During the Cold War, Radio Free Europe supplied uncensored surrogate free news to the nations behind the iron curtain. And today…Amerika has YouTube.

Follow the links, or watch embedded…

John McCain’s YouTube Problem:

I wouldn’t call this a “YouTube problem” as much as a “McCain’s big head can’t contain all his bull excrement” problem.

The world may have never thought somebody more unqualified than Bush would be our Republican candidate, but it seems the corporations, their lobbyists, and their media whores have decided the American people need more stupid. And, according to the same whores, it’s going to be a tight race between McCain and Obama. And, what if they’re right? What if most Americans out there somewhere — I still see “W-The President” stickers — really do want more stupid?

If McCain can’t better hide his lack of enthusiasm, out-of-touch eliteness, and bent for lying, maybe he should apply some straight-talk-express to his own intelligence, fess up that he’s a moron, and convince us that’s what we want. This slogan might work well in his next TV spot: You elected George W. Bush twice. You invaded Iraq for $4 oil. That’s a mandate on stupid, stupid. Vote for me: John McCain! I’ll give you what you want: four more years of more bigger stupid.

White House Propaganda Team Busted in Action:

Look at them yo-yo’s, that’s the way they do it. They spin their lies on the Faux TV…

Thanks to HRody, and Chuck for the vid links!

Read More: YouTube, John McCain, Scott McClellan, Radio Free Europe, main stream media, white house propaganda

Besides voting, one of the most beloved traditions in the U.S. is paying a visit to the dentist. Today I observed that tradition, and am thankful to report no cavities.

But, while the dentist was billing my insurance company a fortune to shove a pick and a vacuum cleaner in my mouth at the same time, I thought it’d be interesting to peek at the teeth we’re considering putting in the Oval Office…

Election 2008: Presidential Teeth

Meet Hillary Clinton’s teeth. I’m no dentist, but there appear to be about 32 of them, framed by some pinkish reddish lip coloring that’s starting to bleed late in the day. The upper right central and lateral incisors look like they’ve been capped to me.

Continuing on our tour, we arrive at the mouth of Barack Obama. Youth or bleach? Either way, his teeth are whiter, but the gums aren’t as rock-hard as Hillary’s, so I’m guessing Hillary’s a better flosser.

This one’s multiple choice: Who do these teeth belong to?

• A) Godzilla
• B) John McCain?

I’ll give you a clue: Godzilla ain’t running for president.

Last, but definitely not least, let’s take a look at the teeth from an elected president.

Have you ever had a dream where your teeth are all starting to fall out? Well, that happened to George Washington when he was in his twenties. Only he wasn’t dreaming. And contrary to popular belief, his dentures weren’t made from wood. Nope, George Washington’s teeth were composed of gold, ivory, lead, and both human and animal teeth. Try sticking all that in your mouth!

Starbucks and Sonicare

So, anyway, the dental hygienist told me I had a lot of coffee stains on my teeth. I admit, I drink a lot of coffee. It’s a Saturday and Sunday tradition in my family to hit the local coffee shop twice on the weekend for some white chocolate mocha or hot chai tea or anything else that’s really more milk than coffee and comes with a lot of whipped cream on top and costs about $5 a cup.

Then, during the weekdays, I drink whatever the hell’s in the community pot at work, and I get there early, so I’m often not sure if it’s yesterday’s batch that’s been sitting on the burner all night, or something a few minutes old, which just tells you how bad even the fresh stuff is.

But, the hygienist says if I want to keep drinking the coffee, I need a Sonicare Elite electric toothbrush, or my teeth will turn brown. So, now in addition to paying for a coffee habit, I’m faced with blowing a chunk of Bush’s tax rebate on a toothbrush.

What’s Wrong with Bad Teeth

Why are we Americans so obsessed with perfect white teeth, anyway? How did we get here? Was it President Jimmy Carter? Was it the Osmonds?

Used to be, everybody in the world had teeth like Austin Powers. Now you have to spend five grand per child so they can get braces and not stick out like a sore toothy mutation in their high school yearbook.

And why do the British still have such lousy teeth? Here’s a clue: Last summer Americans spent over $80 billion a year at the dentist, but only had to spend $2.50 for a gallon of gas. At that same time, the British were spending over $6.50 per gallon.

Now that gas is headed toward $6.50 in America, I think we’re going to be seeing some pretty ugly teeth in the USA.

Besides braces, Americans spend a load of money on tooth bleaching to keep their pearly whites unnaturally gazillion-candlepower white.

Tooth bleaching isn’t a new thing. It probably started when first century Romans noticed brushing their teeth with their own urine (just how did they figure this out?) made their teeth whiter. Later, barbers (who doubled as dentists before the twentieth century) used nitric acid to whiten teeth.

Sure, acid eroded tooth enamel, and eventually eroded a person’s teeth to tiny little nubs. But they were very white tiny little nubs, however painful. And, like then as now, many believe it’s better to look good than to feel good.

But not me. I’m having another cup of coffee.

Read More: presidential teeth, George Washington’s teeth, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama, election 2008, white chocolate mocha, chai tea, coffee stains, tooth bleaching

It’s hard to discuss illegal immigration because, once the subject is mentioned, most people are overwhelmed with strong emotional reactions that send logical discussion packing.

Tired of relying on hearsay information when the subject came up, I went looking for facts.

The staggering numbers I found only reaffirmed why feelings are so strong on all sides. Heck, the number of sides itself is an obstacle to coherent discussion: there are those for and against amnesty, mass deportation, slave labor, free medical care and education, and then there’s the billion-dollar 700-mile-long fence.

There’s so many issues within the issue of illegal immigration that what started out as a single post has become a series of posts…posts that will follow this one over the next several weeks.

So where to start? How about some hard-boiled facts…

Illegal Immigration by the Numbers

In 1969, 540,000 of the 202 million people in the United States were illegal immigrants. Do the math — that’s one out of every 400 people.

Today, the U.S. is home to an estimated 20 million illegal immigrants. Given a total population of 304 million, that’s one out of every 17 people in the country. Here illegally, right now.

From Mexico to California

Over 80% of today’s illegal immigrants come from Mexico, Central America, and South America.

What about North of the border? Yes, there are also illegal immigrants from Canada: 70,000 of them. That means there’s a good chance that one in every 4,500 people you meet may be an illegal Canadian, especially if you’re in Portland.

Where have illegal immigrants settled? As of 2006, California contained 25% of the total illegal immigrant population. Texas had 14%, Florida 8%, New York 5%, and Illinois 5%. Arizona, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Washington rounded out the top ten states ranked by number of illegal immigrants.

Why Is Illegal Immigration Such a Big Deal?

One facet of illegal immigration that disturbs many Americans is the fact that laws are clearly not being enforced in a country whose government used to be adamant and proud about upholding its laws.

There’s also the realization that slave labor — cheap labor without normal benefits or working conditions — has returned to our country. It’s returned in numbers so large that the sudden removal of that labor could wipe out the U.S. economy, while letting it remain could deflate the living standard of an entire middle class.

And, there’s the additional stress on the already over-stressed infrastructure. Schools, hospitals, roads, the police force, judicial system, water and sanitation systems…these are already being overwhelmed, with or without the burden of supporting people who are in the country illegally.

Maybe most of all, there’s the real and irrational fear of change. And, when 4.7 million children — born-in-the-U.S.A. citizens — are being raised by a mom or a dad that is an illegal immigrant, the underlying culture (language, art, music, literature, lifestyle…even TV!) of the United States is sure to change.

Digging Deeper

As mentioned at the outset, this topic tends to trigger emotions ahead of logic. It reminds me of airplanes and oxygen masks…

During a mid-air emergency, oxygen masks drop from overhead compartments, and parents are instructed to strap on their own masks before helping their children. On an immediate emotional level, that seems very wrong and uncaring. But, on a logical level airline personnel know that if parents don’t take care of themselves first, they won’t be able to help their children.

In a similar way, even Americans who genuinely want to help illegal immigrants have major disagreements: some want to offer amnesty, open the borders, and even form a North American Union. And others believe that in order to continue being the world’s biggest, if stingiest, giver, we must find a solution to the immigration problem. Otherwise, the U.S. may not be around much longer — as an aid donor or as a destination for immigrants chasing hope.

Coming soon: Illegal Immigration Part 2: Border Patrol.

Read More: illegal immigration, number of illegal immigrants, immigrant population, immigration to the united states, amnesty, mass deportation, border fence, free medical care, California, Mexico