The Meat of the Matter

2006-10-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Surprise!

The Meat of the Matter is moving over to Wordpress. Blogger has served me well for these past years, but I'm tired of needing three services to manage one blog (Blogger, HaloScan, Blogroller). Plus, the old blog was starting to look tired, and my template was so heavily modified that one change could mess it all up. Please re-point your browsers to http://meatofthematter.wordpress.com See ya there!

2006-10-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

Calling For Reinforcements

My Blog needs a shot in the arm. We seem to be arguing with only one person, so I am going to reach out and try to find some really big Conservative guns to come in here and help Todd out. Otherwise, we just end up slinging poo at each other, and that is frankly a waste of my time. I want us to get some serious debate going with people who have the time and inclination to do research, and back up the Conservative stance with some meat. Stay tuned for some major renovations.

2006-10-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Gas Prices and Elections

Two primary forces drive the price of anything: supply and demand. Demand for gasoline has been rising exponentially--not merely due to the popularity of SUVs in North America, but mostly by the emergence of India and China on the world stage and their subsequent need for petroleum products. Reflexively, the supply is decreasing and fixed. No economist in his right mind can tell you that the price of oil will go anywhere but up. This is not the President's fault, although temporary issues in the Middle East certainly don't help. Furthermore, the recent decrease in the price of oil can also not be credited to the President. Or can it? The price of gas fluctuates largely based on reserves. The amount of oil in reserve is based on reports from major suppliers--Saudi Arabia being the largest. These reports are easily manipulated, and frankly, Saudi Arabia holds the keys to the kingdom when it comes to temporary fluctuations in the price of a barrel of crude. It just so happens that the Bush family is extremely good friends with Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia. In fact, there is historical precedent to assume that today's gas prices are the result of manipulations intended to influence the upcoming election. I don't have to go very far back to show the history here. I only have to go back to the last election in 2004. CNN reported, based on a Bob Woodward finding, that Prince Bandar agreed to temporarily increase production, which would increase the reserve and thus lower the price of oil--all for the purpose of getting President Bush re-elected. If you look at the chart, you'll see a fairly sharp dip in November of 2004. How fortuitous for the Republicans! Also, how fortuitous for the gas companies, since Republican policies allowed them to make record profits in January of 2005. After the 2004 election, the price jumped right back up and continued skyrocketing We see a similiar trend now. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what is going on.

2006-10-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Progressive Plans on Iraq

We DO need a plan to get out of Iraq. The majority of American people want us out of Iraq. The majority of Iraqi people want us out of Iraq. Yet, neither of our "representative" governments are in favor of getting us out of Iraq any time soon. Why is that? Because our current adminstration doesn't have a plan. Reflexively, I've oft heard it said that "the left has no plan" regarding how to handle the situation in Iraq. News soundbytes and bloggers who purport themselves to be in the know have parrotted the Right-Wing theory that The Left just wants to "cut and run". But how intelligent is this argument? It assumes that the Democrats have no exit plan, and that President Bush does. In fact, President Bush hasn't made it all that clear of what our objectives are. All I've heard is "When Iraq Stands up, We'll Stand Down." Well that's nifty, but what does it mean? What is the timetable? What are the steps we are taking to get them to stand up? What are the incentives? Answer: "They don't know." And the coup de grace: the Left has offered several plans. Earlier this year, one of them got a fairly united backing from the Democratic party. News of this can be found here and it is called "Strategic Redeployment" and seems to be a well-reasoned plan that takes many factors into consideration. Another--possibly even better--idea is to divide Iraq into three regions that would more accurately reflect the three distinct national cultures that Iraq has. Give each region the ability to govern itself according to its culture, and give the central government the reigns on the few areas of common interest. This plan makes a whole hell of a lot of sense. And it comes to us from Joe Biden ... a Democrat. The news media and the Bush-Koolaid-Drinkers have puppeted out the "cut and run" term so many times, that it has led many gullible Americans to believe that the Left has no plan. The fact is, we do. Bush is the one who has no plan. So when it comes to the word "plan" I can come to only one conclusion Inigo Montoya did: "I don't think that word means what you think it means."

2006-10-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

R ... The New Scarlet Letter

Would you trust your child with this man? In the dark of night, you turn your kitchen light on, and you see dozens of slimy little creatures run for the safety of darkness. Those aren't Cockroaches, they're Republicans! Senator Hastert, who winkingly approved of Sen. Foley's pedophilia, is finding people "accidentally" cancelling fundraisers for him. Some politcal ads for Republican Senators and Representatives are "accidentally" leaving out which party they are in. The party whose election slogan in 2000 was ... what was it? Compassion and decency? No, wait ... Morals and decency? Aw shucks, I've forgotten what their slogan was now. But these days Republicans were wishing it were something that held them to a slightly lower standard. Meanwhile, Bob Woodward has written a book that says that things in Iraq are much worse than the Bush Administration has been letting on. It's already in its 3rd printing and selling like hotcakes. And lastly, our President has slashed away at another American value called Habeas Corpus. Apparently, the situation in the world is so bad that people whom the President suspects are guilty, no longer have to be proven guilty. Oh wait ... it's been that way ever since he suspected Saddam was an Al Qaida kingpin with his finger poised over a button to launch WMDs against us. Well, those American values are out-of-date anyway. They were thought up in the 1700s and we live in a different time! 9/11! 9/11! Godspeed a Progressive majority.

2006-09-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Did Saddam Hussein Train Terrorists?

This topic keeps coming up. There are those who still believe that he did. Indeed, the "status quo" at one time was that this was true, and it helped justify the invasion of Iraq. I've since heard a number of times that these allegations were proven false, but didn't really do any research to dig up news articles. Even though the burden of proof lies with the people who claim that Hussein trained terrorists, I will help show the truth. We are, after all, the Meat of the Madness. First, a very compelling story came out from a defected army officer of Hussein's army that Saddam had worked with Al Qaida operatives, that they had a fuselage of a jetliner and were running training missions. This story was filled with details that just made it sound true, and was key in establishing a link between Hussein and Al Qaida, and helped garner anti-Saddam sentiment among American citizens that would pressure Congress into approving the war. If only it had been true. Later, as shown in an article printed in Knight-Ridder in March, 2004. "... many of the allegations came from the same half-dozen defectors, weren't confirmed by other intelligence and were hotly disputed by intelligence professionals at the CIA, the Defense Department and the State Department. "Nevertheless, U.S. officials and others who supported a pre-emptive invasion quoted the allegations in statements and interviews without running afoul of restrictions on classified information or doubts about the defectors' reliability." Knight-Ridder offers a mea cupla, admitting that they themselves ran some of the false news items as they were fed to them through governmental channels. "The articles made numerous assertions that so far haven't been substantiated 11 months after Baghdad fell [emphasis mine], including charges that ... Iraq trained Islamic extremists in the same hijacking techniques used in the Sept. 11 strikes and prepared them for operations against Iraq's neighbors and possibly the United States. Two senior U.S. officials said that so far no evidence has been found to substantiate the charge." The initial descriptions explicitly stated that biological weapons were found in fake water wells around Baghdad. No fake water wells have been found. There was an explicit detail that there was a laboratory under a Hospital. This was not found either. Judith Miller, who was the journalist who printed the testimony from the defector, had not replied to inquiries made by Knight-Ridder at the time this article was written. The testimony came to us via Ahmad Chalabi, a man with a long history of telling grand lies to governments, and whose organization (the INC) the CIA and State Department have long viewed as unreliable. As stated by Knight-Ridder, "U.S. intelligence officials have determined that virtually all of the defectors' information was marginal or useless, and that some of the defectors were fabricators or embellished the threat from Saddam." Ah but the lies had already achieved their goal. We were already occupying Iraq by the time they were uncovered, and the news cycles spent on the lies dwarfed the news cycles spent on uncovering the lies. So many Americans still believe the lies. There were other stories as well that implicated that Iraq trained terrorists. They were all (conveniently) completely unsubstantiated, like a hand-written note showing that Mohammad Atta was at the head of his class in terrorism training. The author and origin of the note, of course, are not verifiable. To wit, I once got an e-mail from the President of the United States. It turned out to be just my friend goofing around spoofing an e-mail address. Is it hard to believe that there were forces at work who wanted the US to invade Iraq? Was it hard for them to know that all they needed to do was concoct evidence that tied Iraq to 9/11? No, it wasn't hard, because the Cheney/Rumsfeld team were telescoping their intense search to find intelligence leading to this conclusion. It also made them susceptible to hoaxes. It also made it extremely easy for people with supportive evidence (even though it was unsubstantiated) to be ushered to the nearest news outlet at the beck and call of the Bush regime. Do I think Saddam was a good guy? Absolutely not. I think he was guilty of a host of crimes--however, harboring or training terrorists was not one of them. So, Saddam did not train terrorists. Anyone saying as much on this blog will be grilled to prove it.

2006-09-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah!

Jesus' image found in a dog's butt. Pardon me while I go repent.

2006-09-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Oh, Muslim ... nevermind

Even Emily Latella of Saturday Night Live could not have made this one up. They might correct it soon, but the headline reads "Berlin Opera Canceled Because Of Offensive Muslin Content." Uhh ... that should read "Muslim" folks. Muslin is a nice type of cotton fabric.

2006-09-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

A Lesson From The Dude

In puzzling over our situation in Iraq, I was reminded of a lesson from the greatest-of-all-movies, "The Big Lebowski." It was one of those moment where you smack your forehead and say "doh!" because the metaphor between our world situation is already clearly explained and solved in the prescient movie. It's been there all along, the message secretly hidden in a hilarious scene. In the movie, The Dude (Jeffery Lebowski, played by Jeff Bridges), and his best friend Walter, (played by John Goodman) represent George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. In a key scene in the movie, the Dude and Walter are trying to recover some stolen money. The Dude and Walter had done some pretty good police work, and determined that the car had been stolen by a juvenile delinquent named Larry Sellers. Larry Sellers represents Osama Bin Laden. The Dude and Walter go to Larry's house, and question him about his homework they found in the car, but Larry won't give up any information. So, in an effort to solve their problem, Walter makes another rash, albeit circumstantially very logical deduction. There is a shiny new corvette with the sticker still on it, out in the street in front of Larry's house. Walter assumes that Larry took their money and bought it. The car represents Iraq. Walter takes a baseball bat, and repeats the words "This is what happens when you fuck a man in the ass!" and beats the shit out of the corvette. This represents our attack and occupation of Iraq. Then, from a nearby house, comes the actual owner of the corvette. He is dark-skinned, foreign, and very very angry. He represents the rest of the world. He had not been angry before, but he is now, because we beat the shit out of the corvette (Iraq). So ... imagine you are Walter. You've just found out that you've beaten the shit out of the wrong car. And now you have a formidable enemy who is extremely angry. Do you, A) Attack the man, B) Keep beating up the Corvette because no one else has offered up any other plan, C) Calm down, get some In-&-Out burgers, and drive home.

2006-09-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

Thus Ends the Argument …

Today’s news should do it. A consensus view of all 16 U.S. Intelligence Agencies indicates what I have always suspected, but never had the expertise or ability to prove: the US occupation of Iraq is making Terrorism worse, not better. We attacked and occupied Iraq based on the assumption that they had WMDs and that Saddam Hussein had ties to Al’ Qaida. After both of these assumptions were proven false, the remaining argument for most war supporters was that we were waging War with Terrorism, and that our presence in Iraq was somehow aiding that effort. At that point, the argument became one of conjecture and assumption, and nobody could ever win. Well, now the case is closed. Our presence in Iraq has clearly been shown to be assisting terrorism. Their numbers are increasing; they are in more places, with newer, better and more destructive ideas—by using the chaotic Iraq as their training ground. It would seem to me that people who have clung to belief and supported Bush’s war should, at this point, concede that perhaps it turned out to be a bad idea after all. Bush claimed last week that the world is a safer place because we removed Saddam from power. That, it turns out, is incorrect. Our reasons for going in were wrong, and our reasons for staying were misguided. It’s almost October. Surprise.

2006-09-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Generalissimo Bush

You can see the quote here. Bush said last November "We do not torture." You can even watch the video of him saying these words. He was lying. Sen. McCain tried to introduce an anti-torture bill. Dick Cheney, a member of the Executive Branch that said "We do not torture" urged Republican Senators to vote down McCain's bill. Why? Because we do torture. Rumsfeld has been a major proponent of torture because he believes it works. Bush said he would veto McCain's bill. Then Bush realized he was be politically isolated if he stood against this. So Bush, the man who repeatedly claimed he did not make decisions based on other people's opinion, changed his mind and signed the bill. When doing so, he acted as if it were his idea all along by saying "This legislation will now 'make it clear to the world that this government does not torture and that we adhere to the international convention of torture, whether it be here at home or abroad." But here's the rub. Torture has been illegal since we agreed to the UN Bill against it in 1988. Whatever. Can we please get this dirty man out of our nice clean White House? "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety" - Benjamin Franklin

2006-09-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

The Happiest Sweatshop on Earth

I used to work for Disney. I learned a lot about Walt Disney when I worked there, and he was a truly great man. However, I believe his organization has lost some of its lustre since Walt's passing. When I worked there, it felt more corporate than all the corporate jobs I've had since. There was constantly a feeling of "write or die" among us writers, and we all knew the axe above our necks could fall any moment. Eventually it did. But Disney's dedication to profits has been proven. Their lack of corporate responsibility is equally shown in light of a few recent news events. First, they've been accused of labor abuses in China. When being audited by concern groups, they offer to pay workers to help them cover up the truth. According to the group's latest findings, workers at the three factories are underpaid and receive an hourly wage of 2.19 yuan to 3.41 yuan, instead of the legal wage requirement of 4.02 yuan to 4.12 yuan per hour. "Some of the workers are forced to work up to 14 hours every day and 30 days a month, and all of them are denied overtime pay," Yau said. Second, ABC, which is owned by Disney, recently aired a "documentary" about alleged events that occured during the Clinton Administration, that accused that President of failing to capture Osama Bin Laden for political reasons. The accuracy of this docudrama has been assailed by Clinton himself, as well as many of the shows historical consultants, and even several members of the 9/11 Commission. The airing of this docudrama was interrupted by President Bush, who wished to address the nation and by re-submitting his tired statements about our war against terrorism. Coincidence? I think not. I'm not making a big deal of it (like I did with Yahoo!), but Disney won't be getting my business anymore. They abuse their employees, and lie to the nation, and make cute little cartoons that influence our children. Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, it's off to Dreamworks I go.

2006-09-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

Bye Bye, Neighborhood Blogs

Awhile ago I linked to a very cool idea: Neighblogs. It allowed me to see who the bloggers were in my neighborhood. Yeah! Then I moved, and when trying to update my locations, found that Neighblogs had changed. Now I needed to find out my latitude and longitude. OK, how? It points me to instructions here. This is not an instruction page, but some technophiles loving tribute to the history of geo-tagging. After searching for too long for instructions, I decided Neighblogs wasn't worth it. Neighblogs screwed up their really cool idea by forgetting about people. Feh.

2006-09-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Religious Left

A church right here in Pasadena is now being investigated by the IRS because someone there delivered an anti-war sermon. It's an interesting case. The sermon was delivered prior to the 2004 election, and could have truly been guilty of electioneering. What I find interesting, however, is that it was one of the rare anti-war churches that is being made an example of. If I were to garner taped sermons from scores of Red States, I bet I could find 20 Pro-Bush sermons delivered in 2004 for every single anti-Bush sermon. As usual, however, these blokes are not thinking two moves ahead. Despots make lousy chess players.

2006-09-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Islam Reacts

The Pope has implied that Islam spreads its faith through violence, and has urged a reasonable discussion between the two worlds, because "God is reasonable." Islam did not like this comment, said it is absolutely wrong, and the reaction may lead to violence. And here's a quote from CSN News: "Among those condemning the pope's words about violence and Islam were the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organization based in numerous Arab countries which gave birth to the Hamas terrorist group in the Palestinian territories. The pope also was criticized by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian-born scholar based in Qatar and regarded as the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Qaradawi has come under fire for praising Palestinian suicide bombers and for calling on Muslims to fight against U.S. forces in Iraq." In a way, I think it wasn't too bright for the Pope to say this. On the other hand, it just might have been brilliant, as the Muslim world will be forced to examine the way they react to this. It would seem that those who are reacting most are those who are most guilty. We certainly do live in interesting times.

2006-09-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

No Explanation Required ...

CNN Air Force chief: Test weapons on testy U.S. mobs POSTED: 7:56 p.m. EDT, September 12, 2006 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nonlethal weapons such as high-power microwave devices should be used on American citizens in crowd-control situations before being used on the battlefield, the Air Force secretary said Tuesday. The object is basically public relations. Domestic use would make it easier to avoid questions from others about possible safety considerations, said Secretary Michael Wynne. "If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation," said Wynne. "(Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press." The Air Force has paid for research into nonlethal weapons, but he said the service is unlikely to spend more money on development until injury problems are reviewed by medical experts and resolved. Nonlethal weapons generally can weaken people if they are hit with the beam. Some of the weapons can emit short, intense energy pulses that also can be effective in disabling some electronic devices.

2006-09-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Five Years On ....

It was five years ago today that evil forces tried to rip our country apart. It is believed that these forces were motivated by hatred of our freedoms, hatred our way of life, disdain for our morals, and ... just maybe ... jealousy of our sense of national unity and our success as a nation. Five years later, we are seeing our freedoms deteriorate, our way of life encumbered, our morals being enforced by pandering polititians, and our unity in tatters. In response to the attacks, we have irrationally shed the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent people in a completely random nation, fueled the hatred of scores of disenfranchised and damaged peoples, and squandered the good will of united globe who stood with us on 9/11/2001. And our future success as a nation is now jeopardized by an overwhelming war debt. But I also believe that the goodness of the American people is being put to the test, and I believe we can regain our footing as a nation, and set aright the wrongs that have been done. I'm reminded of a line in the movie "Control Room," in which Hassan Ibrahim, a Sudanese journalist with Al Jazeera, says that he has "absolute confidence in the United States Constitution and absolute confidence in the American people to stop this." That came from an Al Jazeera reporter. Our capabilities for doing the right thing as a nation are clear--even to those who our own administration has reviled. Well it's clear to me too. I believe the United States is the greatest of all nations, and I believe our success and wealth are evidence of a system that may not be perfect, but is undeniably better than all the other systems one could offer. And our success has blossomed from one central tenet of our culture: faith in ourselves. Our government was devised with the belief that the people can rule themselves. While the current administration has been using fear and control to tactically chip away at that faith, it lacks the strategy to eradicate that faith from our culture. America has, and will always have, freedom in our hearts. Attempts at taking it away will fail. The question is ... when? And in these next few months, Americans will have one of the most important elections of our lifetime. In this election we have the chance to start rebuilding what has been systematically dismantled over the past five years. We have the chance to establish a new mandate (an actual mandate) that will send a clear signal to the current administration, and more importantly, to the rest of the world. I would like to prove Mr. Ibrahim right. I'm not a strong believer in either political party in this country. But I am a strong believer that it is only through opposition that we maintain the proper balance of powers that will keep our country strong. For that reason I'm hoping that a democratic majority in the House of Representatives in November will make its first order of business to Impeach President Bush AND Vice President Cheney.

2006-09-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Iraq Was Not Helping Al-Qaida Before The War

This news just in. Contrary to recent evidence, and consistent messages from the White House to the contrary, there is still no link between Al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein. This ties in nicely with my last post. Credible sources can plant an idea, and that idea becomes a fact that remains, even though the truth of the issue is later found to be much different. Leading up to the war, Colin Powell stated that they had evidence that Iraq was training terrorists. That turned out to be untrue, and was obtained from a confession during torture. The idea, however, remains.

2006-09-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

ABC Wants Republicans to Win In the Mid-Term Elections

That's what this is about. ABC is airing a controversial "documentary" that is not about 9/11, but about earlier attempts to capture Osama bin Laden. ABC is owned by Disney, which is a corporate conglomerate that has been suckling at the ample teet of the NeoCons. And since they have amazing power over the populace via their network, they have produced--and intend to air--a "documentary" that many claim is revisionist history. People will assume this documentary to be fact. Clearly, it is biased. The show will air over two nights. One of those is 9/11. It is placing the blame for the events of 9/11/2001 squarely on the shoulders of -- I bet you thought I was going to say George Bush, right? Wrong! They are blaming Bill Clinton. One of the officials, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, said in her letter to the Disney executive, Robert A. Iger, that although she had requested a copy of the film, ABC had not given her one. But, Ms. Albright said, she has been told by people who have seen it that it "depicts scenes that never happened, events that never took place, decisions that were never made and conversations that never occurred." I have no idea if the events depicted in this documentary are true or not. I do know that there will probably be a lot of hooplah over this story in the next few days. All of it will serve ABC well, as it simply means that more people will watch it. If the documentary turns out to be misleading, ABC will be included with FOX in the media conglomerates who do the White House's bidding. But by the time everyone gets the facts straight, and the dust has settled, only the images in the fictitious docudrama will have been converted to facts in the minds of the gullible populace. It’s a pretty good system for the people who control the media. I wonder why the only strategic defense the Republicans can make for their miserable failings is to continue to attack the man who was president six years ago? But ... that's another post entirely. Daily Kos posted a survey: "What is the greater threat to Democracy? Corporate media consolidation or terrorists? Find out the results here.

2006-08-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

Rumsfeld Makes a Point

I just watched this: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/30/rumsfeld-war-critics-2/ I actually went to this news article, knowing what was there. I expected to react one way, but surprised myself by partially agreeing with what Rumsfeld is saying. At first I thought, "Feh! He's comparing war critics to those who mollified the Nazi regime! Feh!" And yeah ... feh ... that's bullshit on one level. I will get to that. But on another level, what he is actually warning against is something that many of us Liberals should probably listen to. The destructive capacity and intent of Militant Islamic regimes should not be underestimated. They hate us, they hate our way of life, and their own leaders are instructing their sheep to destroy us. Given the chance, they will. This calls for drastic measures, to be sure. And this warning should be heeded, and Liberals should make sure we have a plan on what to do. However ... the approach that Rumsfeld has taken was to attack a nation that was NOT part of this problem. His argument is rendered totally sterile because it assumes that the current course of action has been taken to address the problem he is describing. Earth to Rumsfeld: Occupying Iraq is not addressing the problem with terrorism.

2006-08-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

More from the Prophet

Here is another quote from "Al Ahkenseh" Oh yea, Oh yea, and in the last days, men will not speak as men. Instead, each man will speak into a tube, and yea, on the other end of the tube shall be an automaton with the voice of a woman. The woman can speak, but the men can only push buttons. And yea, the woman will offer the men particular options for topics that the men can speak about, like payment amounts and account information, but these options will never represent what the man *really* wants to speak about. Oh yea, and the man will push random buttons hoping to speak to a real person, but she shall not flinch. She will say, "You have pressed an incorrect option." And yea, the man will shout obscenities at the woman, and she shall say, "I'm sorry, I didn't get that." Eventually the men will hang up, dejected and afraid.

2006-08-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Techo-Tyranny

Reporters Without Borders has learned that a British company, Silver Bullet, and a US company, Verint Systems (a subsidiary of Comverse Technology), sold equipment for intercepting mobile phone calls to the Vietnamese intelligence services. RWB: "... telecommunications companies must be forced to respect certain rules of ethical conduct. In particular, they should be banned from selling surveillance equipment to repressive governments." There was a day when America set an example of liberty for the world. But alas, we are no longer in a position (as a country) to condemn such behavior. We can only condemn those companies by not doing business with them.

2006-08-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Correction

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I fell for a good one. I quoted George Bush in an earlier post, claiming that he said this: "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." —George W. Bush. Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2001 Jason pointed out in the comments that this quote never happened. I did some research and to the best of my knowledge, I believe he is right. Lesson learned. Liberal websites can spread lies just as easily as their NeoCon counterparts. So George Bush never flip-flopped on this issue. Finding Osama Bin Laden was never a stated priority.

2006-08-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

Ben Tripp

Whenever I do "research" I'm always surprised. This time, I ran across an article written by an old buddy of mine, Ben Tripp. Ben and I used to work together at Disney. He has reached a state of quasi-celebrity, while I am languishing in my role of abject non-celebrity. Anyway, I found his article here. The funniest quote of all: "Jesus did not have to worry about weapons of mass destruction--there were none, unless you count the incident wherein Samson "found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith" (Judges 15:15,16), which I think we can discount as hyperbole. If anybody is going to slay 10,000 with the jawbone of an ass, it's George Bush II." WTG Ben!

2006-08-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

Custodians of chaos

I just found the following excerpt by Kurt Vonnegut. I identified with it so much, I am posting it here. _________________________________________________________________________________ 06/17/06 -- "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you." A lot of people think Jesus said that, because it is so much the sort of thing Jesus liked to say. But it was actually said by Confucius, a Chinese philosopher, five hundred years before there was that greatest and most humane of human beings, named Jesus Christ. The Chinese also gave us, via Marco Polo, pasta and the formula for gunpowder. The Chinese were so dumb they only used gunpowder for fireworks. And everybody was so dumb back then that nobody in either hemisphere even knew that there was another one. We've sure come a long way since then. Sometimes I wish we hadn't. I hate H-bombs and the Jerry Springer Show But back to people like Confucius and Jesus and my son the doctor, Mark, each of whom have said in their own way how we could behave more humanely and maybe make the world a less painful place. One of my favourite humans is Eugene Debs, from Terre Haute in my native state of Indiana. Get a load of this. Eugene Debs, who died back in 1926, when I was not yet four, ran five times as the Socialist party candidate for president, winning 900,000 votes, almost 6 percent of the popular vote, in 1912, if you can imagine such a ballot. He had this to say while campaigning: "As long as there is a lower class, I am in it. "As long as there is a criminal element, I am of it. "As long as there is a soul in prison, I am not free." Doesn't anything socialistic make you want to throw up? Like great public schools, or health insurance for all? When you get out of bed each morning, with the roosters crowing, wouldn't you like to say. "As long as there is a lower class, I am in it. As long as there is a criminal element, I am of it. As long as there is a soul in prison, I am not free." How about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes? Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. And so on. Not exactly planks in a Republican platform. Not exactly George W Bush, Dick Cheney, or Donald Rumsfeld stuff. For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that's Moses, not Jesus. I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere. "Blessed are the merciful" in a courtroom? "Blessed are the peacemakers" in the Pentagon? Give me a break! It so happens that idealism enough for anyone is not made of perfumed pink clouds. It is the law! It is the US Constitution. But I myself feel that our country, for whose Constitution I fought in a just war, might as well have been invaded by Martians and body snatchers. Sometimes I wish it had been. What has happened instead is that it was taken over by means of the sleaziest, low-comedy, Keystone Cops-style coup d'état imaginable. I was once asked if I had any ideas for a really scary reality TV show. I have one reality show that would really make your hair stand on end: "C-Students from Yale". George W Bush has gathered around him upper-crust C-students who know no history or geography, plus not-so-closeted white supremacists, aka Christians, and plus, most frighteningly, psychopathic personalities, or PPs, the medical term for smart, personable people who have no consciences. To say somebody is a PP is to make a perfectly respectable diagnosis, like saying he or she has appendicitis or athlete's foot. The classic medical text on PPs is The Mask of Sanity by Dr Hervey Cleckley, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical College of Georgia, published in 1941. Read it! Some people are born deaf, some are born blind or whatever, and this book is about congenitally defective human beings of a sort that is making this whole country and many other parts of the planet go completely haywire nowadays. These were people born without consciences, and suddenly they are taking charge of everything. PPs are presentable, they know full well the suffering their actions may cause others, but they do not care. They cannot care because they are nuts. They have a screw loose! And what syndrome better describes so many executives at Enron and WorldCom and on and on, who have enriched themselves while ruining their employees and investors and country and who still feel as pure as the driven snow, no matter what anybody may say to or about them? And they are waging a war that is making billionaires out of millionaires, and trillionaires out of billionaires, and they own television, and they bankroll George Bush, and not because he's against gay marriage. So many of these heartless PPs now hold big jobs in our federal government, as though they were leaders instead of sick. They have taken charge. They have taken charge of communications and the schools, so we might as well be Poland under occupation. They might have felt that taking our country into an endless war was simply something decisive to do. What has allowed so many PPs to rise so high in corporations, and now in government, is that they are so decisive. They are going to do something every fuckin' day and they are not afraid. Unlike normal people, they are never filled with doubts, for the simple reason that they don't give a fuck what happens next. Simply can't. Do this! Do that! Mobilise the reserves! Privatise the public schools! Attack Iraq! Cut health care! Tap everybody's telephone! Cut taxes on the rich! Build a trillion-dollar missile shield! Fuck habeas corpus and the Sierra Club and In These Times, and kiss my ass! There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don't know what can be done to fix it. This is it: only nut cases want to be president. This was true even in high school. Only clearly disturbed people ran for class president. The title of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 is a parody of the title of Ray Bradbury's great science-fiction novel Fahrenheit 451. Four hundred and fifty-one degrees Fahrenheit is the combustion point, incidentally, of paper, of which books are composed. The hero of Bradbury's novel is a municipal worker whose job is burning books. While on the subject of burning books, I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and destroyed records rather than have to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles. So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House, the Supreme Court, the Senate, the House of Representatives, or the media. The America I loved still exists at the front desks of our public libraries. And still on the subject of books: our daily news sources, newspapers and TV, are now so craven, so unvigilant on behalf of the American people, so uninformative, that only in books do we learn what's really going on. I will cite an example: House of Bush, House of Saud by Craig Unger, published in early 2004, that humiliating, shameful, blood-soaked year. In case you haven't noticed, as the result of a shamelessly rigged election in Florida, in which thousands of African-Americans were arbitrarily disenfranchised, we now present ourselves to the rest of the world as proud, grinning, jut-jawed, pitiless war-lovers with appallingly powerful weaponry - who stand unopposed. In case you haven't noticed, we are now as feared and hated all over the world as Nazis once were. And with good reason. In case you haven't noticed, our unelected leaders have dehumanised millions and millions of human beings simply because of their religion and race. We wound 'em and kill 'em and torture 'em and imprison 'em all we want. Piece of cake. In case you haven't noticed, we also dehumanised our own soldiers, not because of their religion or race, but because of their low social class. Send 'em anywhere. Make 'em do anything. Piece of cake. The O'Reilly Factor. So I am a man without a country, except for the librarians and a Chicago paper called In These Times. Before we attacked Iraq, the majestic New York Times guaranteed there were weapons of mass destruction there. Albert Einstein and Mark Twain gave up on the human race at the end of their lives, even though Twain hadn't even seen the first world war. War is now a form of TV entertainment, and what made the first world war so particularly entertaining were two American inventions, barbed wire and the machine gun. Shrapnel was invented by an Englishman of the same name. Don't you wish you could have something named after you? Like my distinct betters Einstein and Twain, I now give up on people, too. I am a veteran of the second world war and I have to say this is not the first time I have surrendered to a pitiless war machine. My last words? "Life is no way to treat an animal, not even a mouse." Napalm came from Harvard. Veritas Our president is a Christian? So was Adolf Hitler. What can be said to our young people, now that psychopathic personalities, which is to say persons without consciences, without senses of pity or shame, have taken all the money in the treasuries of our government and corporations, and made it all their own? © 2005 Kurt Vonnegut Extracted from A Man Without a Country: : A Memoir of Life in George W Bush's America. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13659.htm

2006-08-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Two Quotes

1. "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." —George W. Bush. Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2001 2. "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." —George W. Bush. Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002

2006-08-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

End Times Prophesies

My earlier posting led me to yet some more research, which led to more interesting findings. I discovered a fellow named "Al Ahkenseh" lived in the Nepal around 1200 AD. He was, in his day, probably considered an insane person, as he wrote down prophesies which would have seemed hallucinatory. Today, however, when translated from his original sanskrit to English, his words ring strangely true. Here are a few snippets from one of the chapters. I may post a few more intersting ones later. "... and they shall mount upon metal beasts with round legs, moving to and fro with great swiftness. Great distances shall become small, and every man will see the entire world." "... and when the beasts stop at the marketplace, each within his own place, the men will walk past many places wherein no beasts are placed. These places are blue, and shall be reserved only for him who have no ears to hear, or no legs to walk. But verily, these blue spaces, which lie closer to the marketplace due to a King's writ, shall always be empty." "... and there shall be great beasts and small beasts. And great places to park the great beasts, and small places to park the small beasts. Small beasts can go ahead and park in the big spaces. But yea, the small places shall bear a sign warning great beasts that only small beasts may park there. But verily, the great beasts shall park there anyway." "... and in these times, the beastmakers shall equip each beast with a siren's call, so that if the beast be stolen, passers by can stop the thief. But alas, these siren's shall sound their alarum far too often, and passers by will merely plug their ears, and the alarum shall only make people wish it would stop."

2006-08-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

God is Angry

Proof.

2006-08-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

What to Do in Case You Miss the Rapture

I stumbled upon the following whilst doing some research. It can be found here, but it's the same exact text. Please note that I used to believe ever word of this tripe when I was a boy. Reading it now shows me how truly separated from reality I was. So too are the many Christians today actually do believe this. My comments are in bold. Author: Unknown RAPTURE - OCTOBER 28, 1992 I. STAY CALM AND DO NOT PANIC Your natural reaction once you realize what has just occurred is to panic. But to do so is absolutely useless now. If you had wanted to get right with god before the rapture, you could have, but you chose to wait. Now your only chance is to stay on this earth and to endure to the end of the Tribulation. "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." - Matthew 24:13 II. REALIZE YOU ARE NOW LIVING DURING THE GREAT TRIBULATION The Great Tribulation is a seven year period starting from the time of the rapture until Jesus' second coming. Also know as "the time of Jacob's (Israel's) trouble" (Jere 30:7) and "Daniel's Seventieth Week" (Dan 9), this period will be unparalleled in trouble and horror. III. GATHER AS MANY BIBLES AS YOU CAN AND HIDE THEM (ed. This is good advice now, in fact. Soon after the Antichrist becomes the leader of the European Community (the revived Roman Empire [i.e. the Jews])(ed. Huh? the revived Roman Empire will be Jewish? Is that some sort of Karmic retribution thing? Wrong religion, if so!), Bibles will be confiscated and owning a Bible will be tantamount to treason. The Bible, however, will be your most valuable possession during the Tribulation. IV. READ THE BIBLE LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER READ IT BEFORE IN YOUR LIFE (ed. For example, read it while singing "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" in the shower) Since all of your Bibles may be confiscated, even if you are careful, it is imperative that you read the word until you memorize whole passages and can quote them. It is especially important to read Daniel, Luke 21, Matthew 24, Revelation, and Amos, for these books describe the events you can expect to unfold before you. V. PRAY LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER PRAYED BEFORE IN YOUR LIFE (ed. For example, pray to Fanta Girls.) Pray until the power of god comes strongly upon you - pray and pray and pray. Only by reading the word and praying will you gain the spiritual strength to be able to withstand the torture you may have to endure for the sake of Jesus. VI. DO NOT TAKE THE MARK AT ANY COST - EVEN IN FIT MEANS YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES DIE AS MARTYRS After the Antichrist becomes the leader of the European Community, he will institute a world economic system, designed so that you cannot buy, sell, or eat unless you take his mark or the number of his name. Money will be useless. "And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666" - Revelation 13:16-18. The Antichrist will implement the greatest slaughter in all of humanity. Think of the various ways people have been tortured and killed in the past, such as the Holocaust. (ed. Blah blah ... I've cut a bit out here) VII. SET A PLAN IN MOTION FOR SURVIVAL Although you may not be able to hide from the Antichrist's government until the end of the Tribulation, all of the time you gain in hiding is important for your spiritual growth and strengthening, since only those who are extremely strong in Jesus can suffer and die for his sake. (ed. There's some motivation!) The first thing to do is move out of the city and into a rural or mountainous area, for the Antichrist's control will come last to the least populated areas. Take a good radio or TV with you so that you can stay attuned to events and discern the time schedule of the Tribulation. Store water and food, because you will not be able to purchase anything without the mark. Water in lakes and streams will be polluted by radioactive waste from nuclear warfare and will eventually turn into blood. (ed. And if you hold out long enough, the lakes in this non-causal universe will turn into Jack Daniels.) Bring different types of clothing for all seasons, as well as flashlights, batteries, generators, and First Aid supplies, (antique porn). In short, learn how to survive and live off the land as the pioneers did. VIII. TRUST NO ONE There will be secret agents everywhere, spying for the Antichrist's government. Be on the lookout. (ed. Sorry, I can't make this any funnier.) IX. WATCH FOR THE ANTICHRIST It is important to realize who the Antichrist is and what he is up to, for he will deceive many into thinking that he is a great world leader who will bring peace and prosperity to a world hungry for it.(ed. Uh oh ... this is starting to sound like someone I know ... ) We can infer from Daniel 11 certain characteristics of this man. Popular during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation, he will dominate the airwaves. (ed. Uh oh, this is REALLY starting to scare me!) He will be physically appealing, highly intelligent, (ed. Whew!) with christ-like charisma and personality. An international politician, military tactician and economic expert, his word will be peace; he will make a treaty with the Jews, which he will break after three and a half years. He will have such supernatural power that a mortal wound to his head will be healed. Even the very elect will be deceived. If you do not pray and read the Bible, you too will be deceived. The antichrist will have a companion, the False Prohphet [sic], who will make an image in the likeness of the Antichrist and cause it to speak. All who refuse to worhsip [sic] the image will be killed. The final three and a half years will be absolutely insane, with demonized spirits everywhere. (ed. Dogs and cats, living together!) X. DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE! The seven years of Tribulation will end with the triumphant return of Jesus. The Antichrist will be defeated. Be steadfast and endure, and you will be rewarded greatly in Heaven. Etc. etc.

2006-08-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

Stealth Marketing and Global Warming

In the marketplace of ideas, no avenue is sacred. Not even YouTube. Exxon has hired a PR firm to fake an "amateur" video that made fun of Al Gore's Global Warming education campaign. See the news here. In the meantime, Tommy Masterson has posted his thoughts on Global Warming, which I heartily agree with. History shows us that every scientific theory that: 1. Is espoused by the masses, 2. Produces hysteria, and 3. Predicts doom. hasn't been manifested yet. So if the earth is warming up--and it looks like it might be--I am really not sure that it's due to carbon dioxide emissions. If it is--no problem! Carbon Dioxide emissions will end pretty soon, because we are running out of gas. I would much more easily accept global warming to be a natural outcome of the Earth's normal cycle. We see the earth's changes from the perspective of a human lifespan, but geological time is much slower. The earth has a 33,000 year cycle, that is actually impacted by even larger universal effects. After all, global warming will most likely lead to an ice age. There have been many ice ages in Earth's history, and all of them occured long before we had hairspray.

2006-08-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

A Good Christian

Today at lunch I was musing over the difference between the foreign policy of our current administration--who continuously calls upon fundamentalist Christian "sensibilities" to guide its policies--and the policies that Jesus would have actually espoused while he was on Earth. After all, Jesus came to a nation that was being horribly repressed by another nation at the time. Rather than talk about that nation's right to defend itself, arm itself, make pre-emptive strikes, etc., he instructed the Israelites to look inward, feed the poor, help the sick, and become better people. I case could so easily be made that this administrations policies are blatant opposites from the characteristics Jesus called "blessed" during his sermon from the Mount. So, to do a little research, I decided to look up what else has been said. I did a search for "Christ's foreign policy" and found this link and, I must confess, since it appeared to be a typical Christian website, I assumed it would have mediocre pablum that would be, at best, confusing and contradictory. But I was wrong. The writer of this article is still a clear-thinking individual who has not been drinking Bush's Kool-aid. Props to Harlan Simantel. I don't agree 100% with his opinion, but to me it seems like what a Christian foreign policy truly should be.

2006-07-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

End Times

Kudos to Jill Greenberg on her art showing that is currently on display at The Paul Kopeikin Gallery. It's not easy to be funny, poignant, and beautiful all at the same time. Here is one of my favorites. It's called "Nuculer (sic)."

2006-07-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

The Hand of Our "Religious Origin" Scratches It's Own Holy Butt

This article states that our congress is doing what it does best once again: creating an illusion of urgency while the real urgencies are obfuscated in a cloud of hooplah. It's kind of like how we did a pre-emptive attack against Iraq because we felt certain they were going to attack. Only this time, the pre-emptive strike is against judges who might deign to ban or change the "Pledge of Allegiance" due to the words "One Nation Under God." Lots of Representatives came along to spout rhetoric that displayed their fervor to their ecstatic voters. There's only one problem. This country does not have a religious origin. The original settlers were pilgrims, to be sure. They were religious. They also burned witches and other heretics, but religious they were. The founding fathers, on the other hand, were by no means religious. If anyone wants to debate me, go for it. But they weren't. They were as sceptical of religion as I am. They wanted to guarantee individuals to worship freely as I do, but they did not want the government to represent--in any fashion--a religious motive. We are becoming like our enemy. We have scoffed at them for holding the Quran so dearly, and felt amused at their silly superstitions. But now our House of Representatives actually spends our tax dollars wasting time on a bill that would prevent judges from taking the words "Under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. This places symbolism over substance. We are no better than the Islamic village who will stone a man for making ice.

2006-07-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Open Mike

At a luncheon in Russia, the microphone in front of the President and Tony Blair was left on. The conversation is rather revealing. Some of the things made me chuckle, and indicate why some people really like Bush's friendly manner. Like this: "Thanks for the sweater. It was awfully thoughtful of you," Bush, who just celebrated his 60th birthday, tells Blair. "I know you picked it out yourself." The prime minister chimes in, "Oh, absolutely." Funny stuff! Then there's a comment that shows what a dork he can be: Then, to Chinese President Hu Jintao, on Bush's right, he said: "Where you going? Home? This is your neighborhood. Doesn't take too long to get home?" When he hears that Hu's flight to Beijing is eight hours, Bush says, "Me too." "Russia's a big country and you're a big country. ... Takes him eight hours to fly home. Takes him eight hours to fly home. Eight hours. Russia's big and so's China." Our President is an expert in geography. Funny stuff! The meaty comment was this one on Hezbollah: "See, the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over." Then later, Bush responded that he feels like "telling Kofi to get on the phone with [Syrian President Bashir] Assad, make something happen. We're not blaming Israel and we're not blaming the Lebanese government." If the two captured Israeli soldiers are really the catalyst for this event (which is under debate) then this isn't entirely incorrect. However, the statement reveals (to me, at least) that the President's horizon of concern ends merely at the violence. It seems okay to him that two countries live side by side who want to kill each other--so long as they don't actually do it. This is too short-sighted, and indicates why Koffi Annan's approach (which Bush criticized) is probably more intelligent. I bet Annan knows how far it is from Moscow to Beijing, too.

2006-07-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

V is for Valerie

Valerie Plame has just filed suit against Dick Cheney and Karl Rove for conspiring to ruin her career. Things are about to get interesting. Nicely timed, too, Valerie. A nice court case during the November election will serve us Dems well! Hopefully the Republican-controlled House will go down in Plames.

2006-07-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

…And I Feel Fiiiiine

So, we have Israel and Lebanon on the brink of war and Pakistan and India also on the brink of war. Meanwhile in America, some people are very very concerned about how Sarah Jessica Parker looks *totally* old on the cover of Good Housekeeping magazine. Perhaps God is wondering if he should just start over. Hmm?

2006-07-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not a Man Named Jed, But ...

We're not moving to Beverly Hills, either. We're moving to Newport Beach, which is better. That's right, this middle-class liberal is packing up the truck tonight, and moving down to upper-class conservative Newport Beach. I have, for various reasons, never felt like I completely "fit" into any demographic where I lived or worked, so this won't be a new feeling. But the sheer torture of living among the Stepford Wives might tax me. I might deign to put a little indicator of my political world view on my car (gulp) in hopes of finding kindred spirits. If you live in South Orange County, and you're someone who knows how to properly bounce the real meaning of words off of the backstop of fact and truth, and you can tell if there's a ricochet, please contact me.

2006-06-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

Prestidigitation

Many moons ago, I used to be a "Walt Disney Imagineer." We were the alleged "creative pool" for the theme parks. One nice perk was that we used to have a weekly event called a "Wednesday Breakfast." On that day, all the illustraters, producers, designers, and writers used to gather in a little tiny amphitheater and be amazed and/or entertained by some of the world's most amazing and entertaining amazers and/or entertainers. The most unforgettable Wednesday Breakfast was the day a world famous magician came to amaze and entertain us. I won't say his name (mostly because I don't remember it). But he was supposed to be really famous--especially for his card tricks. Well he made a very big deal about himself, then went on to explain that he ... HE ... was about to unveil his greatest trick ever to us ... for the very first time. Disney's entire brain trust huddled around him in the dim light of the amphitheater and prepared themselves to be amazed and entertained. These are people who are experts at illusion, mind you. They know to watch the off-hand during a card trick. Then ... the magician whose name I can't remember started shuffling, cutting, and doing "stuff" to the cards. He asked a volunteer to do something, then did a bunch more clever movements. Then he turned over a card and the guy's face just .... sorta collapsed. At first I thought it was a ploy, naturally. But he grabbed all the cards an started reshuffling and explained to us all that ... well ... this was his first time to try it so now and then these things happen. I was still incredulous. Certainly this is all part of the show for a magician this allegedly amazing I thought. But no. He failed a second time. Then a third time. I actually saw with my own eyes, a man utterly ruin himself with distress. Not only did he crash and burn, he crashed and burned in front of a bunch of people who he wanted desperately to impress. I must admit, while I felt bad for the man I also found it extremely hilarious. And I must also admit, I felt a curiously similar emotion when learning that yesterday the Senate voted again on an amendment to outlaw the desecration of the US Flag. On one hand I feel angry that the Republicans who introduced the bill would have such disdain for our governmental process as to waste so much of the Senate's time AGAIN--at a time when our nation is in crisis. Then I remembered that these are the same assholes who tried to ban Gay Marriage a few weeks ago--at a time when our country was in crisis. Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist bemoaned that "Old Glory lost today." Fuck you Frist. It did not. YOU lost. You're just a very bad magician. We're watching your off-hand, and that hand is manipulating the public and stealing news cycles away from the issues that really matter to this country.

2006-06-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

A Thought from a Founding Father

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. - Thomas Jefferson And here's the latest from someone who is not a founding father: Senator Wants to Prosecute the NY Times for Reporting Details of US Government Bank Monitoring. A tip to investors: go long on Jackboots.

2006-06-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Knock Knock Knockin' On Fascism's Door

"Justices made it easier Thursday for officers armed with search warrants to barge into homes without knocking or waiting. Evidence collected in those searches doesn't have to be thrown out, the justices decided 5-4." Read the full story here. And now we're seeing evidence of the police state unzipping it's fly and revealing its oh-so-subtle furor over its citizens. That a policeman must knock before entering a home is a legal tradition that dates back to the 13th century. (I hear that on the radio -- can't back it up with a reference sorry.) But regardless, this important safeguard of privacy has now been 86'ed like the town drunk. Anywhere, anytime, police may break your door down and search your house without even knocking. A warrant is required, of course. That is unless the President wants to do it ... Sleep well, Americans.

2006-06-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

A Little Q&A

Question: You’re the President of the United States, you have thirty-seven scandals going on. You and your administration have lied to the nation repeatedly. You've spied on your citizens. For political advantage, you sold out a CIA operative who was providing you valuable insight into the war on terror. You’re waging a war that you deceived the nation into fighting, and you’re losing thousands of American lives because of bad strategy, under-funding, and failure to admit error. An election is coming up that may cause you to become a lame duck President. What do you do? Answer: Push a ban on gay marriage! It's brilliant! It will muddy the waters, divert the nation’s attention from what an abysmal, shitty job you’re doing, and focus the attention on those nasty gay-sex people! [applause]

2006-06-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

More changes

One's mind reels. On Thursday I got the job. On Friday I found a new place to live, and on Saturday we put our house up for sale. Sheesh. I had an astrologer once tell me that Jupiter was in retrograde almost my entire life, and this is why I would always have changes going on. OK fine. I will be moving to Newport Beach, to an area called the "Back Bay." I'll be five minutes from my kids, and will be able to go on walks without debating whether or not I should bring a weapon. We have bike trails through a nature preserve that begin without us even having to cross a street. We are, however ... renting. This is all part of my nefarious plan to watch as the housing market tumbles. Then later we will purchase something a little nicer that we wouldn't be able to afford now. Unless of course, the market doesn't fall. If this happens, I'm screwed.

2006-06-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

News

After over six years with my current employer, I have accepted an offer to move to a new company. I will get paid more to do a job that doesn't make me want to commit ritual suicide every weekday morning. Good times!

2006-05-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

Question of the Day

Throughout the vast epoch of human history, how many atrocities were ever commited in the name of atheism? On a side note ... check out the Jesuspan.

2006-05-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

2006-05-21T06:55:00.000-07:00

Pyrrhic Victory

Barry Bonds hit his 714th home run, tying Babe Ruth's record. Reminds me of when a computer beat the Chess Champ. Deep Blue's victory, however, was optimistic in some ways.

2006-05-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

There's No Love Song Finer,
But how Strange the Change from Major to Minor

The first time I beat my dad at arm wrestling I felt exhuberant at first, then was filled with a crushing feeling that something had been horribly lost. My dad--previously someone who I had until then felt was a badass--was weaker than I was. Because I didn't think of myself as particularly strong, this meant my dad went down several notches. I was only 18 or 19 at the time, but I remember feeling like I wanted to cry. It's the only feeling I've had in my life that compares to what I'm going through right now with my own country. It's a country that I love like one loves their own father. But to see your own father act so scandalously has actually brought me to tears. It reminds me of a fantastic short story I once read by Ethan Canin in his first book "The Emperor of the Air." A kid steals away in the trunk of his dad's car just to freak him out and surprise him, only to find that he's driven to his mistress's house and is cheating on his mom. Our country, like our dads, has always had its share of problems, but has always managed to right itself. The good has always managed to outweigh and blot out the bad. But the good that has prevailed in the past is now being silenced, quashed, circumvented, redefined and outmoded. It's like watching your father become a meth addict and not knowing what to do ...

2006-05-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

They're Not Just Spying on Terrorists

Is it surprising to know that the administration is tracking the phone calls of its political enemies? Not at all. This ABC article explains it: The link is here, and I highly recommend reading the lively comments. Federal Source to ABC News: We Know Who You're Calling May 15, 2006 10:33 AM Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report: A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we (Brian Ross and Richard Esposito) call in an effort to root out confidential sources. "It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation. ABC News does not know how the government determined who we are calling, or whether our phone records were provided to the government as part of the recently-disclosed NSA collection of domestic phone calls. Other sources have told us that phone calls and contacts by reporters for ABC News, along with the New York Times and the Washington Post, are being examined as part of a widespread CIA leak investigation. One former official was asked to sign a document stating he was not a confidential source for New York Times reporter James Risen. Our reports on the CIA's secret prisons in Romania and Poland were known to have upset CIA officials. The CIA asked for an FBI investigation of leaks of classified information following those reports. People questioned by the FBI about leaks of intelligence information say the CIA was also disturbed by ABC News reports that revealed the use of CIA predator missiles inside Pakistan. Under Bush Administration guidelines, it is not considered illegal for the government to keep track of numbers dialed by phone customers. The official who warned ABC News said there was no indication our phones were being tapped so the content of the conversation could be recorded. A pattern of phone calls from a reporter, however, could provide valuable clues for leak investigators.

2006-05-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the State of Police - Population 300 Million

While many Americans were dedicated to supporting our troops, supporting our president, supporting the status quo, and trying to keep the conversation light ... a totalitarian regime has wormed its way in between our SUVs and our Big Macs. Each day that I look at what is happening to my beloved country, I find myself almost too stunned for words. The funny thing is, our vision of what a police state should be has been handed to us by Hollywood. And as prescient as Hollywood can be, I'm starting to realize they usually got it totally wrong. A police state does not look like what was depicted in "1984" or even "V for Vendetta." A police state would never succeed while ruling over huddled masses yearning to breathe free, like those movies suggest. No, a police state will most likely succeed in a country where the populace has been lulled into a state of complacency with vast wealth, unparallelled availability of resources, and an endless stream of amusements. (Note the word "amuse," when broken down, means to not think.) A police state will more likely succeed in a movie like "Gattaca" where everyone is perfect and the world is squeaky clean, or in a place like "United States, 2006." The Curmudgeon in Training presented this thought to me today: "We're not in danger of living in a police state, we ARE living in a police state." And the above article suggests compelling evidence. Our President does whatever he wants, with no regard to the law, the Constitution, or the welfare of US citizens. While even his erstwhile staunch allies in Congress are distancing themselves from him, their reasons are telling and effette. They are fleeing his side because he intends to make them powerless. In fact, he already has. They are very close to having no power against him. He calls his actions "lawful," and he defines "lawful" as anything he does. He can't break the law; he is the law. The President exercises almost total control over a major news network and skillfully manipulates other arms of the news. The President doesn't have to tell the truth; he defines the truth. And now the Federal Government is watching over us--listening to our phone calls. They assure us that, "We are not mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent Americans." But when asked to prove this, they hide behind the veil of secrecy and fear, and play their trump card of the "War on Terror." It's hard to believe that an administration with a consistent history of silencing dissent won't abuse this power to further this goal in secret. I believe they will, and I believe they have. Welcome to a Police State, Americans. It snuck right up on us.

2006-05-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

Nothing Could be More American

Verso 1 Amanece, lo veis?, a la luz de la aurora? lo que tanto aclamamos la noche al caer? sus estrellas sus franjas flotaban ayer en el fiero combate en señal de victoria, fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertad. Por la noche decían: "Se va defendiendo!" Coro Oh decid! Despliega aún Su hermosura estrellada sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada? Verso 2 Sus estrellas, sus franjas, la libertad, somos iguales. Somos hermanos. Es nuestro himno. En el fiero combate en señal de victoria, Fulgor de lucha (Mi gente sigue luchando) al paso de la libertad (Ya es tiempo de romper las cadenas.) Por la noche decían: "!Se va defendiendo!" Oh decid! Despliega aún su hermosura estrellada sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada? English translation: Verse 1 It's sunrise. Do you see by the light of the dawn What we proudly hailed last nightfall? Its stars, its stripes yesterday streamed above fierce combat a symbol of victory the glory of battle, the march toward liberty. Throughout the night, they proclaimed: "We will defend it!" Chorus Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave above the land of the free, the sacred flag? Verse 2 Its stars, its stripes, Liberty, we are the same. We are brothers in our anthem. In fierce combat, a symbol of victory the glory of battle, (My people fight on) the march toward liberty. (The time has come to break the chains.) Throughout the night they proclaimed: "We will defend it!" Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave above the land of the free, the sacred flag?

2006-05-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Steven Colbert Rocks!

Steven Colbert has a show on Comedy Central, where he spoofs the O'Reilly Factor. He is extremely quick, and extremely funny. Why this guy was allowed to speak at a White House Press Correspondants' Dinner is beyond me because he is so blatantly critical of the president. But ... here's what happened. It's totally hilarious.

2006-04-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

Rove's Future Office Space

He's just been called in for additional questioning. "People close to the case said that Fitzgerald has presented additional evidence to the grand jury in the past week that shows Rove lied to federal investigators and a grand jury eight out of the nine times he was asked about his knowledge of the leak since October 2003."

2006-04-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Worst Prez in History?

Rolling Stone magazine is thinking maybe so. Here's a great quote from the article: Calamitous presidents, faced with enormous difficulties -- Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Hoover and now Bush -- have divided the nation, governed erratically and left the nation worse off. In each case, different factors contributed to the failure: disastrous domestic policies, foreign-policy blunders and military setbacks, executive misconduct, crises of credibility and public trust. Bush, however, is one of the rarities in presidential history: He has not only stumbled badly in every one of these key areas, he has also displayed a weakness common among the greatest presidential failures -- an unswerving adherence to a simplistic ideology that abjures deviation from dogma as heresy, thus preventing any pragmatic adjustment to changing realities. Repeatedly, Bush has undone himself, a failing revealed in each major area of presidential performance. Well said.

2006-04-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

Money, Mouth, Join

The momentum we have going for the November election will only be secured by matching what will certainly be a huge investment from the RNC. They want to control congress after November, and will pay whatever it takes to get it. We have to stop them. Contribute your dollars. It's the only way we can win.

2006-04-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

For Those of You Who Noticed

"The Meat of the Matter" has been temporarily renamed to draw attention to the staggering fact I've come to believe. The leader of the free world has gone mad. I don't mean that metaphorically. I don't mean that euphemistically. I mean exactly what I'm saying. I believe George W. Bush has is mad. He's lost touch with reality. I don't think he's always been mad (although I may be wrong). But there is no connection between reality and what comes out of his mouth anymore. This is not a theory I can easily defend, so if you don't think he's mad you are welcome to have your own opinion. I may change the name of my blog back at some later date, but Bush will still be mad. I will refer to him as "Mad King George" in my mind from now on.

2006-04-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

General Compliments

• Lt. General Newbold • Major General Charles H. Swannack Jr. • Major General John Batiste • Major General Paul D. Eaton • General Eric Shinseki • Major General John Riggs I salute you!

2006-04-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

The Oxford/Bush Dictionary

I really need to grab a copy of this. Apparently the word "stable" means something that I do not think it means. To wit, last month Bush said this: "I'm satisfied with the people I've surrounded myself with. We've been a remarkably stable administration, and I think that's good for the country." He didn't offer any facts to conform to this theory, but regardless, I think I may think I have my words mixed up, and what they mean, etc. Because it appears as if "stable" means "the military doesn't want to follow your orders anymore." I can think of a few times in history when a leader/dictator/king overstepped his power, exhausted his military's resources, disrespected the needs of the military, and lost the military's respect with political motives to wars with ambiguous and costly ends. Ultimately, many of these leaders subsequently fell victim to a coup, or assasination attempt. But this is not what "stable" means to me, so I must have the words mixed around somehow. Maybe Bush meant "remarkably stable" in a sense that had to do with horses?

2006-04-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

A Gentle Reminder

I did some travelling this week, which actually allowed my brain some time to wander and think. I started imagining a scenario ... What if, right now, an announcement was made over the intercom here in the airport that The United States had just deployed a nuclear weapon over Tehran. My first reaction was to weep. Then I began to assess what would occur. President Bush would instantly become a de facto world dictator, and catapult the world into instant chaos. Without a doubt, other nations would instantly band together to retaliate against the United States. Some of these would be nations that can currently produce nuclear weapons. Since I live in Los Angeles, I would assume that my home city would become a target. While it's less likely that a large nuclear warhead could be deployed in Los Angeles, it is quite possible for a smaller 20 kiloton weapons to be detonated. So I did some research and calculations. I live about 22 miles (as the debris flies) EAST of downtown Los Angeles. If a drop were deployed strategically to do the most damage financially to this city, it would probably be deployed (thankfully) WEST of downtown Los Angeles. But for the sake of my research, I will assume a 20 kiloton bomb is deployed in downtown Los Angeles. All the buildings within .6 miles will be completely levelled. Moderate damage will be inflicted to buildings as much as 5 miles away. There is a chance that the bomb could cause a major earthquake, but that would be a different story. The thermal radiation would be felt as much as 5 miles away and would cause 1st degree burns to people as close to me as Pasadena. In all likelihood, I would easily survive the initial blast. The ensuing panic, riots, chaos, disease, famine, etc. would be the next immediate challenge. There would probably be no potable water for Los Angelenos. I don't own a gun, so it's possible I would be killed by neighbors trying to steal my food and water. Also, depending on which way the wind was blowing, if I were to survive these immediate threats, there is a good chance that I would either die or be severely handicapped by the nuclear fallout that would result. Since the wind is usually blowing inland, that is where my location becomes a big bummer. So I wouldn't die quickly ... I would probably be murdered or die slowly. Unless, of course, I grabbed the girlfriend, hopped in my car and drove. But where would I go? I would go to my kids, of course, but where would we go then? How would we survive? What would we eat? Wouldn't everyone else be running from Los Angeles too? Questions ... questions ...

2006-04-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

Exit Judas, Stage Left ...

This bit of news is interesting on many levels. Namely, it puts a profoundly positive spin on that (previously assumed) dastardly character named Judas. So while one Judas is vindicated, another one is outed. How involved Bush was in this scandal (which I am affectionately calling "Scootergate") remains to be seen. I'm guessing that he and Cheney had plans, and they let Scooter be the patsy. We shall see ...

2006-04-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Keeping the Homeland Secure ... for Pedophiles

Perhaps the administration that is trying to pry into our business in order to curb pedophilia should consider pulling the proverbial plank from its own eye. Brian J. Doyle, deputy press secretary with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and accused pedophile. These are the people The President has made our protectors.

2006-03-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

V is also for Very Very Good!

I gave up on the Wachowski brothers after their horrible sequels to The Matrix. I had assumed that their sudden rise to greatness after The original Matrix (which I loved) had poisoned their minds and their work. Maybe they learned? Whatever ... don't really care. All I know is that "V for Vendetta" kicks butt. It was a great movie, and I highly recommend it. I'm actually quite surprised that it hasn't caused a greater amount of controversy than it has. Has anyone seen this who was offended by the implications, by the metaphors, by who is actually a hero in this movie? I don't want to ruin it for people by getting into the dialog, so please post your thoughts in comments and if you haven't seen it--don't read the comments!

2006-03-24T14:24:00.000-08:00

Xenophobia

Christians are outraged that Afghanistan is considering the execution of a man, simply because he converted to Christianity. That is a justifiable reason to be outraged. But were they outraged when Afghanistan stoned a woman to death simply because her husband accused her of adultery? And have they been outraged when homosexuals have been persecuted, oppressed, and executed by Afghan officials? Just asking ...

2006-03-14T15:24:00.000-08:00

The Cat Among Cats

Alas, the Vet has confirmed that our dear Scallywag won't be with us much longer. He was a great fisherman. He was feared by most of the cats who ever knew him. He was loved by most of the humans who ever knew him. He liked to swim in toilets. He once protected Gayle from a racoon in a fierce battle. He ate all manner of human food. A cat among cats! He will be missed.

2006-03-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

Roe V. Wade For Men

This the subject du jour in the news, on talk radio and political websites. Under Roe v. Wade, woman have the right to choose whether or not they will have a baby. Men, on the other hand, do not have the option to choose whether or not the woman will have the baby, and subsequently they do not have the option to choose whether or not to pay for the baby's life. By calling up "equal protection under the law," men are saying that they should have the right to choose as well. They claim that if a woman chooses to keep a baby against the will of the man, the man should not be required to pay for the child. But wait, there's more: This is all coming about because of a suit that's being filed by The National Center for Men. They have been at this, allegedly, since 1990. They do have a valid point (which I don't care enough about to argue here) but I have to ask myself one germaine question. Why is this a big splash in the news now? After all, this is not a new concept, and it is not a new fight. This is a long shot. It's always been a long shot. Why is this a big splash in the news now? Here's a possible reason why I think it is. The NCM's argument makes sense in a way. It's logical, and to the casual observer it might pose a threat to the position of strength that women currently have under Roe V. Wade. In fact, it might make it seem like Roe v. Wade might not be a good idea for women who actually want to have a baby. If you do, after all, you might risk being forced to take financial responsibility for the child's life, if the man is opposed. She might not have child support ro rely upon. But Roe v. Wade For Men will fail miserably, as have the many similar attempts in the past 30 years. A possible reason this is being prominently played in the news now is because it is an attempt to deteriorate the popularity of Roe v. Wade, and to soften the criticism against the anti-abortion legislation that will be before the Supreme Court soon. There are some women who are against abortion (or think that they would never have one) and are currently fence-sitters who are basically Pro-Choice because they feel pressure from other women to be so. This news might push them to the other side of the fence, because they don't ever want to be a single mother without child support. So this "Roe v. Wade For Men" will cause these fence-sitters to move over to the Pro-Life camp. I think that's what this is all about.

2006-03-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

Bush is the New Nixon

Yesterday, Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee voted not to investigate President Bush's illegal wiretapping program. Apparently the Senate is being fast and loose with the term "Intelligence." His approval ratings are now 34%, a scant above Nixon's record low of 29%. Just a few more scandals (which are sure to come) and we should hit paydirt.

2006-03-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

Car Alarms

When you hear a car alarm, what conclusion do you reach? 1. A car is being stolen. Investigate and/or call the police immediately. 2. Someone may be in trouble, and has activated their car alarm as a signal for help. Investigate and/or call the police immediately. 3. Some asshole's car alarm is going on. You hope his noisy car is being stolen, or that he is being mugged. 4. What? I can't hear you, there's a car alarm going off. The fact is, we think 3 or 4, not 1 or 2. So car alarms are a completely superfluous element of our society--an element that has negative externalities and very few positive contributions. The positive contribution is that you can click your remote until it chirps, so you know your car is locked. Then you can tell it's unlocked by the double-chirp. This is cool! But it doesn't require an actual alarm system to work. Here's what I think people should do: 1. When you buy a car, cut the alarm cable so it does not go off, or disable the alarm. 2. When you have a neighbor or person in your workplace whose car alarm frequently goes off, call the police and tell them you think a car is being stolen ... every time. (OK, maybe you shouldn't do this, but it's fun to think about.) But car manufacturers wouldn't dare try to sell a car without an alarm system, as it is perceived as a necessary component. Wake up car manufacturers! It's not only unnecessary, it's a nuisance.

2006-02-25T08:44:00.000-08:00

A Test for Determinism

Today I will take a short break from my efforts to save the world from certain destruction, and instead present a way to find out if the universe is ruled by determinism or not. Determinism, as all you Calvinists know, is the theory that the universe has a pre-programed fate--allegedly programmed by God--and that we are merely actors in God's play. The opposing theory, known as "free will," turns the play into something closer to "Curb Your Enthusiasm," where we are actors who have the freedom to move about and say things as they wish. With Free Will, there is no script, and no one knows the outcome. To settle this millenia-long battle once and for all, I have designed a scientific test that will--with some degree of statistical certainty--prove or disprove if Determinism is guiding the future of the universe. It doesn't prove Free Will, per se, but could disprove Determinism. (To the left is an artist's conception of what the SLB might look like.) First (and here's the part that's not yet possible), you have to devise a little machine I call the "Special Little Box," or SLB. The SLB does not have to look special. In fact it looks boring. It's a little box with a button, and a little red light. However, here's how the box works: When you push the button, it sends a single atomic particle to a receptor, which lights the little red light. The only complicated part, is that the particle moves five seconds into the past before hitting the receptor. So essentially, the little red light will go on 5 seconds before you push the button. No other force in the universe can make the light go one other than the push of the button on the SLB, and that the light goes on exactly always 5 seconds before the button is pushed. Simple enough? OK, let's go. You hire some volunteers who do not know how the SLB works. I recommend hiring poor college students who are smart enough to follow basic instructions, but poor enough to volunteer for this exercise for a small fee, or even just cookies and punch. Put them in a room with the SLB, and give them instructions. "Push the button exactly five seconds after the light goes on." Then, you and your friends should go into the little observation room behind the one-way mirror, and jot down your observations. This part of the test probably won't prove anything yet, but it's good for a few laughs. It will amuse you that these dumb college students are able to push the button *exactly* five seconds after the light goes on. Not 4.7 seconds, not 5.2 seconds, but exactly 5 seconds. Weird, huh? Now, if one of the volunteers is either extremely stupid or extremely clever, the volunteers should always push the button 5 seconds after the light goes on. If an extremely stupid person is too dull-witted to push the button, or if an extremely clever person decides to rebel against the test, then you have already disproven the theory of determinism, and proven that the universe is ruled by either extremely clever or extremely stupid people. (A more complicated theory might be that there are a myriad of "alternative universes" going on at all times, but I'll discuss that some other time maybe.) If this first part of the test does not achieve any surprising results, then it's time to move onto the true test of determinism. This time, place a scientist in the room who understands the nature of the test, and how the SLB works. He should be blindfolded. Or, better yet, to ensure 100% infallability of this test, he should volunteer to have his eyes gouged out to guarantee certainty that he cannot see the whether the little red light is on or not. Then tell him to push the button at random every once in awhile. If this part of the test achieves no surprising results, you can move on to the next portion with the joyful confidence that the universe is not guided by random fate. Then, place a scientist who still has both his eyes, and who understands the nature of the test. Tell him to try and push the button THIRTY seconds after the light goes on. Make sure this scientist is clever enough to easily tell the difference between Five and Thirty seconds. This is the portion of the test that will truly determine whether the fate of the universe is pre-determined or not. If the scientist mistakes thirty seconds for five seconds every time, then the universe is pre-determined. If five seconds elapses and the scientist does not push the button, then Determinism is not true, or it is true but can be over-ruled by calculated rebellion. You may now go about your business freely.

2006-02-22T22:53:00.000-08:00

1.6 Billion

That's how much Bush has spent on Public Relations since 2003. Hey ... it costs a lot to hide the facts: - Port Security sold to the people most interested: Saudis - Iraq on the brink of full-scale civil war. Nothing funny there. - Cheney hunting hand-raised quail too stupid to know that humans are bad. Luckily, it turns out okay for the quails. - US asked to close Gitmo. The critics weren't allowed to interview the detainees because "they are trained to lie." Heh. - Wire-tapping. 'Nuff said. A Bush critic's job is never done. Ever.

2006-02-17T15:54:00.000-08:00

Bush Lies

I just heard a recording of the following words from George Bush--delivered in a speech to a university on April 20, 2004: "Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so." I wish I had an MP3 download of this quote. It has more impact to hear the words coming straight from the man who signed the Presidential Order to do exactly the opposite.

2006-02-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

High-Five to the Person Who Asked This Question ...

... at a press conference yesterday. The press conference topic was the new Global Internet Freedom Task Force that's being formed to combat internet censorship and oppression in countries like China. UNDER SECRETARY SHINER: Last question? QUESTION: Is access a bigger problem than privacy? I mean, are there many countries in which the authorities follow the internet traffic, e-mail traffic, without court warrants? UNDER SECRETARY SHINER: Well, certainly censorship is a very old practice and we've seen it manifest throughout history on many different levels, and that's not new to the internet and it's a challenge that we face with the internet and elsewhere. The privacy piece certainly has new dimensions as we look at technology and the ability of technology to connect people, and so I would say that, you know, some of the unique policy challenges that we face are certainly in that area and that will be a major focus of our discussions. MR. CASEY: Thanks, everyone. Appreciate you coming today.

2006-02-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

The Global Internet Freedom Act

In my spare time, I always love to read upcoming legislation. On Feb. 14, the Global Internet Freedom Act was submitted to the House. Here's a particularly interesting section: (6) Intergovernmental, nongovernmental, and media organizations have reported the widespread and increasing pattern by repressive foreign governments of Internet jamming, including jamming, censoring, blocking, monitoring, and restricting Internet access and content by using technologies such as firewalls, filters, and `black boxes'. Such interference with individual activity on the Internet includes surveillance of e-mail messages, message boards, and the use of particular words, `stealth blocking' individuals from visiting particular websites, the development of `black lists' of users who seek to visit these websites, and the complete denial of access to the Internet. While this law is intended to apply to other countries, this will make President Bush's warrantless e-mail reading illegal. Oh wait a minute. It already was illegal.

2006-02-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

Cheney Can't Satiate his Thirst For Blood

Cheney gently strokes the smooth barrel of his gift from the NRA. "My preciousssss." The Blogosphere is brimming with humor since Cheney accidentally shot his hunting companion yesterday. Luckily the guy is fine, otherwise the humor would have to wait about 2 or 3 months. In other news, Howard Dean calls for Cheney to resign if he ordered the CIA leak.

2006-02-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

The House

The Curmudgeon in Training came over today for bit of lunch and conversation. My son Ryan said that he was reading a biography of Albert Einstein for class. Me: Yeah, I Albert was a brilliant guy. All except for that bit about how God doesn't play dice with the universe. The Curmudgeon: What do you mean? Me: I think God does play dice with the universe The Curmudgeon: (thinks) Yeah, and God is the house. Me; Right. The house always wins.

2006-02-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

This just in from MoveOn.org: Dear MoveOn member, The push for a real investigation into the president's illegal wiretapping program is picking up steam. Yesterday, the first Republican right-wing Rep. Heather Wilson, called for a "painstaking" review of the program. It's especially significant because Wilson heads a House subcommittee that oversees the NSA. Today, we learned that two judges from the secret intelligence court warned that the program "ran a significant risk of being declared unconstitutional." It's obvious to members of both parties that the president is breaking the law with his domestic spying program. The question is: are they going to let him get away with it? The only way Congress is going to continue to take this seriously is if they hear from concerned Americans now. Can you write a letter to the editor of your local paper? You can write and send a letter in just a few minutes through our online tool, at: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1461&id=6817-6786491-MtkEsunvMnCGVtAgaLaYWA&t=1 The op-ed page is often the most-read page in the newspaper and politicians pay special attention to it to understand how their community is responding to important issues. Seeing letters from concerned Americans will send them the message that we're not going to let the president off the hook. Our tool allows you to find papers near you and submit your letter online. We even provide talking points. Here are some basic points you can use, but please remember that when you write your letter, it's really important to speak from your heart. - The president is breaking the law. If Congress doesn't hold him accountable, they are telling us that the president is above the law. - The president already has the power to immediately wiretap suspected terrorists. The law offers the president the flexibility to wiretap suspected terrorists immediately and get a court order up to three days later. - The domestic spying program is a dragnet that has led to innocent Americans. The Bush administration insists that the illegal wiretapping program is only applied to suspected terrorists. Now, both the New York Times and the Washington Post have reported that the program is a fishing expedition that often leads to innocent Americans. On Monday, the attorney general would not confirm that the program didn't eavesdrop on innocent Americans. - Opposition to the president's power grab is bipartisan. Despite Karl Rove's desire to turn this into an election issue, even threatening to take electoral revenge on Republicans who break with the president, Republicans and Democrats have questioned his authority. As Congresswoman Wilson points out, the administration's reluctance to come clean, "has deepened her apprehension about whom the agency is monitoring and why." The president knows he's breaking the law so he's desperately trying to change the subject, using misleading terms like "terrorist surveillance program" to describe illegal spying on Americans in the United States. He's in dangerous waters right now, and he knows it. With momentum building against him, it's important to turn up the heat. The ad you're helping us air on CNN this week is one important part of this fight—it reminds people what happened the last time a president thought he was above the law. The next step is take our personal voices to the public. One of the best ways to do that is to write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Can you take a few minutes to write one today? http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1461&id=6817-6786491-MtkEsunvMnCGVtAgaLaYWA&t=2 Together, we can make sure this president doesn't get away with undermining one of the core values enshrined in our Constitution—protection against abuse of power by a system of checks and balances.

2006-02-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Some Things Never Change

I simply had to recount this excerpt from an excellent book I'm reading. "The Code Book," which is basically a history of cryptography (one of my interests). It's by Simon Singh. There is a long section about Charles Babbage, a famous inventor who was also influential. This short blurb on his biography is included: ...toward the end of his life he began a campaign to get rid of the organ grinders and street musicians who roamed London. He complained that the music "not infrequently gives rise to a dance by little ragged urchins, and sometimes half-intoxicted men, who occasionally accompany the noise with their own discordant voices. Another class who are great supporters of street music consists of ladies of elastic virtue and cosmopolitan tendencies to whom it affords a decent excuse for displaying their fascinations at their open windows." Unfortunately for Babbage, the musicians fought back by gathering in large groups around his house and playing as loud as possible.

2006-02-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

There. Someone Finally Said It

Paul Craig Roberts, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration, has finally come right out and said why people are upset over Bush's spying. "...ask yourself why President Bush refuses to obey the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The purpose of the FISA court is to ensure that administrations do not spy for partisan political reasons. The warrant requirement is to ensure that a panel of independent federal judges hears a legitimate reason for the spying, thus protecting a president from the temptation to abuse the powers of government. The only reason for the Bush administration to evade the court is that the Bush administration had no legitimate reasons for its spying. This should be obvious even to a naif."

2006-02-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Strange, but True

I just read this story, and am absolutely amazed. The actual news is the "happy ending" of a woman who just received a face transplant. She looks semi-normal now, which is good. The amazing part of the story is what happened to her. She was depressed, took sleeping pills, and while she was unconscious, her dog ate her face off. Bad dog! She awoke and couldn't figure out why she couldn't keep a cigarette in her mouth. Then she looked in the mirror ... For you dog-lovers out there who find it incredibly cute how your dog licks your face while you're asleep ... now you know what's really going on. But this story reminds me of another real-life story that was the subject of my last attempt at short fiction. It's the true story of a guy who tried to commit suicide with a shotgun, but basically didn't get off a good shot and managed to shoot his face off. At this point he rushes to find help for himself at a nearby gas station (putting the girl working there in a mental hospital after what she saw.) The Doctor's rebuilt his face, and the man now runs about his neighborhood scaring children by removing his mask and showing them the horror beneath. These are two very bizarre but very similar cases. Both have very bizarre and very similar results. Why is it, when suicidal people manage to literally lose their face, they suddenly regain their will to live? Wouldn't you think that, for this woman, having her dog eat her face off would give her merely addtional reasons to end it all? But instead of finding the nearest blunt object and bashing herself with it, she called 911 and sought help. Maybe the act of suicide is more linked to the desire to remove one's identity. Maybe suicide is the desire to end "who" we are instead of "what" we are. In both of these cases, once the face was gone (and the physical reminder of one's identity) so also is the desire to commit suicide gone.

2006-02-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

The Furor Over Cartoons

These cartoons have caused the Muslim world to become enraged. Saudi Arabia and Syria have recalled their Denmark ambassadors. Gunmen held offices at the European Union in the Gaza Strip ... etc. Sigh. These cartoons were a silly and knowingly insulting stunt. Still, it has brought a point to head: the Islamic world can burn the American flag without reprisal, and so should the West be able to print cartoons about Mohammed. The free exchange of ideas should never be a threat to the truth, no? There is no peace without freedom of speech. Sometimes there is no peace with it either.

2006-02-01T12:52:00.000-08:00

State of the Union

I watched the speech last night. The president seemed very erudite, and said many, many wonderful things. Lots and lots of money to be spent on things people want, and a permanent tax cut to boot. There's only one hitch: Here's an account of one attendee of the SOTU address: (from Daily KOS) What Really Happened. by CindySheehan Wed Feb 01, 2006 at 01:19:44 AM PDT Dear Friends, As most of you have probably heard, I was arrested before the State of the Union Address tonight. I am speechless with fury at what happened and with grief over what we have lost in our country. CindySheehan's diary :: :: There have been lies from the police and distortions by the press. (Shocker) So this is what really happened: This afternoon at the People's State of the Union Address in DC where I was joined by Congresspersons Lynn Woolsey and John Conyers, Ann Wright, Malik Rahim and John Cavanagh, Lynn brought me a ticket to the State of the Union Address. At that time, I was wearing the shirt that said: 2245 Dead. How many more? After the PSOTU press conference, I was having second thoughts about going to the SOTU at the Capitol. I didn't feel comfortable going. I knew George Bush would say things that would hurt me and anger me and I knew that I couldn't disrupt the address because Lynn had given me the ticket and I didn't want to be disruptive out of respect for her. I, in fact, had given the ticket to John Bruhns who is in Iraq Veterans Against the War. However, Lynn's office had already called the media and everyone knew I was going to be there so I sucked it up and went. I got the ticket back from John, and I met one of Congresswoman Barbara Lee's staffers in the Longworth Congressional Office building and we went to the Capitol via the undergroud tunnel. I went through security once, then had to use the rest room and went through security again. My ticket was in the 5th gallery, front row, fourth seat in. The person who in a few minutes was to arrest me, helped me to my seat. I had just sat down and I was warm from climbing 3 flights of stairs back up from the bathroom so I unzipped my jacket. I turned to the right to take my left arm out, when the same officer saw my shirt and yelled; "Protester." He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs. I said something like "I'm going, do you have to be so rough?" By the way, his name is Mike Weight. The officer ran with me to the elevators yelling at everyone to move out of the way. When we got to the elevators, he cuffed me and took me outside to await a squad car. On the way out, someone behind me said, "That's Cindy Sheehan." At which point the officer who arrested me said: "Take these steps slowly." I said, "You didn't care about being careful when you were dragging me up the other steps." He said, "That's because you were protesting." Wow, I get hauled out of the People's House because I was, "Protesting." I was never told that I couldn't wear that shirt into the Congress. I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had been asked to do any of those things...I would have, and written about the suppression of my freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for "unlawful conduct." After I had my personal items inventoried and my fingers printed, a nice Sgt. came in and looked at my shirt and said, "2245, huh? I just got back from there." I told him that my son died there. That's when the enormity of my loss hit me. I have lost my son. I have lost my First Amendment rights. I have lost the country that I love. Where did America go? I started crying in pain. What did Casey die for? What did the 2244 other brave young Americans die for? What are tens of thousands of them over there in harm's way for still? For this? I can't even wear a shrit that has the number of troops on it that George Bush and his arrogant and ignorant policies are responsible for killing. I wore the shirt to make a statement. The press knew I was going to be there and I thought every once in awhile they would show me and I would have the shirt on. I did not wear it to be disruptive, or I would have unzipped my jacket during George's speech. If I had any idea what happens to people who wear shirts that make the neocons uncomfortable that I would be arrested...maybe I would have, but I didn't. There have already been many wild stories out there. I have some lawyers looking into filing a First Amendment lawsuit against the government for what happened tonight. I will file it. It is time to take our freedoms and our country back. I don't want to live in a country that prohibits any person, whether he/she has paid the ulitmate price for that country, from wearing, saying, writing, or telephoning any negative statements about the government. That's why I am going to take my freedoms and liberties back. That's why I am not going to let Bushco take anything else away from me...or you. I am so appreciative of the couple of hundred of protesters who came to the jail while I was locked up to show their support....we have so much potential for good...there is so much good in so many people. Four hours and 2 jails after I was arrested, I was let out. Again, I am so upset and sore it is hard to think straight. Keep up the struggle...I promise you I will too. Love and peace soon, Cindy

2006-01-31T11:20:00.000-08:00

I love it

This just in from Brian: "The difference between intelligent people and stupid people, and this is regardless of education, is that intelligent people can handle subtlety and nuance". -- Neil Stephenson "I don't do nuance". -- Dick Cheney

2006-01-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

Slogan Whore

This idea popped into my head while driving. The Dems should initiate a grass-roots movement that "creates the frame" of the argument in the way suggested by George Lakoff's book. By creating a movement whose very name would innoculate against the default criticism. Thus: "Patriots for Impeachment" popped into my head. I'm picturing a red, white and blue bumper sticker. What would be a good website to link the slogan to? Moveon.org has this. Does anyone know of a credible online movement that is specifically looking to impeach?

2006-01-28T11:59:00.000-08:00

To My Reader in Madagascar

Even though your land was fairly insignificant from a strategic point when playing Risk, you are also the place where Lemurs, Chameleons, and millipedes come from, and I hope to visit someday. Thank you. You made me feel special! (Seriously.)

2006-01-27T13:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mozart

Following is a poem just written by "The Curmudgeon in Training," who is taking a sabbatical from the blogosphere. I liked the poem so much I asked if I could post it here. He said yes. Here it is: I Listened To Mozart I listened to Mozart's Requiem last night, a mid-seventies document from Academy and Chorus of St. Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner; John Shirley-Quirk, bass. Voca. Voca me. I listened to Mozart's Requiem, late last night. I tapped my foot and drank deeply from a cork-stopped bottle of single barrel bourbon, a bourbon of smoky texture and heritage. Voca. Voca me. I listened to Mozart's Requiem last night, and remembered a decade past; a baritone position in a chorus of depth, singing with appetite, the joy of transient youth. Voca. Voca me. I listened to Mozart's Requiem last night. Late. I heard it for the first time, for myself.

2006-01-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

The One-Minute Poem

The fierce wind is blowing so hard that doors cannot even be opened. Out my window, I keep seeing what I think at first are birds flying into the golden sun. But I look closer and I see it is billowing trash, caught up in the slipstream, blowing west in the fierce wind, As if there is no gravity.

2006-01-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

The Next Person ...

... who writes the word "insure" when they mean "ensure," is going to get an offer from me to buy some ensurance.

2006-01-11T12:23:00.001-08:00

This November

Get your mind wrapped around this: we will vote this November! It will be an extremely important vote, as every member of the U.S. House of Representatives will be up for re-election. If just a handful of Republican Representatives are replaced with Democrat Representatives, we might stand a chance of Impeaching Bush. Reasons to Impeach Bush - Either Lying to the American Public about our reasons for invading Iraq, or having gross incompetence with managing intelligence - Torturing prisoners - Hiding prisoners in foreign countries so they could be tortured - Illegal Wiretaps on American Citizens. Wiretaps that could easily have been done legally, but were not. - Accepting campaign contributions from fraudulent sources (although more details need to play out on this, it may be a reason come November.) So vote this November! The reputation of our country depends on it!

2006-01-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

Told ya

Looks like it will be a lasting friendship.

2006-01-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

Another Scum Bites the Dust

This is a non-partisan statement. Jack Abramoff was a piece of shit, and he just pled guilty to federal corruption charges. I have mixed emotions. First, it's disgusting that people like this have influence with the United States Congress. His testamony will likely implicate several top-level politicians. On the other hand, I'm glad justice ferreted him out. For a really thorough (and amusing) account of what Jack Abramoff did, read Al Franken's latest boot The Truth (with jokes). That is all.

2005-12-31T12:04:00.000-08:00

Poker!

Yesterday I decided to trek out to the "San Manuel Casino," which is a mere 35 minutes from my house. I found it to be a gorgeous place. Naturally I sat at the poker tables, and sat at a 3/6 table. (Unfortunately, no "No Limit" tables at this place.) In the space of 2 hours I raked in $201. Nice way to end the year. :)

2005-12-30T19:09:00.000-08:00

Heck of a job, Bushie

A great column from the NYT's Paul Krugman. I'm posting this blogger's version of it because the NYT requires a log in to read the full text.

2005-12-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

The EFF on Wire-Tapping

The Electronic Freedom Foundation has just released their newsletter, and has this to say about Bush's illegal wire-tapping: _________________________________ * Action Alert: Demand Congress Investigate Illegal Wiretapping! In last week's EFFector, we pointed you to the New York Times' report that President Bush personally authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to wiretap the international phone and email communications of people within the US -- without getting search warrants. We've gotten several inquiries from people wondering what EFF thinks about this and whether we plan on suing anyone. The short answer is that we think the newly-revealed NSA wiretapping is completely illegal, violating both the Fourth Amendment and criminal statutes that prohibit unauthorized electronic surveillance. However, without a client who has actually been spied on as part of the NSA program, it is possible that neither we nor anyone else will be able to bring a civil lawsuit. There's still the possibility of a criminal prosecution, but the Attorney General has argued that the wiretapping is legal and clearly doesn't plan on pursuing a criminal investigation, The White House has made it clear that it intends to continue the wiretapping program. So what can be done? The most important step now is to make sure that Congress holds full hearings on the matter and gets to the bottom of this illegal scheme to invade Americans' privacy. Such hearings may generate enough political pressure to force Attorney General Gonzales to appoint a special prosecutor, who would be authorized to conduct an independent investigation and bring criminal charges against those who violated the law. There's already some bipartisan support in Congress for hearings after the holiday recess, but we could use your help to ensure that those hearings actually happen. So visit our Action Center today to send a message to Congress showing your support for hearings and your opposition to illegal eavesdropping by the NSA. Contact Congress via our Action Center Original New York Times coverage Security expert Bruce Schneier gives a knowledgeable roundup

2005-12-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

Movies

I saw "The Corporation," a documentary that will scare the shit out of you. I recommend it. Then I saw "King Kong," and I'm not sure I can express how awful I thought this movie was. It's not the worst movie I've ever seen by any stretch, but if you were to average out the number of minutes I sat doing one of the following: a) grimacing b) laughing inappropriately c) looking at the time d) wishing I was somewhere else, or e) thinking, "that's preposterous" then King Kong would rank as the worst by the sheer number of minutes spent wasted. Peter Jackson did well with the LOTR trilogy, but with this film he confused the word "spectacle" with "spectacular." My threshold of disbelief cannot be held at bay merely the perfection of special effects. You have to bear in mind things like human motivation, logic, and scientific rationale. Things like ... a gigantic ape can run at full-speed with a waif hanging half-out of his left hand without accidentally killing her. This is only one example. There are more. Avoid it unless you're an ape fiend.

2005-12-19T20:41:00.000-08:00

Going Full-Tilt

Pardon me while I rant. I'm probably going to apologize for this tomorrow, but tonight I am really really mad. George W. Macarthey has gone too far. He mocks the law. He mocks our liberties. He mocks the truth. He lies us into his own pet war. He tortures people he doesn't like. Then when he gets caught he sets up secret prisons so he can torture people THERE. And he won't admit it even though it's true. And now he's been caught with his hand in the wire-tap jar, and he gets MAD at the people who leaked the story. What gall. By cloaking it in the sanctity of "fighting terrorism," George W. Macarthy has decided that it was okay for him to bypass the courts in order to snoop on American phones and e-mail. The courts, you see, were an inconvenience. But it's okay, this completely unilateral decision by the White House won't ever be abused. Right. Here's a wake-up call to the Democrats. Ten years ago your president was fucking IMPEACHED because he diddled an intern. And you sit and watch this man dismantle our wonderful country without impeaching him in kind. Hell, he should be arrested! What the hell does it take to bring this despot down? It's no wonder that Americans don't vote for you. You are pussies, afraid of your own shadows. Where is your spine? How the hell can we expect you to stand up to terrorists when you cow to a president who is so fully out of control that you should be frothing-at-the-mouth, Spitting, fucking out-of-control MAD. LIKE ME!

2005-12-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

Nice Holiday News

I'm semi-out-of-the-loop regarding what is pop news, but this one caught my eye so I thought I'd share in case you haven't heard: A mother actually had the presense of mind to throw her one-month-old baby from a 3rd story window when her building was on fire. (How many mothers could actually do that?) The baby was caught by a kind gentleman on the ground, who gave the baby mouth-to-mouth. Everyone is now fine. The catcher risked litigation if he dropped the baby. Cooler heads prevailed here. Happy Holidays. :)

2005-12-12T16:29:00.000-08:00

Meme tag

Dag nabbit. I'm behind on my blogging, and saw that someone tagged me with a meme TWO MONTHS ago. Here are the results: 1: Technology Companies manipulate the pace of change in order to maximize profits. Here are the rules: 1. Go into your archive. 2. Find your 23rd post. 3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to). 4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. 5. Tag five other people to do the same. I tag the following five who may very well be the only five readers I have): HizzleThizzle, Carol, Lisa, Patriotboy (who I'm pretty sure doesn't read this blog), and ... was that five? I will stop there.

2005-12-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

Governor Arnold ...

If you're reading this (and you know you are)please give Tookie Williams clemency. That is all. UPDATE: He didn't listen to me. :(

2005-12-11T16:48:00.000-08:00

I'm a Guest Poster!

It just makes your day when you're a guest poster on a blog that you *really really* admire. that would be "So Cal Progressives." I labored for the longest time to come up with a pun that attached the "Gulag Archipelago" with the good ol' USA, and came up with "The Red-White-and-Bluelag Archipelago." I loved it at first. Now I realize it is totally lame. But, hey. I'm on the coolest blog in So Cal. :) You can read the rest here.

2005-12-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Newsflash

Jesus has co-opted the Christian strategy of consumerism by bringing us a reminder of his life, by presenting the world with a Funyun in the shape of his Mother Mary holding the Baby Jesus. Hallelujah!

2005-12-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

Putting the "Oh Christ!" Back in Christmas

Deja vu. Christians are in an uproar over the blandification of their biggest holiday. I would normally roll my eyes because I just don't care, but this time I'm getting a little twitchy. The following quote from ABCNews says it all: Christian conservatives say retailers should proudly play up Christmas even if some non-Christian customers are alienated. "Tough luck," said Donald Wildmon, chairman of the American Family Association. "This is an overwhelmingly Christian country." ____________________ The recent religio-political climate in this country has, as we all know, divided us more than we've been divided in a long time. Sadly, the great "unifier" in the United States is our actual religion, which is consumerism. However the religious right is trying to absorb the tenets of consumerism into their religion, and trying to make Target (for example) play by Christian rules. It's possible that Christians know down deep in their hearts that they have lost the battle for American souls. Because instead of finding a nugget of joy in knowing that Jesus has saved us from eternal damnation, we instead opted to find our nugget of joy in the new bean bag sit-up chair we just got at Sears. Damn, she's a beaut! So Christians, who don't want to admit defeat, are simply changing the internal workings of their religion, and attaching themselves to consumerism. Since consumerism is the winner, they want to see the word "Christ" in red twinkle-lights over the frozen foods aisle. Apparently, the words "Happy Holidays" symbolize their defeat. This move is even more clever than the Intelligent Design move. Because really, no one cares about evolution. But people do care about the fact that Target has fuzzy bathroom carpets on sale for $5.99. I have four things to say: 1. If Christians really want to pee in their own coffee, they may. 2. If Christians think that they are going to make turn America into "Jesus Country" they will eventually create the American Civil War II. Please reconsider. 3. If "WalMart" wants to rename itself "Jesus Christ Superstore" they may. That's their right. I'll shop at Costco anyway. 4. Psssst. Retailers. If any of you come out saying that you will NOT have holiday decorations, and NOT pipe in Christmas music in order to transfer those costs to lower prices, I will shop at your stores, I promise!

2005-12-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

The Chilling Effect

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), the second-ranking House Democratic leader, have recently implied that outspoken Democrats might be risking re-election by speaking out against the war in Iraq. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is advocating a quick pullout of Iraq. Additionally, Howard Dean recently said, ""the idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong." It takes huevos to take these stands, and I applaud them both for being rare, straight-shooting politicians Reflexively, Rahm Emanuel and Steny Hoyer, who both have suspiciously odd names, are clearly part of the problem and not part of the solution. They think Pelosi and Dean should pipe down. They favor a more passive strategy, which is clearly one based on fear of the Republicans' current mastery of framing an argument. Is it logical to say that because Howard Dean is soft on the war in Iraq he is therefore soft on defense, or would falter in a justifiable war? No it is not logical. Will the Republicans try to spin it that way? Of course they will. Should the Democrats therefore bow their heads, cower to the Neo-Cons, and zip their mouths in order to keep hope of re-election alive? FUCK NO! Emanuel and Hoyer need to grow some balls! When the Republicans claim that Dean is soft on Defense, the Dems need to give the Neo-Cons both barrels by claiming that they are using the chilling effect to exact their agenda, and that the Neo-Cons fear criticism because their policies are grossly flawed. We know that American voters are idiots, and may not understand this. So say it with a tone of voice says you know what you are talking about. Do it with flourish, and the voters will nod and smile. Then create a commercial where republican wolverines are tearing apart the Bible or something. But don't be a pussy please. Sheesh.