A Plethora of Palabras

Wow. This will be a busy post. I have a lot to say.

First, this YouTube Video has me highly stressed. I've got a very low opinions of all politicians, but is this little clip (verified, thanks) a racist rant from Hillary Clinton? It's her but is what she saying racist? Interesting thing to wonder about. I have to wonder why you'd repeatedly point out why you're white thus drawing attention to the fact your opponent is black. I hereby officially throw my hat in the Obama ring -- my first public statement of support for any candidate (none of whom I am overly thrilled with). This hat contingent upon whatever fool he picks as VP.

Second, the evil empire, AKA Microsoft, has come public about COFEE. Yeah, the same company that sells many of you guys your operating system software and recommends and installs all sorts of security updates has given an all-access pass to your local law-enforcement agency. No joke. This is just absurd. And if there's such a simple back-door to get around your operating system protections, how long for the terrorists to figure it out? The USB thumb drive contains 150 Microsoft programmed special commands to allow the user to decrypt passwords, recover all of the computer's data stores, and read a complete log of the computer's Internet activities. It works on-site with any Windows-loaded computer, including PDAs. That means not only your desktop but your mobile device too. I'm glad I'm not using their programs -- the question is why are you?

3. Jesus Made Me Puke is the title of a Rolling Stone article. David Higgins gets credit on this. While I subscribe to Rolling Stone, I hadn't yet read this issue. Why should you read it? You want to know what evangelicals do behind closed doors? Actually, you probably don't want to know. But you should. You might just lose a little sleep at night after reading this.

4. Tina Turner is coming out of retirement. She'll be here November 2nd and I'm excited. I've put in for the ticket lottery and hope to score some. The tickets go on sale Monday. Oh PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. I wish the International Tina Turner Fan Club was still around and giving us the good seats. Damn. I love Tina. See my review of her final Florida concert here.

5. Cal Rugby once again dominates the Rugby universe.The California Golden Bears blasted out to a 40-0 half-time lead and never looked back against Brigham Young University, taking the 2008 national collegiate championship, 59-7, this past Saturday at Stanford’s Steuber Rugby Stadium. It was the fifth straight title for the Bears and 24th in the history of the Cal rugby program making them the most dominating team in any Division One college sport.

6. I've got Neil Diamond tickets for 10-26-08, which I am also excited about. Nobody cares but me, but, yes, I love Neil Diamond and am greatly looking forward to his concert. I am going with the Mann family.

7. Last, but not least, a brief review of a quirky book called "The Somnambulist" by Jonathan Barnes. This books is unusual. Very much so. I rather enjoyed it. It's set in London -- the Victorian one. It's got humour of the driest sort, often black at that. It's got adventure. If the title frightens you, this book isn't for you. It's got lots of big $50 words, all used properly and without any effort by the author. It's quite the entertaining piece, and if you're in need of something different, this book is for you. I mostly recommend this to readers who would enjoy light fantasy and light science-fiction. Others will not appreciate its charms.

8. Don't forget to read Little Brother. I'm serious. Read this book.

Bush's religious zealotry

I just need to point something out to my small core of faithful readers. Once again I read where Bush is saying he looks to God for answers. It bothers me on many levels because the Constitution, last I checked, clearly mandates the separation of Church and State. This means, among many things, you can't teach religion, you can't bring it with you to public office. You may certainly believe in whatever God you wish. You may not, however, use it to help you make the decisions. An elected official is to make decision on what is good for the country -- not what some mysterious voice from heaven tells him/her.

Bush is the worst kind of zealot: he's a fascist, dangerous person. He would, given the chance, turn our nation into a theocracy. So would Mitt Romney -- he said as much today when he said Nativity scenes and menorahs should be allowed into places they are currently not permitted.

If you wonder what's wrong with a theocracy, allow me to list some countries that cannot separate their states from their churches: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Vatican are all virtual theocracies. Until recently so were Iraq and Afghanistan -- and we all know how well that's worked out.

Somehow, I'm not seeing the slow drift towards a religious state as a good thing.

Runaway Trains and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

There's a great song by Soul Asylum called Runaway Train, but it wasn't about this! Yes, you read it right. In a surprise bid for freedom, a Docklands Light Rail train escaped its operator at West India Quay station and went for a ride. Naturally, being the DLR and English, it dutifully came to a peaceful ending at Westferry where the train awaited the return of the operator. For the uninitiated, the DLR operated in London.

In news that is far less funny, I wish to bring your attention to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. While humorously named, it's decidedly less funny. You can read a story over at the San Francisco Chronicle about it. To sum it up, this collection of plastic is formed on land where a piece of plastic floats into a sewer, follows the storm drain to the ocean, then makes its way to the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch -- a heap of debris floating in the Pacific that's twice the size of Texas. The enormous stew of trash - which consists of 80 percent plastics and weighs some 3.5 million tons -- floats where few people ever travel, in a no-man's land between San Francisco and Hawaii.

People just don't realize our planet can be broken, and it's on the verge right now. Yes, we're destroying our own planet, the only place we have to live. If it's not global warming, it's pollution. Talk about people shitting in the own backyard. Sad.

Bush and the Deficit

The US is nearing its credit limit according to Henry Paulson, the treasury secretary. Yes, not only have the past seven years turned us from a budget surplus to being in the hole, that hole is now $8.9 trillion dollars. Trillion. With a "T" to be exact. Or in numbers that's $8,965,000,000,000 -- which is what it will be on 10-1 when the US government will exceed its credit limit. I am not making that up. Yep, we're about to overdraw our checking account. The Senate has approved raising the limit to $9.82 trillion as a temporary fix, the fifth such increase in the past 6 years. The US has never missed a debt payment, and has always upheld "the full faith and credit" motto making our currency stronger.

Everyone wants to know why the dollar is currently hovering at record lows against most major currencies. This is a big part of the answer. Not only has Bush sold our integrity, our respect, he's sold our souls to the highest (or perhaps it's lowest) bidder.

Sleep easy. If you were to pay this off at $1 million per day and there was no interest, it would take you 26 years to pay it off. And that assumes the budget is miraculously balanced. To put it in different terms, if every living person from newborns to those about die, who was a US citizen were to pay $30 per day, it would take a year to pay it off. Or if everyone paid $11,000 we could do it right now. I'll ask Bill Gates for his share -- you go ask the new baby next door and the homeless guy down the street.

For shame, shame, shame.

Fuck Bush Says a Student Newspaper

The headline and editorial ran thusly: "Taser this FUCK BUSH" I will withold comment on the lack of proper punctuation in said headline.

That was the entirety of a four-word column in the student-run Rocky Mountain Collegian. I think that's great. But in response to the headline, it's way too juvenile for a professional newspaper which a college paper puports to be. Still I admire their spirit, if not the lack of a carefully placed asterisk or two.

A number of newswires have picked it up from Raw Story who are running it unedited to Fox News and USA Today who are commenting on it with an expletive deleted tag. Most coverage is local and even those who sympathize with the sentiment are not giving the headline good marks.

The editor will likely lose his job, and the staff are facing pay cuts to compensate for lost advertising revenue. I was just amused that it's come this far. I agree with the sentiment. Totally. I just don't think it should have run without an asterisk in a newspaper.

Iriomote Cats, English Teachers, Yellow Submarine, and Bush Declares Martial Law

Today we have another random group of eclectic posts.

1. Way back in December 2006, I wrote about the Baiji Dolphin become extinct. Truly a sad thing, indeed. Well it's about to happen again to another species. Now, Japan’s Iriomote Cat is Headed for Annihilation
according to the latest news. I am far more saddened about this because I love kitties of all kinds. This has been reported in National Geographic. It's a beautiful cat, too as you can see.

2. I am trying to locate Karen Goff; she was my eighth or ninth grade English teacher from McMillian Junior High School in Miami, Florida. It's an off chance, but she was one of the best teachers I ever had -- and in a subject I am rather fond of. I want to thank her. If anyone knows where she is, that would be great. The school was of no help whatsoever nor was the local school boards.

3. In other disturbing news: I am not a conspiracy theorist, and I often ridicule those who are. Let's be honest, most of them are utter and complete crackpots. However there's a new one making the rounds that even my regular "upstanding citizen" type friends are subscribing to. And, I think I do too. As you know Dubya's term is coming to an end -- and he's not happy, nor does he understand why he's the least popular president ever. There are more and more rumblings being made about Iran from inside the administration, but nowhere else. What happens when he uses some random event -- you know the odds are in favour of an event -- to declare martial law and take over and remain in power? Will anyone be able to stop him? Will the military say no? It's looking more and more real to me every day. Him and his cronies are looking for a way to stay -- just like the Kremlin in its heyday. It scares me.

4. Next Wednesday, I am still predicting a Yellow Submarine iPod pre-loaded with the Beatles oeuvre. It will look similar to the current iPhone without the actual phone functionality. Further, regardless of what comes next, I bet you get a Bluetooth iPod so people have no more wires. You'll also get some form of the iPhone touchscreen. Apple has ordered way more screens than it needs for phones. There's really no other conclusion to be had.

Bush is a Liar and hypocrite. Proof.

When you say one thing and then say another statement which contradicts your first one, that makes you a liar. Bush is a liar. He's a rat bastard too, but that's my personal opinion.

ACTION ONE:
If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of. -- George W. Bush, Feb 10, 2004

I don't know about you, but that's pretty clear and simple. No room for any interpretation.


ACTION TWO:
Yesterday, George Bush commuted the sentence of Scooter Libby. He disregarded the wishes of the public and the judicial system and the jury and did what he wanted. Apparently, the leak wasn't so important. He's a hypocrite.

ACTION THREE:
WASHINGTON (AP)- President George W. Bush on Tuesday refused to rule out an eventual pardon for former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. "As to the future, I rule nothing in and nothing out," the president said a day after commuting Libby's 2 1/2 year prison term in the CIA leak case. Bush said he had weighed his decision carefully to erase prison time for Libby, a former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. "I made a judgment, a considered judgment," the president said. "I stand by it." At the same time, he left the door open for the possibility of a pardon later.

He's a liar and hypocrite. Flat out, unequivocally, and without any doubt. If you needed proof here it is IN HIS OWN WORDS. Apparently justice is not for his friends, but only other people. I just cannot begin to tell you how upsetting this is. I personally feel that Libby should have been tried for Treason along with Bush who clearly knew what was going. Treason still carries the federal death penalty. Real justice would see Bush get tried for Treason against the United States of American and for single-handedly subverting our justice system (and don't forget Mr. Gonzales dismissal of the attorneys either).

I say, let's try him for High Treason (and the death penalty as prescribed upon conviction) as an example to those who would use the office of president to put their personal goals and desires ahead of those of our country. The good of the nation is what the president is supposed to serve and he is losing his way more and more every day.

The Law of the Land (18 U.S.C. § 2381): "whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States."

By definition releasing that information gave aid to the enemy, and by Bush's own words we are at war with terrorists. We are at ware, aid was given to the enemy. All requirements for High Treason have been met. The penalty is death. I say, let's do it.

Impeachment just isn't good enough. Kill the bastard.

Free Blow Job From A Really Hot Chick

No, this blog hasn't been hijacked by pornographers though the title might certainly give you that impression.

Tania Derveaux, the rather buxom and attractive NEE party senate candidate in Belgium, is offering to give away blow jobs: 40,000 of them, to be exact, or 80 per day for 500 days -- an impossible task even for a nymphomaniac. Ms. Derveaux started this as a joke in response to an opposing party's claims of offering "new job opportunities in ridiculous amounts." Tania posed naked in a parody campaign, promising Belgian voters 40,000 jobs, all of which can be seen at the aforementioned link. The NEE is a legitimate party and she is a legitimate candidate and you can read all about the NEE at their website, however it's written in Flemish. The election takes place June 2007.

I'm pretty sure the offer's not serious -- though Wikipedia and many other outlets seem to think it is -- because at 80 per day Ms. Derveaux would end up with a horrendous case of lock-jaw, thus impairing her fellatio skills. She also offers virtual blow-jobs in Second Life (it's an on-line game if you don't know). I wish our political battles here involved this much humour.

It's interesting that this is attracting such interest around the world when George Bush has been fucking the entire country for years and it hasn't got this sort of press. If your ass is sore, it's probably Bush's fault.

For the record, I have not signed up for Ms. Derveaux's generous offer.

Vermont Senate: Impeach the President

Excerpts from an AP story posted today.

MONTPELIER, Vt. - Vermont senators voted Friday to call for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, saying their actions have raised "serious questions of constitutionality."

The nonbinding resolution was approved 16-9 without debate - all six Republicans in the chamber at the time and three Democrats voted against it.

Bush and Cheney's actions in the U.S. and abroad, including in Iraq, "raise serious questions of constitutionality, statutory legality, and abuse of the public trust," the resolution reads.

The Vermont Senate is believed to be the first state chamber in the country to pass such a resolution, said Bill Wyatt, a spokesman for the National Conference of State Legislatures. "Many chambers passed resolutions about the war in Iraq, but none that we are aware have called for impeachment," he said. Advocates were thrilled with the vote.

"I think it's going to have a tremendous political effect, a tremendous political effect on public discourse about what to do about this president," said James Leas, a vocal advocate of withdrawing troops from Iraq and impeaching Bush and Cheney.

Democratic House Speaker Gaye Symington has kept a similar resolution from reaching the floor in her chamber. She argued that an impeachment resolution would be partisan and divisive and that it would distract Washington from efforts to get the United States out of Iraq, which she says is more important. Forty towns voted in favor of similar nonbinding impeachment resolutions at their annual town meetings in March. State lawmakers in Wisconsin and Washington have pushed for similar resolutions.

This thrills me to no-end. I realize it has little to no chance of gaining serious momentum, but it's far from a distraction. It's a signal that the American people are fed up with the lying shits that are running our country. At least people will get the message that not all Americans are represented by the divisive, evil, arselicks that are in office. They stole the first election and subsequent reports have even the second election in doubt. Our current administration is completely and utterly illegitimate and they rule only because they have subverted the democratic process and the will of the people. It's shameful beyond all belief.

Gay Sex Causes Global Warming?

Of course not. However that's the title of this great article. Though amusing, it's also thought-provokingly profound. After all, you've got to love the truth in this comment: "The fact is that if climate change were caused by gay sex, or by the practice of eating kittens, millions of protesters would be massing in the streets."

With statements like "NO ONE seems to care about the upcoming attack on the World Trade Center site. Why? Because it won't involve villains with box cutters. Instead, it will involve melting ice sheets that swell the oceans and turn that particular block of lower Manhattan into an aquarium. The odds of this happening in the next few decades are better than the odds that a disgruntled Saudi will sneak onto an airplane and detonate a shoe bomb. And yet our government will spend billions of dollars this year to prevent global terrorism and … well, essentially nothing to prevent global warming. "

Only the very naive are still arguing that the citizens of this planet are busy destroying it. We don't have another home -- we're destroying the place we all have to live. Our current administration has done everything in its power to prevent any change in course, even going so far as to reverse previous administrations efforts to alleviate the current situation.

Let's Buy Dick Cheney a Cheeseburger

Some clever chap has a brilliant idea which I am very keen on. This person states "I hereby declare April 13, 2007, is National Buy Dick Cheney a Cheeseburger Day. Millions of Americans will buy cheeseburgers, consume them, and then mail their receipts to Vice President Dick Cheney, to encourage him to chow down or celebrate the fact he can't."

It's rather amusing, trying to kill-off Mr. Cheney this way. Would that it works. In the blog, he provides full details. Though, I might suggest directly sending them to Mr. Cheney as follows:

Big Dick Cheney
1 Observatory Circle NW
Washington, DC 20008
USA

You can buy also buy gift cards/certificates/vouchers at either http://www.bk.com and http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/shop/certificates.html -- perhaps you wish to get a card and use it all up except one or two cents and then mail in the gift-card as well.

I wish this guy wasn't anonymous because I'd like to thank him for giving me this little bit of joy, just before tax day coincidentally.

Scientists offered bribes to dispute Global Warming

The Guardian broke this story, which has since appeared elsewhere. I think, at this point, most people realize Global Warming is an issue.

Scientists and economists have been offered $10,000 each by a lobby group funded by ExxxonMobile in order to undermine a major climate change report (released 2-2-07). Travel expenses and additional payments were also offered. The letters were sent by Kenneth Green, a visiting scholar at AEI, who confirmed that the organisation had approached scientists.

You really need to read this article. If this doesn't prove something, I'm not sure what does. Maybe you disagree about the causes of Global Warming, and many people have different theories, but you can't deny it exists and the causes aren't natural. (Whether it's cars, planes, industry, people, or something else is a long debate -- but to argue that it doesn't exist is just mind boggling).

Republicans Realize They Have Heads Stuck Up Their Asses

Today's Herald: "Republicans turned on one another Wednesday after losing control of power in Congress -- blaming an out-of-touch, self-promoting party leadership for abandoning ethics and conservative principles and turning off the country."

Veteran conservative strategist Richard A. Viguerie was especially caustic. "Every single member of the Republican leadership in the House should be replaced. They have failed the conservatives who put them in office, and they have failed the people of this country," Viguerie said. "This election was also a referendum on the so-called 'neoconservatives' -- the big-government Republicans who took us into a nation-building war while they busted the budget and enriched big business and its K Street lobbyists."

Another casualty has been Dennis Hastert, Mr. Foley's enabler. Yay. No loss there. You guys have alienated a lot of people and you were too stupid to see it. Maybe if you got your heads out of your collective asses you'd have seen this coming. America is tired of this. Family Values are great -- I'm all for them. But you're so busy killing these families with your war and bankrupting the half that's left in order to preserve your greedy self-interests, you've lost touch with all of America.

Ding Dong, The Wicked Witch Is Dead (Rumsfeld)

Bush Says Rumsfeld Is Stepping Down
By DAVID ESPO and LIZ SIDOTI (Associated Press Writers)
November 08, 2006 1:25 PM EST

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Wednesday Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is stepping down and former CIA Director Robert Gates will take over at the Pentagon and in prosecuting the war in Iraq.

Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon. The development occurred one day after midterm elections that cost Republicans control of the House, and possibly the Senate, as well. Surveys of voters at polling places said opposition to the war was a significant contributor to the Democratic victory.

Bush described Rumsfeld as a "superb leader" in a time of change, but said his defense chief recognizes the value of "fresh perspective."

So let's discuss this. First, let's discuss the last sentence. Bush is obviously in denial if he thinks Rumsfeld is a "superb leader" -- Rumsfeld was almost as bad as Ashcroft, a horribly divisive evil man. Good riddance. Although I admire Bush's loyalty to someone who served him so poorly. No, really. Loyalty is admirable.

Secondly, the article would have you believe Rumsfeld singlehandedly brought down the Republican party. Although that's ludicrous, he is a more than credible scapegoat. If his advice didn't suck so bad, we might not be in this quagmire.

Lastly, I'm not sure how much better the replacement will be. I hope Bush is smart enough (yeah, right, as if) to use this as an excuse to begin a planned, organized withdrawal from Iraq. Despite what people would have you believe, a quick, sudden withdrawal would cause more problems than it would solve. I think an organized departure over 12 months with a set timetable would work and it would certainly appease the rest of planet which hates us. I say this only because the United States has been wrong on this war -- generally appeasement is a horrible thing (World War II anyone?)

Let's hope the insanity ends now and doesn't have to wait for a new president. I doubt Bush can learn from this lesson, after all he's dumber than a cockroach, but one can always hope.

And what about the election

And, if it makes any difference, I was for the republican governorship candidate (Crist) this election. I don't often support Republicans but sometimes you have to go for the right candidate and not the right party. Don't ever let it be said, I'm so stubborn I won't vote for the other team.

And how is it that the Harris contest was so close. I had her to lose by at least 30% and she only lost by 20%. Does that mean over 40% of the people in this state are so stupid as to vote for this clinically insane shew of a creature. Her own party disowned her: that speaks volumes.

Foley, Hastert, and Fordham, Oh My!

In my last post Mark Foley IMs which is conveniently right below this one, I gave my two cents and although we've had a number of visitors, very few people have actually commented and those that have done so have resorted to email.

I only have a little to add, but it's becoming more and more clear that Hastert knew there was a problem.

Chicago Tribune: House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-N.Y., have said they were aware of one e-mail exchange in late 2005 and that Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., was notified, which Hastert has said he does not specifically remember. Foley was told to cease the communications, whereupon the issue was dropped at the request of the boy's parents, Republican leaders say.

ABC news: A senior congressional aide said Wednesday he told House Speaker Dennis Hastert's office about worrisome conduct by his former boss, Rep. Mark Foley, toward teenage pages more than three years ago, long before officials have acknowledged becoming aware of the issue. Kirk Fordham made his comments to The Associated Press in an interview as a Kentucky Republican cancelled a campaign fundraising event with Hastert. Rep. Ron Lewis said he wants to know the facts behind a scandal that has roiled Republicans since last week.

So Hastert is as guilty as Foley, maybe moreso because he had to have known it was a problem. And worse there was a pattern of abuse. And he did nothing. That's just messed up.

Mark Foley IMs and what the real issue is

I have been silent on this issue in my own blog but have been commenting up a storm on other people's blogs as well as on various message boards. It's finally time to weigh in myself.

1. First: the gender of the minor is utterly irrelevant. I'd feel the same way if it was a guy or girl.
2. Second: the conversation itself is pretty typical of "phone-sex" or "IM sex" -- the fact many media outlets are labelling it "shocking" because of content is silly. That isn't why it's shocking, because it certainly is.
3. Third: there is one and only one issue here and that is the fact this involved a minor and someone nearly 40 years older than that minor. If this same conversation took place between two adults, two 16 year olds, or even a 19 year old and a 16 year old nobody would give a shit. Honestly, it's not much of a turn on for anyone to read except the participants.

What is pretty sick is that this person is in a position of authority. He is by some definitions the person's employer. This would be sexual harassment by anyone's standards regardless of whether the victim is a minor or not. The minor clearly objected because he complained. Though after reading the entire IM discussion (thanks Rob for the link) I didn't see much evidence that the minor was objecting, but we don't know the whole story.

There is absolutely, positively no instance in which a 50+ year old guy should be putting the moves on a minor. I'm not even sure what motivates someone to do that. Yeah, sometimes you hear guys joking about "I wish I had a 16 year-old" but most guys wouldn't actually carry through on that.

Foley did the right thing to resign. Ironically his own law my do him in. Though in many states the age of consent is 16, which complicates the issues. I really don't care that he's gay -- makes not one whit of difference to me. What I do care about is that he's a paedophile. That's just gross. What's worse is the fact that higher ups may have known about it and done nothing. And there worse than Foley is because ultimately Foley had no sexual contact but he could have and someone could have prevented all that.

I'd love to hear what you all think about this. (I may add to this and will note changes by colour coding them. My thoughts aren't done but I feel the need to throw this out there.)

Screw The Terrorists: Kill 'em all and let God sort it out

Another bad day -- at least it was for normal people everywhere. It's stories like this that make you think genocide isn't the worst idea ever. How on earth can someone think blowing ten airplanes full of innocent people out of the sky is a smashing-good idea? What is the mind-set for that? How can anyone think that's going to bring people around to their cause?

I've always realized it's been a small group of nut-case Islamic extremist fundamentalists that have the mind-set that killing to make a point is a good idea. However, it seems more and more that the non-extremist Muslim community is not willing to speak out. That's guilt by association. Although I don't think genocide is a good idea and is morally reprehensible, if an act like today's attempted terror attack had succeeded, a lot more people would start thinking along the lines of the old cliché: "Kill them all and let God sort it out."

I don't understand the logic and I fully fault the mostly peaceful members of the Muslim community for not turning in their extremist members. The madness must stop or at some point the world will rise up in an effort to exterminate them. They may outnumber us, but we can lay them flat quickly if we don't have to worry about civilians. My guess is most of the Muslim world could be wiped off the map in 48 hours using some well placed nuclear weapons. I want to reiterate that nuclear holocaust is a bad idea, but if you don't think Bush or some other nation will consider it at some point, you're sadly mistaken. The English, Americans, and Russians have all had their fill of barbaric acts. The Spanish and French are getting weary too, but I'm not quite sure they're crazy enough to act.

(I'm waiting for the Muslims to do something to China. China won't hesitate to do retaliate brutally and everyone knows it. That's why China is safe because China just doesn't care what anyone else has to say about their actions.)

Oh, and a clever joke from F.H. just to help everyone laugh or be pissed off:
Recently I received a warning about the use of this politically incorrect term, so please note:

We all need to be more sensitive in our choice words. I have been informed that the Islamic terrorists who hate our guts and want to kill us do not like to be called "Towel Heads" since the item they wear on their heads is not actually a towel, but in fact, a small folded sheet.

Therefore, from this point forward, please refer to them as "Little Sheet Heads."

Thank you for your support and compliance on this delicate matter.

Global Warming

Our "President" continues to insist global warming doesn't exist. Yet this headline from today says otherwise.

Melting ice threatens sea-level rise, shrunken polar glaciers,
temps at 130,000-year highs
Excerpt From From Associated Press March 23, 2006


WASHINGTON - Already the Earth is shaking beneath melting ice as rising temperatures threaten to shrink polar glaciers and raise sea levels around the world.

By the end of this century, Arctic readings could rise to levels not seen in 130,000 years, when the oceans were several feet higher than now, according to new research appearing in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

Even now, giant glaciers lubricated by melting water have begun causing earthquakes in Greenland as they lurch toward the ocean, other scientists report in the same journal.

So, this is okay? I just love our president. Not. I hope he visits Iraq more often. Maybe someone will fax his top secret itinerary over there in advance. Yay.

Cheney, Quail, Bush, Guns.

Actor/writer Steve Martin on The Huffington Post, took a satirical view of the recent shooting by our vice-dunderhead and bumberclod, Dick(less) Cheney.

"Vice President Dick Cheney, while hunting wild geese in the Rose Garden, accidentally shot President Bush twice, once in the heart and once in the head. 'I didn't really shoot the President twice,' said Cheney. 'The second time I shot him, I was president.'"

Okay. That was funny. You know my level of sympathy for people who go and kill living creatures for fun is really, really, close to non-existent. (If you eat what you kill, I'm all for it. Hunting as a source of food is brilliant, but as a sport it's repugnant to me.)

On a serious note, even though he's a lawyer, I do hope for the best for the victim. Nothing worse to put on your tombstone that "Shot by Cheney"

Intelligent Design and a bit of Heaven and Hell

I've decided to make a serious post about a controversial topic. I've done that before in my Why Led Zeppelin Sucks thread. This one's a bit more serious than that one.

Intelligent Design is anything but. I want to state that as my opinion clearly and for the record. There is absolutely, unequivocally no intelligence in it whatsoever. It's shit passing itself off as science. It is, simply put, the Bible-Thumpers passing off their beliefs as science. Before all you bible-thumpers jump in, and I'm sure you will, let me say I am not against the Bible -- it's a very important book. I am also not against God. I think everyone needs to have something in their life to believe in. If God is your thing, that's great. I mean that. So spare me the e-mails saying how much I hate God, because I don't. This post is not an attack on God or the Bible. There's plenty of other people who can do that in their blogs but it won't be me.

However, what most of the Bible-Thumpers fail to understand is that they create deep resentment when they try to ram their beliefs down other people's throats. And it's worse because they're wrong. I even support their right to teach their kids whatever they want -- including this total sham of a concept called Intelligent Design. However they shouldn't and can't force it onto other people as much as they feel it's their right to do so.

What happens when they do? This: UC Berkeley Makes War On Religious Zealots -- That's right, their kids don't get into school because they have been turned into mis-educated morons. But that, as a parent, is their right. If they want their kids to be morons, they can. Hell, even our President is a moron so that's no so bad, right? I don't know why a person would want their child to be an idiot, to grow up learning something that simply isn't true. However, there are people who grow up believing it's okay to discriminate against someone because their skin is the wrong colour, their sexual preferences are different, or they practice the wrong form of religion, so obviously there are some pretty screwed up parents in the world. Yes, people want their kids to grow up to be Nazis and Klansmen.

It all starts innocently enough with a book. The book called Of Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins is a textbook. Yes, a textbook. There's a big fuss being made about this book and what it does and doesn't contain. I had the (mis)fortune of actually reading selections from it. It moved me enough to write an Amazon review of it. And do you know why I trashed the book? If you answered "because you don't agree with it" you'd be totally wrong.

It's because this festering pile of bound pages, doesn't bother to defend its own position with facts. If you want to take the position Intelligent Design is valid, that is certainly your prerogative. If you want to write about it, you are certainly entitled. If you want to write a textbook about it, you have to find some way of proving your points or, if you can't, clearly label them as conjecture. This book does neither.

What this book does is try to defend itself and straddle the fence. Neither side is served by this for when you straddle the fence, you tend to fall off. My review is called "Idiocy becomes Science" and to sum it up: It is disturbing anyone would actually consider something so full of tripe, illogical leaps from 'facts' to 'conclusion' as worth buying much less believing. Whatever your beliefs, this book sells them short. If you're in the Darwin camp, it's just plain wrong. If you're a creationist* it has the same problem -- it doesn't make the case. In short, this book fails to serve ANYONE anything of any value. You HAVE to take a position and defend it one way or the other. If you cruise by my review, give it a helpful rating, please. In fact, rate all the reviews. It's fun unlike this ignorant excuse of a book.

So it's the start down a slippery slope. It's okay to teach kids right from wrong, isn't it? So when we teach them lies and things that are untrue, how can we expect them to determine which ones are 'wrong' and which ones are 'right'? You can't because it doesn't make sense. It is no coincidence that many of these self-same Bible-Thumpers proclaim a love of God and preach hate at the same time. It's people like this who will go to the Hell they so firmly believe they are avoiding. A very specific example: one Bible-Thumping group is picketing Ms. Corretta Scott King's funeral because she believed in equal rights! Sadly, I am not making this up as you can see for yourself. Yes, their God apparently is a hateful God and all that bit in the Bible doesn't really apply. Reminds me of Orwell's masterpiece Animal Farm: All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

A long time ago I had posted some similar comments on AOL in a message board and I got some rather nasty e-mails informing I was going to Hell and they were going to Heaven. I got news for those closed-minded, evil bastards. If heaven is full of people like that, I don't want to go there.

But you know what, I don't think that's true. I know a lot of church-going people and most of 'em are pretty normal. Just like everyone else. They're not bigoted morons. I think they'll all go to their vision of Heaven. All those nut-cases will be really surprised to find themselves in Hell. Hopefully I won't be seeing them. It's sad but a few people ruin it for everyone.



* that's Intelligent Design no matter what anyone's claims

Please note that anonymous comments to this post are subject to rejection.

Another Reason Why Bush Scares Me

The headline is only a bit misleading. He's always scared me because he has neither a conscience or a soul. However, his latest gambit, surveillance of all Americans without due process required by law is just the final straw in a mountain of straws.

From the AP story you've all read "President Bush has acknowledged authorizing the super-secret NSA to eavesdrop on international phone calls and e-mails of people within U.S. borders without the approval of a court, as required by existing surveillance and wiretapping laws."

Yes, apparently he feels he is above the law. All us anti-Republicans (which includes all other parties and many people around the planet -- possibly even French people) always knew he felt that way, but the fact he has acknowledged this has even appalled the Republicans. His own party realizes this is a political bombshell that will blow up. I cannot believe a government that tried to impeach Bill Clinton over oral sex -- which had nothing to do with the governance of the country, hasn't impeached Bush over this offensive attack on our personal liberties and freedoms.

Further, the EFF "sued AT&T Inc. on Tuesday for its alleged role in helping the National Security Agency spy on the phone calls and other communications of U.S. citizens without warrants. The EFF claims the San Antonio-based telecommunications company not only provided direct access to its network that carries voice and data but also to its massive databases of stored telephone and Internet records that are updated constantly."

There are so many terrifying things in that last quote I don't even know where to start. The italicized and bolded part above trouble me the most. If they don't trouble you, that's a telling thing. How would you like it if I kept those records? You wouldn't of course. Why are you comfortable that AT&T, a private company, does? Do you trust these large corporations to have your best interest at hand? I hope note. There is only one thing they care about: profit.

Our Government Is Comprised of Morons

Today I was planning on writing a tirade on the much maligned -- and rightfully so -- Patriot Act. Nobody seems to be willing to take any sort of stand on creating a balance between Security and Stupidity. I like my privacy, and while I really don't care if anyone gets a list of what I bought at Amazon.com, it's also nobody's business. Ditto for e-bay. (For those concerned, it's actually pretty easy to figure out what any e-bay user has been recently buying or selling. And on Amazon, many people actually list what they've bought -- even I do that sometimes.) The question is why the government needs a law to accomplish this. They've always had the power to request a subpoena to get anything they need for a specific case. What they've done, however is made a mess.

Here's an example. Let us say, for instance, one of my employees at work is telling a joke about Fidel Castro. Someone is walking by and hears him saying something complimentary about Fidel. He doesn't realize it's part of a joke. So he reports a tip that this person is a communist sympathizer. Next thing you know, this person is being investigated for no valid reason. Sound silly, doesn't it? Now replace the word "communist" with "terrorist" and you have modern day Patriot Act. The Patriot Act is an evil thing, and so is the primary champion of the Patriot Act: George Bush -- he of less intelligence than your pet dog.

Like I said, I was going to write about the Patriot Act, but I just wrote a few comments because this proves our government is run by people who are almost as dumb as your president. (He's not my president because I certainly didn't vote for him.)

Four year old boy on don't-fly list. Yes, you heard right. Our government in its infinite wisdom and in an effort to protect us all from Osama BinLadin has decided four year old children are a threat to your safety and liberty. Of course now that the media has gotten ahold of it, they have stated "there are no children on the don't fly list" even though, quite clearly, there is one on the list. They suggested the airline just ignore it, but they neglected to mention that ignoring the don't fly list deliberately can be theoretically prosecuted as an act of treason. The airline, and I understand their position, wanted someone else to make the decision. So instead the four year old on his way to visit his grandmother gets the third degree. It makes you ever so proud to be an American.

I can picture the headlines. "Republicans Protect American From Four Year Old Terrorist."

Someone has to bring some measure of sanity to our security.

Say, which reminds me. Did you hear the one about Fidel Castro.......

Bush, Bullshit, Grammar, Ads, Used Computers, Sina, and Gorillaz

First, we have Matt Deatherage's blog post about Bush's service record. Originally CBS was accused of forging the documents. Only, well, they weren't forged. I don't want to steal Matt's blogging efforts, so go here to read it. I am never above a shot at Bush either so here's a quick (old) joke before I go on:

GEORGE W. BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY DESTROYED BY FLOOD
Crawford, Texas (AP) -- A tragic flood this morning destroyed the personal library of President George W. Bush. The flood began in the presidential bathroom where the books were kept. Both books have been lost. A presidential spokesman said the president was devastated, as he had almost finished coloring the second one. The White House tried to call FEMA but there was no answer. (from RHF 12-12-05 Henry Farkas)

Now, on to my next topic. I subscribe to a great weekly e-newsletter called This Is True, and you should too. Randy who runs it is a good guy. He doesn't sell your information or even rent it out. Those of you who may remember and/or have been graced with those cool "Get Out Of Hell" cards I gave out; well I got 'em from Randy. So why do I mention This Is True? Because of this article, one of many in this week's mailing:

TYPE OH: Moon God Drinking Products Co., a skin care company in China, has offered a bounty of 1,000 yuan (US$120) for every typographical or literary error found in a day's editions of four Chinese publications in an attempt to embarrass journalists into better writing. Hao Mingjian, who came up with the idea for the bounty, said that "China's press has lost its polish in the past decade or two," which "reflects a chaotic cultural environment and shows people lack a sense of responsibility." (Reuters) ... Nice try, but journalists can't be embarrassed.

I hate bad grammar, and this really amused the hell out of me. I used to write our local paper about their occasional atrocities, but once they actually argued with me. The Miami Herald, aka the Daily Fishwrapper, isn't populated by the sharpest tools in the shed. It was, after all a headline with a terrible error with an apostrophe. Instead of apologizing, ignoring me, or otherwise moving on, I got a typed(!) letter from the editor in question arguing with me. Yes, it's true. "The Shark's Were Out" indeed. Not. After five years, this made the event pop back in my head.

And, a brief word about Google's AdSense. Yeah, I've put ads up on my blog. This is recent and has been here for a few weeks -- I doubt you've noticed, and judging by the click-throughs nobody else has either. You're not supposed to draw anyone's attention to them either (nor encourage people to click on them). But I want you to look at them for a minute. I find it fascinating, because sometimes some really weird ads come up. I understand why it was running roofing ads (my Wilma post) and sponsorship ads (my Panthers tirade) and even charity ads (my Katrina/Wilma posts), but sometimes I get some really messed-up ads. I think you'll find them amusing sometimes.

Besides posting Google's AdSense ads in the hopes of defraying some of this site's expenses, I have also posted a link where you can just donate right to my webhosting bill. Donations go right to my webhosting account and not to me so no worries about me absconding with whatever pennies you may throw my way. Also, if you sign up for hosting a Dreamhost and give my address out, I will get a small credit towards my bill (or if you e-mail me, I can request the credit.) There were other far more lucrative options available to me for ads, but I didn't want to be intrusive, and I thought this was the best way. Help the sites and blog continue in any way you feel fit.

Speaking of ads, the banner at the bottom is not an ad, but a link to a site I rather enjoy. Yes, I actually own a rap album now. And I really like it. So there. Deal. You might want to go there and listen to some of the songs. Gorillaz' Demon Days is a truly rocking album. I bet nobody I know ever pegged me to deliberately buy a rap album. I'm thinking of buying their first album now. Scary, eh?

Oh, and someone I haven't spoken to since 1984 sent me a holiday card today. I guess he Googled me. I used to work with him at the Used Computer Store when I was attending Berkeley. I can't believe they still have the same logo, but they do. Anyway, his name's Sina Balour and this is a little shout out because he was cool then. I bet he's still cool now. Like I'm an authority on cool. Hah. As if.

Screw The Terrorists Redux

Oh boy, here we go again*. I am getting tired of exploding trains.

Another series of bombs went off in London this morning. This time there were no fatalities and only one injury, not apparently serious. One was a 'bomb and run' where the bomber tossed a rucksack inside a tube train as the doors closed and then took off running. Passersby tried to grab him but he escaped. Subsequently, two arrests have been made.

Again, it could have been much, much worse but in this case, no real harm done other than total chaos in terms of local transportation.

I have a trip scheduled for me and a few friends next week and I'm still going. I will admit that I am now a bit apprehensive, but if fear gets the better of you, then the bastards have won and I cannot and will not accept that under any condition.

"I absolutely am going on this trip. I will not let some terrorist hiding under the cover of darkness change my mind. I will not cow to the will of some scum-sucking, bottom-dwelling sack of shit. They will not win and I will not let them win. I will ride the tube and the bus. I will be cautious, but I will not be afraid. It's very impressive blowing up a bunch of innocent people to try and prove a point. It only makes civilised people not have any sympathy for your cause." (Quote from previous "Screw The Terrorists" post)

-- Eric

* Apologies to Ronald Regan

Screw the terrorists....

First, and foremost, my thoughts are with those in London who are reeling from the terrorist attack today 7-7. It is truly a tragedy and I'm sorry any human being has to go through that sort of ordeal. The only solace is that it could have been much, much worse. Those that have perpetrated this heinous crime are not humans and do not deserve to live. Show no more mercy to them than you would a cockroach. They are barbarians, the lot.

I have a trip scheduled for me and some friends for my 40th birthday party later this month and I'm still going. I ain't scared of some cowardly sack of shit that thinks this is going to beat anyone into submission, especially not me. If your fear gets the better of you, then the bastards have won.

I absolutely am going on this trip. I will not let some terrorist hiding under the cover of darkness change my mind. I will not cow to the will of some scum-sucking, bottom-dwelling sack of shit. They will not win and I will not let them win. I will ride the tube and the bus. I will be cautious, but I will not be afraid.

I feel London will be safe now. The terrorists' plan so far seems to be to hit a major city, wait a year, and then find a new city to lay waste to: New York, Madrid, and now London: in other words, keep everyone unbalanced and in fear. It's very impressive blowing up a bunch of innocent people to try and prove a point*. It only makes civilised people not have any sympathy for your cause.

-- Eric

* sarcasm, duh.

I don't wanna' be an American Idiot*....

http://tinyurl.com/an97r

I am deeply amused and deeply appalled at the same time. However, I must side with Toyota, because deep down I know they are right. And deep down, you know they're right too. This speaks volumes about our country and where our priorities are -- and have been for some time. We're not educating our citizens and look what it's brought us.

I will spare you the rant on what uneducated people do to our society, how they are more prejudiced, m