www.DontBeALemming.com

This blog is dedicated to Danielle, the most un-Lemming like person I know.

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DontBeALemming.com


Don't follow the crowd!


Dare to be different!

Is It Just Me?

I watched as much as I could stomach of the now infamous John McCain lime green, "I'm not W and Obama is not experienced enough" speech.


John McCain has always been an enjoyable guest on Jon Stewart and I've seen him on a number of other shows and thought he did well enough although no one could call him eloquent or awe inspiring.


In the Kenner speech though there was something I noticed for the first time.


He's creepy.


He'd make a semi-point and while he was waiting for applause a sick grin that could best ...

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Posted by Lemming Herder at 6/7/2008 7:57 PM | View Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
Is the price of gasoline THE issue in the presidential race?

Once again I disagree with the pollsters and pundits who say that the prevailing issue in this race is the economy.

I don't have any statistics or studies to prove this, but in my opinion the most important factor to most people is the price of gasoline.

Regular unleaded gas is topping $ 4.00 a gallon in a lot of places, and even in the cheapest areas is knocking on the door of that mark.

If a presidential candidate can come up with a real solution to these prices I think they'd be able to waltz into the White House.

The "gas tax holiday" is a publicity stunt and would amount to almost no real savings. Economists agree that reducing the price of a gallon of gas would drive up demand and thus almost immediately drive the price right back up. To think otherwise would be blindly placing a great deal of trust in the willingness of the oil companies to not take advantage. After all, they know we'll pay $4 a gallon so absent any mandates which require a lower price surely no one really believes they will willingly lower their prices and profits.

Another price I noted was the price of diesel fuel. Saturday a local station was carrying it for $4.29 a gallon. On Tuesday, $4.39 a gallon. While diesel cars and trucks are a minority, a lot of people don't stop to think about the effect the higher diesel prices are having on every product which has to be shipped by truck, train or boat, all of which run on diesel fuel. Has anyone noticed the increase in grocery prices lately? Not only are rice and corn expensive and in short supply, but the rising price of diesel fuel has increased the shipping costs and raised the price of everything in the store.

I don't know what the short term solution is, other than a government enforced mandate with a cap on oil prices and a cap on the profits which can be made by the oil companies. I don't like it, but I like it less than having to walk.

By the way, I live in the rural south where there is no mass transit and everything is too far to get to by bicycle (and it's not safe to use that method here anyway). 

I would love to hear a candidate "show us the money" and explain exactly what they are going to do to fix this situation before it's too late.

And the answer we're looking for isn't switchgrass, ethanol, or a gas tax holiday.

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Posted by Lemming Herder at 5/21/2008 7:15 AM | View Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
Racism will be alive and well in Texas
As you all know, the Texas primary will be held on Tuesday.

The latest polls show that Barack Obama holds a slight lead over Hillary Clinton, but I think the polls are calling this one wrong too.

I live in Texas and I think racism is alive and well here.

I hope I'm wrong but I think Texas is still one generation away from being able to actively support a black candidate.

My kids don't see color. They see attitude, they see trashiness, they see all kinds of bad behavior, but unlike my generation they don't link it to any particular color.  They'd never say, or more importantly think, "He speaks well for a black man."

But I believe a lot of people won't vote for a black candidate under any circumstances. They will either vote for Hillary or not vote for the presidential candidate at all. As a matter of fact it wouldn't surprise me to see a record number of non votes in that race.

By the way, I am still astonished at the number of dumbasses who believe that 1) Obama is a Muslim and 2) he is opposed to putting his hand over his heart during the pledge of allegiance.

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Posted by Lemming Herder at 3/2/2008 7:39 PM | View Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
Barack Obama doesn't give credit for phrases and Hillary has a hissy fit
Mrs. Clinton, you're starting to appear shrill.

As everyone has heard by now Barack Obama gave a speech in which he used phrases which were "very close" to those used in other speeches by Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick, a friend of Obama's.

The fact that the Clinton campaign is harping on this clearly shows that she is in desperation mode.

I have two questions:

First, why is the media taking the time to cover this?

and

Second, who gives a rat's ass?

The Obama campaign should just ignore it and go on doing what they're doing.

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Posted by Lemming Herder at 2/19/2008 8:49 AM | View Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
COMPLETELY non-political, non-serious blog entry
First, at best I don't like cats and don't really get cat people.

Second, with the exception of Reese Witherspoon and Sandra Bullock I don't like cute.

But the website http://icanhascheezburger.com/ 
is funny. Every week or so I go there and look through the three or four pages of new pictures and generally laugh out loud at least a couple of times.

I'm posting one of the pictures below and anyone who has kids over the age of three, particularly boys, has got to appreciate it.

Funny Pictures
moar funny pictures

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Posted by Lemming Herder at 2/9/2008 7:08 PM | View Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
Why John Edwards didn't make it
Of all the times to run this was probably the worst. Not only because Hillary and Obama, the money machines, were running this time but also because he made the ultimate mistake for a lawyer, he misjudged his jury.

His message didn't sell.

There is no question he believes poverty is a huge issue in America and personally agree that class discrimination is more insidious and pervasive than race.

But the very people who should be supporting him don't, because they believe that one day they will "hit it big" and not be impoverished anymore. That's why the Republicans do so well with that economic class. I don't agree with any pollsters who believe the poor vote Democratic. If you ever have a doubt, simply look at the cars in the Wal-Mart parking lot during an election cycle. For the last two presidential races Bush-Cheney stickers were just as prevalent there as they were on the back of the SUVs being driven through the richer sections of town.

Edwards message was true.

America just didn't want to listen.

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Posted by Lemming Herder at 2/2/2008 10:36 PM | View Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
Celebrity Endorsements
In another exciting development Sylvester Stallone has now endorsed John McCain for President (and I hope you could hear the sarcasm in my voice).

I like Sly Stallone all right, and used to like Chuck Norris before the Walker Texas Ranger days, but if either of these guys think they are still relevant with their endorsements I think they are waaaaaaaaaaay off the mark. Anybody who would take Chuck Norris's endorsement seriously should just do a little research and find out he was a big supporter of George W. not too long ago and we see how well that choice of his has done for the country.

Celebrity endorsements in general are a joke. Although I don't discount their effectiveness at times, with the exception of Oprah I don't think there are many actors who pull that much weight in the current political climate and in some cases it may even detract. I put both Stallone and Norris in the "detracts" category although I suspect Norris has this effect even more, making Huckabee's traveling tent show appear like even more of a carnival.

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Posted by Lemming Herder at 1/24/2008 3:24 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
New study shows BushCo issued false statements before Iraq War
I know I write short blog entries but all I can say about this study is....Duh.

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Posted by Lemming Herder at 1/22/2008 10:45 PM | View Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
Goodbye to Heath Ledger
I don't comment every time a celebrity passes, but I do try to make a note when one I consider noteworthy leaves us.
 
Heath Ledger was a very talented actor, and one I greatly enjoyed watching. He was fairly selective in the roles he chose and definitely left the Lemming category with A Knight's Tale and then, most obviously, with Brokeback Mountain. I did not see the movie, mostly because I had already heard the storyline and usually don't choose to watch films with sad endings, but I do appreciate the fact that it was a risk for him.

Unfortunately, as with River Phoenix and too many others, I think Heath's death leaves the world a little worse off if for no other reason than he was very good at what he did.

Goodbye Heath.

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Posted by Lemming Herder at 1/22/2008 10:31 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
Isn't this the damnedest political season?
Politics is always weird. The constant pandering, the constant griping by the public about the pandering, the public's stated dislike of negative campaigning, the effectiveness of negative campaigning, etc.

But this presidential race is mind boggling.

On the Democratic side, the candidate with the highest negative ratings of any presidential contender appears to be back in first place, after falling from that position just a few weeks ago. Her husband, an ex-president, is battling the nearest contender, who is the whitest black man since Harold Ford. The third place contender has the best message of all but is receiving so little air time that his chances are getting more and more remote.

Kucinich busts loose with UFO remarks, and suddenly appears nutty in addition to radical. He does have a smokin' hot wife though.

And then there's the Repugs.

Chuck Norris, CHUCK NORRIS, is supporting the hillbilly from Arkansas who, by the way, appears to be the most likable candidate of all, even though he has tons of ethical problems in his past and wants to rewrite the Constitution to reflect the beliefs of the Southern Baptists, far right, evangelical base. (And does Huckabee really have the guts to add Colbert as his VP nominee? That would certainly make things interesting.)

John McCain is having to trot out his nearly century old mother to slug it out with Norris, who is making incredibly inappropriate remarks about McCain's age, at the same time as somebody is questioning his actions while a POW in Vietnam.

Fred Thompson turned out to be as grumpy as Mike Gravel, and throughout his campaign, which ended today, acted like he was pissed off that he was expected to campaign.

Romney...well, he's Romney. The most presidential looking candidate ever, but will serve as the poster child for waffling between stances.

Then there's Giuliani, with his "I don't really want to win any primaries until Florida" approach, and the ability to interject 9/11 into any situation.

Unfortunately, this country is in a hell of a shape and steadily getting worse. Somebody has got to do something soon.

Any suggestions?

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Posted by Lemming Herder at 1/22/2008 3:03 PM | View Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)