Aruba and Politics

Hey...Bogart here...again. Yes, I am still in P-Towne, but since I was supposed to be gone, I decided to run the guest blogs anyway...

Today, I asked my buddy Jamiroquai to drop some wisdom on you. He and I met playing kickball. While we may not be on the same end of the political spectrum, we have wonderful, non-emotional debates on policy. He has changed my mind some...I have changed his mind some...we are thinking that by the time 2028 comes along, a Bogart/Jamiroquai ticket may be in order.

I know I don't hit politics on the blog often, I hope you enjoy my friends thoughts as I did...especially the end!

Thanks JB!
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In the wake of Governor Bobby Jindal’s rebuttal to President Obama’s Congressional address, I find a Republican like my friend Bogart refreshing. Though he and I disagree on certain policy issues, we engage in constructive and intellectual debate which leads to consensus and creative thought. In watching Tindal stumble almost incoherently through his speech I thought “where do they find these guys?” The Republican Party as a whole right now seems lost and grasping for straws. Perhaps Bogart and I should “cc” them on our debates in order to give them insight into intelligent ways to debate and engage. Jindal railed against pork yet failed to mention he raked in 93 million dollars in pork for his state in his last term in Congress. Although I am sure a portion of this went to Katrina aid, the pot is definitely calling the kettle black (is that black on black crime?).

He claimed that a mouse will receive thirty million dollars in the stimulus plan. This has long been proven to be an outright lie and is a very lack luster argument from a so called ”rising star,” much less one of our state governors. Had Big Bogart dealt with the use of federal funds for wetlands and wildlife protection, I would imagine he would argue against the effectiveness of government in this arena or its Constitutional validity. Barak Obama is a mental giant, and the “field mouse” argument is the tactic of a welterweight throwing jabs endlessly because he is out of his league.

Jindal made an assault on “volcano monitoring” as well. What he failed to mention is that the United States Geological Survey, which the funds were allocated to, is also responsible for reducing the vulnerability of the people and areas most at risk from natural hazards, like, oh I don’t know, HURRICANES. If Bogart were at the helm, he would have attacked the funds as policy, not stimulus, and demanded an explanation of how monitoring would “stimulate” the economy. I also think he would realize that attacking the very type of policy which could help prevent loss of life in natural disasters would, strategically, be a bad move for someone from the state which witnessed an utter failure at ALL levels of government to protect the lives of its people.

What I am getting at is that there is an incongruity between Jindal’s maneuvering and reality. In “dumbing down” his arguments he makes himself look inept. In attacking sensationalist parts of the stimulus, he makes himself and the Republican party look weak, out of touch, and disingenuous. In talking with Bogart over the same issues of our day I find myself engaged on a mental level and we debate ideas and concepts, not Discovery Channel.

Do I worship Bogart, no, in fact I think some of his ideas miss the mark wildly(and I hold a grudge over his dojo defeating mine). But I respect him for making an intellectual argument and stepping to the plate and swinging for the fence. In challenging me on ideas, I often go to the drawing board or research his ideas to determine their worth. Some I agree with, some I don’t, and some I incorporate into my thoughts so as to garner broad based consensus, not inflamed and obtuse rhetoric. Like myself, Bogart understands that we are all Americans, we are all in this ship, and we need to work together. We also have to rise to the occasion from the aspect of personal responsibility, and though the methods and manner of how to save our country may differ, the respect for the intellect and thought process does not.

Bogart is not someone I have known for long, yet he is an old soul to me. Perhaps it is his love of everything Ninja, but we have bonded and I foresee a long friendship and perhaps a future team up in certain arenas. We both share a strong faith, and it guides us in our thoughts and actions. He made a choice for love to leave everything he had for a woman he cared for, and for that I admire him because his love is shameless, as it should be. I couldn’t be more happier or proud of his actions, and look forward to watching his and Claire’s marriage and love grow. I just wish he would stop collecting unemployment (he must be a Democrat at heart).

PS. I was being disingenuous there. He left his job, so he can’t collect unemployment. I just pulled a Jindal on you.