Sharks have a few ALLIES in Costa Rica

"The cruel practice of 'shark finning' is threatening Costa Rica’s eco-friendly image", said Ethical Traveler, one of the organizations trying to alter the practice of shark finning in Costa Rica.
Don't know what shark finning IS? This is a pretty good description:

Shark finning is the act of chopping the fins off of live sharks and dumping the then-helpless sharks back into the sea to drown. The fins are exported to Asia where they are used in an expensive delicacy: shark fin soup—or as journalist John Platt calls it, “Extinction in a Bowl.”

Fuckin' Asian tradition.
Oh, and the IMPACT of shark finning:

A 2007 study published by Science magazine showed a 90-percent decline in global shark populations in recent decades.

Here's the GOOD NEWS as reported in AM Costa Rica just yesterday:

"EthicalTraveler.org has partnered with nonprofit groups MissionBlue.org and Costa Rica’s Pretoma.org to stop shark finning in the Central American nation. In April, Pretoma founder Randall Arauz received the prestigious Goldman Environmental Award for his work to pass a Costa Rican law requiring that sharks be “landed” with their fins attached — a major victory for the sharks. But the work is not finished, said Ethical Traveler."

And as this article pointed out, my HERO, Randall Arauz, received the 'Goldman Environmental Award' a few months back and it's always nice to see worthy folks getting recognized for their efforts, especially when they speak up for those who have no VOICE.

Shark finning is a HUGE problem, and especially here in Costa Rica and especially, especially in Puntarenas, where the Taiwanese and CHINESE influence in Costa Rica is growing. Ironically, Costa Rica has some of the BEST laws on the BOOKS in regards to shark finning and longline fishing but like many laws here, ENFORCEMENT is a totally different matter. Money talks....especially when they, (the Chinese) build you a SOCCER STADIUM.

I was fortunate enough to sit down and interview Randall Arauz a couple years ago, matter of fact, one of the FIRST videos we ever did, which I POST whenever I get the CHANCE. Tell your friends, EMBED this video, re-TWEET this post, Facebook it, DIGG it, Link-it, do whatever it takes to get the word out about shark finning, longline fishing etc. It’s really the LEAST we could do.

Without further ado:



There's a wealth of information out there, so get educated and REMEMBER this isn't just about SHARKS, it's much BIGGER than that, this is about the food chain, the Circle of Life and how it affects us ALL.

Seriously, how bad does it have to get BEFORE we do something?
TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

Sexually Exploited Children in Costa Rica

The sexual exploitation of children is a TOP concern in Costa Rica...."OH REALLY?"
Prostitution is LEGAL in Costa Rica but that's not to imply there's not a seedier underbelly of underage sex, sexual slavery, drugs and crime lurking just below the surface of the legalities. In particular, Costa Rican officials have been battling the sexual exploitation of minors for YEARS and they absolutely LOATHE the thought that foreigners group Costa Rica with the likes of Taiwan as one of the TOP tourist destinations for every conceivable pedophile and 'Chester the Molester' type seeking SEX with a minor.

Obviously, they still believe it's a problem (it is), because this just came out:

"The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) and the National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) announced that members of the tourism sector have signed a Code of Conduct that ensures that hotels, tour operators, rent-a-cars and taxi services will monitor tourists and report potential sexual exploitation of minors and adolescents."

FULL STORY if you feel the need.

I don't know about YOU, but this is problem SOLVED! Children can now sleep safe at night knowing hotels, tour operators, rent-a-car establishments and taxi drivers got their BACK.....SWEET!

I promise NOT to get on my soapbox about how Costa Rica is more worried about how they are 'perceived' than the actual TRUTH of things or how their BARK is MUCH WORSE than their BITE. I have TONS of examples on this BLOG, here's ONE, but I digress.

* FOR THE RECORD: It's a given I appreciate Costa Rica's efforts to deter the sexual exploitation of minors... and in my opinion, the ADULTS doing so SHOULD have their genitals cut OFF. BUT....

Let's BREAK this down:

First, 'NIX' the taxi drivers. With few exceptions would any of them make a call to report a potential 'Chester'. Unless:

"Mr. Taxi Driver, I love tying up little girls and torturing them before I fuck them, do you know where I could find something like that?"

...and UNFORTUNATELY, even in this scenario it's not a given they'd make the CALL.

Taxi drivers make good money pointing people in certain directions, so PLEASE, they will NOT be on board, although I'm sure there's a few with a CONSCIOUS out there and of course they'll all say they support the cause.

So they want tour operators, rent-a-car people and hotels to, 'report potential sexual exploitation of minors and adolescents'.

Here's the short-list of problems:

* What EXACTLY is a 'potential sexual exploitation of a minor?' Who defines it and WHO'S qualified to make the 'call'?

* Tico's in general are non-confrontational and don't really want to be 'involved'.

* Who decides if someones a 'Chester'... an 18-year old desk clerk? Is an in-service on 'Chester' profiling involved?

* Most Costa Rican boys and girls under the age of 18, particularly 15-17 years old engaging in SEX, may in FACT be being exploited, but that doesn't mean THEY think they're being exploited- Can you say, 'hostile witness' and hostile witness for a myriad of reasons- personal safety and money being the 2 main reasons.

"This is my friend, 'Chester', he's like my adopted father from the States, what the FUCK are you talking about, he's JUST a friend?"
* Similarly, wanting to protect a 17-year old as opposed to a 9-year old from sexual exploitation are entirely 2 different things...just sayin,,, it is.

* When someone points the finger, like a hotel desk clerk, taxi driver, tour operator- they run the RISK of being WRONG, and EVEN if they're NOT, they also run the risk of being sued.

* 'Chester' unfortunately, doesn't USUALLY look like a 'Molester' or a pedophile, only in the movies.

* Organized crime DOES play a part in this to some degree, do you really think a taxi driver, hotel etc. wants any part of THAT?

* I just can't see hotels making a CALL as they wouldn't want 'their' hotel associated with that kind of behavior and any hotels known for the seedier side of SEX tend to handle their problems internally, if you know what I mean.

* Tour operators? Rent-a-car establishments? Come on, it would have to be something pretty blatant for them to make a 'call'- they don't want any part of this. I can hear it now:

"Yes, this is Joe Schmo rent-a-car, there's semen stains on the back seat and the guy returning the car looks a little sketchy, thought you'd like to know, would you like me to try and detain him?"

This 'Code of Conduct' merely looks good on paper, sounds GOOD, gives the perception Costa Rica is proactively fighting against the sexual exploitation of minors... and of course, ALL the above, taxi drivers included, will applaud this 'CODE' and tell you they support it. (it's to protect the kids for God sake). But in REALITY, to actually apply this 'Code of Conduct', WELL,,,, it's MUCH to subjective to be put in the hands of inexperienced workers merely trying to make a living, but also creates a very, VERY, 'BIG BROTHERish' kind of slippery slope. Very few of the above will make the 'call' unless it is blatant, in your face, exploitation.

Personally, I almost think this would put these 'people' at RISK.
I really, really HATE to say this but I almost think this is a marketing ploy, like saying you're eco-friendly. The below quote with the exception of the name, Joe Schmo Hotel, is taken word for word from an advertisement for a hotel in Costa Rica.

"We at the 'Joe Schmo Hotel' are 100% committed to protecting our children against sexual exploitation and invite you to join us! Thank you for your cooperation and participation."

Who wouldn't say this? Makes you want to book a room NOW... you know, to help save the exploited children.

Hey Costa Rica, you really want to SOLVE this problem? Here's a few tips: Payed informants who 'know' the underbelly of the sex world here, (yeah, it could be a taxi driver), undercover agents posing as 'Chesters', RAIDS on some of the more known, seedier, SEX establishments. Go after organized crime, they're KEY players in this. Weed out bad cops. Then report the NUMBERS, write stories of the GRINGO who came down here looking for underage sex but instead got a 50 year vacation.... and talk and WRITE about it a LOT. Funny, I know you know this, but here you are trying to have other people do YOUR job. Yeah, it would be great if people would get more involved and MAYBE when they actually see YOU doing something, you will then get the hotels, rent-a-cars, taxi drivers and tour operators on-board and they will be more apt to HELP you. BUT until you BITE, they're NOT going to feel obligated to BARK....know what I mean?

More RELATED INFO:

- Legal AGE to do STUFF in Costa Rica

- OUR VIDEO about Prostitution in Costa Rica

- Drugs in Costa Rica

- Prostitution / Gambling in Costa Rica

- Sex and Strip Clubs in Costa Rica

TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 Oh, and we also have all the INFO about GAY Travel in Costa Rica. ENjoY!

Costa Rica- the accolades CONTINUE

Costa Rica- the Greenest, Happiest, Cleanest and MOST environmentally friendly Country on the Planet, where even reportedly, the SHIT doesn't STINK.
In April of this year, Costa Rica was said to be the fifth CLEANEST country on the planet. It has also been known for quite some time to be the most environmentally friendly country as well... and dare we forget Costa Rica, the Nicoya Peninsula in particular, is now HOME to one of the coveted Blue Zones. But not only CLEAN, BLUE and environmentally friendly, NOW, Costa Rica is also the 'Happiest' and 'Greenest' country on the GLOBE according to the folks at, ‘The New Economics Foundation.’ Apparently these folks have MONEY and extra time on their hands since they looked at 143 countries, and devised an equation which evaluates life expectancy and people’s happiness against their environmental impact. Who knew?

This is one of the WORST things that could have happened to Costa Rica.

The marketing machine that IS Costa Rica has already SUCCESSFULLY linked and made itself synonymous with the following words and phrases over the years:

Green, self-sustainable, Paradise, organic, environmentally friendly, Slice of Heaven, Happy, carbon neutral country, Pura Vida, clean, Blue Zone, Simple life, Blah, Blah, Blah.

These words will also be the eventual downfall of Costa Rica (mark my words) as they can’t possibly live up to this ‘Garden of Eden’ type status they’ve created for themselves in the long haul. Not that I'm hoping things don't really CHANGE for the BETTER.

There are a FEW of us who do CARE and will expose this farce, this ‘creative marketing’ for what it is- But not to merely BAD mouth the country, that is NEVER my intent, but to educate and wake UP people to what’s REALLY happening.... and conversely what needs to be done to be TRULY environmentally friendly and GREEN and self-sustainable, and organic and BLUE and……………….. happy.

PERCEPTION is not necessarily REALITY.

This perception of being ‘clean’, environmentally friendly ETC. will loll the masses into complacency about what’s really HAPPENING in the countries oceans, rivers and rainforests. This marketing technique of, ‘Paradise on EARTH’ is working a little too well, but have you seen what’s going on in places like Manuel Antonio, Jacó, Tamarindo and other popular tourist destinations- polluted rivers, deforestation, wildlife corridors blocked, over-building, illegal building, shark finning etc.

The Tico’s have been hearing these PURA VIDA slogans for so long, not only do they tend to believe them, but they REPEAT them and help spread the misconception, especially to the tourist types. Tico’s won’t like what I’m about to say, and of course I’m not saying ‘ALL’ Tico’s, but it seems to be TRUE that Tico’s often have their head in the sand as to the environmental ISSUES of their country. Content in an 'out-of-sight', 'out-of-mind' sort of way. No wonder they’re HAPPY.

Problem is, if Tico's don't think there's a problem, the issues that need to be addressed and changed just won't have the SUPPORT. If the awards and superlatives are the perception of the REAL Costa Rica, why fix it if it ain't broke?

What's the problem, I can't see SHIT from here?
One other thing.. and there’s also no denying this… Costa Rica’s BARK is much worse than their BITE, which has always been one of the main problems with all their self-sustainable, environmentally friendly BULLSHIT. Don’t get me started.

Costa Rica has DONE it, with even BIGGER results than they could have imagined. Say something long enough and people begin to BELIEVE and hence, the perception has become the reality… WORLD WIDE.

There’s TALK that even God wants to move here (he's heard a lot of good things). Which is cool, cause I got some land for SALE.

Like I said, this is one of the WORST things that could have happened.


Hey Everyone, we got TONS of Costa Rica Travel Information in our Travel Guide at Travel Costa Rica NOW and don't FORGET all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos, completely ORGANIZED so you can EASILY find what you're LOOKING for. ENjOY!

Costa Rica to Sea Turtles, "Piss OFF!"

Plight of the Sea Turtles- does Costa Rica give a F***?
Time and time again Costa Rica has shown it CANNOT Police itself and would rather wait until their hand is caught in the cookie jar… before actually enforcing their OWN laws to correct the problem. In this case- shrimp trawling and its effects on sea turtles. The United States stepped in and played the role of ‘Mother’- how embarrassing for Costa Rica… or is it? Here’s the latest:

“The United States decertified Costa Rica as a turtle friendly country (again) May 1. Margaret F. Hayes, acting deputy assistant secretary for oceans and fisheries for the United States, said that Costa Rican officials did not comply with their promise to take steps to sanction shrimp fishermen who do not use turtle excluder devices.”

The Punishment: The United States will not import Costa Rica shrimp for at least the next year. This is the 4th time since 1999 Costa Rica has been caught not enforcing their own laws- again, embarrassing, but VERY telling.

This is how it went down:

"In meetings with senior Costa Rican fisheries officials during the December 2008 certification visit, the State Department representative stressed that without rapid remedial action Costa Rica's certification might be compromised," she added. "Costa Rican officials were aware of the issue and promised to resolve it early in 2009. However, the United States Embassy in San Jose reports that since that December visit Costa Rican authorities have not taken all the action they promised."


*Before I continue I just want to SHOUT OUT to Randall Arauz and the folks at Pretoma (the organization for the preservation of sea turtles and sharks ) who I KNOW were instrumental in seeing this through. Keep up the GREAT work (it takes a village). BTW- they could really use your HELP, visit the link and find out how you can support Pretoma and help preserve the marine life that live off the waters of Costa Rica.

The remedy seems quite simple- Shrimp fishermen need to use turtle excluder devices, which are like trap doors built into shrimp trawl nets that let trapped turtles swim away… and for the ones that don’t use the device- LAWS need to be enforced. So, what’s the problem?

'You mention COST... you have no IDEA.'
Let’s BREAK this down: This is the 4th time in ten years Costa Rica has been caught not enforcing their own laws by the United States… again. HELLOOOOOOOOO.

The Costa Rican powers that be know what they’re doing, they can’t be this stupid, so I call, “BULLSHIT”. I’m thinking the Costa Rican government doesn’t really CARE what the United States does- the non-enforcement of these LAWS must be WORTH it on some LEVEL- there’s no other explanation. Think about it, if you knew for a FACT you were getting a supposed ‘severe’ consequence for your actions (because you’d gotten 3 previously), would you change your behavior? You’d be STUPID not too…unless the consequence didn’t really affect you as it was intended. And really, they KNOW and KNEW ‘Mother’ and the folks at Pretoma were watching them. They KNEW they’d be caught AGAIN. The consequence of not importing shrimp from Costa Rica must not be severe enough-

I say Follow the Money, it's BIGGER somewhere else.
It’s like giving a kid a consequence of, “No fruitcake for a week”- but the kid doesn’t like fruitcake to begin with. Something's amiss.

Randall Arauz told me the powers that BE in Costa Rica often attempt to circumvent their OWN laws in order to keep the money FLOWING into Costa Rica (he was talking about the practice of SHARK FINNING as it pertains to the relationship between Costa Rica and the Taiwanese government). I guarantee this is much BIGGER and more political than turtles and sharks.

Money is always the bottom line. Here’s a breakdown of the so-called LOSSES to Costa Rica:

‘Costa Rica has exported at least 20,000 pounds of premium shrimp a month to the United States. That is shrimp with a retail price of nearly $200,000, according to news files.’

I guess I’m jaded, but that just doesn’t seem like a high number to me in the realm of things.

And I hate to complicate things and throw a wrench in the spokes, but seriously, this entire story could be BULLSHIT. Even the United States could be in on it… it’s not like manipulating a ‘situation’ for a variety of reasons is foreign to our neighbor to the north…. just sayin.

Bottom Line:

Costa Rica doesn't seem to mind a little 'egg on their face' because obviously in the long term, 'someone' or 'something' is getting MORE than they're LOSING.... and egg wipes off.

Because if not, that would mean Costa Rica is STUPID…

Costa Rica isn’t STUPID are THEY?

I know I posted this a few days ago, but personally, if ONLY 1 more person sees this who hasn't already, then it's worth it, and that '1' just may be the DIFFERENCE. My Interview with the president of Pretoma, Randall Arauz:



Hey Everyone, we got TONS of Costa Rica Travel Information in our Travel Guide at Travel Costa Rica NOW and don't FORGET all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos, completely ORGANIZED so you can EASILY find what you're LOOKING for. ENjOY!

Manuel Antonio National Park- Full of **IT

Manuel Antonio National Park is perhaps the #1 tourist destination in ALL Costa Rica, with places like La Fortuna, Tamarindo, Jacó and a few others- a couple steps behind. Manuel Antonio is like the Poster Boy for Costa Rica, the CREAM of the CROP, the successful SON, the CROWN JEWEL; but NOW it appears Manuel Antonio is about to be pushed off the pedestal- HARD! Why, because Costa Rica has shot itself in the FOOT (actually the FACE), yet again.

Here’s the Costa Rican NEWS today:

The Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio could be shut down the end of the month unless the Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Telecomunicaciones (Minaet) corrects a number of deficiencies signaled by the Área Rectora de Salud de Aguirre (local health department), following a visit to the park last week. Read FULL story here.

Read the story if you must, but it’s all about SHIT; shit in the ocean, shit in the lagoons all around Manuel Antonio National Park- nothing but shit, shit, shit. There’re also a few problems with ‘exceeding park capacity,’ and ‘junk vehicles found in some of the trails,’ but mostly SHIT, and ‘flowing’ from the RANGER STATION- are you fuck’in kidd’in ME.

This story disgusts me. There’s nothing to say, and I don’t want to even THINK about the implications- let’s just say if this is happening in Manuel Antonio, what about the Parks and places around the country that don’t get as much ‘PLAY,’ or have the resources Manuel Antonio has been privy to over the years. And don’t get me started about the Eco-friendly, GREEN, Self-Sustainable, ‘BULLSHIT moniker’s,' Costa Rica has been waving in the AIR the last 10 years or so in order to entice the eco-tourist, they’re obviously not SERIOUS about this SHIT. pun intended.

I DON’T GET IT. It’s not, “What are you thinking?” it’s “Are you thinking?”

I want to SEE HEADS ROLL.

I want SWIFT ACTION.

I just want the SHIT to stay in Jacó where it belongs.

Related Articles:

Lookin Both Ways - another POST about Costa Rica shooting themselves in the HEAD.
Our REVIEW of Manuel Antonio National Park
GAY Manuel Antonio

Democracy at WORK

A day after the elections and I couldn't be more disappointed. I knew it was going to happen, hell, I predicted it months ago. It's just so difficult, not really difficult per se, but saddens me in this day and age of the 21st century, that ignorant, misguided folks have a say in the direction the country is going. Like THEY would know. You should have to take a test in order to vote, because a group of stupid people can really shake shit up, and as it turns out, that's exactly what happened. I don't really feel bad for myself, I live in Costa Rica and while it's true what happens in the States does effect the rest of the world, I conduct my daily affairs accordingly, and don't really change anything in particular regardless of what people in the States might be doing.

But the votes have been counted and the people have spoken- the very essence of Democracy at work............. stupid, ignorant motherf***ers, no wonder the Clinton's and the Cheney's and the McCain's of the world have to do a little manipulation to govern. You gotta make the little ignorant f**k believe he's somehow important, but keep that ignorance confined to small groups so they don't get any real power- divide and conquer if you will. Well, this time all those little ignorant f***s got together....

We have to be the laughing stock of the civilized world. I know they're snickering, I can hear them now, "Look at those dumbass Americans, they think they're so intelligent and patriotic- arrogant, cocky, judgmental, puritanical hypocrites, pretending Democracy works for the minority as well as the majority.......Democracy my ass."

All I can say is Yeah, Proposition 8 passed banning gay marriage; so speaks California and now we're another 15 years behind, and I can only wonder why these little Bible thumping, hypocritical, ignorant f***s, give a rip who I FUCK. Yeah, I said it.........I know what you're thinking, "peas and carrots, peas and carrots, La La La La La, La La La, I can't HEAARRR you."

* That said, it is a little disconcerting to know that the supporters of Prop 8 (by their own admission) focused their attentions and manipulations on the huge Hispanic community, understanding full well the majority of Hispanics being steeped in the Catholic religion and still very traditional in their thinking, would surely support the ban. They were right. They came out in droves. The Latin American community in Costa Rica is much the same way, similar to the mores of the States back in the '60's. That does concern me. But as the picture indicates, it could definitely be WORSE! But you know something, you'll have to string us up on cranes, we're not going away (Gays are everywhere) and in approximately 15 years this will be a moot issue and you'll all appear as the bigoted, neanderthals we always knew you were, I just wish you'd keep the white sheet over your heads so we know who you are. btw- I don't recall voting on your marriage.

Related Articles:

GAY Costa Rica- Same Sex Marriage Revisited
GAY Costa Rica- the Gay Traveler
Gay Traveler vs Living Gay in Costa Rica
Gay Discrimination at Rufino's in La Fortuna
Gay Friendly? Gay Tolerant? Gay Smart!

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Next President (NOT)

I guess it just wouldn't be right not to blog about this momentous occasion taking place in the United States. So, I guess I'll weigh in.......from my little apartment in La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

I don't trust the government and I have no faith in the political process. I also don't believe politicians are working in my best interest and I believe there's a mountain of evidence which supports me on this. But I'm not mad, I take responsibility for my life and live accordingly. I do what I want. I don't hurt others or interfere in their life and I expect the same in return. If we're like minded, then maybe we can play together, and hell, bring your toys- if not, take them back to your house- it's all good. I am responsible for my situation at any given time, if not, that makes me a victim. Victims are a sad lot. That's pretty much it, and yeah, it's as simple as that.

The political process is broken. We are NOT a democracy, maybe a oligarchy or plutocracy, but definitely not a democracy....whatever. I don't get caught up in the game played in the media by choosing sides. This is a ruse in order for you to feel involved by choosing a team, like it matters. It doesn't, but it's nice to think so. We are manipulated and only receive the information that is intended, we never know the complete picture. And without having ALL the information, how can we possibly come to some sort of opinion, or choose someone that speaks for us. Money runs the show, that's it. But I'm not mad...........really. I live in Costa Rica, I came to grips with this a long time ago.

"But if we ALL work together and quit the bi-partisan politics and cut government spending and concentrate on creating a better quality of life for everyone by creating jobs and cutting taxes we can be the blueprint for the rest of the world. And not only that- I work for you, not big business.... blah, blah, blah" GEEEZZ, never heard this before. Do you honestly believe it's any different this time around? Although Obama does give a hell of a speech....

If I had to vote,,,,well, you see the pic. Two words- Central Bank

This is what I believe- WATCH IT and spread the word- Let's really make a change! Click here! to make a change.

If you need Costa Rica Travel Information then CHECK OUT our travel guide at: Travel Costa Rica NOW and see all our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos on YouTube.

F*** AM Costa Rica

I must say, I have a lot less respect for AM Costa Rica (they are an internet news source for Costa Rica), see article here And NOT just because they endorse John McCain for president, it's their reasoning. Take a look and see what you think. Note: the italics were obviously added by ME. Here’s what they said:

There is a long tradition of newspaper endorsements of candidates, even though the impact, if there is any, remains unclear. (You endorsed Bush, and his impact has been very clear.)

Still A.M. Costa Rica strongly endorses John McCain, (WOW, big surprise you choose McCain, hopefully you're readers don't give a rip what you think.) the Arizona senator, for president of the United States. We urge others to follow our reasoning and cast their votes the same way. (Your dots are so abstract they don’t even recognize each other in order to connect.)

John McCain has his faults and some baggage. (Admit he has problems in order to act as if you're not bias, well,we all do, how about being a little more specific.) But John McCain is a proven patriot whose vision of America is of a strong beacon of freedom and personal liberty. (There’s millions of proven patriots and I also have a vision of a strong America- please tell me there’s more prerequisites for becoming president of the United States.)

We would be happy to endorse his opponent as a premier used car salesman. (As an editor, you should know what an Ad hominem argument is- which is a fancy way to say, ‘cheap, personal attack.’) After 45 years in the newspaper business, the editor knows slick, (just because Obama gives a better speech?) and that is what is being marketed by the Democratic campaign. (They don’t market him as ‘slick,’ they market him as ‘hope,’ big difference.) He has seen candidates raise false hope. (Yeah, I guess you’re right- only Democrats do that.) His first presidential vote was for John Kennedy. (Dating yourself are we? I’ll bet the only thing you’ve changed in the last 48 years is your underwear.) JFK's inexperience almost got the United States into a nuclear war. (No harm, no foul, and besides, many people believe he diverted a nuclear war, not almost got us into one.)

The editor also covered the Great Society and Medicaid, the current budget busters. (Could this editor be any more partisan; but he’s the true expert, maybe HE should run for president.) He learned that government is not the solution. (Under whose presidency did you learn this?) The solution always is the hard work, enterprise and creativity of Americans of whatever color. (How very republican of you. This is an untrue statement and does not necessarily make for a positive outcome. Furthermore, it's usually uttered by people who don’t understand the meaning of an uneven playing field.)

The Me-Me Generation has risen to some degree of influence in the United States. (I think you were trying to say this- Big Business has risen to prominent influence in the United States.) The wholesale thefts and frauds that hit the country financial system show that. (Again, big business.) The need now is for personal courage and honesty, not some supergovernment, leftist quick fix. (How about collective accountability and I don’t remember anyone saying anything was going to happen overnight.)

This endorsement is sure to provoke whines from the disaffected expats who cut and ran. (Are you insinuating the gringo’s that live in Costa Rica aren’t affected, or that we’re just losers who couldn’t make it in the good ‘ol US of A?) America does not cut and run. (That’s because we always think we’re right.) America finishes what it starts, (I understand this reasoning- I know when I make a mistake, I just keep going and act as if I didn’t.) including efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Obvious, a problem- not like you’re going out on a limb mentioning Afghanistan. Now, if you would have said ‘Russia,’ that would have been edgy.) America does not sit down with second-rate, authoritarian dictators. (Yeah, because what we’ve been doing so far has been working so well.) America does not whimper and beg pardon from the world for being great. (This statement is the very reason we have a marketability problem- look up the word ethnocentrism and get a clue.)

Given the options, George Bush was the best choice.(Hate to tell you, but George is going to go down in history as possibly the worst president in US history………… wanna bet?) But now the nation needs a coordinated, uniform effort to reinforce the cornerstone principles of America. (Thanks for defining those ‘principles’ for us, and I love the word ‘cornerstone-’ so apple pie.) And voters do not need to open the door to the terrorists and racists who seek to prove their hatred of the country. (We are NOT the world police, why can’t we worry about the people that live here for awhile and practice what we preach, we are not spreading democracy, we just want the damn oil.)

I need to be clear: I don’t endorse either candidate as I have no faith in the political system, but that’s not the point. This is the most poorly written drivel I’ve seen in a long time. Generality after generality- lame at best...just sayin.

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