ENERGY: PROBLEM NUMBER ONE

First; let me apologize for neglecting my blog. I've been extremely busy with the radio show. (I'm trying to set up a "My Wicked Garden" site that will have all my broadcasts and easier access.) For now, you can go to Flinttalkradio.com and click on the menu of the stickicam and my shows are in the "movies" category. I've also been turkey hunting and putting a new roof on my house, (myself, not hired out.) So I've been very busy.

Now, on to the real subject matter.

As most of you have noticed, (unless you live in a shack in upper Idaho), gas has gone through the roof. The implications on the U.S. economy are obvious. Increased cost to travel has all of us tightening our belts, buying less and traveling less. The cost of nearly all products is going up as a result of increased transportation costs. Despite the increased price, consumption is down only 1.3% when compared to this time last year. This further demonstrates that America is simply not ready for the reality of what's facing us in the next decade and beyond.

The U.S. is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign oil. We consume over 20 million barrels a day and 12 million of that is imported. The cries for us to produce our own oil by opening up such areas as ANWAR in Alaska, has increased and the Big Oil executives are using the crisis as an excuse to ask for more research and exploration dollars. But is U.S. R&D enough to possibly save us? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

If you look carefully at the proven reserves (known oilfields) in the world it become obvious that the U.S. can not support itself no matter how much we increase production. The numbers are simply not there. Companies like Exxon are simply trying to get more access to oil that makes them the most money, closer to home. In Fact, if you do the math, the U.S. and Mexico will both be completely out of oil within 12 years unless some new reserves are discovered. (which is unlikely, as technology has already found what they believe is the majority of oil fields in the U.S.)

Canada has proven to be a good friend to have in all this mess. Their sand tar oilfields can produce desperately needed oil but at a high cost. Their proven reserves are second only to Saudi Arabia. The problem is; it's all crappy oil that is locked in sand and has to be strip-mined and processed to even be useful. This actually increases our carbon-footprint because it takes so much more energy to refine it than . At present production, Canada has enough oil to last over 150 years. But at 3 million barrels a day present production we will need to increase the capacity of their oilfields 400% to make a real dent in our needs. That still leaves us in dire straights within 40 years even if our needs do not increase.

The other solution (favored by the Republicans) is securing oil flow from other, far less stable countries. I don't think I have to tell anyone how expensive and uncertain that can be. Islamic Fundamentalism is spreading and most all of the oil we need lies under regimes that have goals that do not include America prospering. OPEC controls most of that oil and seems to be very content to watch the U.S. squirming under their reduced production. If this continues along with the speculation that has driven the prices through the roof, Americans will soon find themselves suffering inflation that will reduce all of our wealth considerably.

So what's the answer?

I see it as a multi-pronged approach. First; we need to help Canada get as much oil on-line as possible. I would much rather see my hard-earned money going towards a friendly democratic country than one that funds terrorism against us. Second; increase production of alternate fuels. Sugar-based ethanol is a bad answer as it drives up food prices, but Cellulosic Ethanol should be funded immediately and put into the pipeline as soon as possible. We should also be funding R&D on plug-in vehicles, fuel cells, and any other sources that will alleviate our dependency on foreign oil. And third; we need to reduce the amount oil we waste on petro-chemicals. One-fifth of all our oil goes to producing plastics, fertilizers, etc. When it's possible, we should be looking at alternatives that are more environmentally friendly. Hemp has a lot of possibilities in this area.

This problem should be #1 on everybodies' list of concerns. Energy is affecting our foreign policies, our economy, and our future. If we don't address this problem soon, our children will be dealing with it in a way that will require far more drastic measures..like war. Our Congress is slow to respond because so much money is being made on oil and the profiteers are known and funneling money in their direction. If we don't force them to act, the lobbyists will make sure they don't. Oil will always be a major resource, but it doesn't need to have so much power to control our fate. H.C.

A FAIR SOLUTION TO MICHIGAN'S DELEGATE PROBLEM

I've been giving a bit of thought to the problem of seating Michigan's delegates and how to count our popular votes in a way that would be fair to both sides. And I believe I may have a solution.

The biggest obstacle I see is that there is really no way to be sure how the vote would have turned out had our illustrious representatives here in Michigan left it alone and not violated the DNC rules. Any re-vote is hard to accept because the dynamics have been changed by their monkey-business. It's funny how every scenario offered by our Michigan DNC chair, Mark Brewer (who supports Clinton) or backed by our Governor Jennifer Granholm (who supports Clinton) all seem to benefit Clinton. Hmmm, I wonder why that is?

There is simply no way a re-vote could have been fair to Barack. No matter how you dice it, Obama was not on the ballot the first time around and didn't campaign. Given that fact, you have to factor in the people who, because Barack wasn't on the ballot, crossed over to the Republican side to vote for McCain or Ron Paul or Romney or whoever. Not to mention those people who may have changed their minds by the time the second vote came, who might be up to mischief given the changed dynamics, and on and on . Since we had to declare our party to vote in the primary here in Michigan, some of those people would not have been allowed to re-vote in a closed Democrat Primary. Clearly that's a benefit for Clinton. Any attempt to put a number on those people would be a guess at best. Letting the numbers stand as is, is to ignore that Barack wasn't even on the ballot. So what can we do?

My solution would be to take the results of the border states of Michigan; Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio and average their percentages for both Hillary and Barack. Then, we take those percentages and seat the delegates accordingly. All those states have very similar demographics and Midwest State concerns. In fact, if you didn't know better, it would be very hard to tell if I had dropped you off in downtown Milwaukee, Gary, Chicago, Detroit or Cincinnati. We all talk the same, act the same and carry about the same values. After you have figured out the percentages, you then take the total amount of people in Michigan that voted in the primary and divide them to each candidate according to that percentage.

In fact, here are the numbers all according to Realclearpolitics.com a universally accepted source. Ohio went for Clinton 55.2% to 44.8%, Wisconsin went for Obama 58.1% to 40.8%, Illinois went for Obama 64.7% to 31.9%, and Indiana went for Clinton 50.9 % to 49.1%. That means, on average, Clinton scored 44.7% and Obama got 54.2%. Note that even if you threw in Pennsylvania, which Clinton also won, it still ends up favoring Obama 52.4% to 46.7%. Throwing in New York would be vastly unfair as it is Hillary's home state and is farther away than all the other states. No matter how you spin this, it becomes apparent that Barack Obama would have done far better than Hillary Clinton is trying to claim.

What could be fairer? The numbers are based on similar states that weren't gerryrigged, that were all campaigned in fairly by both candidates, without any advantage to any one candidate (remember, even though Illinois is Barack's home state, it was also Hillary's birth state, a fact she used when campaigning there.) It even gives full credit to the people who voted here in Michigan. I'm sure Hillary's people will never accept this idea as it robs her of her well-planned-out attempt to rig an election. But if you look at it with an open mind, you'll see it's the most fair of all the suggestions. H.C.

REPUBLICANS FOR HILLARY

And so the drama continues.

I must admit, as a political commentator, I enjoy the endless stream of material generated by the battle between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama for the Democratic nomination. But, I'm seriously starting to wonder if it's doing us any good at all. The results of the past few primaries don't seem to be giving the people any true clues as to who the best candidate would be. Barack Obama is spending all his time trying desperately to distance himself from his fiery preacher, Reverend Wright, and hardly any time clarifying his positions on the hard issues. At the same time, Hillary Clinton is doing her little clap-dance over her victories that were largely handed to her by line-crossing Republicans. With half the left-wing media supporting her and the right wing media doing all the dirty work for her, are we getting a clear sense of what the fall run-off would really look like?

I don't think so.

That is, unless you seriously believe that the Republican cross-overs will still be there for Hillary come November.

It's deception of mammoth proportions. My prediction is that Hill will win the Republican-controlled state of Indiana this May 6th (in a large part due to the Republican cross-overs) and will lose the North Carolina primary. And nothing will change. The Hillary supporters will continue to point at her surge as evidence of Obama's weakening candidacy. But is it really? In the fall it's highly unlikely that Hillary will enjoy the passive support of Republicans like she does now and will most likely never regain the support of black voters who are growing more and more disenchanted with the workings of a Democrat delegate system that seems to work on a caste system designed to empower the elite within the party.

And right wing talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham could not be happier.

Should they get their wish of a Hillary nomination, they will have a huge cache of material that they aren't even trying to put out there yet. Just this week Hillary made a big foreign policy miscue when she stated that a nuclear attack on Israel by Iran would result in the United States trying to "totally obliterate" Iran. This is just the kind of rhetoric the hard -liners in Iran need to keep up their contention that the U.S. is simply an extension of Israel. For her to state something like that publicly shows that Hillary is simply not the foreign policy genius she claims to be.

And yet all I heard from the right-wing talk show hosts this week was Reverend Wright this and Reverend Wright that.

Let's compare Hillary's statement to the hoopla that was generated when Barack said that he would attack Al Queda strongholds in Pakistan if we had actionable intelligence. Or even Senator McCain's off-hand comment that we may be in Iraq for a hundred years. The press ran off with opinion column after opinion column about how unprepared they both were for the reality of foreign policy. But which one is the worse of the three statements? I actually agree with McCain's assessment and with Barack's, but Hillary's is off the charts. The U.S. should not touch off a nuclear Holocaust without first searching for world support and other solutions.

As the race continues, we all need to be mindful of one reality. This is no indication of what the race will look like once the Dems have chosen their nominee. The Right will go back to attacking and dismantling whoever the nominee is. For Barack, we're already seeing how this will play out. They will continue to try to assert that Obama is a clandestine Muslim who hates white America despite the fact that he is half white himself. They will continue to try to attach Reverend Wright's ideology to Barack through endless loops of his sermons. But what will their attacks on Hillary look like? For now, we have no idea. H.C.

GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION?

A lot of attacks have been coming out of the media about Senator Barack Obama's associations with several, um, let say, questionable characters. Fair enough. It is, after all, one way to tell something about a person's character; by the friends he keeps. But what isn't being discussed properly is the associations of the other two candidates. Since it is my self-proclaimed job to keep you abreast of all the facts, here is a summary of the worst of the three candidates associates.

*SENATOR BARACK OBAMA (D-Ill.)*

Reverend Jeremiah Wright;

The fiery preacher of Barack's church, Trinity United Church of Christ, located in Chicago, Illinois is quite possibly the worst anchor that Senator Obama has hanging around his neck. With recorded statements such as "God Damn America" and claims of America causing the Aids epidemic, Reverend Wrong, as I call him, is a big problem for Barack amongst white people, who seem to be the group most offended by his statements.

William Ayers;

A Weatherman from the 60's terrorist group The Weather Underground, and now a professor of education at University of Illinois at Chicago, Mr. Ayers participated in the bombings of several government buildings in his youth. Senator Obama's connection to Mr. Ayers is that he received contributions for his campaigns from him and was once his neighbor.

Antoin "Tony'' Rezko;

Obama has been friends with slumlord Tony Rezko for 17 years. Rezko has been a political patron to Obama and helped to raise thousands of dollars for him through his own contributions and by hosting fund-raisers in his home. Mr. Rezko also sold Senator Obama a house for $300,000 less than the asking price (a payback for help from Obama in getting a $43 million government loan?) He is currently being tried in Chicago accused of demanding kickbacks on business deals.

*SENATOR JOHN McCAIN (R-Az)*

Charles Keating;

Mr. Keating was the ringleader of the infamous Savings and Loan Scandal of the 1980's. In an effort to cheat thousands of elderly people out of their retirement, Keating recruited five Congressmen known as the "Keating Five" (including Senator McCain). They helped push legislation through Congress that made it possible for him to sell junk bonds that were virtually worthless, without the usual oversight. Several elderly people committed suicide upon learning they had lost their life savings. Over a thousand people that he cheated showed up at his trial. Charles Keating was sentenced to 151 months in prison but was released after a mistrial was declared due to bad jury instruction. The Judge who erred so badly? None other than Judge Lance Ito, who was the judge of the O.J. Simpson Trial. Oh, and the beneficiaries of this scam? Neil and Jeb Bush, brother of President Dubya, who profited over $30 million. One big happy family.

President George W. Bush;

It's next to impossible to separate Bush from McCain. Whether helping Georgie's brother make millions, bowing out to give G.W. the nomination in 2000 or backing the Iraq War and all his policies no matter how failing, McCain has been a friend indeed to the Bush family. It's no wonder people are already calling McCain's run "Bush's Third term". Counting H.W. Bush, I would even say it's more like "The Family's" fourth.

The War and Oil Lobbies;

Much like the Bushes, McCain gets a lot of funding from lobbiests that stand to profit from our involvement in world affairs, particularly those that have oil. Haliburton stocks have soared under Bush, as have profits for the oil companies. Mercinaries such as Blackwater also have made a fortune. These people are not a big fan of ending this gravytrain whether by funding alternative energy or by withdrawing from foreign involvement.

*SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY)*

Norman Hsu;

A quick glance through pictures of Hillary's fund raisers will find Norman Hsu posing with Hillary, posing with Bill, and hob-nobbing with all their Hollywood friends. Norman helped raise millions for Hillary's Presidential run and contributed thousands. The problem? Mr. Hsu had been wanted by the F.B.I. since 1998, he was indicted on charges of violating federal campaign finance laws and defrauding investors "out of at least $20 million." . Hill claimed she couldn't know the back ground of all her supporters, even though he was among the top five. I consider this an odd statement, considering her position on Barack's supporters.

Health Care Lobbiests;

A few years back, the #1 Senate recipient of Health care lobbiest dollars was Pennsylvanian Republican Rick Santora. But not anymore. That crown is now held by Senator Hillary Rodman Clinton. If your wondering why Hill abandoned her efforts to creat a single-payer plan in favor of a big hand-out to the insurance companies, simply follow the money.

A mess of pardoned felons;

This list was simply too long to put in this column. In fact, if I listed all of felons Bill Clinton pardoned in his last few days (including two Weathermen and other terrorists), along with all their crimes, it would fill the equivalent of 5 of my usual posts. Instead, I'll just link them up for you here. Sit down, it takes a while to go through.

President Bill Clinton;

Hillary sometimes seems nearly schizophrenic when referring to her husband. She claims to be both his right hand woman (when it works in her favor) and someone who was either out of the loop or quietly opposed when it doesn't. She denies any support for NAFTA (which was signed and supported by her husband) when campaigning in Rust Belt states. Avoids questions about the Assault Weapons Ban (signed by her husband and hated by gun owners) when in Pro-Gun States. She even goes so far as to pretend to support Second Amendment Rights when her husband's administration was the first in history to deny it applied to the individual. Barack may have went to a church run by somebody he disagreed with......but he didn't marry him.

The bottom line on all this? Each of the candidates has a history with shady people. For the press to decide to focus on only a few is dishonest at best. I recommend doing some research yourself and then deciding if it reaches a level you find unacceptable. For me, I try to see how honest they are about their involvement and whether it would affect me personally or the future of our country. After all, that's what's most important. H.C.

UNDER THE GUN

Gun, guns, guns. That seems to be the #1 issue of the week. It started with Senator Barack Obama's statement that small town people "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” Then Hillary, (smelling blood in the water), jumped all over it by pretending she was a pro-gun, pro religion, Second Amendment-loving home town girl who grew up shooting guns behind her Daddy's shed. A regular Ellie May Clampet, to hear her tell it. Barack tried desperately to defend his statement by saying he only meant that they (small town people) turn to the issues of guns and religion out of frustration.

Unfortunately for Barack, his choice of words will come back to haunt him.

I have a suggestion for Barack on how to help fix this problem; Go turkey hunting. That's right, turkey hunting. What the rural folks want from you is the guarantee of a seat at the table and a little respect. That's not asking much. I believe "city mouse" people have a very different opinion about guns than their "country mouse" counterparts. This comes from the fact that city people rarely see guns used for anything other than crime, while country people only see them used for hunting, sport, or home protection. You could simply say that you don't have much of a reference point for fully understanding rural people, and therefore, you've decided to make an effort to better understand them; by goin' huntin'. You don't have to shoot a turkey (in fact, I'd recommend you don't try), just spend a little time at the pre-hunt sighting in. Take a couple shots for fun, and then head into the field. Don't pretend that your a great outdoorsman, don't even carry a gun, laugh at yourself a few times and enjoy the camaraderie. When you come back, be respectful of your hunting partners and honest about what you thought about the experience. Remember Barack, it's not so much whether your one of them, as much as it's respecting them.

Hillary's problem with guns is that her history doesn't back up her position. Therefore, she's been trying to choose her words carefully. In responding to Baracks "bitter" comment, she's careful to say that, "You know, Americans who believe in the Second Amendment believe it’s a matter of constitutional right. Americans who believe in God believe it’s a matter of personal faith. Americans who believe in protecting good American jobs believe it’s a matter of the American dream.” But notice she doesn't say she believes in these things.

At the Democrat debate she made two statements that give me great pause as a believer in the Second Amendment. (both of which went uncontested by the moderators; George Stephanopolis, an ex-Clinton advisor, and Charlie Gibson.) The first one was, "We need a way to track illegal guns." How in the hell do you do that? GPS tracking systems in the handles? What's going to stop criminals from disabling it? They're illegal gun owners, Hill. By definition they're not following the rules. I personally would have liked to hear her expand on that one. The second statement that went unchallenged was, "We don't need a Federal gun law that applies to all the different regions of the U.S.." Um.....I think we have one now; the Second Amendment. Is she saying she wants to do away with it? Where are the questions, Charlie and George????

Hillary once said in 2000, when she was running for the New York Senate seat that she currently holds, "The moms who are marching in Washington this Sunday [the Million Mom March] have it right" Well the MMM was sponsored by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Their interpretation of the Second Amendment is that it does not apply to the individual, only to government regulated militias. If the Brady Center "has it right", then we need to hear her say, from her own lips, whether or not she supports an individuals right to bear arms. So far, everyone has given her a pass on this question.

For the record, Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama have both made it clear that they believe the Second Amendment applies to the individual.

In this clip, you'll see Bill Clinton caught in several lies in just one statement. That's the problem with the Clintons; they just can't seem to answer a simple question or make a statement without lying or evading. My analysis of this past week is that Barack made a real bad gaffe that will most likely haunt him along with the "Reverend Wrong" statements. But the real damage, I believe, is on Hillary. She has, along with her husband Bill, proven once again what her critics have been saying about her; that she will say or do anything to get elected....no matter how dishonest. I'm closer to being Dennis Rodman than Hillary is to being Annie Oakley. These sad attempts are looking increasingly desperate. A drowning person will grab at anything and the Clinton's are now drowning in their own lies and grabbing for straws. That will only hurt the Dems chances in November along with the whole Clinton legacy. H.C.

FOR DEMOCRATS, THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY OUT

The 1968 Democratic convention was a low point in Democrat history. Sharply divided over the War in Vietnam, the Democratic party had split into two passionate camps. Eugene McCarthy, a Democrat Senator from Minnesota, ran a decidedly anti-war campaign on the one side. He was calling for immediate withdrawal of all troops from the region. On the other side was Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon Johnson's vice president, who wanted a more measured withdraw. To throw even more gas on the flame, the Democrats then proceeded to nominate Hubert Humphrey, (who didn't even participate in the primary), because he had the majority of the delegate support. (Does any of this sound familiar?) The end result was riots, demonstrations, and eventually, a loss to Richard Nixon.

It's easy to see why political junkies such as myself make the comparison between the 1968 Convention and the present problem confronting the Democratic party. The likelihood of a brokered, bitter convention is drawing closer and closer.

The strange thing is; It doesn't have to be this way. There is a path that could lead to victory, but there is only one path in my opinion.

That path is through Barack Obama. The problem for Senator Hillary Clinton is that she can't feasibly win the pledged delegate count (the count without the Super delegates). A nominee selected by the Super delegates is going to bring all sorts of unseemly politics to the surface. Who are the Super delegates? Why do they support Hillary? Is there Payola in the form of political promises for the supporters? The Democratic Party (or any party for that matter) can not afford to have it's back room dealings made public. Secondly, by comparing states similar to the remaining 10 states left to vote, it becomes clear that Hillary will not win the popular vote either. Oddly enough, the Clinton's will find themselves in the position of supporting a system that is very similar to the Electoral College (which they severally panned during the Florida Bush Vs. Gore fiasco). Both the Democrat Primary delegate system and the Electoral College are systems that are set up to be ultimately decided by representation, not by popular vote. (Self destruct sequence initiated).

Furthermore, I believe that there is a real problem with the candidate's bases. Barack's black support (which he carries over 90% of) is becoming increasingly irritated with Hillary's tactics and are building the kind of resentment that could easily lead to them sitting on their hands this November. The race is going to be too close for the Democrats to be losing any support from the base. On the other hand, I don't see that kind of resentment by Hillary supporters for Obama. I firmly believe that the mostly white woman who make up Hillary's base will certainly want to participate in such a historic election and will, of course, vote for Barack Obama over any Republican. Once again, there is only one choice.

I am an Independent. Normally, I wouldn't much care if the Democrat Party wanted to go into self destruct mode. But it feels like a lot is at stake here. We are close to ending the idea of turning our county into a Two Family Dynasty (which is off-the-charts important). We have a chance to make a great step toward racial conciliation (we should consider that in the equation.) The issues of debt, war, and the role of government are all on the table. I'm ready for a good debate between the principles and strategies of Republican John McCain and the vision of Democrat Barack Obama. It's time for the Hillary supporters to understand; There's only two ways this can go and only one of them leads to victory for the Democrats. The other leads only to chaos, lawsuits, and the affirmation of the Republican claim that the Dems, "Can't even run their own primary, how can they be trusted to run the country?" Pennsylvania, I'm begging you please, put an end to this for the sake of your party, and for the sake of the only candidate that can feasibly win. A loss for Ms. Clinton in your state would mean the end to the fight. A win for Hillary only drags it out. With visions of another 1968 Convention looming over your head, it is obvious which way you have to go. In fact, there's only one way out of this mess. Vote for Barack Obama and save your parties chances this November. H.C.

"MY WICKED GARDEN" WEDNESDAYS 5:00 TO 6:00pm

As unbelievable as it may seem, someone actually thought it would be a good idea to give me my very own Internet radio show. What the heck were they thinking? I decided to call it "My Wicked Garden" after one of my favorite Stone Temple Pilot songs, and because I love gardening metaphors. I will be recording it live, with call-ins, at (724) 444-7444 caller ID #16636 (they'll ask you for it when they answer), every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. It's going to reflect my love for hard rock groups (like STP), my unique (and some say strange) sense of humor, and my never-ending quest to reveal the deceitful nature of our mainstream media . I will be using clips, information, musical performances, and guests to keep it all interesting while making sure the show is still light and fun. My friends over at Studio 1714 have been working hard to create a top-notch studio to record our shows along with a new website, flinttalkradio.com to promote them. This, I believe, is the future of radio. With the growth of Internet content and it's availability to Ipods, it's only a matter of time before all our car radios, T.V.s, and other media sources will be plugged into the Internet full time. Soon you will be listening to shows, selected by you, anytime you want to. I believe this will create a diversity of opinions that is less controlled by media moguls, and I intend to be part of that future.

My show will have several goals;
First and foremost, it must be entertaining.
Secondly, it must be informative and honest.
And Finally, it will hinge on the input of you, the listener.

Our main objective is going to be to expose lies and deceit. If you hear something being promoted by the mainstream media that you don't feel is accurate, give me a call. If you feel a group is not being portrayed fairly by someone, give me a call. If you feel a story isn't being reported enough, give me a call. If you just want to talk to me in person, give me a call.

Since that fateful day nearly two years ago when I first started writing this blog, I have met a lot of intelligent and diverse people. Andre and his friends have helped me to better understand the views of black people. Nic has helped me to understand the views of liberal young people, and the rest of you have all contributed in ways that I'm positive have helped me become a better pundit and person. For that, I thank you all.

But the war is far from over. Our two-party system is now working overtime to separate us by gender, by race, by class, and by political affiliation. The lobbyists and special interest groups have succeeded in putting all of their interests ahead of the interests of the people. Our tax dollars and Congressional efforts are being funneled off to support a war between two dynasties; the Bushes and the Clintons. Partisanship has reached new heights and the true needs of the people have been all but ignored. All of us want safe streets for our children, honest government, fair justice and an opportunity to advance ourselves. Our similarities far outweigh our differences and that is what they don't want you to consider. The best way I can think of to defend ourselves is to destroy their base, the people who vote for every issue or person based not on it's merit, but on it's party. By creating a strong middle ground of independent thinkers, we can tackle the things that should be the most important. I have yet to meet a single person that thinks it's acceptable for the U.S. to have children dying of some horrible disease simply because they were born to poor parents, yet, here we are. If we stay focused, and we have a forum, we can force the far left and the far right into impotence. This is my main goal.

But I can't do it alone.

Let's change Wednesdays from "hump day" to gardening day. Join me in "My Wicked Garden" as I rip up the weeds of deceit and lies. Help me plant the seeds of independent thought. Let's all become gardeners of something worth growing and create a country that we can all be proud of. (I told you I love gardening metaphors.) Let's remind politicians that they work for us, not the other way around. I'm out here every week spending my time and effort to do my part to change things. I'm hoping all of you will too. You can do this easily by investing a couple of moments once a week by going to flinttalkradio.com and clicking on the "My Wicked Garden" logo to listen to my show either live, or through the archives. It can't grow into a good show without your help. It's your ideas and input that has inspired nearly all the pieces I've done. Without you....I'm empty of inspiration. Let's stand up and scare the hell out the people that think they have beaten us into complacency. Remember my creed; All evil needs to prosper...is for good people to do nothing. H.C.