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*NOTE: I originally wrote this on Friday, and new info has since come about; I'll insert as appropriate... Topics for tonight’s rants include BHO’s “Mid-East/European Tour (but not to include US voters)”, A-B’s buyout, and “Mainstream Media – Balanced and Fair?” So – 200,000 people showed up for BHO’s Berlin speech, which he is giving as part of a *cough* Congressional Delegation *cough* trip, and during this trip, he decides NOT TO VISIT members of the US Armed Forces at some of the bases located in southwestern Germany as “it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign”. A couple of questions – If this is a CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION trip, why is it being funded by Presidential Campaign funds? It’s not a PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN stop, is it? Is Germany now one of the 57 states that BHO mentioned previously? And if it is a campaign-funded trip, why not visit Landstuhl, Ramstein, and other bases in “Little America”/the Kaiserslautern Military Community? If anything, at least to PERSONALLY THANK those who are there for defending his freedoms and allowing him to achieve the levels and goals that he has reached, as well as doing a bit of campaigning? There may not be as big of departure of military members when Bill Clinton was elected, but there’s still going to be quite a few dropping retirement paperwork right after the election to retire on December 31st. Now, I know that other Americans have given speeches in Berlin; Kennedy and Reagan being two of the most memorable, but they were already US Presidents, not a candidate. I thought it was mighty presumptuous of him to originally want to give the speech at the Brandenburg Gate, and I’m glad that the Bundestag, or at least the local government in Berlin requested/recommended a change of venue. I guess my main thoughts on this is that this whole trip is to a) get his name out to the world, and b) to try and show the American public that he is for talking to other world leaders… And I’m all right with it, but at least do it without the circus atmosphere… And call it for what it’s worth – it’s not a Congressional Delegation trip (has the media even shown Sen Reed & Sen Hagel on this trip?), but a presidential campaign stop tour. My only request for not only BHO, but also for McCain, Chuck Baldwin, Ralph Nader, Bob Barr, Ted Weill, and all the other party candidates is that when you do these “world tours”, make sure and stop at the military bases, hospitals, Embassies, and other locations where Americans are at, as we are also voters, and in retrospect, your boss… *********** *NOTE: The 200,000+ Germans in the Tiergarten were actually there for a FREE CONCERT, FREE BEER, AND FREE FOOD... So, the real question is: would there have been the same number in the audience if the mentioned freebies were not free??? In addition, with the revamp/paint that the plane got, the American Flag on the tail was replaced with his "O"... Are we not proud of the country's flag? It's things like this, and the non-visit with the US troops at Landstuhl that, as a member of the US military, makes me nervous if he gets elected and if I'll have a job in the next couple of years... Not that I'm really enthused about McCain, either. *********** Next up – Anheuser-Busch’s buyout by InBev… Is it unfortunate? Yes. Would it have happened regardless? Yes. My only real concern on this is the status of the parks and conservations efforts that A-B does, to include the Seaworlds and Busch Gardens. InBev does only one thing – brew and distribute beer. And they do that successfully. They don’t want any other sub-divisions in their company. A-B has done a lot in the area of conservation efforts, not only at their parks but also as major sponsors of Ducks Unlimited and other animal-specific and natural resources conservation organizations. I hope that A-B InBev continues those efforts, and that they can find someone to purchase and continue to run the parks. Although I’m not a big A-B fan beer-wise (last time I drank any of their brands was over 15 years ago, probably either one of their “American Original” series or a Red Wolf), they do have a great merchandising arm as well as the advertising is some of the better ones out there (Spuds MacKenzie, Louie & Frank, the frogs, and of course, the Clydesdales). Ok – last item for now – the effect the media has on presidential (and other) races. It’s unfortunate that the media has not only kept all of the third party candidates out of the race, but also that they personally have selected both candidates for the Republican and Democratic Parties. Yes, primary/caucus voters made the actual “selections”, but it was the media who “pushed” McCain & BHO into the top spots. We, as the voters, did not do this. And why did this take place? Was it because of the fact that broadcast news, and media in general, are profit making arms of corporations, and they wanted to get ratings? Granted, HRC wasn’t even one of my top choices, but at least she has the background of being in the WH as First Lady, and knows a lot of the protocols that go along with president… It seems strange that when she first decided to run, the media was all “Hillary, Hillary, Hillary”… And then BHO arrived, and the media was swept up on the “Hope for Change for the Future”-bandwagon, and HRC was dumped by the media like a rotten sack of potatoes. And they did the same on the Republican side, pushing McCain on us instead of us voting for Romney, Huckabee or Paul. Was religion a big part as to why the media failed to bring Romney or Huckabee into the spotlight? Was Paul not brought in because of his truer conservative beliefs? Yes, McCain was a Vietnam POW, a Navy Captain, and a senator for much longer than HRC or BHO combined, but he also isn’t a “Reagan Republican/Conservative”, and I think that is what the media wanted… for profit’s sake. And that, is a sad thing… *NEW: We've got about three and a half months left before the elections and unfortunately I have a feeling that things will get worse before they get better, not including the conventions in Denver and St. Paul... Thankfully, there hasn't been a whole lot of mudslinging as of yet, but I'm sure it will come. Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard ('cause we really need it!) - DR Post a comment in response: |
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