More patriotic than Georgie Boy.

I think that many of us don't define ourselves. Instead, we allow others to define us. Maybe because we really don't know whom or what we are. We are merely drifting through life. Willy-nilly. Without purpose. We don't stop to think. Instead, we allow others to do our thinking for us. Which makes us robots. Many 'patriotic' Americans are that way. They think all they have to do is mouth platitudes. And maybe pledge allegiance to the flag. And defend capitalism and the free enterprise system. And denounce socialism. And deny the fact that there's an ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor. And to call immoral wars moral wars. Yes, patriotic wars. As for those of us that don't tout this crap, we're generally defined as unpatriotic. When really, we are the true patriots. Yes, that's the way I'm defining myself today. As a true patriot. Even more patriotic than George Washington. --Jim Broede

In other words, we don't think.

No doubt about it. Republicans are idiots.

Consider this:

• 39% of Republicans want President Obama to be impeached.
• 63% think Obama is a socialist.
• Only 42% believe Obama was born in the United States.

These are the results of a new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll, conducted among 2,000 self-identified Republican respondents nationwide.

Yes, Republicans believe whatever they want to believe. Doesn't even need the slightest connection to reality. Little wonder that America is in a mess after 8 years of a Republican administration. And yet, it's looking more and more like the Republicans will make big gains in 2010. Maybe it's because most of us think like Republicans. In other words, we don't think. --Jim Broede

He's correcting his big mistake.

Sounds like Barack Obama is following my advice. Getting out to meet the people. At town hall meetings. The less time he spends in the White House and Washington, the better. The guy has charisma. And a brain. That's a winning formula. And quite a contrast to Republicans. Doesn't surprise me that Obama's poll ratings have started going up in the past few days. Little wonder. Yes, Obama has to get out and sell his ideas and programs. Without let up. His big mistake in the first year as president was in staying too hidden away. And allowing himself to be defined by his conniving opponents. --Jim Broede

Single moments. Forever.

I had a dream tonight. That life is a single moment of consciousness. That's all it is. A single moment of consciousness. A lot is packed into the moment. Actually, one's lifetime. A single moment. Seems like it's a moment crammed full. But it's no more and no less than a moment of consciousness. And then it all goes into a huge pool. A calderon. And maybe my particuar moment spews out. A wisp. And becomes conscious once again. And makes me wonder. When that moment comes again, will everything be the same? Or will my moment be quite different? Will I be allowed to make different decisions? I suspect all this is my eternity. Single moments. Forever. --Jim Broede

Idiots. And crybabies, to boot.

We Americans are crybabies. So much so that we should make the crying towel our national flag. We don't want to make sacrifices. We've got a tea-party organizing to get government out of our lives. Because we don't want higher taxes, don't want to make personal sacrifices, to get our nation out of financial crisis. That's why we are in deep trouble. Because we're unpatriotic. We don't wanna pay anything to be an American. We want a free ride. A free lunch. Free everything. We've been conducting two simultaneous immoral wars most of the 21st century. And instead of paying for the wars as we go, we've put it all on credit cards. The Republicans alone have saddled the Obama administration with a debt of $8 trillion. Yes, that's no typo. We're not talking mere billions any more, but trillions. And then we have the audacity to blame Obama for it all. Forgetting that when George Bush took office in 2001, he inherited a government with a $200 billion budget surplus. But now the tea-party idiots are blaming it all on Obama and the Democrats. Give me a break. I know how to get us out of this mess. By everyone of us making a serious personal sacrifice. To pay higher taxes. But you tea-party patriots scoff at such a notion. You call for tax cuts. Even on the richest of the rich. Yes, you want our problems cured without any personal sacrifices. Instead, you want to return the Republicans to power. The very Republicans that got us into this mess in the first place. That's the height of audacity and idiocy. But that's what most Americans may well be. Idiots. And crybabies, to boot. --Jim Broede

They'll elect almost anyone.

Only once did I hold public office. A long time ago. From 1971 to 1974. A three-year term on the school board. I don't know if I did a good job of it. Or a bad job. Or something inbetween. But I'd probably do it differently today. Because I learned a lot. On hindsight. I'd try to cooperate more with my fellow board members. Oh, I'd continue to dissent. To be a minority of one occasionally. To stand up for principle. And I'd continue to be pro-labor. Especially pro-teacher. I'd want them paid more. Appreciated more. I found it interesting that school board members that come from the ranks of labor often switch sides. They begin to fancy themselves big-time managers. Out to cut costs. And in essence, they adopt anti-labor stances. They forget their roots. In labor. I never did that. I don't know if that would have cost me had I wanted a second term. I didn't run again. Because I had better things to do. I had my taste of local politics. And once was enough. I wasn't born to be a politician. Maybe because I wouldn't covet a second term. I'd just plow ahead. And burn my bridges, so to speak. I'd not necessarily take positions framed to get me re-elected. To make me popular. I'd try to do the right thing. And work for the common good. I may not take the popular course. And I'm sure I'd offend my share of constituents. All this makes me wonder. How did I ever get elected in the first place? Maybe it's living proof that people are pretty stupid. They'll elect almost anyone. Even me. --Jim Broede

It would change my life.

I like to be an extremist. Just for the heck of it. That doesn't necessarily make me an extremist in practice. I merely take an extreme position. To put it to a test. Theoretically. For instance, occasionally I think about being able to walk on water. To perform the seemingly impossible. I think it's possible. Because I choose, even with the absence of proof, to believe that anything is possible. Yes, merely because I want to believe it. But I don't go ahead and actually perform the rare feat. Because I really don't want to. And if I did, nobody would believe me anyway. Another thing. If I did, and people watched me do it, and became believers -- well, I'd get lots of publicity. And I'd become famous. And I don't want celebrity. Because it would rob me of privacy. It would dramatically change my life. For the worse. --Jim Broede