Maybe Commander Rapid should have written this one. Actually I haven't personally visited the Commander in a few months. I need to float down the creek and check on him to see how he fared this winter's floods.
To paraphrase an old coal miner's song:
48 tons and what do you get?
...a 170% increase in the rate of autism!
President Bush is parading around taking credit for reducing mercury in our environment.
That's nice...except that he violated the law and his marketing department fails to mention that Bush's regulations double the time allowed and cut only half the mercury required by the Clean Air Act.
This, folks, is a baby killer!
We have the technology to kill mercury pollution rfrom coal fired power plants right now! It won't cost that much and the law actually requires it. TVA has this in process but wants to take more time to do it. Why?
Money! In a business, you delay capital expenditures, you make money. So what if you kill a few babies, it's the bottom line we're talking about here. Where are your priorities, man? This is an OWNERSHIP SOCIETY! You own power company stock...
It's a GOOD THING. (screw the rest of you!)
"Autism has increased dramatically over the last decade or so and the reasons for that have really stumped the medical community," Miller said.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Mercury released primarily from coal-fired power plants may be contributing to an increase in the number of cases of autism, a Texas researcher said on Wednesday.
The main finding is that for every thousand pounds of environmentally released mercury, we saw a 17 percent increase in autism rates," she said in an interview....
reuters
(EPA) sources contend that they were explicitly told by Jeffrey R. Holmstead, head of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, that such studies would not be conducted partly because of “White House concern.”37 Buckheit and other EPA veterans say they cannot recall another instance when the agency’s technical experts were so thoroughly shut out of the process in developing a major regulatory proposal. According to Buckheit, the incident is representative of “a degree of politicization of the work of the Environmental Protection Agency that goes beyond anything I have seen in my career in government.”38
That is from a very disturbing article from the Union of Concerned Scientists. The EPA scientists were cut out of the process...illegally, I might add...and no fewer than 12 paragraphs affecting the core of these regulations were lifted straight out of documents prepared by the power industry's own lawyers.
Good info and well written...for a scientist, anyway:
Union of Concerned Scientists
Courage,
Steve
"Bill Clinton is recovering -- they put a tiny camera right inside of him and Ken Starr said why didn't I think of that." --Bill Maher
"I understand how [Michael Jackson] would be nervous. The witness on the stand yesterday, by all accounts he is very believable and every credible -- until he started talking about how Social Security was going bankrupt." --Bill Maher
"During an interview Condoleezza Rice describes her stance on abortion as 'mildly pro-choice,' which means she would support abortion, except in cases where the mother is pregnant." --Amy Poehler
Friday, March 18, 2005
Thursday, March 17, 2005
I hear the voice...I first heard it in commercials for Ronald Reagan...and the voice said,
"It's morning in America," ...in deep reassuring sonorous tone.
Soothing...Comforting...
I heard the same voice many times in later years, mostly fabricated in the same manner. Bought and electronically produced. It is not a real voice. No one actually speaks that way. And the voice nearly always lies!
It was not "morning in America" even though we now have airports named after the figure head Reagan, a formerly poor actor, in money as well as finance. He could be dressed in fine suits and paraded around as if he were alive. And when he had served their purposes, they made him rich by buying his house in Texas for ten times what it was worth and having him read a short paragraph in Japan and shake some hands for two million dollars and some Ramen soup.
As his presidency wore on, they hid him from those who would ask him questions. He could not answer them...he was senile and could not remember his lines.
Correcting that problem in our current Presidency, the folks who run America do not let George Bush answer questions either. No one gets to ask him anything his keepers have not decided upon beforehand. This way only questions they want answered get asked, and they have time to train their performing monkey to answer in tones that are carefully modified by the "sound man." Listen to him talk, why don't you? Every time he speaks, you will hear the sound of the same public address system used in the largest of Baptist churches. It is the sound of a small weak man and it is transformed, not by the majesty of grace but by the science of electronics, into the voice of God.
Listen to the "voice". It is deep and reassuring..."It's morning in America" it says, as the snows of Kilimanjaro melt forever away.
"It's morning in America" it says, as the Antarctic glacial shelf warms and breaks away forever in pieces the size of small countries.
"It's morning in America"...As the glaciers of Alaska recede to uncover barren rock that hasn't seen the sunlight since Mastodons walked upon it.
"It's morning in America," ...As more of the oldest life forms on the earth fall to the lumberman's saw..."Salvaged" says the voice..."Saved" says the voice as the three centuries old trees are dismembered and hauled away on trucks.
Then the voice changed...
"Be very very afraid!" it said.
"Some mean men ten thousand miles away might hurt you."..."Give us all your power so we can protect you!" The voice told us.
The factories that pay for the voice will kill or make sick well over a hundred thousand Americans every year but four years ago some mean men killed less than three thousand Americans so we must fear these invisible men.
The voice said so...
You will be safe....safe.....saaaafe...now sleep, my minion, sleeeeep...It is the wicked Witch of the West, but she sounds nice, she must be nice, hear how nice she sounds?...sleeep, my pretties...sleeeeep...it will be morning in America again...just give us everything, give us everything... and it will be all right.
Don't worry about anything...except stearoids in baseball, Michael Jackson's sex life, Robert Blake gets away with murder because she deserved it, Go vols, you'll never see a polar bear, who cares if one more piece of the earth as god made it will be destroyed so you can drive to the beach one more time before that oil is all used up and you have to destroy another piece of creation to feed your craving and then we'll just destroy another piece, and then another, but the masters will be rich and your children will be sick but it's allright because you'll be safe from whoever it is, I forget now, and anyway....says the voice....
"It's morning in America!"
Courage,
Steve
******
General J.C. Christian:
...Somewhere behind me I heard someone yell, "That man's a Negro!" Things weren't looking good.
Then you spoke. You said, "I want to boldly affirm Uncle Tom," and the mumbling stopped....
...We know that Uncle Tom won't beat us up, but somewhere in the back of our minds, we wonder if he might not steal the silverware. That's why I think you should modify your message by asking the black community to embrace Steppin Fetchit...
patriotboy
Press Secretary Scott McClellan officially confirmed that the White House is blowing off the Government Accountability Office's finding that prepackaged administration video news releases constitute illegal covert propaganda. – Dan Froomkin,
Washington Post
"It's morning in America," ...in deep reassuring sonorous tone.
Soothing...Comforting...
I heard the same voice many times in later years, mostly fabricated in the same manner. Bought and electronically produced. It is not a real voice. No one actually speaks that way. And the voice nearly always lies!
It was not "morning in America" even though we now have airports named after the figure head Reagan, a formerly poor actor, in money as well as finance. He could be dressed in fine suits and paraded around as if he were alive. And when he had served their purposes, they made him rich by buying his house in Texas for ten times what it was worth and having him read a short paragraph in Japan and shake some hands for two million dollars and some Ramen soup.
As his presidency wore on, they hid him from those who would ask him questions. He could not answer them...he was senile and could not remember his lines.
Correcting that problem in our current Presidency, the folks who run America do not let George Bush answer questions either. No one gets to ask him anything his keepers have not decided upon beforehand. This way only questions they want answered get asked, and they have time to train their performing monkey to answer in tones that are carefully modified by the "sound man." Listen to him talk, why don't you? Every time he speaks, you will hear the sound of the same public address system used in the largest of Baptist churches. It is the sound of a small weak man and it is transformed, not by the majesty of grace but by the science of electronics, into the voice of God.
Listen to the "voice". It is deep and reassuring..."It's morning in America" it says, as the snows of Kilimanjaro melt forever away.
"It's morning in America" it says, as the Antarctic glacial shelf warms and breaks away forever in pieces the size of small countries.
"It's morning in America"...As the glaciers of Alaska recede to uncover barren rock that hasn't seen the sunlight since Mastodons walked upon it.
"It's morning in America," ...As more of the oldest life forms on the earth fall to the lumberman's saw..."Salvaged" says the voice..."Saved" says the voice as the three centuries old trees are dismembered and hauled away on trucks.
Then the voice changed...
"Be very very afraid!" it said.
"Some mean men ten thousand miles away might hurt you."..."Give us all your power so we can protect you!" The voice told us.
The factories that pay for the voice will kill or make sick well over a hundred thousand Americans every year but four years ago some mean men killed less than three thousand Americans so we must fear these invisible men.
The voice said so...
You will be safe....safe.....saaaafe...now sleep, my minion, sleeeeep...It is the wicked Witch of the West, but she sounds nice, she must be nice, hear how nice she sounds?...sleeep, my pretties...sleeeeep...it will be morning in America again...just give us everything, give us everything... and it will be all right.
Don't worry about anything...except stearoids in baseball, Michael Jackson's sex life, Robert Blake gets away with murder because she deserved it, Go vols, you'll never see a polar bear, who cares if one more piece of the earth as god made it will be destroyed so you can drive to the beach one more time before that oil is all used up and you have to destroy another piece of creation to feed your craving and then we'll just destroy another piece, and then another, but the masters will be rich and your children will be sick but it's allright because you'll be safe from whoever it is, I forget now, and anyway....says the voice....
"It's morning in America!"
Courage,
Steve
******
General J.C. Christian:
...Somewhere behind me I heard someone yell, "That man's a Negro!" Things weren't looking good.
Then you spoke. You said, "I want to boldly affirm Uncle Tom," and the mumbling stopped....
...We know that Uncle Tom won't beat us up, but somewhere in the back of our minds, we wonder if he might not steal the silverware. That's why I think you should modify your message by asking the black community to embrace Steppin Fetchit...
patriotboy
Press Secretary Scott McClellan officially confirmed that the White House is blowing off the Government Accountability Office's finding that prepackaged administration video news releases constitute illegal covert propaganda. – Dan Froomkin,
Washington Post
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Hon. Lincoln Davis
Hey, Lincoln!
I know you have lots to do up in Washington, like voting to pass a resolution calling on President Bush to call for a year of studying languages, which is obviously some kind of in house joke that I don't get. I mean it's pretty obvious that George W. Bush aint all that big on studying a foreign language since he can't even speak English all that well. Oh yeah, and my son got admitted to college anyway after the University agreed to waive the foreign language requirement because our Tennessee school system doesn't provide it. So this must be a good resolution for you to vote for it and all, but would mind getting on to another little resolution that's sitting on your desk?
This resolution could be a big deal about saving America and helping Democrats. You remember Democrats don't you, Lincoln? I mean you don't vote with them all that much but that is your party, isn't it?
Anyway, this resolution is about...well...here:
What do you know about Jeff Gannon?
Hey, I know he is a gay hooker but he got into the Whitehouse in a big way.
His ad on a gay hookup site says, "I leave impressions, not marks!" Now it would be a lot of fun to work on that nice visual picture of Gannon, whose real name is James Dale Guckert, giving fence post rides to high Whitehouse officials, but actually that isn't the problem,
unless you consider blackmail of high Whitehouse officials and heads of foreign governments to be a problem.
Nope. The real problem is that Jeff Gannon:
1. Announced the Iraq invasion four hours before the President did,
(That one bothers me more than any of the others for some reason)
2. Was given access to classified CIA documents.
3. Was the source for outing a CIA agent (an act of treason in this case, not the "outing" we usually think of in Jeffy/Jim's case)
4. Was the source of stories planted by the Bush Whitehouse in his role of Fake Newsman at Fake News Agency, Talon News, run by Boby Eberle, who publicly thanked Karl Rove for his "guidance"
5. Received Whitehouse Press credentials under a false name, gaining access to the Whitehouse and President Bush, who called him by his first fake name at Whitehouse news conferences.
and, (this is a juicy one)
claims to have "entertained" British Prime Minister Tony Blair on a Whitehouse visit.
rawstory.com
commondreams
Here is a Gannon- Karl Rove timeline that fascinates me. Karl Rove is an evil, evil person.
Tommy, 2002 is for you:
libertypost
And here is the big compedium of all that would make you want to puke about this whole sordid mess. Keep this reference.
If you would please sign the resolution, Lincoln, it could come in handy:
Jeff_Gannon
I mean just a little bit of your time taken from promoting languages, put toward saving America, would be a big help, and I would appreciate it.
Thanks, Lincoln, old Friend,
Steve
I know you have lots to do up in Washington, like voting to pass a resolution calling on President Bush to call for a year of studying languages, which is obviously some kind of in house joke that I don't get. I mean it's pretty obvious that George W. Bush aint all that big on studying a foreign language since he can't even speak English all that well. Oh yeah, and my son got admitted to college anyway after the University agreed to waive the foreign language requirement because our Tennessee school system doesn't provide it. So this must be a good resolution for you to vote for it and all, but would mind getting on to another little resolution that's sitting on your desk?
This resolution could be a big deal about saving America and helping Democrats. You remember Democrats don't you, Lincoln? I mean you don't vote with them all that much but that is your party, isn't it?
Anyway, this resolution is about...well...here:
What do you know about Jeff Gannon?
Hey, I know he is a gay hooker but he got into the Whitehouse in a big way.
His ad on a gay hookup site says, "I leave impressions, not marks!" Now it would be a lot of fun to work on that nice visual picture of Gannon, whose real name is James Dale Guckert, giving fence post rides to high Whitehouse officials, but actually that isn't the problem,
unless you consider blackmail of high Whitehouse officials and heads of foreign governments to be a problem.
Nope. The real problem is that Jeff Gannon:
1. Announced the Iraq invasion four hours before the President did,
(That one bothers me more than any of the others for some reason)
2. Was given access to classified CIA documents.
3. Was the source for outing a CIA agent (an act of treason in this case, not the "outing" we usually think of in Jeffy/Jim's case)
4. Was the source of stories planted by the Bush Whitehouse in his role of Fake Newsman at Fake News Agency, Talon News, run by Boby Eberle, who publicly thanked Karl Rove for his "guidance"
5. Received Whitehouse Press credentials under a false name, gaining access to the Whitehouse and President Bush, who called him by his first fake name at Whitehouse news conferences.
and, (this is a juicy one)
claims to have "entertained" British Prime Minister Tony Blair on a Whitehouse visit.
rawstory.com
commondreams
Here is a Gannon- Karl Rove timeline that fascinates me. Karl Rove is an evil, evil person.
Tommy, 2002 is for you:
libertypost
And here is the big compedium of all that would make you want to puke about this whole sordid mess. Keep this reference.
If you would please sign the resolution, Lincoln, it could come in handy:
Jeff_Gannon
I mean just a little bit of your time taken from promoting languages, put toward saving America, would be a big help, and I would appreciate it.
Thanks, Lincoln, old Friend,
Steve
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
America Naturally
Natural causes?
They died of natural causes. You know, like getting beaten to death? Naturally?
I hear the music playing behind the new Army recruiting ad....
Uncle Sam wants you!...
"And all you have to do is....Act Naturally"
"American military officials in Afghanistan initially said the deaths of Mr. Habibullah, in an isolation cell on Dec. 4, 2002, and Mr. Dilawar, in another such cell six days later, were from natural causes. Lt. Gen. Daniel K. McNeill, the American commander of allied forces in Afghanistan at the time, denied then that prisoners had been chained to the ceiling or that conditions at Bagram endangered the lives of prisoners."
Turns out that we Americans beat these men so badly that had one of them survived, his legs would have had to be cut off.
truthout
Now we find that we are torturing folks not only in Iraq and Afghanistan, but in Guantanamo. And hey, if we need to torture somebody we happen to have detained in America, we just put 'em on a plane to one of our good friends who will torture them for us.
Look Ma, my hands are clean!
Fafblog is good satire. The best satire. Satire about god and screaming monkeys, and of course, torture to save America!
Reports of American torture and complicity in torture have become increasingly alarming, as new information reveals the widespread participation of the CIA in torturing prisoners, rendering them to other countries to be tortured, kidnapping them from other countries to be rendered to other countries, hiding them from oversight as "ghost detainees" - most of these activities either duplicated by or in conjunction with the United States military. As a pattern of systematic torture and abuse emerges within the intelligence and security community, we are forced to ask ourselves: is America doing enough torture?
fafblog
Well, Duh! Senator....
Check Lisa at AHNC for Bill Frists's cartoon:
www.allhatnocattle.com
What's this? Evangelicals want to save the earth?
And god said, "This is a test...only a test!
But if you don't know the answer, you can't come in.....Bwa ha haaaaa!"
The Rev. Rich Cizik, vice president of governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals and a significant voice in the debate, said, "I don't think God is going to ask us how he created the earth, but he will ask us what we did with what he created."
This gives me hope!
Eco evangelical
Peace,
Steve
They died of natural causes. You know, like getting beaten to death? Naturally?
I hear the music playing behind the new Army recruiting ad....
Uncle Sam wants you!...
"And all you have to do is....Act Naturally"
"American military officials in Afghanistan initially said the deaths of Mr. Habibullah, in an isolation cell on Dec. 4, 2002, and Mr. Dilawar, in another such cell six days later, were from natural causes. Lt. Gen. Daniel K. McNeill, the American commander of allied forces in Afghanistan at the time, denied then that prisoners had been chained to the ceiling or that conditions at Bagram endangered the lives of prisoners."
Turns out that we Americans beat these men so badly that had one of them survived, his legs would have had to be cut off.
truthout
Now we find that we are torturing folks not only in Iraq and Afghanistan, but in Guantanamo. And hey, if we need to torture somebody we happen to have detained in America, we just put 'em on a plane to one of our good friends who will torture them for us.
Look Ma, my hands are clean!
Fafblog is good satire. The best satire. Satire about god and screaming monkeys, and of course, torture to save America!
Reports of American torture and complicity in torture have become increasingly alarming, as new information reveals the widespread participation of the CIA in torturing prisoners, rendering them to other countries to be tortured, kidnapping them from other countries to be rendered to other countries, hiding them from oversight as "ghost detainees" - most of these activities either duplicated by or in conjunction with the United States military. As a pattern of systematic torture and abuse emerges within the intelligence and security community, we are forced to ask ourselves: is America doing enough torture?
fafblog
Well, Duh! Senator....
Check Lisa at AHNC for Bill Frists's cartoon:
www.allhatnocattle.com
What's this? Evangelicals want to save the earth?
And god said, "This is a test...only a test!
But if you don't know the answer, you can't come in.....Bwa ha haaaaa!"
The Rev. Rich Cizik, vice president of governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals and a significant voice in the debate, said, "I don't think God is going to ask us how he created the earth, but he will ask us what we did with what he created."
This gives me hope!
Eco evangelical
Peace,
Steve
Monday, March 14, 2005
Communion
"These four wheelers are just Terrorists! That's all they are. They sneak in, don't ask permission, and they tear up your land! They've torn down my fences, run through my woods, and they've got ditches started everywhere...and when they're done tearing things up they throw down their trash and just drive away."
The man was leaning on his pickup truck which was covered with Right wing bumper stickers. "Republican and proud of it" said one of them. It had handguns on both sides pointing to the word republican.
I think I will like Mitch, though I made a mental note never to discuss politics with him. A history teacher turned brickmason, he owns property next to mine and lives there with his pretty wife and big eyed, curly haired, daughter, who looked to be about 9 or 10. Why anyone would risk making this man angry is a mystery to me. More than just powerfully built, Mitch seems like he could crush one of his bricks in each hand if he forgot to be careful. He is a man in his prime who lifts weights all day for a living...one of those men who has to buy flannel shirts a size too large just so he can button them up over his chest.
I saw him standing at his truck in front of the house he is building, block by block as he has time. The new roof trusses lying ready to install tell me that spring has given rise to a new flurry of energy and the homestead was about to take a giant leap forward. I recognized the style of house as being like those I'd seen in Germany and made instant friends with Mitch as he beamed and talked away about his dream of building a house to last three hundred years instead of thirty, like people seem to do nowadays.
When they first meet, new neighbors need to talk about the sun, the moon, the stars, and anything else they might be able to find in common. In this case it was hunting, always a safe topic in Tennessee. Mitch is a hunter of the most serious kind. He had twenty or so dogs on well maintained runs placed fifty yards from his house. And he had something else...a hog pen with a hog in it.
Not just your average old hog, either. I'm used to seeing pens made of scrap pallets and wire out behind houses in the country. Raising your own hog is a time honored thing to do out here, and lordy the meat tastes so much better than that bland factory pig you get at the grocery store. It's hard to accept that it comes from the same animal. Compared to a country raised pig, the stuff from town "tastes like chicken!" Which is to say, "Don't have no taste!"
But Mitch didn't have any farm animal in his meticulously constructed pen...Instead, there stood the most beautiful European boar I've ever seen, shining black, without a mark on him, and hackles running like a spike waxed mohawk completely down his spine from one end to the other. Another boar was in the pen, too, a rough looking beast, slightly smaller, but with big tushes poking out of his lower jaw indicating well, the business end of a hog.
"Caught that one today," Mitch said. "His nose is still all swollen from the dogs holding on to him. I've got good dogs. You need good dogs when you have to crawl into a briar patch and drag out a hog. You have to know they're going to hang on to him."
"Damn!" I thought, but just smiled at Mitch.
The hog stood calmly and watched us. Beaten, for the moment, but ready to tear his way out of captivity if even a crack of opportunity arises. He never took his eyes off of us until we walked away.
At the end of a hog hunt when dogs are used, there are two ways to get the hog. One man in the hunt group can shoot the animal with a pistol at close range to make sure no dog gets hurt...or you can do like Mitch does...grab the hog and wrestle it into a wire cage with your own hands, a personal communion with a fierce prey that I don't think I will ever myself experience.
Four wheelers dump their garbage on this man's land.
What fools they are!
Peace,
Steve
*****
Spring has brought out the tiniest of wildflowers in the last week. Amongst those flowers is this nice new member of the Rocky Top Brigade:
Mountain Laureate
*****
Here is a perfect example of why we need graven monuments with things like "Thy Shalt not Lie, or Steal" in public places...I am almost positive that if you put up signs like that saying these are commandments from god, or at least some old Jewish guy who claims they are, then no godly person would dare lie or steal...
So guess what?
The most corporate and godly Baptists are being investigated for a couple of commandment violations.
The Baptists are being investigated for:
"Medicaid fraud, obstruction of justice, and money laundering..."
The Attorney General of Mississippi has opened a criminal investigation into the Jackson-based Baptist Health Systems...
"Federal investigators had developed a strong fraud case, and perhaps an even stronger obstruction of justice case, based in part on recorded conversations with top Baptist executives."
Trent Lott had the investigation nixed, though he denies this:
“Senator Lott has had absolutely no contact with any of the parties to this investigation, nor has he asked or authorized any member of his staff to intervene in this matter.”
Well the local FBI agents and Prosecutor say he did! And they turned over their information to the local state Attorney General of Mississippi picked the ball up and ran with it.
"...sources close to the aborted federal investigation told Corporate Crime Reporter this week that while Senator Lott and staff may not have been directly involved with the case, “there are a number of people that the Senator uses in a capacity with no direct connections with him to apply political pressure” and that “the U.S. Attorney’s office, career staff, even possibly the U.S. Attorney himself are upset with the intervention that has occurred.”
Let me shorten that for you...Trent Lott has stooges to do his dirty work...but he's going down anyway!
corporatecrimereporter
The man was leaning on his pickup truck which was covered with Right wing bumper stickers. "Republican and proud of it" said one of them. It had handguns on both sides pointing to the word republican.
I think I will like Mitch, though I made a mental note never to discuss politics with him. A history teacher turned brickmason, he owns property next to mine and lives there with his pretty wife and big eyed, curly haired, daughter, who looked to be about 9 or 10. Why anyone would risk making this man angry is a mystery to me. More than just powerfully built, Mitch seems like he could crush one of his bricks in each hand if he forgot to be careful. He is a man in his prime who lifts weights all day for a living...one of those men who has to buy flannel shirts a size too large just so he can button them up over his chest.
I saw him standing at his truck in front of the house he is building, block by block as he has time. The new roof trusses lying ready to install tell me that spring has given rise to a new flurry of energy and the homestead was about to take a giant leap forward. I recognized the style of house as being like those I'd seen in Germany and made instant friends with Mitch as he beamed and talked away about his dream of building a house to last three hundred years instead of thirty, like people seem to do nowadays.
When they first meet, new neighbors need to talk about the sun, the moon, the stars, and anything else they might be able to find in common. In this case it was hunting, always a safe topic in Tennessee. Mitch is a hunter of the most serious kind. He had twenty or so dogs on well maintained runs placed fifty yards from his house. And he had something else...a hog pen with a hog in it.
Not just your average old hog, either. I'm used to seeing pens made of scrap pallets and wire out behind houses in the country. Raising your own hog is a time honored thing to do out here, and lordy the meat tastes so much better than that bland factory pig you get at the grocery store. It's hard to accept that it comes from the same animal. Compared to a country raised pig, the stuff from town "tastes like chicken!" Which is to say, "Don't have no taste!"
But Mitch didn't have any farm animal in his meticulously constructed pen...Instead, there stood the most beautiful European boar I've ever seen, shining black, without a mark on him, and hackles running like a spike waxed mohawk completely down his spine from one end to the other. Another boar was in the pen, too, a rough looking beast, slightly smaller, but with big tushes poking out of his lower jaw indicating well, the business end of a hog.
"Caught that one today," Mitch said. "His nose is still all swollen from the dogs holding on to him. I've got good dogs. You need good dogs when you have to crawl into a briar patch and drag out a hog. You have to know they're going to hang on to him."
"Damn!" I thought, but just smiled at Mitch.
The hog stood calmly and watched us. Beaten, for the moment, but ready to tear his way out of captivity if even a crack of opportunity arises. He never took his eyes off of us until we walked away.
At the end of a hog hunt when dogs are used, there are two ways to get the hog. One man in the hunt group can shoot the animal with a pistol at close range to make sure no dog gets hurt...or you can do like Mitch does...grab the hog and wrestle it into a wire cage with your own hands, a personal communion with a fierce prey that I don't think I will ever myself experience.
Four wheelers dump their garbage on this man's land.
What fools they are!
Peace,
Steve
*****
Spring has brought out the tiniest of wildflowers in the last week. Amongst those flowers is this nice new member of the Rocky Top Brigade:
Mountain Laureate
*****
Here is a perfect example of why we need graven monuments with things like "Thy Shalt not Lie, or Steal" in public places...I am almost positive that if you put up signs like that saying these are commandments from god, or at least some old Jewish guy who claims they are, then no godly person would dare lie or steal...
So guess what?
The most corporate and godly Baptists are being investigated for a couple of commandment violations.
The Baptists are being investigated for:
"Medicaid fraud, obstruction of justice, and money laundering..."
The Attorney General of Mississippi has opened a criminal investigation into the Jackson-based Baptist Health Systems...
"Federal investigators had developed a strong fraud case, and perhaps an even stronger obstruction of justice case, based in part on recorded conversations with top Baptist executives."
Trent Lott had the investigation nixed, though he denies this:
“Senator Lott has had absolutely no contact with any of the parties to this investigation, nor has he asked or authorized any member of his staff to intervene in this matter.”
Well the local FBI agents and Prosecutor say he did! And they turned over their information to the local state Attorney General of Mississippi picked the ball up and ran with it.
"...sources close to the aborted federal investigation told Corporate Crime Reporter this week that while Senator Lott and staff may not have been directly involved with the case, “there are a number of people that the Senator uses in a capacity with no direct connections with him to apply political pressure” and that “the U.S. Attorney’s office, career staff, even possibly the U.S. Attorney himself are upset with the intervention that has occurred.”
Let me shorten that for you...Trent Lott has stooges to do his dirty work...but he's going down anyway!
corporatecrimereporter
Thursday, March 10, 2005
bear with me
A small child descends the staircase dragging his stuffed bear by the leg. Let's give the bear a consciousness and peer into his thoughts. What would the bear think, if it could, being dragged against its inclination down onto the nest step, landing on its head each time. But don't worry, bear! You will be able to have the extreme pleasure of watching the rest of us dine in elegance once we reach the bottom of the stairs and go into the dining room. Sure, I know you can't eat, but you will have the pleasure of watching your betters enjoy themselves. Your pain and suffering will be well worth it...to us.
Winnie the Pooh as metaphor for human existance:
Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.
(Via ARCHY at johnmckay)
Everywhere I turn I see folks doing exactly the same thing. Wanting change but being caught up in bumping their head over and over in the same old way.
"Well if my head would just quit hitting the things I'm bumping it into, I could change the things I'm bumping my head into", people will say.
Sorry to be cynical about humans but I'm watching the School board in action right now. The members that get it are bogged down by the members who don't even know they don't get it.
For instance, which problem do you think the school board is falling all over themselves to fix:
Problem number one. Raw sewage is overflowing into a hallway in the highschool.
Problem number two. The roof in an administrative building has a slight leak in the flashing above one office in a mostly empty building.
If you said the School Board will most likely spend way too much money on the roof, since that involves administrators and not people's children, you would be right on the order of nearly $100,000.00. They sill have the chance to "Get it". We'll see.
Phrase of the day:
"Faith based Reality"
So, the bankruptcy bill comes down to Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) amendment that would prevent persons convicted of crimes from discharging civil judgments, levied as a result of the crimes, in bankruptcy court. Read that again if you want but I'll rephrase it:
Republican Senators voted to let convicted criminals get away with their crimes by declaring bankruptcy.
Republican Senators voted to let creditors keep hounding American soldiers driven into bankrupcy because they were called into service in Iraq and lost their jobs.
Bubba has a good take on it. Be sure to read the comments. Funny!
bubba
******
A group called The Velvet Revolution has the silly notion that we ought to be able to actually count the votes cast in an American Democratic Election. They want a law to that effect, demanding a paper trail of electronic votes. Seem simple enough, right?
This man "resembles that remark":
Howard Van Pelt, CEO of Advanced Voting Systems, was more frank about his opposition.
“What in the hell are these people talking about?” Van Pelt asked. “They think we're all crooks, and I resent that!”
Well, maybe...What the Velvet Revolution wants is for all electronic voting machines to have a verifiable paper trail that can be counted and recounted visually. The machine manufacturers, Republican contributers every single one, are screaming that it is too expensive and hard to do...
But...These are the very same people who give you a paper receipt every time you use an ATM.
Mr. Van Pelt, Something is very very fishy here!
VelvetRevolution
Even the freakin' Russians are feeling holier than us!
the world’s most important democracy which is quickly becoming a laughing stock. Even Putin or one of his deputies told Bush, ‘Why are you lecturing us about democracy? Look at your own elections,’ which is troubling, I think.”
Problems with electronic voting machines have been documented by more than 50,000 complaints received in the 2004 election concerning observed malfunctions.
W's Hometown rag
Courage,
Steve
Winnie the Pooh as metaphor for human existance:
Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.
(Via ARCHY at johnmckay)
Everywhere I turn I see folks doing exactly the same thing. Wanting change but being caught up in bumping their head over and over in the same old way.
"Well if my head would just quit hitting the things I'm bumping it into, I could change the things I'm bumping my head into", people will say.
Sorry to be cynical about humans but I'm watching the School board in action right now. The members that get it are bogged down by the members who don't even know they don't get it.
For instance, which problem do you think the school board is falling all over themselves to fix:
Problem number one. Raw sewage is overflowing into a hallway in the highschool.
Problem number two. The roof in an administrative building has a slight leak in the flashing above one office in a mostly empty building.
If you said the School Board will most likely spend way too much money on the roof, since that involves administrators and not people's children, you would be right on the order of nearly $100,000.00. They sill have the chance to "Get it". We'll see.
Phrase of the day:
"Faith based Reality"
So, the bankruptcy bill comes down to Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) amendment that would prevent persons convicted of crimes from discharging civil judgments, levied as a result of the crimes, in bankruptcy court. Read that again if you want but I'll rephrase it:
Republican Senators voted to let convicted criminals get away with their crimes by declaring bankruptcy.
Republican Senators voted to let creditors keep hounding American soldiers driven into bankrupcy because they were called into service in Iraq and lost their jobs.
Bubba has a good take on it. Be sure to read the comments. Funny!
bubba
******
A group called The Velvet Revolution has the silly notion that we ought to be able to actually count the votes cast in an American Democratic Election. They want a law to that effect, demanding a paper trail of electronic votes. Seem simple enough, right?
This man "resembles that remark":
Howard Van Pelt, CEO of Advanced Voting Systems, was more frank about his opposition.
“What in the hell are these people talking about?” Van Pelt asked. “They think we're all crooks, and I resent that!”
Well, maybe...What the Velvet Revolution wants is for all electronic voting machines to have a verifiable paper trail that can be counted and recounted visually. The machine manufacturers, Republican contributers every single one, are screaming that it is too expensive and hard to do...
But...These are the very same people who give you a paper receipt every time you use an ATM.
Mr. Van Pelt, Something is very very fishy here!
VelvetRevolution
Even the freakin' Russians are feeling holier than us!
the world’s most important democracy which is quickly becoming a laughing stock. Even Putin or one of his deputies told Bush, ‘Why are you lecturing us about democracy? Look at your own elections,’ which is troubling, I think.”
Problems with electronic voting machines have been documented by more than 50,000 complaints received in the 2004 election concerning observed malfunctions.
W's Hometown rag
Courage,
Steve
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Song of the South
Well, I wish I was in the Land of Cotton, Old times there, are not forgotten....
Look Ah Waaaaayy!....And get ready for some crawfishing!
Here's the News:
"As part of its 2006 budget proposal, the Bush administration would trim benefits for growers of most staple crops, including wheat, corn and soybeans. But economists and officials say the hardest hit would be the big producers of cotton in Republican strongholds of Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia....
The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that cotton farmers will gobble up a quarter of farm subsidy payments this year, with most going to a few hundred big growers...
The president's decision to take on the farm lobby has caught many by surprise. He gave no hint of it during his reelection campaign, which was based on winning the South and most of the upper Midwest farm states. The president himself comes from a major cotton-producing state....
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.)... has yet to spell out his position...."
(I believe that would be the "doggy" postition in Senator Frist's case.)
washingtonpost
I killed a cat once, too, Senator Frist, so I feel your pain! Of course I didn't mean to run over it and I didn't lie to anybody about it, just so I could cut open its head and play with its brain like you did...
And I didn't lie to anybody, telling them that I was going to take really good care of the cat, and give it a good home, and then...Take the cat home...
cut open its chest and cut out its still beating heart!...Like you did Senator Frist.
And something else, I felt bad, and you didn't. You didn't feel bad about lying! That was your sin, Senator.
So what are you going to do now? Your President, the one you lied for on a hundred occaissions has stabbed you, doggy style, right in the old ass. His new budget proposal will cut the heart out of one of your biggest constituencies...Corporate Agribiz. You know...the Memphis branch of King Cotton.
Senator, you and your Conservative moron (Ok, I know that's redundant) friends bent over and lied for George and now he hits you right in the bank account but proposing to cut Millions from the Federal blood money paid to your farmer friends. He is going to cut your Farmer welfare from $360,000 pre farm all the way to $250,000. Of course we know it's much worse than that because your Agribiz friends actually run paper sham farms that let's them collect millions each in "Welfare".
Well I know how you Conservatives hate "Welfare" so this will be fine with you, right? And I know you really have to knawing your other arm off to get out from under the Coyote Ugly fact that Bush's boss, Dick Cheney still owns huge amounts of Halliburton stock by way of his own little mutual fund, and Halliburton has gobbled up ten times the amount of money Bush is cutting from your Cotton farmer friends welfare check. Why hell, John Negroponte Lost more money than that while he was running Iraq!
Why does Bush have to screw you and your friends, Bill? This is small change, right?
Once or twice upon a time, Senator Frist, I myself picked cotton. I know you and I have both killed cats but I doubt if you've ever picked cotton.
I worked in a cotton field right along side maybe fifty or so black men and women and their children and I liked it. I liked it because I didn't have to do it, really, and it was fun being a 12 year old kid out in a Georgia field standing right in the middle of a Black acapella chorus singing about the hot sun and gettin' the bossman's work done for him. I liked how those folks worked all day and smiled all day too.
I remember white teeth and big grins and knowing I was different, but it was fun. Those folks are all out of work anyway, now. Dead or old. They were replaced by a machine decades ago and the poisons they put on the fields are even worse now, but at least DDT is gone. But now you face the layoff of thousands of...Machines! if President Bush's budget goes through as it is now, those poor machines will be out of work, left to rust in the fields. Your cotton farmer friends claim they'll have to switch to soybeans or wuit farming altogether and go work in a factory...Oh wait! Senator you've ruined the manufacturing sector in America, haven't you?
There are no factory jobs to speak of, are there Senator?
I guess all your cotton farmer friends can go to work in Wal-Mart selling each other Chinese made stuff, eh?
washingtonpost
Courage, Dr. Frist. There's always plenty of cats left for you to play with.
Looks like old George is taking you down, just so's you won't be in Jeb's way in 08.
That's the way a Pimp gotta do a HO, Bill.
Nothing personal.
Peace,
Steve
********
Lifted shamelessly from
AHNC
Newspaper Humor
1. The Wall Street Journal is read by people who run the country.
2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country and who are very good at crossword puzzles.
4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand The New York Times. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie charts.
5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country, if they could find the time -- and if they didn't have to leave Southern California to do it.
6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a far superior job of it, thank you very much.
7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country and don't really care as long as they can get a seat on the train.
8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.
9. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.
10. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure there is a country or that anyone is running it; but if so, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from any other country or galaxy provided, of course, that they are not Republicans.
11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.
12. None of these is read by the guy who is running the country... into the ground.
Look Ah Waaaaayy!....And get ready for some crawfishing!
Here's the News:
"As part of its 2006 budget proposal, the Bush administration would trim benefits for growers of most staple crops, including wheat, corn and soybeans. But economists and officials say the hardest hit would be the big producers of cotton in Republican strongholds of Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia....
The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that cotton farmers will gobble up a quarter of farm subsidy payments this year, with most going to a few hundred big growers...
The president's decision to take on the farm lobby has caught many by surprise. He gave no hint of it during his reelection campaign, which was based on winning the South and most of the upper Midwest farm states. The president himself comes from a major cotton-producing state....
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.)... has yet to spell out his position...."
(I believe that would be the "doggy" postition in Senator Frist's case.)
washingtonpost
I killed a cat once, too, Senator Frist, so I feel your pain! Of course I didn't mean to run over it and I didn't lie to anybody about it, just so I could cut open its head and play with its brain like you did...
And I didn't lie to anybody, telling them that I was going to take really good care of the cat, and give it a good home, and then...Take the cat home...
cut open its chest and cut out its still beating heart!...Like you did Senator Frist.
And something else, I felt bad, and you didn't. You didn't feel bad about lying! That was your sin, Senator.
So what are you going to do now? Your President, the one you lied for on a hundred occaissions has stabbed you, doggy style, right in the old ass. His new budget proposal will cut the heart out of one of your biggest constituencies...Corporate Agribiz. You know...the Memphis branch of King Cotton.
Senator, you and your Conservative moron (Ok, I know that's redundant) friends bent over and lied for George and now he hits you right in the bank account but proposing to cut Millions from the Federal blood money paid to your farmer friends. He is going to cut your Farmer welfare from $360,000 pre farm all the way to $250,000. Of course we know it's much worse than that because your Agribiz friends actually run paper sham farms that let's them collect millions each in "Welfare".
Well I know how you Conservatives hate "Welfare" so this will be fine with you, right? And I know you really have to knawing your other arm off to get out from under the Coyote Ugly fact that Bush's boss, Dick Cheney still owns huge amounts of Halliburton stock by way of his own little mutual fund, and Halliburton has gobbled up ten times the amount of money Bush is cutting from your Cotton farmer friends welfare check. Why hell, John Negroponte Lost more money than that while he was running Iraq!
Why does Bush have to screw you and your friends, Bill? This is small change, right?
Once or twice upon a time, Senator Frist, I myself picked cotton. I know you and I have both killed cats but I doubt if you've ever picked cotton.
I worked in a cotton field right along side maybe fifty or so black men and women and their children and I liked it. I liked it because I didn't have to do it, really, and it was fun being a 12 year old kid out in a Georgia field standing right in the middle of a Black acapella chorus singing about the hot sun and gettin' the bossman's work done for him. I liked how those folks worked all day and smiled all day too.
I remember white teeth and big grins and knowing I was different, but it was fun. Those folks are all out of work anyway, now. Dead or old. They were replaced by a machine decades ago and the poisons they put on the fields are even worse now, but at least DDT is gone. But now you face the layoff of thousands of...Machines! if President Bush's budget goes through as it is now, those poor machines will be out of work, left to rust in the fields. Your cotton farmer friends claim they'll have to switch to soybeans or wuit farming altogether and go work in a factory...Oh wait! Senator you've ruined the manufacturing sector in America, haven't you?
There are no factory jobs to speak of, are there Senator?
I guess all your cotton farmer friends can go to work in Wal-Mart selling each other Chinese made stuff, eh?
washingtonpost
Courage, Dr. Frist. There's always plenty of cats left for you to play with.
Looks like old George is taking you down, just so's you won't be in Jeb's way in 08.
That's the way a Pimp gotta do a HO, Bill.
Nothing personal.
Peace,
Steve
********
Lifted shamelessly from
AHNC
Newspaper Humor
1. The Wall Street Journal is read by people who run the country.
2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country and who are very good at crossword puzzles.
4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand The New York Times. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie charts.
5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country, if they could find the time -- and if they didn't have to leave Southern California to do it.
6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a far superior job of it, thank you very much.
7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country and don't really care as long as they can get a seat on the train.
8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.
9. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.
10. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure there is a country or that anyone is running it; but if so, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from any other country or galaxy provided, of course, that they are not Republicans.
11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.
12. None of these is read by the guy who is running the country... into the ground.
Monday, March 07, 2005
A Relative we just met
Scientists used to argue whether human ancestors developed higher thinking processes before they started walking on two feet, or if it was the act of balancing on two feet as opposed to four, that made thinking an advantage. Now the evidence is overwhemlmingly on the side of the brain having to pay catch up with the opposable thumbs. It appears from all available evidence that bipedalism freed these marvelous appendages from the duties of hanging on to tree limbs or having to be placed on the ground to keep the face out of puddles, thus making them capable of holding poker cards, firing weapons, and typing. In my case, at this very moment, I still have six fingers and two amazing thumbs just hanging out with not much to do except to get in the way of the two digits that are actually doing all the typing...faithful readers will note that the "higher thinking processes" are also just hanging out waiting for something to do....as usual.
So anyway, scientists just announced that in a region of Ethiopia called, "Afar" (nope, not making that up) they have found a fossilized skeleton, 40% of it anyway, that has been determined to be of a bipedal human-like creature. Dating processes are very complicated these days but the range of age has been determined to be between 3.8 million and 4 million years old. Several independant methods are used involving radioactive isotope decay and dating of not only the fossils themselves but the dirt and rock strata in which they are found. This is a very time consuming and tedious process and the dates will tighten up considerably when all the work is complete. There is little question that this being walked the earth around one million years before the famous human ancestor, "Lucy", who lived about 2.8 to 3.2 million years ago.
"This is the world's oldest biped," Bruce Latimer, director of the natural history museum in Cleveland, Ohio, told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital, adding that "it will revolutionise the way we see human evolution".
The bones were found three weeks ago in Ethiopia's Afar region, at a site some 60 kilometres from Hadar where Lucy, one of the first hominids, was discovered in 1974.
What makes this a big deal is the structure of the ankles in this skeleton. It could stand up on two legs and walk around in the manner similar to modern humans.
So far four skeletons of different human ancestors have been found, each one a link in human evolution that is no longer missing. We have also found "side branches" in the human family tree, such as the famous hobbit-like creature from Indonesia that just made the news and the well known Neandertal man.
Darwinian theory predicts that there were such links and side branches. Archaeological finds such as this one fill in the blanks of our evolutionary history. Contrary to what Creationists claim, Evolution is not a theory at all! It is a fact. It happened. And Darwinian science proves it by the hypothesis/theory, prediction, and determination.
Most often Evolution gets verified by little things... Sometimes... by big ones like this new finding in Ethiopia.
A spokesman from the Creationist Institute, when told of the new fossil find, said,
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU...LA, LA, LA, LA....!"
Peace,
Steve
And now for some higher mental functions:
"Theology asserts propositions that need not be proven true, while ideologues hold stoutly to a world view despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality. The combination can make it impossible for a democracy to fashion real-world solutions to otherwise intractable challenges."
read
"We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace...business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.
They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob."
FDR
So anyway, scientists just announced that in a region of Ethiopia called, "Afar" (nope, not making that up) they have found a fossilized skeleton, 40% of it anyway, that has been determined to be of a bipedal human-like creature. Dating processes are very complicated these days but the range of age has been determined to be between 3.8 million and 4 million years old. Several independant methods are used involving radioactive isotope decay and dating of not only the fossils themselves but the dirt and rock strata in which they are found. This is a very time consuming and tedious process and the dates will tighten up considerably when all the work is complete. There is little question that this being walked the earth around one million years before the famous human ancestor, "Lucy", who lived about 2.8 to 3.2 million years ago.
"This is the world's oldest biped," Bruce Latimer, director of the natural history museum in Cleveland, Ohio, told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital, adding that "it will revolutionise the way we see human evolution".
The bones were found three weeks ago in Ethiopia's Afar region, at a site some 60 kilometres from Hadar where Lucy, one of the first hominids, was discovered in 1974.
What makes this a big deal is the structure of the ankles in this skeleton. It could stand up on two legs and walk around in the manner similar to modern humans.
So far four skeletons of different human ancestors have been found, each one a link in human evolution that is no longer missing. We have also found "side branches" in the human family tree, such as the famous hobbit-like creature from Indonesia that just made the news and the well known Neandertal man.
Darwinian theory predicts that there were such links and side branches. Archaeological finds such as this one fill in the blanks of our evolutionary history. Contrary to what Creationists claim, Evolution is not a theory at all! It is a fact. It happened. And Darwinian science proves it by the hypothesis/theory, prediction, and determination.
Most often Evolution gets verified by little things... Sometimes... by big ones like this new finding in Ethiopia.
A spokesman from the Creationist Institute, when told of the new fossil find, said,
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU...LA, LA, LA, LA....!"
Peace,
Steve
And now for some higher mental functions:
"Theology asserts propositions that need not be proven true, while ideologues hold stoutly to a world view despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality. The combination can make it impossible for a democracy to fashion real-world solutions to otherwise intractable challenges."
read
"We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace...business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.
They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob."
FDR
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Won't you come home, Juanita Jean
Oh Spring is coming and it is the time for love. Sometimes it all works out and sometimes all that personal grooming goes for naught...gut wrenching emotions, fears, and hopes dashed upon the shoals of despair.
I know such despair.
In the dark year of 2004, not only did my beloved country fall deeper into the evil clutches of rougues, but Juanita Jean closed her beauty shop and left town, ripping a hole in the fabric of what little pleasure this nasty world deems to give a poor downtrodden soul.
Was it something I said? I know I shoulda been more helpful in the kitchen, and I guess I coulda left my boots on the porch instead of stinking up the living room, and I woulda taken you out more but, honey it was huntin' season and all...
Well I wrote some letters hoping Juanita Jean would come to her senses and realize how selfish she was being, wanting a personal life of her own like that...
November 2004
Darlin',
I'll miss you terrible. Intelligent life in this universe is hard to find. Come back whenever...All will be forgiven, no matter where you bin' , or who you bin' with...well almost, anyway.
courage,
Me
*****
February 2005
Sorry, I know you must have tons to do, but I miss you. It ain't the same, darlin', since you closed the shop, left, and went back to Momma. I'm still not sure what I did but that's a man's Lott in this old world. We never really know till it's too late to fix.
If there's anything I can do to help open Juanita's back up just say it...'cept for sending the back alimony checks, that is...a man's got pride when he aint got nothin' else, you know! Ain't got no money to send anyway since they closed the mill and started makin' the widgets in China. Lost my job as a greeter at Wal-mart when they found out Daddy voted for Kerry, but I can still make enough to catch a good buzz selling pee to the high school kids on the football team. King Cotton peach brandy don't show up in the "pee in the bottle tests", they say.
Anyway, just tested the link and see you're still depressed and layin' low, so I thought I'd say Hi.
Drop us a line if you feel like it. I saw a story on that Zoloft stuff so you better lay off it for a while, girl. it'll be allright, again, I promise...or it won't.
Love ya,
Me
*****
Well a man has to face reality, dammit, so I had about given up hope. I started hanging around other beauty shops but it twern't the same. Sure there was that nice perm chemical smell and nasty gossip, but Nobody but Juanita Jean had that perky snark going all day long. She could laugh real raunchy and smile sweetly and snip a local politician's left gonad off, throw it on the ground, and stomp it, before he even had time to spend his illegal campaign contributions.
I was hoping something would happen to bring the girl to her senses, but no...Tom Delay hasn't been indicted. Still there's always hope, even when the good times have faded to a wisp of bittersweet memory...
Then yesterday, I got this in the mail:
I had just about decided to quit this whole website business. There ain’t much money in it, and everybody whines like the dickens if you want to take some time off from entertaining them for free. But I keep getting hacked-off. And Lord knows that Tom DeLay’s name is gonna be in the news a lot and I just gotta have a place to snicker at him in public.
The World’s Most Dangerous Beauty Salon, Inc. is semi-almost-kinda back in business. I’m hoping to get a day pass to the White House pressroom. If Jeff Gannon is qualified, then Juanita Jean should be day pass valedictorian.
Susan
(Susan is just a fake name Juanita Jean uses, sometmes, to keep the tax people off her back, I think)
Oh, joy and jubilation! Damn, I can't wait to see her again. I might even get down on my knees and...and...scrub a toilet, if she'll really come back.
In her very own words she said:
Please join in the fun.
Juanita's
I've mentioned Juanita Jean to all you folks in earlier happier days and now she's back. Go see her, won't you? I have just one question though...What the heck is ocramole?
Love ya,
Steve
Juanita can start real soon helping Tom Delay pry one foot out of his mouth so he can stick the other one right back in...
DeLay also criticized the AARP, which claims a membership of 35 million people 50 and over and opposes the central tenet of Bush's proposal. The Texan said it was "incredibly irresponsible of AARP to be against a solution that hasn't been written yet," and he accused the group of hypocrisy...
OK, that was Tom Delay accusing someone else of hypocrisy!
Folks, we can't make that stuff up if we tried. Way too funny.
Tom, you lizard!
I don't know if being reasonable and telling the truth works with Tom Delay but some folks are trying:
AARP spokesman David Certner said the organization was opposed to "the central notion of trying to improve Social Security solvency by taking money out of Social Security. Even the administration has acknowledged that taking money out of Social Security does nothing to solve the solvency problem."
Truth comes easiest from the comedians:
“The United Nations said today that by the year 2050, the world's population will increase by forty percent. That increase will occur mostly in countries that currently struggle to provide adequate healthcare and education. Hey, that's us!” – Jay Leno
I know such despair.
In the dark year of 2004, not only did my beloved country fall deeper into the evil clutches of rougues, but Juanita Jean closed her beauty shop and left town, ripping a hole in the fabric of what little pleasure this nasty world deems to give a poor downtrodden soul.
Was it something I said? I know I shoulda been more helpful in the kitchen, and I guess I coulda left my boots on the porch instead of stinking up the living room, and I woulda taken you out more but, honey it was huntin' season and all...
Well I wrote some letters hoping Juanita Jean would come to her senses and realize how selfish she was being, wanting a personal life of her own like that...
November 2004
Darlin',
I'll miss you terrible. Intelligent life in this universe is hard to find. Come back whenever...All will be forgiven, no matter where you bin' , or who you bin' with...well almost, anyway.
courage,
Me
*****
February 2005
Sorry, I know you must have tons to do, but I miss you. It ain't the same, darlin', since you closed the shop, left, and went back to Momma. I'm still not sure what I did but that's a man's Lott in this old world. We never really know till it's too late to fix.
If there's anything I can do to help open Juanita's back up just say it...'cept for sending the back alimony checks, that is...a man's got pride when he aint got nothin' else, you know! Ain't got no money to send anyway since they closed the mill and started makin' the widgets in China. Lost my job as a greeter at Wal-mart when they found out Daddy voted for Kerry, but I can still make enough to catch a good buzz selling pee to the high school kids on the football team. King Cotton peach brandy don't show up in the "pee in the bottle tests", they say.
Anyway, just tested the link and see you're still depressed and layin' low, so I thought I'd say Hi.
Drop us a line if you feel like it. I saw a story on that Zoloft stuff so you better lay off it for a while, girl. it'll be allright, again, I promise...or it won't.
Love ya,
Me
*****
Well a man has to face reality, dammit, so I had about given up hope. I started hanging around other beauty shops but it twern't the same. Sure there was that nice perm chemical smell and nasty gossip, but Nobody but Juanita Jean had that perky snark going all day long. She could laugh real raunchy and smile sweetly and snip a local politician's left gonad off, throw it on the ground, and stomp it, before he even had time to spend his illegal campaign contributions.
I was hoping something would happen to bring the girl to her senses, but no...Tom Delay hasn't been indicted. Still there's always hope, even when the good times have faded to a wisp of bittersweet memory...
Then yesterday, I got this in the mail:
I had just about decided to quit this whole website business. There ain’t much money in it, and everybody whines like the dickens if you want to take some time off from entertaining them for free. But I keep getting hacked-off. And Lord knows that Tom DeLay’s name is gonna be in the news a lot and I just gotta have a place to snicker at him in public.
The World’s Most Dangerous Beauty Salon, Inc. is semi-almost-kinda back in business. I’m hoping to get a day pass to the White House pressroom. If Jeff Gannon is qualified, then Juanita Jean should be day pass valedictorian.
Susan
(Susan is just a fake name Juanita Jean uses, sometmes, to keep the tax people off her back, I think)
Oh, joy and jubilation! Damn, I can't wait to see her again. I might even get down on my knees and...and...scrub a toilet, if she'll really come back.
In her very own words she said:
Please join in the fun.
Juanita's
I've mentioned Juanita Jean to all you folks in earlier happier days and now she's back. Go see her, won't you? I have just one question though...What the heck is ocramole?
Love ya,
Steve
Juanita can start real soon helping Tom Delay pry one foot out of his mouth so he can stick the other one right back in...
DeLay also criticized the AARP, which claims a membership of 35 million people 50 and over and opposes the central tenet of Bush's proposal. The Texan said it was "incredibly irresponsible of AARP to be against a solution that hasn't been written yet," and he accused the group of hypocrisy...
OK, that was Tom Delay accusing someone else of hypocrisy!
Folks, we can't make that stuff up if we tried. Way too funny.
Tom, you lizard!
I don't know if being reasonable and telling the truth works with Tom Delay but some folks are trying:
AARP spokesman David Certner said the organization was opposed to "the central notion of trying to improve Social Security solvency by taking money out of Social Security. Even the administration has acknowledged that taking money out of Social Security does nothing to solve the solvency problem."
Truth comes easiest from the comedians:
“The United Nations said today that by the year 2050, the world's population will increase by forty percent. That increase will occur mostly in countries that currently struggle to provide adequate healthcare and education. Hey, that's us!” – Jay Leno
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
I feel good
We had a few minutes of winter yesterday. I thought it was nice to actually get some use out of my vast assortment of cold weather gear without having to drive to West Virginia. Last night was crystal clear and every beast in the gorge seemed to be irritating the dogs, and they, in turn irritated us by yipping all night.
Odd to note the trill of an Eastern toad calling for a girlfriend in the middle of a snow flurry. Toad, old buddy, I know the spring you're sitting in stays at a nice toasty 58 degrees but don't be looking for any honeys to be hoppin' through this mess just now. Give it a few days.
A couple of things struck me as curious, yesterday. Check these statistics first:
The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (The New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).
• The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy
So the US is kinda behind in our schooling. 49th to be exact, and Tennessee is 46th out of 50 so that kinda makes us pretty much the stupidest of the stupid. It's really the underachievingest of the underachievers...we are not dumb, we're just plain SORRY!
So what did our state legislature do yesterday, given this dire state of the educational system with our children's future at stake?
My state senator, Tommy Kilby, and his buddies passed a bill to amend the constitution to ban Gay Marriage.
Great, guys! Glad you morons are keeping your eye on what's important!
A couple of us were sitting around laughing at this and counted up five failed marriages among us, and you know what? Near as we could figure, Gays didn't have anything to do with any of our marriages going bad, so how the heck is this protecting our families?
Wouldn't the money be better spent working on getting a textbook for my tenth grade son's Geometry class?
(Hey Tyler! Why doesn't he have a book to bring home, anyway?)
From the mail:
Long time old friend. hey. Just read your Blog about the Hoe Down. Yeah. Old Crow kills it. Love them . man it makes me miss the Southland. Hope all is treating you well. I'll be thinking about you and your coffee high up on the TN plateau. Tell the family I said hi.
MIke
And from South Carolina on the ethics of our legislature:
Tennessee hasn't taken up the Republican strategy of naming bills as the OPPOSITE of what they'll really do?
Shouldn't Republicans be promoting this bill as the: "Clean Waters Executive Honesty & Disclosure Act".
LOL! KC
I note that with the Supreme Court ruling against capital punishment for children, and we get this:
Under the headline, "United States leaves Somalia in isolation" the world has learned that the US has finallly outlawed the execution of children.
"And crown thy good..." Makes you feel good to be an American, eh?
Among developed nations, there are only two that still have the death penalty, The USA and Japan. Charlie has a good take on this:
scribble
Ann Coulter's America:
It's an America where the Guardians of Democracy have stamped out the last traitorous vestiges of political opposition, an America where all patriots are required to hold a singular, party-approved opinion, an America where television reflects the officially sanctioned values of the Glorious Conservative Christian Revolution and celebrations of sodomy embodied in shows like Will and Grace are replaced by news magazines featuring ideologically-friendly, God-fearing harlots.
mediamatters
An excerpt from Fanatical Apathy juxtaposes events of our world:
Cate Blanchett, radiating a cool Hollywood glamour, won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal in "The Aviator" of Katharine Hepburn. Others, their limbs ripped to shreds, were piled into the back of pick-up trucks. Nearby buildings were pockmarked by shrapnel. People wept, clutched their heads in despair and shouted "God is greatest" as rescuers led the injured away.
felbers
Wanna feel good about America?
"The U.S. and South Africa are the only two developed countries in the world that do not provide health care for all their citizens"
The United States is 41st in the world in infant mortality. Cuba scores higher (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
• Women are 70% more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
• The leading cause of death of pregnant women in this country is murder (CNN, Dec. 14, 2004).
There's a lot more that should piss you off:
Austin
Peace,
Steve
"Last week North Korea publicly admitted for the first time it has nuclear weapons. The Bush administration has so far shown very little concern, as the North Korean missiles are believed only capable of reaching the Blue States." --Jon Stewart on North Korea's nuclear weapons program
Odd to note the trill of an Eastern toad calling for a girlfriend in the middle of a snow flurry. Toad, old buddy, I know the spring you're sitting in stays at a nice toasty 58 degrees but don't be looking for any honeys to be hoppin' through this mess just now. Give it a few days.
A couple of things struck me as curious, yesterday. Check these statistics first:
The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (The New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).
• The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy
So the US is kinda behind in our schooling. 49th to be exact, and Tennessee is 46th out of 50 so that kinda makes us pretty much the stupidest of the stupid. It's really the underachievingest of the underachievers...we are not dumb, we're just plain SORRY!
So what did our state legislature do yesterday, given this dire state of the educational system with our children's future at stake?
My state senator, Tommy Kilby, and his buddies passed a bill to amend the constitution to ban Gay Marriage.
Great, guys! Glad you morons are keeping your eye on what's important!
A couple of us were sitting around laughing at this and counted up five failed marriages among us, and you know what? Near as we could figure, Gays didn't have anything to do with any of our marriages going bad, so how the heck is this protecting our families?
Wouldn't the money be better spent working on getting a textbook for my tenth grade son's Geometry class?
(Hey Tyler! Why doesn't he have a book to bring home, anyway?)
From the mail:
Long time old friend. hey. Just read your Blog about the Hoe Down. Yeah. Old Crow kills it. Love them . man it makes me miss the Southland. Hope all is treating you well. I'll be thinking about you and your coffee high up on the TN plateau. Tell the family I said hi.
MIke
And from South Carolina on the ethics of our legislature:
Tennessee hasn't taken up the Republican strategy of naming bills as the OPPOSITE of what they'll really do?
Shouldn't Republicans be promoting this bill as the: "Clean Waters Executive Honesty & Disclosure Act".
LOL! KC
I note that with the Supreme Court ruling against capital punishment for children, and we get this:
Under the headline, "United States leaves Somalia in isolation" the world has learned that the US has finallly outlawed the execution of children.
"And crown thy good..." Makes you feel good to be an American, eh?
Among developed nations, there are only two that still have the death penalty, The USA and Japan. Charlie has a good take on this:
scribble
Ann Coulter's America:
It's an America where the Guardians of Democracy have stamped out the last traitorous vestiges of political opposition, an America where all patriots are required to hold a singular, party-approved opinion, an America where television reflects the officially sanctioned values of the Glorious Conservative Christian Revolution and celebrations of sodomy embodied in shows like Will and Grace are replaced by news magazines featuring ideologically-friendly, God-fearing harlots.
mediamatters
An excerpt from Fanatical Apathy juxtaposes events of our world:
Cate Blanchett, radiating a cool Hollywood glamour, won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal in "The Aviator" of Katharine Hepburn. Others, their limbs ripped to shreds, were piled into the back of pick-up trucks. Nearby buildings were pockmarked by shrapnel. People wept, clutched their heads in despair and shouted "God is greatest" as rescuers led the injured away.
felbers
Wanna feel good about America?
"The U.S. and South Africa are the only two developed countries in the world that do not provide health care for all their citizens"
The United States is 41st in the world in infant mortality. Cuba scores higher (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
• Women are 70% more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
• The leading cause of death of pregnant women in this country is murder (CNN, Dec. 14, 2004).
There's a lot more that should piss you off:
Austin
Peace,
Steve
"Last week North Korea publicly admitted for the first time it has nuclear weapons. The Bush administration has so far shown very little concern, as the North Korean missiles are believed only capable of reaching the Blue States." --Jon Stewart on North Korea's nuclear weapons program
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Ok, friends, I know you hate me. I accept that and in my heart, I know I deserve it. You hate me because as soon as there is enough light, I will make my grand entrance to this morning's world through the new snowfall and luxuriate in the first sting of my immersion into a well heated tub of water mounted upon the lower deck and overlooking White's Creek Gorge.
Hate me all you want...nyaah, nyaah, na, nyaah, nyaah!
OK, so this is how winter is supposed to be. Light snow and cold.
As a matter of fact...I don't even think I'm going to finish this right now. Back in a bit.
In the meantime, Bush is losing the Social Security debate.
Blogger Atrios says it best:
Most Americans do not want Mr. Bush to borrow $2 trillion to cut Social Security benefits and replace guaranteed benefits for seniors with guaranteed fees for stockbrokers. That's why, in a recent NPR poll, just 31 percent of Americans, only 31 percent, support Mr. Bush's privatization plan.
And yet rumors abound that Democrats, perhaps even former vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, will find a compromise that allows Mr. Bush to succeed in privatizing part of Social Security. Look, any Democrat who rescues Mr. Bush's assault on Social Security ought to be defeated in a primary and allowed to begin their own retirement early.
atrios
Later,
ahhhhhh......
Hate me all you want...nyaah, nyaah, na, nyaah, nyaah!
OK, so this is how winter is supposed to be. Light snow and cold.
As a matter of fact...I don't even think I'm going to finish this right now. Back in a bit.
In the meantime, Bush is losing the Social Security debate.
Blogger Atrios says it best:
Most Americans do not want Mr. Bush to borrow $2 trillion to cut Social Security benefits and replace guaranteed benefits for seniors with guaranteed fees for stockbrokers. That's why, in a recent NPR poll, just 31 percent of Americans, only 31 percent, support Mr. Bush's privatization plan.
And yet rumors abound that Democrats, perhaps even former vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, will find a compromise that allows Mr. Bush to succeed in privatizing part of Social Security. Look, any Democrat who rescues Mr. Bush's assault on Social Security ought to be defeated in a primary and allowed to begin their own retirement early.
atrios
Later,
ahhhhhh......
Monday, February 28, 2005
That's What I Like...
About the South...
We're having a "Winter storm"...Yep, raining again!
Hey, no complaints... the weekend was glorious.
Saturday was too busy, though, what with putting on the high school alumni soccer game and then hitting Knoxtown for the "Hoedown" as they called it. The music was good but I thought a hoedown involved some high kicking and low stompin'? I only saw two girls dancing the whole time, and I think they were hearing some kind of different music in their heads from what I was listening to. For you folks from other places, down here we let folks dance, I don't care how big they are. If you feel it, wiggle and stomp to your heart's content. It's up to the rest of us to stay out of the way.
The tickets said it was the Del McCoury show at the Tennessee Theater Saturday night. It was definitely not a full house. We left before the end of McCoury's set, and felt bad about it. Our drive home is pretty long and Del's band was very tight but uncreative, unlike the first two groups. It was an evening of contrasts and Del sure had his fans.
I'm glad I saw and heard him but I came away wondering:
"How can you make a tune like Nashville Cats into something strict and boring, like Mrs. Walton did for third grade?"
Del said he'd never met Richard Thompson, and after hearing Del's version of Vincent 52...That might be for the best. I think this is what happens to your music when there aren't many black folk living in your home town,
AS for the first two thirds of the show, I'm a proud owner of new Steep Canyon Rangers and Old Crow Medicine Show CDs. Both bands had members busting and changing strings at warp speed, and if that doesn't tell you anything, you need to get out more.
The Rangers' new California fiddle player ran everywhere he went. Every tune seemed full of him, and gloriously so. He seems like half the band all by himself, in the same way Jerry Douglas overwhelms Union Station. Creative and interesting, though stuck within the Bluegrass limitations. Their best line:
"We didn't get into bluegrass for fame and fortune...and so far the plan is working perfectly."
The crowd went totally quiet during a wonderful break in harmonics on banjo. Very creative!
You can listen here:
www.steepcanyon.com
I think I explained Del McCoury, but then how do you explain Old Crow Medicine Show? The two live really close to each other in the Johnson City, TN area. Del even says he gets all his "medicine" from those guys. (His best line) But after listening for a while, I figure they keep the good stuff for themselves.
Crow seems like a jug band having a good time. Very loose and untidy, and Boy, can they sell a song!
Raunchy with a combination of traditional cocaine street blues, Dylan, and their own songs, absolutely my kinda music. Don't think the sound man ever caught up with them. (The stuff they did was actually anti drug, but then people also misunderstood the Reverend Gary Davis's 'You take Mary, and I'll take Sue'.)
Catch a few tunes here, but it's an act to be seen live for sure:
www.crowmedicine.com
The osprey nest crisis on the Clinch River bridge seems to be drawing some concern. We'll push as hard as we can to turn that into action. This seems like a really simple way for the Town of Kingston to get some good publicity, not that it needs any.
We are researching artificial nest sites. Any info you guys come up with is welcome. Lots of good stuff already.
Now...From our "Questions for George W. Bush" Department:
(You didn't think I was going to let this go without something political, did you?)
"Sir, You've spent more money you didn't have, than any other President in the history of the United States. Exactly when and how do you expect the taxpayers of America to pay it back?"
Peace,
Steve
Charlie has a good take on stilletto diplomacy:
The Scribble
We're having a "Winter storm"...Yep, raining again!
Hey, no complaints... the weekend was glorious.
Saturday was too busy, though, what with putting on the high school alumni soccer game and then hitting Knoxtown for the "Hoedown" as they called it. The music was good but I thought a hoedown involved some high kicking and low stompin'? I only saw two girls dancing the whole time, and I think they were hearing some kind of different music in their heads from what I was listening to. For you folks from other places, down here we let folks dance, I don't care how big they are. If you feel it, wiggle and stomp to your heart's content. It's up to the rest of us to stay out of the way.
The tickets said it was the Del McCoury show at the Tennessee Theater Saturday night. It was definitely not a full house. We left before the end of McCoury's set, and felt bad about it. Our drive home is pretty long and Del's band was very tight but uncreative, unlike the first two groups. It was an evening of contrasts and Del sure had his fans.
I'm glad I saw and heard him but I came away wondering:
"How can you make a tune like Nashville Cats into something strict and boring, like Mrs. Walton did for third grade?"
Del said he'd never met Richard Thompson, and after hearing Del's version of Vincent 52...That might be for the best. I think this is what happens to your music when there aren't many black folk living in your home town,
AS for the first two thirds of the show, I'm a proud owner of new Steep Canyon Rangers and Old Crow Medicine Show CDs. Both bands had members busting and changing strings at warp speed, and if that doesn't tell you anything, you need to get out more.
The Rangers' new California fiddle player ran everywhere he went. Every tune seemed full of him, and gloriously so. He seems like half the band all by himself, in the same way Jerry Douglas overwhelms Union Station. Creative and interesting, though stuck within the Bluegrass limitations. Their best line:
"We didn't get into bluegrass for fame and fortune...and so far the plan is working perfectly."
The crowd went totally quiet during a wonderful break in harmonics on banjo. Very creative!
You can listen here:
www.steepcanyon.com
I think I explained Del McCoury, but then how do you explain Old Crow Medicine Show? The two live really close to each other in the Johnson City, TN area. Del even says he gets all his "medicine" from those guys. (His best line) But after listening for a while, I figure they keep the good stuff for themselves.
Crow seems like a jug band having a good time. Very loose and untidy, and Boy, can they sell a song!
Raunchy with a combination of traditional cocaine street blues, Dylan, and their own songs, absolutely my kinda music. Don't think the sound man ever caught up with them. (The stuff they did was actually anti drug, but then people also misunderstood the Reverend Gary Davis's 'You take Mary, and I'll take Sue'.)
Catch a few tunes here, but it's an act to be seen live for sure:
www.crowmedicine.com
The osprey nest crisis on the Clinch River bridge seems to be drawing some concern. We'll push as hard as we can to turn that into action. This seems like a really simple way for the Town of Kingston to get some good publicity, not that it needs any.
We are researching artificial nest sites. Any info you guys come up with is welcome. Lots of good stuff already.
Now...From our "Questions for George W. Bush" Department:
(You didn't think I was going to let this go without something political, did you?)
"Sir, You've spent more money you didn't have, than any other President in the history of the United States. Exactly when and how do you expect the taxpayers of America to pay it back?"
Peace,
Steve
Charlie has a good take on stilletto diplomacy:
The Scribble
Friday, February 25, 2005
I get mail
For those who don't know, there are two parts to this blog. One, of course is the WhitesCreek Journal at Blogspot. The other is almost the same, but has some pictures, jokes and additional links sometime. This is mainly because I am too stupid/lazy to figure out how to actually maintain a blogsite/website. My efforts at putting pictures on the blog are not working and I can't figure out why. The only problem with the email format is that with such a long list of recipients, it gets quarrantined by some spam filters. Sorry. Someone will eventually take pity on me and tell me what I need to do in very simple third grade sentences. In the meantime, we carry on.
What a literate group you guys are.
I get great stuff from you, only some of which is safe for public consumption, but keep it coming. Two posts of mine have generated the most comment, Religion and Birds...(Don't worry, Tyler, I'm going to have more on the "frog love" front as Lake Steve heats up, amphibianisticly speaking)
"Amphibianisticly"...Hmm...I think I just invented another word?? Can anybody tell me how to get the patent for "FundXtian"? It's so useful! The modern English language really needs it.
Anyway...
Osprey nest sites will be a priority in the next few weeks. I have thoughts on how to get a bunch of do gooders on this mission. Lots of you sent plans and info sites. Thanks! This might be one cause we can actually accomplish something positive on. I'll take a win even if it's small.
I was very surprised at the large number of comments I received regarding :
"When Religions Attack!"
Here's one that explains precisely why FundXtians hate public schools:
"---I couldn't agree with you more regarding the damage organized religion has done throughout the world and throughout the centuries. I was a brainwashed Southern Baptist growing up, but I got some education and got over it...it took a long time to admit it and even then I was halfway surprised when a thunderbolt didn't come down from the heavens and strike me dead. I feel more at peace with myself than ever before. Peace back at you, bro Steve!"...S
From the SKB comment board, this from Lobbygow:
All this talk about thankless jobs gives me an idea for a reality show - "Nickeled and Dimed"...or perhaps something more accurate like "Owned"
Anway, the show would pit corporate CEOs and members of the President's economic team against each other in a battle to feed a family of four for a month on a working stiff's earnings, and still have enough money to buy just one share of Microsoft or GE. Of course, they would be tossed an occasional curve ball, like a severely ill kid, or the theft of their car. Arnold Schwarzeneger would host, and each week the loser would be told he was an economic "girlie man."
I think it might give "American Idol" a run for its money.
I like it. I like it a lot.
Also from SKB, a link to Juan Thompson, son of Hunter S.
sandiegonews
So it seems at first glance, that Hunter S. Thompson took his own life for reasons of classic Greek philosopy. At the moment one achieves the highest pinacle in one's life, a public cheer is said to have been, "Die Now!" This was a wish that the person would die and through eternity in the afterlife, never know the lesser states of euphoria that so often follow in one's declining years.
Hunter S. Thompson, unlike his public persona, turns out to have been a kind, generous and doting father and grandfather.
He took his own life after spending a nice weekend with his son, Juan, and grandson, Will.
So "Die Now, Hunter!"
And the obituary from Giblets, stolen in its entirety:
HUNTER THOMPSON IS NOT DEAD.
Don't believe it. Giblets saw the Good Doctor with his own two eyes just a few hours ago, heading north in the White Whale. He said he was headed up to heaven to shoot God. "The great bastard's in season and it's long overdue," the Godfather of Gonzo said as he dusted off his elephant gun. "I have full reason to believe they will award me both the head and the tail. Expect me back by the apocalypse." Good hunting, Doctor Thompson. You'll be missed.
fafblog
Peace,
Steve
*****
What a literate group you guys are.
I get great stuff from you, only some of which is safe for public consumption, but keep it coming. Two posts of mine have generated the most comment, Religion and Birds...(Don't worry, Tyler, I'm going to have more on the "frog love" front as Lake Steve heats up, amphibianisticly speaking)
"Amphibianisticly"...Hmm...I think I just invented another word?? Can anybody tell me how to get the patent for "FundXtian"? It's so useful! The modern English language really needs it.
Anyway...
Osprey nest sites will be a priority in the next few weeks. I have thoughts on how to get a bunch of do gooders on this mission. Lots of you sent plans and info sites. Thanks! This might be one cause we can actually accomplish something positive on. I'll take a win even if it's small.
I was very surprised at the large number of comments I received regarding :
"When Religions Attack!"
Here's one that explains precisely why FundXtians hate public schools:
"---I couldn't agree with you more regarding the damage organized religion has done throughout the world and throughout the centuries. I was a brainwashed Southern Baptist growing up, but I got some education and got over it...it took a long time to admit it and even then I was halfway surprised when a thunderbolt didn't come down from the heavens and strike me dead. I feel more at peace with myself than ever before. Peace back at you, bro Steve!"...S
From the SKB comment board, this from Lobbygow:
All this talk about thankless jobs gives me an idea for a reality show - "Nickeled and Dimed"...or perhaps something more accurate like "Owned"
Anway, the show would pit corporate CEOs and members of the President's economic team against each other in a battle to feed a family of four for a month on a working stiff's earnings, and still have enough money to buy just one share of Microsoft or GE. Of course, they would be tossed an occasional curve ball, like a severely ill kid, or the theft of their car. Arnold Schwarzeneger would host, and each week the loser would be told he was an economic "girlie man."
I think it might give "American Idol" a run for its money.
I like it. I like it a lot.
Also from SKB, a link to Juan Thompson, son of Hunter S.
sandiegonews
So it seems at first glance, that Hunter S. Thompson took his own life for reasons of classic Greek philosopy. At the moment one achieves the highest pinacle in one's life, a public cheer is said to have been, "Die Now!" This was a wish that the person would die and through eternity in the afterlife, never know the lesser states of euphoria that so often follow in one's declining years.
Hunter S. Thompson, unlike his public persona, turns out to have been a kind, generous and doting father and grandfather.
He took his own life after spending a nice weekend with his son, Juan, and grandson, Will.
So "Die Now, Hunter!"
And the obituary from Giblets, stolen in its entirety:
HUNTER THOMPSON IS NOT DEAD.
Don't believe it. Giblets saw the Good Doctor with his own two eyes just a few hours ago, heading north in the White Whale. He said he was headed up to heaven to shoot God. "The great bastard's in season and it's long overdue," the Godfather of Gonzo said as he dusted off his elephant gun. "I have full reason to believe they will award me both the head and the tail. Expect me back by the apocalypse." Good hunting, Doctor Thompson. You'll be missed.
fafblog
Peace,
Steve
*****
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Strap it on!"
Well, before I get down to the fun business of ripping our President a new one, I am trying to think about how to get nest sites built for ospreys.
I know that several nests have been destroyed by maintenence workers recently and at least one will be destroyed when the old Hwy 70 bridge gets torn down in Kingston. All these birds need is a pole. They'll do the rest. Who do we contact, and what do we want to ask for? There should be some way for this to bring a lot of good publicity to Kingston and Roane County if we work it right.
Let me know what you think and pass along any resources you run across.
Now...
We have a coward for a President.
I have said this often but it appears the German Press agrees with me. With such obvious evidence of cowardice in the face of a simple question, where is the Free Press of the USA.
During his trip to Germany on Wednesday, the main highlight of George W. Bush's trip was meant to be a "town hall"-style meeting with average Germans. But with the German government unwilling to permit a scripted event with questions approved in advance, the White House has quietly put the event on ice. Was Bush afraid the event might focus on prickly questions about Iraq and Iran rather than the rosy future he's been touting in Europe this week?
Speigel
I have a couple of questions I would like someone to ask George, like:
How did he know Jeff Gannon's first name when he called on him at his press conference in the US?
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.):
"We have ... learned that the questions he posed at White House press briefings and the stories he filed for Talon News frequently mirrored Republican Party talking points, that Talon News is a news organization in name only and that it has apparently close connections to the Republican party," Durbin's letter states. "Given the unprecedented level of security in Washington since 9/11, it is troubling that that a non-journalist using a false name and working for a sham news organization could have gained regular access to the White House for such an extended period of time.
E and P
"Jeff Gannon ... He is a White House correspondent who has been lobbing softball questions at the president and his press secretary, turns out he is actually a paid escort for wealthy homosexuals. ... He actually had two jobs -- one obviously was sleazy and shameful and the other was a gay male prostitute. ... I think I know what Bush meant now when he said he has a mandate." --Bill Maher
OK, so...Let's come up with some Press Conference questions for President Bush:
1. Mr. President, Youhave often spoken of your mandate following the 2004 election. Have you ever had a Man Date with Jeff Gannon or Jim Guckert or any other gay male prostitute, and if so, Was it inside the Whitehouse and where was Laura at the time?
(See? Now that's how you ask a good right wing question!)
2. How the heck did you manage to let John Negroponte "lose" (yeah, sure) 9 billion dollars of Iraqi oil money and then be stupid enough to appoint him to a Cabinet level intelligence position? Isn't that a lot of cash to misplace? Isn't it maybe a really bad idea to let a guy who thinks "Death Squads" are a good way to get things done, have 9 Billion Freaking Dollars of "Off Budget" money to work with?
3. Don't you think, Mr. President, that after AARP supported your Medicar Drug Swindle, you really should think about not stabbing them in the back over Social Security? How do you think the nice old people at AARP feel about you screwing Grandmothers, you creep? (You folks do know about the viscious attack adds the Swift Boat folks have launched at our Grandmothers, right?)
4. Why is a threat against you, Mr. President, that was made two years ago suddenly front page news, when folks start asking about the connection between tapes of you saying you won't discriminate against gays while you publicly call for a Gay Mariage Ban, while privately Gay prostitutes are given credentials to get inside the Whitehouse? (I'm may be confused, but I think that's about right.)
5. I could go on and on but why don't you folks add your own in the comments? It'll be fun...
Is this any way to design a universe?
David Hollohan intelligently skewers Intelligent Design:
ID
Peace as always,
Steve
Strap on...as promised
I know that several nests have been destroyed by maintenence workers recently and at least one will be destroyed when the old Hwy 70 bridge gets torn down in Kingston. All these birds need is a pole. They'll do the rest. Who do we contact, and what do we want to ask for? There should be some way for this to bring a lot of good publicity to Kingston and Roane County if we work it right.
Let me know what you think and pass along any resources you run across.
Now...
We have a coward for a President.
I have said this often but it appears the German Press agrees with me. With such obvious evidence of cowardice in the face of a simple question, where is the Free Press of the USA.
During his trip to Germany on Wednesday, the main highlight of George W. Bush's trip was meant to be a "town hall"-style meeting with average Germans. But with the German government unwilling to permit a scripted event with questions approved in advance, the White House has quietly put the event on ice. Was Bush afraid the event might focus on prickly questions about Iraq and Iran rather than the rosy future he's been touting in Europe this week?
Speigel
I have a couple of questions I would like someone to ask George, like:
How did he know Jeff Gannon's first name when he called on him at his press conference in the US?
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.):
"We have ... learned that the questions he posed at White House press briefings and the stories he filed for Talon News frequently mirrored Republican Party talking points, that Talon News is a news organization in name only and that it has apparently close connections to the Republican party," Durbin's letter states. "Given the unprecedented level of security in Washington since 9/11, it is troubling that that a non-journalist using a false name and working for a sham news organization could have gained regular access to the White House for such an extended period of time.
E and P
"Jeff Gannon ... He is a White House correspondent who has been lobbing softball questions at the president and his press secretary, turns out he is actually a paid escort for wealthy homosexuals. ... He actually had two jobs -- one obviously was sleazy and shameful and the other was a gay male prostitute. ... I think I know what Bush meant now when he said he has a mandate." --Bill Maher
OK, so...Let's come up with some Press Conference questions for President Bush:
1. Mr. President, Youhave often spoken of your mandate following the 2004 election. Have you ever had a Man Date with Jeff Gannon or Jim Guckert or any other gay male prostitute, and if so, Was it inside the Whitehouse and where was Laura at the time?
(See? Now that's how you ask a good right wing question!)
2. How the heck did you manage to let John Negroponte "lose" (yeah, sure) 9 billion dollars of Iraqi oil money and then be stupid enough to appoint him to a Cabinet level intelligence position? Isn't that a lot of cash to misplace? Isn't it maybe a really bad idea to let a guy who thinks "Death Squads" are a good way to get things done, have 9 Billion Freaking Dollars of "Off Budget" money to work with?
3. Don't you think, Mr. President, that after AARP supported your Medicar Drug Swindle, you really should think about not stabbing them in the back over Social Security? How do you think the nice old people at AARP feel about you screwing Grandmothers, you creep? (You folks do know about the viscious attack adds the Swift Boat folks have launched at our Grandmothers, right?)
4. Why is a threat against you, Mr. President, that was made two years ago suddenly front page news, when folks start asking about the connection between tapes of you saying you won't discriminate against gays while you publicly call for a Gay Mariage Ban, while privately Gay prostitutes are given credentials to get inside the Whitehouse? (I'm may be confused, but I think that's about right.)
5. I could go on and on but why don't you folks add your own in the comments? It'll be fun...
Is this any way to design a universe?
David Hollohan intelligently skewers Intelligent Design:
ID
Peace as always,
Steve
Strap on...as promised
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
When Religions Attack!
I have been chastised in the past for talking about things I consider to be the evil parts of Christianity in its modern form. Why one can't criticize one's own youthful religious indoctrination in an objective manner is something I don't understand (not that there really is such a thing as true Objectivity). Growing up, I came to realize that as soon as we were told not to question things...we'd better start questioning.
In my reading, I came across a statement by the Dalai Lama that called the Christian religion's proselytizing to children, "Evil".
Evil? How dare he!
At first I was shocked, but then, after thinking about it, I thought, "Well, Sure, now that you mention it."
Most adults have few defenses against propaganda, how can we expect children to critically think about things adults tell them? This is the thinking behind the Nazi Youth Corps.
I have had many moments of anguish deciding how to explain some religious imperative blurted at one of my children by a nonthoughtful adult. How do you explain to a wondering child, how an adult in a position of responsibility, can advocate some version of the Ten Commandments in your face, which says "thy shalt not bear false witness" and "Thou shalt not kill", and then tell huge lies and advocate war?
By attacking a person's ability to think critically when they are young and defenseless, they become incapable of deep thoughtful criticism later in life. As a result of this, I lay most of the world's troubles at the foot of organized religion. I will probably be burned at the stake for pointing it out.
Having the stupid mindless tragedy of the Vietnam War and incipient military service via the Draft as backdrops to my young daily life, I became very questioning. All I asked of my religion was honesty, which it could not deliver.
This led me to the inescapable conclusion, jumping to public afairs that Eisenhower was so rightly heroic in his warnings about the Military-Industrial complex, which is known technically as "Fascism" when enshrined as government....And then...
President Eisenhower's public heroism is dwarfed only by his ultimate cowardice in failing to name Organized Religion as Fascism's most bankrupt accomplice.
"God Bless America"
"One Nation, Under God"
(Sorry, It's not my place to order god to do anything...and the phrase "under god" actualy means "Under the currently most powerful religious organization". a travesty when compared to the original, "One Nation , Indivisible".)
Those statements are obviously wrong, judged by actual christian standards, and yet they ride around on the back of hundreds of thousands of cars next to the yellow ribbon "Support Our Troops" stickers which don't mean support our troops at all but rather, "Support George Bush's War".
Isn't it funny how a yellow ribbon can be corrupted?
Originally it came from a fictional short story published in Reader's Digest, about a convicted felon who had been released from prison after serving four years in jail (four years being the enlistment period for the Army. How ironic is that?). The yellow ribbon was tied around a tree in the yard to say it's ok to come home. Even though you are a convict and four years being about average for armed robbery or manslaughter or any one of several other viscious crimes against people, you can come home and all will be forgiven.
(Does anyone else see the irony in comparing our troops to a criminal?)
Well, I think it is ok to forgive, but we should never forget!
And we must always question!
Those in power will lie to us if we let them. They must always be questioned...No one gets a free pass!
In America, a Free Press is supposed to publicly question our government in performing its role in Constitutional America. When George W. Bush's Whitehouse operatives were found to be paying members of the press to "advocate" rather than question, it should have been marked as the greatest violation of Constitutional principles in American history.
Why can't the American people see this? Is it because they were so damaged in their thinking ability when they were young?
I think so!
This is why there will always be war between established religion and free public schools. This is why the separation of church and state is so damned important.
Believe what you will...
But know the truth!
Peace,
Steve
********
I've taken to reading PW on a regular basis.
"Born again -- the spiritual equivalent of declaring bankruptcy and no longer being responsible for your past actions."
PW
Robert sends this:
In keeping with our religious sensitivities & understanding that our computers can be attacked from unexpected sources - this is important news.
You have just received the Amish Virus. Since we do not have electricity or computers, you are on the honor system.
Please delete all of your files.
Thank you.
In my reading, I came across a statement by the Dalai Lama that called the Christian religion's proselytizing to children, "Evil".
Evil? How dare he!
At first I was shocked, but then, after thinking about it, I thought, "Well, Sure, now that you mention it."
Most adults have few defenses against propaganda, how can we expect children to critically think about things adults tell them? This is the thinking behind the Nazi Youth Corps.
I have had many moments of anguish deciding how to explain some religious imperative blurted at one of my children by a nonthoughtful adult. How do you explain to a wondering child, how an adult in a position of responsibility, can advocate some version of the Ten Commandments in your face, which says "thy shalt not bear false witness" and "Thou shalt not kill", and then tell huge lies and advocate war?
By attacking a person's ability to think critically when they are young and defenseless, they become incapable of deep thoughtful criticism later in life. As a result of this, I lay most of the world's troubles at the foot of organized religion. I will probably be burned at the stake for pointing it out.
Having the stupid mindless tragedy of the Vietnam War and incipient military service via the Draft as backdrops to my young daily life, I became very questioning. All I asked of my religion was honesty, which it could not deliver.
This led me to the inescapable conclusion, jumping to public afairs that Eisenhower was so rightly heroic in his warnings about the Military-Industrial complex, which is known technically as "Fascism" when enshrined as government....And then...
President Eisenhower's public heroism is dwarfed only by his ultimate cowardice in failing to name Organized Religion as Fascism's most bankrupt accomplice.
"God Bless America"
"One Nation, Under God"
(Sorry, It's not my place to order god to do anything...and the phrase "under god" actualy means "Under the currently most powerful religious organization". a travesty when compared to the original, "One Nation , Indivisible".)
Those statements are obviously wrong, judged by actual christian standards, and yet they ride around on the back of hundreds of thousands of cars next to the yellow ribbon "Support Our Troops" stickers which don't mean support our troops at all but rather, "Support George Bush's War".
Isn't it funny how a yellow ribbon can be corrupted?
Originally it came from a fictional short story published in Reader's Digest, about a convicted felon who had been released from prison after serving four years in jail (four years being the enlistment period for the Army. How ironic is that?). The yellow ribbon was tied around a tree in the yard to say it's ok to come home. Even though you are a convict and four years being about average for armed robbery or manslaughter or any one of several other viscious crimes against people, you can come home and all will be forgiven.
(Does anyone else see the irony in comparing our troops to a criminal?)
Well, I think it is ok to forgive, but we should never forget!
And we must always question!
Those in power will lie to us if we let them. They must always be questioned...No one gets a free pass!
In America, a Free Press is supposed to publicly question our government in performing its role in Constitutional America. When George W. Bush's Whitehouse operatives were found to be paying members of the press to "advocate" rather than question, it should have been marked as the greatest violation of Constitutional principles in American history.
Why can't the American people see this? Is it because they were so damaged in their thinking ability when they were young?
I think so!
This is why there will always be war between established religion and free public schools. This is why the separation of church and state is so damned important.
Believe what you will...
But know the truth!
Peace,
Steve
********
I've taken to reading PW on a regular basis.
"Born again -- the spiritual equivalent of declaring bankruptcy and no longer being responsible for your past actions."
PW
Robert sends this:
In keeping with our religious sensitivities & understanding that our computers can be attacked from unexpected sources - this is important news.
You have just received the Amish Virus. Since we do not have electricity or computers, you are on the honor system.
Please delete all of your files.
Thank you.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Wrongway birds
Well I noticed somthing different in the bird world, this weekend. Normally we have several bald eagles that roost somewhere up the creek. Early in the morning, they usually fly out to Watts Bar Lake to begin their work day. Because of the great backyard bird count this weekend I paid closer attention to something that caught my eye a few weeks back...We have an eagle going the wrong way!
There it is, morning after morning flying UP the creek.
Wassup widdat? Could it be this bird is one of the ones that roost on the lake and has taken to visiting a "close friend" up the creek?
I heard rumors from unreliable sources that there was a nest on the creek last year, but I was unable to locate it. Most "eagle" nests turn out to be Ospreys.
The boys and I were forced to carry kayaks up to the confluence of Piney Creek and White's Creek yesterday due to the heavy rainfall and resulting large crashing surfable waves in the creek. Shortly after we put in I was floating backwards watching my kids play in the whitewater when I noticed what could be a huge nest on top of the ridge. It's on my land so I will check on it and report back. If it is a nest, it will change my plans to build a pond on that tract of land this spring.
I'm fine with that.
*****
How does an editorial columnist from a red state come to an un-Red conclusion about George W. Bush, asking this question:
While stating the budget was in line with his commitment to cut the deficit in half by 2009, Bush failed to mention the three items that weren't in the budget. First, there is the cost the war in Iraq. Next up, we have the $1 trillion (at least) price tag to privatize Social Security. And lastly, there is the continuation of the tax cuts, which are set to expire, but that Bush said he wants to make permanent.
In other words, this budget isn't very truthful. In fact, deceptive is about the nicest description you can use for it.
This is a time when I wished someone would ask the obvious question of the president:
Are you really bad at math, or are you lying to us?
I think the obvious answer is: Yes!
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20050220/OPINION/102200026
"America: just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable."
Hunter S. Thomson qoutes:
The Guardian
A very good, short, personal remembrance:
Rude Pundit
Bubba has a short comparison of two US presidents.
One:
Despite being crippled in his prime by polio, was elected four times by a grateful, adoring nation, leading to the 22nd Amendment limiting presidents to two terms.
The other one:
Despite being mentally crippled by years of substance abuse, was elected twice by a stupid, uninformed, God-loving, evil-hating, queer-fearing nation, leading to calls for repeal of the 22nd Amendment.
Go:
SKB
Quote of the day:
"I don't want any kid doing what I tried to do 30 years ago...And I mean that. It doesn't matter if it's LSD, cocaine, pot, any of those things..."
....George W. Bush heard on the Wead tapes
Peace,
Steve
There it is, morning after morning flying UP the creek.
Wassup widdat? Could it be this bird is one of the ones that roost on the lake and has taken to visiting a "close friend" up the creek?
I heard rumors from unreliable sources that there was a nest on the creek last year, but I was unable to locate it. Most "eagle" nests turn out to be Ospreys.
The boys and I were forced to carry kayaks up to the confluence of Piney Creek and White's Creek yesterday due to the heavy rainfall and resulting large crashing surfable waves in the creek. Shortly after we put in I was floating backwards watching my kids play in the whitewater when I noticed what could be a huge nest on top of the ridge. It's on my land so I will check on it and report back. If it is a nest, it will change my plans to build a pond on that tract of land this spring.
I'm fine with that.
*****
How does an editorial columnist from a red state come to an un-Red conclusion about George W. Bush, asking this question:
While stating the budget was in line with his commitment to cut the deficit in half by 2009, Bush failed to mention the three items that weren't in the budget. First, there is the cost the war in Iraq. Next up, we have the $1 trillion (at least) price tag to privatize Social Security. And lastly, there is the continuation of the tax cuts, which are set to expire, but that Bush said he wants to make permanent.
In other words, this budget isn't very truthful. In fact, deceptive is about the nicest description you can use for it.
This is a time when I wished someone would ask the obvious question of the president:
Are you really bad at math, or are you lying to us?
I think the obvious answer is: Yes!
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20050220/OPINION/102200026
"America: just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable."
Hunter S. Thomson qoutes:
The Guardian
A very good, short, personal remembrance:
Rude Pundit
Bubba has a short comparison of two US presidents.
One:
Despite being crippled in his prime by polio, was elected four times by a grateful, adoring nation, leading to the 22nd Amendment limiting presidents to two terms.
The other one:
Despite being mentally crippled by years of substance abuse, was elected twice by a stupid, uninformed, God-loving, evil-hating, queer-fearing nation, leading to calls for repeal of the 22nd Amendment.
Go:
SKB
Quote of the day:
"I don't want any kid doing what I tried to do 30 years ago...And I mean that. It doesn't matter if it's LSD, cocaine, pot, any of those things..."
....George W. Bush heard on the Wead tapes
Peace,
Steve
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Quotes
Well, today's Sunday and I don't want to think all that much so I just put a few quotes together for you. The first is a mind boggling thing that tells me that "For this President, words have no meaning...They are just utterances." (Another quote, I guess)
"I want him to be able to have a chance to say he's done it for this reason or done that, so I can explain to him as best I can, in a friendly way, of course, that Western values are, you know, are based upon transparency and rule of law, the right for the people to express themselves, checks and balances in government."
...George W. Bush Regarding Russian President Putin
"...a gaffe occurs not when somebody lies, but when he says what he really thinks"...Michael Kinsley
"As you said, there are some code words. There are some proper ways to say things, and some improper ways." He added, "I am going to say that I've accepted Christ into my life. And that's a true statement."...George W. Bush from secret recordings made by his "friend" Doug Wead, who has released the tapes.
"We never retract anything we do here because we never make things up on this program." Rush Limbaugh, who claimed that the Clintons were behind the Swift Boats for Truth.
"I was rejected for a White House press pass at the start of the Bush administration, but someone with an alias, a tax evasion problem and Internet pictures where he posed like the 'Barberini Faun' is credentialed to cover a White House that won a second term by mining homophobia and preaching family values?" -- Maureen Dowd
"Democratic senators...acted as if he were still playing his proper role, acting as a nonpartisan source of economic advice....
But Mr. Greenspan is no longer entitled to such deference. By repeatedly shilling for whatever the Bush administration wants, he has betrayed the trust placed in Fed chairmen, and deserves to be treated as just another partisan hack"...Paul Krugman
"Our position has been the same for a long time," said Bill Holbrook, spokesman for the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "The science of global climate change is uncertain."
"Ice is in decline everywhere on the planet, and especially in the Arctic, " said Ruth Curry, a physical oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, "and there is large-scale drying throughout the Northern Hemisphere."
"It's increasingly clear that members of the military were aware of the allegations of torture and that efforts were taken to erase evidence, to shut down investigations and to humiliate the detainees in an effort to silence them," ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero, after the Army's destruction of hundreds of photos documenting torture came to light.
"The War on Poverty is over...the Poor lost!"...President Ronald Reagan
"No group of Americans would be affected more by President Bush's Social Security plan than those earning the least." ...Jim VandeHel, Washington Post in an article titled, 'Poorest Face Most Risk'
"The EPA's secret, backroom deals with pesticide makers are clearly against the law, and they're a threat to our health," ... NRDC attorney Aaron Colangelo, noting that the Bush EPA changed the labeling requirements for Rat poison, resulting in the poisoning of 33,000 more children in 2004 than in 2001, when the regulations were changed.
Sigh...
Peace,
Steve
"I want him to be able to have a chance to say he's done it for this reason or done that, so I can explain to him as best I can, in a friendly way, of course, that Western values are, you know, are based upon transparency and rule of law, the right for the people to express themselves, checks and balances in government."
...George W. Bush Regarding Russian President Putin
"...a gaffe occurs not when somebody lies, but when he says what he really thinks"...Michael Kinsley
"As you said, there are some code words. There are some proper ways to say things, and some improper ways." He added, "I am going to say that I've accepted Christ into my life. And that's a true statement."...George W. Bush from secret recordings made by his "friend" Doug Wead, who has released the tapes.
"We never retract anything we do here because we never make things up on this program." Rush Limbaugh, who claimed that the Clintons were behind the Swift Boats for Truth.
"I was rejected for a White House press pass at the start of the Bush administration, but someone with an alias, a tax evasion problem and Internet pictures where he posed like the 'Barberini Faun' is credentialed to cover a White House that won a second term by mining homophobia and preaching family values?" -- Maureen Dowd
"Democratic senators...acted as if he were still playing his proper role, acting as a nonpartisan source of economic advice....
But Mr. Greenspan is no longer entitled to such deference. By repeatedly shilling for whatever the Bush administration wants, he has betrayed the trust placed in Fed chairmen, and deserves to be treated as just another partisan hack"...Paul Krugman
"Our position has been the same for a long time," said Bill Holbrook, spokesman for the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "The science of global climate change is uncertain."
"Ice is in decline everywhere on the planet, and especially in the Arctic, " said Ruth Curry, a physical oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, "and there is large-scale drying throughout the Northern Hemisphere."
"It's increasingly clear that members of the military were aware of the allegations of torture and that efforts were taken to erase evidence, to shut down investigations and to humiliate the detainees in an effort to silence them," ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero, after the Army's destruction of hundreds of photos documenting torture came to light.
"The War on Poverty is over...the Poor lost!"...President Ronald Reagan
"No group of Americans would be affected more by President Bush's Social Security plan than those earning the least." ...Jim VandeHel, Washington Post in an article titled, 'Poorest Face Most Risk'
"The EPA's secret, backroom deals with pesticide makers are clearly against the law, and they're a threat to our health," ... NRDC attorney Aaron Colangelo, noting that the Bush EPA changed the labeling requirements for Rat poison, resulting in the poisoning of 33,000 more children in 2004 than in 2001, when the regulations were changed.
Sigh...
Peace,
Steve
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Pileated? What's Pileated?
Well, I ramble a bit today. But,what the heck, it's Saturday.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is this weekend. I have a slight advantage on all of you but look out there and see what you have. Here's my list so far:
Bald Eagle, Wood Duck, Crow, Hairy Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Goldfinch, Nuthatch, Titmaouse, Chickadee. Cardinal, Phoebe, Turkey Vulture, Turkey, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Heron, mourning dove, junco, and several Damfino's.
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
Holy bleep!!! Gannon Gate has hit the mainstream media but strangely, only from the GOP apologist point of view. What has been stated that I've seen is something like,
"Poor Jeff Gannon...He was a male prostitute who has tried to get a real job as a reporter and the evil Democrats just won't let him be."
There is a reeking stink on this whole thing that disgusts me.
Jeff Gannon's real name seems to be Jim Guckert, and he was running a male prostitute web site and himself servicing customers. The question is how many of his customers are in the Bush Whitehouse?
Here's the deal:
Without the evangelical FundXtians added to their fascist coalition, the Neo-Conservatives (Bush, Rummy, Rove, Wolfowitz, etc.) have no power to win elections. They are severly compromised because while protraying public homophobia to appease the Evangelicals, a significant number of the GOP and Bush's inner circle are in fact gay. Therefore the hippocrisy!
Look, folks! A significant number of EVERYBODY's inner circle is in fact, gay. This is life. It's the way things are. But by allowing one fairly small group (Evangelicals are about 17% of America) to generate a fear of another group (Homosexuals are probably around 10% of Americans) It sets us up for two things:
First, Fear and hatred can be used to drive public opinion into places logic and reason would never permit. There are no WMD's in Iraq, Al Queda was never allied with Saddam in any way, and nothing homosexuals do with each other can possibly affect heterosexual marriages, but these fears drove our last presidential election into the abyss of Fascism.
Secondly, villifying gays does one thing above all others. Sex is pretty much an un-ressistable "Drive"...People will find each other and they will follow the directives of their biological programming. High ranking gay members of the Bush administration have now set themselves up for blackmail. This happened the last time Conservatives were in unopposed power in the fifties, though I suspect most people have little current awareness of Joe McCarthy, Roy Cohn, J. Edgar Hoover and the horrible abuses of power that resulted.
One must ask,
"Was blackmail involved in getting Jeff Gannon his Press Pass?"
"Was blackmail involved in allowing Gannon access to classified CIA materials?"
"Was Blackmail involved in Gannon's "scoop' and announcement of the attack on Iraq, four hours before the actual announcement from our government?"
"Was Blackmail involved in Gannon NOT being one of the reporters threatened with jail for not revealing the source of the CIA leak?"
(Gannon/Guckert himself appears to be the leak, the question is who was he servicing that gave him the documents?
Throughout the history of the world, high ranking government officials, Kings, Presidents, Secretaries of Defense, Justice, and State, have slept with the wrong wives, girlfriends, husbands, boyfriends, and prostitutes of every conceivable kind. Evil in many forms, including scandals, have resulted in those societies only when they have been ruled by hippocrisy.
The problem with the right wing is a deep and corrupting stupidity born of selfishness and arrogance. It will lead to their destruction, eventually. The only question in return, is:
How witheringly destructive will their actions be to America before they fall?
I am having difficulty accepting all the information that is coming out, but...If the mainstream media ever grows testicles or ovaries, it will blow the Bush Whitehouse off the planet earth! Let us all watch and see just how deep is the corruption of a once Free Press.
Here's an excerpt from a good resource:
"Gannongate," which is only now being mentioned by the mainstream news media, threatens to expose a potentially damaging GOP pedophile and male prostitution ring dating back to the 1980s and the administration of George H. W. Bush....
One White House reporter expressed revulsion over the fact that it was Fleischer who took away press credential from the late long-time White House correspondent Sarah McClendon and handed them to Gannon....
Last year, a senior source on the Washington Times editorial staff (the same paper that broke the GOP pedophile scandal in 1989) linked White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to gay activities involving top Republican political strategists in Washington, DC....
http://onlinejournal.com/Media/021805Madsen/021805madsen.html
Peace,
steve
If you don't check Fafblog on a regular basis, you are so missing or at least running low on "funny". Take the Treason test:
http://fafblog.blogspot.com/2005_02_13_fafblog_archive.html#110870213550100400
The Great Backyard Bird Count is this weekend. I have a slight advantage on all of you but look out there and see what you have. Here's my list so far:
Bald Eagle, Wood Duck, Crow, Hairy Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Goldfinch, Nuthatch, Titmaouse, Chickadee. Cardinal, Phoebe, Turkey Vulture, Turkey, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Heron, mourning dove, junco, and several Damfino's.
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
Holy bleep!!! Gannon Gate has hit the mainstream media but strangely, only from the GOP apologist point of view. What has been stated that I've seen is something like,
"Poor Jeff Gannon...He was a male prostitute who has tried to get a real job as a reporter and the evil Democrats just won't let him be."
There is a reeking stink on this whole thing that disgusts me.
Jeff Gannon's real name seems to be Jim Guckert, and he was running a male prostitute web site and himself servicing customers. The question is how many of his customers are in the Bush Whitehouse?
Here's the deal:
Without the evangelical FundXtians added to their fascist coalition, the Neo-Conservatives (Bush, Rummy, Rove, Wolfowitz, etc.) have no power to win elections. They are severly compromised because while protraying public homophobia to appease the Evangelicals, a significant number of the GOP and Bush's inner circle are in fact gay. Therefore the hippocrisy!
Look, folks! A significant number of EVERYBODY's inner circle is in fact, gay. This is life. It's the way things are. But by allowing one fairly small group (Evangelicals are about 17% of America) to generate a fear of another group (Homosexuals are probably around 10% of Americans) It sets us up for two things:
First, Fear and hatred can be used to drive public opinion into places logic and reason would never permit. There are no WMD's in Iraq, Al Queda was never allied with Saddam in any way, and nothing homosexuals do with each other can possibly affect heterosexual marriages, but these fears drove our last presidential election into the abyss of Fascism.
Secondly, villifying gays does one thing above all others. Sex is pretty much an un-ressistable "Drive"...People will find each other and they will follow the directives of their biological programming. High ranking gay members of the Bush administration have now set themselves up for blackmail. This happened the last time Conservatives were in unopposed power in the fifties, though I suspect most people have little current awareness of Joe McCarthy, Roy Cohn, J. Edgar Hoover and the horrible abuses of power that resulted.
One must ask,
"Was blackmail involved in getting Jeff Gannon his Press Pass?"
"Was blackmail involved in allowing Gannon access to classified CIA materials?"
"Was Blackmail involved in Gannon's "scoop' and announcement of the attack on Iraq, four hours before the actual announcement from our government?"
"Was Blackmail involved in Gannon NOT being one of the reporters threatened with jail for not revealing the source of the CIA leak?"
(Gannon/Guckert himself appears to be the leak, the question is who was he servicing that gave him the documents?
Throughout the history of the world, high ranking government officials, Kings, Presidents, Secretaries of Defense, Justice, and State, have slept with the wrong wives, girlfriends, husbands, boyfriends, and prostitutes of every conceivable kind. Evil in many forms, including scandals, have resulted in those societies only when they have been ruled by hippocrisy.
The problem with the right wing is a deep and corrupting stupidity born of selfishness and arrogance. It will lead to their destruction, eventually. The only question in return, is:
How witheringly destructive will their actions be to America before they fall?
I am having difficulty accepting all the information that is coming out, but...If the mainstream media ever grows testicles or ovaries, it will blow the Bush Whitehouse off the planet earth! Let us all watch and see just how deep is the corruption of a once Free Press.
Here's an excerpt from a good resource:
"Gannongate," which is only now being mentioned by the mainstream news media, threatens to expose a potentially damaging GOP pedophile and male prostitution ring dating back to the 1980s and the administration of George H. W. Bush....
One White House reporter expressed revulsion over the fact that it was Fleischer who took away press credential from the late long-time White House correspondent Sarah McClendon and handed them to Gannon....
Last year, a senior source on the Washington Times editorial staff (the same paper that broke the GOP pedophile scandal in 1989) linked White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to gay activities involving top Republican political strategists in Washington, DC....
http://onlinejournal.com/Media/021805Madsen/021805madsen.html
Peace,
steve
If you don't check Fafblog on a regular basis, you are so missing or at least running low on "funny". Take the Treason test:
http://fafblog.blogspot.com/2005_02_13_fafblog_archive.html#110870213550100400
Friday, February 18, 2005
Poetry, punditry, and punniness
by Bob Dylan
Oh the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'.
Like the stillness in the wind
'Fore the hurricane begins,
The hour when the ship comes in.
Oh the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking.
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning will be breaking.
Oh the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they'll be smiling.
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand,
The hour that the ship comes in.
And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they're spoken.
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean.
A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline.
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck,
The hour that the ship comes in.
Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin'.
And the ship's wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin'.
Oh the foes will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'.
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
And know that it's for real,
The hour when the ship comes in.
Then they'll raise their hands,
Sayin' we'll meet all your demands,
But we'll shout from the bow your days are numbered.
And like Pharaoh's tribe,
They'll be drownded in the tide,
And like Goliath, they'll be conquered.
I listened to Paul Krugman talk about Bush's Social Security plan right after I had listened to a speaker from the CATO institute do the same. I was shocked that the CATO guy could get away with obvious lies in a National news forum like that.
He said , "...there are no real assets in the Social Security trust fund."
Krugman, when his turn came, went on and on, patiently explaining the mechanics of SS and the lunacy of the President's plan, nicely contradicting nearly everything the Cato guy had said. What he should have been doing is stating emphaticly that the guy was lying through his teeth!
"There are no real assets in the Social Security Trust fund! Congress spent the money! Social Security will be bancrupt in 15 years!"
All of these statements have also been stated repeatedly by President Bush and they are all lies! Fact is, the first time George W. Bush publicly stated that SS would go bust in ten years was in 1978, when he was running for the House of Representatives. Most Americans are aware that SS did not go bust in 1988 and that in fact, there are not and have not been, for the last ten years, Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq!
I would bet you dollars to corn flakes that George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and that guy from the CATO intitute all have, in one form or another, exactly the same "real assets" as the Social Security Trust fund in their own portfolios! They are called United States Treasury Notes, and they are as real as a real asset gets in the financial world. They are guaranteed by the United States of America. Want to know who holds the most US Treasury Notes?
Japan, China, and Saudi Arabia buy more each day than all other purchasers combined.
What George W. Bush may be saying is that, sure you and I have paid billions of dollars in taxes into the trust fund but he intends to steal it. He isn't going to pay it back to America's retirees. If he were to say that to China, or Saudi Arabia, the economy of America would be instantly destroyed.
One can only ask if that is what President Bush actually wants?
I am starting to think this could be!
OK, Now...
Folks, Social Security is not an investment plan in the first place. it is actually called, "Old Age and Disability Insurance." This is a very different thing from what Bush is claiming it is. Only one third of SS payments go to retirement...One third goes to pay a poverty level wage to people who get disabled, and one third go to the spouses and minor children of workers who die prematurely. The tax deffered retirement plan is the 401k and the IRA. Got that?
Peace,
Steve
Oh the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'.
Like the stillness in the wind
'Fore the hurricane begins,
The hour when the ship comes in.
Oh the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking.
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning will be breaking.
Oh the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they'll be smiling.
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand,
The hour that the ship comes in.
And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they're spoken.
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean.
A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline.
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck,
The hour that the ship comes in.
Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin'.
And the ship's wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin'.
Oh the foes will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'.
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
And know that it's for real,
The hour when the ship comes in.
Then they'll raise their hands,
Sayin' we'll meet all your demands,
But we'll shout from the bow your days are numbered.
And like Pharaoh's tribe,
They'll be drownded in the tide,
And like Goliath, they'll be conquered.
I listened to Paul Krugman talk about Bush's Social Security plan right after I had listened to a speaker from the CATO institute do the same. I was shocked that the CATO guy could get away with obvious lies in a National news forum like that.
He said , "...there are no real assets in the Social Security trust fund."
Krugman, when his turn came, went on and on, patiently explaining the mechanics of SS and the lunacy of the President's plan, nicely contradicting nearly everything the Cato guy had said. What he should have been doing is stating emphaticly that the guy was lying through his teeth!
"There are no real assets in the Social Security Trust fund! Congress spent the money! Social Security will be bancrupt in 15 years!"
All of these statements have also been stated repeatedly by President Bush and they are all lies! Fact is, the first time George W. Bush publicly stated that SS would go bust in ten years was in 1978, when he was running for the House of Representatives. Most Americans are aware that SS did not go bust in 1988 and that in fact, there are not and have not been, for the last ten years, Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq!
I would bet you dollars to corn flakes that George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and that guy from the CATO intitute all have, in one form or another, exactly the same "real assets" as the Social Security Trust fund in their own portfolios! They are called United States Treasury Notes, and they are as real as a real asset gets in the financial world. They are guaranteed by the United States of America. Want to know who holds the most US Treasury Notes?
Japan, China, and Saudi Arabia buy more each day than all other purchasers combined.
What George W. Bush may be saying is that, sure you and I have paid billions of dollars in taxes into the trust fund but he intends to steal it. He isn't going to pay it back to America's retirees. If he were to say that to China, or Saudi Arabia, the economy of America would be instantly destroyed.
One can only ask if that is what President Bush actually wants?
I am starting to think this could be!
OK, Now...
Folks, Social Security is not an investment plan in the first place. it is actually called, "Old Age and Disability Insurance." This is a very different thing from what Bush is claiming it is. Only one third of SS payments go to retirement...One third goes to pay a poverty level wage to people who get disabled, and one third go to the spouses and minor children of workers who die prematurely. The tax deffered retirement plan is the 401k and the IRA. Got that?
Peace,
Steve
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Burning Down the House
Well just the stairs, actually.
I am at the cabin in Long Creek listening to the best radio station...WNCW...88.7...which comes in so clearly here in South Carolina. I live in the woods anyway, but coming over here lets me try to sleep through the night in a different woods. I say "try to sleep" because the critters seem to think the walls of the cabin were made for them to chase each other around on.
Flying squirrels.
Running and squeaking, doing who knows what on my walls. It's like having a bunch of river guides over for a meal and sleepover. Nobody sleeps until dawn...that's all I'm going to say...Some folks make the noise...other folks try to not hear it. never works.
Something else was out there snuffling. We have bears but this was smaller. It's my own fault for throwing the leftovers from my supper off the deck. I know better.
I have a friend rebuilding lots of things here at the cabin that I was supposed to get finished 18 years ago, one of which is the stairway to the loft. He tore the old treacherous stairs out and put in a fairly reasonable and quite safe new stairway to heaven...upstairs to where folks don't sleep.
I'm trying to get doors and ceilings and sound proofing into strategic places. I like company but I need my sleep, too. In the process of fixing things, there are bits of wood piled up from the tearout and waste, so this morning I burned the old stairs to keep warm. It seemed only fitting...So many couples have gone up them to keep each other warm, I figured to honor the old stairs by letting them keep me warm one last time.
Alone in the woods with hot coffee and a warm cabin...A Romanian folk song following a bluegrass version of Pink Floyd...Gotta get moving, but for a little while, all is well with the world.
Peace,
Steve
Yesterday's news:
Offering few specifics on terror threats, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told a House hearing that the government could reasonably predict attacks would come from terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and other means.
And Bubba says:
"Yeah? No shit? If they are so good at predicting attacks, why didn't they do something to prevent 9/11? After they sent the FAA more than 50 intelligence briefings warning of suicide hijackings just prior to 9/11? Or after sending Bush a briefing entitled "bin-Laden determined to strike in U.S."?
These guys have no shame. And no real concern for the security of the United States. Which happens to be the number one responsibility assigned to the Commander in Chief and his posse by our Constitution."
Well written reasonable outrage here:
SKB
Prarie Weather has the story...I'm really liking this Steny Hoyer:
Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2-ranking House Democrat, said Wednesday the decision "smacks of retribution because these staffers put the ethical integrity of this institution above the agenda of the Republican leadership."
PW
Here's a thoughtful read starting with a Budhist proverb:
"Look for the truth exactly on the spot where you stand."
...truths make their way, against all obstacles, and break down the credibility of the warmakers, juxtaposing what reality teaches against the rhetoric of inaugural addresses and White House briefings. The work of a movement is to enhance that learning, make clear the disconnect between the rhetoric of "liberty" and the photo of a bloodied little girl, weeping.
So this is exactly what lots of us have been trying to do...Change the minds of those people who stil have one.
Read and be heartened:
truthout
I am at the cabin in Long Creek listening to the best radio station...WNCW...88.7...which comes in so clearly here in South Carolina. I live in the woods anyway, but coming over here lets me try to sleep through the night in a different woods. I say "try to sleep" because the critters seem to think the walls of the cabin were made for them to chase each other around on.
Flying squirrels.
Running and squeaking, doing who knows what on my walls. It's like having a bunch of river guides over for a meal and sleepover. Nobody sleeps until dawn...that's all I'm going to say...Some folks make the noise...other folks try to not hear it. never works.
Something else was out there snuffling. We have bears but this was smaller. It's my own fault for throwing the leftovers from my supper off the deck. I know better.
I have a friend rebuilding lots of things here at the cabin that I was supposed to get finished 18 years ago, one of which is the stairway to the loft. He tore the old treacherous stairs out and put in a fairly reasonable and quite safe new stairway to heaven...upstairs to where folks don't sleep.
I'm trying to get doors and ceilings and sound proofing into strategic places. I like company but I need my sleep, too. In the process of fixing things, there are bits of wood piled up from the tearout and waste, so this morning I burned the old stairs to keep warm. It seemed only fitting...So many couples have gone up them to keep each other warm, I figured to honor the old stairs by letting them keep me warm one last time.
Alone in the woods with hot coffee and a warm cabin...A Romanian folk song following a bluegrass version of Pink Floyd...Gotta get moving, but for a little while, all is well with the world.
Peace,
Steve
Yesterday's news:
Offering few specifics on terror threats, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told a House hearing that the government could reasonably predict attacks would come from terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and other means.
And Bubba says:
"Yeah? No shit? If they are so good at predicting attacks, why didn't they do something to prevent 9/11? After they sent the FAA more than 50 intelligence briefings warning of suicide hijackings just prior to 9/11? Or after sending Bush a briefing entitled "bin-Laden determined to strike in U.S."?
These guys have no shame. And no real concern for the security of the United States. Which happens to be the number one responsibility assigned to the Commander in Chief and his posse by our Constitution."
Well written reasonable outrage here:
SKB
Prarie Weather has the story...I'm really liking this Steny Hoyer:
Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2-ranking House Democrat, said Wednesday the decision "smacks of retribution because these staffers put the ethical integrity of this institution above the agenda of the Republican leadership."
PW
Here's a thoughtful read starting with a Budhist proverb:
"Look for the truth exactly on the spot where you stand."
...truths make their way, against all obstacles, and break down the credibility of the warmakers, juxtaposing what reality teaches against the rhetoric of inaugural addresses and White House briefings. The work of a movement is to enhance that learning, make clear the disconnect between the rhetoric of "liberty" and the photo of a bloodied little girl, weeping.
So this is exactly what lots of us have been trying to do...Change the minds of those people who stil have one.
Read and be heartened:
truthout
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Why isn't this on the News?
The full weekend seems like the deal to me.
I don't have time to do this one justice but here goes:
Well, now that our President's boy hooker press plant has been outed...not for being gay but for being a shill...Jeff Gannon has withdrawn from the Whitehouse Press corp. But this didn't slow Scott McClellan down very long...Now he has some guy named "John" asking the same bogus planted question. Notice how this is framed:
Q You talked about sanctions against Iran if they don’t comply with dismantling their nuclear energy program. Sanctions, in the past, have proven to be a joke – that they didn’t work against Iraq…
Well gee, John, whoever you are, I actually believe that they did work...Didn't Saddam have WMD's in 1991? I mean Dick Cheney sold them to him and still has the receipt somewhere...And Now there are none...Why?
Here's United Nations weapons inspector, David Kay:
“Iraq’s large-scale capability to develop, produce, and fill new chemical weapon munitions was reduced - if not entirely destroyed - during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Fox, 13 years of UN sanctions and UN inspections.”
David Kay is the Bush Administration's hand picked man, but see, Cheney and Rumsfeld made a mistake in his case...
They picked an honest man!
Had to fire him...Can't be trusted to lie when needed!
Think Progress has more:
http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=245
So why does this matter? We don't care if White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan goes to gay bars(true, by the way) and pays gay male hookers for sex...That's his/their business.
We don't care if the Republican Party Chairman is gay(true, by the way)...That's his business.
So why do we care who Scott McClellan pays for sex?
I mean if President George W. Bush's Whitehouse Press Secretary wants to get a discount on Gannon's $200 an hour/$1200 a weekend rate by introducing him to George himself, why should I care?
Is it the Hipocrisy?
Is it the lying?
Is it the use of a supposedly "Free Press" event to frame a question so stupidly obvious that George doesn't have to say a word to create a false impression such as "Sanctions were a joke against Iraq..." when in truth, they brought Saddam to his knees with nothing in his arsenal much greater than squirrel rifles?
I quote the Rude Pundit:
"The reason Gannon/Guckert matters is because this administration has mainstreamed evil,
has made it a dull hum in the background. Oh, sure, sure, we were appalled, so goddamn outraged when Abu Ghraib happened, but now, even as story after story comes out that we, the American public, elected a government that thinks it's simply part of the post-9/11 game to abuse and torture suspects, we care less and less. And like a rickety old house with termites gnawing at its foundation, we are being undermined and won't know it until the whole thing comes crashing down around us. We are draining away law and ethics through the "extraordinary renditions" of "terror suspects," as well as our own torturing. Like city dwellers who can sleep through sirens, car alarms, and street construction, we just tune it all out. But it'll crash, finally. Then we'll think, oh, shit, should've killed those termites."
There's so much more, but be warned! His Rudeness writes in powerful language:
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com
Gotta run...Peace, eh?
Steve
I don't have time to do this one justice but here goes:
Well, now that our President's boy hooker press plant has been outed...not for being gay but for being a shill...Jeff Gannon has withdrawn from the Whitehouse Press corp. But this didn't slow Scott McClellan down very long...Now he has some guy named "John" asking the same bogus planted question. Notice how this is framed:
Q You talked about sanctions against Iran if they don’t comply with dismantling their nuclear energy program. Sanctions, in the past, have proven to be a joke – that they didn’t work against Iraq…
Well gee, John, whoever you are, I actually believe that they did work...Didn't Saddam have WMD's in 1991? I mean Dick Cheney sold them to him and still has the receipt somewhere...And Now there are none...Why?
Here's United Nations weapons inspector, David Kay:
“Iraq’s large-scale capability to develop, produce, and fill new chemical weapon munitions was reduced - if not entirely destroyed - during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Fox, 13 years of UN sanctions and UN inspections.”
David Kay is the Bush Administration's hand picked man, but see, Cheney and Rumsfeld made a mistake in his case...
They picked an honest man!
Had to fire him...Can't be trusted to lie when needed!
Think Progress has more:
http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=245
So why does this matter? We don't care if White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan goes to gay bars(true, by the way) and pays gay male hookers for sex...That's his/their business.
We don't care if the Republican Party Chairman is gay(true, by the way)...That's his business.
So why do we care who Scott McClellan pays for sex?
I mean if President George W. Bush's Whitehouse Press Secretary wants to get a discount on Gannon's $200 an hour/$1200 a weekend rate by introducing him to George himself, why should I care?
Is it the Hipocrisy?
Is it the lying?
Is it the use of a supposedly "Free Press" event to frame a question so stupidly obvious that George doesn't have to say a word to create a false impression such as "Sanctions were a joke against Iraq..." when in truth, they brought Saddam to his knees with nothing in his arsenal much greater than squirrel rifles?
I quote the Rude Pundit:
"The reason Gannon/Guckert matters is because this administration has mainstreamed evil,
has made it a dull hum in the background. Oh, sure, sure, we were appalled, so goddamn outraged when Abu Ghraib happened, but now, even as story after story comes out that we, the American public, elected a government that thinks it's simply part of the post-9/11 game to abuse and torture suspects, we care less and less. And like a rickety old house with termites gnawing at its foundation, we are being undermined and won't know it until the whole thing comes crashing down around us. We are draining away law and ethics through the "extraordinary renditions" of "terror suspects," as well as our own torturing. Like city dwellers who can sleep through sirens, car alarms, and street construction, we just tune it all out. But it'll crash, finally. Then we'll think, oh, shit, should've killed those termites."
There's so much more, but be warned! His Rudeness writes in powerful language:
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com
Gotta run...Peace, eh?
Steve
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Sensitive Material
I have to warn you about today's post. There really is "sensitive content"...I mean I'm a sensitive guy, right? So I should throw in some content now and then, right?
I am stunned that I still see Michael Jackson's trial on the evening news, when President of the United States George W. Bush has been caught publicly consorting with a gay hooker!
Let me give you the short version, although from the pix posted on the internet there's nothing "short" about the Whitehouse play toy.
The most cowardly and treasonous act of the Bush whitehouse was to attack an honest man by divulging that his longserving and professionally highly regarded wife was a CIA agent. This not only endagers her life but has compromised CIA operations and may have already led to the deaths of American agents over seas. This was done because among the lies Bush told in the run up to war in Iraq, was a big lie based on knowingly forged documents claiming that Saddam had purchased nuclear material from Niger. The man sent to Africa verify the documents was Joe Wilson and he reported back that they were false...Very inconvenient ,since Bush sent Colon Powell to the United Nations to claim that they were true. Joe Wilson, a true Patriot, went public with the truth, Bush was lying, Cheney was lying, Powell was Lying, etc...
To punish Wilson, Karl Rove had Wilson's wife attacked, her career and American Intelligence operations ruined, simply as an act of revenge. Well Treason should be enough but since it isn't, It is how this information became public that is interesting.
Jim Guckert is a male prostitute.
Suddenly, he gets a new name, Jeff Gannon, is set up as a reporter working for a suddenly created news agency, Talon News, and given Whitehouse press credentials. Jim Gannon shows up at a Bush Press Conference but is not on the prescripted call-on list Bush is supposed to use. President George W. Bush, in a rare unscripted moment, calls on...
"Jeff?"
George doesn't read his name off the list...He just calls on him...
"Jeff?"
Does Bush know this guy?
Newly minted Whitehouse correspondent, Jeff Gannon gushes over George and asks him a softball question that would almost appear planted to someone who wasn't familiar with this Whitehouse's high ethical standards.
Now comes the "High Treason" part...The brand spanking new...
(emphasis on spanking, ok I can't resist, here is the quote from Guckert/Gannon's web site:
"AGGRESIVE, VERBAL, DOMINANT TOP"
I DON'T LEAVE MARKS....ONLY IMPRESSIONS)
Where was I??? Oh Yeah, The Brand Spanking New White house correspondent is given access to classified CIA documents regarding Valerie Plame and "OUTS" her as a CIA agent, thereby screwing Joe Wilson for Karl Rove.
You've heard about all this on Fox News, right?
No?
Rupert Murdoch must be so Pissed! Here's the juiciest sex scandal since the Oval Office Lewinsky, and with high treason to boot, and
Rupert can't use it because he too is a Republican Whore!
We got pictures, and everything...well almost...the most sensitive material is fuzzed out:
You perverts didn't really want to see the "most sensitive material" Did you now?
http://americablog.blogspot.com/
And thoughtful commentary:
http://digby
And Now,
a guy whose name I'll bet you didn't even know kicks some Whitehouse butt...
(OK, skip the lewd commments about the Whitehouse butt being well lubed and visited before being kicked you perverts!)
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer:
"Valid questions are being raised regarding the Bush White House's relationship with James Guckert, also known as "Jeff Gannon," and his access to documents that revealed the identity of Undercover CIA Operative Valerie Plame.
"This issue is important from an ethical as well as from a national security standpoint. It is hard to understand why a man with little real journalism experience was given a White House press corps credential let alone access to sensitive security documents. In fact, it only raises questions as to the nature of the relationship between "Jeff Gannon" and the White House, and whether there was an alliance of interests that did not conform to ethical and security standards. President Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, called the disclosure of an undercover operative's identity treason.
http://www.dailykos.com/
Hoo Boy, I'll say!...An alliance of "Interests" ...This is way too good!
Peace,
Steve
I am stunned that I still see Michael Jackson's trial on the evening news, when President of the United States George W. Bush has been caught publicly consorting with a gay hooker!
Let me give you the short version, although from the pix posted on the internet there's nothing "short" about the Whitehouse play toy.
The most cowardly and treasonous act of the Bush whitehouse was to attack an honest man by divulging that his longserving and professionally highly regarded wife was a CIA agent. This not only endagers her life but has compromised CIA operations and may have already led to the deaths of American agents over seas. This was done because among the lies Bush told in the run up to war in Iraq, was a big lie based on knowingly forged documents claiming that Saddam had purchased nuclear material from Niger. The man sent to Africa verify the documents was Joe Wilson and he reported back that they were false...Very inconvenient ,since Bush sent Colon Powell to the United Nations to claim that they were true. Joe Wilson, a true Patriot, went public with the truth, Bush was lying, Cheney was lying, Powell was Lying, etc...
To punish Wilson, Karl Rove had Wilson's wife attacked, her career and American Intelligence operations ruined, simply as an act of revenge. Well Treason should be enough but since it isn't, It is how this information became public that is interesting.
Jim Guckert is a male prostitute.
Suddenly, he gets a new name, Jeff Gannon, is set up as a reporter working for a suddenly created news agency, Talon News, and given Whitehouse press credentials. Jim Gannon shows up at a Bush Press Conference but is not on the prescripted call-on list Bush is supposed to use. President George W. Bush, in a rare unscripted moment, calls on...
"Jeff?"
George doesn't read his name off the list...He just calls on him...
"Jeff?"
Does Bush know this guy?
Newly minted Whitehouse correspondent, Jeff Gannon gushes over George and asks him a softball question that would almost appear planted to someone who wasn't familiar with this Whitehouse's high ethical standards.
Now comes the "High Treason" part...The brand spanking new...
(emphasis on spanking, ok I can't resist, here is the quote from Guckert/Gannon's web site:
"AGGRESIVE, VERBAL, DOMINANT TOP"
I DON'T LEAVE MARKS....ONLY IMPRESSIONS)
Where was I??? Oh Yeah, The Brand Spanking New White house correspondent is given access to classified CIA documents regarding Valerie Plame and "OUTS" her as a CIA agent, thereby screwing Joe Wilson for Karl Rove.
You've heard about all this on Fox News, right?
No?
Rupert Murdoch must be so Pissed! Here's the juiciest sex scandal since the Oval Office Lewinsky, and with high treason to boot, and
Rupert can't use it because he too is a Republican Whore!
We got pictures, and everything...well almost...the most sensitive material is fuzzed out:
You perverts didn't really want to see the "most sensitive material" Did you now?
http://americablog.blogspot.com/
And thoughtful commentary:
http://digby
And Now,
a guy whose name I'll bet you didn't even know kicks some Whitehouse butt...
(OK, skip the lewd commments about the Whitehouse butt being well lubed and visited before being kicked you perverts!)
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer:
"Valid questions are being raised regarding the Bush White House's relationship with James Guckert, also known as "Jeff Gannon," and his access to documents that revealed the identity of Undercover CIA Operative Valerie Plame.
"This issue is important from an ethical as well as from a national security standpoint. It is hard to understand why a man with little real journalism experience was given a White House press corps credential let alone access to sensitive security documents. In fact, it only raises questions as to the nature of the relationship between "Jeff Gannon" and the White House, and whether there was an alliance of interests that did not conform to ethical and security standards. President Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, called the disclosure of an undercover operative's identity treason.
http://www.dailykos.com/
Hoo Boy, I'll say!...An alliance of "Interests" ...This is way too good!
Peace,
Steve
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