Category Archives: opinion

Rulings on Prop 8 Coming Tomorrow

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The Associated Press
Posted: 05/25/2009 11:54:01 AM PDT
Updated: 05/25/2009 11:54:01 AM PDTSAN FRANCISCO—Gay marriage supporters are holding a prayer service on the eve of the California Supreme Court’s expected ruling on the legality of a voter-approved ban on same-sex nuptials.

The group Marriage Equality USA plans to hold the interfaith event Monday night at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

On Tuesday morning, the state’s high court plans to rule on a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn Proposition 8.

Opponents of the gay marriage ban argue that the issue was improperly put before voters; they say it revised the state constitution’s equal protection clause to such a dramatic degree that it first needed the Legislature’s approval.

But during a March hearing, several justices appeared skeptical at the idea of overturning a law passed by the voters.

Here at PoltricksMNP, we’ve never had a whole hell of a lot of faith in the good common sense of people in general, I mean, not to insult your intelligence.  If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’ve read our blog before.  So, having done that, you’ll know that we’re not known for having any amount of blind faith in the legal system or process.  When I heard about the upcoming prop 8 rulings tomorrow, I figured that this was just the forum to air those views that may be contrary to the mainstream.

A lot of people have asked me recently about my support for gay marriage, but mostly in terms of pure ignorance like: “are you gay, my ninja?” No, I’m not gay, but that’s beside point anyway.  The point is, how can a real life human being not support basic human rights for another real life human being?  Aren’t we civilized enough to care about one another, at least in statute?

Here’s my example, ready?  If you’re a hick (which I am slightly against, but I digress) and you drink moonshine out of a boot and beat up on your wife, well,  you can probably assume that as a ninja, first and foremost, I don’t approve of your disgusting way of life.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t think that you have the same right to life as anybody else out there.  I would never suggest that somebody who leads a life that doesn’t live up to my standards is somehow sub-standard on the human scale – even in the face of what I would consider to be reprehensible behavior.

Therefore, how you gonna try and deny somebody rights on the basis that you don’t like them or their kind?  I am sick and tired of these needlessly sophisticated arguments about the institution of marriage and the family unit and everything else non-sequitur under the sun.  These people need to at least grow enough sack to admit that they just don’t like gay people.  I’m saying… I do happen to know that I never even heard the words “institution of marriage” in a sentence until gay marriage became an issue.  Nobody has seemed particularly concerned with the family unit until now (at least not enough to turn off the TV once a week between 1966 and today).  That’s okay with me.  I mean, I myself have no problem with gay people, but it’s personally within your rights to dislike whoever you want.

What is not within the right of a citizen of a true republic is the power to trample on the rights of another citizen- especially without some logical basis for it.  Especially when in this case their is no chance of harm to society for letting people be people.  This same paradigm holds true, if not formally true, in regards to how I feel about torture.  the information obtained from treating people inhumanely is not worth it.  Otherwis, what is the point.  If we can’t be “better” than the “terrorists” then why are we fighting them and claiming to stand against the ideologically?  Certainly they, too believe in the “by any means necessary” approach, eh?

I’ve come to realize that I view discrimination against gays and blacks as the same thing.  Of course some people, especially some black people, will be up in arms about that statement.  No, you numbnuts, it’s not the EXACT same thing (furthermore, nothing is the EXACT same as anything else…. in the universe) but it’s damn close.  It’s so close that they use the same arguments that they tried to use to justify Jim Crow.  “Oh, blacks and whites can’t co-exist, and certainly not inter-marry.”  “What will happen when blacks are raising white children?” “What will happen to the family unit when the races are mixed?”  “What do we tell the school children about the niggers?”

All of a sudden, these things which were not a concern during 200 years of slavery are now THE most pressing issues justifying Jim Crow?  The anti-gays (gaysists) even go as far as to offer a revoltingly insulting “separate-but-equal” argument in these so-called civil unions.

“What’s the difference?  It’s the same water… just different fountains, a black one and a white one.”  Maybe it’s time we stop living like that.

More to come… feedback appreciated and encouraged.

.::Prop 8 Article via Mercury News

Shoes Thrown At Bush – Ducked

After giving what can only be described as “daps” to the Iraqi Prime Minister (see the video below if you don’t belive it) President Bush ducks not one, but two shoes thrown at his ugly head.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM3Z_Kskl_U[/youtube]

Bush’s powers, though similar to those of the the ninja, are thought to originate from the dark side of The Force, therefore enabling him to duck both projectiles (or theoretically allowing him to stage the whole spectacle).

No matter what you think of him, you’ve got to admire the guy’s response.  He was quoted as saying, “so… some ninja threw his shoes at me… so what?”   That, my ninjas, is relatively gangster.

No Take-Backs?

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The election of Barack Obama has left many overjoyed – and many hoping that the United States is finally ready to address it’s racial issues [yes, I said address: all you white guys on CNN are full of it, this is not a post racial society – just a maturing one]. I went to sleep happily surprised by and immensely proud of the outcome, looking forward to us, as a people, getting this country back on track and moving in the right direction again.

Then I woke up yesterday morning, and read the news about the ballot initiatives in a number of states concerning gay rights – and realized that while racism may be something that Americans are dealing with, bigotry itself thrives. For instance – the image above is not of Obama supporters celebrating victory – it’s Bob Knoke, of Mission Viejo, Amanda Stanfield, of Monrovia, Jim Domen, of Yorba Linda, and J.D. Gaddis, of Yorba Linda [yeah, I named names - you know how ninjas do], celebrating returns for Proposition 8 at an Irvine hotel [via the LA Times]. Celebrating a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage – to take away a right that was ranted to Californians.

Yay.

Gay rights aren’t really something I thought much about. I live in MA, so gay people can get married, buy station wagons, adopt kids, and increase property value in the hood by renovating old homes all they want. That, and defending gay rights always seemed difficult to me. How do you explain common sense to someone? That 2 guys getting married doesn’t affect anybody adversely? That the personal relationship between 2 people is nobody’s business but their own? That if you’re so ‘straight’ you should be watching football and drinking shitty beer, not discussing the legality of two women getting married. I tend to quickly give up, or call whoever I’m arguing with a bigot [neither is particularly constructive or successful].

But this mess here is just too much.

When gays won the right to wed in Cali, that was that. Sorry haters, but game over. This is America, and to paraphrase Ted Kennedy “we don’t hold votes in this country to TAKE AWAY THE RIGHTS OF OUR CITIZENS” [sorry, I can't find a source...but I heard him say it]. What if there was a vote for Women’s Suffrage? For the Civil Rights Act? I’d bet just about anything that women wouldn’t be voting, and blacks would still have different water fountains. People just cant be trusted with these decisions – and definitely don’t have the right to make the decision to take any of these things away.

But hell, all this thoughtful BS aside – what the fuck are these assholes cheering for? Was that douche in the center of the photo worried about getting drunk and waking up next to a guy named Lance, with a new wedding band on his ring finger? Because that’s just about the only reason this makes any sense. Him and the jackass to the left look like they’re probably harboring special feelings for each other themselves…

These Prop 8 supporters, for instance, act as if they’ve been wronged by the Cali supreme court decision. Wronged how? This is just straight-up none of your business if you’re not gay. I shouldn’t even be writing about it. But instead, these clowns draw these BS lines in the sand – ‘civil unions’ but no ‘marriage’. WTF is the difference? Civil union supporters themselves admit that there is no legal difference. Legal? Well, what other difference is there then, in the eyes of the US Government? Marriage is by definition a LEGAL and RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL bond. So if a civil union is legally the same…what’s being regulated here?

Anyways, I’m just ranting here and nobody cares what I think about this. But know this: anyone who gets as excited as the people shown above about stealing the rights of US citizens is in serious need of some introspection [and probably some kind of psychiatric help], and un-American [oh, Republicans, how's it feel to have the turned back on you?]. That, and the cheers for the black man who finally overcame American racism to become President have had the unfortunate side-effect of drowning out the dying cries of the rights of millions of citizens.

There’s a lot of work to be done here, my ninjas.

Where Does the VP Belong?

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[Image: “Three branches of government” by Nick Anderson, via]

Article I of the Constitution, which describes the authority of the legislative branch, says that “the vice president of the United States shall be president of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.” Aside from the job of replacing a president who dies or is unable to serve, the only vice presidential duties that are spelled out in the Constitution are legislative in character.

But if the vice president is a legislative official, then the exercise of executive power by the vice president raises important constitutional questions related to the separation of powers. The Supreme Court has held on more than one occasion that legislative officials cannot exercise executive power. The Court would likely dub this a “political question” that is beyond its purview, but Congress is empowered to remedy this sort of thing by legislation.

And Congress should do just that: pass a law to prohibit the vice president from exercising executive power. Extensive vice presidential involvement in the executive branch — the role enjoyed by Dick Cheney and Al Gore — is not only unconstitutional, but also a bad idea.

The most important function of a vice president is to serve as a spare president. Using the spare president in the ordinary course of business is as unwise as driving on one’s spare tire. Spares should be kept pristine, for when they are really needed.

.:Where Does the Vice President Belong? OP-ED -> via The NY Times

According to the Plan

mccain_clinton.jpg

In the dead of night in a small hideaway office in the deserted Capitol, a clandestine meeting takes place between two senators with one goal.

They grin at each other as they lift their celebratory shots of brutally cold Stolichnaya.

“Our toast to The One,” they say in unison, “is that he’s toast.”

“Obama should have picked you, Hillary,” John McCain tells her. “It isn’t fair, my friend. But it just makes it easier for me to whup him.”

“Don’t worry, John, I’ve put it behind me,” Hillary replies. “I’m looking toward the future now, a future that looks very bright, once we send Twig Legs back to the back bench.”

They chortle with delight.

cartoon20080309.gif

.::Read the full Op-Ed, by Maureen Dowd -> Two Against The One

Ciroc Obama

Puffy alleges that there are no black people in Alaska, amongst other true nonsense.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thmueS0ngAs[/youtube]

mnp warlord (12:09:04 PM): she’s a nice lady… but you shoulda picked michelle obama as yo’ running mate
guru jen (12:09:11 PM): laughing
mnp warlord (12:09:17 PM): “that is completely irresponsible”
guru jen (12:09:20 PM): laughing
mnp warlord (12:09:26 PM): hahaha
mnp warlord (12:09:32 PM): i don’t believe it gets funnier
mnp warlord (12:09:52 PM): Ciroc Obama… wow
guru jen (12:10:10 PM): laughing
mnp warlord (12:10:42 PM): what is he sitting on top of that spins like that?
mnp warlord (12:10:48 PM): and how can he concentrate
guru jen (12:10:55 PM): i know
guru jen (12:11:03 PM): it’s a mini merry go round thing
guru jen (12:11:09 PM): on some ghetto ass playground
mnp warlord (12:11:14 PM): hahaha
guru jen (12:11:17 PM): it is like symbolic of like american politics

Special thanks to Lucy for this one.

.::Via -> PerezHilton

DNC Hits McCain

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eejYoz3Nl0[/youtube]

It really is a great strategy to hit John McCain on the one issue that he is supposed to have the most credability on: foreign policy. They really need to keep throwing shurikens right at that artery to make people realize that though McCain served in the Navy for many years, and though he was a POW, he has never commanded any military operation or personel nor has he proven to be wise in this area.

John McCain Knows Iran…

NOT!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr6Va7PEBg8[/youtube]

McCain criticizes Obama on being willing to talk to Iran’s leaders and in doing so may got some basic facts wrong.

Ayatollah Khomeni is considered the Supreme Leader of the secular state, and McCain knows that most Americans don’t know that or basic history of Iran.

McCain just keeps offering samples of his ineptitude. Isn’t it really sad that this guy is supported by millions of Americans? Millions , ninjas, millions.

This ninja is considering repatriating.

Clinton Takes PA

hillary_smug_looks.jpg

No surprise here, ninjas. Hillary Clinton can chalk one up in the W column tonight, winning the Pennsylvania primary by  a projected 8 points with 30% more precincts to report in. Let’s just hope she doesn’t let it go to her head … haaaaaaaa. I’m so sad.

This is Pennsylvania, folks. Barack Obama was never supposed to be close in this one, and Clinton is already trying to spin the victory as people being unsure about the viable nature of his candidacy. Apparently she forgot that she was supposed to have this in the bag back on or before Super Tuesday. And she would have gotten away with it, too. If it weren’t for those damned free thinkers and their ideals …

It is nice to see that the major media outlets are largely saying that this victory is merely allowing her campaign to continue to exist, rather than giving her any sort of boost she shouldn’t receive.

Obliteration!

Hillary Clinton forgot one important factor to consider when she said that she would retaliate on Israel’s behalf should Iran attack them with nuclear weapons: ISRAEL IS A NUCLEAR POWER! They have nukes to take care of themselves. And you better believe they have some sort of First-Strike retaliatory plan.

I wonder what our Pennsylavia ninjas are thinking today when they sneak into the booths… Check back for the results tonight.

bill-clinton-yarmulke-synagogue.jpg

MNP Reports 4/21/08

Here’s a transcript from our ninja down in Philly. She’s currently working to obtain the coveted status of MNP’s first dedicated on-the-scene correspondent.

Laura G. is a body double by day and ninja by night. When not teaching the youth about today’s mathematics she volunteers part-time at Obama’s Philadelphia campaign.

Here’s her short-but-necessary take on what is happening, posted without graphic interruption.

This is an exciting time to be in Philadelphia. Political signs, pins, and t-shirts are infiltrating the streets and people are talking. They are talking a lot. This morning, on my five-minute walk from the train to work, I heard at least three conversations about what was going to happen tomorrow. A woman shouted to a man wearing an Obama hat, “I mean, I respect guy, but he ain’t got a chance of winning.” The man with the hat gave a smirk and continued on, explaining to his friend that Obama understands the larger picture because his heritage embodies the larger picture, that he gets how to deal with a variety of people because he grew up around a diverse group of people. For this reason, he believes in the man. He believes the man will really change the country.

I am not a political person. It is hard for me choose sides, to stand for something, to pick someone based on what say to get votes. I am never quite certain I “know” enough to really choose. And choosing between Hillary and Obama was especially hard because ultimately I wanted to be able to support either of them in November. But for some reason I wanted to be a part of this election. So I did my research. I picked my person and I became an intern in the Obama office two weeks ago. Not because I am necessarily “against” Hilary but because I am “for” Obama.

Three days ago, I walked through the city, all the way down to Independence Hall where the Obama rally was being held. I began my journey at the city center, where Hillary supporters were holding up “Honk for Hillary” signs and screaming at passing cars. There were about ten people total and they had all lost their voices. Cars were honking, people were cheering and there was a general sense of urgency amongst the crowd. As I continued down to Independence Hall, the clash began to happen–a clash that exist in every pocket of the city right now, a clash that both terrifies me and brings me energy. People with Hillary pins bumping against people with Obama t-shirts, and people with Hillary hats passing people Mamas For Obama stickers; the division is so stark and so charged. Soon, it became Obama territory and the crowd was full of an energy that I have never experienced. It is this abstract “hope” that people keep on talking about but there really is no other word for what I think (and I only know from the one side) that people are experiencing. It’s why there were 35,000 people out of their homes, waiting for over five hours to see Obama at a last minute rally and why a lady in her seventies, covered in Obama paraphernalia, used all the voice she had left to tell people where to get their red and/or blue tickets. And this hope—this overwhelming support for a candidate no one thought would get very far–is, in my opinion, slightly scary. It is scary because it is so easily felt, so accessible, so tangible and if it goes away tomorrow, next week, next month, or even in November, the loss will feel as tangible and it will feel huge. I worry about that.

Today, one day before the election, I sit with seven other people on the “New Media” team and blast myspace messages about getting out the vote. In the next room over, volunteers are screaming, every hour on the hour, “Fired up and Ready to go!” The office is disgusting at this point, empty Starbucks cups and Qdoba wrappers are falling out of the trashcans and fluorescent lights make it look that much worse. But people are ready for something to happen, ready to work all night and keep the vote close because they have to. Because if they don’t, they and everyone else they’ve convinced, might just deflate, might just fall apart. It’s an exciting time to be in Philadelphia.

Davey B. With the Solution

Over at the Post David Broder presents his solution for the punished Democrats of Michigan and Florida. He doesn’t see much luck coming Hillary’s way, but for the delegates he imagines that the “perks of convention week would be available –the parties, the schmoozing, the press interviews.”
It seems to be understood among party elders and openly inferred from some influential Dems that Hillary is done (obviously her campaign doesn’t have money left for calculators as they disagree). I also believe that super delegates who represent states that have already voted should act. Why hasn’t Pelosi endorsed Obama yet (especially after this)?

Framing the Issue

Once again Charles Krauthammer makes me want to vomit.

Today’s interpretation of Barack Obama’s superb address on race and his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, this past week is vial and no more than a clever attempt at framing the issue. Krauthammer seems to imply that all of Wright’s speeches are volatile and venomous. He seems to want to believe that week after week Barack and Michelle Obama would bring their children to hear someone speak ill of America and sow the seeds of racial hatred. He wants to believe that Wright wasn’t a man who could get caught up in the intensity of sermon and perhaps loose sight of what he was saying. He wants to believe, like so many others, that this pastor is not a man of the Christian faith at all, but a man full of hatred and contempt for whites and America. Well, ninjas ain’t that stupid.

Krauthammer asks:

Why did you give $22,500 just two years ago to a church run by a man of the past who infects the younger generation with precisely the racial attitudes and animus you say you have come unto us to transcend?

Do you, Krauthammer, truly believe that Jeremiah Wright is a one faceted, America hating machine? Or will you acknowledge that as a pastor he, week after week, speaks of the gospels, of peace, of love, of truth and of unity? That he, too, would like nothing more than a nation indivisible, but that his observations and understanding of the past and present has made him realize that there is much moral and social progress to be made.

His language, at times, may not have been chosen with the utmost attention to political correctness, as yours and mine surely is. But he is neither politician nor pundit, he is a pastor. And Barack Obama has made it clear throughout this entire campaign that he is a rational, intelligent, independent and thorough thinker. The bottom line is: this relationship is of no concern in political discourse. If it is, then let’s talk about McCain asking Hague to support him.
And that whole thing about crack, well, let’s be real. As my ninja, Orange Menace, said “You think some hood from the PJs invented crack?” Who’s to say. But take a look at the sentences given for those involved with crack versus the much more expensive cocaine and you got yourself a f*cked up situation.