Nine Billion MIA in Iraq

by pissed off patricia

In my Palm Beach Post and probably in your paper too, there are headlines and photos of Iraqis voting yesterday. That's great for someone to go and vote under some pretty dire conditions. I suppose the lock-downs, curfews, closed borders, closed streets, and hoards of our military plus Iraqi military and police helped the situation a little bit. We probably can't imagine what it would be like to fear for your life when you go to vote. I don't believe that I personally can. During our last election my only fear came true. I was fearful for our country if bush was re?-elected.

Also, on page 14A of today's PB Post there's another story about Iraq. Seems according to the Associated Press article, there are some US dollars missing. Seems about nine billion dollars are MIA. Remember when the Senate voted to hand huge sums of money to the Iraq war/rebuilding fund and some Democrats wanted spending of the money to require accountability? That idea was shot down like a rabid animal. No, no the Republicans said, we should not require anyone to account for the money Just hand it over and I'm sure it'll be taken care of and spent responsibly. Bremer doesn't need to account for any of it. But today, almost nine billion dollars of the money is gone with no paper trail. Humm, that's not good.

According to the Associated Press, Bremer is quoted as saying that the report about this missing billions had "many misconceptions and inaccuracies." Quoting from the article, "Bremer complained that the report "assumes that Western-style budgeting and accounting procedures could be immediately and fully implemented in the midst of a war." Also, quoting from the article again, "The inspector general said the occupying agency disbursed $8.8 billion to Iraqi ministries "without assurance the moneys were properly accounted for."

I know you hate quotes but please allow me just one more. Toward the end of the article it states, "When staff members of the U.S. occupation government recommended that payrolls be verified before salary payments, Coalition Provisional Authority financial officials said the authority "would rather overpay salaries than risk not paying employees and inciting violence," the inspector general said."

Oh god no, we must not incite violence in Iraq. Can you imagine the consequences of inciting violence in a country that has been invaded, bombed all to hell and had thousands of it's innocent citizens killed as they were marched off to freedom? Hell, throw the money at them as fast as you can, do anything to avoid violence.

In April when you are figuring your income tax report, if it works out that you owe the government money, just write them a little note and tell them that the money you need to pay your taxes is missing and unaccounted for. Remind them that we are in the midst of a war. Tell them that they shouldn't assume that "Western-style budgeting and accounting procedures could be immediately and fully implemented in the midst of a war." I'm sure they'll understand, and what the hell, you might even receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Polling Results:

I've come to the conclusion most people as they mature gain in attractiveness. But not so with some individuals. The photographs I have seen of George Bush in his youth display a person of reasonably handsome features. But I find myself absolutely repelled by the sight of his face whenever I come across it on TV or in the newspapers. Trying to be fair about it, I wonder to myself if I feel this way because of his simple-mindedness or his arrogance. So what I did was to take a local poll and ask a locally prominent Republican, Democrat, and the closest I could find to an Independent just exactly what they thought about Bush's looks.
Here are the results of my admittedly unscientific poll:

I. M. Kraftey (R): "Our president does not possess classically handsome features".

Phil Theefogger (D): "Oh, man! If I had a face like that, I'd powder my ass and walk backwards".

Joe Shidt the Ragman (I): "If I had face like George Bush, I'd hang it on a fence and throw shit at it".

I Demand A Recount

How the hell did I get this old? And who is that lady in the mirror? I am not looking in the mirror anymore as my image has been hijacked. But how will I know if that person in the mirror has drool on her chin? Such are the problems of adulthood. I think I may deem myself officially grown up today, at least in chronological terms. Tempus Fugit. Half a century just flies. The first 25 years went slowly for me. The next 25 years were a blur. I understand if I blink, I'll miss the next 25.

I was noticing at large family functions of late that I have been relegated to the "grown-ups table". It was through attrition that I achieved grown-up table priveleges. Memento Mori. Even when I was 45 and at a Christmas gathering, I'd ask where the grown-ups table was so that I could steer my parents there. I certainly didn't belong at that table. For a few years I was relegated to the mommy table but now our kids are sitting with their kids at the mommy table.

I'm still a crazy 20 something at heart after all these years. I am a little bit wiser, but not that much. I am still learning new stuff each and every day and re-learning old stuff that I forgot about. I was always a sieve brain. I watch documentaries now. oy.

Still a rebel though. Whew. Still an artist and still a performing singer- songwriter although I need to tape cheat sheets to my guitar or the mic stand so I don't forget what I was standing on the stage for. Takes me days to recuperate from a late night gig.

I wear tri-focals. I didn't even wear glasses 5 years ago. If the glasses fall off the bedside, I can't find them in the morning. I wear sneakers and clogs more than any other type of footwear. Comfort first. Fashion secondary.

Don't have to worry about getting preggers these days. I can finally have indiscriminate sex - oh wait- I don't want to anymore. I'm discriminate now. I have to know his name and where he lives. heh. And what is up with that mustache I grew in the last few years? Blondes don't have unwanted hair. It took me 6 months to realize what that sensation was when I licked outside my lips. It was HAIR!!!!! Called the dark Italians in the family for advice. They snickered. Added depilitatory products to the shopping list.

My new clothes dryer is arriving today. The old one went on fire the other night. Literally burst into flames. Burned my bell bottomed blue jeans to a crisp among other things. Luckily my son can still smell. I was oblivious to the smoke until I was choking and coughing and running outside.

I'm on my last pack of cigarettes today. It's funny that the case of cigarettes from New Hampshire ($20 cheaper per carton) from last year is empty as of today. That's it. Finito. I'm reclaiming my lungs and it's too damn cold to have to keep going outside for a cigarette. All that getting up and going out was getting on my nerves although I used to claim that it was good exercise.

I never met my birth parents. I signed up for every adoptee registry on the internet. Nothing. I didn't do a search while my parents were alive although they wondered why I didn't. I just thought it would be rude. A lot of my adopted friends got to meet and have relationships with their birth parents although many wish they didn't. I'm not so sure I want to know anything about my genetics at this stage of the game. I don't want to know what diseases run in the family. There's enough crap to worry about. I have one blood relative that I know. My son. That's cool.

My new motto: Eat right, exercise regularly, die anyway.

Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

The New SOTU QUIZ is Here!
Dana has her new contest up. It's fun! Go to her site and make your guesses about the contents of bush's state of the union speech this week. Hurry, the contest will close at eight o'clock Wednesday night. Dana is offering a pretty nifty choice of prizes for the winner. So go over and take the quiz. It might even make you be able to stomach what you'll hear from bush as he verbally pours the cool aid for fifty two percent of America.

The Iraqi Elections

It warmed my heart to see so many Iraqi's go to the polls and cast a vote despite how very difficult it must have been to defy the insurgents and possibly risk death. According to my readings this morning, it appears that many Iraqi's were under the impression that they were electing a new president and that once they voted, a democracy would happen and the Americans would go away. Not quite.

They didn't vote for a new president and the Americans aren't leaving. I admire their courage to go and vote despite all the threats and men with machine guns out in the streets. I hope that they didn't think that they would just go and vote and that Iraq would be rebuilt and they'd get their oil back. The U.S. is now saying that Iran is an imminent threat. I don't know what else to say.

Question Of The Day:

George Bush has brought democracy (or so he says) to Iraq at the cost of 100,000 lives. If we assume that he intends to spread American-style democracy throughout the 190 countries of the world, can we then assume that only about 20 million people will have to die?

21st Century Values

blatantly swiped from Doomocracy
By Billydoom

Before my arrival in the USA, I resided in Rome, Italy for a few months. I befriended in Rome an old gentleman who had a family restaurant. We used to sit in his restaurant and debate political and social issues.

I could sum up in his own words his opinion about America :

"Americani, grande bambini".

I don't think I need to translate that. It speaks loudly what America is all about from a European view.

The more I see, I am more convinced how true it is. The lack of social and political maturity of the American people is mind boggling. More distressing is the deterioration of moral values. And I am not talking about gay marriage, or indecency on the air waves.

I am talking about lies and deceit which have become the norm of surviving in this society.

You see lies as an acceptable way of dealing with social issues and common interaction in society, in sit-coms, TV Commercials, in reality shows, in the news coverage, political debates, government policies. If you turn on your TV and flip through channels they all scream at you: "It is OK to lie".

In my view, this syndrome is more dangerous than gay marriage, or occasional nudity shown on our television screens, or the lack of attending the sunday mass.

Everything is the result of a horse race mentality, competition pushed to the limits, beyond rationality. Winning is more important than principle, moral value, justice in society and in the name of winning anything goes:
If you look at reality shows, they are peppered with lies, deceit, conniving, elbowing, stopping short of murder. In TV commercials, lying is a cute way out of an impossible situation. In news coverage, giving forum to liars is a common practice. In political debates it's called either flip-flopping, or blatant denial of truth. Government reasons of invading another country are embarrassing, proven to contrary outright lies. Manipulation of wording and facts is confusing a whole nation.

It is all about winning!! Mothers of prospective child beauty pageant contestants are conspiring to murder the competition, fathers of child sports events fist-fight over winning, disgruntled employees spill blood of their colleagues with high powered killing weapons to revenge misdeeds done by their employers.

Fairness and value is a thing of the past. In political debates, they used to call each other as "my distinguished opponent". Conceding defeat used to be gentlemanly, for the good of the country

Now it is about the "horse race". No matter how ugly or how handicapped my horse is, anything goes to WIN.

Football mentality has penetrated our everyday life. We want our team to win, and if the referee penalizes our team for a flagrant fault committed by one of our team players, 80,000 boo's will fill the stadium disapproving that decision despite the facts replayed over and over on the Big Screen on the stadium. Does that mean that 80,000 people lost their sense of justice, fairness or value? I don't think so. They're just blinded by the desire to win. Our team has to win, no matter what.
This syndrome has penetrated even the presidential election. People have turned a deaf ear to the truth, and voted for the TEAM. You could draw that conclusion from the pundits, arguing against the truth with the most undisturbed facial expressions.

It is scary. It signals anarchy, and breakdown of reason for social coexistence.

That is very sad for the future of this country. The political and social immaturity of the members of this society is alarming to me. People act in a manner that reminds me of my days in kindergarten. Immature, spoiled, self-righteous, beyond reason spoiled brats.

Are we too spoiled? Have we lost our dignity ? Are we teaching our children, that winning is more important than principle ?

Are we denying "Liberty and justice for all" ?

If we do, we're DOOMED my friends.

If you came here looking for some good news

Keep reading down until you get to the article: "Cheap Thrills" by our own Pissed Off Patricia and join in the fun.

Today's cheap thrill on Long Island is that the cold snap is ending. We had temps in the single digits for the past 2 weeks. We are not used to this so it's all relative. Most of us middle classers have a decent winter coat and could attend an outdoor formal function without having to wear our ski parkas with dangling lift tickets.

For the next week, we can expect temps in the 30's. Normally that would be yukky, but we have something worse to compare that to, so bring on the damn 30's. I can finally go outside!

On the verge of democracy in Iraq

I never heard of democracy being easily won so none of this really surprises me, but then again, these people are having it shoved down their throats by an occupying force from a foreign land so the whole thing is rather surreal. You Vill Haff Zee Democrazy or Vee Vill Haff to Kill You. Many Iraqi's say they are used to being scared. This gives me no solace. I've taken up praying again. Millions of Muslims just returned from Mecca. I wonder what they were praying for. I hope we are all praying for the same thing. Peace.

Can George Bush's big guns cancel out all the prayers/collective willing? If so, then which force is really on his side?

Dahr Jamail sums the rise of democracy up in High Anxiety
"Let's play a game and see how many photos we can take before we get pulled over or shot at again."

In Armored Vehicles, U.S. Troops Tell Iraqis to Vote from Reuters:
"Heavily-armed troops jump out and begin searching homes as loudspeakers blast in Arabic: "On Sunday you should go out to vote. Vote to give freedom to Iraq. Vote to save Iraq."

"There are no campaign posters in this city of 200,000 people, and several election officials have resigned after receiving death threats."

Iraqis Get Ready for the Worst
"...Even after the balloting is over, medical professionals predict, the national lockdown could have a lasting health effect on Iraq: an election-related baby boom in about nine months.

With citizens banned from the roads, shut in by the curfew and with spotty electricity making it difficult to watch TV or read, Iraqis may search for other methods to occupy their time. "

SPACE PROGRAM

by Missouri Mule

Bush announced an initiative to spend twelve billion dollars to create permanent moonbase by 2020. That's the first smart thing that he has proposed. He knows by the time he get through, we will be so fucked on this planet that we're gong to be needing another home real soon. We're going to have to sneak off and move in the middle of the night. Between the pollution, lowered emission standards, drilling, and pissing off every other country on the planet, Bush knows it's time for us to start packing up. Or should I say them, not us.

NASA, the JPL, it's the welfare for nerds, It is like a billion dollar welfare program for really smart dorks. Where else are they going to work? They're too smart to do anything else. They can't fit in with us. They know a bunch of stuff that regular folks could give two shits about. They would annoy us to the point of hurting them. "Hey, did you know that the atmosphere on ......" Pow! "Shut it up, dummy on the moon."

What have we learned from our space travels? Seriously? What have we learned or discovered that affects our daily lives? Nothing. We're spending billions of dollars in outer space for what? Why don't we spend just half of that to find out who shot Tupac?

I don't give a damn about space travel. I don't even have a passport, so you know I don't give a fuck about the weather on Mars. Shit, I'm not leaving the country, get caught up in a coup. Whenever they do discover something, the vast majority of us have no idea what it means. "Scientists discovered today that stars can be consumed by a black hole." WHAT??? Sounds like a report about Lil'Kim to me. "NASA discovered that an area of Mars was once drenched in water." And? Even the mews anchor who reports the story don't know what the hell they're talking about. When it comes to that shit, they are just reading the TelePrompTer. Even Peter Jennings has that blank stare when it come to that space shit.

Approximately twenty percent of Americans currently own a passport, so why are we dicking around in space? Ain't no happy Mars movies. Star Trek went there and shit went bad. I do believe that there is life on other planets. I also believe that we are the dumbest creatures in the universe. The Fox network is proof positive. I bet they don't dare have shows like The Littlest Groom or The Swan on Neptune.

I bet our Opportunity Rover is on the Martian news. "Those simple earthlings are at it again." To them........our rover is probably like the mosquitoes and the West Nile virus to us. "We're going to have to spray again."

Bill Clinton

I was a big Clinton supporter, but I was disappointed by him. I didn't realize that man was an idiot. The president was on national TV apologizing for getting oral sex. Why didn't he just stick with his lie? You gotta stick with your lie. You have to believe that lie wholeheartedly. It has to come the truth for you. The most powerful man in the world is on TV apologizing for receiving oral sex. He's an idiot. There are men I know who will gladly accept oral sex on national TV.

Why are you apologizing? Oral sex is not a high crime. It's not grounds for impeachment. Oral sex is not a misdemeanor. It's not treason. He got oral sex from a White House intern, not from an Iraqi secret agent. It was pretty patriotic if you ask me. He kept it in house. I like that.

If the man would've stayed with his lie he could have saved us all a lot of embarrassment. It's embarrassing. All those countries are still laughing at us. You know other world leaders were just prank calling him all day. All day calling the White House, "Hello, Bill" Guess what I am doing right now? Come on, guess. Would you like to speak with her? Oh no, she can't talk right now. Hey, now who's country sucks?"

They pulled out that blue dress and scared him. That little dress with the DNA, and he lost it. He gave up the lie. But my thing is, who going to believe a woman who keeps a nasty dress? They oughta toss her right out of court.

"Excuse me, Your Honor, she kept the dress." "What? No way. Case dismissed.......and get your nasty ass out my courtroom! I should throw you in jail for being nasty, Miss Nasty Ass!"

"Bailiff, wipe all this off where she was sitting, too." They pulled that dress out and he lost it. A little DNA. Bill's not smart. They had DNA, blood, a glove, two dead bodies, a limo driver, a barking dog, and O.J. still said, "I'm one hundred percent not guilty."
Stick with the lie.

Who am I?

ARE WE CRAZY?

By Missouri Mule

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we get rid of one president for lying about a government-sanctioned hotel break-in? And didn't we oust another because lied about the oral endearments of a young intern? Last time I check, lying to us to justify a war trumps breaking into a hotel room and a blow job. Note the key word: lie.

They only thing Bush 11 has done is get caught in lie after lie after lie. Lies about the deficit, tax cuts, Social Security, the Iraq war. But we let him just keep on keeping on. What's wrong with us?

Would we put up with that kind of treatment from anybody else in any other situations? Hell no! Are we nuts? Why aren't we having a fit? Bush said that Saddam was an "imminent threat to our security." He said Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. He lied. We didn't find shit. Then he tried to twist it by telling us they found some equipment that could possibly be used to make WMD's. What kind of bullshit is that? I took a physics class when I was in high school, that don't mean that I'm at home whipping up bombs.

Why aren't we in the streets screaming for him to be impeached? Are we under some fear spell? He lied. I've seen people more upset when Whitney is a no-show. Let Streisand cancel a performance. It's chaos. "Babs said she'd be here tonight." She lied. "That cockeyed bitch lied!"

See, to me, America is like my car. I love my car. And my car is supposed to take me wherever I want to go as long as I keep the "governing" fluids changed and get regular tune-ups. That's what elections are; a nationwide tune-up----every four years. SO that makes the president sort of like........our mechanic.

And all we want from him is to just keep our shit running good. That's all. If he can do that without costing me an arm and a leg, cool. But, what if my mechanic was not with my car. A real-live Mr. Badwrench. Actually, more like a Mr. Fucked-up Wrench. Never fixed the car, just kept washing it. That's all, just washing it over and over and over again. My car's falling apart, but "it looks clean."

Wouldn't I get a new mechanic? Or at least give another mechanic a shot? Wouldn't I report him to wherever bad mechanics get reported. Damn right. Look, in November, since we couldn't just up and buy a new car, can we at least get someone to get this bitch up and running?

Quote for the Week:

Symbolically, it's interesting that regions of the US are rejecting Darwin and evolution. I can see why. We have a substantial minority in the US that hasn't advanced much beyond the baboon. -- Gore Vidal

Mr. Vidal has more to say.

DON"T GIVE ME DEATH

I wish I could be for the death penalty. I wish we had equality in this country so I could feel good about putting people in the chair. The problem is that the majority of people who get the chair are minorities, poor, and they committed a crime in Texas. Texas don't give a fuck. They execute somebody damn near every week. That chair stays hot. That chair is the hottest seat in town. It's like a U2 ticket. When the Super Bowl was in Houston, I was surprised they didn't fry somebody during the half-time show.

I'm against capital punishment because there is too many factors when it comes to who gets the death penalty. Race, wealth, lawyers withholding evidence, cops lying, witnesses being paid, and of course Johnnie Cochran.

After that O.J. trial I started a Johnnie Fund. I'm saving up, just in case I kill somebody. Whenever somebody gets on my nerves, I go check my Johnnie Fund; "Not yet........you lucky my show got canceled. You'd be dead right now."

Too many factors involved. It's not only who does the killing, but who didn't you kill is a big part of getting the chair. Black man kills a black man, he gets the chair. Black man kills black woman, he may get life because judges are sympathetic. They know how a black woman can drive you to murder with all our"attitude and sassiness." Thanks to quality shows like Ricky Lake and Jerry Springer, people probably believe black women talk shit while they are being murdered. "Oh, I know you didn't stab me in my chest. You gon' pay me for this blouse, you stabbing muthafucka. And that's why you got a little dick. Go ahead, shoot me! You can't fuck no way." Black man kills a white woman, he gets the chair. Black man kills a white man, he gets the chair and then the gas chamber.

There is no equality. White man kills a white man,it all depends. White man kills a white woman, it all depends. White man kills a black man, he'll get a speeding ticket.

There should be a big crime board, like a menu. Everything is prix fixe. You killed somebody, you get life. Robbery, every ten grand you stole, gets you a year. It goes way up for armed robbery. Everybody gets the same punishment across the board. "Oh, you assaulted her, too? You get the combo time."

And it's been proven that the death penalty is not a deterrent. If you're a murderer, you're not thinking about how much time you're gonna get.
Those people waiting for their execution date aren't feeling any remorse. They're not thinking about all those people they killed and molested, they 're just regretting that time in their life when they thought it was a good idea to move to Florida. They're thinking of all those crimes they didn't commit. People they should've killed along the way.

Murderer 1: Man,.....I knew I should have killed that motherfucker at McDonald's who always put cheese on my Big Mac.......now I'm gonna die a fat man.

Murderer 2: I should've stole that algebra test in tenth grade .....Now I'm gonna die without a high school education............damn, .......what type of job am I supposed to get without a high school education?

Murderer 3: Why did I stop smoking?

Jim Crow returns to the voting booth

WHAT WERE THOSE PEOPLE THINKING? I'm talking about the REST of the Dems. I mean, DAMN!
----------------
Jim Crow returns to the voting booth
Does America have apartheid vote-counting system?
Jesse Jackon and Greg Palast Seattle Post-Intelligencer 01.26.05

Excerpt:
"This election saw an explosion in a new category of uncounted ballots: rejected provisional ballots. In Ohio alone, more than 35,000 of these votes were never tallied. Once again, the provisional ballots were cast overwhelmingly in African American precincts.

Why so many? In November, for the first time since the era of the Night Riders, one major political party launched a program of mass challenges of voters on Election Day. Paid Republican operatives, working from lists prepared by the party, fingered tens of thousands of voters in Ohio, Florida and elsewhere, questioning their right to a ballot.

One of these secret "caging lists" was obtained by BBC Television from inside Republican campaign headquarters in Florida. Every one of the voters on those sheets resided in African American neighborhoods, excepting a few in precincts of elderly Jewish voters.

These lists helped Republican poll workers challenge voters on the basis of an alleged change of address. An analysis of one roster showed that several of those facing challenge were African American soldiers whose address changed because they were shipped overseas.

Challenged voters were shunted to "provisional ballots," which, in Ohio and elsewhere, were not counted on the flimsiest of technicalities.

Who won the presidential race? Given the millions of ballots spoiled and provisional ballots rejected, the unfolding mystery of the exit polls and widespread use of electronic voting machines, we will never know whether John Kerry or George W. Bush received the most votes in Ohio and other swing states.

But we can name the election's big winner: Jim Crow.
Read the whole thing

---------
‘Why were there stickers on ballots in Clermont County, Ohio?’
Sorry, folks, if this is a repeat--spread the word as widely as you can!
This story hasn't died down, despite the fact that mainstream media refuses to report it.
More evidence is found of election fraud in Ohio.

SMOKE UP

When President Reagan was in office, he said that marijuana was the most dangerous drug and threat to America. It causes memory loss...........naw, too easy. Why was it the most dangerous threat? Because America wasn't making any money off it. Once you've had some Colombian, domestic just doesn't cut it anymore.

Like my man Jimmy Carter, I'm for decriminalizing marijuana. As long as tobacco is legal, marijuana should be legal, too. I'd rather be in a room full of week smoke than cigarette smoke. With weed smoke I'm looking for a bag of chips, not for a lump in my breast.

At least weed has medicinal uses. It clears up glaucoma, helps AIDS and cancer patients get an appetite, and it gives relief to chronic pain sufferers. No doctor has ever told a patient, "Smoke a half a pack of Newport's, that should clear it up."

Pain, who's to say who can cope with pain? We all have different thresholds. If I get a headache, why can't I smoke a joint? Advil upsets my stomach. I'm a chronic sinus sufferer. I get a sinus infection as often as Bobby Brown goes to jail. Why can't I tell my ENT, "Doc, that antibiotic you gave me is not doing the job. I think I need a dime bag of hydro. The poor air quality doesn't bother me when I'm high.

I get so angry when on the news they show DEA agents out in the field with flame shooters, destroying a perfectly good crop of marijuana. I'm like, "What the hell? They are setting it on fire. We were going to get rid of all of it, but basically we're on the same team man. What's the difference? Just because you have on a jacket with some letters on the back of it makes it okay for you to light it up? What if I wore my old high school letterman jacket while I smoke? Is that okay?"

It's ridiculous watching them destroy something that naturally grows out of the ground. Why? Just because our government say it's illegal. The govern-ment says it's illegal. The government says they're looking out for our safety. They are trying to protect the public. Well, I hate lilies. The big ones, they stink and make me sneeze. I want to see some DEA agents out there setting a greenhouse of lilies on fire. If anybody's caught buying or selling them, throw their lily-loving ass in jail. These people are useless. All they want to do is sit around and smell their lilies all day. Lock'em up.

I'm sick of the government lying to us about how they are trying to protect the public. That's bullshit. The government is trying to protect their pockets. The government doesn't give a damn about our health. They say they don't know enough about marijuana and the mental effects. So? They know everything about alcohol. People die every day from alcohol. Alcohol and the effects of alcohol will kill you. And not only is it legal, you go out to a club and there's a two-drink minimum. How can our government, which claims it wants to protect us, allow establishments to make us drink? What a bunch of hypocrisy. If you need a liver transplant, don't come see me at the comedy club, because they're gonna make you drink.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that alcohol should be illegal. Lord knows, I wouldn't want to live in a world where ya can't get a good margarita. I'm just saying that we should be able to enjoy a fat joint along with it. Stop "protecting" us, and dictating what drug we use to destroy ourselves. However, there should be zero tolerance for those freakin' lily-heads.

Actually, I don't smoke weed.........that often., because I have things to do. Like most weed smokers, I don't get much done when I'm high. I giggle and point, that's about the most that I can handle. I have to schedule my weed. "Let's see. Tuesday is wide open. I don't have any meetings. Let's pencil this in, Weed Day. Tuesday is now Weedsday.

Alcohol and the occasional weed is it for me. I haven't tried and don't plan on trying any other drugs. I'm too scared......or for the kids, I'll say too smart. I can be a loud asshole when I'm drunk, so I know me coked up? Somebody 's gonna shoot me. Plus, I don't like the whole drug culture. I see somebody snortin' coke, I leave the room. It amazes me how they keep talking like they didn't do anything. That's scary. I need a noise or something. When you do a shot, you groan or do a "whoo-hoo, yeah!" When you take a hit off a joint you cough or say, "Yeah, that's good shit." But I've seen people snort coke and never miss a beat of conversation. I'm like, "Damn, acknowledge that you just had a rolled-up ten-dollar bill up your nose or something." Cocaine is all denial. Shit, even when you take a vitamin you say something like, "I feel a cold coming, trying to kick it with some vitamin C."

When you get past weed, that whole drug culture is a shady. It becomes very dark. Your life is in danger. At least if you drink too much and get alcohol poisoning, somebody is gonna try to help you. They might kill you in a car crash the way to the hospital, but hey tried to help you. If you have a bad weed experience, somebody is gonna try to help you. You might die while they are trying to call 911. "Man, we gotta call nine-one-one. What's the number?" But somebody is gonna try to help you. You OD around some real drug addict, that your ass. Drug people get the fuck out and take your wallet with them. Nobody is trying to go to jail for your dead ass. You might as well get in the position of how you want you chalk outline portrait to be.

Man, as soon as I finish writing this, I'm getting fucked up!

Who am I?

What? No kissy kissy?

Uber-couple at Rice's inauguration. Just sending a knowing look at each other.

Stop Them, Again

by pissed off patricia

Here's an invitation I hope you can't turn down.
Just go to this site and sign the petition and send the following letter to bush. I signed it and added my own comments.

Dear President Bush:

I urge you to use your State of the Union address as an opportunity to tell your Republican friends in Congress to stop trying to write discrimination in the U.S. Constitution.

The amendment you and your fellow Republicans are again advocating for will forever invalidate civil unions and other legal protections for gay and lesbian families, like the right to partner health benefits, hospital visits, parental rights and death benefits- even if state legislatures or voters approve measures to protect them.

During the State of The Union, tell your colleagues to withdraw their support for this measure. This measure threatens the freedom of all Americans because it denies civil rights to a whole group of individuals.

The Human Race is Doomed; First, Mad Chimp; Then, Mad Cow; Now This:

World first mad goat believed diagnosed
PARIS -- With memories of a mad cow panic still fresh in Europe, officials in Brussels and Paris announced Friday the apparent discovery of the world's first "mad goat" from the Ardeche region in France.

That's the headline and lead sentence. Here's the rest.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Gosh everyone is talking about this photo of the Dickster when leaders from 30 countries gathered to remember the victims of the Holocaust on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazis' Auschwitz death camp. Apparently Dick doesn't have appropriate sub freezing formal wear.

I particularly like the way the white fur on his parka stands out against the somber black of the other dignitaries. Anyway, my only suggestion to the man would be to remove the big white tag from his parka when he is representing America. I am surprised Lynn didn't see to that. I bet they had a big fight before the ceremony. She said, "Dick, you're NOT wearing that!" He said, "Go fuck yourself." She said, "Fine. Be the laughing stock of the liberal media."

The Washington Post fashion editor said he wore "the kind of attire one typically wears to operate a snow blower." The gals on Air America this morning said he looks like a groundskeeper. They were making fun of his hat, as it was embroidered with the words "Staff 2001". He probably borrowed it.

Anyway, I'm more amused at the bruhaha than at anything else.

That's my dick!

Bitchin': And then there were three!

by pissed off patricia

And then there were three! When will the next one pop up?

"Michael McManus, whose syndicated column, "Ethics & Religion," appears in 50 newspapers, was hired as a subcontractor by the Department of Health and Human Services to promote an administration marriage initiative, according to an article posted yesterday by Salon.com, the online magazine.

Senior writer Eric Boehlert wrote that Salon had confirmed that McManus “championed the plan in his columns without disclosing to readers he was being paid to help it succeed.”
There's more of the article here

Wanna Do Something?

James Dobson, the person who said that all this tolerance training for kids is evil now says that he didn't say that Sponge Bob was gay but that the people behind the video were subverting the children of America by trying to make them, eeeek, tolerant. Now he wants you to write to a bunch of journalists who reported on his bigotry and yell at them.

I just wrote to the journalists (It's easy, he has a link all set up) and asked them to please stay on top of Dobson and commended them for reporting what an intolerant jerk he is. They got his point all right.

Go here and take action

Cheap Thrills

This was originally posted on January 27 (yesterday). Since it was such a popular thread, I, Blondesense have moved it to the top today's headlines as well. -Mgmt

----------------------------
by pissed off patricia

Just for the hell of it let's talk about something light and easy. Let's talk about cheap thrills. You know, those little things that happen in life that make you smile. Sometimes it's a sheepish little smile and sometimes that smile crawls all over your face and creeps right into your heart.

Cheap thrills like finding something you thought was lost forever. Cheap thrills like discovering a bloom on a rose bush you believed to be on the edge of death. There are tons of cheap thrills. I'll tell you some of mine if you'll tell me some of yours. Deal?

Okay, for me a cheap thrill is discovering a bird at my bird feeder that I've never seen before. I get all excited and grab the Peterson's, "Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America", to get an identification on this new visitor. (I can nerd out and dork out with the best of them) I have kept a diary of every type of bird that I've spotted at the feeder for a whole bunch of years, so a new bird is definitely a big and wonderful cheap thrill for me.

Another cheap thrill for me is seeing a rainbow. I love it when a rainbow arches over my house. It always makes me feel that something very special is about to happen.

Not all cheap thrills are nature related, some are simple like putting money into a candy machine and getting two bars instead of one. What should you do then? You can't shove the candy back up into the machine, so you can share it with someone, or better yet, pig out on it all by yourself.

So your cheap thrills are what?

The Beatitudes from The Gospel According to Dubya:

"Blessed are the children whom the sea swallows, for they shall tug at our heartstrings. / Cursed are the children whom our bombs blow up, for they shall roam the dark alleys of our indifference."

Read the entire article here

More Reading...

Our commenters leave links to articles pretty often.
Here is one to read and then wonder how the hell this moron and his minions haven't been impeached. What I Heard about Iraq

This story is disturbing: Sex used to break Muslim prisoners, book says. It's so not nice to know that women working for the goverment are pigs too. And more interesting is that this administration which advocates abstinence only when it comes to sex has no scruples when it comes to Guantanamo prisoners and the female contractors hired to 'break' them. jeez.

A Vote for National Security in WaPo says: 76 percent of Democrats but just 32 percent of Republicans agree that "good diplomacy is the best way to ensure peace." Bush voters were far more likely to believe that "military force is the best way to defeat terrorism."

Social Security, Poverty and Women

Today OWL released a statement urging Representative Bill Thomas to rethink his comment made earlier in the week suggesting that Social Security benefits should differ for women and men because women live longer.

We need to send Rep. Thomas, who happens to be Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee (the committee any Social Security legislation must pass through to get to the House floor), the message that adjusting women's Social Security benefits based on gender will
cause the number of older women in poverty to increase dramatically.

Please pass this message on to your friends and family. We need to let Rep. Thomas know that older women need a lifelong, inflation adjusted, progressive Social Security benefit- not penalties because we live longer!

To contact Representative Bill Thomas:
Give him a call and tell him what you think-202-225-2915
OR send him a fax-202-225-8798
OR send him an email

The Gig Is Up

The Invented Ruler Announces Journalist Hiring Freeze

With this administration under fire for questionable publicity practices, The Ruler explicitly forbade his cabinet on Wednesday to pay commentators to promote his policies. "We will not be paying commentators to advance our agenda."

Then the Ruler said, "Our agenda ought to be able to stand on it's own two feet."

Does this mean Armstrong Williams and Maggie Gallagher will be grandfathered in?

Worth Reading

The daily email from the Smirking Chimp turned me on to this piece.
It's worth every second it takes to read it.

Margaret Carlson:
'Boxer's spine gets her cut off at the knees'

Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

President's News (not really) Conference Yesterday

Bush was on TV yesterday morning. If you made it through the gag reflex you heard his bullshit. The press got a little more engaged than usual so he evaded and lied a little more than usual.

When he was asked about the chopper crash in Iraq he said, "Anytime we lose life it's a sad moment."

Snuggle up little baby and stop your cryin'. Daddy/Mommy won't be coming home. He/She was killed yesterday morning in Iraq. Does it make you feel better sweetheart to know that Daddy's/Mommy's death caused the president to have a "sad moment"? You'll hurt all your life and the president was sad for a "moment". Snuggle up little baby and stop your cryin'.

Bush repeated his mantra that a free country is a peaceful country. Isn't the US a free country? Didn't the US invade another country and doesn't it fight a war until this day? Is that what peaceful is all about? Nice example!

Bush is apparently going to fly around the country at our expense as he tries to sell his Social Security reform package. More accurately he will be doing little pricey infomercials for his own agenda. He says he doesn't want to pass the Social Security financial problem on to future generations. Funny, he doesn't seem to mind passing on the national debt to future generations.

Bush also said he sends his condolences and prayers to those who have lost loved ones in this freakin' war. He failed to mention he will also send out a check to them for a lousy $12,000. Does he also include a thank you note with that check? Does he mention that the half of that $12,000.00 is taxable? It is.

Bush encouraged the Senate to confirm Rice and Gonzales. Crooks love one another's company. He got a little hot under the collar when he spoke about the questions regarding Rice's integrity. He doth protest too much. This was one of the many times you truly wanted to slap the hell out of him and perhaps knock the denial out of him too.

Bush waxed fondly when he spoke of the upcoming Iraqi elections. It was the same old, same old. It may be an election for the Iraqis, but I think it's an erection for bush. I think he may actually think that he will go down in history as the Second Savior. I'm doubting that.

Bush's show lasted about 40 some minutes. Is that more or less than 30 some sad "moments"?

You Know Those War Re-enactment Groups...

I can't get into this historical re-enactment thang, but to each his own I suppose. I thought that they re-enacted old fashioned wars, but I was wrong. Did you know that they re-enact the attack on Pearl Harbor? Can you imagine? What an ordeal this must be. Do people sign up to run for cover?

What will they re-enact next?

Rice Was Confirmed Afterall

And get this - by a vote of 85-13. What a bunch of weenies we have in the Senate. Oh they'll say it's just politics. Yeah yeah.

According to this Reuters news story, Rice's confirmation reflected more opposition than any secretary of state in recent history. I suppose that is some sort of comfort. Not. Colin Powell was confirmed unanimously when it was his turn.

Bush, after the vote, said Rice will be "a great secretary of state ... I'm honored to be working with her. And I look forward to spreading freedom and peace." kissy kissy smoochy smoochy touchy feelie tongue tongue lips spread that peace baby oh yeah i like that


You can see who voted yes or no right here. I'm disgusted with my NY Senators at the moment. Spineless. They obviously ignored my letters. Let them smooch with Bush too.

Walking Wounded

From a good article in American Conservative:

The war in Iraq is fought by volunteers, which means people that no one in power cares about. No one in the mysteriously named “elite” gives a damn about some kid from a town in Tennessee that has one gas station and a beer hall with a stuffed buck’s head. Such a kid is a redneck at best, pretty much from another planet, and certainly not someone you would let your daughter date. If conscription came back, and college students with rich parents learned to live in fear of The Envelope, riots would blossom as before. Now Yale can rest easy. Thank God for throwaway people.

The nearly perfect separation between the military and the rest of the country, or at least the influential in the country, is wonderful for the war effort. It prevents concern. How many people with a college degree even know a soldier? Yes, some, and I will get e-mail from them, but they are a minority. How many Americans have been on a military base? Or, to be truly absurd, how many men in combat arms went to, say, Harvard? Ah, but they have other priorities.

n 15 years in Washington, I knew many, many reporters and intellectuals and educated people. Almost none had worn boots. So it is. Those who count do not have to go, and do not know anyone who has gone, and don’t interest themselves. There is a price for this, though not one Washington cares about. Across America, in places where you might not expect it—in Legion halls and VFW posts, among those who carry membership cards from the Disabled American Veterans—there are men who hate. They don’t hate America. They hate those who sent them. Talk to the wounded from Iraq in five years.

Ah and could this be why war bloggers don't even mention the deaths in Iraq?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY --- January 27th

1880
Thomas Edison was granted a patent for his incandescent light.

1945
The Russians liberated the Auschwitz Concentration camp, where Nazis had killed over 1.5 million people, including over 1 million Jews.

1951
The U.S. Air Force started atomic testing in the Nevada desert.

1967
The Apollo 1 fire killed astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee during a simulated launch at Cape Canaveral.

1973
Vietnam War peace accords were signed in Paris.

Democracy Shemocracy

Here's something they wouldn't dare report on Fox News (from Information Clearinghouse)

Excerpt from Vote or no vote, we will kill you

Of 1 million eligible expatriate voters, only 10% will actually vote. There are no Sunni Arab candidates (in part because the US military killed - or jailed - many Sunni party and tribal leaders). For any Iraqi in Jordan, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Turkey, it will be impossible to cross the border and vote: borders will be closed for three days. Inside Iraq there will be curfews - and even traffic will be blocked. Half of all candidates have already withdrawn. And there will be no international monitors. As the names of the roughly 7,700 candidates on 80 party coalition lists are still unknown on the eve of polling day, no wonder the word on Baghdad's streets is that "the Americans gave us the first secret elections in history".

and

The election result is a foregone conclusion: a parliament dominated by Shi'ites, with a few Kurds and no Sunni Arabs. "If you vote we will kill you," says the Sunni resistance to the Iraqi population. "If you don't vote, we will kill you later," says the Pentagon to the Sunni resistance. Under these circumstances the elections cannot possibly be credible, and cannot possibly result in a legitimate government. Only one thing is certain: the guerrilla war afterward will be even bloodier - with ominous civil-war overtones.

And we complained about our elections. sheesh.

"We have declared a fierce war on this evil principle of democracy." -Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Gee whiz.

Save The Forests

Below is an email I received today from Natural Resources Defense Council. Please read it and if you are so moved, follow the link and take action. I did. This is our future we're talking about.
You can also sign up for their emails if you care to.
Thank you so much!
pissed off patricia

Dear NRDC BioGems Defender,

I need your help to persuade California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be a savior, not a terminator, of California's and America's last wild forests.

The governor campaigned on protecting forests but has acquiesced as the Bush administration prepares to strip 58 million acres (4.4 million in California alone) of pristine, unroaded forests of their protection against roadbuilding, logging and drilling.

Governor Schwarzenegger says he wants to capture "the center" of American politics by being a champion of the environment. And he has indeed shown leadership on popular state laws that will combat global warming and protect marine life.

But apparently he hasn't registered how much Americans care for their national forests.

The governor's inaction has made it easier for President Bush to advance his appalling plan for terminating our last wild forests and throwing them open to greed-driven timber and energy corporations.

It's time that Governor Schwarzenegger heard from hundreds of thousands of people in all 50 states who want to save our last wild forests. Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/takeaction.asp right now and send a message telling the governor to speak for the bipartisan majority by publicly opposing President Bush's plan.

If influential officials like the governor let him, the president will eliminate the hugely popular Roadless Area Conservation Rule that protects unspoiled national forest lands from coast to coast.

From California's Sierra Nevada to the Appalachian Trail, from Alaska's Tongass to the Rocky Mountains, this historic measure protects some of America's greatest sanctuaries for wildlife and people so that their timeless beauty will remain untouched forever.

The Bush administration is trying to open the floodgates to massive timber and energy sales that would send an armada of bulldozers, chainsaws and gas rigs into these last untrammeled forests.

Please go here right now and tell Governor Schwarzenegger to stand up for California's and all of America's national forests.

Sincerely,

John H. Adams
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

Wait A Cotton Pickin' Minute

sounds funny coming from a New Yorker, eh?

Get this: Indonesian Tsunami Probably Tripped by Exxon-Mobil Works

Fucking Exxon.

"Scientists have known for some time that earthquakes in the order of 4.0 on the Richtor scale have been caused by oil drilling and other earth intrusive practices."

YOU

Shamelessly Stolen by Missouri Mule


YOU.

You gaze idly at the carnage around you, sigh, and go calmly back to your coffee and your People magazine. You can't stop buying useless crap, though you're drowning in a deepening pool of debt.

. You think you're an activist because you bitch all day on the internet, but you reelect the same gangsters at a 99% rate.

You consider yourself informed because you waste a significant portion of your life watching the same three news stories cycle over and over again on your gargantuan, aerodynamic television sets while you eat processed food.

You really thought everything would be okay if Kerry won. Not only do you believe in an invisible man that farted out the universe, you also excoriate and marginalize those who disagree.

You have a poorer understanding of your country's foreign policy history than a third world peasant, but you can't wait to see what Julia Roberts will be wearing at the Oscars. You cheer as Ukrainians challenge an election based on exit polls data, but keep waiting around for someone else to fix you problems. You can't think, you can't organize and you won't act. This is all your fault.

Blinded by Allegiance

Submitted by Liberal and Proud (a frequent reader)

Read Bush's Second Inaugural: A Party Without Virtue

We see no caskets. We've seen the mother of a dead soldier shouted down at a Republican rally by "supporters" behaving with the same closed minded psychosis displayed throughout history by other people blinded by allegiance to a single man. We hear no apologies from this Administration for what it has wrought. We see no REAL compassion or even empathy by the leaders who wrought this disaster toward the families...the MOTHERS...the WIVES...the CHILDREN who have lost love ones for reasons unclear and unexplained...and frankly unacceptable. -Liberal and Proud

Am I An Old Fart?

I was reading this article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch this morning about underwear and laws and stuff. Why, I have no idea. I really don't care how low kids wear their pants. That shouldn't be legislated at all but they want to in Virginia. I find it amusing that kids show off their boxers, thongs and ass cracks. We thought we did everything imaginable to piss off our elders back in the 60's and 70's. There is not much left for the younger generations to do to piss off and shock our generation. Show your undies for all I care. I've seen it all. I don't care.

Then it goes on to say that they want to ban how low a driver sits in a car and how far back the seat is tilted because it poses safety concerns. That appears to be a "hip" way of driving. I would definitely encourage cops to pull over drivers who obviously cannot see out of the window when they are driving. I guess they never made a law against driving while reclining because no one ever thought people would be so fucking dumb.

Then the article went on to talk about banning loud music eminating from vehicles and the placement of DVD players in cars. It's annoying to be next to one of these jerks at a traffic light. I suppose I should insist that I am entitled to enjoy the freedom to listen to what I want to hear in my car without it offending others sensibilities and not to have my listening pleasure infringed upon by those with larger than life stereo systems in their cars. But I am not going to make an issue of it because the annoyance is fleeting at worst and I drive a convertible and everyone gets to hear Air America in the summer when I drive although I don't blast the bass on Randi Rhodes.

They want to ban DVD players too. DVD players in cars? What will they think of next? Where were they when my son was small and we had to drive to Maine all the time? I don't think I like the idea of drivers watching videos when they are on the same road as I am. Put the damn things in the back seat.

You know with all this talk about "freedom" by our leader, people still don't get the concept. Freedom isn't license. It doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want without regard for others. Freedom doesn't mean you can infringe on other people's freedom which includes assuming that you can drive down the street sort of assured that the other drivers are upright for chrissake. Freedom doesn't mean that you are free to rupture other's eardrums against their will or watch videos when you are supposed to be driving a goddam Humvee which could decapitate me in my convertible when you aren't paying attention. Road safety is responsibility and it does not ask for personal interpretations of freedom. dammit. I'm getting old.

Contact the Christian Coalition

You can write to them here. I told them that I cannot contact my elected officials to to anything but vote against Gonzalez because he condoned torture which is not a Christian value at all. Just because he is a "successful" Hispanic person doesn't make him virtuous . Being a "successful" anything doesn't make anyone virtuous. I also suggested that they reconsider their position as it casts a disparaging light on Christians as the true followers of Christ.

America's Love Affair With Ho-Hum

Over the Christmas Holidays, there was a most annoying commercial on television. It was for this Jessica Simpson person singing holiday songs. I later found out after asking around that she is a bimbo from a reality show. (I didn't know what the hell her reason for being on tv was) It was most obvious that she was no singer. It was pure awful but she had all kinds of money backing her because that commercial was on a lot. You could tell that they must have punched in each line of those songs one by one and had to use the pitch knob to get the notes right. I also found out that her sister Ashlee is that other character who was booed off the SNL stage last year because her lip synch fucked up. Apparently she cannot sing either unless digitally controlled by an engineer. I saw that episode but I had no idea who she was either and was not impressed.

I could go into one of my Clearchannel rants here but I usually save those for my music yahoo groups for independent artists/musicians. But suffice it to say, Clearchannel is the reason for the crap that passes for talent these days. Corporations like that clearly benefited by the deregulation of the media. It also deregulated the talent.

When I was reading one of my local yahoo groups this morning for independent musicians, I came across this reminder that even talented people are so fucked in this country. A friend of mine (and she is tremendously talented and beautiful and her band puts on a show that would blow your socks off) wrote this:

I'm dredging it up again! At the airport, I noticed Ashlee Simpson on the cover of several huge women's magazines. I just got back from Italy. My mother in law passed away. It's very sad and my husband is devastated. But I'm not posting seeking condolences - thanks to those who have sent emails. I'm posting because in terms of music, this experience was life changing for me. I've decided Ashlee Simpson DOES "deserve" her "success." I think the whole SNL debaucle was planned. It was genius marketing thought up by brilliant people who understand the trends of the psyche, specifically, that mediocrity and the successful loser are concepts that people embrace in this day and age. In Italy, every other woman of every age looked like Ashlee Simpson... same hairstyle, same clothing, same look. I heard her songs being played inside stores as I walked past. She's huge.

I look at my own life of music. I see the opportunities I blew because I had "scruples". Maybe I just had fear of being perceived as a dickhead. It takes guts to not give a damn! I've been at it for so long. I'm a good songwriter, a good performer, a passable singer and flute player. But I'm not good at dealing with "the system". I'm not good at managing people and getting them to do what I want and need them to do. I'm not good at convincing others that my sh*t doesn't stink. Anyone who is good at these things definitely deserves any success they achieve as a result. Even if their only claim to fame is a good looks and youth. We're all going to get old. We're all going to lose our good looks. We're all going to end up a body in a box (or ashes in a box, depending on your beliefs). So what?

Unless one is pursuing a truly noble cause, something that directly contributes to the greater good, then what difference does it make if one finds success in a career working for someone who exploits other people or through exploiting their own good looks and mediocrity... or whatever?

So I'm not going to complain any more about dippy pop stars or talentless superstars or any other supposed injustices in the music business. There's no point. Especially when there are real injustices in the world that are life or death. And especially because there are people who see the value in getting the public addicted to worshipping celebrities, and there's nothing I can do about it.

On a good note, someone replied to her with this message of love. One of our local music reporters wrote that there is a petition to remove Ashlee Simpson from Geffen Records. heh. Here is part of the article:

Ever since the detuned diva shrieked her way through the Orange Bowl halftime show Jan. 4, an army of detractors has been assembling on the Internet. Leading the charge is an online petition at www.stopashlee.com . More than 65,000 people have added their digital "signature" to a document that requests, simply, that Simpson "stop recording, touring, modeling and performing. We do not wish to see her again.

Ok so maybe not all people are taking this crap that passes for entertainment lying down. This petition is directed to Geffen Records, not Ashlee Simpson. It took an 18 year old New Yorker to get the ball rolling who won't stand for fascist media corporations dictating what we should or should not listen to.

It's Too Late Baby

by pissed off patricia

This morning the news reports that more than thirty marines have been killed in a transport helicopter crash in Iraq. They don't tell us how many more than thirty. They say there was no enemy fire involved. Wonder if that story will change? More than thirty families will always remember January 26, 2005, as the day a member of their family died in Iraq. They may be asking why, I do.

Was it worth it? Was it worth the lies to get us there? Was it worth changing that country to what it is now for these thirty plus families to cry the way they will today? Was it worth the loss of these lives and so many others? My answer is resolutely, HELL NO!

If you want to argue this with me, don't bother. It's way too late for arguments. It's way too late for excuses. It's way too late for all of this and it's way, way too late for more than thirty dead marines and their mourning families. Let's bring the rest home before it's too late for them too

Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

While the right wing Christians are putting the squeeze on little Sponge Bob Square Pants for allegedly promoting the inclusion of homosexuals into our circle of friends (the nerve of that little cartoon Porifera). Ms. Condi Rice will be promoted for being complicit in a scandal to take America into a war based on contrived information. Okay, yeah that makes no sense but WTF, we don't need no stinkin' logic.

We now want to offer a $15,000 bonus to get an additional 15,000 soldiers to sign up for the Guard. As of now, we offer them $50.00 according to some reports and $5,000 according to others. We aren't getting a lot of takers so we want to up the ante. We are sort of auctioning off chances to go to Iraq and get the hell shot out of our Guard. Do I hear $30,000? Going once, going twice, sold to the soldier who needs money more than his family needs him. Patriotism has its price in more ways than one. Since we are short of Guard members, please tell all your friends who support this war to please sign up, volunteer, turn down the enlistment enticement, and support our troops by giving them a breather and a hand. I'm sure bush would tell you that war is "hard work", so get those red-staters on the ball and let's win this war right now. Tell them to take that tacky assed magnet off their SUV's and get their red state asses over there to help out where ever they're needed.

Sunday there will be an election of sorts in Iraq. Most of the Iraqis don't know who is running or where they will vote, but WTF, it will be a legit election. Some who are running are so fearful that they can't allow their names to appear on the ballot so they will be represented by a symbol or something. I don't think this election would pass the smell test in our country. Oh wait, Iraq sort of is our country isn't it? We invaded and we are occupying Iraq, we are paying for the war, we will pay for the reconstruction, and I'm guessing we are paying the salaries of the Iraqi army, such as it is. Damn, why can't we vote in the election too?

Come to think of it, we voted for a symbol too didn't we? Fifty two percent of Americans voted in November for a symbol of war and division in this country. They voted for someone who is scared shitless to appear in public without an arsenal surrounding him. They voted for a man who is despised in way too many countries around the world. They voted for a man who sees torture as an option. Holy shit, they elected someone who wouldn't even qualify to run in the Iraqi elections. Nice symbolic gesture on their part, don't ya think?

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"They made us many promises, more than I can remember, but they never kept but one; they promised to take our land, and they took it." --Red Cloud, Oglala Sioux

Foxed Gets Out-foxed

Submitted by Lalock

(That's Judy Bachrach from Vanity Fair Magazine blasting the Fox anchor lady.)
Watch it here. It's fun watching a Fox person having to try to defend Bush's inaugural extravaganza. She didn't do a good job either. It's interesting that the anchor didn't want to talk about the inauguration unless it was in a positive light. How very NOT fair and balanced. Most Republicans I know were disgusted by the inauguration festivities as well. Especially WWII veterans.

Transcript below:

BQ: Judy, welcome to you. We were noticing all the snow in Washington,…I hope that doesn't put a crimp on anybody's plans. Look at that gorgeous shot of the White House...

JB: Well, I have a feeling that maybe it should put a crimp, or at least something should put a crimp in the plans of the White House, to have such a very lavish Inaugural at a time of war.

BQ: Really?

JB: Yes. What I've noticed is that the worse a war is going the more lavish the Inaugural festivities. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President, during a time of war...he had a very modest Inauguration and a very tiny party where he served chicken salad...and that was when we were winning.

BQ: Right..eh..but..Judy

JB: When it seems like...Sorry?

BQ: Well..no…I...look...I mean...The President has addressed this hasn't he? He's said that this is a...I believe the quote was that we're celebrating. We're celebrating democracy, we're celebrating a peaceful transfer of democracy...what's wrong with doing that?

JB: Have you noticed any peace or any transfer of democracy in Iraq? If you have, you're the first person to have seen it....?

BQ: I've noticed the elections coming up, and Judy, to be honest with you, I didn't really want to argue politics with you this morning...

JB: Oh really? I thought was allowed to talk about what I wanted to talk about.

BQ: Weh..You certainly...certainly have that right. Let me ask you this--what should they have cut back on?

JB: How about 40 million dollars.

BQ: Alright....well, how would you have planned it?

JB: May I say something...may I say something...may I say something?

BQ: Sure

JB: We have soldiers who are incapable of protecting themselves in their humvees in Iraq. They have to use bits of scrap metal in order to make their humvees secure. Their humvees are sitting ducks for bombs, and we have a President who is using 40 million dollars to have a party. That's a start.

BQ: Judy, what would suggest for the Inauguration--how would you do it?

JB: How about a modest party, just like FDR. I'm sure you will agree he was a pretty good President with a fine sense of what's appropriate, and what's not, and during a time of war, ten parties are not appropriate when your own soldiers are sitting ducks in very very bad vehicles.

BQ: Well, don't you think that the President has...has given his proper respect to our troops, I mean, yesterday as far as I can tell, the festivities opened with the military gala, they ended with a prayer service, there just seemed to have certainly been a tremendous effort over the past couple of days and more than that, to honor our troops?

JB: Well gee, that prayer service should sure keep them safe and warm in their flimsy vehicles in Iraq. I'd rather see that money going to them rather than to a guy who already is President for a second time...

BQ: Alright...Well, Judy Bachrach, I think we've given you more than your time to give us your point of view this morning.

JB: Well, thanks for having me on.

BQ: Alright.

The State of The Union

Illustrated by Missouri Mule

Go outside tonight and see the Full Wolf Moon

From the Farmer's Almanac

Full Wolf Moon - January Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January's full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon.

Here's a cool site that you might want to bookmark for future use.

Someone Has a Plan but It's Not Us

by pissed off patricia

We've all heard about the additional 80 billion dollars bush is going to ask for to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We know about our soaring deficit. Seems this all fits nicely into bin Laden's plan.

Thanks to Information Clearing House for this link
"Osama bin Laden, believes the way to bring down a superpower is to weaken its economy through protracted guerilla warfare. We "bled Russia for ten years until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat," bin Laden boasted in his October 2004 videotape. "We are continuing in the same policy to make America bleed profusely to the point of bankruptcy," said bin Laden"

Read the rest. The title of the article is, "Al Qaeda's economic war against the United States" by Gal Luft

Supporting the Troops

Like those stupid magnetic stickers mean anything. The only thing they're supporting is the company that manufactures them. Just nag your elected officials to bring the soldiers home if you want to support the troops.

According to Hackworth, at Soldiers For The Truth, "the combat pay of the average grunt in Afghanistan and Iraq is only $7.50 a day or a measly $225 a month. And to make matters worse, the folks bringing up the rear – hundreds of miles from the horror show – are pulling down the same combat pay as our heroes who daily lay their lives on the line. "

How's that for appreciation of our troops? $7.50 a day. Don't give me that, "They signed up for it" bullshit. Most of them were railroaded or just joined because they were impoverished to begin with. What a scam. No wonder the neocon bullies don't want to do anything about the poor in our country. It would do away with suckers willing to put their lives on the line for $7.50/day extra.

Hack reports:

"...I made a few phone calls. And sure enough, the guys living the good life in places like Kuwait and Qatar – for example that bronzed, handsome lifeguard saving lives at the base pool – get the same $7.50 a day as our heroes facing the bear on the mean streets of Iraq and in the treacherous mountains of Afghanistan .

"A soldier’s father reports that his son and his buddies – just back from Afghanistan – became very bitter when they went on R&R in Qatar and talked to Joes and Jills inside a fortress-like base so safe that soldiers are not authorized to carry individual weapons. And these lucky stiffs living in a relative paradise were also drawing combat pay!

"Another loophole creates an even more gross inequity: senior officers – read generals and colonels – regularly fly into Afghanistan and Iraq on monthly 48-hour useless VIP visits in order to both collect their combat pay for the entire month and rack up tax breaks that can run almost seven grand a month. Not bad double-headers for Perfumed Princes who can barely tell a foxhole from a bidet.

“The problem of our paying an equitable combat pay is the Pentagon’s bottom line,” says DefenseWatch Editor Ed Offley ( SFTT.ORG ). “Two years ago the ink hadn’t dried on the last Imminent Danger Pay increase when the Pentagon bean-counters were hustling to cut it.”

"There’s more to supporting the troops than slapping a bumper sticker on the back of your wheels or occasionally flying Old Glory and feeling good about vowing to bring freedom to the world. Trust me, making sure our valiant grunts get at least the equivalent of what the Greatest Generation received during the Big War would be far more meaningful. "

Col. David H. Hackworth ( USA Ret.) is SFTT.org co-founder and Senior Military Columnist for DefenseWatch magazine.

CLARIFICATION: Combat pay is in addition to regular pay.

The Inaugural Speech: Tyranny, Freedom, Socks, Bras, and Underwear

By James Boyne
It’s a nice speech. I wonder who wrote it. It must have taken a lot of English majors to put together that one. It’s a tribute to the White House staff of speechwriters.

So here we are, off a mission to rid the planet of tyranny. Why didn’t I think of that?

It sounds like an expensive mission. Tyranny is all over the place. Yes, tyranny vs. liberty. It has a nice ring to it. North Korea, Syria, Lebanon, Cuba, most of the continent of Africa, Haiti, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and wow, even Communist China (our favorite trading partner)----they are all countries under tyranny led by brutal tyrants. We really have our work cut out for us. Sounds expensive too. Wonder how long all this tyranny has been going on. We better get started and set the captives free so freedom will triumph. I’m listening to the speech right now. Bush just said that even God was going to help us. This is great.

This is really an eloquent speech. I have got to find out who wrote this. He just said we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom. I’m psyched.
Read the rest here

And there is a follow up story on the Ass Warmers at the Inauguration too!

"Here’s what we know. The President knew beforehand and had previous knowledge that ass warmers would be used at the Inauguration. "

Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

When a debate becomes personal, is it a sign of ignorance, arrogance, stupidity, anger or just plain old desperation? Recently there have been some comments left at this site that amuse and amaze me. If you have been reading the comments you probably know the ones I'm writing about.

Disagreements about the way our government is being run today are to be expected and I think debate is healthy. When we don't agree we should talk about it and hash out our differences. There's a real good chance that we will all learn something from one another. There are so many points of view and we should entertain as many as we can. If you see a particular situation differently that I do, that's great. Give me your reasoning and let's share our thoughts. You show me your facts and I'll show you mine. Sounds American as apple pie to me.

However, if you are only capable of attacking me personally in order to demonstrate your disagreement then please, save your time and your comments because personal attacks are not persuasive. Personal attacks during a debate are a sign that the debater has run out of reasoning and facts. The last ditch effort of a desperate person is a personal attack. It never works and it usually backfires on the attacker making them appear angry rather than informed.

Same goes for Condi Rice. It's fine to disagree with her and many of us do. If you attack her race or sexuality then you will be seen as a racist and/or a sexist and all the rest of your words will be filed away as such. I don't see Ms. Rice as a woman or a African American, I see her as one more person in this administration whom I question. I question her words and her deeds. I question why anyone would tell the American people that Iraq had nuclear capabilities when it is so evident that they did not. It's not a problem of race or sex with Ms Rice, it’s a problem with honesty and integrity.

There are some now who want to say that Sen. Boxer's questions of Ms. Rice were racially motivated. What does that tell us? It tells us that they can't defend what Ms. Rice has done so they want to toss in a red herring racial card to throw the argument to a different dimension. When you toss in a personal attack rather than defend or substantiate your argument, beware that you are showing your desperation very clearly.

Listen closely to the words of the other side, watch for a change of subject. When their argument becomes personal, consider your argument made successfully and recognize their desperation arises from the realization that they’ve lost the debate.

On my bedside

I read many book simultaneously (Aquarius thing) Here's what I'm reading now:

• The Gospel of Mary Magdalene: Jean-Yves Leloup I'm enjoying this one.
• The Gnostic Gospels: Elaine Pagels Stuff that the early church fathers deemed heretical but I find very interesting.
• Beyond Belief-The Secret Gospel of Thomas: Elaine Pagels Great comparison between the theological text of John's Gospel and this newly rediscovered Gospel from Egypt. Makes you wonder.
• The Gnostic Paul: Gnostic Exegesis of the Pauline Letters: Elaine Pagels Excellent. Shows how St Paul is supposed to be understood and was understood in early times.
• God's Politics : Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It: Jim Wallis New book by Sojourners, Jim Wallis. Very well written. Only read 2 chapters but loving his take on contemporary Christianity in the USA. Recommended.
• The God Code: The Secret of Our Past, the Promise of Our Future :Gregg Braden Not an easy read but Braden contends that God's name is written into our DNA. Interesting. No comment yet. Almost finished.
  
• The Isaiah Effect : Decoding the Lost Science of Prayer and Prophecy :Gregg Braden Oh I just love this book.
• Original Wisdom: Stories of an Ancient Way of Knowing robert wolff (Buzzflash Premium) This is so interesting. Compares indigenous people in Malaysia who are just at peace with themselves to those of us leading hectic lives. Simple people living simple lives. I'm jealous. I can't wait to learn more.

Reference Books

• Lost Books of the Bible
• Lost Scriptures: Books That Did Not Make It into the New Testament Bart D. Ehrman
• The Works of Josephus: Flavius Josephus
• Origen: An exhortation to Martyrdom, Prayer, and Selected Works by Origen
• The Writings of Justin Martyr by Justin Martyr

Last year it was all those political books and some quantum physics. This year it's back to early christian and mystical writings. We have lost so much over the years being "civilized". I have always wondered how much "knowledge" was tossed when Constantine legitimized religion.

Intelligent Design and Checking Your Brains at the Door

I often wonder just how intelligent the people are who tout "intelligent design" theory or "creationist" theory. Those are theories too. Evolution is sort of a theory when it comes to humans but is scientific when it comes to other forms of life. There is a missing link between prehistoric man and modern man as far as I understand because they evidently lived at the same time. (I watch the Science Channel) I don't know what makes that a bad thing to teach in school. I don't know what the exact curriculum is these days. I know that it seems kind of stupid to teach kids the creationist story. That should be relegated to Sunday school. In Catholicism, we were taught that Genesis was not to be taken literally. We were just to take away from the creation part that God created everything and that the writers of Genesis were not scientists. Not to worry. Made sense to me. Still does.

You've undoubtedly read the stories about the areas where they want stickers put on science books saying that evolution is just a theory. Eeks. Now they are touting intelligent design. Well at least intelligent design is a little more intelligent than creationism but it's still a theory and it simply inserts God into the missing link part of evolution. My opinion is that they should teach kids what they know about evolution, the missing links, maybe throw in the intelligent design theory when they get to the missing link part and when kids grow up and actually give a shit, they can read more or take courses on it in college, whatever. I don't think anyone is teaching kids that we evolved from monkeys anyway, are they? My son took a monkey course in anthropology at college and loved it. He didn't come away learning that we evolved from monkeys though. But monkeys did evolve. That's evolution.

In the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday, they bring up the latest debate "In Dover, Pa., the school board ordered science teachers to "read to ninth-graders a statement written by the school board that criticizes evolution and cites a controversial approach called intelligent design as an alternative." There is a lot of proof of evolution though. There is zero proof of intelligent design however. All the papers are picking up this story.

The Washington Post on Monday brings up God and Darwin. They talk about the intelligent design people as "...this new generation of anti-evolutionists, arguing that children have a "right to question" scientific truths, has had widespread success in undermining evolutionary theory." Children always had the right to question science but this editorial says scientific truths. Hmmm. Do children really question scientific truths? They ask questions but they don't usually argue them critically until they get to college or beyond. The article goes on and this is alarming and has nothing to do with "intelligent design" this has to do with lack of common sense and these are our fellow Americans. You may work side by side with one of these people and not even know it- "...a startling 55 percent of Americans -- and 67 percent of those who voted for President Bush -- do not, according to a recent CBS poll, believe in evolution at all. According to a recent Gallup poll, about a third of Americans believe that the Bible is literally true. Some of these believers have persuaded politicians, school boards and parents across the country to question their children's textbooks."

The NY Times yesterday approached this subject opining that "A more honest sticker would describe evolution as the dominant theory in the field and an extremely fruitful scientific tool. The sad fact is, the school board, in its zeal to be accommodating, swallowed the language of the anti-evolution crowd. Although the sticker makes no mention of religion and the school board as a whole was not trying to advance religion, a federal judge in Georgia ruled that the sticker amounted to an unconstitutional endorsement of religion because it was rooted in long-running religious challenges to evolution. In particular, the sticker's assertion that "evolution is a theory, not a fact" adopted the latest tactical language used by anti-evolutionists to dilute Darwinism, thereby putting the school board on the side of religious critics of evolution. That court decision is being appealed. Supporters of sound science education can only hope that the courts, and school districts, find a way to repel this latest assault on the most well-grounded theory in modern biology."

So does this mean that if people insist that 1+1=3 and it becomes a common belief, that the school boards have to put stickers on the math books? And why does belief in God have to make people so stupid? Well it doesn't in all cases, but in the majority of cases it appears to be so, doesn't it?

Americans are insistent on being misguided in all areas of life lately. This is an alarming trend. We used to be leaders in so many areas. Yes, the world is a scary place. Yes, it's dangerous even without human interaction. Yes, there has to be something more, an infinite justice-I hope. But this is no time to be downright stupid and yet, people are being led like sheep into the slaughterhouse of anti-critical thinking. What gives? Why are people just giving up? What squelched the human spirit in America? It wasn't George Bush. He and his ilk are just milking the lack of American will. Was it the media's constant drone of sensationalism that numbed the masses? What caused half of America to collectively turn off their brains? I wonder.

Message: "I'd Rather Kill Myself Than Have Someone Beat Me To Death".

From The Sydney Morning Herald:
"Twenty-three terror suspects tried to hang or strangle themselves during an orchestrated mass protest in 2003 to disrupt operations and unnerve new guards at the US military camp in Guantanamo Bay."
Read it all here.

Bitchin' a Little More

by pissed off patricia

Even as I type this, C-Span is showing the farewell ceremony for our illustrious Attorney General. Yes indeed, Ashcroft is saying bye bye for now. Of course there are lots of people taking the lectern to speak of how wonderful he has been for our country. Where the hell have they been and how many fools can fit into one spider hole?

Yeah, he's been fabulous if you believe a country that restricts the public's freedoms, and at the same time allows the government to break the laws of the land, is a moving in the right direction. Damn, has john boy made us safer or what? I vote for "or what".

Just looking at him scares the hell out of me.

I guess the reason we are jettisoning him is because the white house believes they just may have found someone even more evil. His replacement has proven his ability to be evil when he high-fived prison torture. Ha, beat that one John. Alberto is flying his pirate flag even higher than yours. His skull and crossbones can be seen around the world. Your puny little poison was pretty much just popular here at home. Sorry John, we have a nastier fellow in mind for your job. He has proven his evilness for a long time and now it's his turn to damage our country beyond repair. If there were true justice John, the first thing Alberto would do is slap your ass in prison along with a whole pile of other Washington crooks, sneaks and cheats. Of course if he locked up all the liars first we might run out of prison cells and just have to outsource the rest of you to foreign prisons. I'm sure you're aware of the ones. I bet you have all their addresses in your Rolodex already.

So go home tonight John and pour oil all over your body, pick up your bible and read all the "nasty" parts. Shine a bright light on your slippery body and pray. Pray that if there is a god that he is a forgiving god, because baby, you are going to need a lot of that if you even make it to your god's pearly gates. Even an oiled up criminal probably can't slide through the bars at heaven's gate. Be sure to, if all else fails, sing one of your songs that you wrote. They just might let you in, in order to get you to shut the hell up.

Yeah, adios John, you have possibly been the most evil doer in Washington. Yes, I know that Rummy is challenging you for that title but I doubt he can win. After all, you have the edge because you know you have god on your side. Quick John, take a look. Is god still with you? Are you sure? You look pretty alone to me. Any god that would walk beside you is not a god to me. What happens if we yank down that curtain and look at that statue's boobies John? Will your god strike us blind? Maybe he already has because you have never been seen for what you are, a maniac and a religious lunatic. So long John, it's been miserable to know you.

"This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper." -- T. S. Eliot

"The World Health Organisation said the outbreak of avian flu in south-east Asia, which infected 44 humans and caused 32 deaths in Vietnam and Thailand last year, posed a bigger threat to global health than the tsunami which devastated the region. The world was closer to an influenza pandemic now than at any time since 1968, and the present situation resembled that which led to the 1918 pandemic that probably caused more than 40 million deaths, the WHO said in a report."
Read it all here in the London Independent.

Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

So we're told, and I guess I believe it, Saddam paid families in Palestine if one of their members was a suicide bomber in Israel. Today the congress is mulling over yet another increase in death benefits to members of our military and increased veterans benefits. I see something similar in these two stories. To me both are encouragements to fight and die.

Maybe I'm just getting too rough around the edges but the entire idea of war and fighting seems to me to be a pastime for leaders of countries. The leaders say we will sit behind our desks and watch as people die to make us look even stronger, even more powerful. When this disaster in Iraq ever ends, the soldiers won't be the victors, our country's leader will be crowned the victor and the families of the dead will have a bit more money in their pockets. That disgusts me. See, I told you that perhaps I'm getting cranky and maybe a little out of line. But hell, who drew the line and why?

What is going on now? I listened to few country songs on the way to Savannah. Not much to choose from in radio stations along part of the way. You need to listen to these songs. One was a woman singing about being proud to be a "redneck woman". Another was a man singing about how cheap and low class his girl friend was, and yet another said America would kick butt. So many spoke of women being clueless, backwoods, cheap, girlfriends. It's scary folks. To hear these songs, you would think they were written in the woods by moonshine chugging jerks. Maybe they were, but the bad news is that they are popular right now. People seem to take great pride in their own ignorance. Seems it's in to be stupid, especially if you're a country girl. Why is that?

I think we're on our way to making women look so damned stupid that they can't be relied upon to do anything. Anything like have sense enough to decide whether or not they should give birth if they're pregnant. How can a real damned stupid woman make an intelligent decision about such things as abortion? Well obviously you dear sweet stupid moron, you can't. Better let the men make that decision for you little lady. You just get back into the kitchen, remove your shoes and wait for your big daddy to get ready to get you pregnant in the biblical way. Okay sure, big daddy may walk out the door to never return as soon as that new little baby cries for a couple of hours straight, but that's your problem, not his. You tell me which is best for a child, to grow up in a home filled with hell, or to never have to suffer such torment? How about the mother? Doesn't she get a say in all this? After all, it's her life too. Okay it is, but the direction we're going in doesn't sound like her life matters all that much. Why should it, she's just a "redneck woman" married to a brilliant, war loving, gun toting, butt kicking man. Not much going for her, and damn, he has so much going for him. Her best accomplishment is getting pregnant. His best accomplishment is keeping her that way. To hell with the future of their offspring as long as they can brag about giving birth to another human being. Jesus god, we're going backward at warp speed. Someone must have rewound the tape from the fifties and we're starting over. I don't mean to be rude or ruin it for anyone, but this is where I came in. I've already seen how things come out and it is a long tough slog for women. Why the hell are we going back when going ahead is so much more rewarding?

Maybe we're going backward because back when men ruled alone, some of them found it so much easier when they didn't have to entertain the idea that maybe, just maybe, women could equal or best them. Remember the battle of the sexes? Who won that one?

So Saddam fished for Palestinian suicide bombers and he used money as bait. We are fishing for military volunteers and we too are using money as bait. Meanwhile, women are being baited into believing that it's better to be downgraded from equals to baby machines with shit for brains if they want to get themselves a man. All this fishing going on and no one seems to be catching anything but hell.

A Cabinet To Die For

Imagine Elected Officials in Washington Who Actually Represented You? Imagine if they voted against these weasels or really confronted the hell out of them?

I don't care if they're Republican or Democrat, they all seem to be weenies. There is some more question as to the character of Gonzalez (he defended the national weasel, GW Bush, POTUS): Newsweek reports that Gonzalez helped bush to get out of jury in 1996 on a DUI case because it might have required bushie to reveal that he too was convicted of a DUI in Maine in 1976. It's kind of a weenie thing. The torture memos are more of a scandal, but in this country, blow jobs and old DUI's are just plain immoral.

I posted below how Rummy the Dummy is trying to do away with the CIA and replace it with even a more secret spy ring. At least McCain is on that one.

How about that shady but unsexy (like Kerik) Chertoff? Or that blatant liar, Condi?

A decent Republican or Democrat in Washington should be all over this gang. Doesn't anyone who vows to uphold the constitution actually mean it? "We're gonna ask you some questions even though you're gonna be installed anyway." baaaaa

You Will Have Democracy

Vether you like it or not. Vee vill shove it down your throats. Vee vill give you the "Freedom" to elect specially selected candidates so zat you can live in a free society like America. Zee evil Zarqawi, who seems to have risen from the dead again, declared war on democracy yesterday. Zee equally evil Negroponte and Allawi vill see zat democracy takes hold.

Ooh. They might have a war over this. Can you imagine?

Super Secret Spies Under Rummy?

From Washington Post via Yahoo: The previously undisclosed organization, called the Strategic Support Branch, arose from Rumsfeld's written order to end his "near total dependence on CIA" for what is known as human intelligence. Designed to operate without detection and under the defense secretary's direct control, the Strategic Support Branch deploys small teams of case officers, linguists, interrogators and technical specialists alongside newly empowered special operations forces.

A super secret spy ring! I wanna be a spy.

From LA Times via Yahoo: Sen. John McCain said Sunday that he would look into a reported move by the Pentagon to reinterpret U.S. law to give Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld broad authority over spy operations abroad.

McCain, responding to a report in Sunday's Washington Post, told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he would raise the question at hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee. He is a member of the panel.

Oh my gawd, an elected official actually taking the administration to task for "reinterpreting US law". He is probably pissed off too because he is a member of the panel and didn't even know about this until he read it in the Washington Post.

Michael Powell Steps Down

Yee hah!

NYS: New Attorney General

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Fine with me. He understands that both parties are corrupt and beholden to corporations over individuals. He noticed the current rise of fascism in America. He is an advocate for a clean environment and wants to shut down the Indian Point Power Plant which is too close to millions of us for safety. He needs a voice. He'd be elected in a snap if he ran for Attorney General in NY.
(Kennedy: Fascist America)

You should be grateful

How many times do people tell you that you should be thankful that you have the freedom to express your dissent because you wouldn't be able to do it anywhere else?

I'm very grateful that I don't live in Europe or Canada or the Ukraine and places like that where people cannot gather to protest or speak out against injustice. I'm grateful that my government wouldn't have dissenters pepper sprayed and peaceful protesters hidden from the leader's point of vision.

How many times has someone told you that you should be grateful for so many who've lost their lives so that you can speak freely and we can live in a democracy?

I am very grateful to those who fought to deliver America from the clutches of England during the Revolutionary War. Otherwise I'd be living in Ireland or Italy and bound in the chains of oppression. I'm grateful to those who conquered the Americas and slaughtered the natives so that subdivisions and cramped cities can be built.

Yeah, I'm really proud to be part of the conquering of oppression worldwide.

I'm thankful that I can tell stupid asses to shut the hell up.

View of my house on the gazing ball on in the garden.
Thank goddess for digital zoom, eh?
Surreal isn't it? Instant fisheye lens.

Q: How many Bush Administration officials does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: None. There is nothing wrong with the light bulb; its conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are a delusional spin from the liberal media. That light bulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?

- Author unknown

Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

I'm back again. While in Savannah I watched the coronation of king george and I fussed and fumed. I swore up a blue streak. I spoke as no lady should speak. I didn't feel much like a lady, I felt like one mad freakin' American.

I was consumed with anger and resentment the entire week, it continued with me all the way home. When I arrived home I was met with some, oh so upsetting, news. My head and my heart changed courses after the journey was done. Funny how that happened. One moment I was raging and the next minute I was crying. My heart and my head were confronted with bad news on a personal level and it swept me away to a place I didn't want to go.

I shan’t go into the details here because that would betray a confidence that I hold very dear. Let's instead think about the similarities of being angry and being broken hearted. These two emotions are similar in that you feel helpless to do anything about either of them. Frustration seems to accompany both.

Right now part of me wants to share the anger I feel about what appears to be the future of our country, but I can't do that at this time because it sort of pales to the other feelings that I have. For this moment in time none of that matters. It will later, but not right now. Instead I'm just going to say that there's someone who means the world to me and my heart and my soul are all about that person today. That's where I will be until things change for the positive. I am frightened about today, perhaps at another time I will be angry about tomorrow.

How Do They Measure Snow

when it's a nor'easter and the wind is blowing 40mph? They say we're getting 1-2 feet of snow when it all ends today. It's hard to tell with all this wind. They declared Long Island a disaster area. heh. Don't drive. But we have an SUV for the weekend. We HAVE TO DRIVE.

There is flooding on the south shore barrier islands and the bright rich folks who built their houses on the sand were supposed to evacuate as their houses are in danger of collapsing... as usual. We'll have to drop caviar and Perrier to those areas when the storm leaves to aid the victims. Then the Army Corp of Engineers have to come in and push the sand back and fill breaches in the residential areas to make it safe for the very wealthy to inhabit a sand bar. It's mostly state parks on the barrier islands. We have lost a lot of beach in the last 20 years. They used to be a lot bigger but with the end of the world coming and so many homosexuals occupying beach communities, the nor'easters are getting stronger, more frequent and each summer we notice less beach and more water.

From my front door which faces south I can see that some areas have 1 inch and some areas have a couple of feet of drifts. I couldn't tell you how much snow there is in feet or inches. It would depend where I dropped my ruler. My street is already plowed. I live on a through street. The snow is piled high at the end of the driveway. I hate that. That's heart attack shoveling.

This happens every time it snows: "Where are my snow boots?" "Does anyone have a clue where the shovels are?" Hope they're not in the shed. You can't get there from here. "Whose bright idea was it to have the shed built on the northeast corner of the property?" Nevermind.

The wind is stiff out of the SSW. I can tell by the yellow flag on the second hole of the golf course across the street. But out back, something is hitting my house constantly. I can't sleep. I thought we had all the trees well pruned in the fall. I'm afraid to look. I hope it's not a disembodied hand or something. I'll wait till daybreak to look in the back. The back is scary.

That's it for now. I'm going to try to fall back asleep. I'll need my energy to do some cross country skiing later and shoveling.

UPDATE: 11:26am Can't get out the front door. Someone left footprints on the path leading up to the house. Why didn't they bring a shovel and clear the area in front of the door so I could open it? If you are reading this and left footprints on my driveway, come back with a shovel. Or a plow. I know it wasn't you, Pat. The wind is whipping out of the west now which means that the storm is on it's way out. The sun is out but it's frigid. My street is plowed, but you can't there from here.

My father in law from coastal New Hampshire just called. They're marooned too. He says he has enough scotch for 5 days and then he has to wing it. They got 30" down at the Cape (Cape Cod).

More Update: Dune Road is under 4 ft of water and awaiting even more storm surge. Dune Road is on a barrier island (sand bar) in the Hamptons. The rescue people can't get there from here. The very wealthy keep building on Dune Road. The mansions are under water and we are all grieving for them. Keep them in your prayers. I doubt anyone is in those houses this weekend. They are probably in Hollywood or their Manhattan apartments.

NOT KNOWING WHAT HE WAS

It is early January and I am at the therapeutic riding center. I know a session is to begin soon, but I have not been apprised of the nature of the patients. Will they be blind? paralyzed? addicted? I wait for their arrival in the cold barn, taking off my gloves to warm my hands against the live heat of a horse who is being tacked up in preparation.

Soon they are here. Six boys have come running in, followed by a teacherly voice: "Now, remember what we learned about running around horses. I said, Steven, stop it!" Giggles and shared looks amounting to the child's credo: I heard you and will submit but do not ask me to acknowledge that I did.

I am looking hard, trying to find something. Some disability, where is it? These six- and seven-year-olds are about as normal as you can get, some quiet, some shy, some downright brats. These particular children look less in need of help than the horses, living in standing stalls with abused saddles pinned to their backs for much of the day, mainly elderly, they still must work seven days a week. The boys evince little interest in the animals themselves, except to shout, "Oh, not Dazzle! I don't like HIM!" Finally I have to ask one of the volunteers what is it these children need therapy for, Attention Deficit Disorder, I am told. Riding is supposed to help them learn to focus. That seems to beg a question, especially as these days the questions are as thick as ants on a watermelon. If the problem were truly chemical in origin, how could a nonchemical intervention affect it (and conversely, if behavior modification works, why resort to medications that have never been tested for long-term effects?) Clearly I do not understand something, and the boys merely appear as unfocused as every child their age had ever been and ever would be; it is involuntary when I avert my eyes halfway through as they are asked to stop their horses and an adult come around to each of them to offer their morning dose of little pills. The boys focus intently on the benevolent hand reaching up to give them the medicine that will make them well.

Then they continue their lesson, under the eye of their professionally chipper but personally sour tutor, who berates them constantly and views their only problem, if her attitude is any guide, as willfulness. At one point an altercation between two horse threatens to become serious, and it occurs to me that perhaps the horses know something about the true condition of their riders, given what I know of their unflagging protection of the genuinely weak or needy. At any rate, the woman running the class blames the two boys for the near incident, though an observer might as easily have faulted her for allowing it to happen on her watch, because she wasn't watching quite carefully enough.

When it comes time to dismount, one little boy is having trouble keeping his horse from prematurely leaving the ring, and as there is a dearth of volunteers, I go over to assist with the reins. As we then stand waiting for further orders, one of the horses unsheathes his impressive equipment to pitch a line of steaming yellow froth into the sand. A few of the boys find the sight riveting and hilarious at once. There are cries and pointing and hands over eyes, "Gross!" they cry one after another. I mention to one boy that his penis does pretty much the same sort of thing, and that horse and boy had both received one to aid in purely animal functions, "You are too an animal," now fully prepared to engage in "am not," "are too," until I should pin him flat on his back on the turf. No one had ever told this little creature, this little sufferer, the most basic fact about his existence. He was growing up not knowing what he was.

What is the source of my infantile petulance in this matter? Why does what I see with my eyes differ from what others see with theirs? What has happened to me in the last fifty some odd years since that bon voyage dinner, or I borrowed Charlotte's Web from the library? Why is it that I now see no innocently unimportant sign at the New London ferry---NO ANIMALS IN THIS AREA--- but instead an instruction in a dangerous irony, since there are human animal lounging all around it? It's as if I have noticed a small inch-long crack in a mile of sidewalk, and on closer inspection see that there is some sort of water flowing underneath it, no, a river, and it has banks and trees and occasional cities and barges and factories, but mean-while people hurry past my kneeling form with their eyes straight ahead. I feel flabbergasted and sickened and angered and despairing and amazed. No one CARES that a whole other world exists beneath our feet! Hello, hello, I call in a faintly echoing voice that seems now to be disappearing into the miniature crevasse, and I sit down in perplexity and try to think.

I must have something to do with some first little denial, some tiny misstatement. WE ARE NOT ANIMALS. But such a small thing to pay attention to, when there are so many great lies afoot---read the paper, watch the news! The trembling masses of people cringing before their blows.

But, oh, how we do not want to be animals.

The New Bush

I have not spent much time with the coverage of the Inauguration. I just couldn't take it. Democracy Now played a large chunk of the Bush speech to the willing after the swearing in. I almost never listen to the content anymore. It’s all so gag-awful. He seems to only half believe it himself.

This time though, something was different. There seemed a greater appearance of confidence and strength. In the past Bush's speeches to anyone other than the handpicked rubes on the campaign trail seemed to always contain small hints of self-doubt or at least a defensive braggadocio followed by a frightened little smirk not unlike a small boy that knew he had gotten away with the contents of the cookie jar, but still couldn’t shake a vestigial fear that his crime might yet be discovered.

I have not seen the video, but the voice seemed that of a man transformed, confident and certain beyond doubt, he has now fully assumed the reality. There is no more man left. Like his mentor Ronald Reagan, he is now totally and only the mask.

I thought of my favorite poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, who was almost obsessed with masks, or at least the appearances people assume to hide from the world and their ultimate reality. As I listened to our newly-created president, freshly emerged from the room of smoke and mirrors, I thought of Rilke’s words from his Fourth Duino Elegy:

“I cannot take these half-invested masks.
Better the puppet.
That is full, and honest.

Out with pretence.

I can accept the wires,
The stuffing and integuments,
That face of mere appearance.

On with the show.”

Karl Rove’s NEW MAN is finally, fully ready to assume the world.

No Wonder It's Referred To As The "Federal Bureau of Incompetence"

"BOSTON (Reuters) - One of the Chinese nationals sought for questioning in connection with an unspecified, unconfirmed threat against the city of Boston has been in U.S. custody for more than two months, the FBI said on Saturday." Read the rest here: Reuters

Heres Something Horrifying to Think About:

Overheard on the street: "Do you realize there's a few million young folks walking around right now who will probably look back on these times we're living in as "The Good Old Days"?

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful

So the husband brought home a gas guzzler from work today: The Ford Land Destroyer. It's snowing at a rate of 2 inches/hour here so the men decided to take the Land Destroyer out for a spin. "Hey Dad, why don't we see if we can flip it over?" So off they went. One of the usual sights after a snow fall is the upside down SUV's along the roadways, so I really didn't think was very funny.

This nor'easter is supposed to turn into a blizzard later on. Blizzards are kind of interesting. It snows sideways and the wind blows the snow right up against the front door of my house so it cannot be opened until someone comes to visit with a plow or a big shovel. We do have the option of going out through the garage, which has been done and not a good idea if there are 5 ft drifts leaning against it or we can go out the back through the sliding doors but may not be able to make it around to the front of the house depending on the snow drifts. Last night it was 5º. What the hell was that all about? Conspiracy theorists are wondering just how the bushistas pull this weird weather off. I fought the masses in the grocery stores this morning. 3 hours to get supplies in. I'm staying in. It's supposed to warm up by Tuesday and this will all be gone soon.

I'm being an artist this weekend. I got really into Mexican folk art when I visited the southwest, particularly little shrines or retablos. After spending a week or two ordering shrine supplies from ebay and other funky resources on the net and saving up tin containers, I am ready to start creating my version of mini shrines and that's what I have been doing today. I especially love the garish colors and the use of bottle caps to enshrine the saints, The Virgin of Guadaloupe and El Senor. And don't forget about Day of the Dead art. Oh baby. I ordered 40 mini clay skulls from Mexico and getting ready to cover my shrines with some cute little skeletons. I intend to also create mini altars for other idols such as Elvis and I Love Lucy. Then I thought, what the hell, I'll make one for that Ruben guy from American Idol too.

I'll post some photos of art I purchased and photos of my new creations one of these days. Hope you're all having a nice weekend. If you're in the northeast, get out the skis! You do have cross country skis in your garage don't you? That's the best part of bad weather.

Here's something REAL to worry about:

"HANOI, Vietnam (CNN) -- The World Health Organization has confirmed a report that a 42-year-old man is suffering from bird flu and is being treated in a hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The man's older brother, a 46-year-old resident of Thai Binh Province, died on January 9 from bird flu, the WHO said in a written statement."
Read more here

I Wish The Invitation Had Read:

"You are invited to the king's castration.
It's to be his last ball".

How about some humor

even though we are in dark times and our leader had a gala celebration while people are killing and being killed in his name. Kind of reminds me of the Godfather. I digress. Here's something different.

Dear Abby-------------

My husband has a long record of money problems. He runs up huge creditcard
bills and at the end of the month, if I try to pay them off, he shouts at me, saying I am stealing his money. He says pay the minimum and let our kids worry about the rest, but already we can hardly keep up with the interest alone.

Also he has been so arrogant and abusive toward our neighbors that most of them no longer speak to us. The few that do are an odd bunch, to whom he has been giving a lot of expensive gifts, running up our bills even more.

Also, he has gotten religious in a big way, although I don't quite understand it. One week he hangs out with Catholics and the next with people who say the Pope is the Anti-Christ.

And now he has been going to the gym an awful lot and is into wearing uniforms and cowboy outfits, and I hate to think what that means.

Finally, the last straw. He's demanding that before anyone can be in the same room with him, they must sign a loyalty oath. It's just so horribly creepy!

Can you help?

Signed,
Lost in DC

Dear Lost:

Stop whining, Laura. You can divorce the jerk any time you want. The rest of us are stuck with the asshole for four more years!

More Coronation Blues

Seems I'm not the only one with coronation blues. Oh about 18 out of 21 countries (World Fears Bush Era: Guardian) polled view our leader as a threat to world peace including half of our country which is a heck of a lot of people and most of the Americans who don't think Bush is a threat are just plain dumb and don't count. They should poll everyone today after they've heard bush actually say yesterday that he intends to use the "force of human freedom" in all the world. Them's fighting words if I ever heard any.

Coronation Day Blues

I didn't watch it until late at night on CNN. They showed bush dancing with Laura about 70 times. Yawn. What a spectacle. I watched a rerun of the speech. Did he talk about spreading freedom enough to piss you off? How about liberty? Like he has any clue. Does he have any idea about the irony in his words? Obviously someone else wrote the speech. Someone who was probably snickering while writing it and couldn't wait to watch the pundits analyze it as if it were true. Stupid TV pundits. What a joke.

Get this line: "There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom."

Where do you think we are going to use the "force of human freedom" next? Do you not love that expression? That means we are going to bomb the shit out of countries in the name of freedom and liberty. Does that mean we are going to invade Saudi Arabia? Now that is one tyrannical oppressive woman hating theocracy if I ever saw one. How about that Sharon character in Israel. What a model of decency he is. And he has WMD's too.

Then bush said, "The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world." Oh boy. More wars kiddies. That is the bushista way of spreading freedom. By spreading fear and napalm. And he wants his allies to join in the fun. Can you say World War III? "So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."

"America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies." Oh then we are going free the tortured prisoners in Abu Ghraib and Gitmo! And we are going to invade Saudi Arabia, women's rights in America won't be threatened and he is going to resign. Whew. He is such a flip flopper though. One minute it's war talk and the next minute it's peace and freedom talk.

"America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies. Yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed." Hmmmm. That's America's belief but I don't believe that it will guide bushista's policies though. I will have to see it to believe it. Won't you?

"All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you." Um, does this hold true for those of us here in the states as well? Will they not ignore the oppression of the poor and illiterate and will they quit relegating those who stand for truth to the free speech zones off in the distance? Just wondering.

Well it was just a speech. No sense holding bush to his word.

ANYTHING I MIGHT TRY TO SAY TO DESCRIBE THIS MAN'S WORDS WOULD MERELY DIMINISH THEIR GREATNESS

From Counterpunch, William A Cook:
"As we enter this New Year, we are, like Tantalus, trapped between extremes: unable to reach the fruit that hangs just beyond our reach and unable to quench our thirst by drinking from the water that laps at our chin. Hope hung before us during the election season, hope for any change that might arrest the Cabal that has taken control of our government, gone now into the ephemeral mist of paperless ballots and absent voting booths. And that river of change we thought we floated in, the ever-changing river that would nourish us in the coming years with its clear waters and purifying powers, now only a dream of what might have been. But we are here nonetheless, caught in the flotsam of the past four years that turned this country into a cesspool of lies and deceit, overflowing now with even greater arrogance and vengeance, determined to spread its toxic waste throughout the world.
more:

HOW DID I CELEBRATE CORONATION DAY?

Maybe I did everyone one better than "Not One Damn Dime" or "Not One Red Cent". I just received a letter from my satellite TV company (DishNet) telling me how broken-hearted they were to notify me they were raising my rates by 8%. I sent them an e-mail telling them I was sorry to inform them I was cutting my programming plan to the cheapest one they had available and if they raised their rates again they could kiss my ass good-bye. So, I not only didn't buy; I unbought. Sorry, English majors!

I can't watch the coronation. I just can't.

So can anyone figure out how this works? It's so strange. It's uncanny. It works. I skeered.
http://www.dslextreme.com/users/exstatica/psychic.swf

"Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity" or Crazier than a shithouse rat

That's the verdict. Okay, where am I going with this? Well, I've studied some of the works of Dr. Teresa Whitehurst, Dr. Katherine van Wormer, Paul Levy, and Joe Bageant among others and I've come to the conclusion "the fucker's nuts". However, standing up in court and declaring, "the fucker's nuts" ain't gonna fly as far as establishing a legal opinion. No, in spite of the fact that when I punched "bush insanity" into my Google search engine I got 424,000 hits and "bush mental illness" yielded 412,000. You folks out there want a piece of the action? Here's what I suggest: start lambasting the congress with the opinions of people who've written on the subject. Look for the Ph.D.s because it swings more weight with the politicos.
If we can't get him for committing crimes against humanity we might get him for why he's committing crimes against humanity.
The website again for writing your local congressional reps is http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/ Send a copy to all the newspapers in your area also.

From the HFS Files

FEMA For kids: The Tsunami Game

Who the hell is

Lindsay Lohan? And why should I care?
I keep asking people who the hell she is cause she is like on the local news all the time. I the only answer I get is that she is from Long Island. Well there are like millions, literally, of people on Long Island and why should I care about her? I'm on Long Island and I am not on the news. I live a juicier life than she does. What good stuff has she done? It was on the news that her parents are getting a divorce. So? Who is she?

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Who Do You Suppose the Author is Talking About?

"Soon after arriving, he was asked to write an essay on a soul-stirring experience in his life to date and he chose the death of his sister. His mother had drilled it into him that it was wrong when writing to repeat words already used. Having employed "tears" once in the essay, he sought a substitute from a thesaurus she had given him and wrote "the lacerates ran down my cheeks". The essay received a fail grade, accompanied by derogatory comments such as "disgraceful"." --Oliver James

Gay Tolerance again

I was over reading Frogsdong's blog and getting edumacated about them gay people. So I read Crafting Gay Children and I read that Sponge Bob and Barney, et al are promoting Gay Tolerance! Yikes. They got the story from World Net Daily, that bastion of reliable news in America. NOT.

Gay people I know tell me that they were just born that way. I have no reason to believe that they aren't, just as I was born boy crazy, I am sure that most gay men were too. It's just how you are crafted by the creator. So is it a genetic thing? And if so, does that mean that one of your parents had gay leanings but chose to closet it? Think about that.

Now here is one of my tangent rants:
I suppose being an art major made me tolerant of gay people and nudity. Gay nude people too. I was of course a bit taken aback in my freshman year of college while spending the day sketching naked people. I giggled behind my humongous sketch pad at first. During a break, a male model came back to see what I was drawing. I was sitting down. His penis was right next to my face! I never had that before in a casual way. I called my mom to tell her about that one. I think I called everyone and told everyone that story. I was definitely going to be an art major. Most of the male models were gay. By sophomore year, it didn't phase me at all. We had men in the school but they didn't live at the dorms. I switched to a coed school by junior year just to see what it was like after 4 years of all girls HS and 2 years of all girls college.

Many of my classmates in art college were gay however the dance majors had waaaay more gay students and they were subject to bashing by the gym majors, like anyone had any respect for a fucking gym major. (We had to look down on someone, ya know) I especially liked the more flamboyant gay male students and enjoyed hanging with them the most. If I weren't a woman, I'd certainly be a flamboyant gay male. I have all the personality characteristics and affectations of an obviously gay man.

After I got my boring MBA in marketing for my job, I attended Parsons School of Design for Interior Design during my lunch hours, ahhhhh. Sadly that was in the early 80's and most of my friends from that era are dead from AIDS. When I attended the Catholic Seminary in the late 80's early 90's for my MDiv along with the future priests, I met even more gay men. Mostly gay men actually. Nice gymnasium they had there. Ahem. Less flamboyant men in the seminary though but very into interior design as well as the Lord. I seem to gravitate towards gay majors except for the MBA where if anyone was gay there, they were hiding it well.

I really don't get why some people are so opposed to gay people. Why do they think that you can teach a child to grow up gay? I don't believe that. I really can't believe that gays are any more child molesters than anyone else. I don't believe it. Child molesters are just pervs. Period. I bet the studies would show that daddies are the biggest molesters of their own kids. That's what I think. No, my dad never molested me. He was a sweetheart.

John Kerry Wrote to MEEEEEE

He told me he voted against CondoLIEza and he personally asked me to sign this petition against Rumsfeld. So I did. Won't you? Rummy is another lying sack of shit.

A Father In Law's Phone Call

Uh oh. He called last night. His name was on the caller-ID. Was he calling to gloat that his man bush was being inaugurated today and rub it in? I hadn't really spoken to him about politics since we got into a fight about the clinton blow job last fall. The husband answered the phone and spoke to his 87 year old dad who now lives in New Hampshire, also known as the "orator".

It went something like this (paraphrased):"Have you been watching the television? This is the biggest, most flagrant waste of money I have ever witnessed. This is the second inauguration for this man. What is he thinking? We are in a war and look at this spectacle he is putting on in Washington. This is a disgrace. He doesn't deserve to have anything like this with our money. He renegged on his promises to uphold the constitution the first time and he isn't going to uphold it this time. This is a disgrace!"

Well well well. I don't know how mom in law feels about this cause she joined the Christian coalition thinking it was good because it was "christian" but this turn around in dad in law was striking. Mind you, these people only read the Wall Street Journal and watch Fox News but somehow they read between the lines and saw the sham that this administration is. Whew. There is hope if these christian conservative catholics can see through the crapola. Then again dad in law was Vice President of some of America's better institutions of higher learning. He is no dummy.

I sometimes wonder if my parents had lived a little bit longer if they would have had a turn around after a couple of years of bush. Probably. (Wishful thinking) My mom was a CNN junkie and we were always arguing about politics even though I didn't even have time to watch tv or read a paper when she was alive (I was too busy taking care of her). She would just tell me what was on the news and I would turn red and blow a fuse. She died right before 9/11. I so wished she was alive then so we could discuss that doozy as I believed it was an inside job from the get go and I later found out that most New Yorkers also believed it too. Alas I was trying to sell her house at that time which wasn't easy since 20 people from her town died in the WTC. She lived in a rich stock broker hoity toity village.

A lot of people thought I should move into her house when she died, but you know me, the perennial anarchist hippy, I should sooner die than live in that town (once was enough): Bush's base you know, the "haves" and the "have mores". yuk. My in laws who now live in New Hampshire were also from that town when they lived on Long Island. That's where I met hubby. Interestingly there were a whole load of us long haired, bell bottomed, pot smoking, hippy kids there... with degrees from America's finest universities. Sons and daughters of the cocktails at 5 crowd. Sons and daughters of the don't ask, don't tell generation. They did love Jack Kennedy though. We were Rebels. Still are. Even the ones who stayed there to live in the families manses are still "out there". God bless 'em. I'm gonna be 50 next week. Time flies yet it seems like yesterday when we'd have parties in mansions when someone's parents were away- throwing up in well manicured, perfectly maintained landscapes. Making out in the butler's pantry.

Where was I?

Oh yes, even the conservative parents are coming home to roost. That was it.

A Blog To Read on Inauguration Day

ASoldiersView.com

Kernesky97 recounts his visit to Babylon with some disrespectful Marines on 07-Jun-03 . A most interesting paragraph closes his post that day: "A little off topic but we just got some radios today and have been listening to different stations and found one that speaks English. I thought it was interesting that they referred to the US forces as the “US/ British Occupation Force” We’re always being told that we’re a “Liberation Force” not an occupation force."

He just posted pictures of Babylon from that day. It seems however that since then some of Babylon has been damaged. There is a good blog at ASoldiersView.com

Best Comment on Inauguration

From Liberal and Proud (swiped from blondesense comments):

"I wonder if Laura is enjoying the President's balls tonite."

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"The dirty secret of American "democracy" is that neither major political party wants elections to be truly democratic and free. Instead, they want a system that predictably produces victories for their corporate money-soaked candidates." -- Lance Selfa in Counterpunch

Just Whose WMD's Are Those In Iraq?

Oh they're ours! Nevermind.

Read this submitted by Petey.

FOR BILLYDOOM---THE ONLY MAN I EVER REALLY LOVED

"Do what you will wish you done when you are old."

Everybody's heard this sage advice. Since I first heard it when I was still quite young myself, there aren't just a whole lost of thing that I flat-out HAVEN'T done. Pretty much everything that came up required a choice, and I knew right off the bat, with very little pondering, what I would wish I had done. I'd wish I had done it all, and therefore I did it. Cept, the book'learn'in, which I might add is a bitter disappointment from which I have yet to recover. Anyway,

It goes beyond just the doing or not doing, thought. If you decide in favor of doing and it turns out to be good, do a lot of it. You never know how short the supply might be. Some things in life are just so sweet---and sweet is really not strong enough--I mean, so soothing and delicious that sometimes the memory of them is all you need to get by. You can just close your eyes and put yourself there in an instant. Your mouth waters, your eyes tear up, your heart beats fast, and it's hard to catch your breath.

Kissing Billy Doom was one of those sweet things in my life. Billy Doom---and we always called him by both names, never just Billy---was, in my considered opinion, the Best Kisser in the History of the Entire World, living or dead. He just had a magic mouth. I could die happy right this minute if I could die kissing Billy Doom. We were never even boyfriend and girl-friend or anything like that, just good friends and all. But I let him kiss me that one time. And it just about melted the fillings in my teeth. I was like a dog eating peanut butter; I just couldn't qui-I-I-ite get through kissing him.

Anyway, kissing Billy Doom was one of those incredibly sweet things that, when times are really bad, I could just think about and feel better. I'd say to myself, "You know, if I wanted to, I could just get in my truck and drive to St. Louis and kiss Billy Doom and feel a whole lot better. No matter that it wasn't actually feasible, that both of us were married to somebody else, that we'd had no contact in years, that I wouldn't even really know how to find him. It was just something I held out to myself. And I always felt like sometime maybe, sooner or later, our paths would cross again, and I could get me one or two of his kisses and no harm done.

And then one day on an impulse I called a mutual friend, Liz Smith, in St. Louis, and we were yakking away about old times and I mentioned Billy Doom. Liz was suddenly silent. Well, come to find out Billy Doom had been killed in a plane crash a year or so before and nobody knew how to call me. It hit me like an avalanche. I grieved and grieved over it. To find out that not only was he gone, he had BEEN gone---just undid me. I will never again in this life kiss Billy Doom, and it makes it little bit harder to go on.

And then they told me that Charlie Jacobs was dead. Charlie was a musician in a band called the Tangents that was popular all over the red states in the 1980's. I couldn't go to the funeral. Call me a wuss. I swear I did it out of kindness to everybody else who would be there. I knew I'd be rolling around wailing if I went, so I didn't go. I did, however, find an old tape I had of the Tangents playing live at the George Street Grocery, a great old pub in Westport. I put that tape on, and Charlie was singing "Love and Pain." I lay down on the floor between the speakers and closed my eyes. I was there. I could see him. Watching Charlie Jacobs perform was as good as hearing him, which is saying a lot. He didn't play the music; he WAS the music. The harp and the sax and that raspy, sexy voice of his---that's just how the music got OUT of him. His body contorted, face twisting, grimacing, grinning, eyes rolled up, fluttering, or squeezed shut tight, oceans of sweat streaming down his body, shining in the spotlight. And the music just carrying him---and me----away. I'd dance to every note he played, sweating every bit as much. I could not resist it.

I can listen to that tape, and as much as my heart sings with the sweetness of the memories, the knowledge that he's gone makes me feel like my whole body has turned to liquid and it's coming out my eyes---melting, melting. When it's over, I'll just be a pile of old clothes on the floor, like the Wicked Witch in Oz.

Here's the deal, though: One day, one day I'll get to Heaven, and when I do, the first thing I'm going to-do is drink a cold one with my daddy and pet my old dog Spud, and then I'll get Charlie to play and sing, and I'm gonna dance till I drop. And in between sets, and on all the slow songs, I'm gonna kiss Billy Doom. Then I'll know for sure I'm in Heaven.


We queens just love mens who love us, so all you mens, just declare yourself a Queen.

How Dare You Bring Up What I Said!

Oy vay. Condi doesn't want to hear what she said. Anyone can clearly remember why we went to war: what the exact reason was in the first place. We were in imminent danger due to WMD's. Never mind that the administration changed the reason a dozen times. Condi's voice quivers when she's lying.

SEN. BOXER: ... And, if I might say, again you said you're aware of the stakes in Iraq; we sent our beautiful people -- and thank you, thank you so much for your comments about them -- to defend freedom. You sent them in there because of weapons of mass destruction. Later, the mission changed when there were none. I have your quotes on it. I have the president's quotes on it.

And everybody admits it but you that that was the reason for the war. And then, once we're in there, now it moves to a different mission, which is great. We all want to give democracy and freedom everywhere we can possibly do it. But let's not rewrite history. It's too soon to do that.

MS. RICE: Senator Boxer, I would refer you to the president's speech before the American Enterprise Institute in February, prior to the war, in which he talked about the fact that, yes, there was the threat of weapons of mass destruction, but he also talked to the strategic threat that Saddam Hussein was to the region.

Saddam Hussein was a threat, yes, because he was trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction. And, yes, we thought that he had stockpiles which he did not have. We had problems with the intelligence. We are all, as a collective polity of the United States, trying to deal with ways to get better intelligence.

But it wasn't just weapons of mass destruction. He was also a place -- his territory was a place where terrorists were welcomed, where he paid suicide bombers to bomb Israel, where he had used Scuds against Israel in the past.

And so we knew what his intentions were in the region; where he had attacked his neighbors before and, in fact, tried to annex Kuwait; where we had gone to war against him twice in the past. It was the total picture, Senator, not just weapons of mass destruction, that caused us to decide that, post-September 11th, it was finally time to deal with Saddam Hussein.

SEN. BOXER: Well, you should read what we voted on when we voted to support the war, which I did not, but most of my colleagues did. It was WMD, period. That was the reason and the causation for that, you know, particular vote.

But, again, I just feel you quote President Bush when it suits you but you contradicted him when he said, "Yes, Saddam could have a nuclear weapon in less than a year." You go on television nine months later and said, "Nobody ever said it was" --

MS. RICE: Senator, that was just a question of pointing out to people that there was an uncertainty. No one was saying that he would have to have a weapon within a year for it to be worth it to go to war.

SEN. BOXER: Well, if you can't admit to this mistake, I hope that you'll --

MS. RICE: Senator, we can have this discussion in any way that you would like. But I really hope that you will refrain from impugning my integrity. Thank you very much.

SEN. BOXER: I'm not. I'm just quoting what you said. You contradicted the president and you contradicted yourself.

MS. RICE: Senator, I'm happy to continue the discussion, but I really hope that you will not imply that I take the truth lightly.

She's just quoting what you said, bimbo. Condi sounds like Bush now. Changes the subject to her character. blah blah blah.

Social Security

There is NO crisis

It's Soooo Cold on Lawn Guyland

Two people froze to death in New York City, God rest their souls. We're not really used to this sort of thing here although last winter was a doozy and very unusual. It's been a normal winter (40º's - 50º's.) here until now. Yesterday I rolled out of bed in the afternoon and then ventured out around 4:30 to buy doll parts for my "anima sola" collage. The thermometer in the car read 11º. Holy shit! No wonder my nasal passages froze up. It's supposed to snow an inch later on. Oh wait, it's snowing now. Living on the coast gives us a more moderate climate than inland areas in the northeast. It's warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Well it's supposed to be that way anyway. I can't wait for spring. I hear it's warm in Arizona now. Sure, when I was there I was wearing my parka.

Thursday Is "NOT ONE DAMN DIME DAY"

Remember--Thursday is "Not One Damn Dime Day!" There are also counter-inauguration rallies scheduled for Thursday. One is from 5 to 6 p.m. at the JC Nichols Fountain on the Plaza. It is free and open to the public. The other is at Bar Natasha, on Main Street. It is $15 and a fundraiser for NARAL. Please purchase tickets in advance so that you are not spending money on Thursday.

Please join this major boycott that will send a message around the world that Americans do actually care about things our president apparently does not comprehend.

Not One Damn Dime Day - Jan 20, 2005

Since our religious leaders will not speak out against the war in Iraq, since our political leaders don't have the moral courage to oppose it, Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is "Not One Damn Dime Day" in America.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending.

During "Not One! Damn Dime Day" please don't spend money. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases.
On "Not One Damn Dime Day," please boycott Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target... Please don't go to them or the local convenience store. Please don't buy any fast food (or any groceries at all for that matter). For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down.

The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal; that they are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is to remind them, too, that they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent the corporations and funnel cash into American politics.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is about supporting the troops. The politicians put the troops in harm's way. Now 1,360 brave young Americans and (some estimate) 100,000 Iraqis have died. The politicians owe our troops a plan - away to come home.

There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No left or right wing agenda to rant about. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" you take action by doing nothing. You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed. For 24 hours,nothing gets spent, not one damn dime, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people.

Please share this email with as many people as possible.

UPDATE: BARBARA BOXER: SIGN PETITION NOW

Dear Missouri Mule,

This morning I entered the Senate hearing room with a wonderful feeling, knowing that over 40,000 of you stood behind me as I sought to hold Condoleezza Rice accountable for her many actions leading up to the war in Iraq and beyond. I talked about your support during my opening statement. And knowing you were with me gave me the energy I needed to keep fighting for the truth.

I hope you had a chance to watch some of Condoleezza Rice's confirmation hearings today. Because if you did, I'm sure you'll share my feelings.

I'm disappointed and I'm frustrated, because I don't think Dr. Rice has been forthcoming in our quest for the truth. Time after time, Dr. Rice had the opportunity to set the record straight on many issues. And, on issue after issue, she failed to do so.

She failed to set the record straight on the hyped-up nuclear threat leading up to the war on Iraq; she failed to do it on the total number of trained Iraqi security forces, which is key to the Administration's exit strategy there; she failed to do it on her misstatements about Al Qaida operating in Iraq; and she failed to do it on the U.S. policy regarding torture. This last issue is the most troubling one, as it was clearly demonstrated that while Dr. Rice speaks out against torture, she actually personally intervened to kill an anti-torture provision in a recent intelligence bill.

So, I'm not going to back down -- I'm going to keep asking the tough questions, illuminating the many inconsistencies, falsehoods, and disturbing revelations in Dr. Rice's previous statements about Iraq, the war on terrorism, and the use of torture -- holding her accountable for the failures of our foreign policy.

Now, in these final hours before our committee votes on Condoleezza Rice's confirmation, you have one last opportunity to make your voice heard in this process. Demonstrate to Dr. Rice and the United States Senate your dissatisfaction with her lack of candor. Help me demand the truth and hold Condoleezza Rice accountable.

Tell your friends, family, and colleagues to sign my petition today -– in these final hours before the confirmation hearings conclude.

Thank you so much for standing with me in this fight for the truth. I can't tell you how much I value your friendship and support.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senator

Dear Missouri Mule

Barbara Boxer stood up for all Americans on January 6th. We at www.ContestTheVote.org feel we must do the same for her now. In that spirit, we forward this request to you: I hope that in the next few days, our petition signers will create a huge swell of activity regarding the misleading statements leading up to the Iraq war by Condoleezza Rice.

Please Sign Barbara Boxer's Petition calling on Condoleezza Rice to tell the truth about the war in Iraq and the fight against terrorism during her Senate confirmation hearings. Take Action

Senator Barbara Boxer intends to ask Condoleezza Rice some tough questions at her Senate confirmation hearing in the coming days -- questions the American people deserve to have answered:

* Why did the United States go to war in Iraq based on misleading -- if not false and fraudulent -- evidence?

* Why did we divert valuable resources and intelligence personnel to Iraq, taking them away from Afghanistan and the pursuit of Osama bin Laden?

* Why did Dr. Rice mislead the American people into thinking there was a connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaida before September 11th?

If you agree that we must hold Condoleezza Rice accountable for her decisions, I urge you to stand with Senator Boxer, myself, and millions of Americans.

Sign Senator Boxer's petition at the link below, so she can take your voice with her to the committee room and the floor of the Senate in the pursuit of the truth from Condoleezza Rice.

Take Action

Thank you

Chuck Lowery
www.ContestTheVote.org

I'm Not Hopeful About Anything Afterall

Bush won't rule out action against Iran
By Reuters | January 18, 2005 Via Boston Globe

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said yesterday he would not rule out military action against Iran if Tehran is not more forthcoming about its suspected nuclear weapons program.

"I hope we can solve it diplomatically, but I will never take any option off the table," Bush told NBC News, adding that he could act if Iran "continues to stonewall the international community about the existence of its nuclear weapons program."

Iran denies that it has been trying to make nuclear weapons.

Bush's comments followed Pentagon criticism yesterday of a published report that it was mounting reconnaissance missions in Iran to identify potential nuclear and other targets. Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita said Sunday's article in The New Yorker magazine was "so riddled with errors of fundamental fact that the credibility of his entire piece is destroyed."

The report said Bush authorized secret commando groups and other special-forces military units to conduct covert operations against suspected terrorist targets in as many as 10 nations in the Middle East and South Asia. DiRita and other Pentagon officials did not comment on whether military forces had been doing reconnaissance in Iran.

The New York Times reported today the Bush administration imposed penalties on eight Chinese firms it thinks aided Iran in improving ballistic missiles. The State Department did not name the technology allegedly exported. The firms are barred from doing business with the US government.
© Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.

Adults Only On This Ride

Queens are not interested in very young men. Even when we ourselves were very young, which we decidedly are no more, we preferred the charms of the older man. It's so odd that we are no longer numbered among the young. One minute, it seemed, we were young and cute, and the next thing we knew, we were all wedged up in from of a mirror pulling our faces up and back and wondering HOW MUCH IT WILL COST TO FIX THIS! We are on hundred percent in favor of fixing anything and everything by whatever means possible, and damn the expense.

I don't know when we crossed the line into ma'am-hood. I wasn't paying attention and never saw it coming. But now, whenever they hire new men in the weight room where we work out, they always call us "ma'am"---at least until we threaten to rip their tongues out and feed them to our cat. But, seeing as how they are so all-fired young and energetic we leave all our weights out for them to put away for us. We only want to be called "ma'am" if it is preceded with "wham bam" and a polite "thank you."

I don't feel like a ma'am. But apparently, I look like on, and that's worse. I totally agree with that guy who used to say, "It's better to look good than feel good." However, I know I would feel a whole lot better if I didn't look like Whodunit. All of a sudden, when I take my hair down, I don't look like a flower child anymore. I look like Loretta Lynn. This is not a good look------for Loretta or me. Not to mention that there are big streaks of gray everywhere in my hair, but the last time I checked, Loretta was still using boot-black on hers.

When we go out dancing, usually at Hal & Mal's, the crazy old ladies up front who dance every dance are US. We do take much pride and satisfaction in the fact that, old and crazy as we are, at least we're out there. We haven't relegated ourselves exclusively to the TV. And according to our exhaustive research, we can still out and definitely outlast any twenty-one-year-old in the place. We find our youthful sisters and brothers to be either hopeless weenie people who cannot hang or limp-dick dead people who will not hang. We're proud to be of the generation who knows there used to be two Allman brothers and the first time we saw them play, they were playing warm-up for a band called Pacific Gas and Electric. Yes, we're old and getting more so all the time. Try to imagine how little we care.

And as I said, we've always preferred the company of older men. One of the main attractions here is that we will always be young and cute to old guys. This is a big plus. As a general rule, older men have more money to spend---on sparkly things----for us. Our ideal man at this point would be around seventy. His cataracts should be almost totally opaque. Remember that TV show Moonlighting, with Cybill Shepherd? They shot the whole show normally, but whenever the camera was on her, it had a cheesecloth filter over it. She always looked a little hazy and back-lit----therefore, fabulous. That's how we look to old men with cataracts. Once he's paid for our plastic surgery, we'll allow him to get his cataracts removed.

We also love to talk to men at least our own age or older so we have a common view of the world based on common view of the world based on common experience----stuff to talk about. We've never understood the older-guy---practically teenage girl thing. We've tried. We've belabored the point with our friend Randy, who, while in his forties, was dating a girl who was still in high school. He and his date---or, as we liked to call her, his "little friend"---would be late to everything. Randy would explain that she had band practice. When she was out of earshot, watching Saved by the Bell or something, we would berate him endlessly. We demanded to know what they could possible talk about. When he wasn't immediately forthcoming with that info, we declared we could guess what they talked about, and we bet him a million dollars we'd be right, and we would know we'd hit it when we saw his face. "You talk about her hair and what happened on The Young and the Restless." Bingo. He had the decency to blush slightly.

There was much discussion about what a date would entail, since bars and some movies would be off limits. "Omigod! Randy! You have to go the MALL!" It took a while before he admitted it.

Her Dad did have the presence mind to voice some objections over this "relationship." The two of them---the dad and Randy, who graduated from high school the same year---met to discuss it man to man, over a beer. Somehow Randy convinced the Dad that this was a good thing for his baby girl. We gave up. If it was okay with the dad, we figured, what the hell.

We told him flat-out, though, that when summer rolled around and the Spice Girls were in concert, he was on his own; we were not going with them. Neither were we hosting a party to watch Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards Show. We predicted that when she got old---like when she had all her molars---he would dump her. Which, of course, he did. It took a couple of years for him to realize that he missed his Friday nights at the high school football stadium.

Tammy had to double-date one night with such a couple. Tammy said she tried to be nice to the girl and include her in the conversation, but within a five-minute span the young-ster disavowed any knowledge of the Vietnam War and did not know who Jackie Onassis was. That was the end of the conversation for Tammy.

Here's the deal. People in their twenties and thirties should date each other, as should people in their forties and fifties. The only acceptable exception to this precept would be if WE happen to be the younger women. Actually anything we do, anyone we want to go out with, is fine. We're only interested in passing judgment on the behavior of others. This is because we are so good at it, and we always want to excel.

I hereby forbid anyone to disagree with me. by the sweet potato queen----book of love

You Gotta Love New Yorkers

When Marco Sylla, a school security guard in a Brooklyn school, who is also in the reserves was called to active duty, the school's parent association decided he should have a lap top so he could keep in touch and also a fully loaded iPod. It was done. Then they decided he should have body armor. They raised another $2,300 for that.

"... (one parent said) “I am becoming a much greater expert on body armor than I ever anticipated. I can toss around acronyms like O.T.V. and sapi like a pro (almost)!” O.T.V. stands for Outer Tactical Vest. sapi stands for Small Arms Protective Inserts.

"Fuchs, meanwhile, has been getting advice from three relatives who have military experience. “I got a lot of detail about the difference between a body vest and a bulletproof vest,” she said. Her relatives recommended some accessories, too. “Protective gear for his ankles and knees, his wrists and elbows,” she said. “If you are engaging in conflict and you need extras, those are the extras.”

"For now, the parents are still awaiting Sylla’s measurements, and news of whether he will in fact be stationed in Iraq. If there’s any money left over, they plan to provide Sylla with various sundries: phone cards, deodorant, scorpion powder. “I hear that scorpion powder is important to have in Iraq!” Glant said. "

So How Many Troops Did Die For Nothin'?

I have read in many places that the figures are bogus. I read articles by Dahr Jamail way way back where he compared instances where he witnessed many troops killed and the official count being way off. It's no wonder that the photographing of caskets in Dover is prohibited. There are articles on the net about the thousands and thousands of injured troops arriving in Germany daily. Many of them die. One of our frequent commenters pointed out this post by Suburban Guerilla:

"These OFFICIAL figures indicate about 1,400 are dead and perhaps 4,000 wounded. Actually, and I have seen the figures from the Pentagon, over 8,000 are dead and over 15,000 are wounded , some maimed for life…blind, missing legs and arms or with the prospect of spending the rest of their young lives confined to a wheelchair in a Vets hospital with a permanent piss bag tied to a leg. This is the greatest secret and holds the greatest fear for the Bush people. If the public ever finds out the truth, they will lynch him and his fascist co-workers in about ten minutes.

"Already, parents are wondering why their son’s name is not on official lists and this number is growing every day. This is the real reason why Bush forbade any pictures being taken of arriving caskets at Dover. All even an idiot would have to do would be to count the daily supermarket checkout and the rat would be out of the bag. This nasty business has real legs and even the dullard Bush is terrified."

OPPOSE WAR-RACISM-POVERTY-BUSH

January 17th we honor and commemorate the life of Marin Luther King Jr.

If I have to listen to one more speech that ignores his final, greatest legacy---his quantum leap of associating racism with the United States Imperialism---I will scream the highest heaven. All those hypocrites who praise him death would be the first to stone him in life.

If he returned to us today, he would be re-crucified.

Let's not let this nation forget that it if Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today he'd be in jail.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"As long as there is at least one Republican on earth there will never be a need for Blonde Jokes." -- Alfred Joe's Boy from Lone Tree

Bush's Choice for Energy Czar is One of Texas's Worst Polluters

"In the bizarro world that President Bush lives in, it pays-literally-to be a miserable failure, a criminal and a corporate con man. Those are just some of the characteristics of the dastardly men and women who were tapped recently to fill the vacancies in Bush's second-term cabinet.

But one of the President's most outrageous decisions...has got to be choosing 66 year-old Sam Bodman to serve as Secretary of Energy. This is a guy who for a dozen years ran a Texas-based chemical company that spent years on the top five lists of the country's worst polluters."

Read more by Jason Leopold.

The Dumbest Things President Bush Said in 2004

10) "I want you to know. Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me." —Nashville, Tenn., May 27, 2004

9) "Then you wake up at the high school level and find out that the illiteracy level of our children are appalling." —Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2004

8) "Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 17, 2004

7) "I want to thank the astronauts who are with us, the courageous spacial entrepreneurs who set such a wonderful example for the young of our country." —Washington, D.C. Jan. 14, 2004

6) "We will make sure our troops have all that is necessary to complete their missions.
That's why I went to the Congress last September and proposed fundamental — supplemental funding, which is money for armor and body parts and ammunition and fuel." —Erie, Pa., Sept. 4, 2004

5) "After standing on the stage, after the debates, I made it very plain, we will not have an all-volunteer army. And yet, this week — we will have an all-volunteer army!" —Daytona Beach, Fla., Oct. 16, 2004

4) "Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a — you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004

3) "I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft." —second presidential debate, St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 8, 2004

2) "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." —Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

1) "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

Bitchin'

by pissed off patricia

Having been sans computer for a couple of weeks, I've had lots of time to accomplish some positive chores around the house. I've also had lots of time to think. (Yes, even southern blondes think! Okay, occasionally, when pressed to do so.)
Seems to me that the US has quietly handed the targets that our soldiers wore on their backs over to Iraqi soldiers and police. We are still losing soldiers, but the Iraqis are losing more each day. We call that winning.

There will be an election in Iraq and I guess we'll call that winning too even though everyone expects lives to be lost on this infamous election day. And the winner is? Who the hell knows? Is blood that has been shed in the name of democracy less red? Guess so.

I'm no election specialist or anything but I do wonder about such things as this Iraqi election. If it's going to be so damned deadly on election day, why couldn't all Iraqi's have absentee ballots? That way they could stay safely at home and take their time as they fill out their four-foot-long, thousands of names, ballot. That makes so much sense to me. Like I said, I’m no mental giant on this subject but I'm thinking about it. One other thought too. If we ban cars from the roads on election day, how do the Iraqi people get to the voting places? I'm betting not everyone lives within walking distance of their voting booth. Which would be riskier if you are worried about someone shooting you, walking down the street or driving? I would vote for driving so that if something does go wrong you could get the hell away, and fast.

According to Seymour Hersh, seems we have been snooping around in Iran. Please allow me a moment to snark like a banshee. What a great idea this snooping deal most surely has been. With our abundance of soldiers just hanging around idle, why not light a match in Iran? What our country needs right now is another gazillion dollar, deadly war. Hell, that's our trademark these days. We start a war in a distant country. We make a mess of everything. We fabricate a reason for starting a different war in a different country, and death goes on. We are war multi-taskers. Shoot 'em up, throw a couple of tons of money away and hit the trail for yet another country to "free". Coming to a country near you real soon, GW and his band of weary men.

See, I told you I had been thinking, and now you know some of what I've been thinking about. Being sans computer isn't always a real bad thing. At least I don't think so.

Morning After Pill

This pill could put a damper on the number of abortions in this country if it was available over the counter.

Oh wait. Here they come.

"It encourages risky sexual activity with the promise `just pop a pill in the morning and you don't need to worry about pregnancy,'" said Wendy Wright of Concerned Women of America, a conservative group that focuses on social issues.

"What we're concerned about is a number of young people who are not engaged in sexual activity who feel tremendous pressure, and this will only add to the pressure that is on them," Wright said.

We have a chance to reduce the amount of abortions and who comes out to oppose a possible solution? The anti-abortionists. They just don't want anyone to have sex. That is impossible.

Read the article

Poll: Americans Hopeful on 2nd Bush Term

That's the headline at Yahoo. So I read the story. It doesn't say what Americans are hopeful about though. "A majority of Americans say they feel hopeful about President Bush second term, but those hopes are clouded by doubts about when the bloodshed in Iraq will end. " So what does that mean? They are hopeful that the bloodshed will end but they don't know when? They are hopeful that the world will not end during bush's second term? I am hopeful that the world will not end during bush's second term too. I am hopeful that social security will stay the way it is now. If I were polled I would have said that I was hopeful too. If no one asked me exactly what I was hopeful about, then I would say I was hopeful. duh.

Seriously, this is what the article says, "Ahead of Bush's inauguration on Thursday, 60 percent of those asked said they were hopeful, compared to 39 percent who said they were not. Asked whether they were worried, 47 percent said yes and 53 percent said no. Most said they were neither angry nor excited about his final four years in office." The article then talks about economics and personal finances but not about hopefulness in that regard. Nothing about hopefulness regarding social security and tax reform. Nothing about gays. whew.

This is funny: "Almost two-thirds of those polled described Bush as likable, strong and intelligent. A majority said he is dependable and honest. " They obviously must have polled a lot of people in rural areas. Then they wrote this: " People were evenly split on whether Bush is arrogant — a divide that followed party lines." Oh they definitely polled a lot of people who live in rural areas cause they don't know what arrogant means. Oh wait, they polled a Dem from Atlanta who knows the score: ""What concerns me most is that he's doing everything that ought not to be done," said Ron Luckie, a Democrat from Atlanta. "If he's successful in everything he's attempting to do, it will not be good for our country." " You said a mouthful Ron.

Huge Protests in Russia Over Benefits

"Tens of thousands of pensioners took to the streets at the weekend throughout Russia to protest at changes to benefits, exposing President Vladimir Putin to the severest popular criticism since he took office five years ago."
That's the lead sentence from the Financial Times. Read the entire article here to find out what the Russians do when their form of Social Security is threatened. Most of us are aware of what occured in the Ukraine when crooked elections were suspected.

A typical American reaction: "How 'bout them Steelers and Patriots"?

Fuck the Future

That's what John Travolta as Tony Manero said in Saturday Night Fever.
Arianna Huffington has a neat column this week about this phenomenon. America, she says, is a bunch of Tony Maneros. Well that's because it's led by someone who puts corporations before individuals and it's easily done when you have 50 million Americans who believe that the rapture is near. You know you've probably thought a couple of times in your life that if you knew you were about to die, you'd max out your credit cards. That is what our administration appears to be doing.

From Arianna:

Take the jaw-dropping federal debt, which currently stands at $4.3 trillion. Just last month the Government Accountability Office released a report that found that Bush's economic policies "will result in massive fiscal pressures that, if not effectively addressed, could cripple the economy, threaten our national security, and adversely affect the quality of life of Americans in the future."

And what was the administration's reaction to this frightening assessment? Vice President Cheney shrugged, took a hearty swig of the End-Time Kool-Aid, and announced that the administration wants another round of tax cuts. Basically a big fuck you.

Then there's our trade deficit, which ballooned to a record $165 billion in the third quarter of 2004, when imports exceeded exports by 54 percent. Thanks to this imbalance, America is racking up a staggering $665 billion in additional foreign debt every year — that's $5,500 for every U.S. household — and placing our future economic security in the hands of others. Here is Bush's response to this daunting prospect: "People can buy more United States products if they're worried about the trade deficit." Sounds like he's really got it under control.

oy vay! This administration is busy helping corporations and it's up to the 'Murican people to figure out what to do about themselves says bush. Remember when bush told Woodward that he doesn't care about the future cause he'll be dead? That is a very NOT Christian way of thinking.

Wash Post Interviews Bush

Excerpts from The Sunday Washington Post that caught my discerning eye. heh

The Post: In Iraq, there's been a steady stream of surprises. We weren't welcomed as liberators, as Vice President Cheney had talked about. We haven't found the weapons of mass destruction as predicted. The postwar process hasn't gone as well as some had hoped. Why hasn't anyone been held accountable, either through firings or demotions, for what some people see as mistakes or misjudgments?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 election. And the American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and chose me, for which I'm grateful.

It's those damn American people's fault that no one was fired for fucking up this whole Iraq debacle! NOT

The Post: Why do you think [Osama] bin Laden has not been caught?
THE PRESIDENT: Because he's hiding.

Ha, good one Mr. President.

The Post: How concerned are you about the enormously high levels of anti-Americanism, particularly in the Muslim world? And is that an indication that somehow the terrorists are winning the hearts and minds of those people?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, it's interesting. The people of Afghanistan, which is a part of the Muslim world, are really happy that the government of the United States, along with others, liberated them from the Taliban. I suspect that people in the Muslim world, as we speak, are thrilled that supplies are being delivered by U.S. servicemen and women.
-snip-
I also believe that some of the decisions I've made up to now have affected our standing in parts of the world. I remember in the debates, somebody asked me about Europe. And I said, well, they wanted us to join the International Criminal Court, and I chose -- I said, that's not the right posture for the United States of America...
-snip-
I called Abu Amas the other day, and I told him I'm looking forward to seeing him again and working with him -- or Abu Mazen. So I believe that when it's all said and done, those in the Muslim world who long for peace will see that the policies of this government will lead to peace.

I have a sneaking feeling that Muslims wouldn't use the words "thrilled" or "really happy" when describing anything that the US has done. This part of bush's answer rang a bell, "those in the Muslim world who long for peace will see that the policies of this government will lead to peace." I am not of the mindset that bombing the shit out of others will lead to peace unless you bomb the majority of the people and the few remaining ones surrender. But I am blonde, so what do I know?

THE PRESIDENT: ... And to answer the disability insurance, we have no plans of cutting benefits at all for people with disabilities.
The Post: So they'll definitely remain untouched?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I said, we have no plans for cutting benefits.

yet.

The Post: Do you plan to expend any political capital to aggressively lobby senators for a gay marriage amendment?
THE PRESIDENT: You know, I think that the situation in the last session -- well, first of all, I do believe it's necessary; many in the Senate didn't, because they believe DOMA [the Defense of Marriage Act] will -- is in place, but -- they know DOMA is in place, and they're waiting to see whether or not DOMA will withstand a constitutional challenge.
The Post: Do you plan on trying to -- using the White House, using the bully pulpit, and trying to --
THE PRESIDENT: The point is, is that senators have made it clear that so long as DOMA is deemed constitutional, nothing will happen. I'd take their admonition seriously.
The Post: But until that changes, you want it?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, until that changes, nothing will happen in the Senate. Do you see what I'm saying?
The Post: Right.
THE PRESIDENT: The logic.

Did anyone get that? I didn't. What logic?

The Post: Will you talk to Senate Democrats about your privatization plan?
THE PRESIDENT: You mean, the personal savings accounts?
The Post: Yes, exactly. Scott has been --
THE PRESIDENT: We don't want to be editorializing, at least in the questions.
The Post: You used partial privatization yourself last year, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes?
The Post: Yes, three times in one sentence. We had to figure this out, because we're in an argument with the RNC [Republican National Committee] about how we should actually word this. [Post staff writer] Mike Allen, the industrious Mike Allen, found it.
THE PRESIDENT: Allen did what now?
The Post: You used partial privatization.
THE PRESIDENT: I did, personally?
The Post: Right.
THE PRESIDENT: When?
The Post: To describe it.
THE PRESIDENT: When, when was it?
The Post: Mike said it was right around the election.
THE PRESIDENT: Seriously?
The Post: It was right around the election. We'll send it over.
THE PRESIDENT: I'm surprised. Maybe I did. It's amazing what happens when you're tired. Anyway, your question was? I'm sorry for interrupting.

Wow talk about evading a question. Whew! It goes on. Watch this...

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I have talked to Senate Democrats, and I will continue to talk to Senate Democrats. And I'll continue --
The Post: Did you --
THE PRESIDENT: We had a meeting with -- I think before Christmas we had the leadership in, didn't we?
MS. DEVENISH [Nicolle Devenish, the White House communications director]: That was Republicans.

bwahahahahaha

MR. McCLELLAN: For Social Security?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
MR. McCLELLAN: The bipartisan meeting at the end of last year, toward the end of last year.
THE PRESIDENT: And before we went on the Christmas break?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: It was right after, I think Harry --[Senate Minority Leader] Harry Reid was there, I know for certain. I'm trying to remember -- I can't remember all who were there. But, yes, I have, and will continue to do so, and continue to speak to the people.
The Post: But you haven't reached out personally to [Senate Democrats] Ben Nelson or Mary Landrieu or [Joseph] Lieberman, people that seem open, at least to the idea, because so many Democrats say, no way.
THE PRESIDENT: I will. First step is to make sure people address -- are willing to address the problem.

Wasn't that hilarious? No, it was Republicans. That was a gem. I enjoyed the interview in it's entirety. Seriously.

Bitchin' Because I Couldn't for Two Weeks

by pissed off patricia

Did you hear that big crash two weeks ago? That was the sound of my computer going all to hell. It's a long way down to hell so that's why the crash sounded so loud.

As of right now (Saturday afternoon) things are good again but some things have changed. I lost many of my addresses in my email account files. So that's a major pain in the rear. Plus I have to redo all my settings, etc. What a royal pain. Lot's of different pains involved here. We still have no idea what caused all this mess but the good news is that it wasn't a virus or any of the usual suspects.

This is just a short note to let everyone know that I'm back up and running. I sure did miss you guys. I missed you so much.

I may write a bit more tomorrow and possibly Monday, but after that I will be out of town until next Sunday. Jeezzz, by then we'll all have to get acquainted all over again.

I Know You People Will Think I'm Making This Up.

The U.S. army considered building a “gay bomb”, which could make enemy troops “sexually irresistible” to each other, government papers say.
Other weapon plans that were never pursued include one that makes enemy soldiers identifiable by their bad breath.

Those are the lead sentences in an article at Aljazeera
What's Peter Jennings' comment? "It's Your Money".

Maybe the first step in the process was that undertaken at Abu Ghraib prison. You know: teaching Arab men to masturbate in public.

Headline should read: "Everything America Touches Turns To Shit".

LONDON, Jan. 15 (AP) - American-led troops using the ancient Iraqi city of Babylon as a base have damaged and contaminated artifacts dating back thousands of years in one of the world's most important archaeological sites, the British Museum said Saturday. Read more about it

From The Ohioans For Kerry Yahoo List:

From Dave Redemann:
My hometown "home boy" Ken Blackwell is running for Governor!

He is asking for donations; it would be a shame if he got a bunch of "empty envelopes." That would tie up a lot of time and help suppress his candidacy. I would feel awful about it. Now, PLEASE do not pass this address around the internet to pissed off people. I beg you, do not do that.

Ohioans For Ken Blackwell
ATTN: Ken Blackwell
829 Bethel Rd., Suite 316
Columbus, Ohio 43214

US Military Sees Its Tsunami Work Winding Down

That's the headline in Reuters. Read it as, "Gotta get back to the more profitable job of killing people instead of helping them to live".

a murder in the south

A woman in Alabama has been charged with capital murder for killing her 12 year old daughter. Police allege that the 12 year old told her mother that she was no longer a virgin. The mother allegedly poured bleach down the child's throat and then sat on her until she stopped breathing. The mother allegedly did this while her son, the child's brother, watched. She told him, according to the police, that if he cried, she would kill him, too.

Children do not belong to parents. They are individuals, not extentions of parent's bodies. It is a serious problem when children are engaged in sexual activity, but it doesn't justify abuse and murder. Is it any wonder why children don't tell their parents they are sexually active? Look what a request for help can do.

Why would the sexual activity of a child enrage her own mother to the point of murder? What is so valuable about the hymen that it drives such violence? The same rage that drives mothers to cut the clitoris from their own child's body in what uncomfortable people refer to as female circumcision? It is nothing more than female mutilation and spare me the lectures on the political correctness of dismissing it as mere cultural expressions. Why do people kill and violate each other over the power of the vagina? Why didn't her mother take her to the local clinic and work with her? It is probably just easier to kill her than talk to her.

Prisoner Abuse Soldier Guilty

...Graner's defense attorneys argued the images in the photographs were not as horrible as the prosecution made them out to be.

"It was done creatively -- mission accomplished," Womack said. "The crime," he said, is that someone leaked the photos to the media, "and now military intelligence says, 'We don't know anything about it.'" That claim of ignorance is "a lie." CNN

Low Expectations for Iraqi "Democratic" Election

"I would really encourage people not to focus on numbers, which in themselves don't have any meaning, but to look on the outcome and to look at the government that will be the product of the elections," a senior White House official said yesterday.

Just to let you know what we're dealing with here in Johnson County, Iowa:

From the Press-Citizen of 1/14/05:
(Headline above letter reads "Get over election loss, Democrats") "I have some advice for Terry Wahls ("Nov. 2 demands investigation,"Jan. 12) and others like him who believe that George W. Bush somehow stole the election: Get over it! Wahls is incorrect in his statement that the House Judiciary Committee is investigating "allegations" of electoral fraud. No such investigation is being done.
However, several members of Congress, led by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., have taken it upon themselves to conduct an "investigation" that so far has produced several "black helicopter" theories that Con-yers and others have at-tempted to pass off as the truth.
There is not one shred of credible evidence of any sort of election tampering, fraud, intimidation of voters or any other wrongdoing surrounding this election. Conyers and his followers can continue to be an em-barrassment to the Con-gress if they so choose; however, they only serve to do more harm than good to the Democratic Party as a whole. The Democratic Party would do well to distance itself from the kooks and paranoids within the party who somehow hold on to the fanciful notion the 2004 election was stolen from John Kerry.
In the meantime, Bush will be inaugurated for a second term. It's a time for looking forward for our country."
(signed) Todd Versteegh, co-chairman, Johnson County Republican Party, Iowa City

Peter of Lone Tree continues: When confronted by blind ignorance I often descend into inarticulate anger. I did after reading the above. After the feeling passed, I composed the following response to the editor of the Iowa City Press Citizen:
Subj: Letters: "Get over election loss, Democrats" by Todd Versteegh
Date: 1/14/05 1:32:05 PM Central Standard Time
From: PETEROFLONETREE
To: online@press-citizen.com

My first response on seeing the headline above was, "Thank God I'm not a Democrat for that means I don't have to "get over it". If I might quote Richard Johnson of Burlington: "By the way, the "get over it" line is straight from the GOP national party talking points memo. It was released shortly after the "hearings" were announced by the Democrats. What is fun is to watch how the phrase percolated through the lapdog media, led by Faux News as always. Within 3 days the phrase was being used by political commentators throughout the media."
By getting over it I presume Mr. Versteegh means Kerry's "loss". My opinion of the two major candidates can be summed up thusly: "There ain't a dime's worth of difference between them."--Waylon Jennings.
On to the important point. Quoting Mr. Versteegh: "There is not one shred of credible evidence of any sort of election tampering, fraud, intimidation of voters or any other wrongdoing surrounding this election." Well, here is the number of "hits" I received when I punched "Vote Fraud in (state)" into the Google Search Engine:
Ohio 705,000
New Mexico 480,000
Florida 712,000
Pennsylvania 396,000
Iowa 231,000
That's 2,500,000+ for just 5 states. Are we then supposed to believe that among these 2-1/2 million articles there is "not one shred of evidence"?
Okay, how about this a little closer to home?:
The Iowa City Press-Citizen edition of Wednesday, November 3, 2004 has the following voting results listed for Soil & Water Conservation Board:
58 of 58 precincts reporting
Peter Ryan Harty 18,026
Dave Parsons 19,000
Kelley Putman 21,034
Jane Lackender Wilson 22,066
Write-Ins 419

And this from Joy.Koch@ia.nacdnet.net in an e-mail dated 11/10/04:
"I spoke with Mike Sullivan of the Board of Supervisors office and the
following election results are final:

SOIL & WATER CONS. BD. (Vote for 3)
Janet Lackender Wilson 23,343 35.28%
Dave Parsons 22,162 33.49%
Kelley Putman 21,199 32.04%
Peter Ryan Harty 16,122 24.36%
Write-Ins 468 0.78%"

Wow! 1,904 votes lost in 7 days! I can only conclude that if the counting process had gone on for 60 days, I would have ended with a negative vote total. Which would have not done much for my self-esteem but the folks at Guinness might have been interested.
And in case anyone's wondering, I e-mailed Johnson Co. Auditor Tom Slockett on Nov. 5 wherein I asked the reasons for the fluctuating vote totals. He has yet to reply. (end of e-mail)

Finally, here's a note to Liz: I publicly apologize for ever telling a "blonde joke". In fact, I am recycling all my blonde jokes into...what else?...REPUBLICAN jokes.

The Most Prepared Woman the World Has Ever Known.

Always be Prepared

The very essence of creative preparedness is contained in the person of Curtisene Lloy, and for this reason she is the unchallenged winner of the Sweet Potato Queen's highest award: THE MOST PREPARED WOMAN THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN.
(Every word of the story I am about to tell you is true. It is authenticated in court documents.) Curtisene Lloyd is a mild-mannered,middle-aged, sweet-voiced little Sunday school teacher of a lady and a nurse. She lives, with her very old deaf aunt, in a nice house in a little town not far from Jackson, where she works at a large hospital.

February 1990. Late one night Curtisene awoke to discover a man in her bedroom. And he was definitely not there at her invitation. This intruder advised her of various and sundry obscene things he planned to do to her before he made up his mind whether or not he would kill her. "I might kill you," he said, "but I'm gone git me summa dis fust." And with that he removed all of his clothing and climbed up on the bed. He situated himself on the headboard somehow and began giving Curtisene some rather detailed instructions concerning the performance he expected from her.

Now, our Curtisene, she was paying real close attention. She had taken note right off that this guy did not have any sort of weapon with him. And then she did something that never in his worst nightmares had he dreamed she would do. She jist reached out and took aholt. She did. Our Curtisene grabbed a hold, and then she commenced to twisting. She got both hands on his merchandise, and she twisted---in opposite directions at the same time with as much force as she could muster.

apparently this was sufficient. Her attacker beat her 'bout the head and shoulders and struggled frantically to get free of this death grip, but Curtisene was on him like all those time-honored phrases you've heard all your life-----white on rice, duck on a June Bug, and so on.

So, still holding fast, she drags him, now sniveling and crying, through the house, where her little old deaf aunt is sleeping in peaceful oblivion. He's begging her to let go: "Let go and call the po-leeece! Just let go!" He's swearing he's dying.

"No, you ain't dying," she says back to him. "I'm trying to kill you, but you won't die."

He promises he'll leave if only she will, please God, let him go. "Fine," she says, "go on then. Leave." He's crying and saying he cain't and how can he when she won't let him go? To which our Curtisene casually replies, "You broke in, didn't ya, sumbitch? Break out!"

He is wailing to beat the band, and she is dragging him to the front door. She tells him there are three locks on the door that he'll have to open in order to make good his escape. He is pretty much a lifeless heap by now, except for the bawling. She hoists him up to open the first lock. He gets it open and falls back to the floor. "He was starting to wheeze a little by this time," Curtisene reported.

He's crying and saying how much she's got him suffering, to which she snappily replies, "How 'bout all that suffering you were fixin' to put on me?" She tells him he's got two more locks, if you please. She hoists him up, and he thinks he's out.

"Nope, The screen's latched," Curtisene tells him.

And up he goes again. And he's sure he's free now. At this point, she later confessed to the jury--in the shiest little voice you ever heard, like she was letting you in on a little secret--"I kinda worked on him a little bit." Meaning, if it had been possible to twist his genitalia completely off his body, she would have accomplished that feat at the end of her front porch.

And then she repeated to those assembled her final words to the man: "I'm takin' you to the end of the porch, and then I'm gon' go back in the house and get my gun, and I"m gon' blow your m-------f-------g head off, you slimey, stanking, low down piece of shit, you!" As she repeated those words, clear as a bell, in open court, you could feel, in every living soul in the open court, you could feel, in every living soul in that courtroom, an almost overwhelming desire to stand up and cheer.

What happened to the rapist wannabe? Well he limped off through the bushes, but he wasn't hard to for the police to find. Especially since he departed buck nekkid and left all his clothes in her bedroom---with his full name written on the labels inside. He was also pretty easy to spot in the lineup. He was the one who didn't stand up straight. He may never stand up straight again, actually. And don't you jist know he was a big man in jail, after the truth came out. Little-bitty Sunday school teacher jist waxed his ass.

Curtisene Lloyd did not get the standing ovation that her testimony so richly deserved ---courtroom decorum and all that ---but every single person in the courtroom that day went up to her afterward and said, "Miss Lloyd, I just what to shake your hand."

Curtisene Lloyd, my hero. I love this woman, the Most Prepared Woman the World Has Ever Known.

by the sweet potato queen book of love.

Trip Down Memory Lane

And who says there is a liberal media? Which media besides bloggers smelled a rat before the war? Who can show evidence? All media acted as mouthpieces for the Bushistas.


Statements by the Bush administration before and after the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 on Saddam Hussein's weapons programs:

BEFORE THE WAR

"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us." - Vice President Dick Cheney, Aug. 26, 2002.

"The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." National security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Sept. 8, 2002.

"After 11 years during which we have tried containment, sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more." - President Bush, Oct. 7, 2002.

"Saddam Hussein is a man who told the world he wouldn't have weapons of mass destruction, but he's got them." - Bush, Nov. 3, 2002.

"The gravity of this moment is matched by the gravity of the threat that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction pose to the world." - Secretary of State Colin Powell, Feb. 5, 2003.

---

AFTER THE WAR

"Although we have not found stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, we were right to go into Iraq. ... We removed a declared enemy of America who had the capability of producing weapons of mass murder." - Bush, July 12, 2004.

"We got it wrong. We have seen nothing to suggest that he had actual stockpiles." - Powell, Oct. 1, 2004.

"We were all unhappy that the intelligence was not as good as we had thought that it was. But the essential judgment was absolutely right. Saddam Hussein was a threat." - Rice, Oct. 3, 2004.

"It turns out that we have not found weapons of mass destruction. Why the intelligence proved wrong I'm not in a position to say, but the world is a lot better off with Saddam Hussein in jail." - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Oct. 4, 2004.

"He retained the knowledge, the materials, the means and the intent to produce weapons of mass destruction and he could have passed that knowledge on to our terrorist enemies." - Bush, Oct. 7, 2004.

"Based on what we know today, the president would have taken the same action because this is about protecting the American people." - White House press secretary Scott McClellan, on Wednesday. Associated Press

This is from my neck of the woods

Oy Vay.

"How do you tell when a lawyer is lying?" Harvey Kash, 69, of Bethpage, said to Carl Lanzisera, 65, of Huntington, as the queue wound into the court. "His lips are moving," they said in unison, completing one of what may be thousands of standard lawyer jokes.
But while that rib and several others on barristers got some giggles from the crowd, the attorney standing in line about five people ahead wasn't laughing.

" 'Shut up,' the man shouted," Lanzisera said. "'I'm a lawyer.'"

The attorney reported Kash and Lanzisera to court personnel, who arrested the men and charged them with engaging in disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

"They put the handcuffs on us, brought us into a room, frisked us, sat us down and checked our driver's licenses to see if there were any warrants out for our arrest," Lanzisera said yesterday. "They were very nasty, extremely nasty." Newsday

Wow. Since when have lawyers gotten so testy?
My daddy was a lawyer. He took lawyer jokes in stride. He'll I'm a blonde and I know all the blonde jokes. Imagine my getting someone arrested for telling blonde jokes? That could be a hate crime.

"All lawyers/blondes are assholes!" declared a man in a bar.
"I resent that!" someone replied.
"Why, are you a lawyer/blonde?"
"No, I'm an asshole!"

Chertoff: Bad News?

Richard Cranium at the All Spin Zone has been working hard connecting dots regarding Chertoff's shady past. Could he have been involved in a fringe terrorist network?

Remember the good old days

When Afghanistan was the training ground for "professionalized" terrorists?
Now Iraq is.
So says the National Intelligence Council, the CIA director's think tank.
Was that the plan?

Too bad we can't move there.

Tonight on the Science Channel at 9, we can witness the landing of a space probe on Saturn's moon, Titan and the first data transmissions back from the Huygens probe. Scientists hope Titan will to uncover geologic secrets of Earth's past. Read about Titan.

Don't Ya Love These Emails?

With Bodywrap at Home you can lose up to 20 inches in one hour!

We are so confident about Bodywrap here's our guarantee -

Lose at least 6-8 Inches of body fat in one hour - or your money back!

Bodywrap is a soothing formula that contours, cleanses and rejuvenates your body while reducing inches.

The Normalization of Horror

I couldn't have said it better than Ted Rall

We are so screwed.

GREAT THOUGHTS FROM MY CANDIDATE...

...IN THE CONTEST FOR UGLIEST WOMAN ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH:

"Why should we hear about body bags and deaths and how many, what day it's going to happen, and how many this or what do you suppose? Oh, I mean, it's, not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?" -- Barbara Pierce Bush

Self Improvement For Free

I found this on The Morning News.
Learn the Beatles Songs on the Ukelele. This is a wonderful site. It's so well done and you can actually learn how to play the songs on that old uke that's collecting dust. Even if you have no intention of bettering yourself for the new year you should check out the fine web design of this site. If you want to get a uke, you can get one here. My favorite ukes are the ones with pictures on them.

Dean for DNC Chair!

Long Suffering, Spud and I plan on going Saturday to attend the DNC Regional Caucuses, seeings how it will be in St. Louie, just bout six hours away. But first, this is bushie's base above, whom I must get past to make my way to St. Louie. Can you believe I have to live around this bunch and they wonder why this state is Red! I will be taking notes and reporting from the caucuses.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

People the world over are still just as rational as they always were. They buy what's cheap, regardless of whether or not the cheapest thing is the ethically best thing.

The same can be said, I would venture, for American politicians: the voters have bought the cheapest President they could find.

And just like most other cheapo-special stuff, this President comes without a warranty, an instruction manual, or a valid return address. -- The Dark Wraith

WMD Search Ends With Nothing Being Found -- The Scotsman

The above headline from Googlenews has me confused. I was under the impression that all the utterances from george bush were Words of Mass Deception.

Michael Chertoff is Bad for Homeland Security

"Michael Chertoff is not fit to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. While he has a good record as a prosecutor, he does not have as good a record on respecting and safeguarding civil rights and liberties. He is, by his own admission, an advocate of “streamlining” justice, a euphemism for setting aside troublesome things like due process of law." More:

Randy Thomasson Wakes Up

"I just read Kid Rock's sexually explicit lyrics and feel ashamed and dirty for even looking at his songs. If this sex-crazed animal, whose favorite word is the F-word, is allowed to sing at Bush's inauguration this will send a clear message to pro-family Americans that the Republican Party has taken them for a ride and ditched them in the gutter."

"Bush's FCC can take the F-word off TV and fine radio and television networks that cuss on the air and show indecency, and then have the most indecent, sexually explicit, anti-family white singer on the planet representing the second term of George W. Bush."
--Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign For Children And Families outraged that Kid Rock's performance at the Bush Twin's ball is "inconsistent" with the "moral values" message that was supposedly one of the reasons people voted for Bush's re-election.

Na Na Na.

THIS GUY WILL GIVE YOU THE STRAIGHT POOP. NATURALLY, YOU WON'T FIND HIM WRITING FOR AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS.

"Journalism yields a world of clichés but here, for once, the first cliché that comes to mind is true. Baghdad is a city of fear. Fearful Iraqis, fearful militiamen, fearful American soldiers, fearful journalists."

If you want to read some real news from inside Iraq, I offer you this from one of the finest journalists of our time, Robert Fisk.

It ain't torture. This is what we do in America if we're conservative. Duh.

"Don’t cheerleaders all over America form pyramids six to eight times a year. Is that torture?" said Guy Womack, Sergeant Graner’s lawyer, in opening arguments to the ten-member military jury at the reservist’s court martial. (link)

This idiot went to law school and that was the best argument he could come up with? Is he inferring that Muslims got naked and stacked themselves like pyramids to entertain our troops? Didn't he listen listen to rush and savage? It wasn't the Iraqi's who were practicing good old fashioned American homoerotic activities to relieve tension. It was our guys and gals. Sheesh.

"This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation and we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time. You know, these people are being fired at every day. I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release? You ever heard of need to blow some steam off?" (Lush Bimbo)

"I think it's a very good policy, and the more I learn about it I think that it made good sense. Short of real torture, this worked. Use little women in particular. Little, ugly women. And let 'em take big strapping Iraqis and put 'em on leashes naked. ... Get police dogs to bark at naked Iraqis, until they crack and tell you which Ahmed or... [unintelligible mocking of Arab names]" (Weiner/Savage)

UPDATE: On The Lighter Side: Cheerleading Pyramid Scandal
Members of a Texas high school cheerleading squad are facing possible suspensions after they disrobed and created a nude human pyramid during the half-time of a football game. Their lawyer says the girls shouldn't be punished for doing what cheerleaders do all the time.

Oh Dear, How Shall I Celebrate Inauguration Day?

But of course:
Not One Red Cent Day!
**********************************

Boycott Bush's inauguration by not spending any money on inauguration day!

Since our religious leaders will not speak out against the war in Iraq, since
our political leaders don't have the moral courage to oppose it, Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is 'Not One Red Cent Day' in America.

On 'Not One Red Cent Day' those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending.

During 'Not One Red Cent Day' please don't spend money, and don't use your credit card. Not one red cent for gasoline. Not one red cent for necessities or for impulse purchases. Nor toll/cab/bus or train ride money exchanges. Not one red cent for anything for 24 hours.

On 'Not One Red Cent Day,' please boycott Walmart, KMart and Target. Please don't go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please don't buy any fast food (or any groceries at all for that matter).

For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down. The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal; that they are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it.

'Not One Red Cent Day' is to remind them, too, that they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent the corporations and funnel cash into American politics.

'Not One Red Cent Day' is about supporting the troops. The politicians put the troops in harm's way. Now 1,200 brave young Americans and (some estimate) 100,000 Iraqis have died. The politicians owe our troops a plan -- a way to come home.

There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No left or right wing agenda to rant about. On 'Not One Red Cent Day' you take action by doing nothing. You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed.

For 24 hours, nothing gets spent, not one red cent, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people.

Please share this as an email with as many people as possible, and please express your opinion at www.NotOneRedCent.com .

Sex And The GOP

Sex is my favorite subject but I don't talk about it as much as a regular Republican. I'll be sure to become a Democrat as soon as Howard Dean becomes chairman of the DNC. Buzzflash has an editorial about sex today. It seems that most Republicans who are vocal about sex and morals are very full of shit. That doesn't surprise me at all. My mom always told me that those who brag about how good or moral they are are usually the ones who have the most to hide.

The Buzzflash editorial is worth reading as it has lots of links to the stories that prove that this isn't bullshit. Oh the adulters, the divorcees, the anti-gay gay people, the gamblers, the fornicators of underage girls, the kinky sex preachers. They left out Anton Scalia's comments that sex orgies relieve tension, Rush Limbaugh's comments about torture easing tension of our troops. They also left out the Catholic Church which condemns homosexuality yet you'd be hard pressed to find a young priest these days who isn't gay.

No one says that liberals are more virtuous than conservatives. It's just that conservatives pretend to be on the side of true morality and keep getting caught doing the opposite. It's the hypocrisy that gets my goat. If conservative mouthpieces would just shut the hell up, stay out of sexual issues completely, especially women's issues, no one would even give a shit what they do behind closed doors. But as long as they pretend to be virtuous, I have no problem when they are called out. I'm tired of reading how godless and unpure liberals in blue states are. In fact, red staters have the highest rates of teen pregnancies, abortions and divorces. So let's just cut the crap already conservative people and stop projecting.

Missouri Mule's Foal and Grandfoal

Us sinners start our youngin's early on the porn and publications with naked people in them .

The Ranch

By Missouri Mule

Some guy-type buddies of my youth lived for a time in a veritable garden spot that they lovingly, if misguidedly, referred to as The Ranch. If you've ever been to the Ozarks and taken a drive down a country road, you'd have spied out in the middle of a field an old abandoned shack. If you were somewhere in the south part of Springfield, Missouri, you may have seen the actual ranch. It was an absolute hovel. I have no idea if they even paid rent, there's an excellent chance they were merely squatting. However, back in the early 70's, it suited them just fine. They held huge wild parties, thinking themselves to be invisible out there in Podunk, as it were. I guess they didn't believe anybody would think it curious that there were a couple hundred cars parked around this shack in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway, a stranger came to their door one day. He was singularly unattractive--very little hair covering his hideous, sore-wracked skin, just generally ratty and nasty looking. But as is often said of the unbeautiful of the world, he had a great personality. He came to be known as "Funkdog," because he was, in fact, a dog, and he was really funky. He came around regularly, and the boys would feed him and talk to him, but no one could quite bring themselves to actually touch him. And so they started this thing of petting Funkdog with a small stick. He would come and sit a respectful distance, I guess knowing himself to be unclean, and eagerly await being petted and scratched with his stick. That image always just made me want to bawl, and now I think I know why.

I think Funkdog being petted with his stick is a perfect metaphor for what can happen to any of us in this life if we don't pay attention. In any area of our lives, things can go from great, to not so hot, to downright unspeakable, and do it so gradually that keep downshifting our current situation. We settle for less and less and tell ourselves. "It's not so bad" until finally one day we wake up and we are, in effect, hairless and scabby, just hoping to get petted with a stick for a little while. You can forget what it used to feel like to feel good about life, feeling rotten, or just a low-grade funk---seems normal and therefore acceptable. I just don't believe that that's the any of us should be petted, with sticks. If some area of your life sucks, do something else. Life is too short and too long, to spend it being miserable. Life may indeed be short, but is, for a fact, wide. It is high time we started settling for more.

Funkdog is Spud's great-great-great grandpa.

All government, of course, is against liberty

All government, of course, is against liberty. -- H. L. Mencken

It is seldom that liberty of any kinds is lost all at once. -- David Hume

Force, violence, pressure or compulsion with a view to conformity, are both uncivilized and undemocratic. -- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion. -- Edmund Burke

Freedom is not something that anybody can be given; freedom is something people take and people are as free as they want to be. -- James Baldwin ,Nobody Knows My Name (1961)

Put no constrictions on the people. Leave 'em ta Hell alone. -- Jimmie Durante

No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent. -- Abraham Lincoln

The history of Liberty is a history of the limitations of governmental power not the increase of it. -- Woodrow Wilson

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. --- Benjamin Franklin , Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.

Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. -- William Pitt , 18 Nov 1783

I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death. -- Patrick Henry to the Virginia Legislature, 1775

I believe that any man who takes the liberty of another into his keeping is bound to become a tyrant, and that any man who yields up his liberty, in however slight the measure, is bound to become a slave. -- H. L. Mencken

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. -- Thomas Jefferson

What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don't expect freedom to survive very long. -- Thomas Sowell

If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. -- George Orwell

A people who extend civil liberties only to preferred groups start down the path either to dictatorship of the right or the left. -- Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas

We love peace, but not peace at any price. There is a peace more destructive of the manhood of living man, than war is destructive to his body. Chains are worse than bayonets. -- Douglas Jerrold

He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression. -- Thomas Paine

You can protect your liberties in this world only by protecting the other man's freedom. You can be free only if I am free. -- Clarence Darrow

We can foresee a time when . . . the only people at liberty will be prison guards who will then have to lock up one another. -- Albert Camus

Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom. -- Albert Einstein

One does not encourage "responsibility" by forcibly restricting the range of people's authority over their own lives. -- Butler Shaffer

The right to be left alone is indeed the beginning of all freedoms. -- Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas

The only good Democrat...

...is a pissed off Democrat. Check it out at
Common Dreams

Signs of Fascism Regarding A Woman and Her Uterus

• #2. Disdain for the importance of human rights.
• #5. Rampant sexism.
• #12. Obsession with crime and punishment.

It's hard for me to even grope with this subject but I wanted it on the blog for the record. In case I suddenly drop dead from a heart attack/stroke/exploded brain or you hear that I've been taken away in a straight jacket by men with butterfly nets who drove up in a white truck, I want the blog to be a diary of things that could possibly drive a sane woman right over the edge.

Women, if you live in Virginia, you'd better get yer arses out there and protest, write letters, march in the streets, storm the local TV stations, storm the capital. You've been fucked over bigtime. Your state wants to keep a record of your miscarriages. If you don't report your private, sacred, sad moment of loss to the cops, whom I am sure will make you feel even more fucking worse than you already feel, you can get a fine and jailtime for failing to report it.

You see in a fascist dictatorship, women are nothing but breeders. Human rights are meaningless and the individual is but a taxpayer and a number. You thought your uterus was under attack before? Now even those women who want to have babies will be under the control of the government. Drastic action must be taken now.

UPDATE: The bill's been killed. I wrote a nasty letter anyway. This country is out of control. Totally out of control. The fact that anyone can even consider thinking about such a stupid law terrifies me. It seems that bloggers caught his attention. Good. Maybe this will send these assfarts a message. Stay the fuck out of my uterus, lawmakers.

This Just In:

From Wonkette:

Michael Moore's F-9/11 wins the People's Choice Award for best film.
Mel Gibson fans demand a recount. No kidding.

Here's Another One To Watch:

From Googlenews:
Federal Appeals Court Judge Michael Chertoff was named Tuesday as secretary of homeland security by President Bush.

Starting my study on this guy right now. In the meantime, y'all can catch Elaine Cassel's opinion of him at Counterpunch.org:

Among her comments: "What's so scary about Michael? Well, besides having no judicial experience and being a right-ring radical who does not believe in the Constitution and wants to rewrite federal law and rules of procedure on an ad hoc, case by case basis, as it suits him, nothing I guess."

Mule, gonna hitch you up to the wagon. Might need to haul away some of the dirt we dig up on this guy.

Skeletor to Replace Ridge

I fell asleep this morning watching CNN. I was all excited because that obnoxious guy on the morning show (with Soledad O'Brien and the cute guy with the glasses) read my email on the air. Woo hoo! I woke up while Wolfie was interviewing someone about the new nominee for Ministry of Fatherland Security. They showed his picture and I thought I was having a nightmare.
Skeletor!



Man, he would scare the bejebus out of any terrorist for sure. He must have superpowers or something to look like a skeleton and still be alive. But I digress.




I looked up his picture on yahoo news and there are a whole bunch of pics with bush looking at him in just the same way that bush looks at people through his squinty, former coke-head, deluded christian blood cult eyes. Check it out