Random Thoughts: October Edition

—Nothing makes me more nostalgic than autumn. Despite making great friends up here, the Gang is missed.

—I'm going to Raleigh in mid-January and I am pumped! I haven't been that way in a while and it'll be great to see old, familiar faces.

—Wikileaks released an unprecedented amount of information about the Iraq war. But none of its content is getting legitimate coverage from the US media. That sucks.

—For the last seven years, if not longer, we the people were lied to. Hundreds of thousands of people, whether American, Iraqi, Afghani, have died. Who knows how many more were tortured. No one will be held accountable, and that is unacceptable.

—You know who else won't be held accountable? The white-collar criminals and their cronies who brought the economy to its knees. But you and me will get 10+ years for possessing an ounce of pot or more.

—Christopher Nolan has given us the title of his third Batman movie: The Dark Knight Rises. I like the implication in the title; in The Dark Knight, Batman became the Dark Knight. This may not be a persona he wants, but it's one he'll carry. Chris Nolan also revealed no Riddler, which I like. It opens the door to a lot of other great villains the movies and mainstream public haven't seen.

—I'm super-pumped for the Rally to Restore Sanity and for all my friends going. It ought to be a blast. And seriously, get Jon Stewart or someone to give me a call.

—Back to the Future's 25th anniversary has come and gone: on October 26th, 1985, Marty McFly went back in time to November 5th, 1955. Putting serious thought into it, this is probably my favorite trilogy of all time.

—Congrats to the Texas Rangers on their first World Series appearance. I may be a Yankees fan, but it'd be a lie to say anything other than Texas outplayed them.

—For the uninformed, I finally got a job. Forty hours a week, salary, benefits...An adult job.

—Did you hear Mitch McConnell of South Carolina say the Republicans' number one priority is keeping Barack Obama from getting a second term? It's great to know we have elected officials looking out for us and not their party. This is how I know the two-party system is broken, and why we need viable third-, fourth-, and fifth-parties.

—This upcoming election is crucial. Read this and tell your friends, parents, etc. Misinformation is everywhere and it's disturbing. There's no slant, no bias to facts. Use them.

—Speaking of this election, VOTE. Tell your friends, parents, enemies, frenemies, acquaintances, whoever! I don't care who you vote for, just that you are voting. If you're in California, might I suggest voting for Prop. 19 and against Prop. 23. The former legalizes possession of pot. The latter will cost billions of dollars in clean energy and jobs.

—The rumormill is a-churning: George Lucas is planning a new STAR WARS trilogy, well after the events of Return of the Jedi and with no connection to the Skywalker Saga. I can and will be OK with this if Lucas isn't writing or directing, and he surrounds himself by greater talents who will challenge his decisions.

—Once again, I <3 Rachel Maddow.

—Something to keep in mind when discussing/reading about politics, faith, discrimination, etc.: Be a skeptic. Just because it confirms your bias does NOT make it true. If it elicits a strong emotional response, take a step back and re-evaluate it. People are manipulators, regardless of political party, religion, etc. Keep you head up and eyes open.