Rick Raw: Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Initiative Must be Stopped–It’s Time to Get Tough with Lying Ahmadinejad

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

It’s no secret that Iran has nuclear weapons ambitions. Everything they have done in the last ten years proves that this anti-American, anti-Israel Islamic state has been moving in that direction. Yet, their supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continue to lie about their intentions.

Just last week, Khamenei denied enriching uranium and thus taking steps to make a nuclear weapon, saying "these kinds of weapons of mass destruction are symbols of genocide and are, therefore, forbidden by our religion." He went on say that Iran is only interested in nuclear technology is for generating power. Right! He’s a lying sack of Islamic dung.

Undisputed Intelligence reports from America and Israel have contradicted Iran’s official denial for many months. We know, unequivocally, they’re building a nuclear weapon and may already have done it, and are now adapting it to their
missile systems.

My question is: Why the hell are we handling Iran with kid gloves? After all, Ahmadinejad has already stated that Iran will blow Israel off the face of the earth. Israel has no problem bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities, or sending special forces troops to sabotage Iran’s nuclear manufacturing plants. Israel’s very existence is at stake.

Yet, America is continuing its diplomatic initiative, which only gives Iran more time to finish their nuclear weapons program. Iran is just too dangerous to allow them to possess nuclear arms. Would they use a nuclear weapon to bomb Israel? It’s possible. More likely, they would use their nuclear might to pressure Israel and America for concessions.
It’s time to stop talking to Iran and scuttle their nuclear program by any means necessary.

Besides, Iran has ties with al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. It’s political infrastructure is in turmoil with continuing protests and uprisings. How would Iran secure its nuclear weapons in such a volatile atmosphere? The military could secretly sell their nuclear arms to terrorist groups, who would use them against the West.

No one wants a full-fledged war with Iran, but we have the capability to eliminate their nuclear weapons initiative with smart bombs and missiles delivered by drones and ships. Hit them at the heart of their nuclear facilities and force them to capitulate.

Former IAEA weapons inspector David Albright told CNN that Iran’s behavior "has to make you worry more about a potential conflict. They’re pushing on things that make them look like they’re going for nuclear weapons, and that’s risky. If they go much further, they may bring an attack on themselves by Israel. Iran needs to be more careful about its actions."

Indeed, but read between the lines. Iran is pushing to gain concessions by taking they’re ambitions to the limit and beyond. They’re practically daring Israel to attack them.

The bottom line: Israel does not intend to let Iran obtain nuclear weapons–period. They are on the verge of an all out attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. We, of course, would have to back Israel and it could develop into a nasty war.

So be it, if that what it takes. There are already too many nuclear weapons on Earth. We can’t allow Iran to posses them. For them to continue to lie isn’t helping their cause.

Rick Raw: John Mayer Should Shut Up and Concentrate on Music–Another Rock Star is Exposed as a Whiny Jerk

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

Over the years I’ve interviewed innumerable so called "rock stars" and found them to be self-absorbed and suffering from fits of self esteem. Yes, I loathe rock idols for buying into their own hype and behaving like the world owes them something.

Not surprisingly, they turn out to be snitty creeps who have nothing to contribute to society and wallow in their own bloated ego. Yet, they get filthy rich and live hedonistic lifestyles. And, if they live, they end up blithering idiots in their old age, like Ozzy Osbourne.

Lately, another rock star jerk, John Mayer has received an avalanche of negative press for his mouth problem–saying anything thing that comes to his mind, offering way too much information about himself. His "Playboy Magazine" interview is now infamous.

For some inexplicable reason, female movie stars are drawn to rock stars Women love the bad boy demeanor and rock stars exude it in spades. But notice they never stay with their rock star boyfriend. He’s too much in love with himself to share that love with his partner.

Recently, Mayer became the tabloid darling de jour for dating a gaggle of starlets, such as, Jennifer Anniston and Jessica Simpson, then dissing them in his "Playboy" interview, in which he called Simpson "sexual napalm."

In an incredibly stupid moment, Mayer used the N word when babbling about the fact that he hadn’t dated a black woman. Then he compared his genitals to a white supremacist. He prattled on by telling "Playboy" readers that he is a chronic masturbator–like his fans really wanted to know that.

In a Feb. 10th concert in Nashville, Mayer promised to "quit the media game," and return to doing what he does best, playing guitar and writing songs. But, between songs he babbled more gibberish about his music being about relationships ad nauseam.

The guy just won’t shut up about himself. A "Rolling Stone" photo depicted Mayer with his left arm covered with tattoos portraying a cliche sex-idol image. Funny, that photo was the talk of the gay community.

What happens to these musicians when they ascend to the top of the music business? In Mayer’s case, he’s so taken with himself he can’t help but talk about it. During a typical John Mayer concert, the girls on the front row dream about going back to his bus and giving themselves to their rock-god. All teenage girls go through their rock star phase. It’s a type of temporary insanity, driven by raging hormones.

Interestingly, all rock gods and mega-groups drew hordes of screaming teenage girls. The Beatles couldn’t hear themselves perform in many of their stadium concerts in the U.S. because of the high decibel level of screaming girls. They were mobbed everywhere they traveled.

Ditto for Elvis, who pioneered the screaming teenage girls phenomenon. His pelvic thrust was considered too vulgar to show on television. But the teenage girls in his audiences knew what it meant and every time he’d thrust his hips, girls fainted from sexual hysteria and yelled "give it to me, baby."

After the Elvis generation of young women grew up, they got married to accountants and became the Donna Reed generation–bored housewives wishing they found their Elvis, who could make them scream like banshees when that wicked pelvic thrust sent them to Venus.

John Mayer is just another boring rock star jerk who joins a rogue’s gallery of dumbasses relying on their good looks as their main reason for being. Mayer’s music is sometimes inspired, but he plays a lot of covers to make up for his lack of original songs.

Mayer just doesn’t have the passion that matches his talent. But he sure loves himself. My advice to Mayer: Shut up and use the energy you burn up on talking about yourself to write more songs.

Rick Raw: Tea Party Tart–Sarah Palin Having Delusions of Grandeur

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

There she goes again, Sarah Palin is having delusions of grandeur. In an interview with "Fox News Sunday," Palin said," If I believed that that (running for President) is the right thing to do for our country and for the Palin family, I would do it."

Yes, the Tea Party Tart is positioning herself as a presidential candidate, using the new Tea Party hoopla as a platform to ride on this tsunami of right wing anger right into the White House.
After her interview with "Fox News," Palin addressed the Tea Party Convention as keynote speaker, which cost attendees $500 a pop.

Palin goes on to say, "I think that it would be absurd to not consider what it is that I can potentially do to help our country. I won’t close the door that perhaps could be open for me in the future."

The sad truth is: Palin may actually have a chance at winning the presidency in 2012 by aligning herself with the Tea Party agenda. Having Palin speak at the first Tea Party convention was an effort to legitimize the movement into a political force with Palin as their new age Joan of Arc.

The Tea Party is a grass roots movement that grew out of the discontent with Obama’s agenda of big spending, more taxation, and big government–GOP mantras. However, the Tea Party evolved from the shattered middle class who are jobless and lost their homes in the economic apocalypse--Democratic bastions.

Basically, the Tea Party is an independent group who are disgusted with both parties. Enter Tea Party savior, Sarah Palin to lead the "revolution." Onward Palin soldiers into the hellish wind of Obama’s perfect storm, she raves like an evangelist.

"The movement grew out of common sense conservative principles.... and was a call to action to change the way both parties do business. America is ready for another revolution and you are a part of this," Palin said to a standing ovation.

Palin deftly tapped into the Tea Party’s group consciousness by referencing the upset victory of Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts special election to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. She told the crowd that the Obama administration should stop lecturing and start listening. (another standing ovation)

She flew into the Tea party convention like a hawk diving onto its prey. She rebel-roused the attendees with her ah-shucks, down home charm of the Alaskan hunter who recently stalked her prey and laughs at adversity.

Yes, Little Miss Alaskan Sunshine uses her every-woman persona to get inside her audience’s heads with her witches potion of simple rhetoric, tales of shooting a moose, tending to her brood, and telling the anger addled Tea Party group what they want to hear.

Then she hits them with her best shot. "If Obama continues on the path that he has America on today, he’s not going to win," Amen, preacher lady. She then tells the crowd," now send me your crippled people and I will heal them with my magic wand of home-spun wisdom. Then I’ll turn rocks into fish.

Given that the Tea Party is intrinsically a non-political group trying to be a political force, Palin’s style suits them to a tee. Men want to fuck her–women want to be her.

And so, Palin has risen from obscurity to a strange energy force who is influencing a segment of the far right who want to break away from the two party system. She’s an unpredictable maverick on the loose. Who knows where she’ll pop up next.

The Tea Party is a perfect platform for the mighty Palin-transformer who should never be underestimated. I may loathe her, but I would never count her out as a possible presidential candidate in 2012. Stranger things have happened, like W’s two terms.

Rick Raw: Toyota Loses Customer Confidence–Greed Driven Cost Cutting Results in Lower Quality Cars

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

After the news broke of Toyota’s sticking gas pedal recall, affecting millions of the company’s best selling cars, the mighty Japanese automobile maker had to shut down production and the sale of its inventory. The manufacturing titan went from selling the most popular car in the world, the Camry, to dead-in-the-water, overnight.

As of Feb. 1, Toyota announced that it is sending out repair kits to Toyota dealerships. Now, the owners of millions of cars will have to get on a long waiting list to get their cars repaired at their dealership.

Meanwhile, Toyota owners have three choices: Either wait in line (it take months) for an appointment to get their car fixed, park it and rent a car, or trade it in for an American car. For the largest car company in the world, this is a mega-disaster–a nuclear explosion of public relations.

It will take thousands of man hours to fix over 4 million cars already on the road. Worse still, Toyota dealers can’t sell their inventory of cars with the defective gas pedals until they are modified, after they fix the customers cars.

The gas pedal issue uncovered Toyota’s surreptitious campaign to expand as a profit motive–a purely greed driven decision. To do this, the company decided to start using cheaper parts from suppliers other than the one’s they had used in the past. The consequences of this bonehead move by Toyota’s top executives has lowered the quality of the Toyota brand–it’s number one selling point.

To boost profits, Toyota’s beady-eyed bean counters went on a frenzy of cost cutting measures without considering the consequences of wrecking their reputation for quality and dependability. The result was, since 2007, Totoya has been selling an inferior product, unbeknownst to their loyal customers.

Indeed, the gas pedal problem is just the tip of the iceberg. Owners are suddenly asking: What other sub-standard parts are lurking under the hood and body that might fail before the car has 25,000 miles. Now the company is faced with a catastrophe of mammoth proportions.
Pissed off Toyota owners are trading in their now unsafe hunks of steel for Fords and GM cars.

Ford sales are up by 25%. More significantly, people like Ford products because the company has worked hard to convince people that quality is indeed job one, and unlike GM, Ford did not take any bailout money. However, it’s taken American auto manufacturers decades to overcome their reputation for selling poor quality cars.

Toyota’s dirty little secret is rooted in lowering costs. The company moved more parts-buying overseas, away from their quality Japanese suppliers. Now, customers can see the result by comparing older Toyotas with today’s models. But it’s what you don’t see that’s worrying.

Yeah, now that Toyota has been caught cheating, the company assures its customers it will look through all its new models’ parts’ lists for potential problems caused by cost-cutting and find a fix. Right! It’s too late, most Toyota owners will get rid of their cars and buy American.

Toyota’s CEO, James Burke should step up and accept responsibility and apologize, vowing to start from scratch to rebuild Toyota’s reputation for quality and dependability. Even if that happens, It will take years to overcome this scandal.

The only way Toyota can get itself out of this mess is to reboot its manufacturing process and press the quality issue. Then, they should own up to their unwise cost cutting decision and move on. Otherwise, the brand will die a slow, agonizing death.