Thursday, December 30, 2004
Haiku Rd.: News on being in the news
So it's happened, folks! Haiku Rd. is featured today in the Arizona Republic's weekly entertainment magazine, the Rep. So go buy a copy or three, or read the story here!
Thursday, December 23, 2004
personal: Heavy sigh
Well. Here I am.
Paperwork's all done for my master's degree, so all I can do there is wait. I don't know what's happening to sweeten my job, so all I can do is wait. I have a few Christmas presents to buy, but mostly I'm done and just waiting for the holiday. They announced the new Harry Potter book yesterday and I preordered it from Canada, but all I can do is wait. I'm getting a big paycheck next week, with tuition reimbursement and my first overtime pay since starting school in August, but for now I'm broke so all I can do is wait. I have various other little things to take care of, but no one's really around during the holidays, so all I can do with them is wait.
So why do I still feel constantly stressed out?
Stuff never stops. I've been busy every day and night since school ended, what with parties, rehearsals, photo sessions, shopping, etc., etc., etc., and I'd really like to be able to stop and take a breath.
But tomorrow begins a four-day weekend for me, with only Christmas-related family stuff on Friday evening and Saturday and demo recording sessions for the band on Monday planned. So maybe I'll finally get a few moments of relaxation in. I've been extraordinarily testy this week, so I really hope I do.
All I can do is wait.
Paperwork's all done for my master's degree, so all I can do there is wait. I don't know what's happening to sweeten my job, so all I can do is wait. I have a few Christmas presents to buy, but mostly I'm done and just waiting for the holiday. They announced the new Harry Potter book yesterday and I preordered it from Canada, but all I can do is wait. I'm getting a big paycheck next week, with tuition reimbursement and my first overtime pay since starting school in August, but for now I'm broke so all I can do is wait. I have various other little things to take care of, but no one's really around during the holidays, so all I can do with them is wait.
So why do I still feel constantly stressed out?
Stuff never stops. I've been busy every day and night since school ended, what with parties, rehearsals, photo sessions, shopping, etc., etc., etc., and I'd really like to be able to stop and take a breath.
But tomorrow begins a four-day weekend for me, with only Christmas-related family stuff on Friday evening and Saturday and demo recording sessions for the band on Monday planned. So maybe I'll finally get a few moments of relaxation in. I've been extraordinarily testy this week, so I really hope I do.
All I can do is wait.
Monday, December 20, 2004
personal: School's out for winter
This entry goes into the 'Yay-Me!' file ...
Saturday morning I participated in the University of Arizona's commencement! Yay me!
Former governor Raul Castro (not this Raul Castro, nor this one) received an honorary doctorate of laws, and our guest speaker was Raul Grijalva, who delivered a fantastic speech and who I wish was my US representative rather than this joker. But anyway, if wishes were fishes ...
Resplendent in my black robe and red, white and blue hood, I experienced some nostalgia and sense of accomplishment looking upon the poor bachelor's degree candidates and also some envy looking at the people getting their doctorates. There's something about the sound of 'Doctor Devine' that I find appealing. Maybe someday ...
But the upshot is that after the past two years of struggle, sacrifice and stress, it's done.
You may now call me Master Chris.
Saturday morning I participated in the University of Arizona's commencement! Yay me!
Former governor Raul Castro (not this Raul Castro, nor this one) received an honorary doctorate of laws, and our guest speaker was Raul Grijalva, who delivered a fantastic speech and who I wish was my US representative rather than this joker. But anyway, if wishes were fishes ...
Resplendent in my black robe and red, white and blue hood, I experienced some nostalgia and sense of accomplishment looking upon the poor bachelor's degree candidates and also some envy looking at the people getting their doctorates. There's something about the sound of 'Doctor Devine' that I find appealing. Maybe someday ...
But the upshot is that after the past two years of struggle, sacrifice and stress, it's done.
You may now call me Master Chris.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
politics/social issues: A late reply
In July, Mason and I wrote this letter to our US representative, John Shadegg (R). For awhile, I think we were annoyed that we didn't get a response. Now, though, we have, and I think I would've preferred being ignored. I reproduce it below:
December 16, 2004
Mr. Mason Hite
xxxx North xxth Street, Apartment xx
Phoenix, AZ xxxxx
Dear Mr. Hite:
Thank you for contacting me in support of H.R. 3313, the Marriage Protection Act. I appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns and apologize for the delay in my reply.
You will be pleased to know that I voted in favor of H.R. 3313 on July 22, 2004. While the bill passed the House by a 233-194 margin, unfortunately, the Senate did not take action.
Protecting the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman is essential to society, and I will support all legislation to guard this fundamental right. It is my hope that we will address this vital
subject again when the 109th Congress convenes.
Thank you for contacting me regarding this issue. Please continue to express your views regarding this or any other issue that concerns you in the future.
John Shadegg
Congressman
Arizona 3rd District
U.S. House of Representatives
I'm trying to determine if this is a deliberate slap in the face or simply a mindless form letter. Either way, this man needs to come home and quit trying to destroy my country.
And he needs to apologize for this blatant lack of respect for his constituents. Good lord, I'm torqued off.
December 16, 2004
Mr. Mason Hite
xxxx North xxth Street, Apartment xx
Phoenix, AZ xxxxx
Dear Mr. Hite:
Thank you for contacting me in support of H.R. 3313, the Marriage Protection Act. I appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns and apologize for the delay in my reply.
You will be pleased to know that I voted in favor of H.R. 3313 on July 22, 2004. While the bill passed the House by a 233-194 margin, unfortunately, the Senate did not take action.
Protecting the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman is essential to society, and I will support all legislation to guard this fundamental right. It is my hope that we will address this vital
subject again when the 109th Congress convenes.
Thank you for contacting me regarding this issue. Please continue to express your views regarding this or any other issue that concerns you in the future.
John Shadegg
Congressman
Arizona 3rd District
U.S. House of Representatives
I'm trying to determine if this is a deliberate slap in the face or simply a mindless form letter. Either way, this man needs to come home and quit trying to destroy my country.
And he needs to apologize for this blatant lack of respect for his constituents. Good lord, I'm torqued off.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
social issues: Spam ... precious, tasty spam from the American Family Association
Once upon a time I went in search of the Memory Hole because they had a five-minute minute video showing Shrubby sitting in that Florida classroom, getting the news and sitting like a drooling idiot while desperate people were leaping to their deaths at the World Trade Center.
I'm not sure if it was there that I had to enter an e-mail address to sort of register, or if it was another Memory Hole (apparently it's a popular name for Web sites), but most of the time when I register for such sites, I make up an e-mail address at my domain so that I can track if my e-mail address is being sold for spam. Thus far, memoryhole@domain is just about the only of these e-mail addresses that has turned up spam. And I find it hard to believe it came from thememoryhole.org because of whose e-mail list I seem to be on now ... The American Family Association. Truly precious.
Apparently they're boycotting Procter & Gamble now. I'm sure they're quaking in their boots. While I'm no great fan of the multinational mega-corp in general, P&G definitely earns my sympathy for a number of reasons. First, it took them decades to shake off the baseless and silly rumors that they were satanists. And second, as Rev. Wildmon's hate group likes to point out, they're one of the most gay-friendly employers out there.
I'm still perplexed as to how it is that treating your gay and lesbian employees amounts to "promotion of the homosexual agenda," but I guess I have this unreasonable aversion to 'slippery slope' arguments. It must be my innate rationality.
And I have yet to find out what the homosexual agenda is, but I must just not have gotten the Outlook appointment notices, so ... my bad, I guess, I dunno.
But when you ask them what our agenda is, they come back with some of the most absurd things, like forcing public elementary schools to teach the mechanics of gay sex to young children, and 'recruiting' of pubescent teens. This recruiting thing is particularly galling, because they seem convinced that gay people have to have been 'enlisted' to the 'lifestyle' or something. But I can say with certainty that there's no straight person I've ever met who would turn gay, no matter what the inducement. Performing a homosexual act or two, sure, probably, but completely changing their sexual identity? The whole idea that gay people could just naturally be that way causes their entire case to crumble like a house on a bad foundation.
So here you go, folks. Like Andrew Tobias, I was never recruited. I didn't come from a broken home. I was never molested. I've never been involved in drugs. And yet I'm gay. Go figure.
Then there's the marriage thing, which inevitably turns into an assertion that the homosexual agenda involves bestiality and plural marriages. More of that slippery slope thing.
I have compassion for these people, really I do. I've felt my foundations shift more than once, and I know the discomfort and outright panic that can come when the rules change and you just want things to stay the way they are. And even when they lash out in nasty and unpleasant ways, I wish them peace and wholeness. I just wish they'd stay out of my bedroom.
I'm not sure if it was there that I had to enter an e-mail address to sort of register, or if it was another Memory Hole (apparently it's a popular name for Web sites), but most of the time when I register for such sites, I make up an e-mail address at my domain so that I can track if my e-mail address is being sold for spam. Thus far, memoryhole@domain is just about the only of these e-mail addresses that has turned up spam. And I find it hard to believe it came from thememoryhole.org because of whose e-mail list I seem to be on now ... The American Family Association. Truly precious.
Apparently they're boycotting Procter & Gamble now. I'm sure they're quaking in their boots. While I'm no great fan of the multinational mega-corp in general, P&G definitely earns my sympathy for a number of reasons. First, it took them decades to shake off the baseless and silly rumors that they were satanists. And second, as Rev. Wildmon's hate group likes to point out, they're one of the most gay-friendly employers out there.
I'm still perplexed as to how it is that treating your gay and lesbian employees amounts to "promotion of the homosexual agenda," but I guess I have this unreasonable aversion to 'slippery slope' arguments. It must be my innate rationality.
And I have yet to find out what the homosexual agenda is, but I must just not have gotten the Outlook appointment notices, so ... my bad, I guess, I dunno.
But when you ask them what our agenda is, they come back with some of the most absurd things, like forcing public elementary schools to teach the mechanics of gay sex to young children, and 'recruiting' of pubescent teens. This recruiting thing is particularly galling, because they seem convinced that gay people have to have been 'enlisted' to the 'lifestyle' or something. But I can say with certainty that there's no straight person I've ever met who would turn gay, no matter what the inducement. Performing a homosexual act or two, sure, probably, but completely changing their sexual identity? The whole idea that gay people could just naturally be that way causes their entire case to crumble like a house on a bad foundation.
So here you go, folks. Like Andrew Tobias, I was never recruited. I didn't come from a broken home. I was never molested. I've never been involved in drugs. And yet I'm gay. Go figure.
Then there's the marriage thing, which inevitably turns into an assertion that the homosexual agenda involves bestiality and plural marriages. More of that slippery slope thing.
I have compassion for these people, really I do. I've felt my foundations shift more than once, and I know the discomfort and outright panic that can come when the rules change and you just want things to stay the way they are. And even when they lash out in nasty and unpleasant ways, I wish them peace and wholeness. I just wish they'd stay out of my bedroom.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Haiku Rd.: Information! Get your information here!
So I've been operating the Devine Celtic Sounds message board for a number of months and no one has signed up for it or posted anything. At the same time, Haiku Rd. is finding itself with an expanding number of gigs and the prospect of imminent good publicity.
These two things coupled together have led me to repurpose the message board and slim it down a little. Result: the Haiku Rd. & Devine Celtic Sounds Message Board. While I'll still post relevant and interesting Celtic music stuff there, the main focus now is Haiku Rd. news and information, including a gig & events calendar (if it doesn't show up when you first visit, find the 'calendar' link near the top right and it'll drop down.
C'mon, people. Get talking! And come see us.
These two things coupled together have led me to repurpose the message board and slim it down a little. Result: the Haiku Rd. & Devine Celtic Sounds Message Board. While I'll still post relevant and interesting Celtic music stuff there, the main focus now is Haiku Rd. news and information, including a gig & events calendar (if it doesn't show up when you first visit, find the 'calendar' link near the top right and it'll drop down.
C'mon, people. Get talking! And come see us.
Friday, December 10, 2004
politics: God damn your souls to hell
For some reason, this story has made me more viscerally angry than anything I've heard in at least a year.
C'mon, conservative, family-values, support-the-troops nitwits, defend this one. I dare you.
Burn in hell, motherfuckers. Burn in hell.
C'mon, conservative, family-values, support-the-troops nitwits, defend this one. I dare you.
Burn in hell, motherfuckers. Burn in hell.
politics: New gloatmail from the RNC
(meta-note: I'm going to start prefacing the subject lines of my posts with general categories for ease of reading. If it's something you're not interested in, you'll be able to tell quickly and move on to something else. Likely categories, at least to start with: Politics, personal, Haiku Rd. and music)
I still get e-mail from the Bush campaign from time to time, and I generally take them with a grain of salt and haven't commented much lately. Something in today's bears comment, though ... the first sentence:
"Our nation united behind President Bush on Election Day because of his resolve in winning the War on Terror, his record of growing our economy and because he was the first President in recent history to campaign for a second term with a clear vision for the future."
OK, so let's see. First off, Ed, buddy, 'Our nation united behind Dumbass ...'?
Check the election returns. They are not indicative of a nation united, even if you believe the votes were counted accurately. It was an embarrassingly slim margin by any account, and demonstrated that our nation at present is anything but united.
Further, in my opinion BushCo has no interest whatsoever in winning the WoT(tm) because fear is a tremendous mechanism for control, and because they do next to nothing to go after the terrorists where they actually are, or to work to change the environment in the Middle East and the view of the US in that region and around the world that give rise to violent extremism. They relish perpetual war because it is profitable and because it helps them maintain control.
And then ... 'he was the first President in recent history to campaign for a second term with a clear vision for the future.' I suppose it depends on how you define recent history. If you go back to the president before him, for instance, well, I seem to remember Clinton's 'Bridge to the Future' thing and a really very clear idea of what he wanted to do with his second term for America. Agree or not, he did have a clear plan. And it did a lot of people a lot of good.
As for Bush, I really have little idea what the future looks like to him, and the parts I do see scare me, frankly. Perpetual war, an economy decimated by deficits, no oversight of the environment, food or drugs, no checks on corporate control of the media and government, perpetual war and death to the point where no Americans will be able to travel beyond the borders of their own country, surveillance and curbs on civil liberties, realignment of American society and laws to conform with fundamentalist Christian dogma and more.
Come to think of it, I DO have a good idea what the future looks like to Bush. And it's good for almost no one except the corporate oligarchs.
No wonder he likes Putin so much.
I still get e-mail from the Bush campaign from time to time, and I generally take them with a grain of salt and haven't commented much lately. Something in today's bears comment, though ... the first sentence:
"Our nation united behind President Bush on Election Day because of his resolve in winning the War on Terror, his record of growing our economy and because he was the first President in recent history to campaign for a second term with a clear vision for the future."
OK, so let's see. First off, Ed, buddy, 'Our nation united behind Dumbass ...'?
Check the election returns. They are not indicative of a nation united, even if you believe the votes were counted accurately. It was an embarrassingly slim margin by any account, and demonstrated that our nation at present is anything but united.
Further, in my opinion BushCo has no interest whatsoever in winning the WoT(tm) because fear is a tremendous mechanism for control, and because they do next to nothing to go after the terrorists where they actually are, or to work to change the environment in the Middle East and the view of the US in that region and around the world that give rise to violent extremism. They relish perpetual war because it is profitable and because it helps them maintain control.
And then ... 'he was the first President in recent history to campaign for a second term with a clear vision for the future.' I suppose it depends on how you define recent history. If you go back to the president before him, for instance, well, I seem to remember Clinton's 'Bridge to the Future' thing and a really very clear idea of what he wanted to do with his second term for America. Agree or not, he did have a clear plan. And it did a lot of people a lot of good.
As for Bush, I really have little idea what the future looks like to him, and the parts I do see scare me, frankly. Perpetual war, an economy decimated by deficits, no oversight of the environment, food or drugs, no checks on corporate control of the media and government, perpetual war and death to the point where no Americans will be able to travel beyond the borders of their own country, surveillance and curbs on civil liberties, realignment of American society and laws to conform with fundamentalist Christian dogma and more.
Come to think of it, I DO have a good idea what the future looks like to Bush. And it's good for almost no one except the corporate oligarchs.
No wonder he likes Putin so much.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Every day, I wonder more whether I should pack up and drive north ...
Canada: What America could be. Ain't it funny that they run their country according to principles the right wing shrilly proclaims would lead to fiery ruin, and yet they seem to be reasonably OK.
From XE.com's Universal Currency Converter:1.00 CAD=0.816123 USD. Seems not so long ago they were in danger of dipping under $.70 per Canadian dollar. I'm just waiting for all the jokes about Canadian money to get turned around and fired our way.
From XE.com's Universal Currency Converter:1.00 CAD=0.816123 USD. Seems not so long ago they were in danger of dipping under $.70 per Canadian dollar. I'm just waiting for all the jokes about Canadian money to get turned around and fired our way.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Haiku Rd. gig update/alert
No show this Saturday! Paisley Violin apparently inadvertently double-booked, so we're searching for another weekend night, likely early in January, that's free. More as it develops, but don't go to the Paisley this Saturday expecting to see us!
Instead, please come to Willow House next Wednesday night! The more the better. C'mon, you know you want to! Bring money for beverages and sandwiches and tips, and bring extra cash if you'd like a CD.
Or just come and watch. Either way.
Instead, please come to Willow House next Wednesday night! The more the better. C'mon, you know you want to! Bring money for beverages and sandwiches and tips, and bring extra cash if you'd like a CD.
Or just come and watch. Either way.
An Air America 'Yay!'
Heard and read this morning: Al Franken's sticking around for at least another two years (his original contract was only for the first year), and possibly a third.
Not only that, Randi Rhodes is apparently sticking around for another three years! Color me tickled.
Oh yes, oops, I forgot, this is the failed Air America Radio network the right wing likes to make fun of.
Now I wish I could find a way for KXXT 1010 to play Unfiltered without killing Charles Goyette's show. I'm kind of starting to enjoy him (it's nice, and rare, here to have a liberal take on local stuff), but for some reason my Internet stream (which I use to, functionally, listen to two things at once by buffering Unfiltered till later, and skip over commercials to catch up with the live broadcast) meets with disaster every morning, and I just can't have a good day without my Unfiltered News!
Not only that, Randi Rhodes is apparently sticking around for another three years! Color me tickled.
Oh yes, oops, I forgot, this is the failed Air America Radio network the right wing likes to make fun of.
Now I wish I could find a way for KXXT 1010 to play Unfiltered without killing Charles Goyette's show. I'm kind of starting to enjoy him (it's nice, and rare, here to have a liberal take on local stuff), but for some reason my Internet stream (which I use to, functionally, listen to two things at once by buffering Unfiltered till later, and skip over commercials to catch up with the live broadcast) meets with disaster every morning, and I just can't have a good day without my Unfiltered News!
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Professional crossroads
Yeah, so I'm 33 years old. I've been in the job world off an on since I was 16 years old. To this day, the only jobs I've had with any level of responsibility were my 2-year stint as a Coast Guard public affairs specialist and 6 months at a Bay Area PR firm. Everything else has been more or less entry-level.
Enough already.
I don't know what's happening here where I am, but I am sick to f**king death of being essentially a glorified secretary. Yes, my job description changed and I got a puny raise (when I changed from being an assistant to an HR tech and went up several paygrades, my pay went up a whole $1.21 an hour), but I still sit in the same desk and perform the same menial clerical and concierge tasks, in addition to actual, real, intellectual work.
Day by day, as my graduation an impending masterhood approach, I get less and less satisfied with this state of affairs. If things don't change in January, I'll be a secretary with a master's degree, which strikes me as incredibly pathetic.
The news coming from my boss is somewhere between nonexistent and not good. Despite the fact that my employer is currently experiencing a torrential green river of cash inflow, the increase in our department's budget next year is very small, and it's this increase in budget that's supposed to fund a change in position for me. And they won't let my dept. hire a replacement assistant, meaning that in all likelihood, even if they doubled my salary and set a golden crown on my head, I'd still end up sitting here playing receptionist, which is REALLY hard to do when I'm trying to focus on other more complex tasks.
But I hate job hunting. I like my employer. And none of our hospitals have openings for librarians right now.
It's insanely frustrating, but I'm going to have to make a decision soon, and I have no idea what (if anything) is planned for me here. Do I trust my boss, who truly has my best interests at heart but isn't the ultimate authority on what can be done with me? Do I quit and look for another job? Do I just suck it up and count on Haiku Rd. to be my outlet for personal fulfillment?
Sorry, just needed to vent.
Enough already.
I don't know what's happening here where I am, but I am sick to f**king death of being essentially a glorified secretary. Yes, my job description changed and I got a puny raise (when I changed from being an assistant to an HR tech and went up several paygrades, my pay went up a whole $1.21 an hour), but I still sit in the same desk and perform the same menial clerical and concierge tasks, in addition to actual, real, intellectual work.
Day by day, as my graduation an impending masterhood approach, I get less and less satisfied with this state of affairs. If things don't change in January, I'll be a secretary with a master's degree, which strikes me as incredibly pathetic.
The news coming from my boss is somewhere between nonexistent and not good. Despite the fact that my employer is currently experiencing a torrential green river of cash inflow, the increase in our department's budget next year is very small, and it's this increase in budget that's supposed to fund a change in position for me. And they won't let my dept. hire a replacement assistant, meaning that in all likelihood, even if they doubled my salary and set a golden crown on my head, I'd still end up sitting here playing receptionist, which is REALLY hard to do when I'm trying to focus on other more complex tasks.
But I hate job hunting. I like my employer. And none of our hospitals have openings for librarians right now.
It's insanely frustrating, but I'm going to have to make a decision soon, and I have no idea what (if anything) is planned for me here. Do I trust my boss, who truly has my best interests at heart but isn't the ultimate authority on what can be done with me? Do I quit and look for another job? Do I just suck it up and count on Haiku Rd. to be my outlet for personal fulfillment?
Sorry, just needed to vent.
Haiku Rd. Update
Well, I must say that in spite of the busy-ness of my schedule lately and my best efforts at self-sabotage, Haiku Rd. seems to be taking off ... slowly, certainly, and without much income, but taking off nonetheless.
For your edification, here's the cover of our 'demo' CD, the images on which are derived from the Ministry of Peace ... errrr, Dept. of Homeland Security, as filtered through a less-funny e-mail take on them made better in this blog entry of Richard's.
The CD contains tracks from Hadrian's Wall's Haiku Rd. album, with a few of Richard's solo demos and a track by our new bassist/multi-instrumentalist, Erik.
For your reference, if you're in or can get to Phoenix in the next few weeks, here are our scheduled gigs:
We're working to add others to the schedule, and we'll be able to start work on a real Web site for the band which will include calendar information, but for now, this is it. http://www.in-the-wall.com contains information about Hadrian's Wall, but only a bare mention of Haiku Rd.
Please come to our shows for fun, frivolity and songs about suicide (no, really, we have a funny Christmas suicide song), all rolled in with our other songs and our trademark lame jokes and mildly amusing on-stage patter. Oh, and bring $8.00 (better yet, bring $10 so you can tip us a couple of bucks; in most cases we're either not getting paid or ain't getting paid much) for one of our lovely CDs! Hadrian's Wall's Haiku Rd. has been out of print for years, so for the forseeable future this is the only way to get the best tracks from it in digital form if you don't already have them.
For your edification, here's the cover of our 'demo' CD, the images on which are derived from the Ministry of Peace ... errrr, Dept. of Homeland Security, as filtered through a less-funny e-mail take on them made better in this blog entry of Richard's.
The CD contains tracks from Hadrian's Wall's Haiku Rd. album, with a few of Richard's solo demos and a track by our new bassist/multi-instrumentalist, Erik.
For your reference, if you're in or can get to Phoenix in the next few weeks, here are our scheduled gigs:
- Dec. 11, 8:30-11:30 p.m. Paisley Violin, 2nd St. & Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix. note: This is a change to what I may have previously reported by word of mouth.
- Dec. 15, 9 p.m.-midnight. Willow House, 3rd Ave. & McDowell in downtown Phoenix. I may be late for this one, in which case Richard and Erik may start things off.
We're working to add others to the schedule, and we'll be able to start work on a real Web site for the band which will include calendar information, but for now, this is it. http://www.in-the-wall.com contains information about Hadrian's Wall, but only a bare mention of Haiku Rd.
Please come to our shows for fun, frivolity and songs about suicide (no, really, we have a funny Christmas suicide song), all rolled in with our other songs and our trademark lame jokes and mildly amusing on-stage patter. Oh, and bring $8.00 (better yet, bring $10 so you can tip us a couple of bucks; in most cases we're either not getting paid or ain't getting paid much) for one of our lovely CDs! Hadrian's Wall's Haiku Rd. has been out of print for years, so for the forseeable future this is the only way to get the best tracks from it in digital form if you don't already have them.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Thanks, closed-minded corporate bigots!
After seeing the way things have played out this week, I just want to thank NBC, CBS, UPN and every other broadcaster or network who turned down the United Church of Christ commercial.
I've never heard more publicity for the church that helped shape me as a child, and it makes me proud :^).
You've all shown yourselves to be conservative (in the purest sense) asses, senseless little monkeys throwing feces at one another. But your very ridiculousness has, in the end, done more good than simply running the commercials could ever have done. Now everyone has seen them. Now everyone wonders what this denomination is about, that is open, accepting and affirming.
Well done, bean-counting cigar chompers.
I've never heard more publicity for the church that helped shape me as a child, and it makes me proud :^).
You've all shown yourselves to be conservative (in the purest sense) asses, senseless little monkeys throwing feces at one another. But your very ridiculousness has, in the end, done more good than simply running the commercials could ever have done. Now everyone has seen them. Now everyone wonders what this denomination is about, that is open, accepting and affirming.
Well done, bean-counting cigar chompers.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Feel free to send nastygrams to CBS and NBC, preferably via post, in large quantities
(Thank you, kniwt)
The United Church of Christ apparently has a new ad campaign to highlight their 'open and affirming' attitude. Watch the ad that's too hot for the networks to handle! Scandalous! Call the FCC!
Apparently, though, some people think it is controversial to follow Jesus' example.
There must have been an orgy scene in this that I missed. Or something.
The United Church of Christ apparently has a new ad campaign to highlight their 'open and affirming' attitude. Watch the ad that's too hot for the networks to handle! Scandalous! Call the FCC!
Apparently, though, some people think it is controversial to follow Jesus' example.
There must have been an orgy scene in this that I missed. Or something.
Well, at least I'm a winner ...
in the Master of Arts in Information Resources and Library Science department.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
NaNoWriMo
Just over 13 hours to go and only a hair over 3/4 done. Doesn't look like I'll make it this year. But I have a good excuse. Still sucks. And I'm still tryin'.
Sunday, November 28, 2004
I had no idea we were doing this
Good God, is there anything we (the U.S.) can touch without turning it to shit? I'm with Sir Edmund; this pisses me off.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Yes, we are all individuals! (I'm not!)
OK, I'll join the club. Eerily accurate, really.
From http://hokev.brinkster.net/quiz/default.asp :
eXpressive: 5/10
Practical: 5/10
Physical: 7/10
Giver: 4/10
You are a RPYT--Reserved Practical Physical Taker. This makes you a Stoic.
You are intelligent, rugged, disciplined and profound. Even if you're saddled with a desk job, you are starving for the outdoors. You are very slow to warm up to people, and people are slow to warm up to you, but once they know you they never forget you.
You do not get much attention from your target sex, and this means you can feel unloved or unwanted. This is not the case! You are just a hard nut to crack, and your social anxiety leaves you overlooked or outside the frame altogether. What is good for you is increments of low-interaction group activity, like sports or outdoor work. The person who can chop wood with you will melt your heart.
In a long term relationship, you are loving and devoted. You are calm in a conflict until your partner presses your buttons -- it's never the problem at hand that gets under your skin, but how your partner handles it. Don't take offense! Sometimes it's just the only way your partner knows how to express things.
You would never cheat, and your approach to sex is conventional and almost prudish. But sex for you is a release and a necessity of life, and you have a sense of entitlement about it that can be trouble. Make sure your partner is comfortable and satisfied -- by communicating both in and out of the bedroom -- and you will be more satisfied yourself.
You may take a lot of what your partner does for granted. Make a special effort to reward and validate him/her, and you will be repaid in spades.
You have nice legs.
Of the 158671 people who have taken this quiz, 4.1 % are this type.
From http://hokev.brinkster.net/quiz/default.asp :
eXpressive: 5/10
Practical: 5/10
Physical: 7/10
Giver: 4/10
You are a RPYT--Reserved Practical Physical Taker. This makes you a Stoic.
You are intelligent, rugged, disciplined and profound. Even if you're saddled with a desk job, you are starving for the outdoors. You are very slow to warm up to people, and people are slow to warm up to you, but once they know you they never forget you.
You do not get much attention from your target sex, and this means you can feel unloved or unwanted. This is not the case! You are just a hard nut to crack, and your social anxiety leaves you overlooked or outside the frame altogether. What is good for you is increments of low-interaction group activity, like sports or outdoor work. The person who can chop wood with you will melt your heart.
In a long term relationship, you are loving and devoted. You are calm in a conflict until your partner presses your buttons -- it's never the problem at hand that gets under your skin, but how your partner handles it. Don't take offense! Sometimes it's just the only way your partner knows how to express things.
You would never cheat, and your approach to sex is conventional and almost prudish. But sex for you is a release and a necessity of life, and you have a sense of entitlement about it that can be trouble. Make sure your partner is comfortable and satisfied -- by communicating both in and out of the bedroom -- and you will be more satisfied yourself.
You may take a lot of what your partner does for granted. Make a special effort to reward and validate him/her, and you will be repaid in spades.
You have nice legs.
Of the 158671 people who have taken this quiz, 4.1 % are this type.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Random blog
Poking around blogshares, I happened across this blog. The right politics, generally pretty good taste in music and hot as all get out! I find it very readable, anyway. Your mileage may vary.
Revising history
My goodness, some people have poles up their butts. How exactly do you get standing to sue on behalf of Alexander the Great, anyway?
One thing I learned in PR is that when you have to deny something or refute allegations, you have to reject the original premise and recast the language. The reason for this? When you say "It's not about the money," or "It's not about the price of a gallon of gas," or "I did not have sexual relations with that woman ...", nobody hears the 'not', at least not in any lasting way. So what they're left with is "It's about the money," "It's about the price of a gallon of gas," and "I had sexual relations with that woman ..."
In that light then, ponder this quote from the lead lawyer in the case: " 'We are not saying that we are against gays,' Yannis Varnakos, the lawyer leading the campaign, is reported as saying. 'But we are saying that the production company should make it clear that the film is pure fiction and not a true depiction of the life of Alexander.'"
Um, is there anyone based in reality who can deny, with a straight face [pardon the pun] that Alexander had a thing for the boys? I mean, come on! It was a normal part of Greek society at that time. What's so fricking scandalous about complying with societal norms?
One thing I learned in PR is that when you have to deny something or refute allegations, you have to reject the original premise and recast the language. The reason for this? When you say "It's not about the money," or "It's not about the price of a gallon of gas," or "I did not have sexual relations with that woman ...", nobody hears the 'not', at least not in any lasting way. So what they're left with is "It's about the money," "It's about the price of a gallon of gas," and "I had sexual relations with that woman ..."
In that light then, ponder this quote from the lead lawyer in the case: " 'We are not saying that we are against gays,' Yannis Varnakos, the lawyer leading the campaign, is reported as saying. 'But we are saying that the production company should make it clear that the film is pure fiction and not a true depiction of the life of Alexander.'"
Um, is there anyone based in reality who can deny, with a straight face [pardon the pun] that Alexander had a thing for the boys? I mean, come on! It was a normal part of Greek society at that time. What's so fricking scandalous about complying with societal norms?
Monday, November 22, 2004
Macchiavelli would be proud.
So here's my take on this whole deal about the House spiking the adoption of the 9/11 Commission-recommended reforms.
The Republican Party owns everything. If there's something they want to do, they do it. Likewise, if the President (or, more properly, the administration) wants something done, it should be no difficult matter making it happen. Why, then, Bush's public handwringing over this issue. "But I wanted it! It was a good idea! Waaah!"
Quite simple.
He doesn't want it. Never did, never has, never will.
But this way, he can make it look to the public as if he was a good guy, because the public generally wants the reforms. And he can kill it.
Now that everyone reads from the same script, such things are easy. They can manufacture struggles, controversies, etc., to manipulate public opinion. It all goes back to 1984 ... not to mention Brazil.
What's the alternative? That the administration has no influence with the legislators from its own party? This is almost worse. It turns the stomach.
The Republican Party owns everything. If there's something they want to do, they do it. Likewise, if the President (or, more properly, the administration) wants something done, it should be no difficult matter making it happen. Why, then, Bush's public handwringing over this issue. "But I wanted it! It was a good idea! Waaah!"
Quite simple.
He doesn't want it. Never did, never has, never will.
But this way, he can make it look to the public as if he was a good guy, because the public generally wants the reforms. And he can kill it.
Now that everyone reads from the same script, such things are easy. They can manufacture struggles, controversies, etc., to manipulate public opinion. It all goes back to 1984 ... not to mention Brazil.
What's the alternative? That the administration has no influence with the legislators from its own party? This is almost worse. It turns the stomach.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Another bipolar NaNoMoment
After all my whinging this morning, I made good progress today ...
Best. NaNoDay. Ever!
4,090 words, besting any previous day this month and, I believe, topping anything I did last year. That said, according to the original pace I should have hit 30,000 words today, and I'm only just over 26,000, but at least I passed the halfway point today! Henceforth it's a downhill slide. I hope. I doubt I can keep up quite that pace, especially with all the heavy-duty school stuff coming down on my now, but it does give me some hope that I won't quite embarrass myself with this.
Anyway, back to writing ...
Best. NaNoDay. Ever!
4,090 words, besting any previous day this month and, I believe, topping anything I did last year. That said, according to the original pace I should have hit 30,000 words today, and I'm only just over 26,000, but at least I passed the halfway point today! Henceforth it's a downhill slide. I hope. I doubt I can keep up quite that pace, especially with all the heavy-duty school stuff coming down on my now, but it does give me some hope that I won't quite embarrass myself with this.
Anyway, back to writing ...
A rare happy ending
As the fundies continue their all-out assault on difference of all kinds, it's nice to know that it's occasionally possible to stick it to the man, so to speak.
Case in point: This victory of an interracial gay couple in Florida over Jeb Bush's army of intolerance and Florida's bigoted law that forbids gay men and lesbians from adopting children.
The language of this story is a little churchy, but the story is inspiring.
Thanks to my sister for forwarding this on to me.
Case in point: This victory of an interracial gay couple in Florida over Jeb Bush's army of intolerance and Florida's bigoted law that forbids gay men and lesbians from adopting children.
The language of this story is a little churchy, but the story is inspiring.
Thanks to my sister for forwarding this on to me.
It sucks being sick
I did really well resisting Mason's cold for well over a week (yes, he was sick for a long while!), but it finally clubbed me over the head the other night and since then I've more or less been living on the couch, sucking down echinacea tea and orange juice and sleeping. Finally today I'm back at work, more out of necessity than anything else; I still feel like crap.
And I actually managed to stay 'with it' sufficiently to participate in a debate in class last night. I don't think I won, but that has more to do with my opponent's novel approach to the case than my inability to concentrate.
*cough cough sniffle sniffle*
So anyway, what's new with me?
School slackens not a whit. In fact, big group projects are just coming over the horizon, headed straight at me. Papers and individual projects likewise. My only solace: Three more weeks, give or take, and I'll be done with this. My whole attitude toward this last semester has pretty much been thus. On those rare occasions when I've tried to take a macro view and look at everything I'm trying to accomplish this fall, it's sent me into a fetal position crying for my mommy. Consequently, I've purposely kept my focus only on the step immediately ahead. But now I can start to look up a little. I mean, I've gotta buy a robe and hood for graduation, ferchrissakes!
I also feel like I'm slowly emerging from a very dark period of extreme fiscal scarcity. I celebrated the fact that I could actually afford a cup of coffee this morning by, predictably, buying a cup of coffee. Still not in the clear by any means, and I still owe money to almost more people that I can remember, but I should be able to start paying them back within a few weeks. Gonna be a skimpy Christmas, though.
My NaNo novel is weeping uncontrollably in the corner, crying out, "Don't you love me anymore? You never write, you never call!" I'm still working on it, but I'm badly behind, mostly because I've been too sick to focus on being awake, much less writing. Unless I can get some serious catchup time this weekend, I doubt I'll make it.
And I actually managed to stay 'with it' sufficiently to participate in a debate in class last night. I don't think I won, but that has more to do with my opponent's novel approach to the case than my inability to concentrate.
*cough cough sniffle sniffle*
So anyway, what's new with me?
School slackens not a whit. In fact, big group projects are just coming over the horizon, headed straight at me. Papers and individual projects likewise. My only solace: Three more weeks, give or take, and I'll be done with this. My whole attitude toward this last semester has pretty much been thus. On those rare occasions when I've tried to take a macro view and look at everything I'm trying to accomplish this fall, it's sent me into a fetal position crying for my mommy. Consequently, I've purposely kept my focus only on the step immediately ahead. But now I can start to look up a little. I mean, I've gotta buy a robe and hood for graduation, ferchrissakes!
I also feel like I'm slowly emerging from a very dark period of extreme fiscal scarcity. I celebrated the fact that I could actually afford a cup of coffee this morning by, predictably, buying a cup of coffee. Still not in the clear by any means, and I still owe money to almost more people that I can remember, but I should be able to start paying them back within a few weeks. Gonna be a skimpy Christmas, though.
My NaNo novel is weeping uncontrollably in the corner, crying out, "Don't you love me anymore? You never write, you never call!" I'm still working on it, but I'm badly behind, mostly because I've been too sick to focus on being awake, much less writing. Unless I can get some serious catchup time this weekend, I doubt I'll make it.
Monday, November 15, 2004
Observations on replacing Colin Powell
According to American media analysts, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice is likely to replace Powell. The name of John Danforth, the US Ambassador to the UN is also doing the rounds.
Talk about failing upward!
I'm sure she's a very nice woman, and I'm certain that her knowledge of Russian and Soviet affairs in nearly without parallel in the federal government. But let's face it, she's monumentally and tragically incompetent as a National Security Advisor in the face the absence of a Soviet threat.
But Secretary of State? Dear God.
Talk about failing upward!
I'm sure she's a very nice woman, and I'm certain that her knowledge of Russian and Soviet affairs in nearly without parallel in the federal government. But let's face it, she's monumentally and tragically incompetent as a National Security Advisor in the face the absence of a Soviet threat.
But Secretary of State? Dear God.
Friday, November 12, 2004
IKEA is taunting me
*heavy sigh*
How hard I've tried not to go shopping at our new IKEA store. I'm trying not to go because I really, really, really want to go. But I have no money, and it's utterly impossible for me to walk into an IKEA and not spend money.
So far, I've had at least two encounters with a little vehicle they have wandering around Phoenix, a bit like a moving truck with a glassed-in furnished room.
Fate is taunting me.
But please feel free to toss any winning lottery tickets my way. Thank you in advance!
How hard I've tried not to go shopping at our new IKEA store. I'm trying not to go because I really, really, really want to go. But I have no money, and it's utterly impossible for me to walk into an IKEA and not spend money.
So far, I've had at least two encounters with a little vehicle they have wandering around Phoenix, a bit like a moving truck with a glassed-in furnished room.
Fate is taunting me.
But please feel free to toss any winning lottery tickets my way. Thank you in advance!
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Nanowrimo update
I'm working away on my novel for NaNoWriMo novel and had something of a breakthrough today, so I had to celebrate. After spending nine days chugging away more or less aimlessly, it's finally a story!
It's been slow going so far, partly because I do after all work for a living, on top of everything else I'm trying to do with my life right now. But I've also had only the dimmest of ideas where I'm trying to take the story. But today I broke all previous records for words-per-day and found, much to my surprise, that I know for the first time, generally speaking, where I'm going with this.
I'm still behind pace (on average) to make it by the end of the month, but a couple more days like today (more than double the original daily pace!) and I'll be back on track to make it by Nov. 30 and what's more, I'll have a coherent story at the end of it!
It's been slow going so far, partly because I do after all work for a living, on top of everything else I'm trying to do with my life right now. But I've also had only the dimmest of ideas where I'm trying to take the story. But today I broke all previous records for words-per-day and found, much to my surprise, that I know for the first time, generally speaking, where I'm going with this.
I'm still behind pace (on average) to make it by the end of the month, but a couple more days like today (more than double the original daily pace!) and I'll be back on track to make it by Nov. 30 and what's more, I'll have a coherent story at the end of it!
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Ding, dong, the witch is dead!
Don't let the door hit yer Ass-Croft ...
Not that I'm surprised. Someone's got to make way for Rudy. But the man is distilled evil, and we're well rid of him. Read his resignation, though. What a dumbass.
Not that I'm surprised. Someone's got to make way for Rudy. But the man is distilled evil, and we're well rid of him. Read his resignation, though. What a dumbass.
Coalition of the brain-dead
If you don't read Daily Kos or Atrios, you might've missed this gem, advocating expelling the 'blue states' from the union. As DK correctly points out, it's really unclear how exactly a new, purified USA would actually survive without New York, California or Illinois, but that's really only the beginning of the idiocy here. Really, just read it ... it goes without comment, but I can't resist commenting on a couple of things.
Anyone ever noticed how good Republican pundits are at creating false dichotomies (e.g., either you like Dr. Pepper or you hate children; either you support this war unquestioningly in every respect and detail or you're a faithless traitor to your nation)? To wit, this example: "Shall we remain the world's leader, or become an unprincipled chump for the cabal of globalist sybarites who play endless word-games inside the United Nations and European Union sanctuaries?" Hm, when you put it that way, you're absolutely right, we should continue to be the world's leader ... in wartime human rights abuses, production and possession of weapons of mass destruction, consumption of the world's resources and, most especially, imperialism. Friggin' yay.
"For many decades, conservative citizens and like-minded political leaders ... have been denigrated by ... hordes of liberals who now won't even admit that they are liberals--because the word connotes such moral stink and political silliness. As a class, liberals no longer are merely the vigorous opponents of the Right; they are spiteful enemies of civilization's core decency and traditions."
Hear me now. I'm a liberal. A liberal, you condescending twit. If the word has a 'moral' stink to it, it's only because you and your ilk have spent 30 years throwing shit at it. I'm washing it off and taking it back.
As for "spiteful enemies of civilization's core decency and traditions," which civilization? Which decency? Which traditions? Slavery? Medical experiments on the unknowing? Terrorism and guerrilla warfare?
I'm a veteran of the American armed forces and an Eagle Scout. I grew up attending church, singing and being involved in the youth group and traveling to conferences. I've probably visited the sites of more battles in America and the world than you know ever happened. I know more of the history, traditions, culture and heritage of my country and my forebears than most. I'm not an enemy of decency or tradition, I'm just smarter about which ones are worth defending and which we need to make amends for.
For mentioning slander and libel in the same breath as F911, I point to the strongest legal defense one can make when defending oneself against accusations that one has slandered or libeled another: Truth. You may not like it or its conclusions, but it's the truth.
Next, if it's anti-American or subversive to speak truth to power, then, brother, kick me out, 'cos I don't want to be part of that America. I believe in the Constitution. You need to sit down, Mr. Author, and actually read the thing. Sounds like you're getting a little rusty.
And finally, in the interesting little BushUSA/Gore-KerryUSA comparison thing, I actually laughed out loud at this: "... with a predilection for respectfully uttering 'yes, ma'am" and "yes, sir.'" I can honestly say that the rudest, most foul-mouthed people I know, the people without social graces, respect for authority or understanding of the most basic rules of decorum (with the exception of my brother-in-law who has a heart of pure gold but the manners of a distempered mule) are conservatives.
Put down your precious thesaurus, climb down from your garret and embrace the real world. Twit.
Anyone ever noticed how good Republican pundits are at creating false dichotomies (e.g., either you like Dr. Pepper or you hate children; either you support this war unquestioningly in every respect and detail or you're a faithless traitor to your nation)? To wit, this example: "Shall we remain the world's leader, or become an unprincipled chump for the cabal of globalist sybarites who play endless word-games inside the United Nations and European Union sanctuaries?" Hm, when you put it that way, you're absolutely right, we should continue to be the world's leader ... in wartime human rights abuses, production and possession of weapons of mass destruction, consumption of the world's resources and, most especially, imperialism. Friggin' yay.
"For many decades, conservative citizens and like-minded political leaders ... have been denigrated by ... hordes of liberals who now won't even admit that they are liberals--because the word connotes such moral stink and political silliness. As a class, liberals no longer are merely the vigorous opponents of the Right; they are spiteful enemies of civilization's core decency and traditions."
Hear me now. I'm a liberal. A liberal, you condescending twit. If the word has a 'moral' stink to it, it's only because you and your ilk have spent 30 years throwing shit at it. I'm washing it off and taking it back.
As for "spiteful enemies of civilization's core decency and traditions," which civilization? Which decency? Which traditions? Slavery? Medical experiments on the unknowing? Terrorism and guerrilla warfare?
I'm a veteran of the American armed forces and an Eagle Scout. I grew up attending church, singing and being involved in the youth group and traveling to conferences. I've probably visited the sites of more battles in America and the world than you know ever happened. I know more of the history, traditions, culture and heritage of my country and my forebears than most. I'm not an enemy of decency or tradition, I'm just smarter about which ones are worth defending and which we need to make amends for.
For mentioning slander and libel in the same breath as F911, I point to the strongest legal defense one can make when defending oneself against accusations that one has slandered or libeled another: Truth. You may not like it or its conclusions, but it's the truth.
Next, if it's anti-American or subversive to speak truth to power, then, brother, kick me out, 'cos I don't want to be part of that America. I believe in the Constitution. You need to sit down, Mr. Author, and actually read the thing. Sounds like you're getting a little rusty.
And finally, in the interesting little BushUSA/Gore-KerryUSA comparison thing, I actually laughed out loud at this: "... with a predilection for respectfully uttering 'yes, ma'am" and "yes, sir.'" I can honestly say that the rudest, most foul-mouthed people I know, the people without social graces, respect for authority or understanding of the most basic rules of decorum (with the exception of my brother-in-law who has a heart of pure gold but the manners of a distempered mule) are conservatives.
Put down your precious thesaurus, climb down from your garret and embrace the real world. Twit.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Elitism?
There was a front page news story in our local Republican Party mouthpiece, The Arizona Republic, this morning, blaming the recent election rout on the fact that the Democratic Party is seen as too elitist.
The party of the New Deal, the Civil Rights Act, the labor movement, populism ... They're the elitists? Certainly, an argument can be made (and indeed I've been known to make this argument myself) that they've lost touch with that part of themselves in recent years as part of their efforts to follow the 'Contract on America'-inspired Republican Party to the right.
Who's who in the Republican Party?
George W. Bush ... Well, we know all about his connections to Saudi and Texas oil and big business. Enron, anyone?
Dick Cheney ... No matter how he tries to insist he has no connections to Halliburton, hasn't he intervened to make sure they get their contracts? And he may not be getting a bi-weekly paycheck from them, but he's still collecting money from them and he'll get it sometime in the future. That may not be a de jure conflict of interest, but it certainly ain't ethical.
Bill Frist ... Involved in owning the largest chain of hospitals in the country, involved in writing and passing laws that directly benefit the family business.
Trent Lott ... Raises huge amounts of money from corporations to hand off to Congressional corporate puppets like John Shadegg. Immense ethical questions have arisen about him and his dealings.
Let's look at something I think is illustrative and compare George W. Bush and John Kerry. Of the two of them, which has most routinely associated with royalty outside his duties in government?
There's your elitist, you bastards.
The party of the New Deal, the Civil Rights Act, the labor movement, populism ... They're the elitists? Certainly, an argument can be made (and indeed I've been known to make this argument myself) that they've lost touch with that part of themselves in recent years as part of their efforts to follow the 'Contract on America'-inspired Republican Party to the right.
Who's who in the Republican Party?
George W. Bush ... Well, we know all about his connections to Saudi and Texas oil and big business. Enron, anyone?
Dick Cheney ... No matter how he tries to insist he has no connections to Halliburton, hasn't he intervened to make sure they get their contracts? And he may not be getting a bi-weekly paycheck from them, but he's still collecting money from them and he'll get it sometime in the future. That may not be a de jure conflict of interest, but it certainly ain't ethical.
Bill Frist ... Involved in owning the largest chain of hospitals in the country, involved in writing and passing laws that directly benefit the family business.
Trent Lott ... Raises huge amounts of money from corporations to hand off to Congressional corporate puppets like John Shadegg. Immense ethical questions have arisen about him and his dealings.
Let's look at something I think is illustrative and compare George W. Bush and John Kerry. Of the two of them, which has most routinely associated with royalty outside his duties in government?
There's your elitist, you bastards.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Yay!
Yay! I confirmed yesterday, I actually will be attending graduation in December, marking the completion of my graduate program! Yay!
The light is indeed on at the end of the tunnel.
If you matter and you're in Arizona, expect some sort of more formal notification soon!
And I say again: Yay!
The light is indeed on at the end of the tunnel.
If you matter and you're in Arizona, expect some sort of more formal notification soon!
And I say again: Yay!
Thursday, November 04, 2004
What a truly reprehensible human being
Alan Keyes: Christian, keeper of the faith and all-around good fricking sport.
You, Alan, are the weakest link. Or is that the missing link? Anyway, ...
Goodbye.
You, Alan, are the weakest link. Or is that the missing link? Anyway, ...
Goodbye.
Gloatmail
Reproduced in its entirety.
Dear Chris,
We had a long night -- and we had a great night. The voters turned out in record numbers and delivered an historic victory.
I want to thank our supporters across this country. At every stop I asked you to make the calls, put up the signs, talk to your neighbors, and get out the vote. And because you did your part, we are celebrating today. Thanks to you, we received more votes than any presidential ticket in history.
America has spoken. And I am humbled by the trust and confidence of my fellow citizens. With that trust comes a duty: I will serve all Americans, so help me God. I am proud to lead such an amazing country -- and I am proud to lead it forward.
Reaching our goals will require the broad support of Americans. A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation. We have one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us all. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America.
A campaign has ended, and our cause is renewed. The United States of America goes forward with confidence and faith. I can see a new day coming, and I am eager for the work ahead. God bless you all, and God bless America.
George W. Bush
I can't even describe.
Dear Chris,
We had a long night -- and we had a great night. The voters turned out in record numbers and delivered an historic victory.
I want to thank our supporters across this country. At every stop I asked you to make the calls, put up the signs, talk to your neighbors, and get out the vote. And because you did your part, we are celebrating today. Thanks to you, we received more votes than any presidential ticket in history.
America has spoken. And I am humbled by the trust and confidence of my fellow citizens. With that trust comes a duty: I will serve all Americans, so help me God. I am proud to lead such an amazing country -- and I am proud to lead it forward.
Reaching our goals will require the broad support of Americans. A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation. We have one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us all. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America.
A campaign has ended, and our cause is renewed. The United States of America goes forward with confidence and faith. I can see a new day coming, and I am eager for the work ahead. God bless you all, and God bless America.
George W. Bush
I can't even describe.
Listening to Fredo
I'm amazed at how good he is a gloating while trying to sound grave and serious.
How he sickens me.
At least he thanked his stenographers. That's nice.
How he sickens me.
At least he thanked his stenographers. That's nice.
What to do now
(in order, to make it clear I'm not just parroting crap I hear like a Bush supporter):
My friend Mike said it. I said it. Randi Rhodes and Greg Palast said it. Mike Malloy ranted forcefully about it for three hours last night.
Putting it simply, we have two years to save democracy in America. The electronic voting machines either need to go or need to be drastically revamped (I have a very detailed idea about this, but I'll not bore y'all now).
Rural precincts that recorded -25,000,000 votes for a ballot initiative ... Machines that crashed and lost all votes recorded up to that point ... known security problems with almost every brand of machine.
Then there's the county somewheres (sorry, details are slippery for me first thing in the morning like this) in which election facilities CALLED the polling places, instructing them to disconnect the modems and bring the memory cards from the machines in. I'm digging for more info on this, to see if there's a particular demographic to these precincts (you can see where I'm going with this).
Let's not kid ourselves -- Sure, it should've been a blowout, and clearly we haven't done a good job of reaching people in the heart of America. And if it had been a blowout, these under-the-radar levels of vote rigging would not have changed anything.
But this election was stolen, ladies and gentlemen, just as surely as was 2000. And more covertly.
Remember (as if you've forgotten), the Plumbers are back. And their unholy love child is Karl Rove.
Oh, and John Shadegg needs to go down. Anyone wanna help run a possible political campaign?
Yeah, I'm done crying in my beer. I'm f-ing pissed off, now.
My friend Mike said it. I said it. Randi Rhodes and Greg Palast said it. Mike Malloy ranted forcefully about it for three hours last night.
Putting it simply, we have two years to save democracy in America. The electronic voting machines either need to go or need to be drastically revamped (I have a very detailed idea about this, but I'll not bore y'all now).
Rural precincts that recorded -25,000,000 votes for a ballot initiative ... Machines that crashed and lost all votes recorded up to that point ... known security problems with almost every brand of machine.
Then there's the county somewheres (sorry, details are slippery for me first thing in the morning like this) in which election facilities CALLED the polling places, instructing them to disconnect the modems and bring the memory cards from the machines in. I'm digging for more info on this, to see if there's a particular demographic to these precincts (you can see where I'm going with this).
Let's not kid ourselves -- Sure, it should've been a blowout, and clearly we haven't done a good job of reaching people in the heart of America. And if it had been a blowout, these under-the-radar levels of vote rigging would not have changed anything.
But this election was stolen, ladies and gentlemen, just as surely as was 2000. And more covertly.
Remember (as if you've forgotten), the Plumbers are back. And their unholy love child is Karl Rove.
Oh, and John Shadegg needs to go down. Anyone wanna help run a possible political campaign?
Yeah, I'm done crying in my beer. I'm f-ing pissed off, now.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Two things.
Well.
I almost don't know what to say. Arizona has now institutionalized racism, but at least we'll be able to get around better in Phoenix. Presumably, then, the INS paddy wagons parked at our hospitals and firehouses will be able to move our Spanish-speaking citizens who neglect to stop on the way out of their houses while bleeding to death to pick up their birth certificates out of the country that much more quickly.
With regard to the presidential race, I'm angry, but not for the obvious reason. I don't want to look at Ohio. Lots of people are doing that. Everyone is, in fact. Where will it go? I don't know yet.
But there are some things I'm thinking about. One, we know that the lost popular vote was something that weakened the Republican hand in 2000. Ultimately, they triumphed, but not for any reason we'd recognize as fair. So they knew they had to win the popular vote. That's the first thing.
Second, we know well the BushCo politics of distraction. They always counter stuff they don't want you to hear with some shiny object off to the side that everyone chases.
In other words, I don't think Ohio is the story. I think they pulled crap in other states, all across the country, in subtle ways that are harder to point to and, lacking the light of national and international scrutiny, we won't see it. I think they need to count and recount pretty much everywhere.
None of it makes sense. It's not just an upset; the whole thing, the whole country wide, smells to high heaven.
In any event, if BushCo does get another four years, I'm walking a delicate tightrope.
I plan to get married. I plan to adopt children. If this country turns, as I fear it may, into a fundamentalist theocracy over the next four years, I am out of here. To be fair, we've got a long way to go before that happens.
And until that happens, and until I haven't a shred of hope left, I will fight. The battle is just beginning, not ending.
Oh, and John Shadegg needs to go down. I have two years.
I almost don't know what to say. Arizona has now institutionalized racism, but at least we'll be able to get around better in Phoenix. Presumably, then, the INS paddy wagons parked at our hospitals and firehouses will be able to move our Spanish-speaking citizens who neglect to stop on the way out of their houses while bleeding to death to pick up their birth certificates out of the country that much more quickly.
With regard to the presidential race, I'm angry, but not for the obvious reason. I don't want to look at Ohio. Lots of people are doing that. Everyone is, in fact. Where will it go? I don't know yet.
But there are some things I'm thinking about. One, we know that the lost popular vote was something that weakened the Republican hand in 2000. Ultimately, they triumphed, but not for any reason we'd recognize as fair. So they knew they had to win the popular vote. That's the first thing.
Second, we know well the BushCo politics of distraction. They always counter stuff they don't want you to hear with some shiny object off to the side that everyone chases.
In other words, I don't think Ohio is the story. I think they pulled crap in other states, all across the country, in subtle ways that are harder to point to and, lacking the light of national and international scrutiny, we won't see it. I think they need to count and recount pretty much everywhere.
None of it makes sense. It's not just an upset; the whole thing, the whole country wide, smells to high heaven.
In any event, if BushCo does get another four years, I'm walking a delicate tightrope.
I plan to get married. I plan to adopt children. If this country turns, as I fear it may, into a fundamentalist theocracy over the next four years, I am out of here. To be fair, we've got a long way to go before that happens.
And until that happens, and until I haven't a shred of hope left, I will fight. The battle is just beginning, not ending.
Oh, and John Shadegg needs to go down. I have two years.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Quick public service message
Well, my friends, it's zero hour, T-P Day (Transfer-of-Power Day). Go vote. Now. Or by the end of the day.
Vote or shut up. Capisce?
Oh, and if you're in Phoenix and you don't already have plans for the evening (as I do, alas), go to Nixon's at the Camelback Esplanade for a KXXT election party!
And if you go, grab me a bumper sticker.
That is all.
Vote or shut up. Capisce?
Oh, and if you're in Phoenix and you don't already have plans for the evening (as I do, alas), go to Nixon's at the Camelback Esplanade for a KXXT election party!
And if you go, grab me a bumper sticker.
That is all.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
A moment of uplift before the oncoming storm
So I'm sitting here reading news and blogs and such like, right after spending 8 hours writing a particularly difficult paper for my library science class. And I had a sort of epiphany. I say sort of, because it's not really anything new or earthshattering, or anything like that. But it's a quiet realization and one that gives me almost elation.
Regardless of what occurs on Tuesday, or in the aftermath of Tuesday ...
Regardless of the reasons why the following is true, ...
In the past few months I've witnessed the greatest resurgence of democracy in my country that I can ever recall, especially in people around my age and a little younger. This is the generation baby boomers were writing off as pathetic, whiny and apathetic only a few years ... nay, months ... ago. When we have to, we learn, we organize and we stand up to the knife the short-sighted, power-mad bastards have at our collective throats. And regardless of how the fascist newthink of the Radical Right wants to play it, we can make ourselves heard. We have been heard. We will be heard.
Tuesday ... Slightly less than 34 hours to go till the polls open where I live. This is the home stretch.
Call people. Beg people. Cajole people. Drag people bodily to the polls. Do something!
The revolution starts ...
Now.
Regardless of what occurs on Tuesday, or in the aftermath of Tuesday ...
Regardless of the reasons why the following is true, ...
In the past few months I've witnessed the greatest resurgence of democracy in my country that I can ever recall, especially in people around my age and a little younger. This is the generation baby boomers were writing off as pathetic, whiny and apathetic only a few years ... nay, months ... ago. When we have to, we learn, we organize and we stand up to the knife the short-sighted, power-mad bastards have at our collective throats. And regardless of how the fascist newthink of the Radical Right wants to play it, we can make ourselves heard. We have been heard. We will be heard.
Tuesday ... Slightly less than 34 hours to go till the polls open where I live. This is the home stretch.
Call people. Beg people. Cajole people. Drag people bodily to the polls. Do something!
The revolution starts ...
Now.
Friday, October 29, 2004
Easily distracted
[Us and the Press, this week]: Reason # 19575575 why Bush needs to go: Lost explosives! Bad! They kill Americans! Incompetent president! Gaaah!
(Osama Bin Laden appears on TV screen)
[Press]: Ooh, shiny! (run off to follow Osama)
[Us]: Gr.
I swear, sometimes my country and pretty much always its media are like a 10 year old with ADD on a sugar high.
Get yer heads outta yer asses!
(Osama Bin Laden appears on TV screen)
[Press]: Ooh, shiny! (run off to follow Osama)
[Us]: Gr.
I swear, sometimes my country and pretty much always its media are like a 10 year old with ADD on a sugar high.
Get yer heads outta yer asses!
KXXT Update
Just heard on the radio ... KXXT listener meetup at Nixon's at the Camelback Esplanade this evening!
Not sure yet if I'll be there, since it's so last-minute, but if you're around and you're a KXXT listener, you should go!
Not sure yet if I'll be there, since it's so last-minute, but if you're around and you're a KXXT listener, you should go!
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Is this their October surprise?
Could it be that this is the October surprise? If so, they've gone beyond scraping the bottom of the barrel to fishing in the outhouse.
I mean, I'm too stunned by the revelation that al-Qaeda apparently has a fully-equipped professional NTSC production facility in Pakistan or Afghanistan to even get into the rest of the problems with this.
I note the CIA says it can't confirm the authenticity, which in my book places this right along side 'Danger! Danger! Terror alert! Terror alert! (we know of no specific threat.)'
They've gone beyond pissing me off to just being pathetic. Start packing, boys.
I mean, I'm too stunned by the revelation that al-Qaeda apparently has a fully-equipped professional NTSC production facility in Pakistan or Afghanistan to even get into the rest of the problems with this.
I note the CIA says it can't confirm the authenticity, which in my book places this right along side 'Danger! Danger! Terror alert! Terror alert! (we know of no specific threat.)'
They've gone beyond pissing me off to just being pathetic. Start packing, boys.
Not politics, for a change
Well, after class last night I had a chance to have dinner with my friend 'Kniwt' while he was passing through town. Alas, he'd made his way to the desert Southwest seeking favorable weather for his bike riding. I say alas because, in case you're not in Phoenix, we're not exactly sunny and warm right now. Since about 12:30 last night, we've had a constant, steady light rain, occasionally heavy winds and nippy temperatures (presently 54 degrees, according to Weatherbug!).
That said, he did ride across the border from Douglas to Agua Prieta, Sonora, yesterday and seems to be generally having fun on his well-earned vacation from work, news a politics. He promises a full trip report on his return to scenic Fresno.
Finally caught up with schoolwork yesterday. I'm surprised my time is so inelastic these days that it took me four days to make up for the total of six hours I spent this weekend on birthday things. Fortunately, there's only a month and a half to go in the semester! I thought the first week of school was hard, but believe me, it was nothing compared to this week. I may have to forego a really cool Halloween party to which I was invited this weekend because the homework load going forward is still quite heavy, and there's a LOT of housework I didn't get done this week.
I actually have hopes I might be able to graduate this semester, since my school has unexpectedly allowed me till tomorrow to send in my paperwork (previously, I'd seen a deadline of Sept. 1, which led me to think I had no chance to get my parchment this December. That said, it all hinges now on timely delivery of my end-of-semester transcript from ASU, which is a little more iffy.
I more or less had to abandon two assignments for one class, one of which I left at home inadvertently and one of which I just spaced on, because the prof. doesn't accept late assignments at all. Fortunately, they're such a relatively small part of the grade I'll still be able to pull out at least a B or low A if I keep my nose clean going forward. No problem!
The reviews from Saturday's Haiku Rd. show have been uniformly positive from all corners. I can't tell if it's all politeness, but I think we may actually have something here! Just think ... if you were there and enjoyed it, we have a bassist now and we'll have a drummer if Pete ever moves out here, so it only gets better from here on out! Updates will appear here when/if we get gigs booked. Don't plan on anything before December, but that could change.
That said, he did ride across the border from Douglas to Agua Prieta, Sonora, yesterday and seems to be generally having fun on his well-earned vacation from work, news a politics. He promises a full trip report on his return to scenic Fresno.
Finally caught up with schoolwork yesterday. I'm surprised my time is so inelastic these days that it took me four days to make up for the total of six hours I spent this weekend on birthday things. Fortunately, there's only a month and a half to go in the semester! I thought the first week of school was hard, but believe me, it was nothing compared to this week. I may have to forego a really cool Halloween party to which I was invited this weekend because the homework load going forward is still quite heavy, and there's a LOT of housework I didn't get done this week.
I actually have hopes I might be able to graduate this semester, since my school has unexpectedly allowed me till tomorrow to send in my paperwork (previously, I'd seen a deadline of Sept. 1, which led me to think I had no chance to get my parchment this December. That said, it all hinges now on timely delivery of my end-of-semester transcript from ASU, which is a little more iffy.
I more or less had to abandon two assignments for one class, one of which I left at home inadvertently and one of which I just spaced on, because the prof. doesn't accept late assignments at all. Fortunately, they're such a relatively small part of the grade I'll still be able to pull out at least a B or low A if I keep my nose clean going forward. No problem!
The reviews from Saturday's Haiku Rd. show have been uniformly positive from all corners. I can't tell if it's all politeness, but I think we may actually have something here! Just think ... if you were there and enjoyed it, we have a bassist now and we'll have a drummer if Pete ever moves out here, so it only gets better from here on out! Updates will appear here when/if we get gigs booked. Don't plan on anything before December, but that could change.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Bush Cheney e-mail ... A glimpse of what's to come
It's innocently titled 'Let the voters decide, not the lawyers.'
"We have already seen 35 lawsuits filed in 17 states - some before the first ballot was even cast. So far, the Democrats have failed in their attempts to win this election in the courts, rather than the ballot box."
What a load of bull-pucky. They like to make it seem as if Democrats are challenging election results or some such! Do I even need to tell you what those lawsuits are actually about? Missing ballots ... candidates missing from ballots ... candidates incorrectly included ... felons lists ... voter intimidation ... fraudulent voter registration efforts ... Are any of these defensible, if found to have occurred?
Anyway, it goes on to implicitly blame the DP for damage to Republican Party offices (whereas I'm sure they'd insist it was just rowdy youths who did the same thing to Democratic Party offices), then ask for contributions to the legal fund for fighting the election after the fact.
True, the DP has been seeking contributions for the same thing for a good while now. Everyone's gettin' lawyered up -- do you think they're just not going to use them starting Nov. 3?
But just one thing for anyone who blames Gore and the Democratic Party for the 2000 suit-fest:
Bush-Cheney filed the first lawsuit in 2000 to stop any recounts.
So stick that in yer pipe & smoke it, oh ye with short memories.
"We have already seen 35 lawsuits filed in 17 states - some before the first ballot was even cast. So far, the Democrats have failed in their attempts to win this election in the courts, rather than the ballot box."
What a load of bull-pucky. They like to make it seem as if Democrats are challenging election results or some such! Do I even need to tell you what those lawsuits are actually about? Missing ballots ... candidates missing from ballots ... candidates incorrectly included ... felons lists ... voter intimidation ... fraudulent voter registration efforts ... Are any of these defensible, if found to have occurred?
Anyway, it goes on to implicitly blame the DP for damage to Republican Party offices (whereas I'm sure they'd insist it was just rowdy youths who did the same thing to Democratic Party offices), then ask for contributions to the legal fund for fighting the election after the fact.
True, the DP has been seeking contributions for the same thing for a good while now. Everyone's gettin' lawyered up -- do you think they're just not going to use them starting Nov. 3?
But just one thing for anyone who blames Gore and the Democratic Party for the 2000 suit-fest:
Bush-Cheney filed the first lawsuit in 2000 to stop any recounts.
So stick that in yer pipe & smoke it, oh ye with short memories.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Oh. THIS is precious.
People occasionally confuse top-level domains. Like, for instance, when Dick Cheney sent people to factcheck.com instead of factcheck.org.
Here's a similar mistake, even more embarrassing to the Republican cause. Apparently, they discovered they had a 'catch-all' e-mail address that was accumulating e-mail intended for the Bush campaign.
One of my favorites:
"something needs to be done about this (below). can't we say something intelligent? can't Bush announce something progressive like dedicating even more federal funds to stem cells and other, more advanced areas such as cord blood? i am so tired of this nuttiness. (and when he says he was first prez to dedicate funds, the dem retort is that this research was not around several years ago, and amount is insignificant)
when healthcare is discussed next debate, things like stem cells and health care insurance and expensive drugs could bury him. i hope this is registering out there."
Here's a similar mistake, even more embarrassing to the Republican cause. Apparently, they discovered they had a 'catch-all' e-mail address that was accumulating e-mail intended for the Bush campaign.
One of my favorites:
"something needs to be done about this (below). can't we say something intelligent? can't Bush announce something progressive like dedicating even more federal funds to stem cells and other, more advanced areas such as cord blood? i am so tired of this nuttiness. (and when he says he was first prez to dedicate funds, the dem retort is that this research was not around several years ago, and amount is insignificant)
when healthcare is discussed next debate, things like stem cells and health care insurance and expensive drugs could bury him. i hope this is registering out there."
A public service for Arizona voters
Up for votes next Tuesday in Arizona is Proposition 200, a racist mandate thinly veiled as immigration enforecement. Read about it here.
Learned this morning something that hasn't shown up in much of the mainstream press coverage of this evil initiative. Virginia Abernathy, the chair of the Prop. 200 advisory committee, is a proud part of the Council of Conservative Citizens (just to give you a hint, my firewall blocks it at work, labelling it 'Racism and Hate,' so I can't actually look at their Web page.
So just ask yourself ... Should firefighters, emergency room nurses and election volunteers be turned into immigration officers? If you think that this law will be uniformly enforced, in that if I go into the emergency room they'll ask for proof of my citizenship before saving my life, you're sadly deluded.
These people need to crawl back under their rocks and perform their white-hood rituals in silence and leave us alone to do the work of bringing society into the 21st century.
Learned this morning something that hasn't shown up in much of the mainstream press coverage of this evil initiative. Virginia Abernathy, the chair of the Prop. 200 advisory committee, is a proud part of the Council of Conservative Citizens (just to give you a hint, my firewall blocks it at work, labelling it 'Racism and Hate,' so I can't actually look at their Web page.
So just ask yourself ... Should firefighters, emergency room nurses and election volunteers be turned into immigration officers? If you think that this law will be uniformly enforced, in that if I go into the emergency room they'll ask for proof of my citizenship before saving my life, you're sadly deluded.
These people need to crawl back under their rocks and perform their white-hood rituals in silence and leave us alone to do the work of bringing society into the 21st century.
Why did we have to wait for a foreign news media outlet to do this?
Boy, it's really link day here on my livejournal/blog, isn't it?
The presidential candidates in a nutshell
Read and learn. Seven days, folks.
The presidential candidates in a nutshell
Read and learn. Seven days, folks.
Forget Ashlee Simpson, SNL gets 0wn3d!
Wil Wheaton dot Net and Tony Pierce sum up the Ashlee Simpson flap rather nicely. Sad but true.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Bush ... Terrorism ... Hypocrisy
From this article:
"Yes, because we have to be right 100 percent of the time in disrupting any plot and they have to be right once," Bush said. He said the nation is safer from terrorism, but "whether or not we can be ever fully safe is up — you know, up in the air."
So.
In other words, we'll likely never be entirely rid of terrorism, right?
So it'll always be a ... ahem nuisance?
Gotcha.
"Yes, because we have to be right 100 percent of the time in disrupting any plot and they have to be right once," Bush said. He said the nation is safer from terrorism, but "whether or not we can be ever fully safe is up — you know, up in the air."
So.
In other words, we'll likely never be entirely rid of terrorism, right?
So it'll always be a ... ahem nuisance?
Gotcha.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Pointless but amusing
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Bastards. Rat-bastards. I wanna smack 'em with my shoe or something
Direct refutation of the stupid 'the people of Saudi Arabia are your friends' dreck those corrupt f**kwads in Saudi Palaces have been inflicting on Air America listeners ...
who's funding the Iraq insurgency? Hm?
who's funding the Iraq insurgency? Hm?
*phew*
School is paid for. I had to empty out three bank accounts the day after payday, but I managed to make the last two installment payments (one each to the Univ. of Arizona and Arizona State Univ.).
Now I can begin the long, painful process of paying back the people who loaned me/us the money to make this happen.
And now I just have to keep from failing my classes. Uff da.
Now I can begin the long, painful process of paying back the people who loaned me/us the money to make this happen.
And now I just have to keep from failing my classes. Uff da.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
I am now OFFICIALLY off my bloody rocker.
But remember, I thought I was off my rocker last year, and yet ...
I'm not optimistic that I'll finish this year, though.
New from Bush/Cheney
Got another exciting e-mail from the Bush/Cheney campaign, rife with material for new commentary.
First, this paragraph:
"The same qualities that make a great athlete make a great President--the determination to do what is right, regardless of the latest polls, the personal strength to bear the weight of the nation on your shoulders, and the faith that a higher power will direct the actions of good people."
Um.
I wasn't aware that there were polls on how athletes should do their thing, or what they should do. I'm also fairly certain that athletes are not universally faithful, or dependent on a higher power to direct their actions. 'Hm. Pray or exercise. Pray or execise. Screw practice. I think I'll pray.' And the image of a few hundred million people climbing on GWB's back and crushing him to a bloody pulp raises some mirth in me.
Then there's something that represents a fundamental philosophical difference between me and the president, and others of his ideological ilk. "In 2001, our nation was attacked without cause or provocation."
It's much, MUCH easier to an irrational, inhuman enemy who does horrendous things without reason, plan or cause. It's convenient to have such a bugaboo with which to scare people, to manipulate and use them. But it's also dangerously shortsighted.
To be sure, those terrorist attacks were brutal, inhumane, disproportionate and, dare I say it, evil. But to say there was no cause or provocation is to abdicate the best tool to meet our responsibility, the responsibility even BushCo says we have: To eradicate terrorism.
The best way to defeat terrorism as a tactic is to discover its root causes and change the conditions so it doesn't happen, it can't happen. To do that, we have to understand why they do what they do; why, rightly, or wrongly, they feel aggrieved; to fix what we can, and change what we must, either within ourselves or within them (including killing or bringing to justice those who act with indiscriminate violence against the greater good of society and will not abandon their murderous methods). The Bush/Cheney attitude seems to be that we never do anything wrong and we never have, and that there is no need to understand our enemies' mindset, or what or how they feel.
But we will never, never make any progress against terrorism until we address its root causes. Treat the disease, not the symptoms. Absent this, all we are doing is creating martyrs and, de facto, creating fertile ground for the growth of more terrorists.
They had a cause. They believed they had been provoked. This is not to say I think they were right -- that's simply absurd. But in their minds, they believed they had to act to stop us. They've even told us why they did it: Our unconditional support of Israel and the oppression of Palestinians, continued American interference into the affairs of the Middle East, American bases in Saudi Arabia, etc. Why won't BushCo listen? Understanding is not surrender, whatever they may think.
First, this paragraph:
"The same qualities that make a great athlete make a great President--the determination to do what is right, regardless of the latest polls, the personal strength to bear the weight of the nation on your shoulders, and the faith that a higher power will direct the actions of good people."
Um.
I wasn't aware that there were polls on how athletes should do their thing, or what they should do. I'm also fairly certain that athletes are not universally faithful, or dependent on a higher power to direct their actions. 'Hm. Pray or exercise. Pray or execise. Screw practice. I think I'll pray.' And the image of a few hundred million people climbing on GWB's back and crushing him to a bloody pulp raises some mirth in me.
Then there's something that represents a fundamental philosophical difference between me and the president, and others of his ideological ilk. "In 2001, our nation was attacked without cause or provocation."
It's much, MUCH easier to an irrational, inhuman enemy who does horrendous things without reason, plan or cause. It's convenient to have such a bugaboo with which to scare people, to manipulate and use them. But it's also dangerously shortsighted.
To be sure, those terrorist attacks were brutal, inhumane, disproportionate and, dare I say it, evil. But to say there was no cause or provocation is to abdicate the best tool to meet our responsibility, the responsibility even BushCo says we have: To eradicate terrorism.
The best way to defeat terrorism as a tactic is to discover its root causes and change the conditions so it doesn't happen, it can't happen. To do that, we have to understand why they do what they do; why, rightly, or wrongly, they feel aggrieved; to fix what we can, and change what we must, either within ourselves or within them (including killing or bringing to justice those who act with indiscriminate violence against the greater good of society and will not abandon their murderous methods). The Bush/Cheney attitude seems to be that we never do anything wrong and we never have, and that there is no need to understand our enemies' mindset, or what or how they feel.
But we will never, never make any progress against terrorism until we address its root causes. Treat the disease, not the symptoms. Absent this, all we are doing is creating martyrs and, de facto, creating fertile ground for the growth of more terrorists.
They had a cause. They believed they had been provoked. This is not to say I think they were right -- that's simply absurd. But in their minds, they believed they had to act to stop us. They've even told us why they did it: Our unconditional support of Israel and the oppression of Palestinians, continued American interference into the affairs of the Middle East, American bases in Saudi Arabia, etc. Why won't BushCo listen? Understanding is not surrender, whatever they may think.
More from the BBC, this time on Korea.
I see from this article that S. Korea has given thought to moving its capital into the middle of the country and out of Seoul. The reasons the article cites are many, including overcrowding, inordinate dominance over the S. Korean economy, etc.
But it seems there's an elephant in the room no one's talking about. If N. Korea were ever to attack S. Korea, they could flatten Seoul before the South's military even had its boots on. I've always been of the opinion that that's the only reason anyone, from the US or in S. Korea or anywhere else, was even willing to sit down at the table and talk to those paranoid madmen.
Ach, well, who knows what'll happen.
But it seems there's an elephant in the room no one's talking about. If N. Korea were ever to attack S. Korea, they could flatten Seoul before the South's military even had its boots on. I've always been of the opinion that that's the only reason anyone, from the US or in S. Korea or anywhere else, was even willing to sit down at the table and talk to those paranoid madmen.
Ach, well, who knows what'll happen.
A news story that makes me think of my niece
I'm sure the only two people who will be interested in this story are my sister and me, but I saw an interesting finding from BBC News this morning that babies born of caesareans have an increased risk of developing allergies and such. Since my sister has celiac, which admittedly isn't, properly speaking, an allergy, it seems like there might be some slightly greater risk nonetheless of Ceili developing it.
I hear she's to be tested soon, so we'll find out.
I hear she's to be tested soon, so we'll find out.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
A moment of something besides politics, the space travel edition
For some reason, I find this story both really cool and really exciting.
To Mars in 76 days. It's about time someone innovated in this realm.
To Mars in 76 days. It's about time someone innovated in this realm.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Sunday, October 17, 2004
A long-winded letter to the editor that'll never get published.
In response to The Arizona Republic's editorial this morning, I wrote this:
It was with a mixture of amusement and horror that I read this morning's editorial calling for Pres. Bush's reelection. I'm sure you'll receive hundreds, if not thousands, of letters on both sides of the issue. Since I can find no brief way to argue the points in your editorial, I'm reasonably certain this response will be quickly set aside. But I'm writing it anyway; call it catharsis.
Now, I understand that as a Gannett newspaper, your editorial policy is in large part swayed by the policies of your corporate parent and that, in sum, is the biggest problem. Journalists are, by and large, careful and thoughtful people who do the best they can to present the news in as thorough and unbiased way as they can. But journalists do not hold the ultimate power in a newsroom. To be brief, corporatism, and corporate/conglomerate control of the media are stifling the truth and working to destroy intelligent discourse in America. This editorial makes it evident that its author (an individual or group) may not understand the truth either as reported in independent media or even in the pages of the Republic itself. Your interests appear to be those of corporate America and not of American, or Arizona, citizens themselves.
To the editorial itself ...
Your discussion of 'security moms' is laughable. The 'security mom' demographic is a population largely defined by, and ascribed charateristics by, the Republican Party and the Bush campaign. Analysis of this group by independent polling firms finds that, while they are concerned with the War on Terror(tm), it is not first in their minds. And while they rate Bush and stronger on this notion of security, they don't offer overall strong support for Bush. The whole notion of security moms seems, thus, to be a right-wing attempt to create, whole cloth, a constituency so that undecided women who fit the demographic, can feel they 'belong' and swing toward Bush. Your use of the term perpetuates the myth.
The next paragraph caused me some measure of confusion. It states at the end, 'Baghdad may not have been the fulcrum of terrorism before the U.S. overthrow of Saddam Hussein. But it is now.' In other words, you are tacitly admitting that what John Kerry says is true, that this was the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time. And yet, you continue, Bush is the best person to win that war and win the peace. But if he messed up so badly to start with Iraq in the first place, how on earth do you seriously believe he can fix it?
Let's look at what he's done so far, and try to extrapolate onto the future. He invaded a country that was no threat, either imminently or in the forseeable future, to the United States or its neighbors, and whose citizens, while they surely harbored some ill will toward the United States (for its actions against them as well as for its refusal to offer promised support to revolutionaries after the first Gulf War), certainly were not a terrorist force. Bush's obsession with Iraq caused grave harm to the hunt for terrorists. And you agree that this war made Iraq fertile ground for terrorists, yet in his own speeches Bush denies all of this, saying merely that he 'wasn't happy' to find out there were no WMDs in Iraq.
Frankly, I WAS happy there were no WMDs in Iraq. Happy and relieved. Had he acted within the sensible parameters of the resolution authorizing him, conditionally, to use force in Iraq, the resolution in favor of which John Kerry voted, further weapons inspections would indeed have discovered this fact. There would be far fewer dead American military members. Those same soldiers, marines, airmen, etc., could instead have been finding and uprooting terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere.
This is a man who has proven his unwillingness to accept an inconvenient truth. Why do you believe he'll change that if reelected?
His administration contributed, both tacitly and specifically, to the abuses at Abu Ghraib. Couple the confusion over the application of the Geneva Conventions with a military command structure that placed private mercenaries in charge of our military and you have a disaster. And yet, the administration carefully insulated itself from any responsibility for the inhumanity. They have blood on their hands and evil in their hearts. They, as you say, 'acted with dispatch to correct the awful malevolence,' but only to a point, which is to say, only as far as low-level poster-children for crimes against humanity, and denied any culpability. What of the culture of accountability Bush claimed they would bring to Washington?
The upshot of all of this is that Bush is now generally viewed by those in the crosshairs as a belligerent, power-mad warmonger. Rather than employing Iraqis to rebuild their own country, he has given the job to American-aligned multinational corporations who burn through American tax money at an alarming rate while reconstruction progresses painfully slowly. Even the ones who aren't taking up arms actively against us and simply want to get back to their own lives don't feel they can trust our President. If he is ever to achieve peace in Iraq and the Middle East, it will be the peace of the sword, of brute force. More Americans will die. Many more Iraqis will die. And resentment in the Middle East and the Muslim world will only grow.
He has broken faith with the American people. He has broken faith with the Iraqi people. He has broken faith with the world. Do you think he should force American will upon the entire world? That is what it would take, in my view.
John Kerry WILL be able to bring other nations to our side, by doing something George W. Bush seems completely incapable of doing: Listening to them. There is a difference between listening to our allies and bowing to them. The Bush campaign assures us that John Kerry seeks the latter. But good leadership requires diplomacy, not belligerence, not an attitude that says 'do as we say or you're our enemy.'
You claim an inability to guess 'where a Kerry presidency will lead' in regards to Iraq. I would expect a news organization to be better informed than this. His plan is hidden in plain sight, if you'd only take the time to look. Your generalizations about internationalists, anti-war activists and isolationists are condescending and shed no light on either John Kerry or your reasons for supporting President Bush.
You did an excellent job of parroting the Bush campaign talking points in regard to Kerry's comments about the 'coalition of the bribed and coerced.' Yet if you did some fairly cursory research about the time when Bush was assembling this coalition, you'd see that largely his assessment is correct. Many of the countries that were persuaded to join this coalition were initially extrememly reluctant, very UNwilling. And even those who joined did so in numbers that make it clear they were only willing, even after Bush Administration pressure was brought to bear, to make a token showing. They bear a burden alongside us, but it is a comparatively small one made only reluctantly, for the most part.
Again, Kerry CAN bring other nations to the table. France abandoned our efforts in Iraq only after Bush broke faith with the United Nations. They still work with us in Afghanistan. The German government has said it would be willing to discuss participating if John Kerry is elected. Your statement that 'It is not credible that (Kerry) ... can set that war on the right path' is simply erroneous. Kerry's contempt is not for other nations but for Bush's arm-twisting to drag those other nations into it.
To continue, you crow about Afghanistan. Yes, if democracy ever takes root there, it will be a great thing. But at this point, Karzai's government has at best a tenuous hold on the country. He rarely leaves the government complex because of the logistics and expense involved in keeping him safe. The elections could generally only be held in larger cities with significant US presence. Officials were actually PLEASED by the fact that some citizens had registered twice, three times, or more, to vote, yet this inaccuracy renders suspect the Bush administration's rosy assessments about how broad the spread of democracy was in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is one step away from anarchy in the hands of the Bush administration, and yet you think that he, who cannot admit the problems there and work to fix them, can do so?
You trust that Bush will keep his promise of no 'litmus test' for supreme judicial appointments. Look at the judges he's appointed so far and tell me how credible that promise is. Do it now. No, really, I'll wait. I'm very patient.
Your claims of the unreasonableness of environmentalists' opposition to President Bush are in my view, as you might predict, offensive. The only carrots Bush has offered companies is an EPA so dessicated by budget cuts it can't enforce the regulations that are in place, enactment of new regulations with Orwellian names that virtually give them free reign to destroy our environment and the promise to do more of the same with four more years. He has de-funded Superfund to the point where it's functionally a historical footnote while there are countless sites yet to clean up. He tried to remove clean water standards for mercury, only to bow at the last minute to overwhelming public pressure.
Clean Skies, beneath its fine-sounding proposals, realigns regulation to allow more, and more toxic, air pollution. Ditto his clean water proposals. The Healthy Forests Initiative makes forests 'healthier' by allowing logging companies to strip out older trees, which are the bedrock of a healthy forest ecology. This is to say nothing of the damage that will be done to old-growth forests by the heavy machinery roaring in and out of the areas. Your contempt for those who care about the environment (which is, incidentally, the majority of Americans) is both insulting and unwise.
On to No Child Left Behind ... Yes, indeed, it would be a grand scheme if our President actually cared to fund its mandates. As it is, school districts across the country have refused to participate because its cost is far greater than the assistance the government is able to offer, and because state and local governments, who have had to bear the burden of other federally-mandated programs the Bush Administration has seen fit not to fund, cannot afford to take up the slack.
As for the tax cuts, let me ask a hypothetical. Assume you are a very wealthy person. Perhaps you are. You have enough money to afford everything you need or want. If you receive extra money, where does that money go? Do you buy more with it? Of course not. You either sock it away or invest it. But unless you're investing in an IPO, that money is not actually going to work in the economy. If you're poor, though, and you receive a check, where does it go? To food, to rent, to the next car payment, to a new TV or DVD player or a new refrigerator to replace the one that's barely worked for years?
Which one is a greater economic stimulus?
President Clinton understood this. I'm not an economist, but I do understand one thing: Supply side economics doesn't work. Clinton's economic plan contributed to the longest-ever, largest-ever period of economic growth in America's history. Kerry's economic plan abandons what our president's own father ridiculed as 'voodoo economics' in place of an economic plan that builds growth in the only place it can come from: the lower and middle classes.
As for your closing two paragraphs, I can only say this: Yes, the country was amazingly united following the events of Sept. 11. From what I can see, Bush played no part in this and in fact moved quickly to consolidate his power base, to ridicule the political left and exile it from serious discussion about the country's direction. In domestic politics as in international politics, Bush and the Republicans have played the 'either you do what we say or you're our enemy' game. Because of the slim margin and dubious origins of his election victory in 2000, it wasn't until such a galvanizing event that he could move full-bore on his unilateral agenda. I blame this more than anything for the divisiveness in American politics today.
I really wanted to believe in him. After the election, I reasoned that he would have to spend his four years in the center. But he has waged war on Iraq, on the American poor, on our environment and on our civil rights. I have great respect for thoughtful, intelligent conservatives. He is not one. He stifles dissent at every turn and spends money like a debutante with daddy's credit card. These are not conservative values.
Your editorial is a mix of misinformation, Republican spin, disinformation, hopeful thinking and rationalization. Quit acting like court stenographers, open your eyes and grow some balls.
Thank you.
Chris Devine
Phoenix
It was with a mixture of amusement and horror that I read this morning's editorial calling for Pres. Bush's reelection. I'm sure you'll receive hundreds, if not thousands, of letters on both sides of the issue. Since I can find no brief way to argue the points in your editorial, I'm reasonably certain this response will be quickly set aside. But I'm writing it anyway; call it catharsis.
Now, I understand that as a Gannett newspaper, your editorial policy is in large part swayed by the policies of your corporate parent and that, in sum, is the biggest problem. Journalists are, by and large, careful and thoughtful people who do the best they can to present the news in as thorough and unbiased way as they can. But journalists do not hold the ultimate power in a newsroom. To be brief, corporatism, and corporate/conglomerate control of the media are stifling the truth and working to destroy intelligent discourse in America. This editorial makes it evident that its author (an individual or group) may not understand the truth either as reported in independent media or even in the pages of the Republic itself. Your interests appear to be those of corporate America and not of American, or Arizona, citizens themselves.
To the editorial itself ...
Your discussion of 'security moms' is laughable. The 'security mom' demographic is a population largely defined by, and ascribed charateristics by, the Republican Party and the Bush campaign. Analysis of this group by independent polling firms finds that, while they are concerned with the War on Terror(tm), it is not first in their minds. And while they rate Bush and stronger on this notion of security, they don't offer overall strong support for Bush. The whole notion of security moms seems, thus, to be a right-wing attempt to create, whole cloth, a constituency so that undecided women who fit the demographic, can feel they 'belong' and swing toward Bush. Your use of the term perpetuates the myth.
The next paragraph caused me some measure of confusion. It states at the end, 'Baghdad may not have been the fulcrum of terrorism before the U.S. overthrow of Saddam Hussein. But it is now.' In other words, you are tacitly admitting that what John Kerry says is true, that this was the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time. And yet, you continue, Bush is the best person to win that war and win the peace. But if he messed up so badly to start with Iraq in the first place, how on earth do you seriously believe he can fix it?
Let's look at what he's done so far, and try to extrapolate onto the future. He invaded a country that was no threat, either imminently or in the forseeable future, to the United States or its neighbors, and whose citizens, while they surely harbored some ill will toward the United States (for its actions against them as well as for its refusal to offer promised support to revolutionaries after the first Gulf War), certainly were not a terrorist force. Bush's obsession with Iraq caused grave harm to the hunt for terrorists. And you agree that this war made Iraq fertile ground for terrorists, yet in his own speeches Bush denies all of this, saying merely that he 'wasn't happy' to find out there were no WMDs in Iraq.
Frankly, I WAS happy there were no WMDs in Iraq. Happy and relieved. Had he acted within the sensible parameters of the resolution authorizing him, conditionally, to use force in Iraq, the resolution in favor of which John Kerry voted, further weapons inspections would indeed have discovered this fact. There would be far fewer dead American military members. Those same soldiers, marines, airmen, etc., could instead have been finding and uprooting terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere.
This is a man who has proven his unwillingness to accept an inconvenient truth. Why do you believe he'll change that if reelected?
His administration contributed, both tacitly and specifically, to the abuses at Abu Ghraib. Couple the confusion over the application of the Geneva Conventions with a military command structure that placed private mercenaries in charge of our military and you have a disaster. And yet, the administration carefully insulated itself from any responsibility for the inhumanity. They have blood on their hands and evil in their hearts. They, as you say, 'acted with dispatch to correct the awful malevolence,' but only to a point, which is to say, only as far as low-level poster-children for crimes against humanity, and denied any culpability. What of the culture of accountability Bush claimed they would bring to Washington?
The upshot of all of this is that Bush is now generally viewed by those in the crosshairs as a belligerent, power-mad warmonger. Rather than employing Iraqis to rebuild their own country, he has given the job to American-aligned multinational corporations who burn through American tax money at an alarming rate while reconstruction progresses painfully slowly. Even the ones who aren't taking up arms actively against us and simply want to get back to their own lives don't feel they can trust our President. If he is ever to achieve peace in Iraq and the Middle East, it will be the peace of the sword, of brute force. More Americans will die. Many more Iraqis will die. And resentment in the Middle East and the Muslim world will only grow.
He has broken faith with the American people. He has broken faith with the Iraqi people. He has broken faith with the world. Do you think he should force American will upon the entire world? That is what it would take, in my view.
John Kerry WILL be able to bring other nations to our side, by doing something George W. Bush seems completely incapable of doing: Listening to them. There is a difference between listening to our allies and bowing to them. The Bush campaign assures us that John Kerry seeks the latter. But good leadership requires diplomacy, not belligerence, not an attitude that says 'do as we say or you're our enemy.'
You claim an inability to guess 'where a Kerry presidency will lead' in regards to Iraq. I would expect a news organization to be better informed than this. His plan is hidden in plain sight, if you'd only take the time to look. Your generalizations about internationalists, anti-war activists and isolationists are condescending and shed no light on either John Kerry or your reasons for supporting President Bush.
You did an excellent job of parroting the Bush campaign talking points in regard to Kerry's comments about the 'coalition of the bribed and coerced.' Yet if you did some fairly cursory research about the time when Bush was assembling this coalition, you'd see that largely his assessment is correct. Many of the countries that were persuaded to join this coalition were initially extrememly reluctant, very UNwilling. And even those who joined did so in numbers that make it clear they were only willing, even after Bush Administration pressure was brought to bear, to make a token showing. They bear a burden alongside us, but it is a comparatively small one made only reluctantly, for the most part.
Again, Kerry CAN bring other nations to the table. France abandoned our efforts in Iraq only after Bush broke faith with the United Nations. They still work with us in Afghanistan. The German government has said it would be willing to discuss participating if John Kerry is elected. Your statement that 'It is not credible that (Kerry) ... can set that war on the right path' is simply erroneous. Kerry's contempt is not for other nations but for Bush's arm-twisting to drag those other nations into it.
To continue, you crow about Afghanistan. Yes, if democracy ever takes root there, it will be a great thing. But at this point, Karzai's government has at best a tenuous hold on the country. He rarely leaves the government complex because of the logistics and expense involved in keeping him safe. The elections could generally only be held in larger cities with significant US presence. Officials were actually PLEASED by the fact that some citizens had registered twice, three times, or more, to vote, yet this inaccuracy renders suspect the Bush administration's rosy assessments about how broad the spread of democracy was in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is one step away from anarchy in the hands of the Bush administration, and yet you think that he, who cannot admit the problems there and work to fix them, can do so?
You trust that Bush will keep his promise of no 'litmus test' for supreme judicial appointments. Look at the judges he's appointed so far and tell me how credible that promise is. Do it now. No, really, I'll wait. I'm very patient.
Your claims of the unreasonableness of environmentalists' opposition to President Bush are in my view, as you might predict, offensive. The only carrots Bush has offered companies is an EPA so dessicated by budget cuts it can't enforce the regulations that are in place, enactment of new regulations with Orwellian names that virtually give them free reign to destroy our environment and the promise to do more of the same with four more years. He has de-funded Superfund to the point where it's functionally a historical footnote while there are countless sites yet to clean up. He tried to remove clean water standards for mercury, only to bow at the last minute to overwhelming public pressure.
Clean Skies, beneath its fine-sounding proposals, realigns regulation to allow more, and more toxic, air pollution. Ditto his clean water proposals. The Healthy Forests Initiative makes forests 'healthier' by allowing logging companies to strip out older trees, which are the bedrock of a healthy forest ecology. This is to say nothing of the damage that will be done to old-growth forests by the heavy machinery roaring in and out of the areas. Your contempt for those who care about the environment (which is, incidentally, the majority of Americans) is both insulting and unwise.
On to No Child Left Behind ... Yes, indeed, it would be a grand scheme if our President actually cared to fund its mandates. As it is, school districts across the country have refused to participate because its cost is far greater than the assistance the government is able to offer, and because state and local governments, who have had to bear the burden of other federally-mandated programs the Bush Administration has seen fit not to fund, cannot afford to take up the slack.
As for the tax cuts, let me ask a hypothetical. Assume you are a very wealthy person. Perhaps you are. You have enough money to afford everything you need or want. If you receive extra money, where does that money go? Do you buy more with it? Of course not. You either sock it away or invest it. But unless you're investing in an IPO, that money is not actually going to work in the economy. If you're poor, though, and you receive a check, where does it go? To food, to rent, to the next car payment, to a new TV or DVD player or a new refrigerator to replace the one that's barely worked for years?
Which one is a greater economic stimulus?
President Clinton understood this. I'm not an economist, but I do understand one thing: Supply side economics doesn't work. Clinton's economic plan contributed to the longest-ever, largest-ever period of economic growth in America's history. Kerry's economic plan abandons what our president's own father ridiculed as 'voodoo economics' in place of an economic plan that builds growth in the only place it can come from: the lower and middle classes.
As for your closing two paragraphs, I can only say this: Yes, the country was amazingly united following the events of Sept. 11. From what I can see, Bush played no part in this and in fact moved quickly to consolidate his power base, to ridicule the political left and exile it from serious discussion about the country's direction. In domestic politics as in international politics, Bush and the Republicans have played the 'either you do what we say or you're our enemy' game. Because of the slim margin and dubious origins of his election victory in 2000, it wasn't until such a galvanizing event that he could move full-bore on his unilateral agenda. I blame this more than anything for the divisiveness in American politics today.
I really wanted to believe in him. After the election, I reasoned that he would have to spend his four years in the center. But he has waged war on Iraq, on the American poor, on our environment and on our civil rights. I have great respect for thoughtful, intelligent conservatives. He is not one. He stifles dissent at every turn and spends money like a debutante with daddy's credit card. These are not conservative values.
Your editorial is a mix of misinformation, Republican spin, disinformation, hopeful thinking and rationalization. Quit acting like court stenographers, open your eyes and grow some balls.
Thank you.
Chris Devine
Phoenix
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Bush haiku
So this is how absorbed I was by class Monday night ... I wrote a bunch of Bush haiku. Here are some of the better ones (except the BEST one, which will be reserved for Oct. 23 at the Willow House! Can't give away everything for free!) ...
Hardest job in world -
All stress. Dou you want it done
By a C student?
Kyoto Treaty signed.
World agrees on a problem.
Not George: "Bad science!"
Pres's daily brief
Plausibly deniable:
We know he can't read.
The lump on his back:
Radio? Bullet-proof vest?
Mind-control Martian?
Thousand-dollar suit,
Billions to Halliburton,
Dollar-fifty brain.
Clear skies, clean water:
No birds, no fish. Hi, mercury!
Orwellian names.
Government your foe?
Don't lose job. Don't send letter.
Don't drive on our roads.
Osama in cave.
"Look! Shiny object! Saddam!"
Osama escapes.
At the podium,
Tries to speak, mind freezes up.
"Um ... ," lots of blinking.
To see leader speak,
Loyalty oath is required.
Fascism, anyone?
"Charity." "Be kind."
"Lion with lamb." "Turn your cheek."
Jesus: Pantywaste.
Hardest job in world -
All stress. Dou you want it done
By a C student?
Kyoto Treaty signed.
World agrees on a problem.
Not George: "Bad science!"
Pres's daily brief
Plausibly deniable:
We know he can't read.
The lump on his back:
Radio? Bullet-proof vest?
Mind-control Martian?
Thousand-dollar suit,
Billions to Halliburton,
Dollar-fifty brain.
Clear skies, clean water:
No birds, no fish. Hi, mercury!
Orwellian names.
Government your foe?
Don't lose job. Don't send letter.
Don't drive on our roads.
Osama in cave.
"Look! Shiny object! Saddam!"
Osama escapes.
At the podium,
Tries to speak, mind freezes up.
"Um ... ," lots of blinking.
To see leader speak,
Loyalty oath is required.
Fascism, anyone?
"Charity." "Be kind."
"Lion with lamb." "Turn your cheek."
Jesus: Pantywaste.
How many lies?
A little behind the times here, but allow me to offer the following image as a public service, just in case you needed a photo with Dick Cheney and John Edwards in it. I was remiss and didn't record the specific date of this screen capture, but it's from sometime in 2001.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Liar-in-Chief
Notice I've, by and large, stayed out of talking about the debates. Everyone else is doing it, why should I? I also know I've mentioned this before, but it needs to be shouted from the rooftops, printed on placards, etc., etc.
Bush is a flip-flopper. Bush is a liar.
Tonight, he said (according to CBS's transcript): "Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations. Of course we're worried about Osama bin Laden. We're on the hunt after Osama bin Laden. We're using every asset at our disposal to get Osama bin Laden."
On March 13, 2003, he said: " ... I don't know where he is. Nor -- you know, I just don't spend that much time on him really, to be honest with you ... As I say, we hadn't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, you know, again, I don't know where he is. I'll repeat what I said: I truly am not that concerned about him."
Say it with me. Bush is a flip-flopper. Bush is a liar.
Say, has anyone Google-bombed flip-flop yet?
Bush is a flip-flopper. Bush is a liar.
Tonight, he said (according to CBS's transcript): "Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations. Of course we're worried about Osama bin Laden. We're on the hunt after Osama bin Laden. We're using every asset at our disposal to get Osama bin Laden."
On March 13, 2003, he said: " ... I don't know where he is. Nor -- you know, I just don't spend that much time on him really, to be honest with you ... As I say, we hadn't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, you know, again, I don't know where he is. I'll repeat what I said: I truly am not that concerned about him."
Say it with me. Bush is a flip-flopper. Bush is a liar.
Say, has anyone Google-bombed flip-flop yet?
United Church of Christ and the media
Oh, yeah, it's evil for churches to pressure the FCC to scrutinize license renewals of local television stations. All they want to do is push conservative values on an unsuspecting public. They press for censorship and want to act as moral police on the marketplace of ideas.
It's evil.
Evil.
Evil.
And I quote: "The Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc. (OC, Inc.)
was established in 1959. Throughout its history, OC, Inc. has advocated for
persons historically excluded from the media, especially women and people
of color; petitioned the FCC to issue EEO rules; sought to guarantee
educational and informational children's programming; defended the Equal
Time Rule for political candidates; supported efforts to establish
low-power FM radio; protected affordable access to emerging technologies;
and urged strengthening of basic corporate character requirements for those
who transmit images and data."
There is danger in painting with too broad a brush. Die, Sinclair, die.
It's evil.
Evil.
Evil.
And I quote: "The Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc. (OC, Inc.)
was established in 1959. Throughout its history, OC, Inc. has advocated for
persons historically excluded from the media, especially women and people
of color; petitioned the FCC to issue EEO rules; sought to guarantee
educational and informational children's programming; defended the Equal
Time Rule for political candidates; supported efforts to establish
low-power FM radio; protected affordable access to emerging technologies;
and urged strengthening of basic corporate character requirements for those
who transmit images and data."
There is danger in painting with too broad a brush. Die, Sinclair, die.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Thoughts on my education
So after spending yet another Monday night in a classroom in Tucson, I've come to the realization that I HATE ... hate hate hate ... pure lecture classes. Seriously I feel like I'm wasting my time driving a total of 4 hours every Monday if all I'm gonna do is sit in a classroom for 2-1/2 hours while someone stands at the front of the room and yaps. Seriously, send me the notes and let me read by myself. It would save a lot of gas and time.
My Wednesday night is much the same. The professor is very condescending, generally teaching at an undergraduate level, going back over basic journalism stuff we all learned years ago and getting stuff just flat wrong (e.g., the convenient redefining of the concept of 'antinomial' ethics to fit [poorly] an equally convenient either-or comparison she was trying to make). But for almost three hours every Wednesday, she talks at us and asks leading questions that she has to answer herself because no one feels moved to speak, much less discuss, the topic. Everything is painted in very broad strokes with very basic colors. It's mind-numbing.
On Tuesday, though, it's all different, and it makes up for the other two nights with room to spare. This man is the professor (old article and he has a beard now, but that's him). Although I have to read an insane amount of stuff for this class, it's all thought-provoking, raising countless journalistic issues about which there are no easy answers, and about which there are always several ethical issues in conflict with one another. In class it's more like a conversation among smart and intellectually curious people than a lecture. There's even been one after-class cocktails session, and there's soon to be another.
This last class is by far the most rigorous and difficult of the three, but it's by far the most rewarding and (dare I say it?) fun, and I always leave the class with a little spring in my step, feeling like I accomplished something, learned something, resolved something.
Maybe I'm just a geek.
My Wednesday night is much the same. The professor is very condescending, generally teaching at an undergraduate level, going back over basic journalism stuff we all learned years ago and getting stuff just flat wrong (e.g., the convenient redefining of the concept of 'antinomial' ethics to fit [poorly] an equally convenient either-or comparison she was trying to make). But for almost three hours every Wednesday, she talks at us and asks leading questions that she has to answer herself because no one feels moved to speak, much less discuss, the topic. Everything is painted in very broad strokes with very basic colors. It's mind-numbing.
On Tuesday, though, it's all different, and it makes up for the other two nights with room to spare. This man is the professor (old article and he has a beard now, but that's him). Although I have to read an insane amount of stuff for this class, it's all thought-provoking, raising countless journalistic issues about which there are no easy answers, and about which there are always several ethical issues in conflict with one another. In class it's more like a conversation among smart and intellectually curious people than a lecture. There's even been one after-class cocktails session, and there's soon to be another.
This last class is by far the most rigorous and difficult of the three, but it's by far the most rewarding and (dare I say it?) fun, and I always leave the class with a little spring in my step, feeling like I accomplished something, learned something, resolved something.
Maybe I'm just a geek.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Some research this morning on the definition of fascism
I'm following some alarming thoughts that are not made entirely apparent by the fact that I'm pursuing this, but I wanted to see the degree to which corporatism defines fascism. There does seem to be disagreement on that point, but mostly because the most consistent definition of fascism I've seen is that it's inconsistent; it has few consistent principles. Broadly speaking, it's an opportunistic governing philosophy that tends to espouse egalitarian views while consolidating ruling power among the elite.
But some interesting things I found at this Web site (I've added emphasis to certain parts):
Fascism and Nazism as ideologies involve, to varying degrees, some of the following hallmarks:
Well. Looking back on it, I ended up bolding almost the entire thing. Interesting.
But some interesting things I found at this Web site (I've added emphasis to certain parts):
Fascism and Nazism as ideologies involve, to varying degrees, some of the following hallmarks:
- Nationalism and super-patriotism with a sense of historic mission.
- Aggressive militarism even to the extent of glorifying war as good for the national or individual spirit.
- Use of violence or threats of violence to impose views on others (fascism and Nazism both employed street violence and state violence at different moments in their development).
- Authoritarian reliance on a leader or elite not constitutionally responsible to an electorate.
- Cult of personality around a charismatic leader.
- Reaction against the values of Modernism, usually with emotional attacks against both liberalism and communism.
- Exhortations for the homogeneous masses of common folk (Volkish in German, Populist in the U.S.) to join voluntarily in a heroic mission_often metaphysical and romanticized in character.
- Dehumanization and scapegoating of the enemy_seeing the enemy as an inferior or subhuman force, perhaps involved in a conspiracy that justifies eradicating them.
- The self image of being a superior form of social organization beyond socialism, capitalism and democracy.
- Elements of national socialist ideological roots, for example, ostensible support for the industrial working class or farmers; but ultimately, the forging of an alliance with an elite sector of society.
- Abandonment of any consistent ideology in a drive for state power.
Well. Looking back on it, I ended up bolding almost the entire thing. Interesting.
Friday, October 08, 2004
Changing the language
For so long I've heard the two-party system referred to as 'choosing between the lesser of two evils.' I'm guilty of having uttered that cliche once or twice myself. Followed, then, to its logical extension, one hears quite often, 'the lesser of two evils is still evil.'
And this points to the chief problem with this cliche: It sounds cute, it has symmetry, it seems to make sense, and it abrogates intelligent thought by summing complicated issues with a simplistic platitude. And it contributes to a fundamental, corrosive cynicism about politics, society and civic life.
Its base assumption is that all Republicans and all Democrats are irretrievably and unequivocally evil; it's just that one party, or the other, and its adherents are more evil than the other. If that's actually what you believe, then by all means, please continue spewing forth this old chestnut. But it demonstrates a fundamental inflexibility of thought. Because the necessary corollary to this (thank you, statistics professors for teaching about null hypotheses, et al.), is that third parties are incorruptibly and unequivocally good (or, to be charitable, that at least one third party is incorruptibly and unequivocally good, as are all its members and adherents. Um, if there's an absolutely perfect political party out there, without blemish, someone let me know what it is, K?
Democrats and Republicans never do what's right. Third parties ALWAYS do (or some specific party always does).
Now, trust me, I have my beefs with the Democratic Party and they are many and legion, and in some cases severe. And John Kerry and the slate of Democratic electors up for the vote this time around are far from perfect. But generally speaking, even at their worst they are, collectively, 'a small step in the right direction.'
So. Frigging. There.
And this points to the chief problem with this cliche: It sounds cute, it has symmetry, it seems to make sense, and it abrogates intelligent thought by summing complicated issues with a simplistic platitude. And it contributes to a fundamental, corrosive cynicism about politics, society and civic life.
Its base assumption is that all Republicans and all Democrats are irretrievably and unequivocally evil; it's just that one party, or the other, and its adherents are more evil than the other. If that's actually what you believe, then by all means, please continue spewing forth this old chestnut. But it demonstrates a fundamental inflexibility of thought. Because the necessary corollary to this (thank you, statistics professors for teaching about null hypotheses, et al.), is that third parties are incorruptibly and unequivocally good (or, to be charitable, that at least one third party is incorruptibly and unequivocally good, as are all its members and adherents. Um, if there's an absolutely perfect political party out there, without blemish, someone let me know what it is, K?
Democrats and Republicans never do what's right. Third parties ALWAYS do (or some specific party always does).
Now, trust me, I have my beefs with the Democratic Party and they are many and legion, and in some cases severe. And John Kerry and the slate of Democratic electors up for the vote this time around are far from perfect. But generally speaking, even at their worst they are, collectively, 'a small step in the right direction.'
So. Frigging. There.
Mark it on your calendars ... Oct. 23
The Oct. 1 Haiku Rd. show at the Stop 'n' Look window in Phoenix was great fun. We played in between politically-motivated monologists, next to a have-to-see-to-understand political art installation and under projections on the wall of 1984 slogans and photos of BushCo-Conspirators with tape over their mouths. There was a small but not embarrassing and rather enthusiastic crowd and the weather was lovely.
But if you are in, or can get to, Phoenix on Oct. 23, you must come to Willow House that evening (it's a Saturday) for the biggest-yet Haiku Rd. show, where we'll actually play some of our good stuff that's not political (though since it's close to election time, expect a political song or two) and play actual long sets. We're trying to get the biggest crowd we can for two reasons: First, we'd like to convince the nice Willow House people that they done good by booking a relatively new and untested band on a Saturday night (about which, by the way, woohoo!) and second, it's my birthday!
More details to come. Be there. Aloha.
But if you are in, or can get to, Phoenix on Oct. 23, you must come to Willow House that evening (it's a Saturday) for the biggest-yet Haiku Rd. show, where we'll actually play some of our good stuff that's not political (though since it's close to election time, expect a political song or two) and play actual long sets. We're trying to get the biggest crowd we can for two reasons: First, we'd like to convince the nice Willow House people that they done good by booking a relatively new and untested band on a Saturday night (about which, by the way, woohoo!) and second, it's my birthday!
More details to come. Be there. Aloha.
Debate anticipation ...
I wonder what kind of shiny object the administration will hold up in front of the American public so they can't pay attention to how badly Shrubby does tonight.
Mind you, he can be pretty good at connecting with a crowd, even when what comes out of his mouth makes about as much sense as a dada poem, though Kerry's MILES better at thinking on his feet, so we'll see.
Alas, we probably won't see anyone claim $8414.00 and ask Bush how many times he's been arrested, since it's my understanding that the moderator is selecting from a list of audience-submitted questions which ones he'll ask. Then again, maybe Chuck wants the money himself!
Yeah, well, hope springs eternal.
Mind you, he can be pretty good at connecting with a crowd, even when what comes out of his mouth makes about as much sense as a dada poem, though Kerry's MILES better at thinking on his feet, so we'll see.
Alas, we probably won't see anyone claim $8414.00 and ask Bush how many times he's been arrested, since it's my understanding that the moderator is selecting from a list of audience-submitted questions which ones he'll ask. Then again, maybe Chuck wants the money himself!
Yeah, well, hope springs eternal.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
A little thing to chew on
From Bill Clinton's My Life ...
"All of us are vulnerable to arguments that let us off the hook ... "
Not much of a thing, but certainly germaine to today's development.
"All of us are vulnerable to arguments that let us off the hook ... "
Not much of a thing, but certainly germaine to today's development.
Back to Jeremiah
You know, I was just sitting here, doing my work quietly, when I flashed back to a scene from one of the last Jeremiah episodes, in which Kurdy has begun training an army, and has his first group of recruits in a large room, in which stands a fairly tall wall. He tells the hungry group that, in essence, lunch is waiting on the other side of the wall. And only once everyone has climbed over the wall will anyone get to eat.
A couple of the bigger guys with attitudes take flying leaps at the wall, jumping and scraping to try to get up and over, but to no avail; it's simply too tall. They complain that the task is impossible, that Kurdy's asking too much of them.
Standing off to the side is the small, nerdy and idealistic guy they've all been picking on since they got there. He puts the question to Kurdy, "You said we had to get over the wall, right? But you didn't say we couldn't help each other."
"That's right," Kurdy replied.
Nerdy guy then proceeds to have two strong guys hoist two other strong guys up to the top. Between the four of them, they lift everyone in the group up and over the wall.
At the time I just thought it was a clever morality play about the value of teamwork and thinking divergently.
The more I think about it, though, there's a strong sociopolitical lesson there, too.
JMS, you rock.
A couple of the bigger guys with attitudes take flying leaps at the wall, jumping and scraping to try to get up and over, but to no avail; it's simply too tall. They complain that the task is impossible, that Kurdy's asking too much of them.
Standing off to the side is the small, nerdy and idealistic guy they've all been picking on since they got there. He puts the question to Kurdy, "You said we had to get over the wall, right? But you didn't say we couldn't help each other."
"That's right," Kurdy replied.
Nerdy guy then proceeds to have two strong guys hoist two other strong guys up to the top. Between the four of them, they lift everyone in the group up and over the wall.
At the time I just thought it was a clever morality play about the value of teamwork and thinking divergently.
The more I think about it, though, there's a strong sociopolitical lesson there, too.
JMS, you rock.
Modest October Surprise guess
I've been running this one around in my head for a couple of weeks, and decided I should get it down on the public record ... not that it's terribly creative, surprising, etc., but ...
Right before the election, say a week or two, they (Saudi Arabia, et al.) will flood the market with oil, allowing the price to drop precipitously.
I mean, they did say they were gonna do it, some months ago. But people have short memories.
Right before the election, say a week or two, they (Saudi Arabia, et al.) will flood the market with oil, allowing the price to drop precipitously.
I mean, they did say they were gonna do it, some months ago. But people have short memories.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
factcheck.com
Your Vice President told you to do it. You know you want to. Go to factcheck.com. Comply!
Really.
(Thanks, Kniwt!)
Really.
(Thanks, Kniwt!)
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
More BushCult Follies
From a few days ago ...
"You've Partied for the President ...
* Um. The very idea makes me chortle with amusement. *
" ... now Walk the Vote!
"On the weekend of October 16, people will gather in homes all across America to organize the largest door-to-door walk program ever assembled - the Walk the Vote Weekend. We'll identify voters in your area, provide maps to their doors and a flyer to hand out, and ask you and your friends to reach out to your neighbors and turn out the vote."
Yeah. C'mon-a my house, my house, c'mon! I look forward to THAT conversation.
"You've Partied for the President ...
* Um. The very idea makes me chortle with amusement. *
" ... now Walk the Vote!
"On the weekend of October 16, people will gather in homes all across America to organize the largest door-to-door walk program ever assembled - the Walk the Vote Weekend. We'll identify voters in your area, provide maps to their doors and a flyer to hand out, and ask you and your friends to reach out to your neighbors and turn out the vote."
Yeah. C'mon-a my house, my house, c'mon! I look forward to THAT conversation.
Ack! Disaster!
From today's Bush/Cheney example of cognitive dissonance ...
"After last week's debate, the Kerry campaign spin machine managed to mask their candidate's flip-flops on the war in Iraq, imposition of a 'global test' for protecting America, and repeated denigration of our troops and allies."
So, um, did nobody from the campaign watch the debates? Their disingenuous knows no bounds.
And if the BushCo spin machine isn't working, maybe it's because the press and the American people did watch the debate and know they're being lied to.
Shameless.
"After last week's debate, the Kerry campaign spin machine managed to mask their candidate's flip-flops on the war in Iraq, imposition of a 'global test' for protecting America, and repeated denigration of our troops and allies."
So, um, did nobody from the campaign watch the debates? Their disingenuous knows no bounds.
And if the BushCo spin machine isn't working, maybe it's because the press and the American people did watch the debate and know they're being lied to.
Shameless.
Stuck between a dimwit and a nutbar
The congressional race in my district causes me no end of dismay. As some may remember from awhile ago, Mason and I sent a letter to our US representative expressing our displeasure with his performance and pledging not to vote for him. He's nauseatingly conservative, a fact amerliorated only by the fact that he's a follower rather than a leader whose big leaderly push is a law that would require all future legislation to include a section detailing exactly which section of the Constitution authorizes the legistlation. Wow. That's what I call an urgent national priority.
I'm gonna keep my promise, but there's really no one to vote for, so I'll have to leave that section blank.
OK, so that's not entirely true. He does have one opponent, Mark Yannone. Even if I didn't find his ideas hopelessly unworkable (which I do), I find his entire attitude entirely unbecoming someone who aspires to be a publicly elected official. Read this news release from Mr. Yannone. Really. Read it.
Real statesmanlike, Marky boy.
I've done Web searches on the guy before, and this is entirely in character. He really acts like a petulant know-it-all who's never gotten over being bullied in high school. For the record, I'm a know-it-all, but I'm not terribly petulant and I got over being bullied.
So clearly I can't toss my vote there. What to do, what to do ...
* Standing back now to await Marky's nastygrams. I'll post any here if I get them.*
I'm gonna keep my promise, but there's really no one to vote for, so I'll have to leave that section blank.
OK, so that's not entirely true. He does have one opponent, Mark Yannone. Even if I didn't find his ideas hopelessly unworkable (which I do), I find his entire attitude entirely unbecoming someone who aspires to be a publicly elected official. Read this news release from Mr. Yannone. Really. Read it.
Real statesmanlike, Marky boy.
I've done Web searches on the guy before, and this is entirely in character. He really acts like a petulant know-it-all who's never gotten over being bullied in high school. For the record, I'm a know-it-all, but I'm not terribly petulant and I got over being bullied.
So clearly I can't toss my vote there. What to do, what to do ...
* Standing back now to await Marky's nastygrams. I'll post any here if I get them.*
Monday, October 04, 2004
Air America observation
When I listen to Air America radio online, I use the Real Player, which works more or less like a TiVo if you want it to, in that you can pause it, go on break and catch up by skipping over commercials.
It was in this fashion that I discovered today that the length of their commercial breaks has gone up from four minutes to five.
And yet the corporate and right wing media seem to persist in referring to Air America as 'struggling' or 'troubled'.
Yeah. Tell yourselves that.
Dumbasses.
It was in this fashion that I discovered today that the length of their commercial breaks has gone up from four minutes to five.
And yet the corporate and right wing media seem to persist in referring to Air America as 'struggling' or 'troubled'.
Yeah. Tell yourselves that.
Dumbasses.
Friday, October 01, 2004
Gentle Haiku Rd. reminder
Haiku Road tonight, 7pm-ish, in front of the Stop 'n' Look Window at 1025 Grand Ave. in Phoenix. Please do come!
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Some fun
Inject some fun into this evening's joint press conference ... Play Unfiltered's Debate Drinking Game:
First, write down the drinking words, one shot per word, no matter who utters it.
Here are the key driking words:
-Withdrawl
-Nuckular (as said by Bush)
-Exit Strategy
-Manufacturing Jobs
-Values
-God (this is a 2-shot word)
-Iraq
-Abu Gahrib, Gah-reb, Gah-greb, Gah-greeb (again said by Bush, take 2 shots)
-Wrong Direction
-Freedom
-Make no Mistake
And then, if Kerry says the phrase, "lock box", stick your finger down your throat, vomit, and then check your bank account records from 2000 and remind yourself you were better off then.
Thanks to my sister Kerry for bringing this up.
First, write down the drinking words, one shot per word, no matter who utters it.
Here are the key driking words:
-Withdrawl
-Nuckular (as said by Bush)
-Exit Strategy
-Manufacturing Jobs
-Values
-God (this is a 2-shot word)
-Iraq
-Abu Gahrib, Gah-reb, Gah-greb, Gah-greeb (again said by Bush, take 2 shots)
-Wrong Direction
-Freedom
-Make no Mistake
And then, if Kerry says the phrase, "lock box", stick your finger down your throat, vomit, and then check your bank account records from 2000 and remind yourself you were better off then.
Thanks to my sister Kerry for bringing this up.
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