(for reference, there's an article at http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=118752005 ... requires registration)
Martyn Bennett was the first professional musician I ever recall connecting with who was my age. For a brief period of time, he toured the US with Wolfstone as their piper, filling in during their Spinal Tap piper period. I remember a short guy with an easy laugh, the only person I've ever seen successfully play bagpipes and pogo up and down at the same time.
In between sets at the Strawberry Festival that year, he prevailed upon the powers that be to let him do some of his solo stuff. He had a rack mount synthesizer and sequencer that pounded out some fairly shocking technobeats, over which he proceeded to lay pipe tunes, fiddle tunes and more that alternately mesmerized the crowd and sent them fleeing desperately for the hills. He had formidable chops and a bottomless imagination.
Since then, he's done a number of albums, notably Bothy Culture and the amazing and brutally underappreciated Grit
Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He's eight months older than me. I'm nigh unto crying right now.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Sunday, January 30, 2005
politics: Elections, American-occupation style
Well, after spending the day listening to the BBC World Service on my Sirius satellite radio (gads, this is really reading like a commercial so far!), but before hearing any of the liberal party line (and don't get me wrong, I toe that line more often than not, but I do at least try to think independently, I've been having some thoughts.
The day seems to have been far less bloody than it might've been, less bloody than I expected it to be. I think.
And the turnout seems to have been unexpectedly high. I think. This is a good thing, presumably. Democracy is, presumably, a good thing.
I think. I think. I think. Presumably. Why such prevarication?
Well, for one thing, what's this election for? To pick the people who'll write Iraq's constitution. The Bush regime paints this as a monumental and historic occasion, but who's actually getting elected to public office? No one, from what I'm led to understand. And once these people hammer out a constitution, any of Iraq's ethnic groups could essentially scuttle the whole thing and send the process back to the starting line. So at best it's a good place to start, but to give this election too much weight is to cheapen the potentially larger things that will, conceivably, come later. I think.
As for the election itself, there were fewer international observers to this election even than there were for the last US general election. Whence comes what we know about turnout, the mood of the electorate, the fairness of the voting? American military spokespeople and their servants in the interim Iraqi government. Now those are some impartial sources. Experience has taught us that they always give us the pure, unvarnished truth no matter how it hurts because their first loyalty is to verity.
Yeah, right.
Journalists from Iraq, too, are parroting this line. They're in Iraq, right? That gives them instant credibility.
Let me preface the following by saying that I know that there are journalists in Iraq who are in harm's way every day, busting their buns to tell a story that the masses almost never hear. But that's just my point. The ones we see and hear in the mass media have almost certainly been hunkered down in the safest and best-defended spots they can get to for the last couple of days out of a well-justified fear.
So where are they getting their stories? Same place, friends. Same place. The same voice out of two different mouths.
So who's counting the votes? And who's going to report the results? And I know that there are honorable and honest people devoted to democratic principles endeavoring to do the right thing over there. But it almost goes without saying that the US and interim Iraqi governments have a lot at stake here. And any time an entity has a personal interest in the story its trying to tell, you have to presume that there's a bias. And we know the Bush regime's fondness for propaganda and truth management.
So I don't think we've heard the truth yet. And I don't know if it was actually a successful election on any level. I hear the stories, and they're positive and I want to believe. But we've been lied to a few times too often.
The day seems to have been far less bloody than it might've been, less bloody than I expected it to be. I think.
And the turnout seems to have been unexpectedly high. I think. This is a good thing, presumably. Democracy is, presumably, a good thing.
I think. I think. I think. Presumably. Why such prevarication?
Well, for one thing, what's this election for? To pick the people who'll write Iraq's constitution. The Bush regime paints this as a monumental and historic occasion, but who's actually getting elected to public office? No one, from what I'm led to understand. And once these people hammer out a constitution, any of Iraq's ethnic groups could essentially scuttle the whole thing and send the process back to the starting line. So at best it's a good place to start, but to give this election too much weight is to cheapen the potentially larger things that will, conceivably, come later. I think.
As for the election itself, there were fewer international observers to this election even than there were for the last US general election. Whence comes what we know about turnout, the mood of the electorate, the fairness of the voting? American military spokespeople and their servants in the interim Iraqi government. Now those are some impartial sources. Experience has taught us that they always give us the pure, unvarnished truth no matter how it hurts because their first loyalty is to verity.
Yeah, right.
Journalists from Iraq, too, are parroting this line. They're in Iraq, right? That gives them instant credibility.
Let me preface the following by saying that I know that there are journalists in Iraq who are in harm's way every day, busting their buns to tell a story that the masses almost never hear. But that's just my point. The ones we see and hear in the mass media have almost certainly been hunkered down in the safest and best-defended spots they can get to for the last couple of days out of a well-justified fear.
So where are they getting their stories? Same place, friends. Same place. The same voice out of two different mouths.
So who's counting the votes? And who's going to report the results? And I know that there are honorable and honest people devoted to democratic principles endeavoring to do the right thing over there. But it almost goes without saying that the US and interim Iraqi governments have a lot at stake here. And any time an entity has a personal interest in the story its trying to tell, you have to presume that there's a bias. And we know the Bush regime's fondness for propaganda and truth management.
So I don't think we've heard the truth yet. And I don't know if it was actually a successful election on any level. I hear the stories, and they're positive and I want to believe. But we've been lied to a few times too often.
personal: Our house is a very, very, very fine house
Well, it is a fine house, but whether it's ours seems still to be up in the air. It's a longer story than I really want to go into right here, but we should know for certain sometime this week and, if all works out, be moving in next weekend.
In the mean time, for those of you who care, I used Photoshop to create a very quick photo page with some photos I took a couple of weeks ago when we walked through looking for stuff that needed to be fixed. There really wasn't much. The loose shingles you may see in some pictures have already been fixed, and the tree has been trimmed away from the house. Et cetera, et cetera. The bedrooms have nice polished concrete floors that don't quite come across in these photos, but in one, you can see the floor safes in the master bedroom. That's a riddle for solving someday down the line.
Anyway, if you'd like to see the house, go here.
In the mean time, for those of you who care, I used Photoshop to create a very quick photo page with some photos I took a couple of weeks ago when we walked through looking for stuff that needed to be fixed. There really wasn't much. The loose shingles you may see in some pictures have already been fixed, and the tree has been trimmed away from the house. Et cetera, et cetera. The bedrooms have nice polished concrete floors that don't quite come across in these photos, but in one, you can see the floor safes in the master bedroom. That's a riddle for solving someday down the line.
Anyway, if you'd like to see the house, go here.
Friday, January 28, 2005
politics: The latest RNC mail
On Tuesday I received yet another exciting missive from the Republican National Committee. I decided to edit it to purge it of hypocrisy and lies. In other words, this is what it said to me as I read through it. The sections I changed are italicized.
Dear Chris,
As the Campaign Manager for Bush-Cheney '04, I know President Bush's second Inauguration went forward despite prudence, common sense, a clear and fair electoral process and your best efforts.
In my capacity now as Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), I am asking for your continued support for our President and Party.
Please join the RNC today as a Sustaining Member by making a secure online contribution of $25, $50 or $75 to help President Bush to continue to eviscerate our nation's economy and destabilize the entire geopolitical balance. The president and the Republicans in Congress are incapable of standing on the truth and justice of their actions, so we must step up our marketing, propaganda and bribery efforts.
Chris, the RNC is our Party's official national campaign organization. It does more to support President Bush and promote our amoral, selfish and overtly anti-Christian conservative agenda than any other GOP committee.
The RNC is going to be critically important to the success of President Bush's efforts to make over our country into a fascist theocracy. The President has (...) goals for us: a flaccid economy, vulnerable homeland and overstretched defense, protection of malfeasant companies from their victims and the destruction of Social Security in order to enrich the financial sector at the expense of working people and unaffordable healthcare. But we need your help to get the President's message past the media bullshit filter, to help us propagandize directly to the American people.
Democrats and those with common sense -- who will try to stonewall President Bush and his special-interest allies -- are hoping you will ignore my request and remain on the sidelines until the next election. President Bush, Republican Congressional Leaders, the President's friends in business here and abroad, lobbyists, lawyers and other conservative special-interest fat cats and our candidates are counting on you to step forward and answer my call today. A lobbyist cannot live by caviar alone, you know!
Your contribution of $25, $50 or even $100 to join the RNC is crucial to providing President Bush with the resources he needs to keep our agenda moving forward because there's just not enough money in raiding the treasury and robbing you blind any other way.
We need you on the Republican team -- your continued support of our President during his second term is extremely important. Please become an RNC Sustaining Member today. Thank you.
Best Wishes,
Ken Mehlman
RNC Chairman
Dear Chris,
As the Campaign Manager for Bush-Cheney '04, I know President Bush's second Inauguration went forward despite prudence, common sense, a clear and fair electoral process and your best efforts.
In my capacity now as Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), I am asking for your continued support for our President and Party.
Please join the RNC today as a Sustaining Member by making a secure online contribution of $25, $50 or $75 to help President Bush to continue to eviscerate our nation's economy and destabilize the entire geopolitical balance. The president and the Republicans in Congress are incapable of standing on the truth and justice of their actions, so we must step up our marketing, propaganda and bribery efforts.
Chris, the RNC is our Party's official national campaign organization. It does more to support President Bush and promote our amoral, selfish and overtly anti-Christian conservative agenda than any other GOP committee.
The RNC is going to be critically important to the success of President Bush's efforts to make over our country into a fascist theocracy. The President has (...) goals for us: a flaccid economy, vulnerable homeland and overstretched defense, protection of malfeasant companies from their victims and the destruction of Social Security in order to enrich the financial sector at the expense of working people and unaffordable healthcare. But we need your help to get the President's message past the media bullshit filter, to help us propagandize directly to the American people.
Democrats and those with common sense -- who will try to stonewall President Bush and his special-interest allies -- are hoping you will ignore my request and remain on the sidelines until the next election. President Bush, Republican Congressional Leaders, the President's friends in business here and abroad, lobbyists, lawyers and other conservative special-interest fat cats and our candidates are counting on you to step forward and answer my call today. A lobbyist cannot live by caviar alone, you know!
Your contribution of $25, $50 or even $100 to join the RNC is crucial to providing President Bush with the resources he needs to keep our agenda moving forward because there's just not enough money in raiding the treasury and robbing you blind any other way.
We need you on the Republican team -- your continued support of our President during his second term is extremely important. Please become an RNC Sustaining Member today. Thank you.
Best Wishes,
Ken Mehlman
RNC Chairman
politics: Unintentional and tragic irony
I can't believe that for the second time in a week I'm referencing the Washington Times, but ... from this article, this quote from Darth Cheney's remarks at Auschwitz:
Mr. Cheney reminded his listeners, many of them young people, that the cruelty of the death camps did not happen in a faraway corner of the world, but in the "very heart of the civilized world."
"The death camps were created by men with a high opinion of themselves — some of them well-educated and possessed of refined manners — but without conscience," he said. "And where there is no conscience, there is no tolerance toward others ... no defense against evil ... and no limit to the crimes that follow."
He really doesn't get it, does he?
Mr. Cheney reminded his listeners, many of them young people, that the cruelty of the death camps did not happen in a faraway corner of the world, but in the "very heart of the civilized world."
"The death camps were created by men with a high opinion of themselves — some of them well-educated and possessed of refined manners — but without conscience," he said. "And where there is no conscience, there is no tolerance toward others ... no defense against evil ... and no limit to the crimes that follow."
He really doesn't get it, does he?
Thursday, January 27, 2005
politics: Alberto Gonzales: (Reality) check, please!
OK, so this ain't nothing new, but if our friend Al were a white guy, how, exactly, would the Republicans have been able to defend his nomination to the Attorney General position? Let's get real, folks. If the administration and its apologists can only defend this cagey, disrespectful, disingenuous, amoral man by accusing opponents to his appointment of racism, then, really, what defense is there? Is it so much that we ask for an Attorney General who has a spine, who has a moral compass, and who has some skill other than rationalizing even the most repugnant policies?
And who, exactly, is calling attention to his race? It's not just racism when you ascribe bad things to someone and attributing it to their race or ethnicity. We want to judge him as a man, not as a Hispanic man. No qualifiers.
On a related subject, I'm very pleased to see a few Democratic senators doubling back and pulling their heads out of their rears (if you'll pardon the mixing of metaphors). But what the Hell? I mean, really. Why couldn't y'all have done the right thing in the first place.
They haven't grown spines themselves, exactly, they're just borrowing them from the leftward-leaning bloggers and commentators who were pointing at those mealy-mouthed Quislings and spitting in disgust at their faithless behavior.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy they finally seem to have headed in the right direction. But if this was their position all along, they sold us out the first time around for the sake of expediency. And if it isn't their position, they're just playing politics to try to keep their own party's faithful on their side.
So three cheers for Sens. Boxer and Kerry and a lukewarm 'yay' to the others. Who do you serve, guys, and who do you trust?
Wake up! You shouldn't need to be reminded of this, but this is America and there are things we're supposed to stand for. Wake the Hell up!
And who, exactly, is calling attention to his race? It's not just racism when you ascribe bad things to someone and attributing it to their race or ethnicity. We want to judge him as a man, not as a Hispanic man. No qualifiers.
On a related subject, I'm very pleased to see a few Democratic senators doubling back and pulling their heads out of their rears (if you'll pardon the mixing of metaphors). But what the Hell? I mean, really. Why couldn't y'all have done the right thing in the first place.
They haven't grown spines themselves, exactly, they're just borrowing them from the leftward-leaning bloggers and commentators who were pointing at those mealy-mouthed Quislings and spitting in disgust at their faithless behavior.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy they finally seem to have headed in the right direction. But if this was their position all along, they sold us out the first time around for the sake of expediency. And if it isn't their position, they're just playing politics to try to keep their own party's faithful on their side.
So three cheers for Sens. Boxer and Kerry and a lukewarm 'yay' to the others. Who do you serve, guys, and who do you trust?
Wake up! You shouldn't need to be reminded of this, but this is America and there are things we're supposed to stand for. Wake the Hell up!
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
politics: Rep. Shadegg, or, how to stumble upwards by being Tom DeLay's butt-boy
It seems that toeing the party line with a ruthless and single-minded determination is vastly more successful as a career strategy than having vision, leadership ability or integrity.
From Phoenix Business Journal:
Phoenix Congressman John Shadegg has been tapped by his Republican congressional colleagues to serve as House GOP Policy Committee Chairman.
Lord, how I want him out of office. He represents none of the values of any of his constituents I've ever met. Except Joe's best friend. And, well, even with him, Shadegg represents his politics rather than his values. But that's a whole 'nother conversation.
From Phoenix Business Journal:
Phoenix Congressman John Shadegg has been tapped by his Republican congressional colleagues to serve as House GOP Policy Committee Chairman.
Lord, how I want him out of office. He represents none of the values of any of his constituents I've ever met. Except Joe's best friend. And, well, even with him, Shadegg represents his politics rather than his values. But that's a whole 'nother conversation.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
politics: Inaugural address
Apparently, Bush gave a speech on Jan. 20 for some reason. To judge from this e-mail I got, it got nothing but rave reviews:
Dear Chris,
Inaugural Address Yesterday we celebrated President Bush's Inauguration as he was sworn in to office for a second term.
Below are some exerpts of what people are saying about his inaugural address:
The Wall Street Journal: "Not Since JFK In 1960 Has An American President Provided Such An Ambitious And Unabashed Case For The Promotion Of Liberty At Home And Abroad." (Editorial, "Liberty Bell Ringer," The Wall Street Journal, 1/21/05)
William Safire, The New York Times: "I Rate It Among The Top 5 Of The 20 Second-Inaugurals In Our History. Lincoln's Profound Sermon 'With Malice Toward None' Is Incomparable, But Bush's Second Was Better Than Jefferson's Mean-Spirited Pouting At 'The Artillery Of The Press.'" (William Safire, Op-Ed, "Bush's 'Freedom Speech,'" The New York Times, 1/21/05)
NBC's Tim Russert: "Well-Crafted, Well-Delivered. The Themes Of Freedom And Liberty " I Thought The Call To National Service Will Resonate With All Americans -- Democrats, Republicans, Independents." (NBC's, "Special Coverage Of The 55th Inaugural," 1/20/05)
For a full listing of what everyone is saying about the speech click here.
Also, we are sending you the complete text of President Bush's Inaugural Address. Keep a copy of it to reflect back on as we work to pass the President's agenda.
Hm. What else are they saying?
Gore Vidal: Gore Vidal on Bush's Inaugural Address: "The Most Un-American Speech I've Ever Heard"
Free Internet Press: Commentary: Bush Inaugural Address - America’s Day Of Shame
E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post Writers Group: Freedom as an advertising slogan
And even the Washington Times, courtesy of Arnaud de Borchgrave:Revolutionary idea . . . on bridge too far?
At some point I'll go through this speech he gave, but my first impression of it is that it could've been given by the head of some other state pointing the finger at America. And the word "repose" coming out of Bush's mouth just makes me feel icky, wondering who the evil puppetmaster was who had his arm up Bush's butt that day.
Dear Chris,
Inaugural Address Yesterday we celebrated President Bush's Inauguration as he was sworn in to office for a second term.
Below are some exerpts of what people are saying about his inaugural address:
The Wall Street Journal: "Not Since JFK In 1960 Has An American President Provided Such An Ambitious And Unabashed Case For The Promotion Of Liberty At Home And Abroad." (Editorial, "Liberty Bell Ringer," The Wall Street Journal, 1/21/05)
William Safire, The New York Times: "I Rate It Among The Top 5 Of The 20 Second-Inaugurals In Our History. Lincoln's Profound Sermon 'With Malice Toward None' Is Incomparable, But Bush's Second Was Better Than Jefferson's Mean-Spirited Pouting At 'The Artillery Of The Press.'" (William Safire, Op-Ed, "Bush's 'Freedom Speech,'" The New York Times, 1/21/05)
NBC's Tim Russert: "Well-Crafted, Well-Delivered. The Themes Of Freedom And Liberty " I Thought The Call To National Service Will Resonate With All Americans -- Democrats, Republicans, Independents." (NBC's, "Special Coverage Of The 55th Inaugural," 1/20/05)
For a full listing of what everyone is saying about the speech click here.
Also, we are sending you the complete text of President Bush's Inaugural Address. Keep a copy of it to reflect back on as we work to pass the President's agenda.
Hm. What else are they saying?
Gore Vidal: Gore Vidal on Bush's Inaugural Address: "The Most Un-American Speech I've Ever Heard"
Free Internet Press: Commentary: Bush Inaugural Address - America’s Day Of Shame
E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post Writers Group: Freedom as an advertising slogan
And even the Washington Times, courtesy of Arnaud de Borchgrave:Revolutionary idea . . . on bridge too far?
At some point I'll go through this speech he gave, but my first impression of it is that it could've been given by the head of some other state pointing the finger at America. And the word "repose" coming out of Bush's mouth just makes me feel icky, wondering who the evil puppetmaster was who had his arm up Bush's butt that day.
personal: The Waiting is the Hardest Part
Truly I am growing weary of waiting for news about the house thing.
After the bank balked at our loan on Thursday after telling us that everything was set, our broker secured another loan late Friday afternoon and was, at least reportedly, hard at work yesterday making sure all i's were dotted and t's crossed. But we had no other news yesterday.
It appears evident that our original closing date has been blown out of the water (that was supposed to be today and, well, we obviously haven't even signed the loan paperwork.
The few minor repairs we asked for have been done. The utilities transfer to us tomorrow. And still we can't get a word out of our mortgage broker. I'm near exploding with frustration.
Have a nice day!
After the bank balked at our loan on Thursday after telling us that everything was set, our broker secured another loan late Friday afternoon and was, at least reportedly, hard at work yesterday making sure all i's were dotted and t's crossed. But we had no other news yesterday.
It appears evident that our original closing date has been blown out of the water (that was supposed to be today and, well, we obviously haven't even signed the loan paperwork.
The few minor repairs we asked for have been done. The utilities transfer to us tomorrow. And still we can't get a word out of our mortgage broker. I'm near exploding with frustration.
Have a nice day!
Thursday, January 20, 2005
personal: What an eventful day!
Well, what an eventful last 24 hours, anyway.
We were informed shortly after I got home from work yesterday that the loan was approved for our house. So it is happening. Five days from today, Mason and I will be homeowners. I suppose I need a party hat now so I can dance around like an idiot. This is cool!
Also had a major performance evaluation today, the best one I've had since I came to Banner. Though I'll have to wait a couple of weeks for the discussion about be expanded role and job, the eval itself was glowing and I got a pretty nice merit raise. This is a good thing, since we'll have a hefty house payment to take care of soon.
And I wore black to work today. And nobody noticed. Should I be worried?
We were informed shortly after I got home from work yesterday that the loan was approved for our house. So it is happening. Five days from today, Mason and I will be homeowners. I suppose I need a party hat now so I can dance around like an idiot. This is cool!
Also had a major performance evaluation today, the best one I've had since I came to Banner. Though I'll have to wait a couple of weeks for the discussion about be expanded role and job, the eval itself was glowing and I got a pretty nice merit raise. This is a good thing, since we'll have a hefty house payment to take care of soon.
And I wore black to work today. And nobody noticed. Should I be worried?
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
politics: Reluctance on a bed of Rice
Rice Acknowledges Some Bad Iraq Decisions
You think?
"I am really reluctant to try to put a timetable on that, because I think the goal is to get the mission accomplished," she had said Tuesday.
Um. I remember a certain banner on a certain ship at a certain point in time.
Can we all PLEASE just wake up, look at things with fresh eyes and realize what a Bizarro world we're living in where we rationalize mistakes, duck accountability and reward incompetence? Can we please just be real?
I guess not.
More Kool-Aid, Mr./Ms. Republican?
You think?
"I am really reluctant to try to put a timetable on that, because I think the goal is to get the mission accomplished," she had said Tuesday.
Um. I remember a certain banner on a certain ship at a certain point in time.
Can we all PLEASE just wake up, look at things with fresh eyes and realize what a Bizarro world we're living in where we rationalize mistakes, duck accountability and reward incompetence? Can we please just be real?
I guess not.
More Kool-Aid, Mr./Ms. Republican?
Friday, January 14, 2005
politics: RNC-mail
Allow me to share. Anyone want to host an Inaugural Wake? At the very least, I know I'll be wearing black that day.
Dear Chris,
In just one week, President Bush will take the oath of office at the 55th Presidential Inauguration.
Across the country, thousands of people will gather at more than 1500 Inaugural Parties for the President to join in the celebration. We're hoping to kick off the new term with 2005 Inaugural Parties, (what an unbelievably meaningless goal) but we need your help to get there. We're close, but not quite there. Will you host an Inaugural Party in your home?
www.GOP.com/Party
A number of people have asked us what they need to do to host a Party, so we put together Frequently Asked Questions. Hosting an Inaugural Party is easy and fun. It takes little effort and is a great way to spread the President's message.
If we can count on you to host a Party next week, we'll get to 2005 parties and send a strong message that the grassroots support for the President continues to support his agenda in the new term.
Setting up your party is easy. You can get started at www.gop.com/Party.
On Thursday morning, as the President places his hand on the bible and is sworn in, you should take great pride in the effort you put in to make that happen. It was only through your hard work, and the tireless work of so many Volunteers that we achieved what we did.
It was an historic victory, and you have earned the right to celebrate.
Join in the festivities by hosting a party in your home.
www.gop.com/Party.
I look forward to sharing the celebration with you next week.
Sincerely,
Ed Gillespie
As an aside, I find it enlightening that they capitalize the words and phrases 'Inaugural Party/Parties', 'Frequently Asked Questions', 'the President' and 'Volunteers'. But ... 'the bible'.
Typographical error? Copy editing mistake? Or Freudian slip of sorts?
Dear Chris,
In just one week, President Bush will take the oath of office at the 55th Presidential Inauguration.
Across the country, thousands of people will gather at more than 1500 Inaugural Parties for the President to join in the celebration. We're hoping to kick off the new term with 2005 Inaugural Parties, (what an unbelievably meaningless goal) but we need your help to get there. We're close, but not quite there. Will you host an Inaugural Party in your home?
www.GOP.com/Party
A number of people have asked us what they need to do to host a Party, so we put together Frequently Asked Questions. Hosting an Inaugural Party is easy and fun. It takes little effort and is a great way to spread the President's message.
If we can count on you to host a Party next week, we'll get to 2005 parties and send a strong message that the grassroots support for the President continues to support his agenda in the new term.
Setting up your party is easy. You can get started at www.gop.com/Party.
On Thursday morning, as the President places his hand on the bible and is sworn in, you should take great pride in the effort you put in to make that happen. It was only through your hard work, and the tireless work of so many Volunteers that we achieved what we did.
It was an historic victory, and you have earned the right to celebrate.
Join in the festivities by hosting a party in your home.
www.gop.com/Party.
I look forward to sharing the celebration with you next week.
Sincerely,
Ed Gillespie
As an aside, I find it enlightening that they capitalize the words and phrases 'Inaugural Party/Parties', 'Frequently Asked Questions', 'the President' and 'Volunteers'. But ... 'the bible'.
Typographical error? Copy editing mistake? Or Freudian slip of sorts?
Thursday, January 13, 2005
politics: A public service
Posted to the Randi Rhodes Show message board and resampled for smaller file size and reposted for your use:
"We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September the 11th."
Play this for anyone who doesn't believe. Make it one of your system sounds. Whatever. File size is only 60K.
"We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September the 11th."
Play this for anyone who doesn't believe. Make it one of your system sounds. Whatever. File size is only 60K.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
personal: Meme-lemming time.
Describe yourself using one band and song titles from that band | |
| Choose a band/artist and answer only in song TITLES by that band: | Marillion |
| Are you male or female: | Forgotten Sons |
| Describe yourself: | Beyond You |
| How do some people feel about you: | Living With the Big Lie |
| How do you feel about yourself: | Separated Out |
| Describe your ex girlfriend/boyfriend: | Built-in Bastard Radar (or You're Gone) |
| Describe your current girlfriend/boyfriend: | Lavender |
| Describe where you want to be: | Map of the World |
| Describe what you want to be: | King of Sunset Town |
| Describe how you live: | The Opium Den |
| Describe how you love: | Afraid of Sunlight |
| Share a few words of wisdom | He Knows, You Know |
politics: Go on. Apologize. We're waiting.
Really. We're waiting. Yes, you ... you conservatives who have swallowed justification after justification, rationalization after rationalization. Do the honorable thing. Admit you were wrong. Apologize. Call for your president's resignation or impeachment.
One by one, things fall away.
Remember September 11? Read these, the words of your own president:
"No, we've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September the 11th," the president said yesterday after a meeting at the White House with lawmakers.
OK, got that? No link to Sept. 11. Right, got it? You understand?
And while the government claims that there were links to Osama, those links were pretty much limited to a couple of Iraqi government officials meeting with him and concluding he was a nutcase and both parties mutually realizing they had no common ground from which to work.
A threat to his neighbors? To the United States? Between Operation Desert Fox, trade embargoes and the no-fly zones he wasn't even a threat to the Kurds in the north of his own country.
OK, then there's the whole thing about liberating the Iraqi people from the grip of a brutal dictator. What made him a brutal dictator? Let's see. Death squads? Torture and rape? Arrest without charge? Restriction of civil liberties? Mass murder?
Here's some simple math: Who has killed more innocent Iraqi citizens? Saddam? Or US?
Who?
And how much death of what kind of people is too much? And how many innocent deaths should the Iraqis be able to absorb and still think it's for their own good, and not get resentful? You can proclaim and declare and opine till you're blue in the face, but if you talk about violent death like it's just an inevitable cost of war, and that it's justified, think but this:
Dead is dead. Killing an innocent person is wrong. Killing is killing. Attention moral-high-grounders, Christian conservatives:
Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. 13 If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, " 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, 16 go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (RSV, Matthew 19:16-21)
Right, got that, too? Killing. Is. Wrong.
OK, WMDs them. Remember how top administration official after top administration official told us they had iron-clad, absolute proof that Saddam had reconstituted his weapons programs? Remember, "We can't wait for the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud?" Let's revisit that Bible verse above. You know, the bit about not bearing false witness?
No WMDs. None. Haven't been for a long time. No evidence of recent weapons programs. Their intelligence? Their absolute proof? It simply didn't exist. It wasn't there. It wasn't that they were misled by their intelligence people. Their intelligence people told them from the start what the truth was.
Let's review, shall we?
OK, so what rationalizations do you have left? From where I sit, all you can cling to is your blind faith that your president is a good man. But a man who, either through direct action or complicity, lies and kills and offers the economic benefits of the carnage and destruction to his friends and associates rather than to the victims of Saddam and of our occupation is not a good man.
Smart or stupid, it doesn't matter, and regardless of any other issues, he has broken faith with the American and Iraqi people, he has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of innocents, not to mention his betrayal of the men and women in our military who have died because of his actions and his lies and the ones who lie in hospitals or at home broken and forgotten by the nation that put them there.
And he violates, daily, without repentance, the tenets of the religious faith to which he lays claim.
Go ahead, guys, prove to me he's a good man. Can you offer me anything other than personal opinion? I want facts, links, chapter and verse. Otherwise, give him up, abandon him to the whirwind he's reaped, and work with right-minded people across the board, across the political spectrum, who are trying to redeem the promise of our country and put us on the path of integrity and prosperity.
And with that last gasp, I'm done with Iraq in these pages, assuming by step-brother comes back whole and alive this summer.
One by one, things fall away.
Remember September 11? Read these, the words of your own president:
"No, we've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September the 11th," the president said yesterday after a meeting at the White House with lawmakers.
OK, got that? No link to Sept. 11. Right, got it? You understand?
And while the government claims that there were links to Osama, those links were pretty much limited to a couple of Iraqi government officials meeting with him and concluding he was a nutcase and both parties mutually realizing they had no common ground from which to work.
A threat to his neighbors? To the United States? Between Operation Desert Fox, trade embargoes and the no-fly zones he wasn't even a threat to the Kurds in the north of his own country.
OK, then there's the whole thing about liberating the Iraqi people from the grip of a brutal dictator. What made him a brutal dictator? Let's see. Death squads? Torture and rape? Arrest without charge? Restriction of civil liberties? Mass murder?
Here's some simple math: Who has killed more innocent Iraqi citizens? Saddam? Or US?
Who?
And how much death of what kind of people is too much? And how many innocent deaths should the Iraqis be able to absorb and still think it's for their own good, and not get resentful? You can proclaim and declare and opine till you're blue in the face, but if you talk about violent death like it's just an inevitable cost of war, and that it's justified, think but this:
Dead is dead. Killing an innocent person is wrong. Killing is killing. Attention moral-high-grounders, Christian conservatives:
Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. 13 If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, " 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, 16 go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (RSV, Matthew 19:16-21)
Right, got that, too? Killing. Is. Wrong.
OK, WMDs them. Remember how top administration official after top administration official told us they had iron-clad, absolute proof that Saddam had reconstituted his weapons programs? Remember, "We can't wait for the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud?" Let's revisit that Bible verse above. You know, the bit about not bearing false witness?
No WMDs. None. Haven't been for a long time. No evidence of recent weapons programs. Their intelligence? Their absolute proof? It simply didn't exist. It wasn't there. It wasn't that they were misled by their intelligence people. Their intelligence people told them from the start what the truth was.
Let's review, shall we?
- No connection to 9/11
- Functionally no connection to Osama bin Laden
- Greater brutality now than ever before under Saddam Hussein. A populace that generally, now, hates US as much as they ever hated him and simply want to get back to their lives.
- No WMDs
OK, so what rationalizations do you have left? From where I sit, all you can cling to is your blind faith that your president is a good man. But a man who, either through direct action or complicity, lies and kills and offers the economic benefits of the carnage and destruction to his friends and associates rather than to the victims of Saddam and of our occupation is not a good man.
Smart or stupid, it doesn't matter, and regardless of any other issues, he has broken faith with the American and Iraqi people, he has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of innocents, not to mention his betrayal of the men and women in our military who have died because of his actions and his lies and the ones who lie in hospitals or at home broken and forgotten by the nation that put them there.
And he violates, daily, without repentance, the tenets of the religious faith to which he lays claim.
Go ahead, guys, prove to me he's a good man. Can you offer me anything other than personal opinion? I want facts, links, chapter and verse. Otherwise, give him up, abandon him to the whirwind he's reaped, and work with right-minded people across the board, across the political spectrum, who are trying to redeem the promise of our country and put us on the path of integrity and prosperity.
And with that last gasp, I'm done with Iraq in these pages, assuming by step-brother comes back whole and alive this summer.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
personal: Oh, yeah
Finally. Finally it's done ...
I've been watching the University of Arizona Web page every day waiting for evidence that they've processed my graduation paperwork. Apparently, they finally have.
I've been watching the University of Arizona Web page every day waiting for evidence that they've processed my graduation paperwork. Apparently, they finally have.
Monday, January 10, 2005
personal: Our house, in the middle of our street
I'm maintaining a muted optimism, because in the course of our house search I've gotten my hopes up several times and gotten burned in the process. But as of late last week, Mason and I are in escrow on a house and should close by the 25th!
Yes, truly, assuming all goes according to plan, in a little over two weeks I'll be a homeowner. Or more properly, we'll be homeowners. No more pouring rent money down a sinkhole.
At some point, I'll likely put up, and link to, a photo page for those few of you who might be interested in what the house looks like. But it's old and in fantastic shape, very cute and in a historic neighborhood. Just gotta sandblast that yellow paint off the red brick.
As a side issue, it feels to me like buying a house together is a huge step for a relationship -- each step like this makes it a bigger and bigger deal to extricate oneself should everything go south. Fortunately, that doesn't seem likely.
Of course, house-buying could cut severely into our budget for any sort of nuptial festivities. Well. We'll see.
Yes, truly, assuming all goes according to plan, in a little over two weeks I'll be a homeowner. Or more properly, we'll be homeowners. No more pouring rent money down a sinkhole.
At some point, I'll likely put up, and link to, a photo page for those few of you who might be interested in what the house looks like. But it's old and in fantastic shape, very cute and in a historic neighborhood. Just gotta sandblast that yellow paint off the red brick.
As a side issue, it feels to me like buying a house together is a huge step for a relationship -- each step like this makes it a bigger and bigger deal to extricate oneself should everything go south. Fortunately, that doesn't seem likely.
Of course, house-buying could cut severely into our budget for any sort of nuptial festivities. Well. We'll see.
Friday, January 07, 2005
politics: Elections past and future
Yeah, OK, we're all sick of hearing about vote fraud, voter intimidation, etc. The right thinks we raised it as an issue because we're sore losers. The left just wants it to go away so they can go back to licking their wounds and blocking the whole traumatic election out of their minds.
But hey. Vast right wing conspiracy or not, our voting system is broken. To my right-wing friends, just because you got the result you wanted doesn't mean the system is working properly.
As a public service, allow me to point the way to 102 pages of enumerated, documented and researched problems on the off chance you still think there's nothing really going on here. I'm not going in for conspiracy theories, in that I've yet to see anything that credibly indicates a centralized, organized effort to disenfranchise left-leaning voters.
But this doesn't mean the system isn't broken ... horribly broken. And since HAVA it's only gotten worse.
What's so wrong with fighting for democracy?
But hey. Vast right wing conspiracy or not, our voting system is broken. To my right-wing friends, just because you got the result you wanted doesn't mean the system is working properly.
As a public service, allow me to point the way to 102 pages of enumerated, documented and researched problems on the off chance you still think there's nothing really going on here. I'm not going in for conspiracy theories, in that I've yet to see anything that credibly indicates a centralized, organized effort to disenfranchise left-leaning voters.
But this doesn't mean the system isn't broken ... horribly broken. And since HAVA it's only gotten worse.
What's so wrong with fighting for democracy?
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
politics: Man-on-the-street quote of the month
Gaza soap factory worker Manar an-Najar, in response to Richard Gere's public service announcement encouraging Palestinians to vote in the upcoming presidential election: "We don't need the Americans' intervention. We know who to elect. Not like them -- they elected a moron."
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Haiku Rd.: More publicity
OK, it's not publicity for us, per se, but it was reported to me by Mike last night and confirmed this morning, our show Thursday night, at an event co-sponsored by the local Air America affiliate, is actually getting promoted on the radio. Though we're not specifically mentioned, the phrase 'great music' made me feel warm and fuzzy.
Or is that the alcohol?
Either way, yay! Maybe lots of people will show and we'll sell all our CDs and become famous. At the very least, I'm hoping to pick me up a KXXT bumper sticker finally.
Or is that the alcohol?
Either way, yay! Maybe lots of people will show and we'll sell all our CDs and become famous. At the very least, I'm hoping to pick me up a KXXT bumper sticker finally.
politics: The FDA
The FDA is your friend. Really. It's here to help you. We're serious. Don't you trust us?
When a federal agency owes its allegiance to anybody other than the populace of the United States, it ceases to have any reason to exist, especially when thereason it was created was to protect those people, not to act as a cheerleader for corporate food and drug producers.
Vioxx started the flood. NSAIDs are the latest. Can we trust anything the FDA approves anymore? Or should we go back to herbs, poultices, leeches, witchcraft?
(Yes, yes, please, no nastygrams for equating herbal remedies with leeches and witchcraft ... it's called hyperbole for effect. Thank you.)
So let's see, FDA, Halliburton, Tom DeLay and the Ethics Committee, the EPA ... everywhere, it's completely evident that the Republican power structure is completely bereft of morals and blinded by power.
Cheesy sci-fi reference of the day ... at the beginning of every episode of Crusade, Galen asked, "Who do you serve? And who do you trust?"
Who do you serve, you bastards? And who do you trust?
When a federal agency owes its allegiance to anybody other than the populace of the United States, it ceases to have any reason to exist, especially when thereason it was created was to protect those people, not to act as a cheerleader for corporate food and drug producers.
Vioxx started the flood. NSAIDs are the latest. Can we trust anything the FDA approves anymore? Or should we go back to herbs, poultices, leeches, witchcraft?
(Yes, yes, please, no nastygrams for equating herbal remedies with leeches and witchcraft ... it's called hyperbole for effect. Thank you.)
So let's see, FDA, Halliburton, Tom DeLay and the Ethics Committee, the EPA ... everywhere, it's completely evident that the Republican power structure is completely bereft of morals and blinded by power.
Cheesy sci-fi reference of the day ... at the beginning of every episode of Crusade, Galen asked, "Who do you serve? And who do you trust?"
Who do you serve, you bastards? And who do you trust?
Saturday, January 01, 2005
personal: Trio is gone! *grumble grumble*
Apparently it was announced a month ago and somehow I didn't get the memo, but I woke up this morning and tuned to Trio on my little DirecTiVo and got, um, nowt.
Apparently, they dropped one of my favorite cable networks of all time to carry, like, another Telemundo channel or something. And while I'm happy for the millions of Spanish speaking DirecTV customers out there, I WANT MY F-ING TRIO, DAMMIT!
Ahem.
Sorry. I'll go back to grumbling in silence now.
Keep it up, Rupert. I CAN take my business elsewhere.
Apparently, they dropped one of my favorite cable networks of all time to carry, like, another Telemundo channel or something. And while I'm happy for the millions of Spanish speaking DirecTV customers out there, I WANT MY F-ING TRIO, DAMMIT!
Ahem.
Sorry. I'll go back to grumbling in silence now.
Keep it up, Rupert. I CAN take my business elsewhere.
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