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5 Coolest Job Titles
Air Boss (US naval aviation)
Chipmaster (potato chips)
Launch Director/Flight Director (NASA)
Brewmaster (beer)
Chocholtier (chocolate!)

Honorable mention: ‘Secretary to Mr. Holmes’ (Abbey National Building Society, at 221B Baker Street, the address in Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, had to hire a secretary to deal with all the incoming mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes)

5 Most Embarrassing Job Titles
Cryptozoologist
Celebrity Journalist
Professional Eater/ Competitive Eater
UFO Specialist
Telemarketer

Honorable mention: Whatever you call the guys that make “Fan Art”

On top of all the other recent blows to American pride, it now seems that the US military feels that rape and murder is no big deal. Nothing a little cover-up can't fix! If the sources turn out to be reliable, perhaps as many as 30 US service women have been killed by fellow soldiers. Among these are the cases of PFCs Tina Priest and LaVena L. Johnson. I don't have the heart to repeat the disgraceful details, but the info is out there.
I feel this increase in rapes, as well other recent incidents involving torturing POWs, murdering civilians, religious intolerance and prostilizing in the ranks, poor handling of PTSD cases, etc., is indicative of the failings of the all-volunteer military. In a country with such economic disparity, and with most of the wealthy no longer feeling the need for public service, only those in economic hardship tend to join the military. Therefor most of our best and brightest are seldom attracted to the military these days, either for a 4 year hitch, or as a career. The ranks of the military no longer reflect a cross section of the United States, in any respect; racially, economically, regionally, intellectually. The military is starting to show a preponderance of less-well educated, poor to Working Class, rural white Southerners and Westerners, more likely to be desensitized to, or glorify, violence, more likely to be close-minded, and more likely to be religious Protestants. Short term, this has caused troops suffering from PTSD to be harassed and mishandled by incompetent, idiotic NCOs and officers, Evangelical Christians harassing others at the Air Force Academy, and wide spread sexual assault of women in the military. Long term, it will give the US a low quality military more akin to those in the developing world, more ugly incidents that tarnish the US's honor and reputation, and even become a treat to American democracy as it feels increasingly alienated from the civilian leadership and as more military power recedes in the hands of just one segment of our diverse county.
I feel the draft is the solution. Under the draft, someone serving in the military meet and worked with people of all colors, from every state and territory, of different economic backgrounds, intelligence levels, religions (or lack thereof), and education levels. They would be exposed to a wide variety of onions, temperaments and cultures. They're minds and they're body of experience would be expanded. The draft gave us the best military in our history to fight the second World War with. It will be good for the country. It will force, say a dumb, nationalistic, Southern white Protestant to work with Blacks, Jews, Catholics, Atheists, gifted Southern whites, dumb New Yorkers, average Westerners, rich Marylanders, middle class Texans, working class Pennsylvanians, poor Californians, pacifists, environmentalists, capitalists, Communists, college educated, high school graduates, drop-outs, recent immigrants, old money, perhaps even gays and women. It may even head off a Second American Civil War.

Note: Since writing this, more news of unacceptable activity in the military has surfaced. See links below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/us/26atheist.html

http://digg.com/world_news/American_Atheist_Soldiers_Mistreated_in_Iraq

According to the 1.2 million member Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Barack Obama has a far better record for taking care of veterans than John McCain.  McCain talks about supporting veterans in his campaign speeches, but his voting record shows a different story.  Figures show that in the Senate, Obama voted to support veterans 80% of the time, while McCain only did so  23% of the time.  McCain even voted against the new version of the GI Bill.  The first GI Bill after WWII was one of the leading reasons for the spike in Working Class prosperity post-war.  It seems like a perfect bi-partisan bill, but McCain and some other Republicans feel it undermines their vision of a "Sink or Swim" America where the harsh Free Market decides who makes it and who does not, and the Government doesn't help anyone.  They think it's too much of a big government program like the EPA, OSHA, Head Start, National Healthcare and free rape kits.  Barack Obama and the Democrats feel that veterans are deserving of our support, and a national resource to be invested in.

My new favorite bit of political humor!






The GOP
Putting Clueless White People in the White House Since 1980.


Thanks to michellinator for that!

During the course of the Twentieth Century the Liberal-Progressive Left always had a bigger vision when it came to solving America's problems.  While the conservative Right wanted to let things slowly sort themselves out, stressing "individual responsibility", that government was "the problem, not the solution", and letting the Free Market correct itself, the Left knew better.  They knew the role a strong Federal Government could and should play in protecting the people and improving their lives.  Education, relief to the poor, redistribution of wealth, consumer protection, civil rights, health care, economic and financial reforms have been the subjects of very successful Federal programs.   This big vision of liberals, with many diverse programs, was often grouped under one banner, to work toward a greater goal; end the Depression, win the Cold War, make America a more free and fair place to live.  First during the Progressive Movement, but especially in the period of 1932-1968, the best stretch of Presidential leadership in American history, these banners were catchy phrases that told the voters and the people to expect big things, to dream of a more just America, and a better World.  Lets take a look at some of the most successful.

The Square Deal was the term used by President Theodore Roosevelt for his domestic program.  His goals were antitrust enforcement,  regulating the railroads and other businesses, protecting business from the more extreme demands of organized labor, and attacking the plutocracy while helping middle class citizens. 

The New Deal was the title that President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave to a series of programs and promises he initiated during the Great Depression with the goal of giving relief to the poor, aiding the recovery of the economy, and reforming the financial system.  At the 1932 Democratic convention FDR said during his acceptance speech; “ Throughout the nation men and women, forgotten in the political philosophy of the Government, look to us here for guidance and for more equitable opportunity to share in the distribution of national wealth… I pledge myself to a new deal for the American people. This is more than a political campaign. It is a call to arms".

The Fair Deal was  President Harry S. Truman's phrase for a series of social and economic reforms outlined in his 1949 State of the Union Address. Truman stated that "Every segment of our population, and every individual, has a right to expect from his government a fair deal".  He called for universal health care, integrated the armed forces and appointed the first federal civil rights committee.  The Housing Act of 1949 was a Fair Deal program as well.
 
The term New Frontier was first used by John F. Kennedy in his acceptance speech to inspire voters, but the phrase developed into a label for his administration's domestic and foreign programs.  He said, "We stand at the edge of a New Frontier—the frontier of unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered problems of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus".  His programs provided increased international aid, boosted national defense, gave greater importance to the space program, increased the minimum wage, and established the Peace Corps.

The Great Society was President Lyndon B. Johnson's set of domestic programs. Among his goals were the elimination of poverty, ending racial injustice, spending more on education, and improving medical care for the poor and retired.  In a 1964 speech at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Johnson stated, “We are going to assemble the best thought and broadest knowledge from all over the world to find these answers. I intend to establish working groups to prepare a series of conferences and meetings—on the cities, on natural beauty, on the quality of education, and on other emerging challenges. From these studies, we will begin to set our course toward the Great Society"

It is my opinion that Barack Obama should harness the energy of this history in his campaign.  He already sounds like a Kennedy when he speaks, and, if elected, faces problems as bad as those that faced FDR.  He needs to group his package of progressive ideas under a new banner for the 21st Century. What to call it?  Change has been the theme of the campaign, and the American people want it desperately, but past politicians have cheapened the word with empty promises. Obama speaks often of hope in his speeches.  The New Hope is one possibility, though it does sound like something from Star Wars.  The New Century works well, as does the  New Challenge.  Obama and his speech writers may have some ideas as well, should they take my advice.

1. Barack Obama is a Moslem. He's not. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

2. John McCain wants to exempt children from families making over 250,000 from military service. They already don't lift a finger to defend the system that gives them an automatic advantage in life and a shiny new Land Rover as well.

3. Barack Obama wants to remove "In God We Trust" from U. S. currency.

4. John McCain is a maverick.  No, he's a party line Reagan-Bush Republican that happened to be for campaign reform at one time, but not anymore.

5. Barack Obama was sworn in to the Senate with his hand on the Koran.

6. John McCain is strong on national security. Thats what they say about every Republican for some reason that escapes me. George W. Bush was supposed to be strong on national security and look what that got us, World Trade Center a pile of rubble, a hole in the side of the Pentagon, seven years of Osama Bin laden on the loose (count 'em, SEVEN), a war of family honor in Iraq, no military action against the government of Sudan, Iran with the beginnings of a nuclear weapons program, Russian troops running all over Georgia, and China talking to Venezuela about an arms build-up.

7. Barack Obama is too inexperienced to be Commander in Chief . He has about as much as Abraham Lincoln started with. Need I say more.

8. John McCain is moderate for a Republican. No, he's quite conservative on many issues, but he doesn't seem to like social conservatives much. He's for tax cuts for the rich, and thinks it's just fine that stock holders are only taxed at 15%, while some guy busting his ass working should pay 22%. It's just that he doesn't feel the need to bring out the smoke-screen issues like gay marriage and abortion every time the subject of taxes come up.

9. Barack Obama is an intellectual "light weight". George W. Bush is an intellectual light weight, not dumb or mildly retarded as we sometimes feel justified in believing, just not an intellectual kind of guy. The two sound nothing alike, do they?

10. John McCain's military service will make him a better leader. Thomas Jefferson did ok without it. So did Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.