AK Yams WTF Moments of the Week: Have you driven a private jet lately?

WTF?

In a fit of what New York Congressman Gary Ackerman called “delicious irony,” the CEOs of Ford, Chrysler and GM flew their private jets to Washington DC to plead for a bailout for the struggling auto makers.

This is like panhandling on the street with Waterford Crystal. Seriously, are these guys that clueless? The following are statements from company spokespeople:

GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson: “Making a big to-do about this when issues vital to the jobs of millions of Americans are being discussed in Washington is diverting attention away from a critical debate that will determine the future health of the auto industry and the American economy.”

Chrysler spokeswoman Lori McTavish: “While always being mindful of company costs, all business travel requires the highest standard of safety for all employees.”

You can have your trained monkeys make pre-written excuses all you want, but it’s clear that you have absolutely no regard for anyone whatsoever. A private jet is the only way to secure high standard of safety? Really? You’re CEOs of car companies, not sports stars or musicians; no one will recognize you or care that you’re on the plane, unless you deliberately call attention to yourself. There’s absolutely no justification for not taking a commercial flight like a normal person. Case and point, these are not normal people. They probably don’t even see how this is even an issue. They’ve lost all of their human attributes except for greed and self-interest which are the sole things that drive them.

AK Yams

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AK Yams WTF Moments of the Week: Porn? NO! Violence? YAY!

God Bless America.

This is probably old news by now, but I’ll post it anyhow.

Kevin Smith’s latest feature film, “Zach and Miri Make a Porno” was banned by Megaplex Theaters in the state of Utah. Megaplex is contolled by Utah Jazz principal owner and entertainment mogul Larry Miller. The film depicts nudity and strong sexual content which was deemed too morally reprehensible to be screened. Meanwhile “Saw V,” which is “rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity” by the MPAA is playing.

I’ve always wondered about this. “Fight Club” which has graphic scenes of violence, including massive amounts of blood, was on regular cable TV the other day; it was unedited except for the language. Why is it that realistic violence is OK, but profanity and nudity is not? Miller, a devout Mormon, also created controversy when he pulled “Brokeback Mountain” from Megaplex Theaters after learning that the film involved a homosexual romance story. Movies that have scenes with graphic violence are routinely shown, but even the slightest nipple appearance is blurred out in any film.

I understand people not wanting their children to see hardcore sex scenes, but that should be up to individual families. Why do some of the same people that complain about the government wanting to take their guns away want to control the media with censorship? It doesn’t add up.

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AK Yams’ WTF Moments of the Week

Hello, readers. Welcome to a new segment called “AK Yams’ WTF Moments of the Week.” This column will be dedicated to pointing out moments that make sane people say “WTF?” Hope you enjoy!

President-Elect Barack Obama is already helping to stimulate the economy. According to MSNBC, faced with the prospect of stiffer gun-control laws under an Obama administration, firearm enthusiasts everywhere began stocking up on weapons as if Al-Qaeda themselves were docking in downtown Boise.

Listen, I understand people hunt; many Americans in rural America rely on firearms to hunt game which feed their families. I understand people have an infatuation with guns and collect them; just like I have a guitar collection. What I have trouble understanding is the notion that if everyone had guns, people would be safer and random shootings would not happen because potential shooters would be aware of the consequences. Another common opinion is that automobiles can kill people too, so why are people allowed to drive cars if we can’t have guns? This logic is so backwards that it’s hard to know where to start.

First of all, the primary function of an automobile is to get from Point A to Point B. When someone is killed along the way, we call it an ‘accident.’  When guns kill people, they are serving their primary function, regardless of the circumstances. The purpose of a gun is to shoot and kill someone or something. There’s no argument there. That’s what guns are for.

Secondly, assuming that we’d all be safer if trained, licensed firearm owners carried weapons is also a bit disconcerting. What’s to stop a trained, licensed firearm carrier from opening fire in a public place over an argument, misunderstanding, or any kind of occurrence as opposed to throwing a punch? There is no doubt that there are responsible gun…

Now What!?

In case you didn’t catch the news last night or today, Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama is now President Elect Barack Obama. Mission accomplished, right? Now it’s time to move forward, because there’s a steaming pile waiting to greet him at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

(Reasonable) McCain supporters: You voted for a candidate and he lost. I’m sure you have your reasons and I respect that, even though I disagree with you. Maybe you have a certain level of income that could be threatened under an Obama administration, you are adamantly opposed to abortion, or you support the war in Iraq. I can’t identify, but once again, I have to respect your opinions and political stance.

[Un(Reasonable)] McCain supporters: You can’t even begin to fathom how 52% of America voted for a socialist with no record or experience; they must have been either tricked by his empty promises or have felt like it was the politically correct thing to do. I’ve seen posts all over the place with people saying that Obama is not their president, or they’ll never recognize Obama as president (kind of like how terrorist organizations refuse to recognize Israel’s existence despite the obvious reality). Hopefully, you will calm down and realize that Obama is in fact pro-America and deeply cares for all of her citizens. People are expecting some level of extreme leftism out of Obama, but I really feel like he’s going to be more left-center. He may disappoint conservatives for being too liberal, but he will also disappoint liberals for not being liberal enough.

Whether you agree with Barack Obama or not, you cannot deny the fact that he succeeded in inspiring millions of people and created unprecedented excitement for a presidential candidate. It wasn’t because poor people think they’re going to get free money, but because he…

What? No ‘I Voted’ Sticker!?

It was still dark when I awoke this morning at 6 AM to cast my vote for President of the United States. The second ward in Montclair, New Jersey votes at a nursing home recreation room whose entrance lies unmarked across from an auto-body shop. The small room is packed with people considering this hour of the morning. Voters make their way around a pool table situated in the middle of the tiled floor to verify their identities. Then go to the back of the next line, which is growing by the minute, mainly a result of the single ballot machine tucked into a corner surrounded by library books.

Maybe it’s my own feelings about this particular election or the shock to my body of getting up earlier than usual and breaking my routine of wake up, shower, train, subway, work, but there is definitely a buzz that has not been present in my previous experiences with the whole election process. The staff working at this particular polling location all seemed to agree that this is the biggest turnout they have ever witnessed. Over one hundred people had already voted before 6:30. I can only imagine what it will look like when the after-work crowd shows up.

I suppose the prospect of “my candidate” winning is also doing something for me. My previous two selections fell at the hands of the worst President our country has ever seen. Even so, I felt more strongly about Bush not winning than Gorebot 2000 or Frankenstein in 2004. The fact that Obama has a legitimate shot and is actually the favorite going in to today makes it a different experience.

There is no doubt that the importance of an individual vote is diminished by the Electoral College system. If for no other reason than because people…