Normal Rockstar

Daniel Hannan Offers Up a Civilized Tongue-Lashing

I heard the audio of this clip the other day on the radio and thought it would be worth sharing. Daniel Hannan is a writer and journalist, and has been Conservative MEP for South East England since 1999. He delivered the speech below in the European Parliament, directly addressing the Prime Minister of Britain, Mr. Gordon Brown. Regardless of what your political beliefs are, you have to give this gentleman credit for clearly and precisely delivering such a confrontational speech.

I shudder to think what would happen should someone attempt to address the President of the United States with such candor and constrained passion - I highly doubt such an individual would be permitted to finish their remarks.

A Democratic Halloween

This was too good to pass up...

Howard Stern Interviews Obama Supporters

I heard about this segment of Howard Stern this morning on the radio and thought it would be worth posting in light of my last post - I guess I'm on a political roll these days (do two posts in a row count as "a roll"?). You can decide for yourself if you think there are legitimate interviews - either way it should carry you into the weekend with a small dose of laughter and a bigger dose of reality.

Illegal Aliens Are Voting... Why Shouldn't I?

I overheard something on talk radio yesterday that really got me fired up, and it had to do with the number of illegal aliens/immigrants who are voting. The voting regulations clearly state that to be able to vote you have to be at least 18 years of age AND a citizen of the United States. Well, in order to vote in Tennessee, all you have to show is a utility bill or TN driver's license and a credit card that has your name and signature on it. That's it!!

I have both of those. So why am I not voting?

Because I'm not an American citizen. I am a law-abiding LEGAL permanent resident, but I am not a citizen, therefore I cannot vote. But what really burns me up is that many others (and when I say "many" I mean "MILLIONS") who do not share the same convictions I do - and who are in this country illegally - are casting their votes and could quite possibly affect the outcome of this upcoming election.

It would be rather convenient at this point to misuse the Apostle Paul's quote, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"... But instead I'm going to sit at home, watch the debates, and tell my wife who to vote for <grin>. And pray for this country - because while my King tells me to respect the government He places over me, at the end of the day they're still "not the boss of me".

Belmont Debate Uninspiring

I, like millions of other Americans (and probably many fellow Canadians as well), watched the 2nd of 3 presidential debates last night in the comfort of my own home. This was the first presidential debate ever hosted in Tennessee, and I was able to be downtown on Belmont's campus most of the afternoon as my band was a part of the Block Party (it rained yesterday in the Nashville area for the first time in 31 days, so it was a soggy block party to say the least!). Here is my layman's opinion of the debate:

In spite of the rain, the events of the afternoon leading up to the debate itself were more exciting and entertaining than the actual debate.

Part of me wanted to turn it off partway through - but then another part of me kept hoping something would ignite a spark on either side and give us a little more to enjoy. At the end of the day, I didn't feel like I came away knowing either candidate any better.

What do you think? Who do you think won? Did you even bother to watch it?

Mike Huckabee Gets Another Key Endorsement

This just in... "Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee garners another key endorsement from blogger Normal Rockstar."

I have NEVER posted a blog about politics - frankly, it intimidates me to know that there are so many people out there who (a) know far more about that whole world than I do, and (b) are too entrenched in their own political bubble and agenda to have a civilized dialog with someone of a differing opinion. So, I usually keep my mouth shut (I had to create the "Politics" category for this post!).

Well, it's a new year, a new day, and I've enjoyed following the presidential race as of late (sadly, I believe I've been more excited about primary results on CNN than Sportscenter on ESPN... ouch!). So, seeing as every vote counts (with the exception of mine seeing as I'm a Canadian) I thought I would throw in my two cents and tell you why I would vote for Huckabee.

Two main reasons: first, he's a runner - a marathoner, in fact! That in itself says a lot about a person and their ability to be disciplined. Read a great commentary on this by the ultramarathon man himself, Dean Karnazes [HT: Glenn].

Secondly, he's an accomplished musician. Now, every time I think about this I get some pretty scary flashbacks of a former President playing saxophone, but for some reason this doesn't feel quite as much like a publicity stunt. He plays bass guitar, which really means that any time he straps on the guitar he's in a supportive role - it's not all about him, musically speaking. Maybe that's why it feels different.

Those are my main reasons. You'll notice I didn't say anything about his politics - take me to task if you will (and I'm sure you will!). But at the end of the day you get to vote for who you want and I... don't. So consider this my vote...

Huckabee for President!