I Do As I Say

Yesterday I had some fresh ink put in on my left pectoral. I had the symbol for the Tao placed over my heart, to remind me to always follow my path. The square piece on the right represents a man's head, and the piece on the left represents 'the path' or 'the way.' The symbol as a whole stands for, roughly, "the path a man walks along during his life." But there was something more I wanted to add to this tattoo. A phrase. A motto. A way of life.     "Elevate Your Mind." It's a lyric from the chorus of "Rebirth of the Temple" by Silent Civilian, the band of my personal rock 'n' roll God: Jonny Santos. About a year ago I heard this record, and the power behind its lyrics completely changed my life. It’s only one song, sure. But it came at a time when I needed it. I needed Jonny’s words, needed to hear his pain. His lyrics cured my sorrow, showed me I wasn’t alone, gave me the strength to be reborn. I can almost single handedly blame this song for motivating me to get into shape and addicted to the weight room.     Ya, sure, it's just one heavy metal song. But it wasn’t the song, it was the moment - the feeling. The overwhelming source of strength that can come from nothing more than words. The words of an artist, who even if you’ve never met, understands you. He feels your pain. He shares in your sorrow. For those minutes, when your fist is in the air, silent amongst the screaming masses, you feel an inner sense of pride, the one you’d forgotten at fifteen and tried so hard to bury. It shows you who you were born to be, the man inside who screams outs for support. It showed me the person I needed to become. It showed me that I could. Gave me confidence where there was none. Gave me strength when I had none.     So I made the words my slogan. I made them something I would represent. It didn't matter if it meant getting high, educating yourself, reaching enlightenment, having a new perspective, being more compassionate, or pushing through pain. "Elevate your mind" was my way of life. And now those words are on me forever, coupled with the symbol for what I consider to be the most brilliant philosophy of all time. If you'd like to see where this all came from, I've posted the video for the song as well as the lyrics. Elevate Your Mind. (As a nice side note, I got to meet Jonny twice and express my love for his music. At the end of the second show, he even walked over and personally handed me his guitar pick. It was a gratifying moment, to say the least.) Wake up and rise to live another day Put on your gloves to fight society Sedate your fears and build your train of thought Stand up for your beliefs and never stop Pushing hard each day (To) Keep our individuality Elevate your mind Strength within is what you need to find Pick up the pieces we all make mistakes Rebirth of self esteem ignore whats fake Move on, you're not alone Stay strong, do not lose hope

Good News for Ecstasy, Bad News for Alcohol

British magazine The Lancet published a "landmark" report on the dangers of drugs last week, by stating that alcohol was a greater danger to society than almost all other illegal drugs. Click here to read the story on MSNBC. The study, led by Professor David Nutt of Bristol University, set out to rank drugs based on the amount of risk that each substance posed to society as a whole. In the fight for total and complete drug legalization, this study makes a strong case for the legalization of more than just alcohol and tobacco. Here was the list they came up with, ordered from worst on down. 1. Heroin 2. Cocaine 3. Barbiturates 4. Street methadone 5. Alcohol 6. Ketamine 7. Benzodiazepines 8. Amphetamine 9. Tobacco 10. Buprenorphine 11. Cannabis 12. Solvents 13. 4-MTA 14. LSD 15. Methylphenidate 16. Anabolic steroids 17. GHB 18. Ecstasy 19. Alkyl nitrates 20. Khat     You'll notice that both alcohol and tobacco outrank marijuana, LSD, steroids, and ecstasy. Yet these drugs, these "demons of society," are the ones that the media and Christian right focus on, while they smoke their two packs a day and hit the bars at night. (Frankly, I'm surprised cannabis is so high on the list. I'd be interested in speaking to the professors as to why.)     I'm not saying these drugs are good or bad, or that one person should do one drug over another based on these rankings. All drugs have their benefits and downfalls. I believe it is each person's responsibility to decide what goes into his or her body. Each person should regulate his or her dosage and frequency of use if they wish to remain alive and productive, and that goes for all drugs - legal or otherwise. Yet I do understand that some drugs, such as heroin and meth, are almost guaranteed to destroy lives.     My point is simply that no drug should be illegal. We pick and choose which ones we think are morally "ok" and which ones we can profit from. That is not right. I'm not going to dive heavily into this discussion right now, but I'd like to make one final point. If you read this survey from MSNBC here, you'll notice that alochol - the drug most prevalent in mainstream American culture - is considered to be the most dangerous drug by readers, beating out meth, LSD, ecstasy, marijuana, and cocaine combined. What does that say about our rational decision making ability as Americans? What does it say about the objectivity of our government?

Everyone Watch This Now

This is one of the best rants I have ever seen on the Bush administration. Everyone must watch this. Wait through the comedic beginning and let Bill Maher make his serious point. I applaud Bill Maher for being a real patriot.

The First Atheist Politician

This is a story that you're not hearing too much about this week, but it is a big one. Pete Stark (left), a liberal congressman from San Francisco, admitted that he is *gasp* an atheist, becoming the first major American politician to admit that he or she does not believe in God. By doing so, Stark has made the first step towards religion-free politics and a better government, a first step I have been waiting years to see.     Stark is 75, having already served thirty years in Congress for his left-wing district, and has no intentions for a presidential run. The decision to come out of the closet and declare his religious intelligence brings with it very little career risk, and that is probably the precise reason Stark did so. You can click here to read Truthdig's story on this or here to read more about Stark.     So while Stark's actions may not be too courageous, they are damn sure important. Being an atheist is political suicide in this country. You know it. I know it. We all know it. A recent survey suggested that only 14% of Americans would accept an atheist president, the lowest number, by far, of any minority group. But I suspect that there are many more congressman and senators out there who will have to wait until the twilight of their political careers to come out of the closet like Stark has. It is a simple fact that atheists tend to come from more educated backgrounds. The white, upper to middle class, 'liberal elite' - this is where atheism is most prevalent. This is not a racist statement, just a fact you can check on your census.     Then wouldn't it be logical to conclude, that out of all the hundreds, thousands even, of American politicians we have had that were intelligent and well educated, that at least a few of them might not believe in God? Atheists are ten percent of the U.S. population. That number is likely to go way up if you limit it to rich, university and grad school educated, social elitists, making it extremely likely that the number of atheist politicians out there is far greater than the one we have so far. From this we can logically conclude that along the way, many of these folks had to lie about their religious beliefs to get elected.     What a sick and disgusting statement it is that I just made. In a country about freedom of religion, which should include the right not to have one, the people we elect have to lie about their religious views just to get our votes. It makes me particularly angry because I know that atheists are also the most intelligent section of society, on average. Our government and our culture requires the dumbing down of candidates in order to make them compatible with our system, as it is "in God we trust." Stark coming out of the closet isn't just a footnote in some newspaper. It is a major step forward for a movement that receives little attention in this backwards Christian nation that we live in. I thank you, Mr. Stark, for being a trailblazer. If only the rest of American politicians had your courage and the rest of America your intelligence.

Atheist Cartoons

Support for Edwards

The big story this morning surrounded presidential candidate John Edwards and his wife's battle with cancer. It seems that upon going in for a check-up, doctors discovered that Elizabeth Edward's cancer, once thought to be in remission, has spread into her ribs. There were reports early on, ones that proved to be false, that Edwards was going to step down from his campaign. Click here to read about the controversy surrounding Politico's false report, which spread to CNN early this morning.     I believed Ben Smith's report on Politico when I read it, because having his wife dying of cancer is sure to make Edwards' campaign a difficult one. I admire his courage in continuing on, particularly because he is the candidate I currently support. I hope that this can be a rallying point for his constituents, hopefully leading to a serious bid for the White House. But mostly I hope that his wife manages to survive long enough to see her husband begin to change America. I believe John Edwards is one of the few genuine people in politics, and if I thought it would do any good, then I would pray for his wife's recovery. (Incidentally, the cancer is said to be 'treatable' but not 'curable')

Limbaugh vs Schwarzenegger

A quick "hell yeah" to California's Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. After being called out as a liberal (which he really is) by enormously overweight hypocrite Rush Limbaugh, Arnold fired back by calling Limbaugh, one of America's pre-eminent conservative political voices, "irrelevant."     This, to me, is even more satisfying than reading Al Franken's book, Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot, which I read in high school. Limbaugh is on par with Ann Coulter in terms of angering stupidity, so any kind of public humiliation comes as a great source of pleasure for me. If you don't know who Rush Limbaugh is, you can Wikipedia him and find a great deal of information I'm sure. But just know that this guy has made a name for himself by saying that all drug offenders should go to jail, no matter what. Then this guy gets caught having his maid score him thirty OxyContin a day. Thirty! Oh, right, but that's his "medicine." Well Rush, I'm about to spark up some of my "medicine" too.     Another big round of applause for Arnold Schwarzenegger everyone, because nothing can be more damaging than having a major face in the party you champion call you "irrelevant" when you claim to be a powerful influence on public opinion. Click here to read the story on Truthdig. UPDATE: Arnold spoke on Limbaugh's radio show today. Here's part of the exchange, courtesy of CNN's Political Ticker. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A day after declaring Rush Limbaugh "irrelevant," California GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger directly confronted the conservative commentator on his popular radio show, saying he thinks getting results is more important to him than maintaining an ideology. "I have to ultimately make decisions that is based on bringing people together, bringing Democrats and Republicans together and really working for the people and trying to resolve issues -- if it is issues that have to do with the environment, or health care, or if it is creating more jobs, getting more businesses to California -- all of those decisions," Schwarzenegger told Limbaugh Wednesday. "I have to make tough decisions every day. "So what you guys are talking about -- the ideology, the philosophy, the Right vs. the Left -- I cannot deal with that as much, because to me what is important is that I bring both of the parties together and make things work to serve the people," he added. Limbaugh told Schwarzenegger that he disagreed with his strategy. "I am all for bringing people together, but not for compromising principles in the process," Limbaugh responded. "I have said that your compromise looks more like agreeing with liberals than maintaining your natural conservative beliefs." Earlier in the week, Limbaugh declared Schwarzenegger a "closet liberal" who had "sold out" on Republicans.(Watch video: CNN's Carol Costello reports on Limbaugh's comments) "Arnold Schwarzenegger has done the typical sellout move," Limbaugh said. "He has sold out, and there are too many conservatives selling out these days. You can find 'em all over Washington, DC." Schwarzenegger took issue with Limbaugh's assessment and addressed it during Wednesday's appearance. "It's not selling out, it's just doing the work for the people," Schwarzenegger said. "I pay very little attention if someone criticizes me or calls me -- that I'm turning left, that I'm selling out or whatever," he added. "I have to stay focused on results." -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Well No Shit

I'm sorry, maybe I'm overreacting. But I am simply outraged at this latest story posted on CNN.com (click here). Apparently, in the latest professional sports steroid ring bust, there were several prominent professional wrestlers involved, including Randy Orton (left).     No...you're kidding, right? You mean, professional wrestlers want to artificially inflate their physicality, much in the same way they do their persona? Next you're going to be telling me that bodybuilders, NFL lineman, and strongmen take steroids too. Well no shit. Let's all be good journalists and talk about something that A) people don't already know about, and B) that people give a shit about. Look, these athletes are grown men. These are their lives and their bodies. Just as I will never criticize someone for smoking, I will never criticize someone for taking steroids. If they are willing to accept the negative with the positive and decide that they still want to, then why do I care?     Besides, these men are competing at the highest levels of their respected athletic endeavors (make no mistake about it, pro-wrestling is a physically demanding sport, despite its scripts). In certain sports, under certain circumstances, it takes steroids to reach that elite level of performance. Yes, like all drugs, steroids can be dangerous to your health. But there have also been reports and stories where doctors and trainers say that, under supervision and with strict moderation, steroids can be an incredibly beneficial tool for the professional athlete: the one whose body is his job. I don't have to approve of it or like it. I just accept it and move on. Taking steroids doesn't automatically make these guys look ripped and hit home runs. They still have to train, eat right, practice, etc. They still have to work as hard as they can to get the full benefit of the drugs they are taking. Sure, it's cheating, but as Kyle Turley once said, "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'."     It is the responsibility of the individual sport or professional organization to monitor and regulate the drug use of its players and employees. Pro wrestling does not have such stipulations. These men knew it was part of the game when they decided that this was going to be their career. If this news is supposed to come as some sort of shock, causing me to lose respect for these guys, then I guess I missed the point. I've known they were on steroids since I was ten years old watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock come up through the ranks. Every time I look at my favorite bodybuilder, Jay Cutler, I know he's on steroids. I know every slugger in MLB was on steroids during the home run bonanza of the late 90's. I also know that it's not my problem, because it is the personal responsibility of these men to manage their lives.     The war on drugs in this country extends beyond just marijuana and mushrooms. Steroids are also a big part of this war, one that has been so highly publicized in the media over the last five years that it is beginning to infuriate me. I'm tired of it. Congress has gotten involved on several occasions, wasting everybody's time and money. Countless athletes have been identified, spanning all sports, ruining careers along the way, because they used drugs to get ahead. I would think that America, with its cut-throat reality-tv attitude would be all for steroids. But then again, I have to remember that drugs are wrong. God said so. Now where are my Viagra, Xanax, Vicodin, and Lipitor?

Welcome Home Tyrone

In one of the most talked about stories within the marijuana community recently, Tyrone Brown (left), serving a life sentence for testing positive for marijuana while on probation, was set free after serving 17 years of his sentence. Brown was pardoned by the governor of Texas, after his case gained national notoriety and eventually came to stand for the judicial failings of our president's great state. "The drug test and life sentence that followed contrasted sharply with another case in the same judge's court, both of which were profiled last spring by The Dallas Morning News. In the other case, a well-connected white man got probation for murder and, despite several positive tests for cocaine and other violations, still avoided prison." Click here to read the entire story.     I first heard of Tyrone Brown on MySpace, of all places. He had created a profile to tell his story and began networking with pro-marijuana groups such as NORML and Marijuana Policy Project. ABC's 20/20 even did a piece profiling the aforementioned imbalanced justice given to Tyrone. Soon there was a major online movement to free Tyrone, as he became a symbol for prisoners of the drug war. Not only was the case attracting social and legal attention, but now the anti drug-war movement was becoming heavily involved as well. It wasn't long before enough pressure mounted and Brown was pardoned.     I don't really have much commentary here; I just wanted this story to be heard. Serving any time in prison for marijuana is ridiculous, let alone 17 years of a life sentence. It is a great victory to see that he has been legally released, and I hope that this trend continues as people become more inspired to pursue similar cases. The American judicial system, particularly in Texas, is a broken one. Enjoy every moment Tyrone, you deserve more than this world could ever give you. This joint's for you.

A Closer Look at the Candidates - Part 2: The Republicans

(clockwise from top: Edwards, Mccain, Richardson, Biden, Brownback, Giuliani, Romney, Obama, Clinton)     The Republican candidates running for president span the entire spectrum of political views. You have your social moderates (Giuliani, Romney), your strong war candidates (McCain), and your anti-war candidates (Hagel). You even have your traditional Christian conservatives (Brownback). Yet it seems that the Republican party is moving in the same idealogical direction as the majority of this country, because their most non-traditional candidate is running away with this thing early.     Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been dominating his competition in the polls up to this point. McCain isn't well liked by the conservative base, and Romney's numbers are in the single digits (see my previous blog on Romney here). Giuliani's early campaign success can be traced back to, in my opinion, his handling of 9/11, which has turned him into a national hero and political icon. That one moment, that one event, took a man who otherwise would have never had a chance to be president and made him into the national security savior many Republicans have been looking for.     The problem is that because of this, his stances on other issues have gone overlooked by both sides of the aisle. Republican conservatives are crying foul because Giuliani is a progressive on issues like gay marriage, abortion, and gun control, despite telling the right-wing base in speeches that he is "one of them." Democrats, on the other hand, are looking back to his record as New York's mayor, and they aren't coming away too impressed. Giuliani has been accused of racially charged policies in terms of crime and police conduct. His effort to 'clean up' New York City has been highly questioned in its objectivity and stance. In fact, before 9/11 occurred, Giuliani was not a well thought of politician in any sense.     I do not, nor have I ever, lived in New York, and so I shall refrain from any further comments regarding his prior local politics. However, as progressive as Giuliani may appear to be, he is still a conservative at heart. He backs the war in Iraq and plans to continue cutting taxes and social programs. Surprisingly, the Christian right has now begun to throw their support behind Mr. Giuliani, ignoring his progressive stances in the hope that he is the Republican who can win. Because with his liberal social stances and 9/11 heroics, Rudy may have captured the minds of that all-too-elusive voting demographic: the middle.     With the conservatives backing the centrist Giuliani, that leaves previous would-be front-runner John McCain in a distant second, as the conservative base has practically abandoned McCain. Apparently his flip-flopping on certain social issues, weak pandering to Christians, and lack of presence at the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) has left many die-hard Republicans wondering where his head is at. He even announced his run for president on Letterman, creating a bitter taste in the mouths of certain old-school conservatives. McCain would also be the oldest president of all time, 72, if elected in 2008, breaking Ronald Reagan's previously held record of 69. Some see this as a problem, some don't.     Whatever the reason may be, I am immensely glad that John McCain's political star is fading. He has become the establishment candidate for the party I despise, making him the quintessential bad-guy for us college liberals. McCain has been criticizing the administration for not handling the war properly, but unlike other Republicans with the same complaint, McCain wants more troops, more bloodshed, and more chaos within the region. If this man is elected president, he will further escalate the war in the Middle East, reinstate the draft, and continue on with the arrogance that makes America "great." No thanks John. Fuck off.     I devoted an entire blog to Mitt Romney and the political controversy surrounding his religion recently (click here to re-cap). I won't touch on this subject again, but I'd like to say a few more things regarding the previous governor of Massachusetts. How this guy become governor of one of our most liberal states, I'll never know. But nevertheless, it would be nice if in pandering to the brainless Christian right audiences he speaks to, Romney wouldn't bash on all those liberals who actually elected him years ago. Romney has given in to the political pressure over the years, becoming more and more conservative with his views in an attempt to strengthen his bid for the White House. In doing so, he has continually backstabbed his previous constituency to gain applause from conservative crowds. What a douchebag.     There is, at this point, only one other noteworthy candidate out there, and he deserves at least a brief mention. Kansas Senator Sam Brownback recently supported General Peter Pace, the top military officer in the country, in saying that homosexuality was immoral. It comes as no surprise; Brownback is in bed with the Christian right, using them as his base for both financial support and publicity. I don't know much about his policies, and I don't need to. I just know that if Sam Brownback were to somehow emerge from this race, may that imaginary man in the sky save us all.     Again, it is very early in this race. Each party has clear favorites, underdogs, and candidates both for and against the war. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out over the next year or so, but for now Giuliani can rest easy. It does not appear, particularly with the current political climate being how it is for Republicans, that anyone is going to catch Rudy Giuliani. And despite his leftist social views, that just may be the best thing Republicans could ever hope for. Because Rudy Giuliani, unlike his Democratic opponents, has the potential to pick up votes from not just the middle, but the other side as well. Scary thought.

Where's the Outcry?

Recently there has been a fair amount of attention paid to the declining number of African-American kids playing baseball, as well as the declining number of blacks in MLB. HBO's "Real Sports" did a piece on it, and ESPN recently had an article up where pitcher C.C. Sabathia called this a "crisis." Click here to read more.     When I was a kid growing up in the early 90's, my baseball hero was Ken Griffey Jr. (left). I'm sure many other kids had Barry Bonds as their hero. It wasn't in spite of their race or because of it. They were simply the best players, and we left it at that. Since when did everything have to be categorized, divided, and balanced? Since when did race have to be accounted for in all things? Aren't we past this? Clearly not.     You may have thought, judging by the title, that I was going to agree with the position of Sabathia and many others, deploring the lack of interest baseball has in the black community and vice-versa. But I'm not going to do that, because I think this entire issue is ridiculous. African-Americans make up around 13% of the U.S. population and somewhere around 9% of Major League Baseball. Sure, that number is slightly lower, but its disparity is nothing when compared to the disparity of white Americans in the NBA or NFL.     Now, opponents will say that plenty of white kids are playing basketball and football; blacks are just winning out positions because they are bigger, faster, stronger, better. And they'd be right, you'll have no argument with me there. African-Americans dominate football and basketball at the professional level - that is not a racist statement. It is a statement of fact. But that does not mean that they have to dominate every sport. Where is the outcry for more African-American interest in hockey, in golf, in tennis? Where is the anger that there aren't more inner-city opportunities for these sports?     It is not the responsibility of baseball to reach out to the inner city. Interest in baseball among inner-city black America has been steadily declining over the last twenty years, just as interest in basketball has risen. You need look no further than the phenomenon of streetball to realize this is true. It is simply a matter of marketing. Basketball and the NBA go to where the interest is, where they are a part of the culture. Major League baseball does the same thing. Just because that isn't among black America as much anymore, doesn't make this a social crisis.     This whole thing reminds me of the comments Bryant Gumbel made during the previous Winter Olympics. "So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention." Look, I understand that blacks dominate modern athletics. I accept this fact like I accept the fact that my roommate is tall and thin, and I am short and thick. These are facts. But let's not get all up in a tiff because blacks aren't dominating every sport all the time. Let's just let whoever play whatever they want and let the chips fall where they may.

Bush Sure Knows How To Pick 'Em

There are rumblings on both sides of the aisle this week that U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez (left) should be fired. He won't be - Bush is standing by him - but if he has any respect for America then he will resign.     Gonzalez is currently caught up in a firestorm of controversy, after having his chief of staff Kyle Sampson quit this week. Sampson was forced to resign, making him this year's Scooter Libbey, following the firings of several U.S. federal prosecutors. The firings were found out to be strictly political, as one of the attorneys fired had recently successfully prosecuted Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham. Not only does Gonzalez claim he was unaware of what was going on - a big fat lie - but certain senators are now claiming there is direct evidence that the orders for these firings came straight from the mouth of our president, Mr. George W Bush himself. How delightful. So Gonzalez is either the most incompetent Attorney General in history, or he's completely at the will of the president to fire any political opposition that may stand in his way.     This scandal seems fairly tame compared to some of the ones we've had lately. So Bush fired a handful of competent but all-too liberal attorneys. So Gonzalez is trying (unsuccessfully) to cover it up and lie about it. Who cares? Well, this just happens to be the latest in a long line of corruption within the Bush administration. John Bolton. John Ashcroft. Donald Rumsfeld. Scooter Libbey. Those names ought to make you cringe. Then there's the Walter Reed disaster. All of this without taking into consideration the fact that Condoleeza Rice ignored the document on her desk entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike Inside U.S." in July of 2001. Or how about Dick Cheney giving Haliburton automatic bids to everything in Iraq? And oh yeah, outing an undercover CIA agent, jeopardizing the lives of all involved, just to get back at a political opponent. I could go on and on.     Here are the bottom line facts, ones that can not be disputed. This administration has been the most corrupt we have ever seen. The Nixon years are now a distant second. Donald Rumsfeld was the worst Secretary of Defense this country has ever seen. Even John McCain will tell you that. Worse is Dick Cheney, clearly the most ignorant, arrogant, manipulative, partisan, evil person to ever live. Ok, maybe that was a stretch, but he's certainly in the conversation. The point is that this president is not only the worst commander-in-chief this country has ever seen, but his judgment in picking those around him may be even worse, and I didn't even mention Karl Rove. Yikes.

I Challenge You

I challenge you, Ann Coulter, to a duel. Be it whatever you wish - an intellectual debate, a game of wits, or perhaps just a good old fashioned fight. Because after watching you call John Edwards a faggot (click here to see it for yourself), frankly Ann, I'm so enraged that physical violence actually crossed my mind. A shy, Buddhist pothead actually has the desire to physically harm you due to you referring to Mr. Edwards in such a hateful manner. The fact that you are an influential person in Conservative politics is sickening. Not one thing that has ever come out of your mouth has been correct. Not one. So now, I challenge you formally. Set a date, pick a venue, sell tickets, do whatever you want. But me and you are going to have at it bitch. Click here to read John Edwards' campaign's response. Here are some of Ann's greatest quotes. Enjoy. "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war." "Whether they are defending the Soviet Union or bleating for Saddam Hussein, liberals are always against America. They are either traitors or idiots, and on the matter of America's self-preservation, the difference is irrelevant." "When contemplating college liberals, you really regret once again that John Walker is not getting the death penalty. We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed, too. Otherwise, they will turn out to be outright traitors." "The New York Times ran a Tom Tomorrow cartoon sneering about Americans who believe with 'unwavering faith in an invisible omniscient deity who favors those born in the middle of the North American land mass.' This is how liberals conceive of America: an undifferentiated land mass in the middle of North America."