving touch that Director Bryan Singer should be credited with delivering.

Superman Returns is a fine movie in the end but with some flaws and a lengthy run time.

Honor Them

The Red Pill has a post that discusses his experience of watching an Air Force commissioning ceremony here. What is most telling, and you might miss it, was that he was once a student in the same ROTC class but was unable to graduate with them. He witnessed men and women that he trained with take an oath to defend the Constitution, a simple piece of paper, that has helped reshape the world. It's ironic that an individual should take an oath to protect anything other than the written word. Taking an oath to protect the King and Queen or to serve a vain Imperator would make more sense to me, but to protect all enemies from the Constitution, the document that records our deepest held beliefs is truly revolutionary even in today's world.

Best Wishes to Matt and Erica

Matt and Erica are heading overseas for two months. They plan to travel around Western and Eastern Europe. Make sure to check their blog for the latest pictures and on site bird flu reporting!

Newest Blog

Thirty Caliber Empire is a blog worth checking.

Been a while hasn't it?

It's been a while since I last posted something. I have had a difficult time getting motivated to blog about stuff even though I'm really opinionated about current events. Also I'm struggling to really determine what purpose the blog will serve. I'll try better to get some material published.

Jon decided to use his smoker over the break. Yummy. I need one but I got to use my new George Forman grill instead. Also Justin is changing over to Wordpress 2.0 and had an adventure trying to get unlocked by way of WD-40.