I have just newly discovered William Gibson's blog, but damn it is the best thing I have found in a long time. Maybe I will finally pick up _Neuromancer_ and give it a read, but in the meantime, he has been added to my must read list. Here is just a little snippet from today which struck my fancy:
William Gibson: "In very much the sense that Bush is not actually a Christian, likewise is he nothing remotely conservative. Believing Bush is conservative in any traditional sense is like believing that a Formula One racer with the Perrier logo on its side is full of mineral water.
The RNC today is a party in the hands of dangerous political radicals. "
Amen. To be perfectly honest, I am not terribly devoted to either party outright. If I thought a sensible Republican were running, I would vote for him. In the last election, I would have voted for McCain over Gore in a heartbeat (I have more circumspect feelings about mccain these days considering the way he has been whoring himself out as bush's do-boy as of late, but that is another story). I am not completely opposed to conservative tendencies and when they are genuine and tempered with a sincere concern for others, I deeply respect them. In many ways I tend towards conservative. In others, of course, I tend towards radical, but point is it is not the label 'conservative' or 'liberal' that rallies me behind a politician or a cause.
But calling bush a conservative or a christian is at dramatic odds with his actions as president. He make get his backing from people who call themselves both, but he acts like neither.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
"How many bush administration officials does it take to change a light bulb?"
"None. There’s nothing wrong with that light bulb. There is no need to change anything. We made the right decision and nothing has happened to change our minds. People who criticize this light bulb now, just because it doesn’t work anymore, supported us when we first screwed it in, and when these flip-floppers insist on saying that it is burned out, they are merely giving aid and encouragement to the Forces of Darkness.
-- John Cleese"
There more goodies over at William Gibson's blog.
-- John Cleese"
There more goodies over at William Gibson's blog.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Jedi Mind Tricks
Being a fan of Boondocks and a child of the StarWars generation, this made me smile:
Yahoo! News - Boondocks
Yahoo! News - Boondocks
Monday, October 18, 2004
Pay no attention to the draft behind the curtain...
The head of the RNC sends a cease and desist letter to the head of Rock the Vote warning them to stop discussing the possiblility of a draft because the nekkid emperor, Mr. Burns, and Dumbsfeld say it won't happen. Didn't they also tell us that Saddam had stockpiles of chemical and nuclear weapons that he was planning on unleashing on our country with remote-controlled military drones? Yeah, their word still counts. Read the letter:
RNC shows its ass
and Rock The Vote fires back:
Rock The Vote tells them to grow up
Notice which sounds more coherent and well informed.
It is worth noting that when a particular party (in this case, the RNC) tells a non-partisan voter awareness group to stop discussing a topic (a creepy request any way you look at it) because it is a partisan subject, they are admitting that they are the side more likely to do what we are all afraid of: reinstate the draft. If they came out better on the issue, they wouldn't be crowing about it. Rock the Vote has also been tough on Kerry about assertions that the draft isn't coming back and isn't endorsing a candidate, rather has presented links to information about the issue, so if the RNC is asserting that RTV is being partisan it is an andmonition on their part that their policies lead us closer to that edge where the draft becomes a reality.
I guess this admin and their stooges have complained that the facts have been partisan all along.
RNC shows its ass
and Rock The Vote fires back:
Rock The Vote tells them to grow up
Notice which sounds more coherent and well informed.
It is worth noting that when a particular party (in this case, the RNC) tells a non-partisan voter awareness group to stop discussing a topic (a creepy request any way you look at it) because it is a partisan subject, they are admitting that they are the side more likely to do what we are all afraid of: reinstate the draft. If they came out better on the issue, they wouldn't be crowing about it. Rock the Vote has also been tough on Kerry about assertions that the draft isn't coming back and isn't endorsing a candidate, rather has presented links to information about the issue, so if the RNC is asserting that RTV is being partisan it is an andmonition on their part that their policies lead us closer to that edge where the draft becomes a reality.
I guess this admin and their stooges have complained that the facts have been partisan all along.
Friday, October 15, 2004
She's a what !?!? Part 2:
After looking at other folks talking about the stink about Kerry talking about Mary Cheney being a big ole' lezzie, it is interesting how sexualized all this chatter about it is. People who are only grudgingly beginning to handle the word 'gay' or can handle gay people only if they are neutered and serving society (like the Queer Eyes or your local hairdresser or priest) still have trouble desexualizing all language associated with the lifestyle.
Just a snippet from the underrated and excellent Digby:
Hullabaloo: "Apparently, the kewl kidz in the press tent all 'gasped' when Kerry used the word 'lesbian' the other night. And like their emotional role models, Beavis and Butthead, the mere mention of any word they associate with sex excited them a little bit. Because it did, and the Bush campaign sensed it, it's become one of those faux outrage dances that the media and the Republicans perform so well together."
Worth reading all of it, but I pulled this because it was addresses the root of this stupidity: 'lesbian' as an inherently sexualized word.
When I hear that someone is gay or lesbian or whatever, them having sex is usally not one of the first things I think of. Same when I hear that someone is straight.
Again, let's talk about my family for a minute. If my brother talks about his girlfriend or dating a girl, sex does not seem to flash straight into my parents head. They want to hear about her, what she does, how they met. If I talk about my boyfriend, there is this look of parental terror with the unspoken message of "We don't want to talk about your sex life!" Well, no shit; neither do I. This is the whole point in 'coming out': adding a social component to your associations with people to whom you are attracted. Having a boyfriend is not the same thing as having sex with the same person over and over. Just like being married isn't just about having sex with the same person over and over again.
Folks in our country really need to relax a little bit about sex. The funny thing is, that the people who rail against the moral decay of society and the dangers of the flesh are quite often the biggest perverts you will ever find. Not that they are running around getting laid left and right, but these are the people who immediately focus in on the sexual in anything. I have a boyfriend; their mind immediately goes to butt-sex. They use the word 'marriage' as code for 'sex'. Women are permanently objectified and sexualized in their mind and they perceive gay men as a threat for precisely the same reason: they imagine that they are being objectified and sexualized by us.
Just a snippet from the underrated and excellent Digby:
Hullabaloo: "Apparently, the kewl kidz in the press tent all 'gasped' when Kerry used the word 'lesbian' the other night. And like their emotional role models, Beavis and Butthead, the mere mention of any word they associate with sex excited them a little bit. Because it did, and the Bush campaign sensed it, it's become one of those faux outrage dances that the media and the Republicans perform so well together."
Worth reading all of it, but I pulled this because it was addresses the root of this stupidity: 'lesbian' as an inherently sexualized word.
When I hear that someone is gay or lesbian or whatever, them having sex is usally not one of the first things I think of. Same when I hear that someone is straight.
Again, let's talk about my family for a minute. If my brother talks about his girlfriend or dating a girl, sex does not seem to flash straight into my parents head. They want to hear about her, what she does, how they met. If I talk about my boyfriend, there is this look of parental terror with the unspoken message of "We don't want to talk about your sex life!" Well, no shit; neither do I. This is the whole point in 'coming out': adding a social component to your associations with people to whom you are attracted. Having a boyfriend is not the same thing as having sex with the same person over and over. Just like being married isn't just about having sex with the same person over and over again.
Folks in our country really need to relax a little bit about sex. The funny thing is, that the people who rail against the moral decay of society and the dangers of the flesh are quite often the biggest perverts you will ever find. Not that they are running around getting laid left and right, but these are the people who immediately focus in on the sexual in anything. I have a boyfriend; their mind immediately goes to butt-sex. They use the word 'marriage' as code for 'sex'. Women are permanently objectified and sexualized in their mind and they perceive gay men as a threat for precisely the same reason: they imagine that they are being objectified and sexualized by us.
Mason, read this: Reservists refuse convoy mission in Iraq
Mason, look at where they are from-
MSNBC - Reservists refuse convoy mission in Iraq: "WASHINGTON - The Army is investigating reports that several members of a reservist supply unit in Iraq refused to go on a convoy mission, the military said Friday. Relatives of the soldiers said the troops considered the mission too dangerous.
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The reservists are from the 343rd Quartermaster Company, which is based in Rock Hill, S.C. The unit delivers food and water in combat zones.
According to The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Miss., a platoon of 17 soldiers refused to go on a fuel supply mission Wednesday because their vehicles were in poor shape and they did not have a capable armed escort."
It also cites the paper my parents' local paper. Really, folks, if you are going to send our friends and family over there, give them the f'cking support they need or they SHOULD be sitting their happy asses down and refusing to move. (note: if you even think of commenting about Kerry being against that 87 billion pork package that the whitehouse demanded as being against our troops, you had better be well informed about the subject and have your facts straight because I am tired of hearing morons throw misinformed hissy-fits about it and won't take any half-assed idiots trying to pass the buck).
MSNBC - Reservists refuse convoy mission in Iraq: "WASHINGTON - The Army is investigating reports that several members of a reservist supply unit in Iraq refused to go on a convoy mission, the military said Friday. Relatives of the soldiers said the troops considered the mission too dangerous.
advertisement
The reservists are from the 343rd Quartermaster Company, which is based in Rock Hill, S.C. The unit delivers food and water in combat zones.
According to The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Miss., a platoon of 17 soldiers refused to go on a fuel supply mission Wednesday because their vehicles were in poor shape and they did not have a capable armed escort."
It also cites the paper my parents' local paper. Really, folks, if you are going to send our friends and family over there, give them the f'cking support they need or they SHOULD be sitting their happy asses down and refusing to move. (note: if you even think of commenting about Kerry being against that 87 billion pork package that the whitehouse demanded as being against our troops, you had better be well informed about the subject and have your facts straight because I am tired of hearing morons throw misinformed hissy-fits about it and won't take any half-assed idiots trying to pass the buck).
She's a what?!!?!!!
Juan Cole is a must read for anyone trying to keep honestly abreast of how things are going in Iraq, but his analysis of domestic issues is remarkably lucid. His take on the Cheneys' wig-out over their openly gay daughter being referred to as gay:
"Why are Lynne and Dick Cheney so angry that John Kerry mentioned their daughter Mary's lesbianism in the third presidential debate?
The difference of opinion on whether the mention was appropriate is rooted in two different worldviews, and on two different metaphors for gayness.
The behavior of the Cheneys demonstrates that they view being gay as like being disabled. Or rather it is like being disabled in the William F. Buckley conception of disabled people as not just different from ordinary persons but actually inferior in their enjoyment of life."
It is worth following the link and reading his full commentary.
I wonder at times if this is how my parents see my being gay: as a handicap. It is a difference, and it does require that I consider it in how I approach things, but not any more than being Southern or of limited wealth. There are limitations in life and I have accepted mine and have learned how to embrace them and use them to my advantage.
It is somewhat worth noting that actually becoming comfortable with being gay and not really treating it as anything to be ashamed of or to be troubled by has made my life much, much easier and made me much healthier and more able to deal with others. Growing up gay in rural AL is not the easiest thing on a kid, but strangely looking back, growing up in rural AL isn't really all that easy on anyone. And the more I go along, the more I am convinced that growing up isn't really easy anywhere. After you make peace with your own difficulties, you can begin to see that it is not the only kind of trouble. Sometimes the thorns in our sides are blessings.
So it makes me a little sad to see someone's parents treating their openly gay child as an embarassment or with pity. When I detect that in my parents it cuts pretty deep. But mostly I just get mad: like every child, I expect better from them.
Where we are from, I am sure everyone knows that I am gay, or damn near everyone, but gossip spreads in a funny quiet way that one doesn't often have to confront too directly and I am not back there very often so I wonder if they have been confronted with this publicly and if they were how would they react? I have seen them show amazing backbone when faced with ignorance and bigotry in times past, so I imagine them telling anyone who said something inappropriate to shove it, but I wonder if they are where they could hear about it being casually being mentioned like it were nothing remarkable and treat it as no big deal? It makes me sad to hear that other parents can't, but then again, I think my parents are much better people than the Cheneys.
Hey, don't ask, don't tell.
(but while we are talking about Mary Cheney, can't we take a minute to comment on her new hair do? Maybe she finally made friends with some of the log cabin boys and they took her to a hairdresser instead of a barbershop. It is still a bad republican haircut, but it doens't look like cornsilk taped to an orange anymore. But can someone tell Chris Matthews that her old haircut looks no better on him?)
"Why are Lynne and Dick Cheney so angry that John Kerry mentioned their daughter Mary's lesbianism in the third presidential debate?
The difference of opinion on whether the mention was appropriate is rooted in two different worldviews, and on two different metaphors for gayness.
The behavior of the Cheneys demonstrates that they view being gay as like being disabled. Or rather it is like being disabled in the William F. Buckley conception of disabled people as not just different from ordinary persons but actually inferior in their enjoyment of life."
It is worth following the link and reading his full commentary.
I wonder at times if this is how my parents see my being gay: as a handicap. It is a difference, and it does require that I consider it in how I approach things, but not any more than being Southern or of limited wealth. There are limitations in life and I have accepted mine and have learned how to embrace them and use them to my advantage.
It is somewhat worth noting that actually becoming comfortable with being gay and not really treating it as anything to be ashamed of or to be troubled by has made my life much, much easier and made me much healthier and more able to deal with others. Growing up gay in rural AL is not the easiest thing on a kid, but strangely looking back, growing up in rural AL isn't really all that easy on anyone. And the more I go along, the more I am convinced that growing up isn't really easy anywhere. After you make peace with your own difficulties, you can begin to see that it is not the only kind of trouble. Sometimes the thorns in our sides are blessings.
So it makes me a little sad to see someone's parents treating their openly gay child as an embarassment or with pity. When I detect that in my parents it cuts pretty deep. But mostly I just get mad: like every child, I expect better from them.
Where we are from, I am sure everyone knows that I am gay, or damn near everyone, but gossip spreads in a funny quiet way that one doesn't often have to confront too directly and I am not back there very often so I wonder if they have been confronted with this publicly and if they were how would they react? I have seen them show amazing backbone when faced with ignorance and bigotry in times past, so I imagine them telling anyone who said something inappropriate to shove it, but I wonder if they are where they could hear about it being casually being mentioned like it were nothing remarkable and treat it as no big deal? It makes me sad to hear that other parents can't, but then again, I think my parents are much better people than the Cheneys.
Hey, don't ask, don't tell.
(but while we are talking about Mary Cheney, can't we take a minute to comment on her new hair do? Maybe she finally made friends with some of the log cabin boys and they took her to a hairdresser instead of a barbershop. It is still a bad republican haircut, but it doens't look like cornsilk taped to an orange anymore. But can someone tell Chris Matthews that her old haircut looks no better on him?)
Again, I wish I were suprised...
The nekkid emperor has some values for you:
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Block the Vote
Yes, George Soros is a drug dealer and georgie w. porgie is going to restore honor to the whitehouse and spread democracy abroad. WTF?
If Krugman's article is the first you have heard about this stuff, 2 things:
1) you should be angry with how the news is ignoring this and doesn't cover this like crazy.
2) you don't read enough and really should consider getting your news from more sources.
If Krugman's article doesn't piss you off and make you want to crack a few skulls for attacking what our nation is all about, you might want to re-examine your 'values'.
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Block the Vote
Yes, George Soros is a drug dealer and georgie w. porgie is going to restore honor to the whitehouse and spread democracy abroad. WTF?
If Krugman's article is the first you have heard about this stuff, 2 things:
1) you should be angry with how the news is ignoring this and doesn't cover this like crazy.
2) you don't read enough and really should consider getting your news from more sources.
If Krugman's article doesn't piss you off and make you want to crack a few skulls for attacking what our nation is all about, you might want to re-examine your 'values'.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Meeting the neighbors part 2:
So Stacy over at tatooed heathen (see last post) seems like the kind of neighbor you would invite to a pot luck or trust around your kids. But alas, sometimes "next blog" leads you to whack jobs like this: Refiner's Crucible
WTF? Really, is this fellow stupid or depraved? Just because you want bush to win is no reason to lie through your teeth (to yourself or others). regardless of who you like or for whatever warped reasons, bush looked like a confused little man tonight. He was not relaxed and lashing out really doesn't count as being 'on the offense.' And really, 'a command of the issues'? Are you special, dude?
Love bush if you are just gonna love him anyway he goes, but don't break with reality over it. This fellow is a true member of bush's nation of retards.
I am getting tired, but on another day perhaps I will grab Mason and go over for a visit and see if he is up for a chat since he challenges liberals to hold their own in discussing the Middle East. Probably not really worth talking judging from this initial perusal of his page, but hey, why not?
WTF? Really, is this fellow stupid or depraved? Just because you want bush to win is no reason to lie through your teeth (to yourself or others). regardless of who you like or for whatever warped reasons, bush looked like a confused little man tonight. He was not relaxed and lashing out really doesn't count as being 'on the offense.' And really, 'a command of the issues'? Are you special, dude?
Love bush if you are just gonna love him anyway he goes, but don't break with reality over it. This fellow is a true member of bush's nation of retards.
I am getting tired, but on another day perhaps I will grab Mason and go over for a visit and see if he is up for a chat since he challenges liberals to hold their own in discussing the Middle East. Probably not really worth talking judging from this initial perusal of his page, but hey, why not?
We all pray for your daughters too.
I really have always thought that the nekkid emperor was really a little smarter than he let on. I kind of figured that he was just kind of selfish and mean and the whole idiot thing was to make him appear less culpable. To run things the way he has, something has to be seriously wrong with either your mind or your heart, and really I kind of thought it was his soul that was vacuous and empty rather than his head.
After watching these three debates I am not so sure. Maybe both are empty. Tonight I really got the feeling on occasion that he kind of believed some of the things he was saying. I almost thought he really believed that he had done a good job and that the way he had done things really was for the good of the middle class and such. God help that man.
But really, tonight's self-destruction was spectactular. And the sad thing is, I think his battery pack was actually working. There just wasn't anything they could whisper to help him. Really, his is not a record that any sane person can defend. Slogans only get you so far, and when you crunch the numbers and look at how schools are faring these days, squawking about how you are improving education by leaving no child behind seems a little silly. Especially if the question was about out-sourcing jobs. Or the gays. Or...did he manage to say "No child left behind!" in every answer?
Kerry did better this time at really addressing the questions at hand. All in all, he has impressed me in the debates. I started out at the beginning of the democratic primaries with the opinion that Kerry's main qualification for being president (other than the basic not-a-bush requirement) was that his face would look good on money. More and more I have been coming to the conclusion that he is actually a really good choice for president, not just less of an embarassment. He had better be if he is going to step up to clean up the mess this current turd is going to leave when he gets booted out of office.
After watching these three debates I am not so sure. Maybe both are empty. Tonight I really got the feeling on occasion that he kind of believed some of the things he was saying. I almost thought he really believed that he had done a good job and that the way he had done things really was for the good of the middle class and such. God help that man.
But really, tonight's self-destruction was spectactular. And the sad thing is, I think his battery pack was actually working. There just wasn't anything they could whisper to help him. Really, his is not a record that any sane person can defend. Slogans only get you so far, and when you crunch the numbers and look at how schools are faring these days, squawking about how you are improving education by leaving no child behind seems a little silly. Especially if the question was about out-sourcing jobs. Or the gays. Or...did he manage to say "No child left behind!" in every answer?
Kerry did better this time at really addressing the questions at hand. All in all, he has impressed me in the debates. I started out at the beginning of the democratic primaries with the opinion that Kerry's main qualification for being president (other than the basic not-a-bush requirement) was that his face would look good on money. More and more I have been coming to the conclusion that he is actually a really good choice for president, not just less of an embarassment. He had better be if he is going to step up to clean up the mess this current turd is going to leave when he gets booted out of office.
Meet the neighbors...
I completely love the "next blog" button on Blogger blogs, but I have to say that I generally have rotten luck and get blogs that really don't draw me in. But snarky tattooed heathen is suprisingly entertaining. I really haven't found too many blogs which are so autobiographical which catch my eye, but anyone who refers to her children as Tater, Satan, and Fang is ok by me.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
I depend on me...
A little bit of the lighter side of the bloggy lands for our sanity (I found it over at Copy, Right? ).
Kind of speaks for itself: Independent Woman - played by kittens - Joel Veitch rathergood.com, music by Elbow
Kind of speaks for itself: Independent Woman - played by kittens - Joel Veitch rathergood.com, music by Elbow
Things to watch for in the debate tonight...
so there really is not point in linking to Gawker about this, except that I thought of it while perusing the beast while eating lunch at my desk. Seeing Mary-Kate's name for some reason jarred my memory and reminded me that in talking about the last debate, someone pointed out that bush was grinding his teeth the whole time and that apparently this is something which people do when they are on cocaine.
I know, I know. We all know he is born again and clean and all that, but really considering how badly he does when unmuzzled, being doped up would at least give him an excuse and the hope that maybe all he needs is rehab. Since he is all clean these days, I guess we have to go back to the he's-retarded theory.
I know, I know. We all know he is born again and clean and all that, but really considering how badly he does when unmuzzled, being doped up would at least give him an excuse and the hope that maybe all he needs is rehab. Since he is all clean these days, I guess we have to go back to the he's-retarded theory.
I wish I could be suprised by this...
Over at the ever vigillant Daily Kos they have a tidbit on folks working for a firm which was doing voter registration in Nevada not playing nice. I really wish that I found it suprising that republi-tards would stoop this low, but of course it isn't. What really gets my goat about this is the same thing that has been getting me so f'ing riled about all the shit going around the last few years: it is so damn blatant and this still won't be on the national news. And it should be. People should be screaming in the streets, but we all know what good that does.
This is one of those things that is so in your face that I think, "ok, this has to be noticed and prosecuted and will open people's eyes to the nasty things being done," and then I think back on all the other times that I have thought that and remember that instead people will just shrug, "oh well," and shelf their outrage. Outrage is just a little tedious these days isn't it? There are bills to pay and tv to watch and someone else will handle this anyway. Right?
This is one of those things that is so in your face that I think, "ok, this has to be noticed and prosecuted and will open people's eyes to the nasty things being done," and then I think back on all the other times that I have thought that and remember that instead people will just shrug, "oh well," and shelf their outrage. Outrage is just a little tedious these days isn't it? There are bills to pay and tv to watch and someone else will handle this anyway. Right?
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
A few loose ends...
The last few weeks (months? years?) have been a little hectic so quite a few events have blasted past with little or no commentary.
First, I have been strangely silent about the debates. Not of course if you have been around me in person, but in text is how I try to sort out my ideas and on this issue I haven't really yet. And there have been a few things I have been wanting to say. I have to say I am a little boggled by the response to the debates from some of the other blogistanis with whom I usually find some comfortable solidarity on issues of political nature. Not that we disagreed tremendously or that we really usually look at things the same way, but the differences really struck me this time.
Overall, after the first debate, I thought the nekkid emperor did way better than I would have expected. I know there is all the expectation game bullshit and hoorah for everyone who helped spin this for Big K, but really, he always makes idiot faces and sounds like a moron even when speaking from a script. I thought he stood up better than you would have expected. Which is to say that he did terribly. Kerry did pretty good, but I felt like he really missed a few open opportunities to really drive some tough points home. By the end, my attention was lost. All in all an obvious victory for Kerry unless you are a very special kind of stupid (which, it appears, quite a few people are), but as my mother put it, "I wasn't really impressed with either of them."
One major note of contention I had with some bloggish leaders who I read damn near religiously after reading their coverage of the VP turd sling: Gwen Ifill was the best moderator that I have seen for a presidential debate in a long damn time. James Wolcott has been brightening my day since I discovered his blog a short while back, but on this we were at direct odds; Gwen Awful is not how I would have described the night. I would take her over Jim Lehrer any day and though I thought Charlie Gibson did a remarkable job with his turn at baby sitting, I would have loved to watch her interaction with our national embarassment. The impression that I got from her was that she didn't suffer fools gladly, which is where the apparent animosity towards edwards came in. Cheney by definition comes across as an ogre, but he is a well spoken and coherent ogre, even if he uses dishonest tactics and lies to make his points. His points may have been crafted deep in mordor, but they were delivered conversationally and he occasionally remembered the soul of wit. Edwards points, although harvested from fairer fields (except for all this "kill, kill, kill" bullshit), were recited. He is reasonable, he is pretty, he had no excuse for coming across like a ventriloquist doll.
The best spin I could put on the VP debate was that it was something akin to Homer Simpson debating Mr. Burns. Mr. Burns is smarter and sounds better, but really deep down you know that Homer should prevail despite looking like a doofus in public.
Luckily, Marge is just hitting her stride and cleaned Krusty's clock in their debate on Friday. I seriously take task with everyone running around saying things like it was a draw or bush did better this time. No it wasn't, no he didn't. He came across like a buffoon at best and in reality as something closer to a horrible brat who had matured into a horrible asshole. Kerry looked better than ever, and despite still needing to really just address that question at hand simply and directly before turning to wallop the sitting presiduck, he came across as coherent and engaging.
Tomorrow night's plans for watching the further decline of the simian prince are hazy at the moment due to bf's purchase of tickets to see a band long ago when our minds weren't looking ahead to the debate, but if nothing else I guess I can resort the VCR (were is my knight with shining TIVO?) and hope to make my commentary in a more timely fashion. We shall see.
First, I have been strangely silent about the debates. Not of course if you have been around me in person, but in text is how I try to sort out my ideas and on this issue I haven't really yet. And there have been a few things I have been wanting to say. I have to say I am a little boggled by the response to the debates from some of the other blogistanis with whom I usually find some comfortable solidarity on issues of political nature. Not that we disagreed tremendously or that we really usually look at things the same way, but the differences really struck me this time.
Overall, after the first debate, I thought the nekkid emperor did way better than I would have expected. I know there is all the expectation game bullshit and hoorah for everyone who helped spin this for Big K, but really, he always makes idiot faces and sounds like a moron even when speaking from a script. I thought he stood up better than you would have expected. Which is to say that he did terribly. Kerry did pretty good, but I felt like he really missed a few open opportunities to really drive some tough points home. By the end, my attention was lost. All in all an obvious victory for Kerry unless you are a very special kind of stupid (which, it appears, quite a few people are), but as my mother put it, "I wasn't really impressed with either of them."
One major note of contention I had with some bloggish leaders who I read damn near religiously after reading their coverage of the VP turd sling: Gwen Ifill was the best moderator that I have seen for a presidential debate in a long damn time. James Wolcott has been brightening my day since I discovered his blog a short while back, but on this we were at direct odds; Gwen Awful is not how I would have described the night. I would take her over Jim Lehrer any day and though I thought Charlie Gibson did a remarkable job with his turn at baby sitting, I would have loved to watch her interaction with our national embarassment. The impression that I got from her was that she didn't suffer fools gladly, which is where the apparent animosity towards edwards came in. Cheney by definition comes across as an ogre, but he is a well spoken and coherent ogre, even if he uses dishonest tactics and lies to make his points. His points may have been crafted deep in mordor, but they were delivered conversationally and he occasionally remembered the soul of wit. Edwards points, although harvested from fairer fields (except for all this "kill, kill, kill" bullshit), were recited. He is reasonable, he is pretty, he had no excuse for coming across like a ventriloquist doll.
The best spin I could put on the VP debate was that it was something akin to Homer Simpson debating Mr. Burns. Mr. Burns is smarter and sounds better, but really deep down you know that Homer should prevail despite looking like a doofus in public.
Luckily, Marge is just hitting her stride and cleaned Krusty's clock in their debate on Friday. I seriously take task with everyone running around saying things like it was a draw or bush did better this time. No it wasn't, no he didn't. He came across like a buffoon at best and in reality as something closer to a horrible brat who had matured into a horrible asshole. Kerry looked better than ever, and despite still needing to really just address that question at hand simply and directly before turning to wallop the sitting presiduck, he came across as coherent and engaging.
Tomorrow night's plans for watching the further decline of the simian prince are hazy at the moment due to bf's purchase of tickets to see a band long ago when our minds weren't looking ahead to the debate, but if nothing else I guess I can resort the VCR (were is my knight with shining TIVO?) and hope to make my commentary in a more timely fashion. We shall see.
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Awareness is a llama: the best thing ever.
screenhead.com puts too many diversions at your finger tips, but this one shines above all others:
Screenhead : The Llama Song
If this doens't make you smile, you are a bad person and shouldn't interact with polite society. Ever.
Screenhead : The Llama Song
If this doens't make you smile, you are a bad person and shouldn't interact with polite society. Ever.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Does Something Smell Bad to You? It's the Economy, Stupid!
This really speaks for itself:
MaxSpeak, You Listen!: BUSINESS SCHOOL
PROFESSORS TO BUSH:
YOUR POLICIES STINK
At least the title should be simple enough for the nekkid emperor to understand.
MaxSpeak, You Listen!: BUSINESS SCHOOL
PROFESSORS TO BUSH:
YOUR POLICIES STINK
At least the title should be simple enough for the nekkid emperor to understand.
I want to be VP; I am good at scaring children and making stuff up.
just read it:
Daily Kos :: Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.
What a lame thing to lie about. cheney is a total elree (from my juvenile deliquent wards a few years ago, short for 'el retardo').
Daily Kos :: Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.
What a lame thing to lie about. cheney is a total elree (from my juvenile deliquent wards a few years ago, short for 'el retardo').
But will you hear about it on the evening news?
This from Jim Hightower:
WorkingForChange-Common sense commentaries: October 4-8
'In 2000, Jeb used such crude tactics as illegally purging voter lists to help engineer his brother's 537-vote "victory" in that election -- and now, here he goes again. As one peer of Florida's GOP establishment candidly puts it: "A Democrat can't win a statewide election in Florida without a high turnout of African-Americans. It's no secret that the name of the game for Republicans is to restrain that turnout as much as possible."
The Orlando League of Voters can attest to that. This African-American civic group has played a big role in turning Orlando from a Republican stronghold into a city that increasingly votes Democratic. Their reward for getting involved in the democratic process is to have Jeb Bush's state police suddenly come knock-knock-knocking on the doors of some 50 of the League's grassroots leaders. These leaders, mostly elderly Black women, find it frightening to be confronted in their homes by armed troopers interrogating them about their electoral participation.
They are not charged with any crime. Instead, police say they're investigating vague allegations that some voter fraud might have occurred in this spring's mayoral election.'
Am I suprised that people in power abuse it? No, (if you would answer yes, you are very, very stupid) not when they think they can get away with it. What does piss me off is that this isn't on the nightly news. This is sad. Actually kind of pathetic. Now please excuse me, I need to go make an effigy of the fat bush (no, not barbara, jeb) and puke on it.
WorkingForChange-Common sense commentaries: October 4-8
'In 2000, Jeb used such crude tactics as illegally purging voter lists to help engineer his brother's 537-vote "victory" in that election -- and now, here he goes again. As one peer of Florida's GOP establishment candidly puts it: "A Democrat can't win a statewide election in Florida without a high turnout of African-Americans. It's no secret that the name of the game for Republicans is to restrain that turnout as much as possible."
The Orlando League of Voters can attest to that. This African-American civic group has played a big role in turning Orlando from a Republican stronghold into a city that increasingly votes Democratic. Their reward for getting involved in the democratic process is to have Jeb Bush's state police suddenly come knock-knock-knocking on the doors of some 50 of the League's grassroots leaders. These leaders, mostly elderly Black women, find it frightening to be confronted in their homes by armed troopers interrogating them about their electoral participation.
They are not charged with any crime. Instead, police say they're investigating vague allegations that some voter fraud might have occurred in this spring's mayoral election.'
Am I suprised that people in power abuse it? No, (if you would answer yes, you are very, very stupid) not when they think they can get away with it. What does piss me off is that this isn't on the nightly news. This is sad. Actually kind of pathetic. Now please excuse me, I need to go make an effigy of the fat bush (no, not barbara, jeb) and puke on it.
Reaping What You Sow: Protestors Ransack Bush/Cheney Headquarters In Orlando
and so it begins:
News4Jax.com - Election 2004 - Protestors Ransack Bush/Cheney Headquarters In Orlando
"We want to send a clear message to Bush, we want him to take his hands off our overtime pay," protestor Esmeralda Heuilar said.
Note to Bloomburg, RNC, the administration of retards, the new york times, etc. - when half a million people take to the streets to protest peacefully and you marginalize their complaints and consider their protest a non-story because they were peaceful, the next ones won't be so peaceful.
This is specific story is just a little scuffle when a protest got out of hand, but you have to expect thing to only get crazier. When half a million people assemble and are damn near ignored by the press and treated punitively by the police and government, things aren't going to be nicer next time. If you suceed in ignoring the respectful, peaceful protests but have done nothing to address the reasons people are taking to the streets, they will take to the streets again, but the next time the mob appears it will be the tempered, calm voices which will be marginalized rather than the radical, violent voices.
The RNC-fuck-all-y'all isn't forgotten and will be answered. I just pray that our imbicile leaders pull their heads out of their self-satisfied asses and concider listening the next time folks take to the streets. And I hope they do this before it gets bloody. To all who sent the message that ignoring and punishing and suppressing peaceful protest was a success and a job well done, make no mistake: when protests turn bloody, when we have our next Oklahoma City bombing, our next domestic terrorist, the blood will also be on your hands. You may not plant the bomb or shoot the gun, but you made it clear that you won't listen to peaceful protest. So you will get you violence.
Be careful the crops you plant.
News4Jax.com - Election 2004 - Protestors Ransack Bush/Cheney Headquarters In Orlando
"We want to send a clear message to Bush, we want him to take his hands off our overtime pay," protestor Esmeralda Heuilar said.
Note to Bloomburg, RNC, the administration of retards, the new york times, etc. - when half a million people take to the streets to protest peacefully and you marginalize their complaints and consider their protest a non-story because they were peaceful, the next ones won't be so peaceful.
This is specific story is just a little scuffle when a protest got out of hand, but you have to expect thing to only get crazier. When half a million people assemble and are damn near ignored by the press and treated punitively by the police and government, things aren't going to be nicer next time. If you suceed in ignoring the respectful, peaceful protests but have done nothing to address the reasons people are taking to the streets, they will take to the streets again, but the next time the mob appears it will be the tempered, calm voices which will be marginalized rather than the radical, violent voices.
The RNC-fuck-all-y'all isn't forgotten and will be answered. I just pray that our imbicile leaders pull their heads out of their self-satisfied asses and concider listening the next time folks take to the streets. And I hope they do this before it gets bloody. To all who sent the message that ignoring and punishing and suppressing peaceful protest was a success and a job well done, make no mistake: when protests turn bloody, when we have our next Oklahoma City bombing, our next domestic terrorist, the blood will also be on your hands. You may not plant the bomb or shoot the gun, but you made it clear that you won't listen to peaceful protest. So you will get you violence.
Be careful the crops you plant.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
A little silver around the clouds...
If you don't know already, I am a Southern fellow on a northern jaunt who gets fairly riled when the powers that be in my beloved South feel the need to open their vacuous traps and reinforce some damn stereotype. You can imagine that I stay pissed off alot of the time given the quality of leadership these days (really MS, haley barbour? WTF?), but I want to give credit where credit is due (and I really want to be able to do this more often:
The State | 10/04/2004 | DeMint: Gays should not teach: "Bette Cox, a board member of the S.C. Christian Coalition, defended DeMint, saying she, too, abhors the homosexual lifestyle and that he must have spoken without thinking.
"I wouldn't have said that," said Cox, chairwoman of the Florence County Christian Coalition. "It's a civil rights issue with me. You can't cut off someone's civil rights.
DeMint is going to regret that he made that statement."
Ok, so where is the silver lining? Look, I don't care if some southern lady who is the mouthpiece of a "chistian coalition" says she "abhores the homosexual lifestyle." The southern church lady thing really kind of makes my skin crawl, but I wouldn't lock her up or say she shouldn't be around children (although, I bet if you took any child who had both a gay uncle and a southern church lady for teacher and asked who they would rather spend the weekend with, the gay man wins everytime. Watch 80's movies and gossip about popstars and go to 6-flags, or watch Murder She Wrote reruns and help an old lady cook? Duh.) and won't overlook her extending me the same courtesy. She can call me abhorent or whatever she wants if she still says that I have rights too and they should be protected.
In these cloudy days, I take whatever silver can be found.
Oh, the land of an uncloudy day...
The State | 10/04/2004 | DeMint: Gays should not teach: "Bette Cox, a board member of the S.C. Christian Coalition, defended DeMint, saying she, too, abhors the homosexual lifestyle and that he must have spoken without thinking.
"I wouldn't have said that," said Cox, chairwoman of the Florence County Christian Coalition. "It's a civil rights issue with me. You can't cut off someone's civil rights.
DeMint is going to regret that he made that statement."
Ok, so where is the silver lining? Look, I don't care if some southern lady who is the mouthpiece of a "chistian coalition" says she "abhores the homosexual lifestyle." The southern church lady thing really kind of makes my skin crawl, but I wouldn't lock her up or say she shouldn't be around children (although, I bet if you took any child who had both a gay uncle and a southern church lady for teacher and asked who they would rather spend the weekend with, the gay man wins everytime. Watch 80's movies and gossip about popstars and go to 6-flags, or watch Murder She Wrote reruns and help an old lady cook? Duh.) and won't overlook her extending me the same courtesy. She can call me abhorent or whatever she wants if she still says that I have rights too and they should be protected.
In these cloudy days, I take whatever silver can be found.
Oh, the land of an uncloudy day...
Friday, October 01, 2004
How does Laura feel about all this lovin' on Missy?
Ok, so you should have been listening to the debate last night. This kind of wacky entertainment comes once every four years. Just think of it as reality tv mini-series. Can we get the Donald to moderate some of the debates? Or better yet, Janice Dickenson. But I guess Jim Leher is kind of fun with his crazy piercing ewok eyes.
so if you missed it, go listen to it here:
NPR : Bush, Kerry Debate Foreign Policy Goals
so can we all say "WTF?" to all bush's kill-her-man-then-go-lovin'-on-Missy-the-best-way-he-knows-how. Uh, yeah that and getting all the gynos to practice their loving on chicks and stuff. And am I the only person who thought it sounded like he wanted to hold Putin's hand when he talked about him? Hey, man, whatev'. That's your business yo. It is like watching a trained monkey who can talk (sort of). Kind of confused, but you can see the gleam in his eye when he knows that he has repeated one of the phrases that will get him a banana.
Kerry did pretty good and could have done better, but really, I think as long as he doesn't drop his pants and take a dump on stage he wins this thing. All the dems and such need to quit bitching about everything and put the ball back in bush's court: he has failed at everything he has done and as long as Kerry doesn't turn out to be a evil cyborg from the future or molest children, he can be super crummy and still be an obviously better choice.
A wooden kitchen spoon is an obviously better choice.
(one random side note, but can the daily show get Donald Trump to come on nov 2 -or whenever the counting is done- and say, "george bush, you're fired!"?)
so if you missed it, go listen to it here:
NPR : Bush, Kerry Debate Foreign Policy Goals
so can we all say "WTF?" to all bush's kill-her-man-then-go-lovin'-on-Missy-the-best-way-he-knows-how. Uh, yeah that and getting all the gynos to practice their loving on chicks and stuff. And am I the only person who thought it sounded like he wanted to hold Putin's hand when he talked about him? Hey, man, whatev'. That's your business yo. It is like watching a trained monkey who can talk (sort of). Kind of confused, but you can see the gleam in his eye when he knows that he has repeated one of the phrases that will get him a banana.
Kerry did pretty good and could have done better, but really, I think as long as he doesn't drop his pants and take a dump on stage he wins this thing. All the dems and such need to quit bitching about everything and put the ball back in bush's court: he has failed at everything he has done and as long as Kerry doesn't turn out to be a evil cyborg from the future or molest children, he can be super crummy and still be an obviously better choice.
A wooden kitchen spoon is an obviously better choice.
(one random side note, but can the daily show get Donald Trump to come on nov 2 -or whenever the counting is done- and say, "george bush, you're fired!"?)
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
a little note about this blog and where it is going and why it is here
I guess it is a good time (five months into this)to write an introduction as to why I am barking into cyberspace with my thoughts. As with anything, there are a multitude of reasons ranging from the benevolent (sharing information and pointing to things I have found enlightening/helpful/entertaining) to the narcissistic (egomanical delusions of world domination), but there were a few coherent ideas when I set out on this journey.
The title "Awareness is Painful" comes from feelings of mine which have been growing lately about the dangerousness of ignorance. If ignorance is dangerous, if it is detrimental, why is it so attractive to so many people? I am not being so simple as to take ignorance at just being uneducated, but am instead using the term to describe a larger outlook on the world. The mind's primary function isn't to expand our world, but to filter through the imput and whittle it down to a manageable size, but where we draw these lines is what is facinating to me. How to we manage our ignorance and our awareness? In the technology age, these decisions about what to accept, what to be sceptical of, what to embrace or reject are becoming increasingly complex and our choices about this have wider and wider ranging effects.
I fully understand the need to approach the world in manageable bits and to limit how far one extends themselves, but I am also emphatic in demanding an honesty about what you are doing. I personally can not control what is going on everywhere and my mind can't wrap itself around it all, but when I do see things going on, when I do do things with effects which will resonate further than myself, it is my hope that I begin with honestly acknowledging to myself what I am doing. I don't mind knowing that there are times that I have failed, or that people in general are far from perfect or even quite often miserable bastards. Knowing horrible things happen doesn't push the knowledge of beautiful things out of my mind. But what I am getting at is that I am seeing the beauty because of where I am looking and how I am looking, not because it is the only thing there. These are the world views which freak me out, the fundamental streaks in people's minds which say to them, "If this is true, it must be absolutely true."
I am not just speaking to the religious zealots (although they deserve a special place), but even just the day to day tunnel vision which so many people foster. The deep seated beliefs in the-way-it's-supposed-to-be. The beloved myths of used-to-be. Balanced with an awareness of realities that acompany these beliefs, they are useful and can help you keep yourself between the lines, but when treated as unassailable divine absolutes with hostility towards anything in conflict with them, they are recipes for disastrous conflict. There are more colors than black and white. This is somewhat my attempt at sorting all of this out.
This is also an attempt at documenting an exchange of ideas. This is certainly open to the introduction of others into the conversation, but it is largely based around ongoing discussions which Mason and I have been having for years now. We were roommates through college and have been living apart for sometime, but have kept up our culture of lively conversation via email. As you may have noticed, Mason writes less frequently (part of that is currently circumstantial -no computer access at his current apartment- but this is also pretty typical anyway) and drops the occasional well thought out deluge of ideas, while I blast off about everything fairly voiciferously. But point being, our conversations are something which I value and which greatly influence the way I understand the world, both through his guidance and criticism and through the clarity and sharp focus that the act of writing can bring. So this is my attempt to document and potentially share them.
Of course, in these polarized days, you will find me getting fairly political (although this wasn't meant just to be a political endevour). Partly this is because it is cathartic to have some outlet for these frustrations; partly it is in some vain hope that someone is listening out there and may find something illustrative in some of my rants or the links I suggest; partly it is just part of the converstaion: right now politics are crazy and I am pissed off for a thousand different reasons. But my problems with politics these days are rooted in what I find so frustrating about narrow world views. The willful ignorance and dishonesty these days is appalling, and I would argue that history has judged harshly on what comes of unfettered public momentum falling in with these kinds of self-centered outlooks. We are all operating under our own prejudices, but when they are not acknowledged as such and are treated as divine instead of as suspect, watch out.
I know this is going on a little long, but there is an end in sight. One last note on why I do this: to bear witness. Just to take notice of some things. I can't fix everything which makes me mad or sad, but I can keep my eyes open. I can bear witness. So, in my own little way, I try to.
I hope this exercise finds receptive eyes to read it. I hope you find something worth your time.
The title "Awareness is Painful" comes from feelings of mine which have been growing lately about the dangerousness of ignorance. If ignorance is dangerous, if it is detrimental, why is it so attractive to so many people? I am not being so simple as to take ignorance at just being uneducated, but am instead using the term to describe a larger outlook on the world. The mind's primary function isn't to expand our world, but to filter through the imput and whittle it down to a manageable size, but where we draw these lines is what is facinating to me. How to we manage our ignorance and our awareness? In the technology age, these decisions about what to accept, what to be sceptical of, what to embrace or reject are becoming increasingly complex and our choices about this have wider and wider ranging effects.
I fully understand the need to approach the world in manageable bits and to limit how far one extends themselves, but I am also emphatic in demanding an honesty about what you are doing. I personally can not control what is going on everywhere and my mind can't wrap itself around it all, but when I do see things going on, when I do do things with effects which will resonate further than myself, it is my hope that I begin with honestly acknowledging to myself what I am doing. I don't mind knowing that there are times that I have failed, or that people in general are far from perfect or even quite often miserable bastards. Knowing horrible things happen doesn't push the knowledge of beautiful things out of my mind. But what I am getting at is that I am seeing the beauty because of where I am looking and how I am looking, not because it is the only thing there. These are the world views which freak me out, the fundamental streaks in people's minds which say to them, "If this is true, it must be absolutely true."
I am not just speaking to the religious zealots (although they deserve a special place), but even just the day to day tunnel vision which so many people foster. The deep seated beliefs in the-way-it's-supposed-to-be. The beloved myths of used-to-be. Balanced with an awareness of realities that acompany these beliefs, they are useful and can help you keep yourself between the lines, but when treated as unassailable divine absolutes with hostility towards anything in conflict with them, they are recipes for disastrous conflict. There are more colors than black and white. This is somewhat my attempt at sorting all of this out.
This is also an attempt at documenting an exchange of ideas. This is certainly open to the introduction of others into the conversation, but it is largely based around ongoing discussions which Mason and I have been having for years now. We were roommates through college and have been living apart for sometime, but have kept up our culture of lively conversation via email. As you may have noticed, Mason writes less frequently (part of that is currently circumstantial -no computer access at his current apartment- but this is also pretty typical anyway) and drops the occasional well thought out deluge of ideas, while I blast off about everything fairly voiciferously. But point being, our conversations are something which I value and which greatly influence the way I understand the world, both through his guidance and criticism and through the clarity and sharp focus that the act of writing can bring. So this is my attempt to document and potentially share them.
Of course, in these polarized days, you will find me getting fairly political (although this wasn't meant just to be a political endevour). Partly this is because it is cathartic to have some outlet for these frustrations; partly it is in some vain hope that someone is listening out there and may find something illustrative in some of my rants or the links I suggest; partly it is just part of the converstaion: right now politics are crazy and I am pissed off for a thousand different reasons. But my problems with politics these days are rooted in what I find so frustrating about narrow world views. The willful ignorance and dishonesty these days is appalling, and I would argue that history has judged harshly on what comes of unfettered public momentum falling in with these kinds of self-centered outlooks. We are all operating under our own prejudices, but when they are not acknowledged as such and are treated as divine instead of as suspect, watch out.
I know this is going on a little long, but there is an end in sight. One last note on why I do this: to bear witness. Just to take notice of some things. I can't fix everything which makes me mad or sad, but I can keep my eyes open. I can bear witness. So, in my own little way, I try to.
I hope this exercise finds receptive eyes to read it. I hope you find something worth your time.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Awareness is Garrison Keilor
It could not be put any better:
We're Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore -- In These Times
Can we elect him to be president?
We're Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore -- In These Times
Can we elect him to be president?
Operation Truth
"Gee, I wonder what things are really like in Iraq. I wish I could hear stories from troops who have been there."
go check out Operation Truth
go check out Operation Truth
Monday, September 27, 2004
What is this death of which you speak?
just read it, now: East Hampton Star - In the News: "I fault this president for not knowing what death is."
"You Scare Us"
Carlos Fuentes is always worth reading.
You Scare Us: "You Scare Us
Bush is giving Latin America the willies"
I think he pretty much scares everyone. Well, actually, he doesn't scare my sister, who likes him because he says he is a christian a lot (no it is not a typo and no I am not going to capitalize "christian" when using it in reference to bush's faith)...
which scares the crap out of me.
You Scare Us: "You Scare Us
Bush is giving Latin America the willies"
I think he pretty much scares everyone. Well, actually, he doesn't scare my sister, who likes him because he says he is a christian a lot (no it is not a typo and no I am not going to capitalize "christian" when using it in reference to bush's faith)...
which scares the crap out of me.
Friday, September 24, 2004
New hope: work with what you are given.
they have a good point:
WorkingForChange-New hope for the medically uninsured
Perhaps the retards in office should remember that Americans are resourceful.
WorkingForChange-New hope for the medically uninsured
Perhaps the retards in office should remember that Americans are resourceful.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
What if...?
Juan Cole very nicely suggests for pondering the question "What if Bush's nation of retards was running as well as his new, improved Saddam-less Babylonia?" Well, maybe not in those terms, but you know what I mean.
Informed Comment : 09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004
Informed Comment : 09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004
Friday, September 17, 2004
Plush Microbes
just go to Tbogg and look at this:
We make stuffed animals that look like tiny microbes—only a million times actual size! Now available: The Common Cold, The Flu, Sore Throat, Stomach Ache, Cough, Ear Ache, Bad Breath, Kissing Disease, Athlete's Foot, Ulcer, Martian Life, Beer & Bread, Black Death, Ebola, Flesh Eating, Sleeping Sickness, Dust Mite, Bed Bug, and Bookworm (and in our Professional line: H.I.V. and Hepatitis).
Each 5-to-7 inch doll is accompanied by an image of the real microbe it represents, as well as information about the microbe.
They make great learning tools for parents and educators, as well as amusing gifts for anyone with a sense of humor!
I wonder if my sister would find this funny if I ordered some of these for my nieces and nephew for Christmas?
We make stuffed animals that look like tiny microbes—only a million times actual size! Now available: The Common Cold, The Flu, Sore Throat, Stomach Ache, Cough, Ear Ache, Bad Breath, Kissing Disease, Athlete's Foot, Ulcer, Martian Life, Beer & Bread, Black Death, Ebola, Flesh Eating, Sleeping Sickness, Dust Mite, Bed Bug, and Bookworm (and in our Professional line: H.I.V. and Hepatitis).
Each 5-to-7 inch doll is accompanied by an image of the real microbe it represents, as well as information about the microbe.
They make great learning tools for parents and educators, as well as amusing gifts for anyone with a sense of humor!
I wonder if my sister would find this funny if I ordered some of these for my nieces and nephew for Christmas?
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Appeal to the potential friends and stop focusing on potential enemies.
The first part of this entry by Bob Harris on Tom Tomorrow's blog is the most human analysis of the state of things in Iraq that I have seen in a while.
In his post script, he makes the oft overlooked point that we need to quit ignoring the potential good will that is out there for us in the world and what we stand to lose.
This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow: September 12, 2004 - September 18, 2004 Archives: "In the past year, I have personally visited three of the six biggest Muslim countries on Earth, and I have spoken at some length with ordinary Sunnis and Shia on four continents. This week I have just returned from Egypt, where I listened to lots of perfectly average people on the street, in trains, shops, and cafes.
This is true, I swear: we have hundreds of millions more potential friends than America realizes right now. And we are losing them for a generation or more. I promise you that on my soul.
Seven days ago, I was in Alexandria, watching waves break against the rocky shoreline with a 20-year-old named Mahmoud who loves Bruce Lee movies and wants to visit China and study in the footsteps of his hero. He's a devoted Muslim who playfully tried to talk me into converting; he also thinks Bin Laden is (his words) 'against Islam.' You'd like this guy, I promise. And he'd like you.
Mahmoud wanted very much to know was if Kerry is a good man, and if he would stop the killing, and how Americans could possibly support what is happening in Iraq.
I still don't know all the answers to his questions. But that's what they were."
There is more and it is worth reading.
In his post script, he makes the oft overlooked point that we need to quit ignoring the potential good will that is out there for us in the world and what we stand to lose.
This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow: September 12, 2004 - September 18, 2004 Archives: "In the past year, I have personally visited three of the six biggest Muslim countries on Earth, and I have spoken at some length with ordinary Sunnis and Shia on four continents. This week I have just returned from Egypt, where I listened to lots of perfectly average people on the street, in trains, shops, and cafes.
This is true, I swear: we have hundreds of millions more potential friends than America realizes right now. And we are losing them for a generation or more. I promise you that on my soul.
Seven days ago, I was in Alexandria, watching waves break against the rocky shoreline with a 20-year-old named Mahmoud who loves Bruce Lee movies and wants to visit China and study in the footsteps of his hero. He's a devoted Muslim who playfully tried to talk me into converting; he also thinks Bin Laden is (his words) 'against Islam.' You'd like this guy, I promise. And he'd like you.
Mahmoud wanted very much to know was if Kerry is a good man, and if he would stop the killing, and how Americans could possibly support what is happening in Iraq.
I still don't know all the answers to his questions. But that's what they were."
There is more and it is worth reading.
Ignorance is an "opinion-ridden free-for-all"; Awareness is the same thing, just with being honest about what are just opinions
I spotted this little quote from Arthur Sulzberger Jr. on Romenesko today:
Poynter Online - Romenesko: "ON BLOGGERS: 'Some are professional journalists, but the vast majority of them are just folks with something on their minds. While some of these individuals are making a serious and thoughtful contribution to our global dialogue, too many simply contribute to the sense that we're in the midst of an opinion-ridden free-for-all.'"
Don't have time right now to read the whole article, but this snippet raised my ire just a little.
How many is too many? Is there a limit on how many people throw silly opinions around?
Blogging is like anything else, some good/some bad and a whole lot of responsibility on the part of both the person putting out blogs and the folks reading them. If a bunch of people want to run around and say silly things on the internet, perfect. That is part of its beauty. The "opinion-ridden free-for-all" on the internet wouldn't matter at all if the print and TV journalists were just a little more scrupulous and thorough.
The only shame about people throwing around opinions is that opinion content takes up most of the space on our cable 'news' stations. It is their taking up the less classy of the blog banter which clouds the air. Most of the faces that we get our daily information from spew out more opinions than news. And too many of them do this under the guise of being objective.
Journalists should be reading blogs, but they should know that their job is to separate the wheat from the chafe before passing on in their medium. Right now, the talking-head opinion-pushers are just parroting as truth who ever is screaming the loudest or cherry-picking things that reinforce whatever their cause is. The plank in your eye, people! Come on.
Poynter Online - Romenesko: "ON BLOGGERS: 'Some are professional journalists, but the vast majority of them are just folks with something on their minds. While some of these individuals are making a serious and thoughtful contribution to our global dialogue, too many simply contribute to the sense that we're in the midst of an opinion-ridden free-for-all.'"
Don't have time right now to read the whole article, but this snippet raised my ire just a little.
How many is too many? Is there a limit on how many people throw silly opinions around?
Blogging is like anything else, some good/some bad and a whole lot of responsibility on the part of both the person putting out blogs and the folks reading them. If a bunch of people want to run around and say silly things on the internet, perfect. That is part of its beauty. The "opinion-ridden free-for-all" on the internet wouldn't matter at all if the print and TV journalists were just a little more scrupulous and thorough.
The only shame about people throwing around opinions is that opinion content takes up most of the space on our cable 'news' stations. It is their taking up the less classy of the blog banter which clouds the air. Most of the faces that we get our daily information from spew out more opinions than news. And too many of them do this under the guise of being objective.
Journalists should be reading blogs, but they should know that their job is to separate the wheat from the chafe before passing on in their medium. Right now, the talking-head opinion-pushers are just parroting as truth who ever is screaming the loudest or cherry-picking things that reinforce whatever their cause is. The plank in your eye, people! Come on.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Her Beautiful Mind
I for one can not wait for Kitty Kelly's book to come out. I vaguely remember someone saying we, the liberal/progressive types, need a gossip monger like drudge slinging rumors around. Yeah right. We have the gossip slingers in spades, we just need to get rid of the corporate gag orders and slam a few more defamation suits back at the retard echo chamberlings.
Anyway, the Den Mother of Dishing-Mercilessly-On-People-Who-Deserve-It is back to show the amatuers how its really done. And even if I had the slightest shred of sympathy (ok, not really; I don't do sympathy, particularly not for people I like mainly because of their ice queen persona) for Nancy back when she got hers, this family can not get slammed hard enough.
Particularly Barbara.
One: she and Nancy didn't like each other and as frightening grandmotherly 80's bitch political matriarchs go, I totally side with the one who was a regular guest on the Tonight Show (when Johnny was still at the helm), made 'very special' appearences on Diff'rent Strokes, dressed like the imperial guard sans helment and consulted an astrologer over the one that looks like mashed potatoes in navy blue and pearls and wrote a book about her ugly-ass dog. And the Nancy book only made her that much cooler and added to her fame. Babs is just going to come out looking like a bitch. Which leads to point 2...
Two: Barbara Bush is a total bitch and not the cool fun kind like Nancy. I held back on this opinion for so long - I did always kind of like her pearls - but really her comments leading up to the war dropped the scales from my eyes and I will never feel sympathy for anything horror that lands on her fat head:
Her Beautiful Mind: "'Why should we hear about body bags and deaths,' Barbara Bush said on ABC's 'Good Morning America' on March 18, 2003. 'Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?' "
Not relevant? Waste her beautiful mind? The reporter should have just thrown up on her right then and there. No more questions, just puke.
We are making a decision that will result in our kids having to kill people and die in combat and we should waste our beautiful minds on considering the mortal cost of this? What, are you people crazy?
She doesn't care because it is other people's kids dying and she responds with incredulity to the suggestion that their sacrifice should be even acknowledged.
Go, Kitty go. Somebody needs to remind us that trash isn't always poor.
Anyway, the Den Mother of Dishing-Mercilessly-On-People-Who-Deserve-It is back to show the amatuers how its really done. And even if I had the slightest shred of sympathy (ok, not really; I don't do sympathy, particularly not for people I like mainly because of their ice queen persona) for Nancy back when she got hers, this family can not get slammed hard enough.
Particularly Barbara.
One: she and Nancy didn't like each other and as frightening grandmotherly 80's bitch political matriarchs go, I totally side with the one who was a regular guest on the Tonight Show (when Johnny was still at the helm), made 'very special' appearences on Diff'rent Strokes, dressed like the imperial guard sans helment and consulted an astrologer over the one that looks like mashed potatoes in navy blue and pearls and wrote a book about her ugly-ass dog. And the Nancy book only made her that much cooler and added to her fame. Babs is just going to come out looking like a bitch. Which leads to point 2...
Two: Barbara Bush is a total bitch and not the cool fun kind like Nancy. I held back on this opinion for so long - I did always kind of like her pearls - but really her comments leading up to the war dropped the scales from my eyes and I will never feel sympathy for anything horror that lands on her fat head:
Her Beautiful Mind: "'Why should we hear about body bags and deaths,' Barbara Bush said on ABC's 'Good Morning America' on March 18, 2003. 'Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?' "
Not relevant? Waste her beautiful mind? The reporter should have just thrown up on her right then and there. No more questions, just puke.
We are making a decision that will result in our kids having to kill people and die in combat and we should waste our beautiful minds on considering the mortal cost of this? What, are you people crazy?
She doesn't care because it is other people's kids dying and she responds with incredulity to the suggestion that their sacrifice should be even acknowledged.
Go, Kitty go. Somebody needs to remind us that trash isn't always poor.
Monday, September 13, 2004
Ok, folks: STOP BEING STUPID ALREADY!!!!
Are the documents forgeries? Safire has an opinion:
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Those Discredited Memos
As a general rule, if William Safire is commenting on stuff about Iraq or criticism of this administration, suspect every word. If he is writing about grammar, or some light-weight libertarian stuff, you can expect him to be a straight shooter. But know what? I don't really know that I care if they are or not.
No, I don't want people running around planting forgeries and such, and it is worth noting that if they were truly forgeries I have a feeling the Whitehouse would have commented definitively by now; but really, once you know that someone with a history of substance abuse skipped a mandatory physical, you don't have to be very worldly or smart to figure out why.
The only interesting question is why he got away with it and if any of us are very honest with ourselves, we know the answer to that.
Don't bother arguing about this shit anymore: bush got into the guard because of who his father was, he skipped his physical because he wouldn't pass a pee test, and he got out of the guard with an honorable discharge because of who his father was. If you are comfortable with all that and or just don't care what happened 30 years ago, fine, but quit with all the bullshit.
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Those Discredited Memos
As a general rule, if William Safire is commenting on stuff about Iraq or criticism of this administration, suspect every word. If he is writing about grammar, or some light-weight libertarian stuff, you can expect him to be a straight shooter. But know what? I don't really know that I care if they are or not.
No, I don't want people running around planting forgeries and such, and it is worth noting that if they were truly forgeries I have a feeling the Whitehouse would have commented definitively by now; but really, once you know that someone with a history of substance abuse skipped a mandatory physical, you don't have to be very worldly or smart to figure out why.
The only interesting question is why he got away with it and if any of us are very honest with ourselves, we know the answer to that.
Don't bother arguing about this shit anymore: bush got into the guard because of who his father was, he skipped his physical because he wouldn't pass a pee test, and he got out of the guard with an honorable discharge because of who his father was. If you are comfortable with all that and or just don't care what happened 30 years ago, fine, but quit with all the bullshit.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
a few tears from wide open eyes
this isn't the first time someone has screamed bloody murder and no one listened and no one cared. Just ask Kitty Genovese.
And who knows if I would be any better, but I like to believe I would have picked up the phone or run out into the street with my baseball bat instead of turning up my tv or rolling over, and so even though at the moment I am not among the numbers on the front lines, I would rather wear out what little voice I have howling at those who think they can sleep through this than wash my Pilate's hands like them, satisfied with the absolution of the polled voice of the angry crowd, "This is the violence we choose."
Not all choices are equal and if your sleep isn't troubled having made this one, having cast your lot with this stake in the world, then I hope to scream until it is. If you are sleeping restfully with your enforced ignorance and carefully selected information, you should be ashamed. You may keep your conscience at bay for now but one day it will howl like I do and you will be old and it will be too late to do anything about it, and you can make excuses to your grandkids and they may even forgive you or not even know that it could have been different.
But you should know this now: it didn't have to be this way.
And who knows if I would be any better, but I like to believe I would have picked up the phone or run out into the street with my baseball bat instead of turning up my tv or rolling over, and so even though at the moment I am not among the numbers on the front lines, I would rather wear out what little voice I have howling at those who think they can sleep through this than wash my Pilate's hands like them, satisfied with the absolution of the polled voice of the angry crowd, "This is the violence we choose."
Not all choices are equal and if your sleep isn't troubled having made this one, having cast your lot with this stake in the world, then I hope to scream until it is. If you are sleeping restfully with your enforced ignorance and carefully selected information, you should be ashamed. You may keep your conscience at bay for now but one day it will howl like I do and you will be old and it will be too late to do anything about it, and you can make excuses to your grandkids and they may even forgive you or not even know that it could have been different.
But you should know this now: it didn't have to be this way.
"The gods are not pleased. "
I am a new observer of James Wolcott's blog, and am duly impressed. This entry caught my eye, expressing nicely something which has been a topic of conversation between Mason and I:
James Wolcott: An Ignoble Confession
On the subject of cosmic messages being ignored, I might see the passion now that it is on dvd, but I didn't really care to contribute too much economically to supporting something that the gods had spoken so clearly against so I avoided it in the theater. A note to James Cav... whatever his name is: if you are an actor playing Jesus, and you get struck by lightning while in character, God is not happy with the project.
I am the kind of person who takes how well his hello kitty toaster burns the image of hello kitty's face into his toast as a daily omen, so two decent sized hurricanes making a nasty X over the state of Florida early in the season (with more already on the way) is seen by me as a pretty unambiguous message. Florida kids, it is time to get the fat bush out of office, although with the dirty tricks he and his have been playing with voting down there, it is probably out of the voter's hands. Maybe that is why God is trying to drop a house on his head.
You might not want to stand too near ole Jeb for a while: there are still a couple more months of hurricane season and His aim is getting better.
James Wolcott: An Ignoble Confession
On the subject of cosmic messages being ignored, I might see the passion now that it is on dvd, but I didn't really care to contribute too much economically to supporting something that the gods had spoken so clearly against so I avoided it in the theater. A note to James Cav... whatever his name is: if you are an actor playing Jesus, and you get struck by lightning while in character, God is not happy with the project.
I am the kind of person who takes how well his hello kitty toaster burns the image of hello kitty's face into his toast as a daily omen, so two decent sized hurricanes making a nasty X over the state of Florida early in the season (with more already on the way) is seen by me as a pretty unambiguous message. Florida kids, it is time to get the fat bush out of office, although with the dirty tricks he and his have been playing with voting down there, it is probably out of the voter's hands. Maybe that is why God is trying to drop a house on his head.
You might not want to stand too near ole Jeb for a while: there are still a couple more months of hurricane season and His aim is getting better.
Friday, September 03, 2004
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Convention of Retards
Yeah, I know you aren't supposed to use the word 'retard' but this childhood pejorative is tough to beat in its accurate description of the tripe coming out of Mad Sq. this week.
Juan Cole's apt turn of phase "Bush must think we are a nation of retards," has run through my head non-stop this week. At the lower moments I have worried that he may be right. But then you walk down the street and see that the people are up in arms but protesting peacefully despite the horrible way the powers that be are managing things this week.
So, perhaps it is just that this week we have been invaded by a convention of retards. I have been trying to avoid listening to their crap as much at possible, but I am still catching snippets here and there. And as always, NPR has all the crap on tape if you care to listen to any of it:
NPR : Republican Convention
I just listened to zell miller vomit his bile. From fag bashing start (if you are acting like you don't know what I am talking about, wipe the stupid incredulous look off of your face; no one on the planet doesn't know that politicians spewing about 'protecting their family' are talking about protecting them from the homo-menace; don't make excuses, call a spade a spade you cowards) to naseating bush fellating finish, zell is total retard-o-rama. "Blah blah blah I'm angry and scared of commies and homos and foriegners and people judging the military by how it is used and lead; please protect me big strong mr. bush... journalists don't defend free speech, protesters are flag burning ingrates, don't question what the military is doing you freedom hating ingrate pinkos." Yeah, Zell was a great keynote pick.
Retard.
What you say? He is a Democrat? Nope, not anymore. I don't give a damn what he says, he is no longer a Dem; he is a retard.
I am not saying he is a republican, despite the official name of the event, very few people in that midtown pit of despair are republican. They are a bunch of retards. The Retard National Convention needs to get the hell out of town. And if there are any real Republicans left (you know, minimal government interference in private lives and business and commerce, fiscal responsibility, social responsibility,etc.) then you better get to organizing and take you party back. You didn't get a convention this year. Will you in 2008?
You may not like voting for a Democrat; fine, hold you nose and think of Dixie and organize to have a decent opponent next time, but this time it answers one question only: are you a republican or are you a retard?
This stupid retard national convention can't leave our town soon enough. How soon are you going to kick them out of your party.
(I am listening to Cheney speak now; utter and complete retard.)
Juan Cole's apt turn of phase "Bush must think we are a nation of retards," has run through my head non-stop this week. At the lower moments I have worried that he may be right. But then you walk down the street and see that the people are up in arms but protesting peacefully despite the horrible way the powers that be are managing things this week.
So, perhaps it is just that this week we have been invaded by a convention of retards. I have been trying to avoid listening to their crap as much at possible, but I am still catching snippets here and there. And as always, NPR has all the crap on tape if you care to listen to any of it:
NPR : Republican Convention
I just listened to zell miller vomit his bile. From fag bashing start (if you are acting like you don't know what I am talking about, wipe the stupid incredulous look off of your face; no one on the planet doesn't know that politicians spewing about 'protecting their family' are talking about protecting them from the homo-menace; don't make excuses, call a spade a spade you cowards) to naseating bush fellating finish, zell is total retard-o-rama. "Blah blah blah I'm angry and scared of commies and homos and foriegners and people judging the military by how it is used and lead; please protect me big strong mr. bush... journalists don't defend free speech, protesters are flag burning ingrates, don't question what the military is doing you freedom hating ingrate pinkos." Yeah, Zell was a great keynote pick.
Retard.
What you say? He is a Democrat? Nope, not anymore. I don't give a damn what he says, he is no longer a Dem; he is a retard.
I am not saying he is a republican, despite the official name of the event, very few people in that midtown pit of despair are republican. They are a bunch of retards. The Retard National Convention needs to get the hell out of town. And if there are any real Republicans left (you know, minimal government interference in private lives and business and commerce, fiscal responsibility, social responsibility,etc.) then you better get to organizing and take you party back. You didn't get a convention this year. Will you in 2008?
You may not like voting for a Democrat; fine, hold you nose and think of Dixie and organize to have a decent opponent next time, but this time it answers one question only: are you a republican or are you a retard?
This stupid retard national convention can't leave our town soon enough. How soon are you going to kick them out of your party.
(I am listening to Cheney speak now; utter and complete retard.)
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
awareness is angry
I probably shouldn't be writing right now.
If you have read anything I have written you probably already know that I don't think too much of this administration. I think for them to do what they do requires either some serious ignorance or significant moral shortcomings. I don't take the changes that have occurred in the last few years lightly.
But now I am seriously pissed off. Something snapped tonight, seriously snapped. I was in midtown, near the place where chris matthews is holding court, quietly protesting. I didn't have a sign, wasn't really yelling. I am generally a pretty calm fellow and don't really like losing control, but I also feel morally compelled to show my dissent, but my beef isn't with the cops, it is with the republicans. The cops are generally out doing their job and I appreciate that.
But tonight I am not so sure.
Some people jumped some barricades, and the cops wigged out and people got arrested, whatever. The cops start pushing people back from the intersection who were not doing anything, I am not ok with that. I already have problems with the way this is impeding movement around the city and if the republicans don't feel safe if people are allowed to move around freely, then they shouldn't be in the city.
So seeing reporters shoved by police officers and barricades put up and people being cordoned off and free movement impeded doesn't settle well with me. But you know what, I don't expect that much out of people, and I know with this many people upset with the assholes in madison square garden, sure folks are going to have to walk out of their way. But when a smug asshole on the police force in a white shirt comes over and moves a barricade so an old white couple dressed in a suit with their american flag regalia can cross the street, but proceeds to stop my brother, I am not a happy person any more. "Why can they go through and he can't?"
For future reference, if I ever ask you that question, the correct answer is not "Psshh, you can see the difference," and you should not deliver it with a sneer. This is when all reason leaves my brain and am screaming at the top of my lungs at a police officer.
I left shortly afterwards. I don't want to fight with the police; they aren't the enemy.
Or they weren't yesterday. I have been extremely sypathetic to their negotiations for fair contracts.
Tonight I am not.
Tonight I am the enemy and I don't matter because of how I dress, because of my politics, because of any of a million reasons. I don't have to matter to you, fine, but you don't have to matter to me either. You may not mind planting it, but you too will reap what you sow. An antagonistic public is not a fun crop for our folks in uniform. And it may have been the brass that told you to plant it, but you will get out of the field what you put in it. And you deserve to.
I am angry tonight and I am sad.
If you have read anything I have written you probably already know that I don't think too much of this administration. I think for them to do what they do requires either some serious ignorance or significant moral shortcomings. I don't take the changes that have occurred in the last few years lightly.
But now I am seriously pissed off. Something snapped tonight, seriously snapped. I was in midtown, near the place where chris matthews is holding court, quietly protesting. I didn't have a sign, wasn't really yelling. I am generally a pretty calm fellow and don't really like losing control, but I also feel morally compelled to show my dissent, but my beef isn't with the cops, it is with the republicans. The cops are generally out doing their job and I appreciate that.
But tonight I am not so sure.
Some people jumped some barricades, and the cops wigged out and people got arrested, whatever. The cops start pushing people back from the intersection who were not doing anything, I am not ok with that. I already have problems with the way this is impeding movement around the city and if the republicans don't feel safe if people are allowed to move around freely, then they shouldn't be in the city.
So seeing reporters shoved by police officers and barricades put up and people being cordoned off and free movement impeded doesn't settle well with me. But you know what, I don't expect that much out of people, and I know with this many people upset with the assholes in madison square garden, sure folks are going to have to walk out of their way. But when a smug asshole on the police force in a white shirt comes over and moves a barricade so an old white couple dressed in a suit with their american flag regalia can cross the street, but proceeds to stop my brother, I am not a happy person any more. "Why can they go through and he can't?"
For future reference, if I ever ask you that question, the correct answer is not "Psshh, you can see the difference," and you should not deliver it with a sneer. This is when all reason leaves my brain and am screaming at the top of my lungs at a police officer.
I left shortly afterwards. I don't want to fight with the police; they aren't the enemy.
Or they weren't yesterday. I have been extremely sypathetic to their negotiations for fair contracts.
Tonight I am not.
Tonight I am the enemy and I don't matter because of how I dress, because of my politics, because of any of a million reasons. I don't have to matter to you, fine, but you don't have to matter to me either. You may not mind planting it, but you too will reap what you sow. An antagonistic public is not a fun crop for our folks in uniform. And it may have been the brass that told you to plant it, but you will get out of the field what you put in it. And you deserve to.
I am angry tonight and I am sad.
Monday, August 30, 2004
unconsciousness is elusive
Unfortunately I can not sleep. I have never been very good at going to sleep. I am amazing at sleeping once I have achieved unconsciosness, but getting started with it is damn near impossible until I am completely exhausted.
I am currently reading _the curious incident of the dog in the night_ by Mark Haddon, the main character/narrator of which is an autistic adolescent. Being told through the dry observation and bafflement of this kid's mind, we are let into a world view which craves order and has trouble with too much information coming in at once. He does an amazing job at keeping the information in order in his head, he just is extremely uncomfortable having to process too much all at once. Venturing into a new place sends his mind reeling with all the novel details of the encounter. He frequently resorts to 'moaning' to drown things out, or doing math problems in his head to refocus his mind. The order and rules of it feel safe and secure.
I have been trying to figure out what about his outlook feels so familiar to me. I certainly don't mind new or strange places or people, and don't feel overwhelmed by noises from multiple sources. And laying here three hours into trying to sleep, it struck me that I approach things similarly but from the other side: I am extremely uncomfortable without novelty and distraction.
I do not sleep well in quite places. In fact, the easiest way for me to fall asleep has always been to plant myself in front of a tv. Or to ride in a car. I frequently nod off during my daily commute on the subway (my ride is about an hour each way) but here at night in the peace of my room, after a day of marching the city's streets in protest, after leaving a bar because I was having trouble staying awake, no rest will come. His flood is from external stimuli; mine is internal.
A flood of stimuli lets my focus bounce around and my mind relax.
But I am tired, and as much as my mind refuses to shut down, it also is beginning to refuse to concentrate on the subject at hand so I will leave this until another time. Of course, as soon as I turn off the computer and light, and lay back in the darkness to enjoy the quiet, my mind will start racing and I will begin wondering again. About everything.
Awareness is sleepy.
I am currently reading _the curious incident of the dog in the night_ by Mark Haddon, the main character/narrator of which is an autistic adolescent. Being told through the dry observation and bafflement of this kid's mind, we are let into a world view which craves order and has trouble with too much information coming in at once. He does an amazing job at keeping the information in order in his head, he just is extremely uncomfortable having to process too much all at once. Venturing into a new place sends his mind reeling with all the novel details of the encounter. He frequently resorts to 'moaning' to drown things out, or doing math problems in his head to refocus his mind. The order and rules of it feel safe and secure.
I have been trying to figure out what about his outlook feels so familiar to me. I certainly don't mind new or strange places or people, and don't feel overwhelmed by noises from multiple sources. And laying here three hours into trying to sleep, it struck me that I approach things similarly but from the other side: I am extremely uncomfortable without novelty and distraction.
I do not sleep well in quite places. In fact, the easiest way for me to fall asleep has always been to plant myself in front of a tv. Or to ride in a car. I frequently nod off during my daily commute on the subway (my ride is about an hour each way) but here at night in the peace of my room, after a day of marching the city's streets in protest, after leaving a bar because I was having trouble staying awake, no rest will come. His flood is from external stimuli; mine is internal.
A flood of stimuli lets my focus bounce around and my mind relax.
But I am tired, and as much as my mind refuses to shut down, it also is beginning to refuse to concentrate on the subject at hand so I will leave this until another time. Of course, as soon as I turn off the computer and light, and lay back in the darkness to enjoy the quiet, my mind will start racing and I will begin wondering again. About everything.
Awareness is sleepy.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
inspiring and terrifying...
Sistani is going to Najaf with a massive peaceful march. Juan Cole knows more about this stuff than me:
Sistani Returns, Launches March
Sadrist Ceasefire Announced
I was raised on Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as our modern heros so my first inclination is to believe that peaceful resistance will be greeted with praise and positive change.
I'm a little older now and it scares the bejezuz out of me. If it goes right, this could be the beginning of something powerful and positive in Iraq and perhaps even throughout the Middle East.
But I am scared. The same century that gave us Gandhi also gave us Tianamen. And a little closer to Najaf, Rachel Corrie. My prayers are with Sistani and his followers and our troops in the city tonight.
Perhaps history must be repeated, but you have a choice of which history. Please choose carefully.
Sistani Returns, Launches March
Sadrist Ceasefire Announced
I was raised on Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as our modern heros so my first inclination is to believe that peaceful resistance will be greeted with praise and positive change.
I'm a little older now and it scares the bejezuz out of me. If it goes right, this could be the beginning of something powerful and positive in Iraq and perhaps even throughout the Middle East.
But I am scared. The same century that gave us Gandhi also gave us Tianamen. And a little closer to Najaf, Rachel Corrie. My prayers are with Sistani and his followers and our troops in the city tonight.
Perhaps history must be repeated, but you have a choice of which history. Please choose carefully.
Monday, August 23, 2004
a last straw, rehashed...
Eric Alterman's quote of the day from a few days ago sounded familiar:
Quote of the Day: "As frank as I can be," Alabama's GOP chairman said last year, "we're opposed to it because felons don't tend to vote Republican."
So I followed his link, and of course it was from last year's stink. For those of you who aren't from AL or are and just didn't pay attention, Riley had a chance to be the first decent govenor in memorable past in the Camellia State; he had a progressive tax plan ready to help the state take care of the all the crap bush and co. were shovelling down the pike, that was being lauded far and wide as being sensible and well balanced. If you aren't from the lovely state, you may not be hyper aware of the fact that our state very rarely gets positive ink in the rest of the country.
You may also not know that people in Alabama vote. And particularly black people vote.
Legislation had passed to give the right to vote back to felons after they finished serving their sentence. Not really such controversial stuff, until you get such crap as the above quote spits out, which seems fairly honest and blunt until you realize he means '[black people] don't tend to vote republican' and most felons in AL are black.
Being extremely aware ahead of time that this issue would make or break a huge segment of the voting block needed to pass his tax plan and having seen how effectively the Alabama public comes out for yes/no votes on stuff like this and unceremoniously drop kicks idiots who try to insult the voting public's intelligence (ie, siegleman's lottery debacle), he decided to veto the felon vote thing.
and I decided that I was done with a token southern vote and registered up here. I was going to keep my voter registration in AL as a little act of good faith with my troubled homeland since I didn't know how long I would be in New York. But that ended that. It was one insult too many. One more stupid idiot who almost has enough sense to do something decent in the state but who lacks the balls and/or moral fiber to do the right thing when the good ole boys need some assurance that they will forever be allowed to throw wrenches into anything that begins to work in the state.
Eric, this quote is old, but boy does it still piss me the fuck off.
Quote of the Day: "As frank as I can be," Alabama's GOP chairman said last year, "we're opposed to it because felons don't tend to vote Republican."
So I followed his link, and of course it was from last year's stink. For those of you who aren't from AL or are and just didn't pay attention, Riley had a chance to be the first decent govenor in memorable past in the Camellia State; he had a progressive tax plan ready to help the state take care of the all the crap bush and co. were shovelling down the pike, that was being lauded far and wide as being sensible and well balanced. If you aren't from the lovely state, you may not be hyper aware of the fact that our state very rarely gets positive ink in the rest of the country.
You may also not know that people in Alabama vote. And particularly black people vote.
Legislation had passed to give the right to vote back to felons after they finished serving their sentence. Not really such controversial stuff, until you get such crap as the above quote spits out, which seems fairly honest and blunt until you realize he means '[black people] don't tend to vote republican' and most felons in AL are black.
Being extremely aware ahead of time that this issue would make or break a huge segment of the voting block needed to pass his tax plan and having seen how effectively the Alabama public comes out for yes/no votes on stuff like this and unceremoniously drop kicks idiots who try to insult the voting public's intelligence (ie, siegleman's lottery debacle), he decided to veto the felon vote thing.
and I decided that I was done with a token southern vote and registered up here. I was going to keep my voter registration in AL as a little act of good faith with my troubled homeland since I didn't know how long I would be in New York. But that ended that. It was one insult too many. One more stupid idiot who almost has enough sense to do something decent in the state but who lacks the balls and/or moral fiber to do the right thing when the good ole boys need some assurance that they will forever be allowed to throw wrenches into anything that begins to work in the state.
Eric, this quote is old, but boy does it still piss me the fuck off.
Friday, August 20, 2004
reaping what you sow...crops I would rather not harvest
I found this little tid bit linked to on farq, where it was summed up quite succinctly: 'Iran may strike U.S. troops pre-emptively before they become an imminent threat':
Iran threatens to attack US forces in Gulf
Perhaps we should start calling the nekkid emperor "the great farmer" since it looks like his crops grow faster than most. Forget all this platform crap, I want to know what crops our president plans to plant because we are the ones who are going to be eating it later. This dumb fakeass redneck in office can grow the hell out of some shit, but even though a field of cockleburs will be about the prettiest, fastest growing thing you ever saw, you won't like it much when you end up picking it and even less when you find it on your plate.
If we don't get somebody in there fast to do some serious weeding and plant some veggies fast it is going to be a rough winter.
Iran threatens to attack US forces in Gulf
Perhaps we should start calling the nekkid emperor "the great farmer" since it looks like his crops grow faster than most. Forget all this platform crap, I want to know what crops our president plans to plant because we are the ones who are going to be eating it later. This dumb fakeass redneck in office can grow the hell out of some shit, but even though a field of cockleburs will be about the prettiest, fastest growing thing you ever saw, you won't like it much when you end up picking it and even less when you find it on your plate.
If we don't get somebody in there fast to do some serious weeding and plant some veggies fast it is going to be a rough winter.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
awareness is graphic
Why is this making me laugh so much? I am kind of giggling even more imagining my parents finding my blog and thinking it not funny at all, just obscene. Maybe this is the difference in mine and my parents' generations: for them, assfuck = funny, is not a true statement. Anyway, click the link and laugh and laugh.
gayboy bunny
gayboy bunny
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Polls schmolls and when parents are stupid.
There is a wonderful poll on a pressing current issue on the opening page of CMT.com: "Sara Evans will be performing at the Republican National Convention this year. Good idea?"
Ok, this pisses me off for a couple of reasons.
1) Only marginal artists for whom being a moron is part of their whole schtick or washed up weirdos are supposed to play for this Repub convention. Like kid rock. You just expect him to be dumb and totally uninformed about politics... and basically everything else. He is opinionated and tries hard to stay uninformed and avoid hearing other viewpoints. But I like Sarah Evans and part of her appeal is that she comes across as a somewhat sensitive, intelligent person. This admin has gone out of its way to distance itself from both sensitivity and intelligence; she should not sing for them
2)The wording of this and every other damn push poll in this country. "Push poll? Easy tiger, this is just a little celebrity poll..." Bullshit, the wording of the poll choices leave only a few options:
'yes, she's speaking out for something she believes in.'
so you can say you are a heartless republican android in support of this admin and all who fall in line for their horrid crap, or...
'maybe, but I'd rather she just sing for everybody.'
you are a bland centrist moron who just wants everyone to get along, but you still nod that it is ok.
'no, a performer should stay quiet about politics.'
if a bunch of people say no, we will say how they think performers should stay quiet about politics.
'don't know'
gee, I don't know about all this politics stuff or I would probably support her singing there.
If you 'don't know' don't take the poll. But where are the options for people like me? Where is the 'no, I like Sarah Evans and don't want her idelibly associated with the bullgoose-loopy freaks in office' or perhaps the 'no, I don't want her inside the worlds largest bullseye with them most consolidated mass of globally disliked americans ever assembled'?
I don't think that entertainers should stay quiet about politics, but I do think they should only step into the fray when things are so fucked up that they have to and they should make damn sure they are on the right side of things and that they are well informed.
Just a note that is going to sound really arrogant and dogmatic and I don't care: if you are supporting bush's re election, you are on the wrong side of things and you are not well informed. Repeating republican talking points is not the same as being well informed. That is being well programmed.
Polls schmolls. My dad pissed me off like crazy when I was home last. Not intentionally. Not trying to. That would be ok and probably make me laugh, but by being stupid in the most common and dumb ways.
My parents are not and have never been stupid people. They have always been kind generous souls even if a little sarcastic and blunt at times, and have great analytical minds when they care to bother. And they used to be very circumspect about talking about things they aren't well informed about.
I guess they kind of still are, but even though they kind of don't bother a whole lot with current events (certainly not in the ridiculous obsessive way I do), the talking points still make appearences and drive me up the wall. Hearing my dad talk about Kerry flip flopping or my mom letting the dumbest of scandinavia gay marriage horror stuff slip casually hurts my soul.
I bring all this up because at some point we talked about polls. I said politicians pay too damn much attention to polls and not enough time really researching issues. Dad responds "of course they should listen to polls; that is their job, to do what the people want them to do." No, that is not their job. Their job is to represent the people and work for the collective best interests with the Constitution outline the guiding principles for that. Yes, people should have an influence in what our best interests are, but it shouldn't funtion like training a dog: roll over and you will get a vote.
Any remotely functional adult should know better than to think that what you want is always the same thing as what is good for you. I want leave work early and go play soccer and eat french fries and milkshakes for dinner every night and start drinking at 10 in the morning and sleep in late. They don't all work together and they wouldn't be fun if I did them all the time.
So sure politicians should listen to what people have to say, and sometimes polls are a good way to do this, but the way polls are worded to elicit a certain response ("I like Sara Evans supporting this republican administration and thereby support them too, or I just am kind of tired of thinking about politics when trying to be entertained, or I am kind of out of it.") and swung around like a drunk with a sticker bush. Pols aren't using polls to divine the concerns and pressing issues of the masses to better understand how to guide policy to address these concerns, they are using them as tools to justify their agendas and distract people (or themselves) from the selfish crap they are doing.
this is something my dad should be telling me (and I think has at some point), not telling me that politicians are supposed to be doing what we want.
Fine, I want a 4 day weekend, universal health care, nationwide public trasportation, and better lottery odds.
Ok, this pisses me off for a couple of reasons.
1) Only marginal artists for whom being a moron is part of their whole schtick or washed up weirdos are supposed to play for this Repub convention. Like kid rock. You just expect him to be dumb and totally uninformed about politics... and basically everything else. He is opinionated and tries hard to stay uninformed and avoid hearing other viewpoints. But I like Sarah Evans and part of her appeal is that she comes across as a somewhat sensitive, intelligent person. This admin has gone out of its way to distance itself from both sensitivity and intelligence; she should not sing for them
2)The wording of this and every other damn push poll in this country. "Push poll? Easy tiger, this is just a little celebrity poll..." Bullshit, the wording of the poll choices leave only a few options:
'yes, she's speaking out for something she believes in.'
so you can say you are a heartless republican android in support of this admin and all who fall in line for their horrid crap, or...
'maybe, but I'd rather she just sing for everybody.'
you are a bland centrist moron who just wants everyone to get along, but you still nod that it is ok.
'no, a performer should stay quiet about politics.'
if a bunch of people say no, we will say how they think performers should stay quiet about politics.
'don't know'
gee, I don't know about all this politics stuff or I would probably support her singing there.
If you 'don't know' don't take the poll. But where are the options for people like me? Where is the 'no, I like Sarah Evans and don't want her idelibly associated with the bullgoose-loopy freaks in office' or perhaps the 'no, I don't want her inside the worlds largest bullseye with them most consolidated mass of globally disliked americans ever assembled'?
I don't think that entertainers should stay quiet about politics, but I do think they should only step into the fray when things are so fucked up that they have to and they should make damn sure they are on the right side of things and that they are well informed.
Just a note that is going to sound really arrogant and dogmatic and I don't care: if you are supporting bush's re election, you are on the wrong side of things and you are not well informed. Repeating republican talking points is not the same as being well informed. That is being well programmed.
Polls schmolls. My dad pissed me off like crazy when I was home last. Not intentionally. Not trying to. That would be ok and probably make me laugh, but by being stupid in the most common and dumb ways.
My parents are not and have never been stupid people. They have always been kind generous souls even if a little sarcastic and blunt at times, and have great analytical minds when they care to bother. And they used to be very circumspect about talking about things they aren't well informed about.
I guess they kind of still are, but even though they kind of don't bother a whole lot with current events (certainly not in the ridiculous obsessive way I do), the talking points still make appearences and drive me up the wall. Hearing my dad talk about Kerry flip flopping or my mom letting the dumbest of scandinavia gay marriage horror stuff slip casually hurts my soul.
I bring all this up because at some point we talked about polls. I said politicians pay too damn much attention to polls and not enough time really researching issues. Dad responds "of course they should listen to polls; that is their job, to do what the people want them to do." No, that is not their job. Their job is to represent the people and work for the collective best interests with the Constitution outline the guiding principles for that. Yes, people should have an influence in what our best interests are, but it shouldn't funtion like training a dog: roll over and you will get a vote.
Any remotely functional adult should know better than to think that what you want is always the same thing as what is good for you. I want leave work early and go play soccer and eat french fries and milkshakes for dinner every night and start drinking at 10 in the morning and sleep in late. They don't all work together and they wouldn't be fun if I did them all the time.
So sure politicians should listen to what people have to say, and sometimes polls are a good way to do this, but the way polls are worded to elicit a certain response ("I like Sara Evans supporting this republican administration and thereby support them too, or I just am kind of tired of thinking about politics when trying to be entertained, or I am kind of out of it.") and swung around like a drunk with a sticker bush. Pols aren't using polls to divine the concerns and pressing issues of the masses to better understand how to guide policy to address these concerns, they are using them as tools to justify their agendas and distract people (or themselves) from the selfish crap they are doing.
this is something my dad should be telling me (and I think has at some point), not telling me that politicians are supposed to be doing what we want.
Fine, I want a 4 day weekend, universal health care, nationwide public trasportation, and better lottery odds.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Awareness is music...
I honestly have no idea if anyone else out there is really reading this, but if you are, you may have noticed that I frequently mention my friend Mason. He is a spectactular partner in crime and he accepted my invite for him to also blog at will in this little experiment. Unfortunately, what Mason is best at is procrastinating, so he has yet to contribute a damn thing.
One thing that Mason does almost as well though is music. The kid finds great music like nobody's business and makes the best mix cds you could possibly imagine and his song writing is only getting better. So if I am going to properly lure him into giving his soul over to this dark underworld of the blogosphere, I have to point out to him (and all of you, my vast adoring public) that there is music here. Yup, Mase, you can blog music and folks are out there doing it right now.
just as starters, here are a couple:
Fluxblog Is Not Essing Around and Teaching The Indie Kids to Dance Again
One thing that Mason does almost as well though is music. The kid finds great music like nobody's business and makes the best mix cds you could possibly imagine and his song writing is only getting better. So if I am going to properly lure him into giving his soul over to this dark underworld of the blogosphere, I have to point out to him (and all of you, my vast adoring public) that there is music here. Yup, Mase, you can blog music and folks are out there doing it right now.
just as starters, here are a couple:
Fluxblog Is Not Essing Around and Teaching The Indie Kids to Dance Again
Insulting, misleading things are no less insulting and misleading when said politely
I dont' always agree with Eric Alterman but I like his site and always like reading his commentary, but the best thing about his blog is the regular commentary from Charles Pierce. His letters show up at least every friday and are always worth reading. Last week's said many of the things that I had been thinking regarding Laura's performance playing hitman for the stemcell issue. His stuff is always fun to read, but I am particularly fond of anything invoking Nancy...
MSNBC - Altercation: "If there's a god in heaven, Laura Bush will get caught in a Green Room one day with Nancy Reagan."
Personally, if there is an Oprah in Chicago, she should have a first ladies show with Laura, Hillary, and Nancy sitting on a stage together.
MSNBC - Altercation: "If there's a god in heaven, Laura Bush will get caught in a Green Room one day with Nancy Reagan."
Personally, if there is an Oprah in Chicago, she should have a first ladies show with Laura, Hillary, and Nancy sitting on a stage together.
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Some please tell me the best case scenario for why this is happening.
This little link I noticed on Farq say that Bush is going to pull a hundred thousand troops out of Europe and Asia.
Maybe there are really good reasons for this. Maybe there is some positive well thought out reason for moving that many troops around. I know we need more troops in Iraq, but I have this nagging feeling that this may not be that simple...
Maybe there are really good reasons for this. Maybe there is some positive well thought out reason for moving that many troops around. I know we need more troops in Iraq, but I have this nagging feeling that this may not be that simple...
Thursday, August 12, 2004
"Oh dear!"
"Oh dear!" is Molly Ivins' superhero power.
She is the kind of blunt old lady I would like to be if I were ever going to be an old lady (no, Molly, I am not calling you old, but yours is a superpower of sarcastic maturity and I have this feeling that you will only get better with age). Actually, this is probably the kind of old lady that Mason will one day be.
She is the kind of blunt old lady I would like to be if I were ever going to be an old lady (no, Molly, I am not calling you old, but yours is a superpower of sarcastic maturity and I have this feeling that you will only get better with age). Actually, this is probably the kind of old lady that Mason will one day be.
bullgoose-loopy
I love Jim Hightower. This is the kind of cranky old man I aspire to be one day.
Beyond Loopy -- In These Times: "Having spent the past four years crisscrossing America to uncover the real state of the union under King George the W and his rabid band of Bushites, I have come to a disturbing conclusion:
THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS!
We're talking bullgoose-loopy, ideological freaks whose snorting rampages pose a threat to us all and to all we hold dear. It's not that they're a little to the right. No. They're insane zealots dedicated to implementing their plutocratic, autocratic, antidemocratic, militaristic, and imperialistic vision of America (and the world) and it's time we stopped beating around the bush about it."
I really want to be able to use the term "bullgoose-loopy" and have it sound natural. Mason has this supernatural power to use the term "harumph!" without anyone thinking it sounds odd and totally understanding what he means and making other people subconsciously start saying it themselves, and Jim Hightower has so many plainspokenly goofyish vocabularal superhero powers. I am totally jealous.
What kind of superhero power do I get? My most sincere expression of sympathy comes out as a dryly delivered "bummer" which is generally about as well received as you might imagine and I tend to abuse the rules of capitalization vendictively according to how I am feeling about who or whatever I am writing about at the time. Not so much communicative superpowers as they are handicaps.
Harumph!
Beyond Loopy -- In These Times: "Having spent the past four years crisscrossing America to uncover the real state of the union under King George the W and his rabid band of Bushites, I have come to a disturbing conclusion:
THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS!
We're talking bullgoose-loopy, ideological freaks whose snorting rampages pose a threat to us all and to all we hold dear. It's not that they're a little to the right. No. They're insane zealots dedicated to implementing their plutocratic, autocratic, antidemocratic, militaristic, and imperialistic vision of America (and the world) and it's time we stopped beating around the bush about it."
I really want to be able to use the term "bullgoose-loopy" and have it sound natural. Mason has this supernatural power to use the term "harumph!" without anyone thinking it sounds odd and totally understanding what he means and making other people subconsciously start saying it themselves, and Jim Hightower has so many plainspokenly goofyish vocabularal superhero powers. I am totally jealous.
What kind of superhero power do I get? My most sincere expression of sympathy comes out as a dryly delivered "bummer" which is generally about as well received as you might imagine and I tend to abuse the rules of capitalization vendictively according to how I am feeling about who or whatever I am writing about at the time. Not so much communicative superpowers as they are handicaps.
Harumph!
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
'Suicide Tango Dancers... With Exploding Enchilladas'
The article this links to is required reading.
WorkingForChange-Will Venezuela get the Florida treatment?: "Whatever it is, OUR President has decided that THEIR president has to go. This is none too easy given that Chavez is backed by Venezuela's poor. And the US oil industry, joined with local oligarchs, has made sure a vast majority of Venezuelans remain poor.
Therefore, Chavez is expected to win this coming Sunday's recall vote. That is, if the elections are free and fair.
They won't be. Some months ago, a little birdie faxed to me what appeared to be confidential pages from a contract between John Ashcroft's Justice Department and a company called ChoicePoint, Inc., of Atlanta. The deal is part of the War on Terror.
Justice offered up to $67 million, of our taxpayer money, to ChoicePoint in a no-bid deal for computer profiles with private information on every citizen of half a dozen nations. The choice of which nation's citizens on whom to spy caught my eye. While the September 11th highjackers came from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and the Arab Emirates, ChoicePoint's menu offered records on Venezuelans, Brazilians, Nicaraguans, Mexicans and Argentines. How odd. Had the CIA uncovered a Latin plot to sneak suicide tango dancers across the border with exploding enchiladas?
What do these nations have in common besides a lack of involvement in the September 11th attacks? Coincidentally, each is in the throes of major electoral contests in which the leading candidates -- presidents Lula Ignacio da Silva of Brazil, Nestor Kirschner of Argentina, Mexico City mayor Andres Lopez Obrador and Venezuela's Chavez -- have the nerve to challenge the globalization demands of George W. Bush."
We've been making fun of Euro-Disney for years, but theme parks suddenly seem like one of Florida's better international cultural exports now that we are exporting jeb's own special brand of democrazy. We can only pray that the sunny state never starts exporting its architecture or interior decorating.
What has FL been up to anyway? Are they upset that despite their geography they will never be part of the South (if you are reading this from Pensacola thinking to yourself, 'I'm southern and I live in Florida,' you are half right: you are southern, but you live in Alabama, Florida starts in Tallahassee)? It takes more than really bad racist politics to be southern, and God knows we don't have have the corner on that market anymore, we just get more press on it. The real south has been kind of trying to get out of that whole business for a while now anyway, although we have as late have reasserted a strong commitment to consistently having miserably bad governors, even if we have to import them. And as far as bad southern politics go, LA is never going to give up the prize for most fucked up blatantly politics, despite TX's persitent attempts to dethrown them.
Maybe it isn't just Florida that is fucked up. Maybe just getting a bush in office sends everything straight to hell.
WorkingForChange-Will Venezuela get the Florida treatment?: "Whatever it is, OUR President has decided that THEIR president has to go. This is none too easy given that Chavez is backed by Venezuela's poor. And the US oil industry, joined with local oligarchs, has made sure a vast majority of Venezuelans remain poor.
Therefore, Chavez is expected to win this coming Sunday's recall vote. That is, if the elections are free and fair.
They won't be. Some months ago, a little birdie faxed to me what appeared to be confidential pages from a contract between John Ashcroft's Justice Department and a company called ChoicePoint, Inc., of Atlanta. The deal is part of the War on Terror.
Justice offered up to $67 million, of our taxpayer money, to ChoicePoint in a no-bid deal for computer profiles with private information on every citizen of half a dozen nations. The choice of which nation's citizens on whom to spy caught my eye. While the September 11th highjackers came from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and the Arab Emirates, ChoicePoint's menu offered records on Venezuelans, Brazilians, Nicaraguans, Mexicans and Argentines. How odd. Had the CIA uncovered a Latin plot to sneak suicide tango dancers across the border with exploding enchiladas?
What do these nations have in common besides a lack of involvement in the September 11th attacks? Coincidentally, each is in the throes of major electoral contests in which the leading candidates -- presidents Lula Ignacio da Silva of Brazil, Nestor Kirschner of Argentina, Mexico City mayor Andres Lopez Obrador and Venezuela's Chavez -- have the nerve to challenge the globalization demands of George W. Bush."
We've been making fun of Euro-Disney for years, but theme parks suddenly seem like one of Florida's better international cultural exports now that we are exporting jeb's own special brand of democrazy. We can only pray that the sunny state never starts exporting its architecture or interior decorating.
What has FL been up to anyway? Are they upset that despite their geography they will never be part of the South (if you are reading this from Pensacola thinking to yourself, 'I'm southern and I live in Florida,' you are half right: you are southern, but you live in Alabama, Florida starts in Tallahassee)? It takes more than really bad racist politics to be southern, and God knows we don't have have the corner on that market anymore, we just get more press on it. The real south has been kind of trying to get out of that whole business for a while now anyway, although we have as late have reasserted a strong commitment to consistently having miserably bad governors, even if we have to import them. And as far as bad southern politics go, LA is never going to give up the prize for most fucked up blatantly politics, despite TX's persitent attempts to dethrown them.
Maybe it isn't just Florida that is fucked up. Maybe just getting a bush in office sends everything straight to hell.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Awareness Is Not For The Faint Of Heart
This is more of Margaret Cho's blog musings. She isn't kidding when she says that this is Not For The Faint Of Heart.
I have to say, I am just beginning to read back through her blog entries. I have always liked her comedy, but am really just beginning to really pay attention to her. The level of deeply personal sincerity she lays out in her writing is amazing. This isn't done anonymously, but she isn't holding back or softening the blows. Few people display this level of awareness in intimate conversation, much less a public forum.
It kind of gets at the whole reason this blog is named "Awareness is Painful." It is sort of that flip side of "Ignorance is Bliss," but please note that I don't make this comparison as a criticism of awareness or a celebration of ignorance. Quite the opposite.
One night in a discussion with my boyfriend, when I talked about the value I placed on awareness and the work I put into it, his response was "ignorance is bliss". "Ignorance is death," was my reply.
I understand the desire for ignorance though. If you are very, very lucky, it can be a pretty place to stay. I just also know that it is too late for him (any of us). You can't return to ignorance. You can cultivate apathy or hide in denial or paint the world with convincing assumptions/rationalizations, but these aren't ignorance. And despite their pretty promises, they have no bliss to give, only hope to steal. Ignorance is ugly and naked. It smiles down the barrel of a gun. It is dumb and boring and was wisely left back in old dull eden.
The closest drug that can replicate ignorance is avoidance, but again this is one that requires being taken with awareness to keep you out of danger. If you aren't aware of what to avoid, avoidance doesn't do a whole hell of a lot of good. But the faint hearts do get good at knowing what to avoid or knowing how to only acknowledge the tragedies 'over there' that are happening to 'them.' (if you didn't read it already, more on ignorance in my last post)
The thing is though, I don't have a negative outlook on the world and I think you would be hard pressed to argue that Margaret Cho does either. Awareness is painful but it is also so much more. Some things are so bad and so ugly, but so much is so beautiful and amazing. A while back I whittled most of my prayers down to "Wow," and "Thank you," and started directing my demands for a better world towards my fellow citizens. I learned better than asking them for justice; they just twist and screw it up. I ask instead for mercy and grace.
It will never cease to amaze me how important these two things are to central Christian teachings and how rarely (if ever) our christian-right loudmouths and their minions call for either unless it is for their demonstrably righteous own, or even really credit God's capacity for these things. falwell, dobson, reed, and the nekkid emperor all preach justice and revenge and holy holy holy, but charity is a side note and if all those different people weren't so different then maybe they would be blessed too. Go fuck yourselves.
Before I get carried away, Margaret, you made me cry at work today. Thank you, for the tears and your witness (the beautiful Quaker 'bearing witness' -not flinching and turning away from or rationalizing away the pain you see-, not the creepy southern baptisty conquestial 'witness').
I have to say, I am just beginning to read back through her blog entries. I have always liked her comedy, but am really just beginning to really pay attention to her. The level of deeply personal sincerity she lays out in her writing is amazing. This isn't done anonymously, but she isn't holding back or softening the blows. Few people display this level of awareness in intimate conversation, much less a public forum.
It kind of gets at the whole reason this blog is named "Awareness is Painful." It is sort of that flip side of "Ignorance is Bliss," but please note that I don't make this comparison as a criticism of awareness or a celebration of ignorance. Quite the opposite.
One night in a discussion with my boyfriend, when I talked about the value I placed on awareness and the work I put into it, his response was "ignorance is bliss". "Ignorance is death," was my reply.
I understand the desire for ignorance though. If you are very, very lucky, it can be a pretty place to stay. I just also know that it is too late for him (any of us). You can't return to ignorance. You can cultivate apathy or hide in denial or paint the world with convincing assumptions/rationalizations, but these aren't ignorance. And despite their pretty promises, they have no bliss to give, only hope to steal. Ignorance is ugly and naked. It smiles down the barrel of a gun. It is dumb and boring and was wisely left back in old dull eden.
The closest drug that can replicate ignorance is avoidance, but again this is one that requires being taken with awareness to keep you out of danger. If you aren't aware of what to avoid, avoidance doesn't do a whole hell of a lot of good. But the faint hearts do get good at knowing what to avoid or knowing how to only acknowledge the tragedies 'over there' that are happening to 'them.' (if you didn't read it already, more on ignorance in my last post)
The thing is though, I don't have a negative outlook on the world and I think you would be hard pressed to argue that Margaret Cho does either. Awareness is painful but it is also so much more. Some things are so bad and so ugly, but so much is so beautiful and amazing. A while back I whittled most of my prayers down to "Wow," and "Thank you," and started directing my demands for a better world towards my fellow citizens. I learned better than asking them for justice; they just twist and screw it up. I ask instead for mercy and grace.
It will never cease to amaze me how important these two things are to central Christian teachings and how rarely (if ever) our christian-right loudmouths and their minions call for either unless it is for their demonstrably righteous own, or even really credit God's capacity for these things. falwell, dobson, reed, and the nekkid emperor all preach justice and revenge and holy holy holy, but charity is a side note and if all those different people weren't so different then maybe they would be blessed too. Go fuck yourselves.
Before I get carried away, Margaret, you made me cry at work today. Thank you, for the tears and your witness (the beautiful Quaker 'bearing witness' -not flinching and turning away from or rationalizing away the pain you see-, not the creepy southern baptisty conquestial 'witness').
Innocence Lost...
not mine, of course. No, actually in a way, exactly. Ira Glass wrote a piece in Sunday's New York Times magazine (not the current one, this is from an old email to Mason) on Howard Stern and censorship and he was saying when he asked someone who had spearheaded some of these FCC letterwriting campaigns what harm was done to children by seeing a second of Janet Jackson's breast or hearing Howard Stern talk about anal sex. His reply? It destroyed "the innocence of childhood." There are so many problems with this way of thinking and what it says about us being a nation of overgrown titty-babies, but leaving all that for another day and another conversation, can I say for the record that having my "innocence of childhood" destroyed was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I don't think the words 'innocence' and 'childhood' are understood very well in this country. Children are not innocent, they are just misinformed. Parents and teachers are not trying to maintain their innocence, just their ignorance.
What in the hell is the "innoncence of childhood" supposed to mean? What is the loss of innocence other than becoming an adult? And am I the only person around who seems to know that children don't just lose their innoncence out of nowhere? Say a dirty word and a child is suddenly craven and dirty, his mind teeming with all manner of horrible thoughts. No, that comes with a chemical onslaught in puberty and either they don't know what to call their feelings and run the risk of misdirecting them or mislabelling them, or they do get an idea of where it is coming from and what to call it. Have all these idiots that worship Genesis (thankfully not the band) not realized that innoncence (as in "loss of innoncence") = stupidity? "Things aren't the way I thought they were...wah wah wah!!!" Shut the fuck up and grow up you idiots. So what? More stupid people grew up in stupid middleclass homes and had comfort and enough other comfortable people around to keep believing that that was the norm, the way it was supposed to be and so they all cry like stupid babies when things don't go their way. Thank God they are here to try to impress their fucked up suburban picket fence idea of how things are supposed to be on the rest of us who are willing to face the world and try to make it function as well as it can for as many people as possible.
Destroying the 'innoncence of childhood' = wake up call about what the world is really like
but all things concidered, children who saw Janet's boob didn't get a wake up call or have any innocence destroyed; they had something funny to talk about and silly questions to ask other misinformed kids. They have an excuse to see who knows the most words to describe breasts. Any parent who finds their child troubled or horrified by seeing this part of a body should look at themselves as the ones who have given their child this terror and fear. If you want to teach your child that something is bad, how about violence?
Anyway, innocence has never been anything but a stupid excuse and a weak one at best. As far as innocence and other stupid concepts like it are concerned, I say bombs away.
I don't think the words 'innocence' and 'childhood' are understood very well in this country. Children are not innocent, they are just misinformed. Parents and teachers are not trying to maintain their innocence, just their ignorance.
What in the hell is the "innoncence of childhood" supposed to mean? What is the loss of innocence other than becoming an adult? And am I the only person around who seems to know that children don't just lose their innoncence out of nowhere? Say a dirty word and a child is suddenly craven and dirty, his mind teeming with all manner of horrible thoughts. No, that comes with a chemical onslaught in puberty and either they don't know what to call their feelings and run the risk of misdirecting them or mislabelling them, or they do get an idea of where it is coming from and what to call it. Have all these idiots that worship Genesis (thankfully not the band) not realized that innoncence (as in "loss of innoncence") = stupidity? "Things aren't the way I thought they were...wah wah wah!!!" Shut the fuck up and grow up you idiots. So what? More stupid people grew up in stupid middleclass homes and had comfort and enough other comfortable people around to keep believing that that was the norm, the way it was supposed to be and so they all cry like stupid babies when things don't go their way. Thank God they are here to try to impress their fucked up suburban picket fence idea of how things are supposed to be on the rest of us who are willing to face the world and try to make it function as well as it can for as many people as possible.
Destroying the 'innoncence of childhood' = wake up call about what the world is really like
but all things concidered, children who saw Janet's boob didn't get a wake up call or have any innocence destroyed; they had something funny to talk about and silly questions to ask other misinformed kids. They have an excuse to see who knows the most words to describe breasts. Any parent who finds their child troubled or horrified by seeing this part of a body should look at themselves as the ones who have given their child this terror and fear. If you want to teach your child that something is bad, how about violence?
Anyway, innocence has never been anything but a stupid excuse and a weak one at best. As far as innocence and other stupid concepts like it are concerned, I say bombs away.
Monday, August 09, 2004
promiscuous homo-abortionists: the secret power-weilding scourge of America
As if we even had any control over our own minions (do you think we really want andrew sullivan blogging like a maniac and speaking for us? would you let him speak for you? -if you answered that in the affirmative, go away...now), now okie repubs think we are some sex-crazed illuminati. So yeah, 'sex-crazed' isn't really the most ridiculous accusation I have heard levelled at us, but take ten single straight boys and ten single gay boys and the only difference in the craziness of the sex we aspire to will be in how likely it is that we could achieve it. And whose babies are we trying to abort? Getting pregnant is the one sexual consequence that doesn't really scare me too much.
Anyway, as pointed out on AMERICAblog, this is just kind of stupid:
"'The gay community has infiltrated the very centers of power in every area across this country, and they wield extreme power. ... That agenda is the greatest threat to our freedom that we face today. Why do you think we see the rationalization for abortion and multiple sexual partners? That's a gay agenda.'' - Tom Cobun, republican US Senate candidate from Oklahama"
Ok, so gay people are fighting for marriage rights because we want multiple partners and we aren't reproducing because we keep aborting our babies. Thank goodness for the abortion doctors or I would probably stay knocked up all the time from my twenty different partners a day. Does this mean the rightwing wackos are working for our agenda when they try to keep us from getting married or adopting kids?
Anyway, as pointed out on AMERICAblog, this is just kind of stupid:
"'The gay community has infiltrated the very centers of power in every area across this country, and they wield extreme power. ... That agenda is the greatest threat to our freedom that we face today. Why do you think we see the rationalization for abortion and multiple sexual partners? That's a gay agenda.'' - Tom Cobun, republican US Senate candidate from Oklahama"
Ok, so gay people are fighting for marriage rights because we want multiple partners and we aren't reproducing because we keep aborting our babies. Thank goodness for the abortion doctors or I would probably stay knocked up all the time from my twenty different partners a day. Does this mean the rightwing wackos are working for our agenda when they try to keep us from getting married or adopting kids?
Reckless endangerment: what happens when policy and security concerns are traded for photo ops and soundbites...
Of course Juan Cole covers this whole Khan thing better than I could, but really, is anyone suprised? I think this points to the main problem with this administration: their only concern is for saving face in the short term.
They start spewing new alert stuff to clog the airwaves and public discourse after a really great Dem convention and people question it so they spit out figures and documents and names carelessly. For them, terror threats are not problems to be solved, but political tools. The international implications of what goes on are after thoughts and if the US public weren't so diligent in trying to stay up with what is going on, I doubt they would even be that.
I think these guys have been gunning for WWIII since before they got in office and don't really put a whole lot past them. Have we been experiencing intelligence failures or is all the sabotage intentional? Second-rate fishermen who want to flex their macho by bagging a big shark have often resorted to chumming the water. When they chum near the beach and someone loses a leg, are they heroes if they catch that shark later?
It sounds harsh to say that they don't care if someone gets bit if they can stand up on the dock with a trophy but they do nothing to counter this image. The admin is more concerned about the election than their job. If it were more politically expedient to say everything is safe, they would do it.
I guess they try to do both, but seriously, do you think a man who wouldn't go back to Washington or really even show his face most of the day when the nation needed him on 9/11 would let his wife and kids go to what his admin were touting as know terrorist targets if he thought them credible? There is a terror alert, be very afraid; don't interrupt your daily life, it is safe enough for my wife to go to the stock exchange.
give me a f*ckin' break.
They start spewing new alert stuff to clog the airwaves and public discourse after a really great Dem convention and people question it so they spit out figures and documents and names carelessly. For them, terror threats are not problems to be solved, but political tools. The international implications of what goes on are after thoughts and if the US public weren't so diligent in trying to stay up with what is going on, I doubt they would even be that.
I think these guys have been gunning for WWIII since before they got in office and don't really put a whole lot past them. Have we been experiencing intelligence failures or is all the sabotage intentional? Second-rate fishermen who want to flex their macho by bagging a big shark have often resorted to chumming the water. When they chum near the beach and someone loses a leg, are they heroes if they catch that shark later?
It sounds harsh to say that they don't care if someone gets bit if they can stand up on the dock with a trophy but they do nothing to counter this image. The admin is more concerned about the election than their job. If it were more politically expedient to say everything is safe, they would do it.
I guess they try to do both, but seriously, do you think a man who wouldn't go back to Washington or really even show his face most of the day when the nation needed him on 9/11 would let his wife and kids go to what his admin were touting as know terrorist targets if he thought them credible? There is a terror alert, be very afraid; don't interrupt your daily life, it is safe enough for my wife to go to the stock exchange.
give me a f*ckin' break.
Friday, August 06, 2004
Regular Guys shouldn't be allowed to blog.
I guess that a blog that bears his name should produce brilliant, cutting social commentary. Only makes sense. So...
GeorgeWBush.com :: Official Blog :: August 01, 2004 - August 07, 2004 Archive: "Second, cops and firefighters are, if the women in the ranks will forgive the expression, Regular Guys. They drink beer, not wine, and certainly not French wine. They played football and baseball in high school, not lacrosse... Regular Guys do not blame Secret Service agents (who are Regular Guys) for knocking them down on the ski slopes, especially when those agents are there to take bullets for them. And Regular Guys relate to and prefer the company of other Regular Guys; they do not invite people like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck to their conventions. ..."
Thank God we have insecure teenage boys speaking for the police and firemen of this country. Who knew that the people doing some of the most butch jobs in the country would need republican nerds to tell them how to be Regular Guys? Listen kiddo, I truly doubt there are many in this world who think blogger who avoid French wine and inappropriately capitalize things really have a whole lot of valid advice on how to be manly for the nation's finest. Anyone who thinks being 'regular' (when did this become a goal to pursue?) and macho is about what beverage you drink or what sport you played in highschool. Since when was lacrosse a pansy sport? Someone needs to take the keyboard away from whoever wrote this crud.
Maybe this is why the CIA Asked Bush To Discontinue Blog.
GeorgeWBush.com :: Official Blog :: August 01, 2004 - August 07, 2004 Archive: "Second, cops and firefighters are, if the women in the ranks will forgive the expression, Regular Guys. They drink beer, not wine, and certainly not French wine. They played football and baseball in high school, not lacrosse... Regular Guys do not blame Secret Service agents (who are Regular Guys) for knocking them down on the ski slopes, especially when those agents are there to take bullets for them. And Regular Guys relate to and prefer the company of other Regular Guys; they do not invite people like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck to their conventions. ..."
Thank God we have insecure teenage boys speaking for the police and firemen of this country. Who knew that the people doing some of the most butch jobs in the country would need republican nerds to tell them how to be Regular Guys? Listen kiddo, I truly doubt there are many in this world who think blogger who avoid French wine and inappropriately capitalize things really have a whole lot of valid advice on how to be manly for the nation's finest. Anyone who thinks being 'regular' (when did this become a goal to pursue?) and macho is about what beverage you drink or what sport you played in highschool. Since when was lacrosse a pansy sport? Someone needs to take the keyboard away from whoever wrote this crud.
Maybe this is why the CIA Asked Bush To Discontinue Blog.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Mean what you say...
Reuters has an article today on what it bills at the nekkid emperor's latest malapropism titled Bush Misspeak Cites U.S. Readiness to Harm U.S.
The mispeak? Well, according to them...
"'Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we,' Bush said. "
Which part was the misspeak? Sounds more honest than most things he said. Just cause he didn't mean to say it doesn't make it untrue...
The mispeak? Well, according to them...
"'Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we,' Bush said. "
Which part was the misspeak? Sounds more honest than most things he said. Just cause he didn't mean to say it doesn't make it untrue...
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Awareness is bizarre...
In case, like me, you mainly hook up to the internet in hopes of finding a terrifying christian ventriloquist doll singing songs for children which you can listen to as mp3's, I wanted to direct everyone tothe marcy zone Amongst the more notable song titles: "I Love Little Pussy" (I am not making this up).
"I mean, we wouldn't be, you know..."
the Times on the current terror threats:
The New York Times > Washington > The Overview: Reports That Led to Terror Alert Were Years Old, Officials Say
and WAPO on the same with a golden quote from our golden leader:
Pre-9/11 Acts Led To Alerts (washingtonpost.com): "'It's serious business,' Bush said. 'I mean, we wouldn't be, you know, contacting authorities at the local level unless something was real.' "
Great convention guys, but we get to declare terror threats and put teenagers with bad acne and guns in subway stations based on old info. Yeah, the terror is so bad but don't stop working and buying things.
"I mean, we wouldn't be, you know..." The sad thing is that the news seems to try to get his most well spoken moments. He should be required to hold his press conferences in mall food courts.
The New York Times > Washington > The Overview: Reports That Led to Terror Alert Were Years Old, Officials Say
and WAPO on the same with a golden quote from our golden leader:
Pre-9/11 Acts Led To Alerts (washingtonpost.com): "'It's serious business,' Bush said. 'I mean, we wouldn't be, you know, contacting authorities at the local level unless something was real.' "
Great convention guys, but we get to declare terror threats and put teenagers with bad acne and guns in subway stations based on old info. Yeah, the terror is so bad but don't stop working and buying things.
"I mean, we wouldn't be, you know..." The sad thing is that the news seems to try to get his most well spoken moments. He should be required to hold his press conferences in mall food courts.
Forget the broccoli, would you like another candybar?
This is from drudge, so its veracity is questionable, and throw in that ol' den hastert (who is what I imagine Drew Carey might be like if he weren't funny and intelligent, just fatter and a selfish asshole) is part of the story and chances are that this is just so much spinning smoke, but everyone's favorite closet-case has a little story saying that the psycho-repubs (these people just really aren't anything like real republicans in anything but name, but I am still waiting for the real Republicans to stand up and take their party back) are planning to eliminate the IRS.
Ok, no one likes the IRS. I'm not inviting too many IRS agents to my dinner parties, but you know what? I do like roads and schools and public parks and even the f'n military. Yeah, sure - we will just pay for everything with sales taxes. Could you make the taxes on fast food cost more than the food itself? That would be so cool. If I could just pay more for everything all the time, wow!!!! Please, let me vote for that.
This is like when every dumb kid in elementary school gets asked, "What would you do if you were president?" "I would make homework illegal and give everyone in America french fries and icecream for dinner every night," or some variation there of. Sure it is cute to hear a kid talk about making recess all day long by law or locking the least popular kid in school in jail forever, but this is exactly the reason we don't let kids run the govenment. And did no one show these idiots any very-special-episodes of eighties sitcoms or a kids in charge movies?
When the mean old babysitter dies (don't tell Mom!) while your parents are gone for the summer, sure it is more fun to shoot the plate as your brother throws them off the roof instead of washing them, but then you have nothing to eat on and you start fighting and your hot older sister has to fake a resume and get a fabulous job in fashion, but the point is you still have to make things work. When kids run wild, Cherry gets trapped in an old refrigerator and almost dies!
Ask Piggy what he thinks about how kids run things.
Sorry if I am calling a bunch of sad old men children, but sorry, saying you are going to get rid of the IRS is the political eqivalent of saying you are going to replace vegetables with candy bars in the cafeteria when you are class president in elementary school.
I hear ya Jenny: Lord protect us from what we want.
My apologies if this just turns out like so much of drudge -irresponsible spin- but sorry guys, bad ideas are what you are best at.
Ok, no one likes the IRS. I'm not inviting too many IRS agents to my dinner parties, but you know what? I do like roads and schools and public parks and even the f'n military. Yeah, sure - we will just pay for everything with sales taxes. Could you make the taxes on fast food cost more than the food itself? That would be so cool. If I could just pay more for everything all the time, wow!!!! Please, let me vote for that.
This is like when every dumb kid in elementary school gets asked, "What would you do if you were president?" "I would make homework illegal and give everyone in America french fries and icecream for dinner every night," or some variation there of. Sure it is cute to hear a kid talk about making recess all day long by law or locking the least popular kid in school in jail forever, but this is exactly the reason we don't let kids run the govenment. And did no one show these idiots any very-special-episodes of eighties sitcoms or a kids in charge movies?
When the mean old babysitter dies (don't tell Mom!) while your parents are gone for the summer, sure it is more fun to shoot the plate as your brother throws them off the roof instead of washing them, but then you have nothing to eat on and you start fighting and your hot older sister has to fake a resume and get a fabulous job in fashion, but the point is you still have to make things work. When kids run wild, Cherry gets trapped in an old refrigerator and almost dies!
Ask Piggy what he thinks about how kids run things.
Sorry if I am calling a bunch of sad old men children, but sorry, saying you are going to get rid of the IRS is the political eqivalent of saying you are going to replace vegetables with candy bars in the cafeteria when you are class president in elementary school.
I hear ya Jenny: Lord protect us from what we want.
My apologies if this just turns out like so much of drudge -irresponsible spin- but sorry guys, bad ideas are what you are best at.
Monday, August 02, 2004
Smarter than what?
Do you ever get the feeling that this admin's stooges try to make their points like Bugs Bunny trying to confuse Daffy Duck
The New York Times > Washington > Campaign 2004 > Bush Planning August Attack Against Kerry: "Mr. Dowd said: 'I don't think anybody bought that. In the course of a speech when he talks about taking the high road, he's talking about Enron, he's talking about polluters, he's talking about that we want to mislead. Voters are smarter than that.'"
I guess it is nice that they acknowledge that they are the party of Enron, polluters, and intentional misleading, but as far as their Looney Tunes aspirations, they come across more like Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam (like shooting at things, trouble with the English language, and dont get me started on their logic). Or maybe that little chickenhawk that was always pestering Foghorn Leghorn.
The New York Times > Washington > Campaign 2004 > Bush Planning August Attack Against Kerry: "Mr. Dowd said: 'I don't think anybody bought that. In the course of a speech when he talks about taking the high road, he's talking about Enron, he's talking about polluters, he's talking about that we want to mislead. Voters are smarter than that.'"
I guess it is nice that they acknowledge that they are the party of Enron, polluters, and intentional misleading, but as far as their Looney Tunes aspirations, they come across more like Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam (like shooting at things, trouble with the English language, and dont get me started on their logic). Or maybe that little chickenhawk that was always pestering Foghorn Leghorn.
First amendment? I don't need no stinking first amendment!
First, from Jim Hightower:
'George W's Independence Day trip to Charleston was billed as an official presidential visit, not a campaign rally. Nicole and Jeff –– two patriotic, hardworking, taxpaying Americans –– were in the crowd, quietly exercising their free-speech rights. They wore T-shirts declaring: "Love America, Hate Bush."
They had proper tickets to the event, they proudly sang the National Anthem with everyone else, they were in no way disorderly –– but they were not politically correct, so they were summarily arrested, taken to jail, finger printed... and charged with "trespassing." Others who were there wearing pro-Bush T-shirts and Bush campaign paraphernalia at this public event on public property were not arrested. It seems that the Bushites define "trespassers" by their political beliefs.'
...and from Joshua Micah Marshall over at Talking Points Memo:
'There have been various stories over recent months of people being ejected from Bush rallies for wearing anti-Bush t-shirts and stuff of that sort, with the rationale often being a rather improbable concern for security.
But this Dick Cheney speech in New Mexico seems to be the first instance where would-be attendees were compelled to pledge personal fealty to President Bush in order to get in the front door.
According to this Associated Press story, certain members of the public were required to sign a pledge to endorse President Bush in order to get tickets.'
I would ask if these creeps could manage to sink any lower with their tactics and gross contempt of the Constitution and values of this country, but I just really can't take the answer today. Please don't answer tomorrow either. We believe you already, it isn't a dare, you are the dirtiest, nastiest fighters around. Nothing left to prove.
American Civil Liberties Union, anyone? I have to admit that I haven't become a member yet but it just might be time.
'George W's Independence Day trip to Charleston was billed as an official presidential visit, not a campaign rally. Nicole and Jeff –– two patriotic, hardworking, taxpaying Americans –– were in the crowd, quietly exercising their free-speech rights. They wore T-shirts declaring: "Love America, Hate Bush."
They had proper tickets to the event, they proudly sang the National Anthem with everyone else, they were in no way disorderly –– but they were not politically correct, so they were summarily arrested, taken to jail, finger printed... and charged with "trespassing." Others who were there wearing pro-Bush T-shirts and Bush campaign paraphernalia at this public event on public property were not arrested. It seems that the Bushites define "trespassers" by their political beliefs.'
...and from Joshua Micah Marshall over at Talking Points Memo:
'There have been various stories over recent months of people being ejected from Bush rallies for wearing anti-Bush t-shirts and stuff of that sort, with the rationale often being a rather improbable concern for security.
But this Dick Cheney speech in New Mexico seems to be the first instance where would-be attendees were compelled to pledge personal fealty to President Bush in order to get in the front door.
According to this Associated Press story, certain members of the public were required to sign a pledge to endorse President Bush in order to get tickets.'
I would ask if these creeps could manage to sink any lower with their tactics and gross contempt of the Constitution and values of this country, but I just really can't take the answer today. Please don't answer tomorrow either. We believe you already, it isn't a dare, you are the dirtiest, nastiest fighters around. Nothing left to prove.
American Civil Liberties Union, anyone? I have to admit that I haven't become a member yet but it just might be time.
what you are doing wednesday night...
If you are in New York and not somewhere backwards and far away, some horrible cultural desert (like, say... South Carolina, like Mason), then you should go to this event Weds. night:
PEN American Center presents:
State of Emergency: Unconventional Readings
featuring Laurie Anderson, Paul Auster, Russell Banks, Michael Cunningham, Don DeLillo, Joan Didion, Ariel Dorfman, Eve Ensler, Jonathan Safran Foer, Barbara Goldsmith, A.M. Homes, A.E. Hotchner, Margo Jefferson, Edward P. Jones, Walter Dean Myers, Salman Rushdie, Monique Truong, Kurt Vonnegut, and others to be announced.
Wednesday, August 4th at 7:00 pm (doors at 6:30)
The Great Hall, Cooper Union: 7 East 7th Street at Third Avenue
FREE ADMISSION
for more information, call PEN at 212 334 1660 x 107 or email andrea@pen.org
cosponsored by the Cooper Union Office for Continuing Education and Public Programs
See you there (well, not you Mase; bummer).
PEN American Center presents:
State of Emergency: Unconventional Readings
featuring Laurie Anderson, Paul Auster, Russell Banks, Michael Cunningham, Don DeLillo, Joan Didion, Ariel Dorfman, Eve Ensler, Jonathan Safran Foer, Barbara Goldsmith, A.M. Homes, A.E. Hotchner, Margo Jefferson, Edward P. Jones, Walter Dean Myers, Salman Rushdie, Monique Truong, Kurt Vonnegut, and others to be announced.
Wednesday, August 4th at 7:00 pm (doors at 6:30)
The Great Hall, Cooper Union: 7 East 7th Street at Third Avenue
FREE ADMISSION
for more information, call PEN at 212 334 1660 x 107 or email andrea@pen.org
cosponsored by the Cooper Union Office for Continuing Education and Public Programs
See you there (well, not you Mase; bummer).
fence mending and speedy devil-horses
God bless Will Ferrell:
Will Ferrell - A message from White House West
When did he stop doing parody and start doing re-enactments?
Will Ferrell - A message from White House West
When did he stop doing parody and start doing re-enactments?
Why does Doctors Without Borders hate freedom so much?
In a letter written to Altercation Friday, a reader points international news sources for the scoop on why Doctors Without Borders are pulling out of Afganistan:
"For the inside scoop on why Medecins sans Frontiers (pardon my mangled French) left Afghanistan, go check out some French papers. Or something filed by AFP. The main reason they left was because U.S. troops were issuing leaflets saying medical help would be withheld unless people started turning in, or ratting out, those the U.S. considers terrorists. MSF thought that to be very dangerous to their personnel. To say nothing of offensive. And I think they are right on both counts." (italics mine - d.e.g.)
WTF?!!!!
We bombed your country, ineffectively invaded because we needed to send our troops to a country with 'better targets', destroying infrastructure and barely disabling the jackasses who were running the country and are now allowing them to come back, and we are so sorry that you are sick and injured but we can't let you get medical attention until you find a weird cousin or unpopular neighbor to turn in as a terrorist.
At least the folks running things abroad are taking care to win the hearts and the minds of the people. No wonder we are sooooo much safer than we were four years ago.
"For the inside scoop on why Medecins sans Frontiers (pardon my mangled French) left Afghanistan, go check out some French papers. Or something filed by AFP. The main reason they left was because U.S. troops were issuing leaflets saying medical help would be withheld unless people started turning in, or ratting out, those the U.S. considers terrorists. MSF thought that to be very dangerous to their personnel. To say nothing of offensive. And I think they are right on both counts." (italics mine - d.e.g.)
WTF?!!!!
We bombed your country, ineffectively invaded because we needed to send our troops to a country with 'better targets', destroying infrastructure and barely disabling the jackasses who were running the country and are now allowing them to come back, and we are so sorry that you are sick and injured but we can't let you get medical attention until you find a weird cousin or unpopular neighbor to turn in as a terrorist.
At least the folks running things abroad are taking care to win the hearts and the minds of the people. No wonder we are sooooo much safer than we were four years ago.
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