Thursday, June 30, 2005

Freedom and the Crowded Theater








WhitesCreek World Headquarters







I tried to take this shot again to show the difference between winter and summer, but no way. The house is completely hidden behind greenery.


Oh well, on to less serious things!

I ran across something that I knew about but had lost in the dark recesses of my pre-Alzhiemer's cognitve functions. It appears that the Neo-con Junta not only intends to do nasty things in the world but they are so arrogant as to publish their intent.

In America, there is little more precious than freedom of speech. Actually I wrote that poorly...let me retype:

FREEDOM OF SPEECH!

As a blogger, I have the liberty to publish my thoughts, give references and further reading to back up the conclusions I draw, and hope to fortify those who agree with me and change the minds of those who don't see the light just yet.

As a reader, you have the liberty to accept what I write, question what I write, add your own thoughts to the comments, send me a nasty email suggesting that I hate America and just don't like George Bush (50% correct), or worst of all...ignore me alltogether.

The founding fathers and mothers thought that this process was the way to keep the country strong and vital. Freedom of speech, sorry... FREEDOM OF SPEECH, involving political discussions with point and counter point should be the way we come to concensus on how to govern our country. It is the duty of a citizen of the United States to gather information about his country, think about it, discuss it with other citizens, and act on the concensus. Readers of this blog and others are, in part, doing their duty to their country, not by blindly supporting those in power, but by questioning those in power.

You and I are the very "Checks and Balances" set in place by the Constitution of our country. We must consider each other's ideas thoughtfully and act together. In order to do this, however, we must have good information.

Good information is the mother's milk of democracy. Without good and accurate information...Democracy dies!

Those in power rarely allow free and unfettered information to flow, whether the power is held by a large corporation or a president. The very purpose of a Marketing Department is to accentuate certain information and crush certain information. If you want to see how ridiculous this can become, try watching a press briefing by Bush spokesman Scott McLellan.

Commercial media is supported by people who want you to believe certain things and not others. There must be other media venues to provide the information that is intentionally left out and to point out when certain information is plain out false. In America, commercial media must be checked and balanced by alternative media, whether that media is an alt-weekly, non commercially supported radio and TV, or this one...the Blogosphere.

To see how vital the alternatives are, you may simply observe the fierce attacks on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Failing in their attempts to destroy it altogether, the Bush administration has placed their own political operative at the head of the CPB. There is an all out war going on between the reporters and journalists at Public radio and TV and the head of the CPB. It has become such a farce that any information that presents the Bush administration or their financial backers in poor light constitutes "Liberal bias". Facts aren't biased, people. The Bush administration just doesn't want you to know certain Facts and will do anything to stop the free flow of uncensored information by which you will make your decisions...And...There are a lot of "Certain Facts"!

The reason I got out the soap box today is a little note from William Rivers Pitt.

The four horsemen of the American Apocolypse are Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Richard Perle, founders of the "Project for the New American Century".

Here is what Pitt says:


The fundamental essence of PNAC's ideology can be found in a White Paper
produced in September of 2000 entitled "Rebuilding America's Defenses:
Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century." In it, PNAC outlines
what is required of America to create the global empire they envision.
According to PNAC, America must:

* Reposition permanently based forces to Southern Europe, Southeast Asia
and the Middle East;

* Modernize U.S. forces, including enhancing our fighter aircraft,
submarine and surface fleet capabilities;

* Develop and deploy a global missile defense system, and develop a
strategic dominance of space;

* Control the "International Commons" of cyberspace;

* Increase defense spending to a minimum of 3.8 percent of gross domestic
product, up from the 3 percent currently spent.



Item one is the disguised reason we are at war in Iraq...They want to move our bases to where they can control the oil and oil pipelines of the middle east.

Item two is bullshit for enriching Haliburton and Carlyle Industries.

Item three is the incredibly stupid fantasy known as the Star Wars Program which has never had a single successful test but has been deployed at a cost of Billions...which went to G.E. and Carlyle.

Item four is the world wide destruction of FREE SPEECH.

Item five is totally redundant, merely representing a rough estimate of how much they planned to steal from the American treasury and give to Halliburton, Carlyle, and G.E.


Item number Four really pisses me off!

As an American I feel deeply the duty described by Edward Abbey:

"There comes a time when a Patriot must protect his Country from his Government."

The very idea that there should be limits to the presentation of ideas and facts should be deeply abhorent to any real American patriot!

Does this mean there should be no limits to free speech? I believe it does. But I also believe there should be consequences for those who use their Freedom of speech to lie. The example often used is "Shouting Fire in a crowded theater". Advocates of suppression would say you don't have that right. I say you do...but you ought to have your ass kicked if you do it. Knowing you will have your ass kicked should prevent you from doing such a stupid thing.

The Downing Street Memos give us a similar example. President George W. Bush led us to war on the pretext of false information concerning the mythical WMD's that Saddam was going to use against us..."A Mushroom Cloud" he shouted into the crowded theater of a frightened America. Events proved him wrong, the Memos proved he lied. All of them lied. The President And the four Horses Asses of the Apocolypse.

If they had their way, you would never hear this from me. George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Richard Perle, and Paul Wolfowitz hate FREE SPEECH!

They hate America!

We will now kick their collective asses.

Peace,

Steve

*****

Info on the PNAC:






Really Scary Stuff

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Jump Rock



This is Jump Rock on Piney Creek. The top rock is roughly 35 feet above the water. Taken last week on a morning walk.

He doesn't know!

Oh boy, Where to begin?

I just couldn't watch much of Bush's speech. I kept going back to it to see if it had gotten interesting but the body language on the troops told me everything. They looked like they were being made to endure a lesson on personal hygiene from Mrs. Walton, their third grade teacher who never got married.

Biggest surprise of the evening? No spontaneous applause. Even Fox News noted that the biggest applause of the evening was started a little too late not to be obvious by Whitehouse staffers. The troops did their duty and joined in but it was lukewarm at best, and much louder on Fox than on PBS. Those of you who aren't rabid channel changers wouldn't know that.

I came away wondering exactly how ignorant Bush is, at this moment in his presidency? He seems so goofy and happy... It's like he's just reading another speech to his adoring public and then off to watch baseball, or something.

Well, we know he doesn't read papers or watch news. Karl, Condi, and Rumsfeld tell him everything he needs to know, right? Well here is something that amazes me:

George Bush's approval rating is now below 50%....

In Tennessee!

How "Blue" is that?

Other really cool poll results are pretty interesting also. The fine red states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and my gosh can you believe it, Florida, have figured out that the man driving the train is headed for the wrong rail!

Ok, I know Florida isn't really a red state if Kathryn Harris and Diebold don't get to count all the votes, but don't you think this is pretty danged significant for Jeb? I mean that "My wife won't let me run" excuse is pretty lame...He just doesn't want to get his ass whipped in the aftermath of the building anger America has towards his brother!

In the good old Southern US of A, only Alabama (sorry, Gordon) still thinks Bush is doing a good job with a 54% approval rating. People, even Mississippi and Texas have figured it out! Bush is at and even 50-50 in Texas and sliding!

Texas!

America has seen this exact kind of dishonesty before, when Richard Nixon was President...and Bush is more unpopular right now than Richard Nixon, who resigned in disgrace.

Folks, We have to have someone to lead this country who has a clue and some semblence of honesty about where we are, where we need to be, and how to get there! Tell us the truth... we can take it.

Here's what I believe: Iraq is lost. It will continue to devour America's resources and lives as it continues to disintegrate until a full on civil war breaks out and some winner emerges, and crushes any opposition with ruthless ethnic extermination. The only possible hope for the Iraqis, is that their hatred of America grows to such an overwhelming extent that they are willing to put aside their seemingly insurmountable tribal differences, in order to focus on cleansing thier country of Americans.

The best long term hope at this point, is that American roops can retreat to the barriers around the 14 military bases we are so maddeningly constructing in Iraq because we were thrown out of Saudi Arabia.

America has been brought to this point by a strange and ultimately evil coalition of Fundamentalists: That short sighted, and unthougtful, and arrogant, and malignantly greedy group called the Project for a New American Century; The ultra right wing in Israel; and the American religious fundamentalists exampled by the likes of James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, and their operatives such as Ralph Reed.

Greed, fear, and hatred! The three pillars of a Fundamentalist and Fascist country. Is that America? I don't think so, but it is now apparent that it is the ideology of whoever it is that is pulling George Bush's strings, and that would be:

Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz, together with Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, the true drivers of American policy and the true architects of the disintegration of America.

Paul Wolfowitz knows his ideological vision has proven false, as Iraq wallows in ruin and its hatred of America begins to infect the rest of the entire world's nations. Wolfowitz knows!

George Bush? After his speech last night...We can all see the truth:

He doesn't know!

Peace,

Steve

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

The Boys



Joe




Thomas

Home again

Back from Texas!

2 a.m. second glass of sleeping medicine may kick in soon. Humidity...may dissolve in a sticky puddle...

Morning and it's beautiful here. Green things all over the place. It sure looks good outside, even through eyes hampered by four hours of missing sleep. I'll catch up eventually.

There was a sadness at seeing my oldest son play thye last club soccer game of his career. Every team he went up against was loaded with talent and "name" players, some of whom may eventually play at the highest levels in the world. I took hundreds of photos of Joe going up against them. I'll keep them for later as presents.

In my mind, the tournament turned out perfectly for us. Thomas recovered from his deep thigh bruise too late for the scouts to see him but just in time for him to crush the Arkansas state champions and go home a winner. Joe's team knocked the N.C. state champ out in their last game. In four years, they had never even scored on them and this year they beat them by two goals. I did have a few moments of economic grief watching Joe beat more than one player who has a soccer scholarship to UNC, Wake Forest, or Duke. Why am I paying for school? What does he think college is for...an education?...Well actually, danged if it ain't.

Not much of a spectator sport that way, though.

On to snarky things:

President Bush will give a speech tonight. I expect it will be all about how we are winning the war in Iraq and you can tell because more American troops are getting blown up now than at any time since our "Mission" was "Accomplished" two years ago...Remember that?

I predict that George Bush will sentence another 1000 American warriors to death, tonight, by not announcing the withdrawal of America troops. Isn't it obvious to everyone that we are the problem, now? There will be continued war in Iraq until we leave. America hasn't the resources, nor the will, to have thousands more of our children die in Iraq...But that is where Bush is headed...or rather, that is where he is sending us.

In the meantime, while our troops are getting blown up...

He'll be mountain biking.


Peace,

Steve

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Plano

Well, Howdy from the Southeast regional Soccer tounament in Dallas, Texas... It's hot.

I'm not doing a good job of writing just now, but I plead busy processing hundreds of soccer photos each day and the fact that the DoubleTree hotel charges ten bucks a day for broadband. Call me cheap.

The boys are playing well but their teams have hit the toughest draw in the tournament. Several of the teams they've been up against have players that will not play Division 1 ball in college...they'll go straight to the professional leagues. It's fun to watch this level of performance and great officiating for a change. As a result, these games have been the cleanest I've seen. There's a lot of money running around on the field and the whistles and flags better protect the college's interests by calling the fouls.

Anyway, today is the last day for us. then there's the brutal busride home. Until I get back, here's some stuff I found interesting.

How about a politically charged new album from my old favorite, John Prine:


“Have you ever noticed/When you’re feeling really good/There’s always a pigeon/That’ll come shit on your hood/Or you’re feeling your freedom/And the world’s off your back/Some cowboy from Texas/Starts his own war in Iraq.”

Read a review and support BuzzFlash here:

John Prine


Having served time with really powerful and nasty people, I found this one extremely interesting. See who you can pick out that fits the profile:


Are corporations fundamentally psychopathic organizations that attract similarly disposed people? It's a compelling idea, especially given the recent evidence. Such scandals as Enron and WorldCom aren't just aberrations; they represent what can happen when some basic currents in our business culture turn malignant. We're worshipful of top executives who seem charismatic, visionary, and tough. So long as they're lifting profits and stock prices, we're willing to overlook that they can also be callous, conning, manipulative, deceitful, verbally and psychologically abusive, remorseless, exploitative, self-delusional, irresponsible, and megalomaniacal.

psycho


Here's a site I just noticed via Atrios. American Soldiers want Karl Rove to know a few things:

takeittokarl


Back in Tennessee tomorrow.

Peace,

Steve

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Facts

Ask yourself why Republicans are so hot to get rid of the Public Broadcasting System?

It's very simple. Politicians tend to be prostitutes who serve the moneyed interests of America. Except for Public Broadcasting, All other sources of information in America are tainted by receiving money to run advertisements. If I don't like the information you hand out to the public...I am not going to pay you for ad time.

PBS was supposed to be a media source that was not beholding to money from corporations. Simple examples of information Corportions and the information they would hate to see aired are Exxon Mobil and Global warming studies and Haliburton and the studies showing they overcharged America by five times the amount it takes to run PBS in the first place.

Do you think Fox News will run those studies un edited?

As for the tired old charge that PBS has a Liberal bias...well it seems that the

"Facts".... have a Liberal bias!

Now:


How could I let My Senator get away with such an obvious act of servile cowardice? Charlie Fincher does it well but doesn't show us that Frist has two sets of strings for his puppet show, One held by Karl Rove, who continues to cause Frist to destroy his own reputation, and the other held by James Dobson, the child beater head of Focus on the Family.

The only thing missing is that Frist does alright for himself actually. As the Republican Congress tries to cut Public Broadcasting by $100,000,000.00, claiming that they must "Save money because our Budget is out of hand" Frist is totally silent on the fact that he personally got his family business's fines for Medicare fraud reduced by enough to fund Public Broadcasting for years...


Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Flying low

Fog.

Curious name for a low flying cloud, but that's what we call it. Fog is somewhat rare in summer, but the overwhelming humidity of yesterday just overloaded the air. Fine droplets of water were squeezed out of their hiding places between the oxygen and nitrogen molecules that make up our atmosphere...Yes, I should also mention the carbon dioxide molecules that are growing in number and which will slowly boil our grandchildren's world, but I choose the peace and happiness of ignorance and denial for a few minutes.

I don't know why I like fog so much. It is a soft filter lense on the world that makes it seem more loving, except for those times I've had to drive home late at night, peering through the "beauty" to the side of the road 20 feet away that I was using as my navigational beacon.

I think it is the mystery of a fog cloaked world that intrigues me.

I know very well what the other side of our gorge looks like. I stare at it over and over some mornings, in the stark clarity of early sunlight, but this morning it is a mystery. Is it still there? I can't see it for the low flying cloud, so maybe it has gone somewhere. If it is gone, what will I see when the sun burns the low flying cloud away? A child's game of the imagination.

Will the eagles fly close to my window this morning? The wind has changed so maybe they will fly against this side of the gorge using the air currents to advantage in their lazy efficiency. If they streak by my window, they will turn their heads to see me. They always notice me, their predatorial senses too finely tuned for me to escape. I wonder what they feel when look in at me. Wariness? Fear? Irritation? Or the most intimidating emotion of all for a human... nothing. Another environmental disturbance to be passed by...A tree, a rock, a tree, a human, a tree...Nothing important..the lake is that way.

I can see the top of the fog cloud from here. Blue sky above. The sun is coming and the softness will be gone soon. I'm going for a walk now, before it leaves.

A walk in a low flying cloud.

Peace,

Steve

Monday, June 20, 2005

Blackmail, Censorship, the Metro Pulse

We have a personal rant this morning...World events will have to wait.


Someone tried to blackmail a friend of mine this week. I didn't even know my friend's name until just now. If that seems odd, just note that my friend is a blogger, South Knox Bubba, Captain of the Rocky Top Brigade, a blogger group that I am a member of.

Bubba's blog is not his business. His business, which he shares with his wife, is software. All this is relevant because somehow, Bubba commented on an article in the Metro Pulse, a local alternative weekly rag in the Knoxville area... and generally well thought of until now.

A Mr. Brian Conley, an owner and the Publisher of the Metro Pulse seemingly took offense and sent and email suggesting the possibity of disclosing Bubba's real name, his police record, credit history, and information concerning Mr. and Mrs. Bubba's business, which would thereby supposedly suffer as a result.

When someone threatens blackmail by disclosing information, the only way to deal with it is to take away their ammunition by revealing the information yourself. Now we know bubba's name. We also know that he has no police record and is financially "doing OK".

The News is not that we now know who South Knox Bubba is. That's not it at all! The stunning revelation is that the Publisher of a heretofore reputable and respected Knoxville weekly magazine attempted to blackmail Bubba into censoring the comments on his blog and messageboard, deleting anything that Mr. Brian Conley objected to.

The bottom line in this sad episode is not that Bubba is outed, but how it came to pass. The publisher of the Metro Pulse, Brian Conley, delivered an implied email threat to reveal information that could damage Mr. Bubba and also attack his wife at the same time, damaging their business and livelihood. Mr. Conley even threatened to reveal credit history and police records! All this in an attempt at censoring Bubba and his friends.

SKB did the difficult and honorable thing and took away the only censorship leverage Conley had, Bubba's anonymity. Now Bubba seems to be a really nice guy, turn the other cheek and all that. If it had been me that had been attacked, I would have made a mental note to have a heated discussion with Mr. Conley if I ever ran accross him. If it had been MY WIFE that had been attacked...Well that's a scumbag thing to do, and I am not sure I could stop myself from pursuing every avenue in existance in order to make Mr. Conley's life....unpleasant.

In all this, the Metro Pulse Publisher seems to have demonstrated his willingness to slant the information he provides in his magazine and also his willingness to attempt to force others to also present a biased in line with Conley's decidedly narrow view of the world. This is unfortunate and bodes ill for the Metro Pulse if he continues at the helm.

One must ask how often has Brian Conley tried to blackmail others into censoring their reporting?

In addition, Mr. Conley's other business dealings appear to be drawing a spotlight, including the millions in construction dollars he has received fron the City of Knoxville. It may well be that the source of Mr. Conley's ire toward Bubba is more related to Conley's questionable business dealiings and follows the "I'll get you" form of social interaction.

So, let's see what we learn about Mr. Conley over the next few weeks, or perhaps he would like to take the high road, as Bubba did, and out himself? By that I mean get OUT of the Metro Pulse!..But he could also "out" himself in the way he threatened Bubba.

Perhaps, as Conley threatened to do to Bubba, we could have Conley's own credit history and police record? A complete listing of business dealings with his construction projects would be helpful, also. As we are seeing, these deals with the city of Knoxville have been very lucrative, though tacky.

And...After reading his emails and postings I think Conley needs to release his medical records as well. If the world could see that he is on serious medication for manic mood swings, then it could be understood and possibly forgiven that he was not himself when he acted like such a creep.

At any rate, there is a widespread call for Mr. Conley to relinquish his position as Publisher of the Metro Pulse as a result of his flagrant and possibly illegal attempt at censorship by blackmail.

I believe that would be a very good idea.

AS for Bubba? I don't think I will ever use his name. It's a blogger thing.

I like the "South Knox Bubba" thing as an alter ego for someone who appears to be a truly nice guy, working to better his beloved town, and doesn't deserve the load of crap he's been tossed. One thing I know for sure:

The RockyTop Brigade will never stand for censorship!

Peace,

Steve

Here you go...the comments are fascinating:

southknoxbubba

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Weeding

'Tis the season for whacking weeds.

"Weeds" is the name we Americans give living things that are trying to live where we don't want them to live.

Now don't get me wrong...I love a new mowed lawn as much as anybody once it has become a "New mowed lawn" and perhaps the prophet Sebastian had the right idea when he said he liked to get drunk and fall on his face on somebody else's new mowed lawn...It is the process of creating this phenomena that I don't like...the actual "Mowing" if you will.

I don't like the sound of internal combustion engines. Not only that, but the small ones are horrible polluters. A two cycle weed eater can put as much into your atmosphere in one hour as a modern automobile does in a month. I've seen some estimates that go much higher.

This method of warfare used by the weeds against humanity is essentially the same one used by the terrorists to destroy American society, by the way. Sure a few weeds get mutilated and die in the battle, but ultimately they will win, as stupid humans poison the very world that must support them and their children, doing battle with the weeds...And guess what? Go look outside and tell me who's winning!

My Grandpappy made my Dad kill weeds, my Dad made me kill weeds, and I have fallen into the same pattern and made my sons kill weeds. If humanity can survive the after effects of the Bush administration, not a given at this point in human existence, there is no doubt my sons will also require their children to... Kill weeds.

I have been in third world countries that do not have much in the way of small internal combustion engines and they have found that properly managed sheep and goats work just fine against the evil of weeds. As a reward for killing weeds the goats and sheep are then eaten on festive occasions, which leads us to the ultimate revenge of the farm animal at such time that all weeds have been vanquished...Humans then have to learn to live in a desert, which is what you have once the weeds are all dead and the stupid humans have developed an unquenchable appetite for meat.

I have this weird thought that some bio-geneticist will come up with a human engineered bacteria that will eat old dead lawnmowers and poop meat and then everything will be OK. This is the process by which we get beer, after all. Why shouldn't it work for meat, with the proper engineering?

Or you could just do what I have done, which is to develop a love for weeds. Once you start liking them, they aren't weeds anymore, right? Nearly all of them have a flower of some type if you watch closely, and There is hardly a more wondrous plant in existence than the common weed, dandelion. And, once you have downed a proper amount of Sake and been served Dandelion tempura, You will never again view the Dandelion as a weed. I still "poof" the mystical balls of dandelion seeds with their built in gossamer parachutes.

All this came to me yesterday as I was looking at an invasive plant, originally planted on purpose, now running rampant into the zoysia. "WEED!" I thought. Then I picked a leaf, crushed it and held it to my nose, breathing deeply. AS the potent smell of mint filled my head, I became aware of a sudden sense of relaxation throughout my body. Nature's aroma therapy just for me.

OK, Weed, you are forgiven. It is I who have sinned, not you. Thanks for the rush.

Peace,

Steve

Friday, June 17, 2005

No Comment

“She certainly seems to respond to visual stimuli.” Dr. Bill Frist, Senator from TN.


Thogmartin says her brain was “profoundly atrophied” – and that the damage was “irreversable.” He also says, “The vision centers of her brain were dead” – meaning she was blind.

Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Jon Thogmartin on the Schiavo autopsy.



.

In the decade since I left the Senate, American politics has been characterized by two phenomena: the increased activism of the Christian right, especially in the Republican Party, and the collapse of bipartisan collegiality. I do not think it is a stretch to suggest a relationship between the two.

Former Senator John Danforth, Republican

Who also said:


Following a Lord who reached out in compassion to all human beings, we oppose amending the Constitution in a way that would humiliate homosexuals...

.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Cowardly Lyin'

The deer are at lake Steve.

One momma is whistling for her fawn, so I watched until it came to her out of the brush. Usually they don't gather up when the fawns are this young but a meetup at the watering hole is different, I guess.

Last night was beautifully clear...the bright star to the left of the gibbous moon was Jupiter. It will be near the moon for the next few days somewhere along the planetary ecliptic, which is the visual path the planets follow in our sky. Jupiter, of course, is not a star, but it sure is bright, and will appear to graze the moon itself sometime during the night as it passes very close in the sky.

There's a bunch going on up there in the next few weeks.

Did you know that we are about to crash a space ship into a comet?

The collision is expected to toss chunks and ice dust into the sky of the comet and make it brighten up considerably. Weird, huh? Here is a place you can go to pick up a few items of interest that you can impress your couch potato friends with.

spacewatch

Back on Earth:

There are some interesting crashes about to occur down here too! Congress is about to hold hearings on the Downing Street Memo's. Republicans have done everything they can to stop the hearings, including resusing to allow the use of Congressional meeting rooms, a very tacky display of partisan bullying. The meetings were relocated to the DNC building but then a small room in the Capitol was found vacant. It's too small, of course, but will serve the purpose.

Now here's something you won't need a telescope to observe. How much coverage will the "Liberal Media" give to a hearing that could result in the impeachment and removal from office of George W. Bush?

It is a plain and simple case, smoking gun and everything. In a neutral venue, Bush would be shamed and removed. Here's the law:


Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution: “The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

Here's the gun:

....the President’s submission of his March 18, 2003 letter and report to the United States Congress would violate federal criminal law, including: the federal anti-conspiracy statute, 18 U.S.C. § 371, which makes it a felony “to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose...”; and The False Statements Accountability Act of 1996, 18 U.S.C. § 1001, which makes it a felony to issue knowingly and willfully false statements to the United States Congress...


Bill Clinton was nearly harrassed from office for misleading investigators on whether or not he actually screwed Monica or not. Frankly, folks, he never did, that we know of, although "heavey petting" most definitely did occur. Now consider the current case and its relative gravity:

The President of the United States Lied to Congress. He just wanted to attack Saddam Hussein for his own personal reasons, but in keeping with his long history of personal cowardice, he had someone else face the danger and die...America's Miltary men and women, over 1600 of whom have lost their lives for a false cause.

I will now make a prediction that President Bush will be impeached, or nearly so. it is possible that he can survive until his term of office is over but I think the odds are against it. As it is, America, by remaining in Iraq, will sentence another 1000 of its citizens serving in the military to death!

Is that what we want? Could you send your son or daughter to Iraq, knowing what you know right now?

Knowing that there was no case for war?

Knowing that Osama Bin Laden was allowed to escape in Tora Bora and seems to be doing just fine, thank you?

Knowing that President Bush was not telling the truth to America?

Knowing that contrary to protecting us, President Bush was pursuing his own selfish and cowardly motives?

Knowing that George W. Bush said this:


"God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did..."

Knowing that even that statement is a lie, also!

This man, who lacks the courage to even face his own countrymen in an unscripted press conference, did not attack Al Qaida or Saddam! He hid behind his presidential spokesmen and sent the brave Son's and Daughters of America to do his dirty work...

...and die for him.

America knows these things but has been in denial.

That time is ending.

Peace,

Steve

*****

Extra reading:

afterdowningstreet

talkingpoints

And for some really fun quotes from the looney tune right, try this amusing site:

Looney Toons

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Chicken Lamar

After dodging Arlene and recovering from a near death by barbeque, we're back from Memphis. Frankly, I can get fine barbeque in Kingston but the Commisary in Germantown just has an air about it that has to be experienced, "Honey, now don't it?"

While we were gone all kinds of fun things happened back home. They arrested the usual suspects in a fighting chicken round up over there in the next county, which I can hit with a rock from the lower deck. Rhea County takes artillery fire from the boy's potato gun on a regular basis but it is still standing in its role as a bastion of studied ignorance.

You can even get a degree in ignorance over there from Bryan College.

"Our major objective is to provide strong and rigorous academic courses that are integrated with Biblical truth without compromising the content of our courses. We provide courses exploring various theories of evolution and creation in the courses, Origins and History of Life."

That is from the prospectus for a Biology degree. It is right below the bible verse that Creationism is based on, Colosians 1:16-17, which esentially says "god did it, and that's all you need to know."

I had hoped that when Lamar Alexander got elected, he might be the moderate Republican senator from Tennessee, since our other one, Frist, got stolen by right wing foam at the mouth FundXtian, James Dobson. Tennessee ought to have two senators like the constitution says...not right now though.

Tennessee has a racist component, in addition to enjoying watching chickens try to kill each other. On Martin Luther King's birthday, Someone in a pickup truck with over large tires will drive around with a confederate flag sticking out of the back. Highway 70 from Crossville to Kingston is the traditional route. It used to be that the racist vote went Democratic, but when Johnson signed the civil rights act, the racists decided to join the right wing nut jobs who were forming a coalition with the fascists and calling themselves conservatives, which has a better ring to it than "Racist". Then they took over an occaisionally decent and respectable political party that was in need of a bully to lead it. They made a bunch of deals with the media, who used to be in charge of telling the truth and giving us the facts so that George Bush's war record where he stayed drunk and didn't show up, somehow got to be better than John Kerry's war record where he voluteered to lead a Swift boat and used an M16 to shoot back at people who were shooting at him and still has shrapnel in his knee.

So back to the racist thing...The Senate of the United States, having taken care of all other meaningful business, decided to vote on a resolution condeming the lynching of black people. Now in order to get a resolution against lynchin Black people passed, it had to be introduced in the middle of the night when Orin Hatch, Trent Lott, and John Sununu would be sleeping or whatever it is they do in the middle of the night.

They are not vampires, at least in the traditional sense, because they have been spotted in the sunlight, but I have never seen their reflections in a mirror so it must still be counted as a possibility.

Well it turns out that the resolution got passed unanimously by a voice vote of all six senators who were there, putting the Senate of the United States on record as being against the lynching of Black people. When the other senators got in the next day and found out what had happened, all of them who felt like they had better let the world know that they too were against the lynching of Black People, signed on as cosponsors to the resolution...

Except for those Senators who are so indebted to their racist base that they cannot even for a minute be associated with a resolution against the lynching of Black People. There are sixteen of them, and for cripes sake, even Zell Miller cosponsored the resolution against the lynching of Black People, but in addition to Orin Hatch, Trent Lott, and John Sununu, you know who else hadn't signed as of lunch time Tuesday?

Lamar Alexander, the only Senator Tennessee has left.

Lamar,

I know you hate environmentalists because they want to ruin your mountain views with windmills, but this racist thing...Dude, this looks really bad to the rest of the whole danged world. Don't you think you ought to come out publicly against the LYNCHING of BLACK PEOPLE?

And by the way...sorry about them confiscating your chickens.

Peace,

Steve

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Ole!... Ole, ole,ole...

Geez, I'm wasted. Back home at 3:45 A.M. from Memphis where our boys played in the state soccer championships on their respective age bracket teams. They play together on the high school team but this is the big one where the college coaches sit and watch, as parents scream at referees, and hearts get broken, and dreams come true...or don't. Sure, they are small dreams in the grand perspective, but for this moment in time, these dreams are the giant sun that all the universe orbits about.

We have a hurricane coming, threatening everyone, but as a gift, we send it to Bonnaroo, a few hundred miles to the east of us, and in return we get cooler weather for the first two days. Nothing saves us from the miserable heat and humidity of the Memphis June for ever, though, and you would think that the denizens of the lower Mississippi river valley would understand the value of toilet paper that doesn't disintegrate on the roll from the incredible awful wetness of the air itself.

Rain would be a step in the right direction.

There are rivalries everywhere. Teams will say they hate each other, but while the parents and coaches speak ill, the kids get along just fine if they chance to encounter each other at the motels or one of the few eateries the coaches approve of. There is a respect for the good players that goes beyond simple reasoning. Even the "dirty" players are grudgingly admired by those they have vanquished, even though they will be destroyed if they ever show a moment's weakness...Yes, it happens.

Justice does prevail..But!

...Only if you make yourself strong and work hard enough, and everyone else on your team does too... Otherwise you just lose. This is life.

Personalities seem to be at their best, and worst, in the intensity of the big game. Parents say exactly the wrong thing to a child they would give their life for; Children of those parents snap back as hurtfully as they can, when all these kids want, deep down, is to please their Moms and Dads; but they learn about life in the intensity of an artificial war and they get by.

My oldest son, Joe, plays on an Under 18 team. This is the end for them. Next year they will all be at a college somewhere. Only a few will play soccer in college, though all of them are good enough to play at one division level or another. Last year they lost in the championship game...Sure, it is quite the achievement to be the second best team in your state at the highest level of a sporting competition...but very few are seen smiling and chanting, "We're number TWO! We're number TWO!" It is the nature of competitive sports in our world that everyone ends their season with a loss except for number ONE.

The State championship tournament is a test of endurance as much as ability. Soccer is a contact sport, and while serious injury is very rare, there is an attrition rate from bumps and bruises that the strongest teams must survive. This is Joe's year. Going into the championship game, his team is the strongest, deepest, and most skilled, but they face the Brentwood team who beat them last year, a team loaded with talent.

In the deepest agony that event organizers can bestow upon a soccer parent, both of my kid's teams play at exactly the same time for the state championship and there is no way we can watch both games. A choice must be made. The Mom stays at one game and I run between fields...We call each other at every turn of events on our cell phones. Both teams are in the championship game for their age group and this is agony...but sweet, nonetheless.

I watched the first half of Thomas's game and saw him go down a goal. We had been up with him for hours during the night trying to get his deep thigh bruise to loosen up enough for him to sleep. He was hurting so badly that he couldn't walk. Playing in a championship game seemed out of the question but there he was...but he had to take himself out when he realized he couldn't run. I ran over and worked on him, stretching and massaging and stretching. it's tough to watch your child hurt...even tougher when you are the one bending his leg a little at the time, further than it wants to go, causing his pain. I left him trying to jog up and down the sideline and headed for Joe's game.

The first half ended with no score. Joe's team was by far the stronger one but they couldn't seem to work one into the net. The Brentwood team was bunkered up trying to hold them off. When they won possession they would kick the ball as far as they could down the field, hoping one of their very talented forwards could get lucky with a rocket shot... Never happened...and son Joe was an animal in midfield. As the game got more physical, his teammates were the ones still standing and in control of the ball, as players hit the turf over and over. The referee called foul after foul trying to keep the kids out of the hospital, and I could only wish we had these officials during highschool season. Well done, sir! Even the kids said so after it was over.

Ten minutes into the second half, the defensive walls broke down after repeated pounding by the Knoxville team and ball after ball found the back of the net. Joe's team was going to be the state champion but the kids on both teams had to play it out...twenty five more minutes in the late afternoon of a sweltering Memphis June day, already knowing how it would end, but never giving up. This was the end of several soccer careers and there was joy and sadness at the realization.

The phone in my pocket went off...Thomas had come back into his game and they had scored, coming from behind to tie things up. I had not expected this...I had been thinking about how to handle the situation with one child winning and the other falling just short. The team he was up against was an allstar team the coach had assembled by recruiting, officially a big no-no in amatuer sports. On top of that, he was loud and abusive to his players during the game, "a man folks loved to hate" is the term I heard. His team had talent. At least one plays on the U.S. National team. But having talent doesn't mean you have "team" and as the game wore on in the murdurous heat and humidity, Thomas's team came to grips with the fact that they could win.

On the sideline nearest the crowd, the assistant referee went down in the heat. His near collapse delayed the game while his replacement was ferried over by golf cart from another game just ended. The grownups were falling out while the kids were still fighting on the pitch.

We see who the warriors are.

My phone goes off. I am hearing all this while I shoot photos of Joe's game. Thomas's game is now at the end of regulation with the game tied. They play two sudden death overtime periods. The next goal wins...It is called a "Golden goal" and is the most exciting and tragic moment in soccer, but only if it happens before time is up. Then they have penalty kicks to decide the winner. I would rather flip a coin.

The phone again...We have been fouled in the box and get a penalty kick. I hear the crowd yelling from the stadium 300 yards away where the game is being played, but no call tells me if we have made the kick or not...There is the long wait while the offending player from the other team is ejected. Still no word.

Joe's game is over and they are now officially state champions. Running across the field I tell him about his brother's game as I leave him to his award ceremony, the first of his life that I have missed. Running into the stadium I see that the teams have resumed field play...We had missed the shot. Some kid is feeling crushed, Kevin I think. Later I learn that Thomas was the one player that went over to him as he lay on the ground after missing the shot that would have won the state championship for his team.

As I hurried into the stadium, There were seconds left and We had an attack going. The other coach was screeching at his players to cover this guy or that and suddenly several beautiful passes linked up and Josh had the ball and was driving toward their keeper.

Josh's father runs a construction business and looks the type... Stoutly built with a rough voice, used to bossing a crew and shouting at his son on the soccer field. Josh had missed his opportunity to score earlier, sending the ball wide. Now Josh took what could be the most important shot of his life against a supposedly unbeatable team. The angle was tough and the keeper was set and ready as he shot.

Standing at the entrance to the stadium I saw it and I yelled so loudly that the kids around me turned and stared. I wasn't the only one. The ball was in the net. Both of my son's were now champions. The other team literally collapsed on the field, the beaten keeper falling face first onto the ground sobbing. Later he would throw his second place medal into a trash can. Josh ripped his shirt off and ran screaming toward his coach as his entire team collapsed into a pile of screaming sixteen year old boys happier than they ever thought it was possible to be until that moment in their young lives.

The referee went to the pile of screaming boys and waved a yellow card into the air, an official caution for pulling off their shirts.

Coach Mike told the ref very nicely that he was being a dick, though he did not quite use that term.

The other coach stood in front of his bench, hands on his hips, glowering at his team spread around the field, each one still at the spot he had seen his championship hopes dashed, standing sitting or lying on the immaculate turf, crying.

Of all the photos I took, there is one I left alone, though I wonder now if I shouldn't have done it. AS his celebrating and grateful teammates unpiled and let him up, Josh saw his dad who had jumped over the railing and onto the field. Josh ran full speed and lept into his arms, wrapping around him like a toddler...Not a young man who has become a champion...but a boy child who wanted nothing more than to please his father who now holds him like the child he will always in some way be, even as a man.



Peace,

Steve

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Honestly

Well, good morning...

I see the Republicans are all upset about Howard Dean calling them names, but I can't figure out what upset them, exactly. Are they mad about being called...

White?

or Christian?

I would never have called them Christians, anyway. I figure if you are going to be a Christian, you can't pick out one commandment and screech about it, while ignoring the others.

Republicans bemoan Bill Clinton's hedging on the "Thy shalt not commit adultery" clause, which has several meanings and different definitions depending on where you are in the book, by the way. Whether or not you have to stone to death a girl who gets raped depends on whether she gets raped in the city or the country...All Christians know this, right?

Well anyway, it seems to me that somebody is making alot of noise and rumbling in order to keep the brush aimed at Hillary full of tar, while a the same time ignoring those other commandments...

"Thy shalt not bear false witness against thy fellow man"

"Thy shalt not steal"

"Thy shalt not seethe a calf in its mother's milk"

I mean, talk about your justification for capital punishment! Poorly prepared veal has got to be it!

Picking out one commandment is probably as bad as picking out one Amendment to the Bill of Rights, like say the Second, and ignoring all the others, like say the First!

Yes, to all guns, all the time...No to all Free Speech all the time? Only works if you are a Republican!

So....

The Republican leadership, clearly stung by Howard Dean's remark about them never having had an honest job, is trying to attack Howard by nitpicking his remarks. Dean was clearly talking about a particular Republican when he was talking about "Honest" jobs...Quickly, now...Name a job that George Bush has done?

Governor?..........Nope, not honest! Even lied about the Texas miracle in the schools, see! Got caught cooking the books on graduation rates, big time.

Harken Energy?....Nothing honest about that one! George made the motion to fake the books and rip of stock holders.

Spectrum 7? ....Failed and had to be rescued by family friends (read Saudis)

Arbusto Energy?....Oh yeah! Osama Bin Laden's favorite older brother Salem Bin Laden sets George up in a dummy oil exploration business with a Spanish name "arbusto" that the Bush family says means "bush" but what Arbusto actually means is:

"Shrub!"

Tanked! Never found one drop of oil...


Well now we are left with the Nation's highest ranking Republican and we are trying to locate an Honest job he has performed, and no luck so far but, take heart Americans, ther's two possibilities left:

National Guard?...Yeah, right!...George W. Bush Honestly didn't show up.

President of the United States?

Iraq WMD's, Mushroom cloud, Biological Weapons armed and ready to launch in 45 minutes, No Child left behind, Save Social Security, Medicare Reform costs billions, "...Catapult the Propaganda" (Yeah, he said that!), and "We're against torture!"...

So has Bush done an honest job in his current position?

Let me paint a picture in your mind using two captions from recent news events:


A photograph from 1971 has surfaced and been printed in English papers showing Osama, age 14, and his brother Salem, age 19, enjoying a summer holiday at the Astoria Hotel in Falun, Sweden. Christina Akerblad, the hotel owner, told the Daily Mail, "They were beautiful boys, so elegantly dressed. Everybody loved them."

One of those Beautiful boys would grow up to be Bush's first business partner, while the other one would form the most succesful terrorist organization in history. And the other caption?

"I believe the title of the memo was, 'Al Queda determined to attack inside the United States.'"

Honest? I report, you decide!

Peace,

Steve

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Light

Rare, it is, for me to rip something off in just a few minutes and get the response yesterday's post, "Wow" ,did from you guys. I have to share one of them with you, as it goes beyond the ascerbic wit of most, and de;ves into the combined farce and tragedy that has become America.

The stereotypical buffoon from Alice's Restaurant, Officer Obie, is today armed with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of high tech gear, machinery, and weapons, but has yet to evolve the intelligence to use them.

"Not having a clue" has not, and seemingly never will, stop those with a badge and an attitude from pressing forward in their quest to become the private American citizen's worst enemy.

I have mentioned my friend of many years, Robert Singleton, several times in these babblings. Here is his experience with "Justice" in America:




These texts are excerpts from an unpublished manuscript. However, the entire manuscript can be found on my website. "Until I Become Light." The documentary film by the same name is based on the manuscript.

Robert


When he came home after the first hospital stay he was a mere shadow of his former self. Still very sick. Only a few days passed and he was running another fever and uncontrolled throwing up. In the middle of the night I took him back to the hospital. This happened repeatedly. The doctor decided to stock us with a lateral pharmacy of as needed drugs, primarily for nausea. The nausea impart, resulted from the regiment of toxic AIDS related drugs, AZT to name just one. We had heard and read from many sources that marijuana was a known panacea for many AIDS related problems, such as nausea, appetite, head aches and anxiety. On one office visit with his doctor we asked about the possibility of having marijuana prescribed legally.

Dr. Malot said that it could be obtained legally but the bureaucratic red tape was so involved, "The stacks of forms and applications was so time consuming," he felt this was intentional in order to discourage doctors from making application at all. He concluded the conversation saying to Steven, "If I did try, because of the time it would take," he paused "You won't live that long."

Desperate people do desperate things. It was at this time a choice was made to acquire the drug illegally or grow it. Both was done, but I ask you to consider if you had the same options what would you do? On my part, the choice was out of desperation and compassion, anything that would help alleviate Steven's suffering. I can honestly say that the drug helped in controlling the many side effects of both the treatments and the illness itself. As a result, for Steven, the quality of his life was tolerable and most important, with dignity. I must stress this was not a result of just the marihuana. The drug was used only when needed. What was so important to Steven was being in control of his life, free to make choices that affected that life. I do not believe anyone has the right to control or tell a terminally ill person what is right or wrong for their life. As Steven would say, "Whose life is it anyway?". If I acted out of conscience then it is my conscience that sees the apathy of a political system willing to allow its terminally ill citizens to suffer needlessly, all in the name of what is "politically correct".August 10, 1993

I was again sitting on the porch with Bear, relaxed by the tranquility of a summer afternoon, having a glass of iced tea. From the porch I could see the hill and the Hickory tree, reminders of memories. Two years ago Steven sat here before me. I wanted to return to the past, but all I had were reflections, daydreaming about happier times. I was still in a daze, not at all thinking clearly. As I was sitting there, I heard way off in the distance, the muted sound of a helicopter. I scanned my eyes across the distant mountains. There it was, just a tiny speck. I watched the movement and listened as both almost faded. My mind moved back to mousing about Steven. But then, the sound of the helicopter came back, only this time it was loud and getting louder. Even Bear became alarmed. I stood up and walked to the back of the porch, in the direction the sound was coming from. Like a giant specter with deafening sound, this enormous military helicopter rose up out of the valley behind the house and hovered above me and the tree tops. I stood there watching with amazement. Looking up at people in the helicopter looking down at me. Why was this happening? I thought, oh it’s one of those commercial photographers taking an ariel photograph of the house and then they will try and sell it to me. No, I looked down onto the steps coming up on to the porch. There amongst the potted Geraniums were several small, skinny, half dead potted marijuana plant. Standing there looking at the source of a thundering sound, I did not know what to do.

The helicopter started to move off toward the front of the house, out of sight. I panicked and out of the most basic instinct for survival hastily sniped off the plants and put then in a trash can. Bear and I then walked to the front of the house to the sight of this thunder from hell, landing. The Hickory tree was twisting and bending from the wind as the helicopter landed on that hill, on hollowed ground.

This gray haired old man and his Cocker Spaniel stood there and watched in disbelief as State Police and National Guardsmen ran, bearing weapons, wearing battle fatigues, stormed us and our home. (Please . . . laugh with me, this was such a ludicrous and outlandish picture.)

When they reached Bear and me, I greeted the State Police lieutenant whom I had known socially for years. He did not answer me as I followed all to the back of the house and the steps to the porch. Then he said, "Alright Robert, where are they?" I said in the trash can. I asked the lieutenant if we could please go in the house because the sound of the helicopter was deafening. Inside he immediately asked if they could search the house without a search warrant. I said of course, "I have nothing to hide." And search they did, leaving nothing unturned. By the time they started searching the studio I was being helpful, opening doors and cabinets.

The Studio was still setup as a chapel from Steven’s funeral. On the Alter was a votive candle burning. Next to it a miniature wooden box containing a few tiny bone chips I had picked up the morning after Steven’s service.

I was in another room, helping, when I heard one of the officers say, "Ah, I found something, I think it’s crack." I walked around the corner to see this person holding the small box and with his finger examining it’s contents. The hair on my neck bristled. "If I were you, I’d put that back . . . right were you found it . . . NOW! You are holding human cremains, not a drug." I felt the sanctity of Steven, our home and the hill had been grossly violated. Steven’s name was never mentioned.

To add insults to injury, I was asked if I was producing porno videos. I had been editing together all the videos I had of Steven as a memorial for his family. The lieutenant stood before the piles of tape and editing equipment. "Are you making a porno film?"

For the first time in my life I was arrested, jailed, finger printed, photographed, and humiliated before the many curious on lookers at the court house. I did call a lawyer who met me at the jail. I would be charged with manufacturing a controlled substance for distribution, a felony. He explained I could have my home and land confiscated, a $50,000 fine and ten years in the penitently.

After a hearing before the magistrate, was released on bail, putting up my home as collateral.

The next day I wrote a letter to my attorney and the prosecuting attorney in my own defense. I also realized that if I told the truth I would be revealing the truth about Steven which I had tried protect. It would also mean for me to "Come Out" to this community. I had nothing to be ashamed of.


August 11, 1993

To Whom It May Concern:

I, Robert Singleton am not a drug dealer, nor have ever been. I am a proponent of the law, and am not a dishonest person nor a threat to society.

I came to West Virginia 15 years ago on a spiritual sojourn earnestly seeking the truth, to try philosophically and theologically to unravel the many questions I had about this journey we call life. As the years have passed and life on this hill have unfolded, I may have found a few answers, one of which is a great respect for the truth, to be honest with one's self and to unconditionally respect my fellow man's truth without judgment.

To me, the law is either black or white. It has to be clear and defined with no ambiguity. However, life is neither black nor white. Life is experienced between the many subtle shades of gray, full of ambiguities. With your indulgence, I would like to tell the truth about the life and death events which culminated on August 10, 1993.

In June of 1988, Steven Russell, a close friend from Florida, came to West Virginia to share life with me in this wonderful, unspoiled sanctuary. We both had our own vocations, he as a photographer and I as a painter. It was a healthy symbiotic relationship. As a result, we both grew in our own independent disciplines.

June 24, 1991 was a black day. Steven was diagnosed with a terminal illness, full blown AIDS. I shall never forget that day. I made a pledge to Steven that I would stay with him and help him with whatever he needed. I would be with him and support him to his death.

As this heinous disease began to take its toll, we began to reach out to the many support systems. You must understand even as I write this letter there is no cure or effective treatment.

The many drugs Steven was prescribed were experimental, all of which were extremely toxic. Many times these drugs would make Steven even sicker. I stayed up many nights as Steven continued to vomit, or try to help him through periods of anxiety and depression which come with any terminal illness.

We had been told many times by the AIDS underground that marihuana would stop the vomiting, increase his appetite and help with his anxiety, even though possession of marihuana was illegal. He was able to procure an amount of marihuana and smoked it. The drug was indeed a panacea, particularly when Steven had to have 21 days of chemotherapy.

Fortunately, he had short periods of total remission. During one of these remissions, he grew a few marihuana plants in order to have it when he needed it. I must stress that these plants were grown for his own use and not for distribution.

The following year there were may medical crises, transporting him to Florida in order to tell his family the truth about his illness. There were many times the plants were left on their own to fend for themselves. My focus was completely on Steven's needs and not the law pertaining to the small amount of marihuana growing on my back porch.

On June 24,1993, Steven passed away after a heroic battle. I was with him and he died with peace in his heart. I know I made a poor judgment, but my judgment in the last weeks has been clouded by Steven's death. There are many things in this house that were Steven's. His clothing, hats, etc. I have not been able to bring myself to put them away or even move them. I am not ready to let him go. Such was the case of the plants. There was no other intent in keeping the plants other than symbolically, the plants were alive, a living presence against the heartbreaking reality that Steven is dead.

If I have committed a crime against society, then all that is right, all that is good, is of no value.


I will not recant the many events that took place before the trial other than I changed lawyers, wrote a brief in my own defense, was asked to give names of "other drug dealers" as an attempt to plea bargain and finally the charges were reduced to a misdemeanor.

There were a number of court dates with me always showing up. On the first trial date my lawyer did not show nor did the "arresting officer." I was there the Judge and the Prosecutor. All present knew that if the proceedings had started without the arresting officer, by law the charges would have been dropped. Neither the Judge nor the Prosecutor volunteered to act on this law.

When the word of this event reached my many friends a chain reaction of letters started arriving to me and the lawyer. All these letters were addressed to the judge as testimonials on my behalf. Although none of these letters, my letters or my brief were ever presented to the Court. Nevertheless, under the stress of that time, for my friends to come to my defense with such fervor, caused me to truly know how blessed I was.

Finally, on my birthday, December 13, 1993, the trial was held with a plea of no contest. The trial was not a trial at all, just a formality. Still, it was unconventional. No one present wanted to be associated with me. Even my lawyer would not sit with me as the proceeding took place. I asked if I could present my case or the stack of letters I had with me. I never uttered one word in my defense. All the terms had been prearranged. I was given a $1000 fine plus ninety days in jail (suspended). One year probation plus $82 court cost. I was told by the Judge that if I broke probation, "You will serve the ninety days in jail."

How and why this happened I will never know. There was one theory based on what eventually happened to Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and her center. Elisabeth’s life had been threatened, her pet Lama shot and killed and her home burned to the ground. All because of her association with AIDS and gays. There are those who believe what happened to me was an attempt to harass or get me to leave. After all I was queer and probably had AIDS. Elisabeth did close the center and left the area because the State Police and the local Sheriff told her they could no longer be responsible for her safety or life.


Here is the link to the entire book:

Light

Peace,

Steve



Here's a fascinating addenda to the Deep Throat saga: How Deep Throat became Deep Throat:

Woodward

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Wha?

Oh wow, man this is really weird, like, you know, the Supreme Court just busted Medical marijuana, man, and you know what, man?

They made the ruling based on the commerce clause in the Constitution, which is really weird man, because our constitutional rag only says the Feds have power in interstate commerce which means, man, that you know, the goods have to get across the line, like from you know Tennessee to Georgia... and like everybody knows that when we grow our medicine we don't send it out to no other state, man, and like the Supremes said maybe like if some medicine existed then they just it would get transported so someone might break a law even though they haven't yet... because some states think it's OK to like, self medicate, and like some don't, so they just knew some sick people would go get their own medicine and so they get to make laws even though no medicinal proof was presented, and so like since some medicine might cross a state line somewhere and might break a law, they get to make a law saying sick people who don't break laws can't have their medicine, but who knows if they will but the Supremes didn't care 'cause they said they get to pass laws on the medicine that didn't cross the line too because it might, and since there was the possiblity that since this medicine existed that state line law might be broken so they got to make a law...

Which would be fine except they said exactly the opposite thing, man, when they were talking about .50 caliber assault weapons which can shoot down planes...

...But Charleton Heston needs one of those, man, because it makes him feel good all over, but we can't make no law about those things because it wouldn't be fair to punish law abiding gun whackos just because some other gun whacko might break a law and shoot down a plane, but man that medicine it's evil because it, you know man, makes people feel good all over, but you can't shoot down airliners with medicine but you might take medicine across a state line somewhere to like, you know man, make some sick person feel good all over for just a little while, and it isn't fair to punish a gun whacko for some crime he hasn't committed yet so he gets to buy his guns and ammo, but it IS fair to punish a cancer victim because someone else hasn't committed a crime yet, so like now we got a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States of America based entirely on you know, like,

Smoke, man!


And you know what's really weird, man? Guess which Supremes voted FOR medicine?

Sandra Day O'Conner, (well sure, State's rights all the way) Clarence Thomas (Oh yeah, right, man, never can tell when a brother might need a little medicine) and the other Justice that voted FOR Medical Marijuana?

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, William Renquist, The only Justice suffering from terminal cancer.

Thanks Judge, I hope you get your medicine!

Peace, man!

Steve

*****

Charlie's right on top of this one!

(Love the dog, Charlie)



The scribble

Monday, June 06, 2005

Nashville Cats

I spent a sweltering afternoon at the Jackson day event with a bunch of Democrats and those who would suck up to them. It was so hot that John Edwards had a tiny bead of sweat on his otherwise perfect brow. Talk about good genes...I looked at the picture of the two of us standing together near the bar (though neither of us was drinking) and I can't believe that I am a year younger than he is!

One of us has been "Rode hard and put up wet" way too many times, and the other is just too pretty for words. I'm not saying which is which.

Edwards was wearing a stunning blue tie that matched his eyes and he definitely made that two thousand dollar suit look good. My "Hey, Ladies, look at me!" inner preening male, Hates this guy.

He gave a great speech, but I wish he'd just grabbed his fiddle and stood in with the bluegrass band in the big tent.

Most folks don't realize that John Edwards is a fine violinist. I caught him in the backup musicians on Letterman. Played a fine solo, even if it was more violin than fiddle.

...No accounting for taste, huh?

I probably don't have to tell you this but the feed under the big tent was barbecue with Calhoun's BBQ sauce and Jack Daniels pecan pie.

That's "P"can pie, for you folks who aren't from around here. I made myself not go back for seconds.

The great thing about Nashville is the music and it's everywhere, with the street musicians being as good as the folks inside on the stage, just with less amplification.

We ran into two guys stepping fast carrying a standup base and a guitar, headed for their next gig, and we joked with them about our missing the last show. The unlikely looking guitar player flashed huge and incomplete smile and said, "Guys, for twenty bucks, we'll set it up and play for you right here!" but we declined and let them get going.

They work hard for the money.

We club hopped Nashville, settling in on a new place I think was called Rhythms, after making the rounds twice. Four of the best jazz rock musicians I've listenend to in ages, or maybe ever, gave the eight people left in the room an awesome show.

Two nice and very large ladies asked us to dance and rocked the floor without us when we declined. Folks...there are things I saw...that I didn't know a big girl could do. and that's all I'm going to say.

The music was incredible.

I kept staring at the guitar players fingers trying to figure out how he was doing what he was doing, as he and the keyboard man swapped stratospheric licks. Thirty minutes into the set, I figured out that the keyboardist and leader was Joseph Wooten, brother of Victor and Roy Wooten. Victor Wooten is the world reknowned bass player for Bela Fleck and Roy is actually know as "FutureMan", the synthesizer drummer for the Flecktones. That's all nice but Joseph was in the house tonight. Ten days earlier he had been playing for twelve thousand people in Knoxville's Market Square and eight of us had a private show going.

You could tell that those guys loved performing but they loved the music even more. Even though they had only us for an audience, they showed a ton of class.

We closed the place down. Thanks, Nashville!


Peace,

Steve

*****
Here's the leaderof the band:

Joseph_Wooten

Here's the music:



download this

Quote of the day:

I love Rock and Roll...Too bad there's not some of it left....Shelby Lynn

Thursday, June 02, 2005

?

?

Does anybody realize that Senator Bill Frist had his aide commit exactly the same crime that Nixon had G. Gordon Liddy commit?


Deep Throat!

Where are you now that we really need you?

W. Mark Felt was Deep Throat. He was also a Republican. It is the highest duty of American citizens to protect their country from all enemies, and so it was for the second highest ranking man in the FBI. The FBI is charged with the resposibility to protect our country from the enemies within. Realizing that the FBI was being coerced into attacking the political enemies of a man, instead of the enemies of the Nation, Felt acted when called upon by Bob Woodward. He was careful as to what he divulged so as to not commit a violation of his own oath of service to the FBI. He led Woodward with hints and suggestions, rather than simply leak information, though he could have.

Woodward and Bernstein seem to think Felt is a great American hero...So do I! He risked his career and life to attack the enemy of his country when it became inescapable that that enemy was the President himself!

And so it is, this very moment.

With all the obvious scandals circulating over the Bush Whitehouse, it will take dozens of Deep throats to lead us to the truth, but here is the real question:

The people who will lead the American Press are out there waiting to be heard...Where is the American Press, now that the Washington Post has sold its soul?

Peace,

Steve




Kos reminds us:

You know you're a Republican when...

...Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

...trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

...A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

...Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary.

...the best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

...providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

...being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

...global warming is junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.


And the new one:

You know you're a Republican:

... when you think Deep Throat was the bad guy because he led reporters to the truth about the President of the United States violating his Oath of Office and the Constitution of the United States and a few laws regarding Breaking and Entering, Obstruction of Justice, and Petty thievery, while he was at it.

Now we have the absurdity of Rush Limbaugh saying that by bringing down Richard Nixon, Deep Throat caused us to lose the Vietnam war...Well, Rush, I think it was because you and George W. Bush refused to go fight in it. I mean, if you two super Americans had just gone over there we coulda won! Ho Chi Min woulda surrendered just as soon as you guys hit the beach...Really!

Really?

How a bout this: 55,000 American's died in Vietnam after Nixon was elected, in part, because of his campaign promise to end the war. "With Dignity"

Rush is a traitor to America because he lies to the gullible. They pay him to do that, you know.

Oh well, on to funny stuff:



Juanita goes off on Tom Delay? Well sure, but she's cracked a good one for us this time. Funny!

Juanita

Wonkette's Greg Beato notices the Headline of the Week:



Not a good idea, if you ask us. Remember how much trouble he got into with a pretzel? — GREG BEATO

Monty Python? Bloggers are sometimes so worth reading because of the other folks that read them too. Check this one for the comments:

washingtonmonthly

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Camps

Well, of course I think too much about things and rainy days are the worst...so I've been thinking this morning.

Back in the early stages of the second half of the last century (which is a long winded way to say "the Sixties") the world was divided into two camps.

One camp wanted to rule the world and needed to bring down the United States, which was a more altruistic nation back then and kinda stood in the way of those evil people bent on world domination. We did things like counter attack the actual people who attacked us, conquer them militarily, and set them back up in business as a kinder gentler Nation with the admonishment to "Be nice, and play fair" like we did with the Nations of Japan and Germany after World War II.

The other camp was made up of Nations that actually thought the United States was the good guy because we wanted everyone to "Be nice and Play fair", and saved several of them from some really bad people. This camp was hoping that the U.S. would save them from the other camp, again if it became necessary.

There's always some other camp. Somebody somewhere always wants to take over the world, and usually not for any good reason that we know of. Usually they say "God told us to" but it's really because they just want to be rulers of the universe and don't stop to think about why that's a bad idea. There are two possible outcomes of war on these terms: you win, you lose. Both are bad for the future.

Ghengis Khan did a pretty good job of conquering what he considered to be the world, but then he fell off a horse while he was hunting and died. His empire got divided up amongst his sons and eventually collapsed into civil war between peasants and nomads for a few hundred years. The only good thing from his point of view is probably that he got all the women he wanted for a while. Today, one in every 200 mainland asians is descended from that old dog Ghengis. That's pretty serious work. Compare that to the one in every 130,000,000 Americans who are descended from me, and you see how much "work" he did.

Alexander also conquered the world and hit a major depression because he ran out of places to conquer, then he got sick and died. His empire immediately descended into chaos. What's worse...being gay, Alexander did not even want his pick of the women...What was he thinking?

Hitler might have actually conquered the world...He actually came pretty close. If he had, his empire would have collapsed anyway. He really had no sustainable economic plan to keep his factories running after they didn't need tanks and bombs anymore. Also, his "Super Race" of Aryans, that he was trying to grow, were not going to look like him, anyway. Hitler did not have blond hair and blue eyes, and was not going to be fathering the sons and daughters of the Fatherland anyway...He was way too kinky.

The reason I got to thinking all this was that way back when, there were people who wanted to destroy the good old USA...Those people in the other camp. Nuclear anhilation was a possibility, until some wiser heads got together and agreed that, due to the shape of the Earth, destroying one half of it would pretty much screw up the other half. Another way to wipe out a country had to be found, because other than a few Fundamental nut cases who think bringing on the Rature is a good idea...Most of us do not think destroying the world makes much sense.

What's a conquerer gonna do?

Well how about this? It will be kinda like the neutron bomb! It wipes out the life and leaves the houses still standing. Someone could just destroy the things that make a particular country a particular country, like say wiping out wine and cheese and baguettes and presto...No more France!

Of course in reality, France is quite safe, since without wine and cheese and bread, life on this planet probably wouldn't be worth living so maybe nobody will be that stupid.

But what about the good old USA?

What if someone wanted to eliminate the USA as a player on the world scene?

What if, say, someone could take over one of our political parties and then cheat in an election and get control of our government and screw up running the country so that our financial system might get overwhelmed by creating a huge national debt? While they were doing that they could mess up the environment by giving free reign to polluters letting them dump hundreds of thousands of tons of some poison into the air, like say mercury! These evil folks that could take over America could ruin our reputation at the same time by making up some lame excuse fo a war, firing every general that says, "Hey, wait a minute!" and then botching the war, killing a bunch of innocent civilians in a foreign country, while getting our Army bogged down in a quagmire and looking the other way while some of their troops torture a few hundred detainees, brutally killing a few, desroying our "Good Guy" image, while at the same time pointing out to formerly nomadic tribesmen that our military is not all that invincible, after all, because formerly nomadic tribesmen can now shoot down our helicopters with one of the rifles we left lying around when we blundered into the country and roared off to protect the oil pipelines and left the ammo warehouses unguarded so they could be pillaged just like the museums. The war could suck all the money out of the government that is usually used to do good things like take care of the elderly and save the environment and buy land for parks and schools and pay teachers and policemen and firemen and then, even if the evil conquerer couldn't wipe America off the map, the things that made America America would be gone and so, in fact, America would be gone also.

And what if the newspapers and the TV broadcasters forgot to mention all this, except on page four or late at night while instead they showed pictures of some weirdo who may or may not have done some strange things with teenaged boys, and pictures of girls who drive Indy race cars really well, and don't show the pictures of mutilated American soldiers trying to learn to use pieces of plastic attached to their bodies where their arms and legs used to be.

And what if....

Well, hey, it makes no sense to talk about any of this, now does it? Can't happen in America...Right, America?

America?

Has the "Other Camp" won?

Peace,

Steve