I’m interested in learning more about the incident involving a “conservative kiosk” in North Carolina, whose owner claims he is being “kicked out” of a mall because he sells “conservative” items.

With the exception of Fox News, who I consider somewhat unreliable at best, the national media has totally ignored this story. A Google search produced several blog hits and a few reports from local media, but I didn’t find many national stories.

A North Carolina NBC affiliate carried the most informative story I’ve found so far. From it, I pieced the following together.

Loren Spivack owned and operated a kiosk inside the Concord Mills Mall in Concord, North Carolina. In his kiosk, Spivack sold various items with political motivated slogans and phrases. The examples provided by the NBC station included bumper stickers with “Impeach Obama,” “Work Harder. Obama Needs the Money,” and “Al Qaeda’s favorite days: 9/11/01 and 11/4/08″.

Personally, I find the stickers pretty lame and wonder how long it would take the average American to process the significance of the “11/4/08″ date. Sure, political junkies, such as myself, recognize the date as the day Barack Obama won the election, but you want a quick response and reaction with bumper stickers, from a mass audience, and that one requires a certain level of political awareness. Regardless, Simon Property Group, which owns Concord Mills Mall, communicated with  Spivack that they would allow his lease to expire on July 31, 2009. According to this report, mall management felt that items sold at the kiosk were not “neutral” enough.

This decision follows a strongly worded letter printed in the Charlotte Observer, in which a recent college graduate complained about several of the items sold at the kiosk. The letter refers to several items with “pro confederacy statements” and items that promote “racism, sexism and even slavery.”

I understand that kiosks in the South sometimes sell items containing the Confederate flag or with slogans like, “the South will rise again.” Those type of items are definitely tacky, but no one has provided examples of these items being sold at the kiosk in question. Indeed, the only three items I can find mentioned being sold at the kiosk are the three bumper stickers mentioned earlier. In my opinion, none of the bumper stickers reported by the NBC station promote racism, sexism or slavery and none of them contain “pro-Confederacy statements.”

All three stickers contain anti-Obama messages, but speaking out against this President, voicing a strongly worded opinion about his election, do not qualify as “racist” or “sexist.” Speaking out against elected officials is American as apple pie.  I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.

On October 14, 2008, I posted a blog expressing concern that criticizing then candidate Obama would result in this type of reaction.  In the piece, I modeled two t-shirts I bought to express my discontent with the Bush administration. During the the Bush administration, I decorated my car with several “anti-Bush” bumper stickers, including “Vote Republican, It’s Never Too Late to Return to the Dark Ages” and “F The President”.  I never went anywhere without my black rubber band that said “I Did Not Vote For Bush” or my blue band that said “Count Me Blue” (as in “blue states”). I wish I could contact the college student who wrote the letter to the Charlotte newspaper complaining about the kiosk. I would like to get their opinion on my anti-Bush t-shirts, bumper stickers and rubber bracelets.

Maybe it’s the punk in me, but I’m for free speech all the time, everywhere.  I did not vote for Bush and I did not vote for Obama. I think both are poor presidents and I have spent a good chunk of my time criticizing both of them. Until the suits at Simon decide to comment on this issue, we’ll never know the full story, but if what has been reported so far is true, I would suggest a boycott may be in order.

A week ago I voted for John McCain. At no point did the prospect of a McCain/Palin ticket excite me, but the “cult of personality” surrounding Barack Obama pissed me off.  Obama was much better in 2004 when he was my little secret. In the end, that’s why I voted for John McCain–Obama had become trendy.

As the week has passed, I am reminded why I left the Republican Party. The rhetoric among McCain supporters ranges from bitterness towards Sarah Palin to not-so-subtle racism. I look at the anger directed at McCain’s “moderate” positions and I see calls for a return to the rigid, Levitical legalism of the Rapture Right. Then you have the fringe, conspiracy theorists, claiming that Barack Obama is part of some grand plot with terrorists to coordinate an attack on the United States or that Obama is the anti-Christ because the winning numbers in the Illinois lottery last week were 6-6-6.  There’s the story of the University of Texas football player kicked off the team for posting racist remarks, which supposedly stemmed from a text message circulating among many McCain supporters. Then today, on my way to work, I got behind a car with a bumper sticker that read, “Be Afraid: There’s Another Hussein in Power.”

After taking all that in, I wish I could go back in time and recast my vote. There’s no doubt in my mind that I would vote for Barack Obama if I had it to do all over again. It took me nine months to regret my vote for George W. Bush in 2000; it only took me one week to regret my vote for John McCain.

Thank God Obama won!

I will never vote for another Republican again–ever! After all, if I must choose between socialism or the unholy alliance of religious extremism and fascism of the right, I will take the socialism every time.

From FDR to LBJ, the thirty-three percent hung out on the Left. Starting with Nixon and running through the 2006 mid-terms, the middle-33 hung out with the right (yes, even during the Clinton and Carter administrations). However, starting with the 2006 mid-terms, we saw an ever subtle shift towards the Left and Tuesday’s results confirmed that the pendulum has indeed swung to the Left.

Additionally, we saw the widening schism between rural and urban America.  The Dallas Morning News’ Troy Oxford provided the following graphics in today’s paper:

Geography of the popular vote

Texas results

The Good

• Texas not so red anymore- As you can tell from the images above, changing demographics in the urban centers in Texas have led to a party shift in those areas. Travis County and Dallas County led the way. On Tuesday night, Harris County took a sharp turn to the Left and even in the conservative strong hold of Tarrant County, Democrat Wendy Davis was able to unseat long time Republican District 10 Senator, Kim Brimer. Watch for this trend to spread across the state in the years to come. Nobody deserves a one party state. A growing Democratic base in Texas is a good thing.

• Huge victories for personal liberties- Voters dealt a serious blow to the Puritan agenda of the Right on several ballot intiatives across the nation. In Washington state, voters passed an euthanasia bill similar Oregon’s, by an overwhelming majority, which will allow terminal patients the right to end their suffering in a dignified manner. In South Dakota, voters rejected an effort by anti-choice radicals to ban abortion.  Colorado voters rejected an attempt by religious radicals to apply Biblical literalism to the scientific definitions of “life.” Residents of the Peoples’ Republic of Massachusetts took a stand against one of the most fascist of all state governments and passed a measure decriminializing marijuana possesion. Yes, civil libertarians all across this great nation can rest easy knowing that after eight years of social repression, freedom is one again chic.

• We all got a little bit greener – California has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to environmental issues. Therefore, it was no great surprise that California voters approved a high-speed rail system to run from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Hopefully, if all works well there, this trend will spread across our nation–it would be great to have Texas connected via high speed rail. On the other end of the spectrum, Missouri is not a place that comes to mind when it comes to environmental initiatives. However, Missouri residents approved a very impressive renewable energy bill. And while it may not make us any “greener”, I do think it’s worth pointing out that Massachusetts residents approved a measure that will ban the cruel sport of dog racing.

• True progress was achieved – Barack Obama became the first African-American elected President of the United States of America. How awesome is that? The Europeans can’t call us “backwards” anymore. I may have problems with some of Obama’s policies, but I am excited nonetheless. Change is good! Hopefully, Obama will have the opportunity to bring some change to the Supreme Court by making some progressive appointments.

The Bad

• Marriage Amendments – California, Florida and Arizona all passed “marriage amendments.” All three represent huge steps back in the attempt to bring some equality into this world, but without a doubt the passage of Proposition 8 in California is far more damaging than the others.

• People want to be taxed? – I don’t understand people from Massachusetts. They talk funny, eat bland food and they like the Patriots. I especially don’t understand their politics. Massachusetts residents voted against an intiative that would have eliminated the state income tax.

• Affirmative action lives on – Colorado voters rejected the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative, which would have ended affirmative action in the state.

The Ugly

• Arkansas adoption law- Not since the Jim Crow South has the United States seen such a blatant attempt to legislate discrimination against a particular set of people. The measure effectively bans unmarried couples from adopting children or serving as foster parents and is specifically aimed at the GLBT community. Sadly, homophobia is still alive and well.

• Rhetoric of some McCain supporters -I guess I was naive to think that an African-American could be elected president and everyone would accept it. Already, people are turning to hate to try and cope with defeat. Today, I heard the story of a Univeristy of Texas football played being kicked off the team because of racist post on his Facebook page. Also, I read the story of racist graffiti showing up in an East Texas town where I lived during my college years. Even worse, is the subtle racism. Today, I heard a conservative radio talk show host mention that the winning numbers in the Illinois lottery game, Pick 3, the night after the election were 6-6-6. Since Obama is from Illinois, the radio host toyed with the idea that this could be further proof that Obama was the anti-Christ. The radio show host was really just sugar coating the bitter racism that lies inside him.

 I guess I learned the true meaning of the word “dissent” on September 12, 2001.

I remember listening to ABC Radio’s coverage of the 9/11 attacks and almost immediately, pundits on both sides of the aisle began discussing the ramifications of the attacks and an inevitable loss of certain civil liberties we once enjoyed. As the world came together to mourn, the Bush administration preyed upon these fears and launched a campaign that would forever change the landscape of our nation and our world. It took me less than 24 hours to realize that the response was far more dangerous than the attacks.

I voted for Bush in 2000. I’m not proud, but it’s the truth. On September 12, 2001, I began to regret my vote and began to take actions to rectify it. On campus, I spoke out against efforts to invade Afghanistan. I called into conservative talk radio programs and tried to convince hosts and listeners that the Bush administration’s response violated the most basic tenants of the Republican Party platform (e.g. limited Federal government). I wrote letters to the local newspaper in East Texas, a land redder than red, denouncing the Bush administrations response, causing many of my friends to distance from me because dared to question.

In 2002, fed up with the Republican Party, I began to campaign for Green Party and Democratic candidates. I started a chapter of College Democrats on my college campus and wrote letters to the school newspaper, denouncing it as a “right wing rag.”

During the lead up to the invasion of Iraq, I became even more radical in my dissent, staging walk outs on campus and organizing campus activities denouncing the Bush administration’s plans. I even used my slot on a local sports talk radio program to veer the topic from sports and focus on what I saw as unjust war led by an unjust administration.

In March of 2004, I voted for Dennis Kucinich in the Democratic Primary. By August of 2004, Barack Obama’s keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention had lionized him my eyes and convinced me to campaign for Kerry and not waste a vote on Nader.

I worked phone banks, work votered registration drives and used my car as billboard supporting John Kerry and criticizing George Bush and the Republican Party. On November 2, 2004, I was the first person in line at my polling location to cast a vote for John Kerry. That night, I watched in horror as the returns came in and it became clear that Bush would remain in office. The only hope I had the whole evening was Obama winning a seat in the U.S. Senate.

I was so upset over the election returns that I refused to talk to my parents, family members and friends who voted for Bush for over a week. I covered high school football games for my radio show and for a website and at games-in East Texas-I would stand with my back to the flag during the national anthem to protest the Bush administration and the state of our nation.
I bought t-shirts, bracelets, bumper stickers-all expressing me frustrations. I began a blog with the sole purpose of ripping everything Republican-from Tom DeLay and Karl Rove to the Terry Schiavo fiasco and attempts to legislate homophobia on the part of the Republican Party.

Along the way, my crush on Barack Obama wore off and I can no longer support him in good faith. I stand by my convictions-a smaller government is a better government and taxes are not fair no matter how much you earn. Taxing the rich will not solve our economic woes, neither will expanding the size of our Federal government. Bush expanded the size of the government, allowing the government to go where it doesn’t belong.

 While in different ways, Obama will seek to expand the powers of the Federal government even further. The minute Obama tries to raise taxes on my wealthy brothers and sisters; I’ll be here to fight the Democrats’ attempts at socialism and fascism in our great nation. If Obama tries to nationalize our health care system, I’ll be here to voice my dissent.

In short, I’ve been dissenting for almost 8 years; I can dissent for 4 more. Stay close to my blog gentle reader and I’ll teach you the art of peaceful, but effective, dissent.

For the past 8 years, every political talking head in the United States has tried to explain this phenomenon. Many of these hypotheses contain nuggets of truth, but I don’t think one explanation exists. For example, many liberal pundits immediately point to evangelical Christianity, the dominant faith in rural America, as the major force to the division between rural and urban America. Sure, evangelical Christianity plays a major role in the life of rural America and leaves an indelible mark on the lives of those in rural America; however, many people either in rural America or originally from rural America, such as myself, reject much of the Levitical law and social doctrine associated with evangelical Christianity. Again, religion probably plays a part in the division, but it alone is not the answer.

Instead of trotting out several of the old theories and discussing them, I thought I would offer a new theory to the divide between rural and urban America. I spent the first 26 years of life in rural America and the last 4 years in urban America.  One of the major differences I have observed are the range of services provided by urban cities. Most of my friends in high school, lived in unincorporated rural areas where you had to drill your own water well, so obviously public services such as public transportation, trash removal, and public recreational facilities were unheard of. When you live in an area like that, where you must provide your own water, your own transportation, etc., you learn to become truly independent and self-sufficient.  It’s easy to see how a rural American would find many Federal government programs superfluous. Again, if you’re forced to provide your own water, the most basic necessity of human life, why would you depend on the government for anything besides defense?

The city folk grows up in an area with the local government will literally provide for you every need under the right circumstance (water, food, shelter) and also provide many wants (transportation and entertainment), either free or at a cost. It’s easier for the city folk to comprehend a paternal form of Federal government where the “needs” and “wants” of a nation are provided for by a Leviathan-like body. Instead of worrying about where they will find water or health care, the city folkcan focus on activities of leisure. It’s no wonder that he or she would not be afraid of Obama’s efforts to increase the scope of government run social programs.

What would the reaction of the Obama campaign, Democrats in general and Bush bashers be if the following t-shirts were made with Obama’s name and image? Would the same people who purchased these t-shirts complain about t-shirts with Obama’s name and image in place of Bush?

I could sit here and analyze the Palin/Biden debate like a million other blogs, but if you have read or plan on reading any of my other posts you know where I stand and can probably predict what I will say.  With that said, I’ll spare you an in depth analysis. However, I would like to say that calling these  head-to-head meetings, “debates,” seriously cheapens the meaning of the word.

What we saw tonight and last Friday night do not even begin to resemble a debate. These are televised opportunities for the candidates to talk about their past, vaguely refer to the future and to demonize their opponent. At no time do the candidates ever come close to fully answering or even acknowledging the moderator’s questions. The American public would be well served if strict debate rules were enforced at least once every campaign season.

Moving forward, I finally figured out what discourages me the most about the McCain/Palin campaign. At several points during tonight’s debate and during the Presidential debate last Friday night, both Palin and McCain had the perfect opportunity to distance themselves totally from the Bush administration, but both times they failed to so.

Let’s face the facts, the past eight years have been an extreme failure. I can agree with the Obama/Biden campaign on that issue. However, we disagree on how to move on and repair the damages done over this time period. The Obama/Biden answer is, simply put, more government and more taxes. I still don’t understand how raising the taxes on someone who makes over $250,000.00 is going to help out my bank account.

The McCain/Palin campaign had the perfect opportunity to step back and say, we agree that the past eight years have been bad. What this country needs is a return to the basics–personal responsibility, smaller government, lower taxes, responsible foreign policy. As a government, they need to worry about their Constituionally prescribed duties and stop worrying about things not contained in that document. 

George W. Bush and Obama represent what the Republican Party is not. The McCain campaign would benefit by showing how Bush betrayed the basic principles of conservatism, limited Federal government, and fiscal responsibility. George W. Bush betrayed the United States and he betrayed the Republican Party. Palin should have said, “we aim to restore the United States by reducing the role of government in your life and the life of your business.” That, gentle reader, is the way to counter the Obama campaign and distance from the Bush campaign. Much more tomorrow…

I’m happy!

While many investors, media members and politicians lament the defeat of the proposed $700 billion rescue plan, I celebrate this resounding defeat of socialism.  Call me naive, but I believe that as a people and as a country we will be just fine. The United States has always responded well to adversity.

I admit; the economic situation makes an Obama victory more likely. However, House Republicans have shown that they have the intestinal fortitude necessary to stand up to the agenda of socialism pushed by the Democratic Party. Obama now knows that any attempt on his part to put government where government doesn’t need to be (i.e. health care) will be met with dissent.

I’m most proud of the people of this great land. Everyday citizens, like you and me, are the reason that this bill was defeated. We called our elected officials and voiced our opposition and the response was so overwhelming that they could not ignore us. Over the next few weeks, watch as European citizens cower to their government’s financial rescue attempts. I love them, but the Brits will sit around and let their government take control, socialism’s hold is firm and growing there. The French wouldn’t stand up to the Nazis, we know they wouldn’t stand up to their own government. The Germans, the Italians and most certainly the socialists in places like Spain, Greece and Denmark will stand back and let socialism gain even more control over their economic markets. Americans saw something they did not like and spoke up!

At the same time, we’re not caving into the corporatists who have ruined our country and ruined the Republican Party.  We are standing up to community organizers, like Barrack Obama, who use intimidation to force banks to loan money to unqualified home buyers.  We are standing up to the irresponsible consumers, who in an attempt to live well above their means, fell into a pit of debt. We, as American, are standing up and shouting for our elected officials and the rest of the world to hear–we expect people to take care of themselves, that personal responsibility is the only way out of our current economic crisis. It is because of this that I am a happy man today. America has not had this bravado since the tail end of the Reagan Administration.

I like getting political analysis from a variety of sources.  Every media outlet slants one way or the other, an unbiased media does not exist. Therefore, it is imperative to flip around to get the full story.

Personally, I felt John McCain won tonight’s debate and exposed Barack Obama as a one trick pony. Sure, Obama looked debonair, but he continues to fail to comprehend the basic principles of capitalism, either that or he disagrees with the principles of capitalism.  Indeed, Obama admitted that he felt “government regulation” was a major component to solving the ills plaguing the financial world. Though quick to point out the predatory nature of some lending institutions, Obama failed to talk about the role the irresponsible consumer and the tax-happy Federal government played in contributing to our current economic environment. Obama’s failure to understand these basic principles of capitalism prevent him from understanding the very basics of Wall Street.

Not only does he fail to understand Wall Street; he fails to understand “Main Street.”  I grew up on Main Street, literally, 202 West Main Street to be exact.  I’m not upset that Americans wealthier than me receive tax cuts. Other people’s success does not threaten me, rather it inspires me. Obama wants to cut taxes for 90% of Americans? That’s not good enough, McCain’s tax cuts extend even to wealthy Americans, which is only fair.

The one thing Obama continues to prove over and over again is that he does understand one street in the United States–Hollywood Boulevard.  Obama’s foriegn policy script could have been written by any Hollywood screen writer, Michael Moore, Barbara Streisand, or any other of the radical Leftists in Hollywood. Since we’re talking actors and directors, I feel it’s prudent to quote Shakespeare, “what’s done is done and cannont be undone.” Indeed, we may have gone into Iraq under false pretenses, but Obama and his Hollywood friends fail to acknowledge that once we entered that country, be it right or wrong, we had an obligation to finish what we started. Throughout tonight’s debate, I continued to hear this drivel spill out the mouth of Obama.

As you know, MSNBC decided to reassign their Leftist lightning rods, Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann for these debates. Matthews got stuck with the late shift following the debate tonight and I flipped it over to watch a bit of his Obama love fest. On several occasions, I was reminded of film clips of star struck female fans of Elvis and The Beatles from the 1960′s watching Matthews. He sat in a chair, arms cross his chest, as if he was trying to hug himself, his head tilted gently to the side as he stared off into the night, obviously enjoying a case of happy pants as he thought of his ultimate man crush Barrack Obama. He asked two basic questions to his guests, “Wasn’t Obama great?” and “Will  being ‘troll-like’ hurt John McCain?”

Seriously?  “Troll like?” If John McCain is “troll like,” what is Barrack Obama? Fascist like?

Chris, tell me, will being a fascist hurt Barrack Obama? Let’s hope so, because the one thing Obama does understand and embrace is fascism.

Next week, the Vice-Presidential debate: Palin v. Biden, should be a good one, but my money is on the Barracuda.

UPDATE: Please, feel free to post your comments. I’m not like the Daily Kos and left-wing blogs; all view points are welcomed here. If you disagree with me, I desire your comments even more.  I will never attack you. I’ll just comment on your comments. All I ask is that you come back to check for my response to your comments. Enjoy!

While living in East Texas, I found a home among East Texas’ progressive underground, a unique blend of neo-Bohemians, punks, artists and emo kids.  Though small, it was a vibrant community that encouraged artistic expression, personal liberties, and a general sense of rebellion against all the cultural stereotypes attached to East Texas.  We went to shows, put on plays, attended political rallies and staged walk outs.  We sat around talking religion, politics and the virtues of a vegan diet.

Through all of this, I evolved from a staunch Republican to a borderline socialist. I worshiped the Beats, the ultimate Bohemians–men and women who lived life on their own terms, men and women who valued individual liberties and community. I aimed to live my life like these men and women; I aimed to live my life as a symbolic middle finger to the rules of conformity.

Today, I still read Ginsberg and Kerouac and I still listen to Bad Religion and The Smiths, but I find myself drawn back to the Republican Party. I look at neo-Bohemians across the great land, a majority of whom have cast their lot with Barack Obama, and I shake my head in disbelief. In his most simple form, Barack Obama represents everything Bohemia rejected, everything the Beats railed against and everything the punks cursed.

Though verbose and affable, Obama promotes a massive expansion of our Federal government, a Federal government that would no doubt exert more control over the individual, be it positive or negative. All these great movements that comprise progressive communities rely on communities of minimal control. By backing a political candidate who supports expansion of powers and control, one would be betraying these very basic truths.

Further, a vocal opposition engenders an environment of creativity and activism. More than once, I’ve made the point that I would end up in a fight in a room full of Republicans and I would have a great time in a room full of Democrats; however, I plan on voting for John McCain in the Fall. He represents the foil of the neo-Bohemian. This foil inspires the Bohemian to create and react, which in turn gives us movements like the Beat Generation. In short, without McCain, what would there be to rebel against?

My days of extreme rebellion are waning. While some may say I’ve sold out, I like to think that I have “bought in.” I still admire the people I met during my days in the undeground and what they represent, but I’ve grown older along the way and now I’ve traded in some of the youthful idealism for some realism.