The Daily Gut
Recently, Standing before a crowded church, Barack Obama revealed the cause of violence in our country. He said, “There’s a reason they go out and shoot each other, because they don’t love themselves. And the reason they don’t love themselves is because we are not loving them enough.”

So, okay - the reason people are shooting shopkeepers and cops is BECAUSE WE ARE NOT LOVING THEM ENOUGH.

Truthfully, I would love to follow Obama’s advice. IT’S JUST SO HARD TO HUG SOMEONE WHEN THEY’VE GOT A GUN IN YOUR FACE.

It’s amazing that some people still think low self esteem causes crime. The fact is, research shows that criminals have higher levels of self-esteem than anyone on the planet, including Star Jones.

The only thing worse than a real criminal is a pseudo-intellectual who refuses to understand the nature of evil. It’s the disease of modern society - a fear of judgment stemming from the conviction that moral relativism means no one should ever be convicted.

I guess by extension, that means that all sociopaths can be cured by “love.” Do you think we can get Musharaff to find Osama and give him a hug? Then maybe we can lay off of this whole “war on terror” thing. Maybe we can buy Ahmadinejad a warm puppy and he’ll reconsider obliterating Israel.
If only Hitler had gotten that fire engine for Christmas.

I wonder if Obama’s compassion extends to all by criminals? How about a neo-Nazi? A Klansman? Hey Obama, why not send David Duke a candygram?

Obama might be the first conceptual politician in history - offering a national platform based on statements coming off a coffee mug. One probably filled with chai tea.

That’s my gut feeling.

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Be sure to watch Red Eye on Fox News at 2am EST.

Candidates’ Names Are Tough in Chinese - Oddities - RedOrbit
BOSTON - Mitt Romney’s been called many things as he runs for president, but chances are “Sticky Rice” isn’t one of them.

That’s how his name might be read on some ballots, according to state Secretary William Galvin.

Galvin says the federal Justice Department is pressuring Boston election officials to translate candidates’ names into Chinese characters in precincts with prominent Chinese-speaking populations.

But there’s more than a little lost in translation, according to Galvin.

Since there’s no Chinese character for “Romney,” translators have resorted to finding characters that most closely match the sound of each syllable in the name.

The problem is that there are many different characters that could be used to match the sound of each syllable, and many different meanings for each character.

So Mitt Romney could be read as “Sticky Rice” or “Uncooked Rice.” Fred Thompson might be read as “Virtue Soup.” And Barack Obama could be read as “Oh Bus Horse.”

Galvin’s own name could be read at least two different ways, as “High Prominent Noble Educated” or “Stick Mosquito.”

But perhaps the most perplexing translation would be for Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s name, which could be read as “Sun Moon Rainbow Farmer” or “Imbecile,” or “Barbarian Mud No Mind of His Own.”

“To try to make rhymes or approximations in Chinese, you can have unintended negative meanings,” Galvin said. “It leads to confusion. You can render it with a good meaning or a bad meaning.”

To add to the confusion, Galvin said, the ballots have to be offered in two major Chinese dialects, Mandarin and Cantonese, leading to even more potential variations of candidates’s names.

But advocates for minority voting rights say Galvin’s objections are misdirected. If the translations are awkward, they say, the candidates should be free to offer variations, or look to the way Asian language newspapers already transliterate their names.

“We are looking to make sure Asian Americans are able to vote for their candidates of choice,” Glenn Magpantay, staff attorney of the New York-based Asian American Defense Fund, told the Boston Globe. “This is difficult to do when voters with limited English proficiency cannot find those candidates.”

Cynthia Magnuson, spokeswoman to the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said a system is needed to let voters with limited English vote without the aid of election monitors.

“This will allow them to vote independently,” she said.

Galvin said he supports translating the bulk of the ballots into Chinese as required by a 2005 agreement with the justice department, as long as the names of the candidates’ names remain in Roman letters.

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Why are these ballots in Chinese?