You might be thinking, so what? Well there are about 66 million Catholics (24%) in the United States. Catholics are the largest religious denomination. There are more Protestants (52%) but Protestants are broken up into smaller denominations. Southern Baptists are the largest of the Protestant denominations and there are about 16 million of them. I've read that there are 40 million evangelical (Bible) Christians and I figure that the Baptists are part of that estimate. Catholic belief focuses on social justice issues just as much, if not more than pro-life issues. The right wing politicians have been courting the evangelicals and some US Bishops seem to be courting the right wing politicians if you've kept up with the news. You've read about some Bishops like Archbishop Burke and Bishop Sheridan who refuse to give communion to Kerry and any Catholics who support pro-choice politicians. This is NOT the official stand of the Catholic Church though.
The official Catholic stance is that it should be non-partisan when it comes to politics. It's also the law in the United States. The Vatican also knows and declares that communion should not be used as a sanction. American Bishops got together recently though and ended up agreeing to disagree however and decided that some Bishops will take a harsher stand in their diocese and tell their flock that they had better not vote for pro-choice politicians if they want to receive communion. If these Catholics are not made aware of the official Vatican stance, this could very well sway the vote towards Bush in those areas and this is a problem.. but then again, Catholics are not that stupid... I hope.
The official Vatican stance is that a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil only if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion. If a particular Catholic votes for a pro-choice democrat because this particular candidate is for universal health care, is anti-war, is for improving the schools and helping lift the poor out of oppression which are social issues that are in keeping with Christian values, then this is not against Church teaching at all. It's actually okay to Vote for Pro-Abortion Politician. Voting for Kerry in order to rid the United States of the evil Bush Administration is not against the Catholic Church. This proves that the Vatican is not stupid. The Pope knows that the Republicans pay lip service to the devoutly religious by being pro-life, anti-stem cell research and pro-family values while every single other issue is decidedly unChristian and possibly intrinsically evil.
The Catholic Church, or any church for that matter is not allowed to tell church goers who to vote for. It's illegal under IRS rules. (What 501(c)(3) Corporations can and cannot do in regard to political activity. very interesting.) Of course proclaiming that its church adherents must not vote for a pro-choice candidate leaves the members of the flock with only one choice since Democrats are the pro-choice party. This is a sneaky way of churchmen getting around the 501(c)(3) corporation restrictions.
Check this out from Nathan Newman, Senator Dick Durbin: Rating the Catholic Senators: "Kerry had the highest domestic rating of any Catholic Senator (95%)"
Here's the Catholic Bishops Faithful Citizenship Home Page.
Here's the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Home Page.
Wednesday, June 30
An Uzi Up Your Liberal Nose
The gun lobby can't wait to blow stuff away
Who cares if the assault-weapons ban is about to expire?
By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
"Machine guns. Aren't they just the cutest things?
And isn't it just so sweet and fall-down uproarious how the NRA and all its knuckle-draggin' right-wing pals in the U.S. Senate are all cheering right this minute, as the much-loathed 10-year-old ban on assault weapons, the one outlawing Uzis and TEC-9 semiautomatics and AK-47s and all other way-cool manly guns that have no other purpose in this world than to annihilate crap at 200 rounds per minute, is about to expire? "
Read the Whole Thing
Who cares if the assault-weapons ban is about to expire?
By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
"Machine guns. Aren't they just the cutest things?
And isn't it just so sweet and fall-down uproarious how the NRA and all its knuckle-draggin' right-wing pals in the U.S. Senate are all cheering right this minute, as the much-loathed 10-year-old ban on assault weapons, the one outlawing Uzis and TEC-9 semiautomatics and AK-47s and all other way-cool manly guns that have no other purpose in this world than to annihilate crap at 200 rounds per minute, is about to expire? "
Read the Whole Thing
Cheney Gets Bronx Cheer
The usual NY-Boston rivalry turned against a bigger villian Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium when Dick the "Prick" Cheney's face was shown on the big videoboard during the 7th inning stretch and the crowd went wild and booed him unmercifully so that they had to quickly switch to another shot... that didn't keep the Bronx crowd crowd quiet though.. they kept booing.
Cheney was sitting with Gov Pataki (boo) and former NYC Mayor Guiliani (boo). It's times like this that being a New Yorker makes me so proud, it brings tears to my eyes. The Yankees beat Boston 11-3, but most of all, the Yankee and Red Sox fans showed Cheney that this is NOT Cheney/Bush country. NY is not known for its impotence.
Cheney was sitting with Gov Pataki (boo) and former NYC Mayor Guiliani (boo). It's times like this that being a New Yorker makes me so proud, it brings tears to my eyes. The Yankees beat Boston 11-3, but most of all, the Yankee and Red Sox fans showed Cheney that this is NOT Cheney/Bush country. NY is not known for its impotence.
Tuesday, June 29
Instead of saying "Fuck"
You can say "Cheney"!
Go Cheney yourself!
Cheney you!
Cheney me!
I Cheneyed up
Wanna Cheney, baby?
He was a lousy Cheney.
I'd never Cheney him again.
Go Cheney yourself in the ass... sideways
We're Cheneyed in the ass.
He Cheneyed me good.
Cheney for a dollah, sailor?
Dick Cheney Cheneys goats
George Bush Cheneys Dick Cheneys ass.
isn't this fun?
you can beat spam filters now
beat the FCC
fight impotence.
Go Cheney yourself!
Cheney you!
Cheney me!
I Cheneyed up
Wanna Cheney, baby?
He was a lousy Cheney.
I'd never Cheney him again.
Go Cheney yourself in the ass... sideways
We're Cheneyed in the ass.
He Cheneyed me good.
Cheney for a dollah, sailor?
Dick Cheney Cheneys goats
George Bush Cheneys Dick Cheneys ass.
isn't this fun?
you can beat spam filters now
beat the FCC
fight impotence.
2006 Pentagon Budget as Sacrilege
"Indeed, Cheney belongs in Ripley’s Believe It or Not: he may be the first man who suffered several heart attacks and does not possess a heart. "
From Saul Landau: Counterpunch:
Bush Invests National Treasure in Death and Destruction
"Congress, following the President’slead, hardens the American heart by making weapons a priority over housing, health, education and jobs. The budget they pass each year awards billions to the swindlercorporations that produce the lethal instruments: General Dynamics, Lockheed and the other household names of mass weapons production. Think of the fortunes by the schnorrers who sold SDI to the late President Reagan! Or how Reagan took money from the hungry and homeless – “it’s their choice,” said Reagan – and handed it to the fakirs who pretended that could stop incoming missiles.
The Bush presidency has taken military spending (wasting) to new heights (depths). More frightening, a military culture has emerged that includes military language in everyday speech – yes sir. The military that carried low social prestige until World War II has become a highly respected institution. Its recruiters have become as ubiquitous on high school and college campuses as ivy on the walls. At graduation ceremonies, some high school administrators don military garb alongside those with traditional black robes. But, wait a minute! In a republic, a professional military merits minimal status. Indeed, republics need citizens’ militias, not standing armies at a time when a foreign state poses no immediate threat to US security.
Indeed, Vice President Dick Cheney, a warmonger, liar and draft dodger -- “I had better things to do” than serve in Vietnam -- represents the new heart of the nation. Without disclosing his evidence, he continues to insist that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and links to Al Qaeda and keeps secret his minutes – executive privilege -- with the dishonest Enron officials, one of whom laughs about overcharging "those poor grandmothers" in California. California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who will use such evidence on tape to prosecute Enron officials for rigging energy prices to bilk Californians, claims "this is further evidence of the arrogance that was so fundamental to the business practices of Enron and the other energy pirates who acted so rapaciously” (Business Report, 6/06/04).
For Cheney, rapaciousness is as American as apple pie. Indeed, Cheney belongs in Ripley’s Believe It or Not: he may be the first man who suffered several heart attacks and does not possess a heart. Cheney stands as an allegorical reference to the nation’s morality in the early 21st Century. "
Read the rest.It's good.
From Saul Landau: Counterpunch:
Bush Invests National Treasure in Death and Destruction
"Congress, following the President’slead, hardens the American heart by making weapons a priority over housing, health, education and jobs. The budget they pass each year awards billions to the swindlercorporations that produce the lethal instruments: General Dynamics, Lockheed and the other household names of mass weapons production. Think of the fortunes by the schnorrers who sold SDI to the late President Reagan! Or how Reagan took money from the hungry and homeless – “it’s their choice,” said Reagan – and handed it to the fakirs who pretended that could stop incoming missiles.
The Bush presidency has taken military spending (wasting) to new heights (depths). More frightening, a military culture has emerged that includes military language in everyday speech – yes sir. The military that carried low social prestige until World War II has become a highly respected institution. Its recruiters have become as ubiquitous on high school and college campuses as ivy on the walls. At graduation ceremonies, some high school administrators don military garb alongside those with traditional black robes. But, wait a minute! In a republic, a professional military merits minimal status. Indeed, republics need citizens’ militias, not standing armies at a time when a foreign state poses no immediate threat to US security.
Indeed, Vice President Dick Cheney, a warmonger, liar and draft dodger -- “I had better things to do” than serve in Vietnam -- represents the new heart of the nation. Without disclosing his evidence, he continues to insist that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and links to Al Qaeda and keeps secret his minutes – executive privilege -- with the dishonest Enron officials, one of whom laughs about overcharging "those poor grandmothers" in California. California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who will use such evidence on tape to prosecute Enron officials for rigging energy prices to bilk Californians, claims "this is further evidence of the arrogance that was so fundamental to the business practices of Enron and the other energy pirates who acted so rapaciously” (Business Report, 6/06/04).
For Cheney, rapaciousness is as American as apple pie. Indeed, Cheney belongs in Ripley’s Believe It or Not: he may be the first man who suffered several heart attacks and does not possess a heart. Cheney stands as an allegorical reference to the nation’s morality in the early 21st Century. "
Read the rest.It's good.
Uh Mr President You Aren't The Ruler of the United States
The preznit keeps forgetting that he was not elected but appointed and not only that, he is rather unsure of what the constitution says and what it means. He has little or no regard for history and has the manners and class of someone who was raised by animals. It's rather embarrassing when he goes overseas to represent us, wouldn't you say? eeek. (Even Nixon had class.) How many years would you say he set back our country?
And now the news...
NY Times: In Classic Check and Balance, Court Shows Bush It Also Has Wartime Powers: "It was Justice Robert H. Jackson who first noted 52 years ago this month, in another wartime election summer, that a president is not commander in chief of the country, only of the military. Justice Jackson wrote that in his concurring opinion overturning Harry S. Truman's seizure of the American steel industry during the Korean war, and Justice David H. Souter cited those words approvingly in his concurrence on Monday."
And you don't rule Europe either!
Guardian Unlimited: Angry Chirac puts Bush in his place: "Jacques Chirac bluntly told George Bush to mind his own business yesterday when the US president urged European leaders to give Turkey a firm date for starting EU membership talks later this year.
Ignoring the determined effort to celebrate improved transatlantic relations after the Iraq crisis, the French president publicly rebuked Mr Bush at Nato's Istanbul summit for calling for special treatment for the Turks."
And now the news...
NY Times: In Classic Check and Balance, Court Shows Bush It Also Has Wartime Powers: "It was Justice Robert H. Jackson who first noted 52 years ago this month, in another wartime election summer, that a president is not commander in chief of the country, only of the military. Justice Jackson wrote that in his concurring opinion overturning Harry S. Truman's seizure of the American steel industry during the Korean war, and Justice David H. Souter cited those words approvingly in his concurrence on Monday."
And you don't rule Europe either!
Guardian Unlimited: Angry Chirac puts Bush in his place: "Jacques Chirac bluntly told George Bush to mind his own business yesterday when the US president urged European leaders to give Turkey a firm date for starting EU membership talks later this year.
Ignoring the determined effort to celebrate improved transatlantic relations after the Iraq crisis, the French president publicly rebuked Mr Bush at Nato's Istanbul summit for calling for special treatment for the Turks."
Monday, June 28
Reflection on Fahrenheit 9/11
I didn't want to be right about what has happened since 9/11. I wanted to be proven wrong and I would actually have felt relieved. Seriously. I understand why there are people out there slamming F9/11 because they don't want to be wrong. It sucks to find out you were wrong. It's so odd that those of us who know the truth wish we were wrong and those who believe the lies are afraid to face it.
When all the truth comes out, yeah, I'll be vindicated... but big deal. This isn't the kind of stuff that you want to be right about. It only makes you feel worse.
Fahrenheit 9/11 connected dots I didn't want to connect willfully. I tried not to think of it but the dots kept creeping back. I wanted the USA to be the greatest country in the world and the country that was revered by all the world. I just wish that those who fear reality will find the strength to join the rest of us. We will welcome them and then we will all do what needs to be done. Together.
"If America ever passes out as a great nation, we ought to put on our tombstone: America died from a delusion she had Moral Leadership." ~Will Rogers
When all the truth comes out, yeah, I'll be vindicated... but big deal. This isn't the kind of stuff that you want to be right about. It only makes you feel worse.
Fahrenheit 9/11 connected dots I didn't want to connect willfully. I tried not to think of it but the dots kept creeping back. I wanted the USA to be the greatest country in the world and the country that was revered by all the world. I just wish that those who fear reality will find the strength to join the rest of us. We will welcome them and then we will all do what needs to be done. Together.
"If America ever passes out as a great nation, we ought to put on our tombstone: America died from a delusion she had Moral Leadership." ~Will Rogers
"Defense of Marriage Act"- Defending what?
A BlondeSense Commentary:
Why do they call it the "Defense of Marriage Act"? Supposedly the "Defense of Marriage Act" is to reaffirm traditional marriage: one man and one woman. It says so in the Bible so it must be true. The Marriage Nazi's say that allowing gay people to marry is very dangerous to "THE CHILDREN".
The president said:
"And the preservation of marriage rises to this level of national importance. The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution, honoring -- honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society. Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society. "-President Calls for Constitutional Amendment Protecting Marriage
Traditional marriage is also detrimental to "THE CHILDREN". It also reflects the INSTABILITY of society because you have so many people running around getting married, divorced and remarried. If you look at some statistics that I dug up earlier, it looks to me like the people who are pushing for this "Defense of Marriage Act" are likely to have been divorced, are looking to get divorced or really unhappy in their marriages and wish they were divorced.
Why do they want to deprive gay people of such bliss? she asked snarkily
I have posted the whole article complete with statistics on this page. It shows that the very same people who are pushing for this constitutional amendment statistically fall into the same category as those who are serial monogamists. These are people who get divorced and remarried the most. These folks just happen to be conservative Christians. According to their Lord and Savior, divorced and remarried people are committing adultery. Adultery as a sin falls into the same category as homosexuality in the Bible. Blondesense connects the dots.
Why do they call it the "Defense of Marriage Act"? Supposedly the "Defense of Marriage Act" is to reaffirm traditional marriage: one man and one woman. It says so in the Bible so it must be true. The Marriage Nazi's say that allowing gay people to marry is very dangerous to "THE CHILDREN".
The president said:
"And the preservation of marriage rises to this level of national importance. The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution, honoring -- honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society. Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society. "-President Calls for Constitutional Amendment Protecting Marriage
Traditional marriage is also detrimental to "THE CHILDREN". It also reflects the INSTABILITY of society because you have so many people running around getting married, divorced and remarried. If you look at some statistics that I dug up earlier, it looks to me like the people who are pushing for this "Defense of Marriage Act" are likely to have been divorced, are looking to get divorced or really unhappy in their marriages and wish they were divorced.
Why do they want to deprive gay people of such bliss? she asked snarkily
I have posted the whole article complete with statistics on this page. It shows that the very same people who are pushing for this constitutional amendment statistically fall into the same category as those who are serial monogamists. These are people who get divorced and remarried the most. These folks just happen to be conservative Christians. According to their Lord and Savior, divorced and remarried people are committing adultery. Adultery as a sin falls into the same category as homosexuality in the Bible. Blondesense connects the dots.
Proof that the June 30th Iraq Handover will be a FARCE.
Take Back The Media: "U.S. Immunity in Iraq Will Go Beyond June 30th
"The Bush administration has decided to take the unusual step of bestowing on its own troops and personnel immunity from prosecution by Iraqi courts for killing Iraqis or destroying local property after the occupation ends and political power is transferred to an interim Iraqi government, U.S. officials said.
"The administration plans to accomplish that step -- which would bypass the most contentious remaining issue before the transfer of power -- by extending an order that has been in place during the year-long occupation of Iraq. Order 17 gives all foreign personnel in the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority immunity from 'local criminal, civil and administrative jurisdiction and from any form of arrest or detention other than by persons acting on behalf of their parent states.' "
Why do Arabs hate America?
"The Bush administration has decided to take the unusual step of bestowing on its own troops and personnel immunity from prosecution by Iraqi courts for killing Iraqis or destroying local property after the occupation ends and political power is transferred to an interim Iraqi government, U.S. officials said.
"The administration plans to accomplish that step -- which would bypass the most contentious remaining issue before the transfer of power -- by extending an order that has been in place during the year-long occupation of Iraq. Order 17 gives all foreign personnel in the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority immunity from 'local criminal, civil and administrative jurisdiction and from any form of arrest or detention other than by persons acting on behalf of their parent states.' "
Why do Arabs hate America?
Billions of Iraqi Funds Missing
Billions of Iraqi Funds Missing: "LONDON (AP) - Billions of dollars belonging to Iraq is not accounted for by the Coalition Provisional Authority, which was given responsibility by the United Nations for the country's finances, British lawmakers and aid activists said Monday.
There are glaring gaps in the handling of $20 billion generated by Iraq's oil and other sources since the U.S.-led war to oust Saddam Hussein ended last year, according to reports from the Liberal Democrats, Britain's third-largest political party, and Christian Aid.
The Christian Aid report also said the majority of Iraq's reconstruction projects have been awarded to U.S. companies, which charge up to 10 times more than Iraqi firms.
There was no immediate reaction from coalition officials to the reports. "
There are glaring gaps in the handling of $20 billion generated by Iraq's oil and other sources since the U.S.-led war to oust Saddam Hussein ended last year, according to reports from the Liberal Democrats, Britain's third-largest political party, and Christian Aid.
The Christian Aid report also said the majority of Iraq's reconstruction projects have been awarded to U.S. companies, which charge up to 10 times more than Iraqi firms.
There was no immediate reaction from coalition officials to the reports. "
It's Fahrenheit 911 on Long Island
Newsday'Fahrenheit 9/11' stirs emotions on LI:: "A sure-footed Republican and self-described 'ardent Bush-Cheney supporter,' Alan Wilenski found none of his other right-leaning friends and family willing to go along with his Sunday afternoon plans.
"But the Alan Wilenski who stepped out of the Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas yesterday afternoon, after the 12:40 showing of 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' was a different man. Hands in pockets, his expression contemplative, he left with more than a new perspective. He left with three more tickets to a later showing of Michael Moore's politically combustible documentary criticizing the Bush administration and the war in Iraq."
It was pretty amazing to see this story right inside the cover of today's Newsday. Long Island is a Republican stronghold. I didn't see any radical looking people on line to see the movie on Saturday either. Everyone looks like a Republican on Long Island.
"F911" also was the number 1 movie in America this weekend. I was checking out statistics, because I am a nerd, and I noticed that "White Chicks" (which looks pretty funny) was number 2.
I also noticed that "F911" only opened in 868 theaters while "White Chicks" opened in 2,726 theaters. "Dodgeball" the third place movie opened in 3,020 theaters.
Now that is an accomplishment. Most people don't even rush to see a movie the weekend it comes out because they figure there will be crowds. I am anxious to see how the movie does in coming weeks.
I'm sure we'll be hearing about all the lies in the movie too. Newsday has an article written by some guy who thinks the whole thing is a lie. He probably didn't even see it. heh. The most ardent critics of the movie that I have met, didn't even see it and don't want to. That's just plain dumb. It shows you the kind of people who support Bush.
"But the Alan Wilenski who stepped out of the Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas yesterday afternoon, after the 12:40 showing of 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' was a different man. Hands in pockets, his expression contemplative, he left with more than a new perspective. He left with three more tickets to a later showing of Michael Moore's politically combustible documentary criticizing the Bush administration and the war in Iraq."
It was pretty amazing to see this story right inside the cover of today's Newsday. Long Island is a Republican stronghold. I didn't see any radical looking people on line to see the movie on Saturday either. Everyone looks like a Republican on Long Island.
"F911" also was the number 1 movie in America this weekend. I was checking out statistics, because I am a nerd, and I noticed that "White Chicks" (which looks pretty funny) was number 2.
I also noticed that "F911" only opened in 868 theaters while "White Chicks" opened in 2,726 theaters. "Dodgeball" the third place movie opened in 3,020 theaters.
Now that is an accomplishment. Most people don't even rush to see a movie the weekend it comes out because they figure there will be crowds. I am anxious to see how the movie does in coming weeks.
I'm sure we'll be hearing about all the lies in the movie too. Newsday has an article written by some guy who thinks the whole thing is a lie. He probably didn't even see it. heh. The most ardent critics of the movie that I have met, didn't even see it and don't want to. That's just plain dumb. It shows you the kind of people who support Bush.
Odd News Du Jour
BBC: Iranian woman 'gives birth to frog': "An Iranian newspaper has reported the controversial story of a woman who claims to have given birth to a frog.
The Iranian daily Etemaad says the creature is believed to have grown from larva to an adult frog inside her body.
While it is unclear how this could have happened, the paper carries quotes from medical experts who say there are human characteristics to the animal.
The 'so-called frog', as the newspaper puts it, has yet to undergo precise genetic and anatomic tests.
But it quotes clinical biology expert Dr Aminifard as saying: 'The similarities are in appearance, the shape of the fingers and the size and shape of the tongue.' "
I wanna see pictures!
The Iranian daily Etemaad says the creature is believed to have grown from larva to an adult frog inside her body.
While it is unclear how this could have happened, the paper carries quotes from medical experts who say there are human characteristics to the animal.
The 'so-called frog', as the newspaper puts it, has yet to undergo precise genetic and anatomic tests.
But it quotes clinical biology expert Dr Aminifard as saying: 'The similarities are in appearance, the shape of the fingers and the size and shape of the tongue.' "
I wanna see pictures!
Sex Pros On Hand For RNC
New York Daily News: Sex pros get ready for party: "With thousands of Republicans set to invade the city this summer, high-priced escorts and strippers are preparing for one grand old party.
Agencies are flying in extra call girls from around the globe to meet the expected demand during the Aug. 30-Sept. 2 gathering at Madison Square Garden.
'We have girls from London, Seattle, California, all coming in for that week,' said a madam at a Manhattan escort service. 'It's the week everyone wants to work.'
'It's going to be big,' agreed one operator at a midtown escort service.
Charging from $300 to upwards of $1,000 for an hour of companionship and a whole lot more, escorts said they can always count on conventioneers for big business.
...
Political conventions have long been a boon for the sex industry"
Oh my gawd, we sooooo need a documentary film maker in NYC for this. Who wants to do it? Write to me.
Agencies are flying in extra call girls from around the globe to meet the expected demand during the Aug. 30-Sept. 2 gathering at Madison Square Garden.
'We have girls from London, Seattle, California, all coming in for that week,' said a madam at a Manhattan escort service. 'It's the week everyone wants to work.'
'It's going to be big,' agreed one operator at a midtown escort service.
Charging from $300 to upwards of $1,000 for an hour of companionship and a whole lot more, escorts said they can always count on conventioneers for big business.
...
Political conventions have long been a boon for the sex industry"
Oh my gawd, we sooooo need a documentary film maker in NYC for this. Who wants to do it? Write to me.
A Guide to the Memos on Torture
The New York Times: A Guide to the Memos on Torture:
The New York Times, Newsweek, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal have disclosed memorandums that show a pattern in which Bush administration lawyers set about devising arguments to avoid constraints against mistreatment and torture of detainees. Administration officials responded by releasing hundreds of pages of previously classified documents related to the development of a policy on detainees."
The New York Times, Newsweek, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal have disclosed memorandums that show a pattern in which Bush administration lawyers set about devising arguments to avoid constraints against mistreatment and torture of detainees. Administration officials responded by releasing hundreds of pages of previously classified documents related to the development of a policy on detainees."
Whistle Blower in 9/11 Case Gets Some Support
I wrote previously about Sibel Edmonds a former FBI translator that was ordered to shut up after she appeared on 60 minutes on October 27, 2002. During the 9/11 commission hearings in March, Edmonds said "that the bureau had "real, specific" information relating to the Sept. 11 attacks before they happened." Her testimony to the 9/11 Commission was kept private.
In her review, Edmonds said the documents clearly showed that the Sept. 11 hijackers were in the country and plotting to use airplanes as missiles. The documents also included information relating to their financial activities. Edmonds said she could not comment in detail because she has been under a Justice Department gag order since October 2002.
Even those in congress sought to keep her quiet. Why? She testified before congress and they got mad at her. The Motley Rice law firm is representing the families of the 9/11 victims and wants Edmonds testimony.
I wrote on May 20th about the Justice Dept coverup. The Justice Department had retroactively classified information it gave to Congress nearly two years ago regarding Sibel Edmond's testimony. It's unheard of to Retroactively classify documents!
Edmonds is not allowed to testify in any case because the government quickly got Bush-appointed Judge Reggie B. Walton to attempt to permanently silence Sibel Edmonds.
Well now, the Project On Government Oversight , POGO, is suing Ashcroft and the DOJ because they can't oversee the DOJ's actions due to the retroactively classifying important documents which is unconstitutional and unlawful. This case will probably go before, you guessed it, Judge Reggie B. Walton.
POGO claims: "This information was presented by the FBI during two unclassified 2002 briefings held by the Senate Judiciary Committee and was referenced in letters from U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) to DOJ officials. The letters were posted on the senators' Web sites, but were removed after the DOJ reclassified the information. POGO has the letters and wants to post them on the Web to initiate public debate."
Until Sibel Edmond's testimony is revealed as the whistle-blower testimony needed to unveil the secrecy behind what really happened on 9/11, the 9/11 Commissions findings will not prove very much of anything. The few congressman who support Edmonds are being silenced. What's going on?
Why does John Ashcroft hate America?
In her review, Edmonds said the documents clearly showed that the Sept. 11 hijackers were in the country and plotting to use airplanes as missiles. The documents also included information relating to their financial activities. Edmonds said she could not comment in detail because she has been under a Justice Department gag order since October 2002.
Even those in congress sought to keep her quiet. Why? She testified before congress and they got mad at her. The Motley Rice law firm is representing the families of the 9/11 victims and wants Edmonds testimony.
I wrote on May 20th about the Justice Dept coverup. The Justice Department had retroactively classified information it gave to Congress nearly two years ago regarding Sibel Edmond's testimony. It's unheard of to Retroactively classify documents!
Edmonds is not allowed to testify in any case because the government quickly got Bush-appointed Judge Reggie B. Walton to attempt to permanently silence Sibel Edmonds.
Well now, the Project On Government Oversight , POGO, is suing Ashcroft and the DOJ because they can't oversee the DOJ's actions due to the retroactively classifying important documents which is unconstitutional and unlawful. This case will probably go before, you guessed it, Judge Reggie B. Walton.
POGO claims: "This information was presented by the FBI during two unclassified 2002 briefings held by the Senate Judiciary Committee and was referenced in letters from U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) to DOJ officials. The letters were posted on the senators' Web sites, but were removed after the DOJ reclassified the information. POGO has the letters and wants to post them on the Web to initiate public debate."
Until Sibel Edmond's testimony is revealed as the whistle-blower testimony needed to unveil the secrecy behind what really happened on 9/11, the 9/11 Commissions findings will not prove very much of anything. The few congressman who support Edmonds are being silenced. What's going on?
Why does John Ashcroft hate America?
Sunday, June 27
Bush Backs Condom Use to Prevent Spread of AIDS
The United States was ushered into the twentieth century on June 24th, 2004. Yes I meant the twentieth century. Thanks to the foreward thinking country of Uganda, Mr. Bush said that we in the United States should 'learn from the experience' of countries like Uganda in fighting AIDS and embrace the use of condoms to prevent its spread.
"We can learn from the experiences of other countries when it comes to a good program to prevent the spread of AIDS, like the nation of Uganda," Mr. Bush said. "They've started what they call the A.B.C. approach to prevention of this deadly disease. That stands for: Abstain, be faithful in marriage, and, when appropriate, use condoms."
Mr. Bush was perturbed by the Reagan Family's blast against him for not backing stem cell research. Bush decided it was high time to retaliate and do something Reagan wouldn't do... pay attention to the AIDS crisis. While backing condoms may help prevent the spread of AIDS, activists feel that the government has done too little. The administration promised $20 million for a program to obtain drugs for AIDS patients in 10 states that lack money for therapy. Activists say that the admininistration wastes taxpayer money on expensive drugs produced by powerful pharmaceutical lobbies and the money will be spent too fast.
What else is new?
"We can learn from the experiences of other countries when it comes to a good program to prevent the spread of AIDS, like the nation of Uganda," Mr. Bush said. "They've started what they call the A.B.C. approach to prevention of this deadly disease. That stands for: Abstain, be faithful in marriage, and, when appropriate, use condoms."
Mr. Bush was perturbed by the Reagan Family's blast against him for not backing stem cell research. Bush decided it was high time to retaliate and do something Reagan wouldn't do... pay attention to the AIDS crisis. While backing condoms may help prevent the spread of AIDS, activists feel that the government has done too little. The administration promised $20 million for a program to obtain drugs for AIDS patients in 10 states that lack money for therapy. Activists say that the admininistration wastes taxpayer money on expensive drugs produced by powerful pharmaceutical lobbies and the money will be spent too fast.
What else is new?
Bush vs. A Real Journalist
Wow! Bush met a real journalist from Ireland in the White House for an interview before he headed to Ireland. Here's the interview in MP3: Carole Coleman Interview With George Bush MP3
in case you haven't heard the whole thing. It reminds me of when American so called "journalists" used to ask President Clinton pressing questions about his sex life. Oh wait, they still do!
Then Bush went to Ireland and they were considerably less than pleased to see him.
in case you haven't heard the whole thing. It reminds me of when American so called "journalists" used to ask President Clinton pressing questions about his sex life. Oh wait, they still do!
Then Bush went to Ireland and they were considerably less than pleased to see him.
Fahrenheit 9/11: Why Does Bush Hate America?
Saw the movie. Wow. If you haven't seen it yet, you definitely should. I was particularly perturbed by the 2000 stolen election by Bush and the aid from his brother. What really freaked me out was that no one and I mean no one tried to stop it. Not even the Dems. Wonder why they didn't want Gore to be President?
A lot of readers of this blog would agree that Bush's agenda in the middle east has to do with money, power, greed and most of all, OIL. We've been saying it all along and have been told we were delusional or crazy. The movie exonerates us and gives us even more dots to connect.
The crowd in the theater I attended was a mixed crowd of all ages. Plenty of older people were there. There wasn't too much laughter during the movie. It was too serious a movie to even laugh when there was so much tragedy and so much deception. The contempt of America by George Bush and his oil cronies is overwhelmingly horrifying.
A lot of readers of this blog would agree that Bush's agenda in the middle east has to do with money, power, greed and most of all, OIL. We've been saying it all along and have been told we were delusional or crazy. The movie exonerates us and gives us even more dots to connect.
The crowd in the theater I attended was a mixed crowd of all ages. Plenty of older people were there. There wasn't too much laughter during the movie. It was too serious a movie to even laugh when there was so much tragedy and so much deception. The contempt of America by George Bush and his oil cronies is overwhelmingly horrifying.
Here are some links I have kicking around in my Bookmarks: (I don't necessarily agree with everything in every article. You don't have to either.)
Bush at Booker Elementary School on 9/11 - THE VIDEO This has been kicking around the internet for years. It's in the movie.
5-Minute Video of George W. Bush on the Morning of 9/11 Another one.
Bush reveals first thought: There's one terrible pilot: "'I saw an airplane hit the tower - the TV was obviously on - and I used to fly myself, and I said, 'There's one terrible pilot.' And I said, 'It must have been a horrible accident.'' "
Congress Not Advised Of Shadow Government March 2, 2002: "Key congressional leaders said yesterday the White House did not tell them that President Bush has moved a cadre of senior civilian managers to secret underground sites outside Washington to ensure that the federal government could survive a devastating terrorist attack on the nation's capital. "
WAPO:FBI Knew Terrorists Were Using Flight Schools : "Sunday, September 23, 2001- Federal authorities have been aware for years that suspected terrorists with ties to Osama bin Laden were receiving flight training at schools in the United States and abroad, according to interviews and court testimony. "
... A senior government official yesterday acknowledged law enforcement officials were aware that fewer than a dozen people with links to bin Laden had attended U.S. flight schools. However, the official said there was no information to indicate the flight students had been planning suicide hijacking attacks."
The White Van: Were Israelis Detained on Sept. 11 Spies?: "According to Cannistraro, many people in the U.S. intelligence community believed that some of the men arrested were working for Israeli intelligence. Cannistraro said there was speculation as to whether Urban Moving had been 'set up or exploited for the purpose of launching an intelligence operation against radical Islamists in the area, particularly in the New Jersey-New York area.' "
NY Times 9/30/01: Fearing Harm, bin Laden Kin Fled From U.S.: " WASHINGTON- In the first days after the terror attacks on New York and Washington, Saudi Arabia supervised the urgent evacuation of 24 members of Osama bin Laden's extended family from the United States, fearing that they might be subjected to violence."
Tampabay: TIA now verifies flight of Saudis: "TIA now verifies flight of Saudis. The government has long denied that two days after the 9/11 attacks, the three were allowed to fly."
Dark heart of the American dream: "On 11 September, while Al-Qaeda's planes slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the Carlyle Group hosted a conference at a Washington hotel. Among the guests of honour was a valued investor: Shafig bin Laden, brother to Osama."
Was Invasion of Afghanistan Pre planned?: "The official story is that Afghanistan was invaded to get rid of the Taleban, the 'assisting party' in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in America. There is a school of thought which argues the invasion of Afghanistan was planned well before the occurrence of 9/11."
America's Link to the Taliban, Nov. 1996: "What is the relationship between Washington and the Taliban movement? The appearance of the Taliban and its victory over warring Afghan factions is, in fact, the result of a secret operation whose threads were woven by the White House, the United Nations, the CIA, and the centers of military and political power in Islamabad. The operation involves international objectives that run deeper than just restoring peace to Afghanistan."
Taleban in Texas for talks on gas pipeline, 12/24/97: "A senior delegation from the Taleban movement in Afghanistan is in the United States for talks with an international energy company that wants to construct a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan across Afghanistan to Pakistan. A spokesman for the company, Unocal, said the Taleban were expected to spend several days at the company's headquarters in Sugarland, Texas. Unocal says it has agreements both with Turkmenistan to sell its gas and with Pakistan to buy it.""
The Oil Connection: Afghanistan and Caspian Sea oil pipeline routes: "On December 19, 2000, the UN Security Council imposed additional sanctions against Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement (which controls around 95% of the country), including an arms embargo and a ban on the sale of chemicals used in making heroin. These sanctions (Resolution 1333) are aimed at pressuring Afghanistan to turn over Osama bin Laden, suspected in various terrorist attacks, including the August 1998 US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania "
Afghanistan plans gas pipeline: "Afghanistan hopes to strike a deal later this month to build a $2bn pipeline through the country to take gas from energy-rich Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India "
Bush, Enron, UNOCAL and the Taliban: "The Bush Administration's entanglement with ENRON is beginning to unravel as it finally admits that Enron executives entered the White House six times last year to secretly plan the Administration's energy policy with Vice-President Cheney before the collapse of the Texas-based energy giant. Meanwhile, even more trouble for our former-Texas-oil-man-turned-President is brewing with reports that unveil UNOCAL, another big energy company, for being in bed with the Taliban, along with the U.S. government in a major, continuing effort to construct pipelines through Afghanistan from the petroleum-rich Caspian Basin in Central Asia. Beneath their burkas, UNOCAL is being exposed for giving the five star treatment to Taliban Mullahs in the Lone Star State in 1997. The 'evil-ones' were also invited to meet with U.S. government officials in Washington, D.C."
Getting used to the idea of double standards: "The underlying maxim is "we will punish the crimes of our enemies and reward the crimes of our friends". According to Afghan, Iranian, and Turkish government sources, Hamid Karzai, the interim Prime Minister of Afghanistan, was a top adviser to the El Segundo, California-based UNOCAL Corporation which was negotiating with the Taliban to construct a Central Asia Gas (CentGas) pipeline from Turkmenistan through western Afghanistan to Pakistan."
Osama bin Laden: The Forbidden Truth: " Some months ago, a book was published in France entitled 'Osama bin Laden: The Forbidden Truth.' The authors, Jean-Charles Brisard and Guillaume Dasique, described a connection between the September 11th terrorist attacks and a stalled plan to build a pipeline to exploit the vast natural gas fields along the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan. Their story pointed damning fingers at American petroleum companies and the Bush administration, citing instances where U.S. anti-terrorism efforts were thwarted in order to smooth the way for the pipeline deal."
President Bush Holds Press Conference, March13,2002 : "Q: Mr. President, in your speeches now you rarely talk or mention Osama bin Laden....
THE PRESIDENT: ..So I don't know where he is.You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you...."
Exposing the New World Order and Government Sponsored Terrorism: "The CIA and Saudi Arabia, the Bushes and the Bin Ladens. Did their connections cause America to turn a blind eye to terrorism?"
Saturday, June 26
Yet Another Opinion on Michael Moore
I kind of like this Counterbias.com website. They have this article that attacks Michael Moore. It's a satire but the weird thing is that I know people who would agree with the article completely.
Michael Moore: The Traitorest of The Traitors
Such a word almost sounds French. Well, what a perfect descriptive adjective for Michael Moore, in the sense that not only is he a despicable traitor, but a Frenchie bastard one at that.
But does the word “traitorest” even exist? No, according to my fabulous Microsoft Word spell checking mechanism, or even dictionary.com. But computer types and intellectuals have a way of turning everything in their favor politically—yes, extremely liberal—so I’m certain it’s a case of rewriting history (or the language, in this case).
They’ve taken the word “traitorest” out of the English lexicon so that us patriots are suckered into believing that the word is unacceptable for use in describing these liberal ‘heroes’, such as Moore and John Kerry.
I’d go as far as to say that Michael Moore is a bigger traitor than John Kerry, who spit on our soldiers, threw his medals in the faces of patriotic grandmothers, makes a fortune selling ketchup which is used to smother French fries, married a traitorous Communist woman who was born somewhere in Africa, and even tried to bring Great President Reagan down!
Yes, Michael Moore is a bigger traitor than the despicable villain I've just described. Hard to believe, but such is reality.
I haven’t seen Fahrenheit 9/11 yet, but the fact that Moore made a movie criticizing Our President just makes me sick to my stomach. Let’s hope he is either censored or defeated by Patriotic Organizations, whose aim is to shut Moore the hell up, for good reason.
If you’re stifling the free speech of an America-hating Commie madman, who wants to criticize the greatest President since Reagan, you’re doing something positive for the country. You’re saving America from turning into the last bastion for Communist filth, terrorist vermin, and anti-American hippies.
Would you want fat, baseball-cap-wearing uglies such as Moore running America, parading in their fabulous fits of flabby flatulence while killing American soldiers and babies? Or would you prefer handsome, sexually attractive go-getters such as the immensely patriotic, America-loving George W. Bush? The answer is obvious.
Michael Moore is a traitor. He must be shut up before America sees his movie and is taken over by his relentless thought-control methods!
That fat bastard hates America, for heaven’s sake!
Before Americans decide to watch this piece of lie-filled, unfiltered propaganda, they have some choices to make.
Do we want dead babies, or freedom?
Communism and homosexualism, or freedom?
Mass torture, or freedom?
Joseph Stalin, or freedom?
Michael Moore, or freedom?
That’s what it all comes down to. It’s a simple choice.
I haven’t seen Fahrenheit 9/11, nor do I plan on seeing it, but it’s full of lies, and it sucks!
Holy Shit!
ANOTHER ONE FROM THE EEEEEWWWWW FILES:
By way of Jesus' General, we find this article at Smoking Gun:
Bounce Oklahoma jurist for "pumping it up" on bench
" JUNE 24--While seated on the bench, an Oklahoma judge used a male enhancement pump, shaved and oiled his nether region, and pleasured himself, state officials charged yesterday in a petition to remove the jurist.
"... Visitors to Thompson's Creek County courtroom reported hearing a "swooshing" sound coming from the bench, a noise the court reporter said "sounded like a blood pressure cuff being pumped up." [Judge Donald D.] Thompson, the complaint charges, even pumped himself up during an August 2003 murder trial."
If trials turned him on that much, why did he need the pump? Just asking.
By way of Jesus' General, we find this article at Smoking Gun:
Bounce Oklahoma jurist for "pumping it up" on bench
" JUNE 24--While seated on the bench, an Oklahoma judge used a male enhancement pump, shaved and oiled his nether region, and pleasured himself, state officials charged yesterday in a petition to remove the jurist.
"... Visitors to Thompson's Creek County courtroom reported hearing a "swooshing" sound coming from the bench, a noise the court reporter said "sounded like a blood pressure cuff being pumped up." [Judge Donald D.] Thompson, the complaint charges, even pumped himself up during an August 2003 murder trial."
If trials turned him on that much, why did he need the pump? Just asking.
Czech Out Marijuana Flavored Liquor
From the Ewwwwwwwww Files: Czechs Roll Out Marijuana Flavored Liquor: "A large alcoholic drinks manufacturer has launched a marijuana flavored liquor, the company said Friday."
It's been a long time for me but did we like the taste of it? This stuff doesn't have THC and it's only 16% alcohol. Why bother?
It's been a long time for me but did we like the taste of it? This stuff doesn't have THC and it's only 16% alcohol. Why bother?
Angry Cow
Mad Cow Never Entered Food Chain: "Consumers of U.S. beef need not be alarmed after an animal tested positive in a preliminary screening for mad cow disease because it never entered the food chain, agriculture officials say."
oh goodie, they caught one before it entered the food chain. whew.
oh goodie, they caught one before it entered the food chain. whew.
Friday, June 25
BlondeSense Stalked By Woman Haters Club
Oh my Gawd the president of the "He-Man Woman Haters Club" mentioned BlondeSense in his blog today. He's the one who took over the club after Alfalfa retired and ended up marrying Darla anyway even though she treated him like shit.
I wondered why the traffic was so enormously high and I checked to see where it was coming from. It came from the blog of 'he who thinks women are at the root of all evil in America'. Ya know... that guy that looks like the devil?
Be gone ye woman haters and people who don't know the difference between capitalism and corporatism, democracy and fascism! I command thee in the name of the Lord!
I don't care if my blog traffic dwindles back to it's usual 20 million viewers a day.
I wondered why the traffic was so enormously high and I checked to see where it was coming from. It came from the blog of 'he who thinks women are at the root of all evil in America'. Ya know... that guy that looks like the devil?
Be gone ye woman haters and people who don't know the difference between capitalism and corporatism, democracy and fascism! I command thee in the name of the Lord!
I don't care if my blog traffic dwindles back to it's usual 20 million viewers a day.
Conspiracy Du Jour
Actually there has been a lot of buzz lately about meteors crashing into the earth. I thought we survived the most recent "end of the world" prophecy last weekend.. but nooooo. Now they are talking about the 29th of June. When the hell is that?
More Coverups Of Cosmic Impacts? : "People who control the news are vary wary of current cosmic activity, and are deeply concerned about the effect this will have on public consciousness. "
Shopping List: duct tape, plastic, tin foil, comet repellant
More Coverups Of Cosmic Impacts? : "People who control the news are vary wary of current cosmic activity, and are deeply concerned about the effect this will have on public consciousness. "
Shopping List: duct tape, plastic, tin foil, comet repellant
New Bible translation promotes fornication
WorldNetDaily: New Bible translation promotes fornication:
"'Instead of condemning fornicators, adulterers and 'abusers of themselves with mankind',' says Ruth Gledhill, the London Times religious affairs correspondent, 'the new version of his first letter to Corinth has St. Paul advising Christians not to go without sex for too long in case they get 'frustrated.''"
Well yeah, baby.
"The One organization that produced the new Bible translation is dedicated to "establish[ing] peace, justice, dignity and rights for all." It is also focused on "sustainable use of the earth's resources," challenging "oppression, injustice, exclusion and discrimination" as well as accepting "one another, valuing their diversity and experience."
Finally!
"Here's how Williams, the top Anglican archbishop, describes the new Bible: "Instead of being taken into a specialized religious frame of reference – as happens even with the most conscientious of formal modern translations – and being given a gospel addressed to specialized concerns … we have here a vehicle for thinking and worshipping that is fully earthed, recognizably about our humanity." "
Absolutely
" "The new version, which Dr. Williams says he hopes will spread 'in epidemic profusion through religious and irreligious alike', turns St. Paul's strictures against fornication on their head," adds the Times."
I like this man. TGIF.
Incubus: Kewl Band
My son informed me he will be seeing Incubus tomorrow night at the Nassau Coliseum. I checked out the band. I approve. he's almost 19 so it really wouldn't matter anyway if I didn't
Wow I like this guy. I'm trying to find the video on the web. I found the MP3. I would go see the band, but I know if I did, my kid would have a cow.
Incubus had another song I really liked (forgot the name) and modeled one of my songs on my album after it... rhythmically, sort of.
Blonde Lemon Pledge: Ride You (MP3). (this is rather hip-hoppy. my producer played the scratchy record player)
"Ride You" is written by and ©2001 Elizabeth Smith, All Rights Reserved
Produced marvelously by Will Angeloro
Lead Guitar masterfully employed by Dave Isaacs
Newsday: "It's hard to believe this amiable young rocker has become a lightning rod for political controversy. But Incubus' latest disc, 'A Crow Left of the Murder' (Epic), is loaded with references to terrorism, censorship, an out-of-control government and a cynical news media. The single 'Megalomaniac' is only one example: Its hard-rocking refrain ('Step down! Step down!') seems aimed directly at President George W. Bush, and its eye-catching video, featuring a politician using a gas pump as his podium, has been banished to late-night rotation on MTV.
...
"The director, Floria Sigismondi, used collage- style animation to create images of falling bombs, a flying Adolph Hitler and a book labeled 'Ye Holy Buy Bull.' 'I wanted to show dictators from past and present, and how they abuse their people,' says Sigismondi, who has directed videos for Marilyn Manson and David Bowie. 'I wanted to make an anti-war video.' That plainly frightened MTV, which was still reeling from its involvement in the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast was exposed. There was no sexual content in Incubus' video, but MTV decided to air it at night only. 'Which was a bit comical to us,' Boyd says. 'We thought it would take somebody in the White House' to banish the video. 'Instead, it took the breast of Janet Jackson. Like that was the final straw?'"
Wow I like this guy. I'm trying to find the video on the web. I found the MP3. I would go see the band, but I know if I did, my kid would have a cow.
Incubus had another song I really liked (forgot the name) and modeled one of my songs on my album after it... rhythmically, sort of.
Blonde Lemon Pledge: Ride You (MP3). (this is rather hip-hoppy. my producer played the scratchy record player)
"Ride You" is written by and ©2001 Elizabeth Smith, All Rights Reserved
Produced marvelously by Will Angeloro
Lead Guitar masterfully employed by Dave Isaacs
Lady Liberty Fireworks
Interactive Flash Fireworks Thingy
This is pretty cool. Almost like being there without all the smoke and little sparky things that fly all over the place. One thing about NYC July 4th fireworks, it's a world class extravaganza with so many fireworks displays for miles and miles that evententually you can't see anything because of all the smoke. I kid you not.
This is pretty cool. Almost like being there without all the smoke and little sparky things that fly all over the place. One thing about NYC July 4th fireworks, it's a world class extravaganza with so many fireworks displays for miles and miles that evententually you can't see anything because of all the smoke. I kid you not.
Hollywood Fundraiser for Kerry
From: Newsday.com - Election 2004: "Comedian Billy Crystal called it "Woodstock for really, really rich people" as Hollywood's artists came out to raise $5 million to put Democrat John Kerry in the White House.
Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond performed their 1978 hit 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' together for the first time in 24 years."
Oh my gawd. This is serious fundraising.
You don't bring me flowers
You don't sing me buttuh
You never sing to me anymore
You just pass me in the store
I don't exist? oy vay.
Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond performed their 1978 hit 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' together for the first time in 24 years."
Oh my gawd. This is serious fundraising.
You don't bring me flowers
You don't sing me buttuh
You never sing to me anymore
You just pass me in the store
I don't exist? oy vay.
Thursday, June 24
Court: N.Y. death penalty unconstitutional
New York State no longer has the death penalty.
but don't go having a party over it yet.. they will do everything in their power to make sure that they can follow in Bush's footsteps, I'm sure...
"Less than nine years after it was reinstated at the urging of Gov. George Pataki, the state Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the 1995 law violated the state constitution. The 4-3 decision means the four remaining men on death row - three from Suffolk and one from Queens - will be resentenced and that the nine defendants around the state who were facing the death penalty if convicted no longer will."
"‘My reaction to this is, ‘Oh, Lord help me. Unless you’ve walked a mile in my shoes and have had a loved one murdered, you would think differently about overturning it.’ - Ruth Brown "
"‘. . . We have to fix this . . . I am in favor of the death penalty, but I definitely want to see it done the right way.’ - Assemb. Joseph Lentol (D-Brooklyn) "
Read the rest at Newsday.com
Blondesense is not a Pataki fan. We can thank Howard Stern for Pataki. Stern was originally running for governor, then changed his mind and pushed Pataki instead. We lost Mario Cuomo who was a very decent and brilliant man and got a dumbass. Pataki, a supposed Catholic, wants the death penalty. I wonder if he receives communion? Does anyone remember Pataki on TV after 9/11? Useless. He just stood there like a lump.
but don't go having a party over it yet.. they will do everything in their power to make sure that they can follow in Bush's footsteps, I'm sure...
"Less than nine years after it was reinstated at the urging of Gov. George Pataki, the state Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the 1995 law violated the state constitution. The 4-3 decision means the four remaining men on death row - three from Suffolk and one from Queens - will be resentenced and that the nine defendants around the state who were facing the death penalty if convicted no longer will."
"‘My reaction to this is, ‘Oh, Lord help me. Unless you’ve walked a mile in my shoes and have had a loved one murdered, you would think differently about overturning it.’ - Ruth Brown "
"‘. . . We have to fix this . . . I am in favor of the death penalty, but I definitely want to see it done the right way.’ - Assemb. Joseph Lentol (D-Brooklyn) "
Read the rest at Newsday.com
Blondesense is not a Pataki fan. We can thank Howard Stern for Pataki. Stern was originally running for governor, then changed his mind and pushed Pataki instead. We lost Mario Cuomo who was a very decent and brilliant man and got a dumbass. Pataki, a supposed Catholic, wants the death penalty. I wonder if he receives communion? Does anyone remember Pataki on TV after 9/11? Useless. He just stood there like a lump.
Mooning Our Elected Officials
The Gadflyer: Moon Over Washington: "Why are some of the capital's most influential power players hanging out with a bizarre Korean billionaire who claims to be the Messiah?
"Should Americans be concerned that on March 23rd a bipartisan group of Congressmen attended a coronation at which a billionaire, pro-theocracy newspaper owner was declared to be the Messiah %u2013 with royal robes, a crown, the works? Or that this imperial ceremony took place not in a makeshift basement church or a backwoods campsite, but in a Senate office building? -John Gorenfeld, 6.09.04"
dayam!
Where in Washington, D.C. is Sun Myung Moon?: I'm _____________ and I approve this Messiah A Work of interactive investigative journalism in bite-sized chunks by John Gorenfeld.
With lots of pictures and video clips. You gotta see this.
And this...
The Rev. Moon Honored at Hill Reception (washingtonpost.com): "More than a dozen lawmakers attended a congressional reception this year honoring the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in which Moon declared himself the Messiah and said his teachings have helped Hitler and Stalin be 'reborn as new persons.'
"At the March 23 ceremony in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) wore white gloves and carried a pillow holding an ornate crown that was placed on Moon's head."
Yep that was the congressman holding the crown for the coronation. This was a federal office building by the way.
Moon owns the dreadful Washington Times... and one of his moonies runs the World Tribune, which is referred to by Limbaugh, Fox News and O'Reilly.
From The New Yorker: "....[says] Rush Limbaugh, for instance. “There’s a piece in the World Tribune today—one of the papers in the United Kingdom—exactly as theorized on this program early on,” he said on his radio show. “It’s unconfirmed, but it’s a story that many of the weapons of mass destruction are at present buried in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon.” Fox News, catering to a similar demographic, enlisted a military analyst that evening to discuss potential ramifications—military intervention in Lebanon?—on “The O’Reilly Factor.”
"In fact, the World Tribune is not published in the United Kingdom, nor is it, to be precise, a newspaper. It is a Web site produced, more or less as a hobby, in Falls Church, Virginia... Its editor and publisher, Robert Morton, is an assistant managing editor at the Washington Times and a former “corporate editor” for News World Communications, the Times’ owner and the publishing arm of the Unification Church, led by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon."
disinformation plee-us
remember when they used to have real journalists and they would tell you what a kook this Moon guy was and what a criminal he was (he definitely was)? look how long this stuff is investigated on the internet before any mainstream media picks it up. well heck, it certainly shouldn't matter to taxpayers that our elected ones are crowning some Korean guy as the messiah. nah. no biggie.
"Should Americans be concerned that on March 23rd a bipartisan group of Congressmen attended a coronation at which a billionaire, pro-theocracy newspaper owner was declared to be the Messiah %u2013 with royal robes, a crown, the works? Or that this imperial ceremony took place not in a makeshift basement church or a backwoods campsite, but in a Senate office building? -John Gorenfeld, 6.09.04"
dayam!
Where in Washington, D.C. is Sun Myung Moon?: I'm _____________ and I approve this Messiah A Work of interactive investigative journalism in bite-sized chunks by John Gorenfeld.
With lots of pictures and video clips. You gotta see this.
And this...
The Rev. Moon Honored at Hill Reception (washingtonpost.com): "More than a dozen lawmakers attended a congressional reception this year honoring the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in which Moon declared himself the Messiah and said his teachings have helped Hitler and Stalin be 'reborn as new persons.'
"At the March 23 ceremony in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) wore white gloves and carried a pillow holding an ornate crown that was placed on Moon's head."
Yep that was the congressman holding the crown for the coronation. This was a federal office building by the way.
Moon owns the dreadful Washington Times... and one of his moonies runs the World Tribune, which is referred to by Limbaugh, Fox News and O'Reilly.
From The New Yorker: "....[says] Rush Limbaugh, for instance. “There’s a piece in the World Tribune today—one of the papers in the United Kingdom—exactly as theorized on this program early on,” he said on his radio show. “It’s unconfirmed, but it’s a story that many of the weapons of mass destruction are at present buried in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon.” Fox News, catering to a similar demographic, enlisted a military analyst that evening to discuss potential ramifications—military intervention in Lebanon?—on “The O’Reilly Factor.”
"In fact, the World Tribune is not published in the United Kingdom, nor is it, to be precise, a newspaper. It is a Web site produced, more or less as a hobby, in Falls Church, Virginia... Its editor and publisher, Robert Morton, is an assistant managing editor at the Washington Times and a former “corporate editor” for News World Communications, the Times’ owner and the publishing arm of the Unification Church, led by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon."
disinformation plee-us
remember when they used to have real journalists and they would tell you what a kook this Moon guy was and what a criminal he was (he definitely was)? look how long this stuff is investigated on the internet before any mainstream media picks it up. well heck, it certainly shouldn't matter to taxpayers that our elected ones are crowning some Korean guy as the messiah. nah. no biggie.
'Embedded Patriots': Good Good News
Oh my god, this is good.
From The Nation: "A series of explosive leaks--closely held documents and well-informed tips--have altered the course of politics and might very well influence the outcome of this year's presidential election. Yet we don't know whom to thank.
"Who gave the Justice Department's 'torture' memorandum to the Washington Post? Who provided the International Red Cross's letter of complaints on prisoner abuses to the Wall Street Journal? Who confirmed for the New York Times that Iyad Allawi, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Iraq, had supervised the CIA's terrorist bombing campaign in Baghdad a decade ago? Who informed U.S. News & World Report that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld had authorized the holding of a 'ghost prisoner' in violation of international law? Who--someone close to the President?--leaked the 'torture' memo written by White House counsel Alberto Gonzales? "
From The Nation: "A series of explosive leaks--closely held documents and well-informed tips--have altered the course of politics and might very well influence the outcome of this year's presidential election. Yet we don't know whom to thank.
"Who gave the Justice Department's 'torture' memorandum to the Washington Post? Who provided the International Red Cross's letter of complaints on prisoner abuses to the Wall Street Journal? Who confirmed for the New York Times that Iyad Allawi, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Iraq, had supervised the CIA's terrorist bombing campaign in Baghdad a decade ago? Who informed U.S. News & World Report that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld had authorized the holding of a 'ghost prisoner' in violation of international law? Who--someone close to the President?--leaked the 'torture' memo written by White House counsel Alberto Gonzales? "
They Can't Raise Kids and They Can't Stick to Their Platform: Repubs
Blondesense commentary regarding: Push to Allow DVDs to Be 'Sanitized' Alarms Studios
Interestingly the very political party that seeks smaller government and wants the media deregulated is still responding rather hysterically to the national trauma caused by the Janet Jackson Breast Incident at the Superbowl:
As part of that continuing crackdown, the Senate on Tuesday attached a "decency" provision as a rider to its annual defense bill. The measure would increase penalties tenfold for radio and TV broadcasters that violate federal indecency rules. Approved 99 to 1, the bill would allow the Federal Communications Commission to raise fines from a maximum of $27,500 to $275,000 per violation, up to $3 million a day per broadcaster.
Give me a break. So it's still not indecent that our media feeds us a sack of lies dictated by the Liar in Chief, but god forbid someone utters a foul word or bares a disgusting part of the anatomy on the TV. No one cares that the media spin on the lead up to the invasion of Iraq was indecent?
This LA Times article proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Republicans in the house are held hostage by their own bratty spawn:
Called the Family Movie Act, the bill awaits action in the Judiciary Committee, where it has won an endorsement from the influential chairman of the panel, Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R.-Wis.). No comparable bill has been introduced in the Senate.
The legislation was introduced in response to a fight being waged in federal court in Colorado by the studios, the Directors Guild of America and 16 prominent directors against ClearPlay Inc., a Utah company that sells filtering software and DVD players with special filtering features built in.
Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, told a congressional committee last week that such editing without the input of the directors and studios "disfigures the original vision of the creator."
Oh who cares? If people are so hung up on what's offensive, then screw them if they miss the point of the movie because of their electronic devices. oy.
Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-North Hollywood) mustered a different argument against the legislation, saying it would send the wrong message to parents. "Technology should not become an excuse for avoiding the hard work of parenting," he said.
Well yeah. Movies have ratings. Use them. When I was a kid, we had to check the Long Island Catholic for the official Catholic position on a movie before we were allowed to go an see it. Good rating, ok. Bad rating, no. End of story.
But Rep. Lamar S. Smith (R-Texas), the bill's chief sponsor, suggested that Berman's position didn't reflect the challenges facing households in which kids are constantly being bombarded by the media.
"It's unrealistic and impractical to expect parents to monitor their children's video habits 24 hours a day," Smith said. "They need help."
Wellfuck hell no, Mr. Smith. It's still up to the parental units to decide what their kids watch and if it's questionable, don't bring the stuff into the house or turn on the TV if they are not sure if a program is appropriate. If the government wants to do something about the media, how about rolling back all the fascist deregulation of the media and allow independent companies to own some of it thus allowing democracy to flourish, duh.
The studios and the Directors Guild contend that Smith's bill, by removing dialogue and scenes, can ruin entire films.
I have earned the right at my age to watch filth and listen to swear words. And goddammit, I don't want my movies, that I pay for, filtered because some parents who can't take the time to raise their children properly won't do their jobs. Screw them.
Some poor excuse for a liberal I am. I raised a good kid. He watched mommy approved shows, listened to mommy approved music and watched mommy approved videos. If he didn't want to watch or listen, then we had books and Legos. We had parks, playgrounds, the beach, the backyard. All mommy approved. Sure it was work, but so was making sure that his homework was completed, that he was eating properly, that we made it to church on Sunday, took Karate, joined the Scouts, visited the grandparents, etc.
Speaking of the unmitigated gall by these right wing hypocritical pieces of shit, I could not turn on the evening news in my kitchen during most of Clinton's presidency because of Ken Starr. That pervert and his investigation of Clinton's private activities with a consenting adult permeated the airwaves. Every other word out of the nightly newscasters was "oral sex". I had a pre-teen at home at the time. We watched the Simpsons instead of the news for years.
For god's sake, I didn't hear anyone complaining about how the news was hijacked by the soft core porn industry starring the President of the United States. Hell no! Why? Because the wingnuts enjoyed that sort of porn so that they could be self-righteously indignant and feign disgust. Reminds me of when I was in my all girls Catholic HS and someone would bring a Playboy to school and we'd be reading it and saying things like "Eeeeeewwwwwwww" and "Disgusting!" yet not wanting the girl who brought it to turn the pages too fast.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) has not taken a position on the House bill. But he hinted that it might be best for both sides to forge some sort of compromise. "The fastest and surest way to protect and promote family-friendly viewing rights," he said, "is for artists and consumers to negotiate a mutually acceptable resolution."
No Mr Hatch. No compromise. Tell your lazy pathetic excuses for parents in your constituency that not all art is appropriate for all audiences. If a film has questionable material, then easily offended families should be turned off by the ratings and the review. End of story.
Nowhere is it written that every work of art, be it a film or a painting or a musical composition must be family-friendly.
Consumers have a role to play too. The laws of supply and demand dictate that if there is no demand for something it will go away. If it's still around even though you don't buy it, obviously others are buying it. You still don't have to. Free country. remember?
Are the wingnuts turning commie or what? Who would have thought that the right wing would want their morals legislated and entertainment censored yet I, the flaming liberal, don't need mine legislated or censored because I know the difference between right and wrong and so does my son.
UPDATE: Morford: Who Will Save The Children?! Aww, heck. The FCC says curse words now cost $500,000! And your child might just hear one, and explode!
UPDATE AGAIN: Benito Musolini, widely regarded as the founder of modern fascism, claimed; "Fascism should properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power." By deregulating the media, the corporations who support the Bush administration are also in charge of what we see and hear on the airwaves.
Why the music sucks so very much: In 1996, the FCC ruled for deregulation removing the cap on how many radio stations a corporation is allowed to own. Today, Clear Channel has grown to over 1200 radio stations and has more than 50% of the radio market in the US. Deregulation has turned more than 50% of the US radio stations into a propaganda annointment utensil. Look at the crap that is being spoon fed to your kids over Clear Channel radio! Britney? Give me a break. We tried to put on a music festival here on LI and it was stopped by you guessed it, Clear Channel. They own it all.. all the trash, all the crap. The CEO of Clear Channel, L. Lowery Mays, is a very good friend and one of the largest contributors to George W Bush.
Independent artists used to be heard on the radio. New artists would break with a new sound... Now, nothing but the same old crap, artists in the same mold, same damn beat... all corporate crap. So when you're bitching about the disgraceful music videos and the way your daughters are dressing.. just know that one of the 6 huge corporations plus Clearchannel that owns all the media and your government are behind it. That's fascist. Quit blaming the liberals. Your republican house and senate approved of this nightmare.
And one more quick rant... the reason people are file sharing is because the music is so shitty, no one wants to buy it. There may be one good song on a whole album, if that. Why buy the whole thing? I don't blame kids for dissing the industry. The industry is insulting their intelligence. When I buy music, I buy it from independent labels and artists.
Interestingly the very political party that seeks smaller government and wants the media deregulated is still responding rather hysterically to the national trauma caused by the Janet Jackson Breast Incident at the Superbowl:
As part of that continuing crackdown, the Senate on Tuesday attached a "decency" provision as a rider to its annual defense bill. The measure would increase penalties tenfold for radio and TV broadcasters that violate federal indecency rules. Approved 99 to 1, the bill would allow the Federal Communications Commission to raise fines from a maximum of $27,500 to $275,000 per violation, up to $3 million a day per broadcaster.
Give me a break. So it's still not indecent that our media feeds us a sack of lies dictated by the Liar in Chief, but god forbid someone utters a foul word or bares a disgusting part of the anatomy on the TV. No one cares that the media spin on the lead up to the invasion of Iraq was indecent?
This LA Times article proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Republicans in the house are held hostage by their own bratty spawn:
Called the Family Movie Act, the bill awaits action in the Judiciary Committee, where it has won an endorsement from the influential chairman of the panel, Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R.-Wis.). No comparable bill has been introduced in the Senate.
The legislation was introduced in response to a fight being waged in federal court in Colorado by the studios, the Directors Guild of America and 16 prominent directors against ClearPlay Inc., a Utah company that sells filtering software and DVD players with special filtering features built in.
Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, told a congressional committee last week that such editing without the input of the directors and studios "disfigures the original vision of the creator."
Oh who cares? If people are so hung up on what's offensive, then screw them if they miss the point of the movie because of their electronic devices. oy.
Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-North Hollywood) mustered a different argument against the legislation, saying it would send the wrong message to parents. "Technology should not become an excuse for avoiding the hard work of parenting," he said.
Well yeah. Movies have ratings. Use them. When I was a kid, we had to check the Long Island Catholic for the official Catholic position on a movie before we were allowed to go an see it. Good rating, ok. Bad rating, no. End of story.
But Rep. Lamar S. Smith (R-Texas), the bill's chief sponsor, suggested that Berman's position didn't reflect the challenges facing households in which kids are constantly being bombarded by the media.
"It's unrealistic and impractical to expect parents to monitor their children's video habits 24 hours a day," Smith said. "They need help."
Well
The studios and the Directors Guild contend that Smith's bill, by removing dialogue and scenes, can ruin entire films.
I have earned the right at my age to watch filth and listen to swear words. And goddammit, I don't want my movies, that I pay for, filtered because some parents who can't take the time to raise their children properly won't do their jobs. Screw them.
Some poor excuse for a liberal I am. I raised a good kid. He watched mommy approved shows, listened to mommy approved music and watched mommy approved videos. If he didn't want to watch or listen, then we had books and Legos. We had parks, playgrounds, the beach, the backyard. All mommy approved. Sure it was work, but so was making sure that his homework was completed, that he was eating properly, that we made it to church on Sunday, took Karate, joined the Scouts, visited the grandparents, etc.
Speaking of the unmitigated gall by these right wing hypocritical pieces of shit, I could not turn on the evening news in my kitchen during most of Clinton's presidency because of Ken Starr. That pervert and his investigation of Clinton's private activities with a consenting adult permeated the airwaves. Every other word out of the nightly newscasters was "oral sex". I had a pre-teen at home at the time. We watched the Simpsons instead of the news for years.
For god's sake, I didn't hear anyone complaining about how the news was hijacked by the soft core porn industry starring the President of the United States. Hell no! Why? Because the wingnuts enjoyed that sort of porn so that they could be self-righteously indignant and feign disgust. Reminds me of when I was in my all girls Catholic HS and someone would bring a Playboy to school and we'd be reading it and saying things like "Eeeeeewwwwwwww" and "Disgusting!" yet not wanting the girl who brought it to turn the pages too fast.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) has not taken a position on the House bill. But he hinted that it might be best for both sides to forge some sort of compromise. "The fastest and surest way to protect and promote family-friendly viewing rights," he said, "is for artists and consumers to negotiate a mutually acceptable resolution."
No Mr Hatch. No compromise. Tell your lazy pathetic excuses for parents in your constituency that not all art is appropriate for all audiences. If a film has questionable material, then easily offended families should be turned off by the ratings and the review. End of story.
Nowhere is it written that every work of art, be it a film or a painting or a musical composition must be family-friendly.
Consumers have a role to play too. The laws of supply and demand dictate that if there is no demand for something it will go away. If it's still around even though you don't buy it, obviously others are buying it. You still don't have to. Free country. remember?
Are the wingnuts turning commie or what? Who would have thought that the right wing would want their morals legislated and entertainment censored yet I, the flaming liberal, don't need mine legislated or censored because I know the difference between right and wrong and so does my son.
UPDATE: Morford: Who Will Save The Children?! Aww, heck. The FCC says curse words now cost $500,000! And your child might just hear one, and explode!
UPDATE AGAIN: Benito Musolini, widely regarded as the founder of modern fascism, claimed; "Fascism should properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power." By deregulating the media, the corporations who support the Bush administration are also in charge of what we see and hear on the airwaves.
Why the music sucks so very much: In 1996, the FCC ruled for deregulation removing the cap on how many radio stations a corporation is allowed to own. Today, Clear Channel has grown to over 1200 radio stations and has more than 50% of the radio market in the US. Deregulation has turned more than 50% of the US radio stations into a propaganda annointment utensil. Look at the crap that is being spoon fed to your kids over Clear Channel radio! Britney? Give me a break. We tried to put on a music festival here on LI and it was stopped by you guessed it, Clear Channel. They own it all.. all the trash, all the crap. The CEO of Clear Channel, L. Lowery Mays, is a very good friend and one of the largest contributors to George W Bush.
Independent artists used to be heard on the radio. New artists would break with a new sound... Now, nothing but the same old crap, artists in the same mold, same damn beat... all corporate crap. So when you're bitching about the disgraceful music videos and the way your daughters are dressing.. just know that one of the 6 huge corporations plus Clearchannel that owns all the media and your government are behind it. That's fascist. Quit blaming the liberals. Your republican house and senate approved of this nightmare.
And one more quick rant... the reason people are file sharing is because the music is so shitty, no one wants to buy it. There may be one good song on a whole album, if that. Why buy the whole thing? I don't blame kids for dissing the industry. The industry is insulting their intelligence. When I buy music, I buy it from independent labels and artists.
The Republican Party, Highjacked
Today over at Doomocracy, Billydoom analyzes the Republican Party's official philosophy. You will be shocked and awed! Why? Because it isn't all that radical. Billydoom believes that the party's been hijacked. You decide.
Today Billydoom is flying to Atlanta (Lanner) and then driving to Alabama (Bammer). Good luck, Billydoom. Do not speed in the south.
Today Billydoom is flying to Atlanta (Lanner) and then driving to Alabama (Bammer). Good luck, Billydoom. Do not speed in the south.
Name Your Guvm'nt Program
Mad Kane, the webs most notable song parody writer has posted a contest to rename the Food Stamps Program because the government has replaced 'stamps' with a fabulous new 'Debit Card'. Mad dares you to come up with a suitable new title for this government program. BlondeSense readers are so witty and sharp, it should be a no brainer for any of you to think of something great, post it on her comments and win the prize. When my brain fart has passed, I'll think of something too. I'm thinking that since the US has created so many homeless refugees in the Middle East, that the new card ought to have the words "hummus" or "kabob" in the title... I'm very forward thinking, you know.
Blondesense is deeply honored to be linked from Mad Kane. Mad is one of my heroines because my alterego, BlondeLemonPledge.com is also a satirical song writer. My other most favorite musical satirist in the NY area is Sonny Meadows, the King of satirical songs on Long Island. He's been called the male, Blonde Lemon Pledge and I've been called the female Sonny Meadows. His songs are very political. Mine are not, believe it or not. I haven't written a political song since the Vietnam years. I'm just politically incorrect. period.
Blondesense is deeply honored to be linked from Mad Kane. Mad is one of my heroines because my alterego, BlondeLemonPledge.com is also a satirical song writer. My other most favorite musical satirist in the NY area is Sonny Meadows, the King of satirical songs on Long Island. He's been called the male, Blonde Lemon Pledge and I've been called the female Sonny Meadows. His songs are very political. Mine are not, believe it or not. I haven't written a political song since the Vietnam years. I'm just politically incorrect. period.
Repeal Media Rules
Remember when news really was fair and balanced? Remember when there really were journalists who asked tough questions? Remember a time when we didn't have to rely on reading a whole book or waiting until a documentary came out to find out what was really going on. Luckily we have the internet now. (But seriously, for you young whipper-snappers, there were journalists who were really committed to disseminating the truth! And they did it on national TV, on the evening news and in mainstream newspapers too.)
The reason everything is so screwed up now is because of corporatism and deregulation. There used to be regulations that wouldn't allow one company to own both a newspaper and a tv station or radio station in the same market. This was a good thing. In order for a Democracy to survive, we need to regulate certain industries so that one company doesn't take over a whole market. Without regulation, then the big guys come in and put the little guys right out of business and fascism seeps right in. Less regulation means regular people don't stand a chance. In 1985 there were 50 companies that owned media outlets. Now there are 6. With further deregulation that number could sink further. These are big conglomerates that have allegiance to stockholders not you.
That's why the news sucks so much. That's why most of America was led to believe that the war in Iraq was just. That's why most of America believed that Saddam had something to do with 9/11. Right now the media is just interested in serving the interests of those who will benefit them financially or politically.
Check out the Big Media Ownership Chart at Media Channel. It's a big chart. If you have a dial up modem, it may take a while to load. This one is smaller: Who Controls the Media Chart but it leaves out the newest one, Vivendi-Universal. This is a good website for more information about what happened to the media since the Reagan years: Take Back The Media
The FCC has rules that make it really easy for large media conglomerates to expand. The New York Times says the President and speaker of the house naturally want to preserve these rules and that is probably because these corporations are donors to their campaigns. These corporations also report whatever the White House tells them to report.
Well here is the sort of good news from the Times article. It seems that the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia is blocking those bad rules adopted by the FCC. "By a voice vote, the Senate approved a provision to repeal the rules and restore tougher restrictions. Supporters of the effort said that the Senate's decision provided them with a backstop in case the appeals court did not rule in their favor. But the legislation still faces formidable political obstacles ..."
Senator Byron Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota and Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine are co-sponsors of a bill to roll back the rules. This is something we should all be following in the news (if it gets covered). We should contact our Senators and urge them to ROLL BACK THE FCC RULES. Fascist governments have media like ours.
"Last June, the F.C.C. performed one of the most complete cave-ins to corporate interests against the public interest in the history of the country. When the number of people and corporations who control what 293 million Americans see and hear in the media shrinks to just a relative handful, democracy suffers,'' said Senator Dorgan.
The reason everything is so screwed up now is because of corporatism and deregulation. There used to be regulations that wouldn't allow one company to own both a newspaper and a tv station or radio station in the same market. This was a good thing. In order for a Democracy to survive, we need to regulate certain industries so that one company doesn't take over a whole market. Without regulation, then the big guys come in and put the little guys right out of business and fascism seeps right in. Less regulation means regular people don't stand a chance. In 1985 there were 50 companies that owned media outlets. Now there are 6. With further deregulation that number could sink further. These are big conglomerates that have allegiance to stockholders not you.
That's why the news sucks so much. That's why most of America was led to believe that the war in Iraq was just. That's why most of America believed that Saddam had something to do with 9/11. Right now the media is just interested in serving the interests of those who will benefit them financially or politically.
Check out the Big Media Ownership Chart at Media Channel. It's a big chart. If you have a dial up modem, it may take a while to load. This one is smaller: Who Controls the Media Chart but it leaves out the newest one, Vivendi-Universal. This is a good website for more information about what happened to the media since the Reagan years: Take Back The Media
The FCC has rules that make it really easy for large media conglomerates to expand. The New York Times says the President and speaker of the house naturally want to preserve these rules and that is probably because these corporations are donors to their campaigns. These corporations also report whatever the White House tells them to report.
Well here is the sort of good news from the Times article. It seems that the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia is blocking those bad rules adopted by the FCC. "By a voice vote, the Senate approved a provision to repeal the rules and restore tougher restrictions. Supporters of the effort said that the Senate's decision provided them with a backstop in case the appeals court did not rule in their favor. But the legislation still faces formidable political obstacles ..."
Senator Byron Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota and Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine are co-sponsors of a bill to roll back the rules. This is something we should all be following in the news (if it gets covered). We should contact our Senators and urge them to ROLL BACK THE FCC RULES. Fascist governments have media like ours.
"Last June, the F.C.C. performed one of the most complete cave-ins to corporate interests against the public interest in the history of the country. When the number of people and corporations who control what 293 million Americans see and hear in the media shrinks to just a relative handful, democracy suffers,'' said Senator Dorgan.
Wednesday, June 23
Book by C.I.A. Officer Says U.S. Is Losing Fight Against Terror
The New York Times: " The author expresses 'a pressing certainty that Al Qaeda will attack the continental United States again, that its next strike will be more damaging than that of 11 September 2001, and could include use of weapons of mass destruction.'
'After the next attack,' he adds, 'misled Americans and their elected representatives will rightly demand the heads of intelligence-community leaders; that heads did not roll after 11 September is perhaps our most grievous post-attack error.'"
Wonderful.
'After the next attack,' he adds, 'misled Americans and their elected representatives will rightly demand the heads of intelligence-community leaders; that heads did not roll after 11 September is perhaps our most grievous post-attack error.'"
Wonderful.
The Lard's Feet Must Never Touch the Ground
Bohemian Mama pointed out that when Bush was in Normandy last week or whenever the hell it was, the US had to pay about $100,000 so King George's feet wouldn't touch the ground. The NY Daily News said at W's D-Day speech "The red carpet price tag wasn't anticipated by Pentagon planners, so the $100,000, which has already been paid out to the civilian contractors who did the work, will have to be scrounged from somewhere else.
"That money will have to come out of some account that otherwise would be spent on soldiers," according to a source familiar with the situation.
White House officials said a precise cost for the bridge could not be determined, because it was part of a much larger cost of preparing the site for the President."
Preparing the site for the president? Mr. "Brush Clearing On the Ranch President while the Soldiers are being killed in Iraq". Jeeeeeeez. When King George came to Long Island to do fund raising, he included a ground breaking ceremony at a park across the street from me where they are building a monument to the 300 who died from my area on 9/11, he also demanded that his feet didn't touch the ground. By attending that ceremony, he was able to get the tapayers to foot the bill of his campaign fundraiser that day. And we called Clinton slick? heh.
The Christification of America Encounters Roadblocks
We learned from Jaye at winding road in urban area , a few days ago, that the Texas Republican Party affirmed that the United States is indeed a Christian Nation. Jaye made the great suggestion that we "go back to crucifying people" as well. In keeping with Bible ideals and mores, I think that would be perfectly fitting as well. The Texas Republicans also want to "dispel the myth of separation of church and state", allow the 10 Commandments to be placed in public areas and of course still give religious institutions tax exemption yet allow them to receive government funds! It sounds to me like they would like to just do away with the US Constitution and put Jeeeeeesus in its place.
Just when my "Jesus Loves Me" thong was getting damp, it turns out that some party pooping Jewish Texans asked the Republican Party in Texas to stop calling the United States a 'Christian nation' in its platform. In addition to long-established Jewish communities, Texas is home to a sizable population of Muslims, members of what experts say is one of the fastest growing religions in America. The Anti-Defamation League was dismayed, to say the least, about the document that describes separation of church and state as a myth.
"America was founded on the belief that freedom of religion requires that the government take no official stance on, or participate in, religious activity or religion," the group said in a letter to Tina Benkiser, the chairwoman of the Texas Republican Party.
Tina Benkiser said that "Our platform is an acknowledgment that most of our nation's founding fathers had a deep faith in God," and "The Republican Party of Texas affirms that the United States of America is a Christian nation, and the public acknowledgment of God is undeniable in our history,"
The "official" US Republican Platform states "That the preservation of our Nation and the security of our citizens depends upon the Constitution, the laws and the courts, and the respect for them is the responsibility of every individual. On the other hand, our commander in chief has said, "There's America, and then there's Texas." Well ain't that the truth. I'm thinking of Kyle on Southpark singing, "Oh it's hard to be a Je-ew in Texas"
In other roadblocks against the Christification of America news, House Ways and Means Committee scourged at the pillar and then crucified the 'Safe Harbor for Churches' Measure a proposal that was "intended to give clergy members freedom to endorse candidates for political office without endangering the tax-exempt status of their congregations" according to Wapo. These tricky folks in the religious right are trying to dismantle the separation of church and state in order to elect Bush.
Not to be out-Christified by the Protestants, the Catholic Bishops had a "private retreat" last Friday and decided that "Catholics should not honor or give awards to politicians who defy "our fundamental moral principles" on abortion and other issues." The Catholic Bishops are very divided about whether or not to give communion to dissenting Catholic lawmakers. We heard about the St Louis Bishop, Raymond Burke said he wouldn't give communion to John Kerry and then we heard from Bishop Sheridan in Colorado who said he wouldn't give communion to any Catholic who supported pro-choice politicians. He didn't say anything about "death penalty" politicians or "unjust war in Iraq" politicians however. As far as Bishop Sheridan is concerned, we just have to get those babies born and then we can kill them.
The Vatican was a bit concerned about the US Bishops being divided so Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's orthodoxy watchdog, met with a group of U.S. bishops visiting Rome this month and discouraged them from using the sacrament as a sanction. As it turns out though, the Bishops decided that they will decide for themselves and for their jurisdictions what the rules are. How do you like that? So if you don't like your Bishop's stand regarding communion, you can move to another diocese and have a different Bishop and different rules! Oh what the hell.. just do what you want.
It should be noted that not ALL Democrats are for abortion rights. Not all Republicans are anti-choice. They do represent their constituents in America. We still have separation of church and state and this is still a secular nation. See what a mess it turns into when they try to Christify the United States?
Take a look at the religious demographics of Christians in the US. You've got 63 million Catholics and lots more Protestants. But look at how the Protestants are so divided! There is no way we can be a theocracy. No one would ever decide which religion would be in charge. People would go positively nuts. 14% of the nation are other than Christian and there's no telling how many so called "Christians" actually live strictly by their religious doctrine.
Abortion Statistics show that 43% of women getting an abortion claimed they were Protestant and 27% claimed they were Catholic. So much for Christians being so actively "Pro-life". Statistics also show that 95% of abortions were for birth control reasons. You want to stop the murder of 1.3 million fetus' every year in the US? How about some more effective birth control lessons? I think when you find yourself
Just when my "Jesus Loves Me" thong was getting damp, it turns out that some party pooping Jewish Texans asked the Republican Party in Texas to stop calling the United States a 'Christian nation' in its platform. In addition to long-established Jewish communities, Texas is home to a sizable population of Muslims, members of what experts say is one of the fastest growing religions in America. The Anti-Defamation League was dismayed, to say the least, about the document that describes separation of church and state as a myth.
"America was founded on the belief that freedom of religion requires that the government take no official stance on, or participate in, religious activity or religion," the group said in a letter to Tina Benkiser, the chairwoman of the Texas Republican Party.
Tina Benkiser said that "Our platform is an acknowledgment that most of our nation's founding fathers had a deep faith in God," and "The Republican Party of Texas affirms that the United States of America is a Christian nation, and the public acknowledgment of God is undeniable in our history,"
The "official" US Republican Platform states "That the preservation of our Nation and the security of our citizens depends upon the Constitution, the laws and the courts, and the respect for them is the responsibility of every individual. On the other hand, our commander in chief has said, "There's America, and then there's Texas." Well ain't that the truth. I'm thinking of Kyle on Southpark singing, "Oh it's hard to be a Je-ew in Texas"
In other roadblocks against the Christification of America news, House Ways and Means Committee scourged at the pillar and then crucified the 'Safe Harbor for Churches' Measure a proposal that was "intended to give clergy members freedom to endorse candidates for political office without endangering the tax-exempt status of their congregations" according to Wapo. These tricky folks in the religious right are trying to dismantle the separation of church and state in order to elect Bush.
Not to be out-Christified by the Protestants, the Catholic Bishops had a "private retreat" last Friday and decided that "Catholics should not honor or give awards to politicians who defy "our fundamental moral principles" on abortion and other issues." The Catholic Bishops are very divided about whether or not to give communion to dissenting Catholic lawmakers. We heard about the St Louis Bishop, Raymond Burke said he wouldn't give communion to John Kerry and then we heard from Bishop Sheridan in Colorado who said he wouldn't give communion to any Catholic who supported pro-choice politicians. He didn't say anything about "death penalty" politicians or "unjust war in Iraq" politicians however. As far as Bishop Sheridan is concerned, we just have to get those babies born and then we can kill them.
The Vatican was a bit concerned about the US Bishops being divided so Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's orthodoxy watchdog, met with a group of U.S. bishops visiting Rome this month and discouraged them from using the sacrament as a sanction. As it turns out though, the Bishops decided that they will decide for themselves and for their jurisdictions what the rules are. How do you like that? So if you don't like your Bishop's stand regarding communion, you can move to another diocese and have a different Bishop and different rules! Oh what the hell.. just do what you want.
It should be noted that not ALL Democrats are for abortion rights. Not all Republicans are anti-choice. They do represent their constituents in America. We still have separation of church and state and this is still a secular nation. See what a mess it turns into when they try to Christify the United States?
Take a look at the religious demographics of Christians in the US. You've got 63 million Catholics and lots more Protestants. But look at how the Protestants are so divided! There is no way we can be a theocracy. No one would ever decide which religion would be in charge. People would go positively nuts. 14% of the nation are other than Christian and there's no telling how many so called "Christians" actually live strictly by their religious doctrine.
Abortion Statistics show that 43% of women getting an abortion claimed they were Protestant and 27% claimed they were Catholic. So much for Christians being so actively "Pro-life". Statistics also show that 95% of abortions were for birth control reasons. You want to stop the murder of 1.3 million fetus' every year in the US? How about some more effective birth control lessons? I think when you find yourself
Tuesday, June 22
more blondesense
You guys must have come across opinion pieces whereby "liberals" are painted with the broad brush stroke that depicts anyone to the left of the neocons as a terrorist sympathizer, complicit with the beheadings of civilians, spending too much time dissecting the crimes at Abu Ghraib and the truth behind 9//11. These liberals according to the wing-nut pundits are ruining America. Of course, we all know that except for the neocons who are robots with pre-programmed brains, everyone else is entitled to their own opinions and thought processes. You most certainly cannot just throw everyone who doesn't agree with wing-nut philosophy into the same category. But in the black and white world of wing-nuttery, that is what they see. These people hate critical thinking. I love critical thinking. Don't you?
For me the Abu Ghraib torture scandal is important because we are paying for it and the US military is representing us. I want to know what they are doing with my money, thank you very much. What is so liberal about that? I think it's rather fiscally conservative. Personally, I would prefer that they would spend less money on torturing, I mean, extracting information from innocent civilians and taking pictures of it. It's also illegal, sick, perverted, demented and goddammit I don't want my money being used in this way.
Of course, I feel for those civilians who were captured and burned, beheaded, tortured and put to death. Of course I am. Should I jump on the "let's nuke the middle east" bandwagon because of that? Isn't that a little bit reactionary? Aren't the liberals supposed to be the ones who overreact? How come the same people aren't freaking out that over 800 of our kids were killed in Iraq? I want our troops to come home. NOW.
I thought the neocons were allied with the religious right. I don't think Jesus would be happy if we nuked the middle east, ya know? This kind of reminds me of the south when a black man would supposedly commit a crime against a white person and then everyone hated all black people as a result. Every time something bad happened, they blamed it on a black man. What's happening now is just neo-racism. There was a Boondocks comic strip from late 2001 where the kids are all excited after reading in the paper saying that the blacks have moved to number 3 as the most hated race in the U.S. They were so happy. We are Number 3! yeah! It seems the Muslims pushed them back. We are kind of Nazi here.
I've written a couple of times in this blog about how it felt to be here in NY on 9/11 and afterwards. It truly was terrifying and it felt like we would never ever be normal again. It was freaky to see soldiers with guns all over the place and roadblocks for months on end. It was an alternate universe. Holy Checkpoint, Batman! I have to admit, reluctantly that there was a tiny couple of moments there that I was wishing that torture was legal. I wanted those bastards who did this to be tortured, not killed. I was informed that the US doesn't do that. LIke I said, it was a few moments that I was in shock and upset and then I of course, I realized that they'd probably torture the wrong people anyway. Then I was over it.
By the time, we invaded Afghanistan, I was back to being an anti-war person and nothing on tv convinced me that bombing a place where you couldn't tell the difference between the before and after pictures was going to do any good. A lot of liberals didn't see anything wrong with the invasion of Afghanistan though. I was somewhere in the middle. There was no black and white. People had all sorts of opinions on it.
I felt sorry for the poor Afghanis who were so oppressed. I watched all those documentaries that were on CNN and MSNBC. I didn't think "Let's carpet bomb the shit out of that country" though. Others disagree with me. You're allowed. I just hope that someday when the fascists really take full control of our country that some other country doesn't watch a documentary about us and decide to carpet bomb us in sympathy.
My point is that neocons are completely wrong when they lump everyone who is not like them into one category. Radical lefties piss me off just as much as the neocons as a matter of fact. They got smoking banned in New York State and I hate them for it. Their politically correct bullshit nauseates me. There's not much difference between the fascists and the commies.
That's just my opinion on this muggy summer day in New York.
Monday, June 21
Father's Day with The Preznit
Father's Day Dinner with the G. Dubya Bush Family
Starring: Dubya, Laura, Barbara and Jenna as the twins
Twins: Happy Father's Day Daddy. We got you a book for Father's Day.
Dubya: You teach a child to read and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.
I'm glad the First Lady is here. It's an unusual job where all you've got to do is walk down from your living room and come to work. I'm really proud of Laura.
Jenna: Mommy taught us to read.
Dubya: She is a fabulous First Lady. I was a lucky man when she said, yes, I agree to marry you. I love her dearly, and I'm proud of the job she's doing on behalf of all Americans. Just like I love my brother.
Barbara: Daddy, you love me don't you?
Dubya: I think Jeb and I were touched by what it means to be sitting at a table with a daughter who has said, I've got a responsibility to my mom.
Twins: Daddy we hope you like the book we got you. What was your favorite book of all time?
Dubya: Sometimes when I sleep at night I think of "Hop on Pop".
Jenna: Quite frankly Daddy, I think you spend entirely too much time thinking about Granddaddy and Saddam. I learned in college that this war thing is so bogus.
Dubya: After all, this is a guy that tried to kill my dad at one time. God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did..
Jenna: But Daddy, I miss spending time with you!
Dubya: I've been to war. I've raised twins. If I had a choice, I'd rather go to war.
Laura: George!
Barbara: I'm looking forward to working in Washington this summer. I can't wait to finally have a real job.
Dubya: The best way to relieve families from time is to let them keep some of their own money.
Jenna: We only get to keep some of it?
Dubya: When you have your own money, it means you've got more money to spend.
Jenna: huh?
Laura: You know what your father says. "...work is incredibly important. Work leads to dignity."
Jenna: You just want me to be too tired to go out at night.
Laura: Your secret service agents are exhausted, girls.
Barbara: Dad, how is the war in Iraq going? Are the Iraqi's happy to be free now?
Dubya: I think war is a dangerous place. Freedom frightens people who are terrorists.
Barbara: Dad, I'm scared for the future of our country... for the future of the world.
Dubya: God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear.
Jenna: b-but... people are dying.
Dubya: We can help somebody who hurts by hugging a neighbor in need.
One of my hardest parts of my job is to console the family members who have lost their life.
Laura: It's so nice that we can spend Father's Day together as a family. Our twins are all grown and have graduated from college.
Dubya: Yes, that's a -- first of all, Mom, you're doing -- that's tough. But it's -- I appreciate that. I appreciate the idea of you wanting to give your children the education from you and the mom.
Laura: You're welcome?
Dubya: And it all starts with the human element, the thing that matters most in life, and that is our faiths and our families and our respected loves as dads for our daughters.
Barbara: What about the environment, Dad? People keep saying that our family doesn't care about it. I want to do something good for the environment.
Dubya: I'm so thankful, and so gracious -- I'm gracious that my brother Jeb is concerned about the hemisphere as well.
Laura: I am too George. How about you, Jenna?
Jenna: I hope to snag a rich guy, get married and have lots of babies.
Dubya: It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet.
Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.
Jenna: huh?
Barbara: Can we go fishing in the cement pond after dinner?
Dubya: I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.
Barbara: Daddy, I'm concerned that some people think you don't know what you're talking about.
Dubya: I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe -- I believe what I believe is right.
Jenna: Yeah, people say you're a war monger.
Dubya: I know all the war rhetoric, but it's all aimed at achieving peace.
We're in for a long struggle, and I think Texans understand that. And so do Americans.
Barbara: I don't think Americans understand what we believe in Texas.
Dubya: There's America, and then there's Texas.
Barbara: That's what I'm talking about.
Dubya: I like to tell people, Laura and I are proud to be Texas -- own a Texas ranch, and for us, every day is Earth Day.
Barbara: But Daddy... I have a question for you...
Dubya: I'm the master of low expectations. If I answer questions every time you ask one, expectations would be high. And as you know, I like to keep expectations low.
Jenna: Dad, is there a chance I could be president some day? Maybe after my kids are grown? I worked hard in school. I'd like to make a difference in the world.
Dubya: I can assure you, when I was a senior in high school, I never sat in an audience saying, gosh, if I work hard I'll be President of the United States.
Laura: The twins take after me, George.
Barbara: You were right, Jenn. We should have given him "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back".
All Bush quotes were actually said by our president at one time or another. They were taken out of context much like the religious right takes the Bible out of context. -The Mgmt.
Starring: Dubya, Laura, Barbara and Jenna as the twins
Twins: Happy Father's Day Daddy. We got you a book for Father's Day.
Dubya: You teach a child to read and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.
I'm glad the First Lady is here. It's an unusual job where all you've got to do is walk down from your living room and come to work. I'm really proud of Laura.
Jenna: Mommy taught us to read.
Dubya: She is a fabulous First Lady. I was a lucky man when she said, yes, I agree to marry you. I love her dearly, and I'm proud of the job she's doing on behalf of all Americans. Just like I love my brother.
Barbara: Daddy, you love me don't you?
Dubya: I think Jeb and I were touched by what it means to be sitting at a table with a daughter who has said, I've got a responsibility to my mom.
Twins: Daddy we hope you like the book we got you. What was your favorite book of all time?
Dubya: Sometimes when I sleep at night I think of "Hop on Pop".
Jenna: Quite frankly Daddy, I think you spend entirely too much time thinking about Granddaddy and Saddam. I learned in college that this war thing is so bogus.
Dubya: After all, this is a guy that tried to kill my dad at one time. God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did..
Jenna: But Daddy, I miss spending time with you!
Dubya: I've been to war. I've raised twins. If I had a choice, I'd rather go to war.
Laura: George!
Barbara: I'm looking forward to working in Washington this summer. I can't wait to finally have a real job.
Dubya: The best way to relieve families from time is to let them keep some of their own money.
Jenna: We only get to keep some of it?
Dubya: When you have your own money, it means you've got more money to spend.
Jenna: huh?
Laura: You know what your father says. "...work is incredibly important. Work leads to dignity."
Jenna: You just want me to be too tired to go out at night.
Laura: Your secret service agents are exhausted, girls.
Barbara: Dad, how is the war in Iraq going? Are the Iraqi's happy to be free now?
Dubya: I think war is a dangerous place. Freedom frightens people who are terrorists.
Barbara: Dad, I'm scared for the future of our country... for the future of the world.
Dubya: God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear.
Jenna: b-but... people are dying.
Dubya: We can help somebody who hurts by hugging a neighbor in need.
One of my hardest parts of my job is to console the family members who have lost their life.
Laura: It's so nice that we can spend Father's Day together as a family. Our twins are all grown and have graduated from college.
Dubya: Yes, that's a -- first of all, Mom, you're doing -- that's tough. But it's -- I appreciate that. I appreciate the idea of you wanting to give your children the education from you and the mom.
Laura: You're welcome?
Dubya: And it all starts with the human element, the thing that matters most in life, and that is our faiths and our families and our respected loves as dads for our daughters.
Barbara: What about the environment, Dad? People keep saying that our family doesn't care about it. I want to do something good for the environment.
Dubya: I'm so thankful, and so gracious -- I'm gracious that my brother Jeb is concerned about the hemisphere as well.
Laura: I am too George. How about you, Jenna?
Jenna: I hope to snag a rich guy, get married and have lots of babies.
Dubya: It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet.
Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.
Jenna: huh?
Barbara: Can we go fishing in the cement pond after dinner?
Dubya: I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.
Barbara: Daddy, I'm concerned that some people think you don't know what you're talking about.
Dubya: I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe -- I believe what I believe is right.
Jenna: Yeah, people say you're a war monger.
Dubya: I know all the war rhetoric, but it's all aimed at achieving peace.
We're in for a long struggle, and I think Texans understand that. And so do Americans.
Barbara: I don't think Americans understand what we believe in Texas.
Dubya: There's America, and then there's Texas.
Barbara: That's what I'm talking about.
Dubya: I like to tell people, Laura and I are proud to be Texas -- own a Texas ranch, and for us, every day is Earth Day.
Barbara: But Daddy... I have a question for you...
Dubya: I'm the master of low expectations. If I answer questions every time you ask one, expectations would be high. And as you know, I like to keep expectations low.
Jenna: Dad, is there a chance I could be president some day? Maybe after my kids are grown? I worked hard in school. I'd like to make a difference in the world.
Dubya: I can assure you, when I was a senior in high school, I never sat in an audience saying, gosh, if I work hard I'll be President of the United States.
Laura: The twins take after me, George.
Barbara: You were right, Jenn. We should have given him "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back".
All Bush quotes were actually said by our president at one time or another. They were taken out of context much like the religious right takes the Bible out of context. -The Mgmt.
Newdow Schmoodow
Before you jump on the Michael Newdow bandwagon because he is supposedly 'one of us', Trish Wilson's Fisking Michael Newdow makes it clear in her analysis that:
While it's fair to argue that "one nation under god" is unconstitutional, Michael Newdow is in this to screw his ex-girlfriend and get his 15 minutes of fame. Trish Wilson gives an excellent, well thought out expert analysis.
I am not sure if Trish is blonde. You would think so by the quality of her work. She was at least blonde as a child.
- the mgmt.
(1) Michael Newdow LOST joint legal custody, thereby he does not have standing to take this case through the court system. He has been telling the media that he had custody when in fact he had not. He lied.
(2) He is not concerned with how thrusting his daughter into the center of this maelstrom against her will can harm her.
(3) He is only concerned with himself, giving the thumbscrews to his ex-girlfriend, and basking in his 15 minutes of fame. The Supreme Court justices could see all that, so they ruled against him.
While it's fair to argue that "one nation under god" is unconstitutional, Michael Newdow is in this to screw his ex-girlfriend and get his 15 minutes of fame. Trish Wilson gives an excellent, well thought out expert analysis.
I am not sure if Trish is blonde. You would think so by the quality of her work. She was at least blonde as a child.
- the mgmt.
a day in the life
I'm awake really early because it was cool last night and I didn't need the air conditioner. The damn birds woke me up before 5am. If it's not the birds, it's the neighbors dogs. I think they are running a kennel over there. If it's not the birds or the dogs, it's the automatic sprinklers. As soon as the water goes on, I have to pee. Such is life in suburbia. I didn't get the Newsday or the WSJ from the curb yet as I am still in my jammies. I don't know what kind of crap the world is up to yet.
Did I ever mention that I live in a cartoon episode? It's surreal. It's several different cartoon episodes all laced together too. I should put a Warner Bros logo on the peak of my house.
The underlying drama is always the cat vs mouse show which I will tell about this morning. I'm the lady in the episode where you only see her legs and hear her voice. We have these teeny tiny leetle meeses that are smarter than god himself here. Their mouse holes are literally undetectable to the human eye. Not to the cat's eyes though. Picture my white persian cat napping on his victorian tapestry sofa (it's his because no one else can sit on it unless they want to be covered with fur) and suddenly one of his eyes opens. It looks around. Then the other eye. The tiger cat's ear flinches... then her head perks up too. In a split second the 2 cats, normally arch enemies, become allies in the great war that takes place daily in the nether-regions of this sprawling suburban ranch home.
The cats stalk the meeses for hours on end by crouching, aiming in one position, pointed towards their prey, unflinching, not breathing... staring at the closet underneath the kitchen sink where all the mouse traps are. Sometimes they stare at the baseboard heating. These meeses are smart. They can gingerly eat the cheese without setting the traps too.... sometimes. After several hours of stalking the meese, the cats eat their din din and the meese come out, grab a piece of cheese, take it back to their hole and the cats go back to sleep. This happens every single day.
This past weekend we did catch 3 meese via traps. The cats got 0. They are 2 for 5. I am thinking of firing them.
The cast of characters:
White Persian Cat (male): The Cat Formerly Known as Prince (sometimes Tom)
Tabby Cat (female): Tiger (sometimes Sylvester)
Mouse 1: Jerry (sometimes Ralph)
Mouse 2: Jerry (sometimes Alice)
Mouse 3: Jerry (sometimes Trixie)
Mouse 4: Jerry (sometimes Norton)
etc
etc
bidibidibidibidibidibidibidibidibidibidi
That's all folks!
Did I ever mention that I live in a cartoon episode? It's surreal. It's several different cartoon episodes all laced together too. I should put a Warner Bros logo on the peak of my house.
The underlying drama is always the cat vs mouse show which I will tell about this morning. I'm the lady in the episode where you only see her legs and hear her voice. We have these teeny tiny leetle meeses that are smarter than god himself here. Their mouse holes are literally undetectable to the human eye. Not to the cat's eyes though. Picture my white persian cat napping on his victorian tapestry sofa (it's his because no one else can sit on it unless they want to be covered with fur) and suddenly one of his eyes opens. It looks around. Then the other eye. The tiger cat's ear flinches... then her head perks up too. In a split second the 2 cats, normally arch enemies, become allies in the great war that takes place daily in the nether-regions of this sprawling suburban ranch home.
The cats stalk the meeses for hours on end by crouching, aiming in one position, pointed towards their prey, unflinching, not breathing... staring at the closet underneath the kitchen sink where all the mouse traps are. Sometimes they stare at the baseboard heating. These meeses are smart. They can gingerly eat the cheese without setting the traps too.... sometimes. After several hours of stalking the meese, the cats eat their din din and the meese come out, grab a piece of cheese, take it back to their hole and the cats go back to sleep. This happens every single day.
This past weekend we did catch 3 meese via traps. The cats got 0. They are 2 for 5. I am thinking of firing them.
The cast of characters:
White Persian Cat (male): The Cat Formerly Known as Prince (sometimes Tom)
Tabby Cat (female): Tiger (sometimes Sylvester)
Mouse 1: Jerry (sometimes Ralph)
Mouse 2: Jerry (sometimes Alice)
Mouse 3: Jerry (sometimes Trixie)
Mouse 4: Jerry (sometimes Norton)
etc
etc
bidibidibidibidibidibidibidibidibidibidi
That's all folks!
Sunday, June 20
a blonde moment...
It's Always About Sex
I watched McLoughlin Group, Meet the Press and 60 Minutes today. When they talked about Clinton, all they talked about was sex. Meet the Press was just awful. What a bunch of self important idiots. I would bet you that the only thing they remember about his presidency was the Starr Report. I am sure that they got off on it too, if you know what I mean. People that are overly interested in others sex lives usually are closet pervs. It's true. My mom taught me that.
Bill Clinton did a great job on 60 Minutes. They edited it so that most of the interview touched on his sex life, however they did delve into his childhood a bit and allowed a few minutes about other things that happened in history during the Clinton Administration to seep through. Bill Clinton probably hates Ken Starr more than I do. I never read the Starr Report. I wouldn't listen to it either. Honestly, it was none of my business. I heard enough about it on the evening news back then anyway.
I wish someone would interview that dick we have in the white house now about his sex life. I'd like someone to investigate how Karen Hughes gives it to Bush. I don't want to know the details cause I'd vomit, but what's fair is fair. I'd like to see Clinton vs Bush on Jeopardy too. The World Politics edition. heh
I watched McLoughlin Group, Meet the Press and 60 Minutes today. When they talked about Clinton, all they talked about was sex. Meet the Press was just awful. What a bunch of self important idiots. I would bet you that the only thing they remember about his presidency was the Starr Report. I am sure that they got off on it too, if you know what I mean. People that are overly interested in others sex lives usually are closet pervs. It's true. My mom taught me that.
Bill Clinton did a great job on 60 Minutes. They edited it so that most of the interview touched on his sex life, however they did delve into his childhood a bit and allowed a few minutes about other things that happened in history during the Clinton Administration to seep through. Bill Clinton probably hates Ken Starr more than I do. I never read the Starr Report. I wouldn't listen to it either. Honestly, it was none of my business. I heard enough about it on the evening news back then anyway.
I wish someone would interview that dick we have in the white house now about his sex life. I'd like someone to investigate how Karen Hughes gives it to Bush. I don't want to know the details cause I'd vomit, but what's fair is fair. I'd like to see Clinton vs Bush on Jeopardy too. The World Politics edition. heh
Evangelical Leaders Reexamine Christian Principles
The National Association of Evangelicals are advocating responsible Christianity. This is a wonderful thing if it's really true. It's no secret that I have been more than perturbed at the conduct and values of the religious right. Their public persona of late has been rather intolerant, selfish, overly judgmental, discriminating, hateful, bigoted and downright not in keeping with the Gospels. For any non Christians out there, the Gospels, taken in context, advocate the opposite of how evangelicals associated with the religious right have been presenting themselves.
I know many evangelicals are hell bent on condemning homosexuality and abortion, but there is a lot more to being a Christian than these 2 issues and what's more, especially concerning abortion, you have to begin to change how society views life before you attack abortion. This is something I have been advocating for over 2 decades. A woman's right to choose and homosexuality is really none of their business as far as politics goes. But I suppose if you are totally hell bent against abortion and truly view it as murder, I can sort of understand why they are making it a political issue. I'm not going to discuss that now though. You can put comments and debate it in the comments section if you so desire. Abortion in the Bible is very debatable as well as homosexuality. Evangelicals are more concerned with what the Bible says literally than what modern reason/philosphy/science coupled with ancient traditions reveal to us today.
If churches want to keep their tax exempt status, then I recommend that they keep out of politics. If they want to pay taxes, then they can voice their opinions like the rest of us who pay taxes. If they want to tell their followers not to have abortions and not to be gay, that's fine with me. That's why we have religious freedom in this country and we better keep it that way. They better keep politics out of church and church out of my politics. My religion told me not to eat meat on Friday and we didn't go around telling people to vote for those who don't eat meat on Friday. Whatever gay men do behind closed doors or in their private communities, is their business. I don't think about what they do anymore than I wonder what Republicans do in the bedroom. There are some in this country who spend an awful lot of time thinking that morality only has to do with sex and that is just a teeny tiny miniscule part of what morality entails, isn't it? Of course it is.
Wowie zowie Batman! Now that sounds like Jesus-speak to me. Caring for others, caring for the earth, caring for the poor.
I sincerely doubt that any Americans are against families and raising decent kids who don't grow up to be drug and alcohol abusers, criminals, idiots and spreaders of STDs. This doesn't need to be legislated. This is a family thing that should be taught at home first. Most schools also teach kids the difference between right and wrong. The terrorists who taught my child in public school also covered drugs, alcohol abuse, sexually transmitted diseases and such reinforcing what I had already taught my son at home. Stem cell research should only be discussed by those who understand it. It's easy to misunderstand it and explain it improperly as the president has done on this and so many other issues.
I am flabbergasted over this quote: "must be careful to avoid the excesses of nationalism." Taken out of context like that it seems to be an anti-fascist statement. I would have to read the whole thing to see what they are really saying. It sounds too good to be true. The part about not identifying with a single political party is a good thing, but not necessarily for the reasons given. It's a start though.
This is all wrong. It's unconstitutional and it doesn't take into account the fact that just about everything else about Bush is decidedly anti-Christian. So what are they going to do about it?
This is the really Christian part... yeehah!: "look at the underlying government policies and economic practices that could institutionalize poverty and injustice."
Both political parties are guilty of institutionalizing poverty and injustice. The Reagan Era brought new meaning to it. Bush is so busy being a "war president" that even the middle class is in danger of becoming extinct. The constant talk about privatization of government agencies that once helped those on the margins of society, the elderly and our children will only serve to make corporations richer. The outsourcing of jobs to other countries is condoned by the Bush administration. Bush's allegiance to his corporate cronies and contempt of the American people and other leading nations of the world puts our country in great danger and the risk of world war is growing graver daily.
This is a mouthful because it is not what we expect to hear from evangelicals, is it? It seems that they are willing to call for a compromise politically. Good. This is a secular nation. Everyone is compromising somewhat in order to live peacefully. This is a huge step for any large religious group to take... but it's necessary. If separation of church and state isn't held up, we are in for a civil war in this country and the bad guys are going to end up being the so-called religious right. What an oxymoron.
This poll doesn't explain exactly what the 37% of white evangelical people who are concerned about moral values actually believe are moral values. Are they talking about advocating for social and economic justice which are moral values according to the Gospels or do they think moral values only have to do with sex and gayness? Jesus spends the majority of his ministry according to the Gospels advocating for the poor and condemning the rich. Careful reading of the Bible would lead a critical reader to only one assumption: Love God, love one another, take care of one another, especially the poor. The rich are going to get their rewards here on earth while those who advocate for economic and social justice will live forever is consistent with the Bible.
Ranting about gay marriage is not doing any good for the poor. Neither is forcing pregnant poor women to have babies they can't afford. Changing societal values and advocating for life across the board, including prison reform, education reform, government jobs programs, health care for all and offering all Americans an equal chance at living outside the realm of poverty is most likely to make abortions become rarer. People are just going to have to learn to tolerate homosexuals because they keep being born to heterosexual couples who love them very much. The war in Iraq is debatable among Christians.. probably because the real story behind the war is so garbled, constantly changing and secretive. There is a "Just War" doctrine and this blonde doesn't think that the Iraq invasion would fall under this doctrine. It's not even constitutional.
I printed out the whole LA Times article in the BlondeSense Annex.
Other posts of interest:
The Beatitudes: This is what Christianity is all about. For real!
My Letter To Bishop Sheridan: He wants to deny Catholics, who support democrats, communion.
The Christian Wrong: More of my rantings.
The Right To Life: It doesn't end at the moment of birth.
Religion and Ethics Newsweekly: Interview with Mario Cuomo
I know many evangelicals are hell bent on condemning homosexuality and abortion, but there is a lot more to being a Christian than these 2 issues and what's more, especially concerning abortion, you have to begin to change how society views life before you attack abortion. This is something I have been advocating for over 2 decades. A woman's right to choose and homosexuality is really none of their business as far as politics goes. But I suppose if you are totally hell bent against abortion and truly view it as murder, I can sort of understand why they are making it a political issue. I'm not going to discuss that now though. You can put comments and debate it in the comments section if you so desire. Abortion in the Bible is very debatable as well as homosexuality. Evangelicals are more concerned with what the Bible says literally than what modern reason/philosphy/science coupled with ancient traditions reveal to us today.
If churches want to keep their tax exempt status, then I recommend that they keep out of politics. If they want to pay taxes, then they can voice their opinions like the rest of us who pay taxes. If they want to tell their followers not to have abortions and not to be gay, that's fine with me. That's why we have religious freedom in this country and we better keep it that way. They better keep politics out of church and church out of my politics. My religion told me not to eat meat on Friday and we didn't go around telling people to vote for those who don't eat meat on Friday. Whatever gay men do behind closed doors or in their private communities, is their business. I don't think about what they do anymore than I wonder what Republicans do in the bedroom. There are some in this country who spend an awful lot of time thinking that morality only has to do with sex and that is just a teeny tiny miniscule part of what morality entails, isn't it? Of course it is.
From the LA Times: Evangelical Leaders Reexamine Principles:
[The National Association of Evangelicals] affirms a religiously based commitment to government protections for the poor, the sick and disabled, including fair wages, healthcare, nutrition and education. It declares that Christians have a "sacred responsibility" to protect the environment.
Wowie zowie Batman! Now that sounds like Jesus-speak to me. Caring for others, caring for the earth, caring for the poor.
But it also hews closely to a traditional evangelical emphasis on the importance of families, opposition to homosexual marriage and "social evils" such as alcohol, drugs, abortion and the use of human embryos for stem-cell research. It reaffirms a commitment to religious freedom at home and abroad.
In the midst of a presidential election year, war and terrorism, the framework says Christians in their devotion to country "must be careful to avoid the excesses of nationalism." In domestic politics, evangelicals "must guard against over-identifying Christian social goals with a single political party, lest nonbelievers think that Christian faith is essentially political in nature."
I sincerely doubt that any Americans are against families and raising decent kids who don't grow up to be drug and alcohol abusers, criminals, idiots and spreaders of STDs. This doesn't need to be legislated. This is a family thing that should be taught at home first. Most schools also teach kids the difference between right and wrong. The terrorists who taught my child in public school also covered drugs, alcohol abuse, sexually transmitted diseases and such reinforcing what I had already taught my son at home. Stem cell research should only be discussed by those who understand it. It's easy to misunderstand it and explain it improperly as the president has done on this and so many other issues.
I am flabbergasted over this quote: "must be careful to avoid the excesses of nationalism." Taken out of context like that it seems to be an anti-fascist statement. I would have to read the whole thing to see what they are really saying. It sounds too good to be true. The part about not identifying with a single political party is a good thing, but not necessarily for the reasons given. It's a start though.
Evangelicals have been assiduously courted by President Bush, who recognized that they could be counted on in large numbers to vote Republican. Bush, a born-again Christian and member of the United Methodist Church, has won plaudits from both evangelicals and Roman Catholic bishops for opposing abortion, expanded use of human embryos for stem-cell research and gay marriages.
Bush also has advocated government funds for faith-based charities and other outreach to serve the needy.
This is all wrong. It's unconstitutional and it doesn't take into account the fact that just about everything else about Bush is decidedly anti-Christian. So what are they going to do about it?
But the framework before the national association looks beyond local charity programs and declares that evangelicals and the government must look at the underlying government policies and economic practices that could institutionalize poverty and injustice.
"When social structures result in such gross disparities and suffering, the Bible writers envision structural solutions, such as periodic land redistribution so that everyone can have access to productive resources and be dignified members of their community," the draft states.
This is the really Christian part... yeehah!: "look at the underlying government policies and economic practices that could institutionalize poverty and injustice."
Both political parties are guilty of institutionalizing poverty and injustice. The Reagan Era brought new meaning to it. Bush is so busy being a "war president" that even the middle class is in danger of becoming extinct. The constant talk about privatization of government agencies that once helped those on the margins of society, the elderly and our children will only serve to make corporations richer. The outsourcing of jobs to other countries is condoned by the Bush administration. Bush's allegiance to his corporate cronies and contempt of the American people and other leading nations of the world puts our country in great danger and the risk of world war is growing graver daily.
But under the new public engagement framework, evangelicals may find themselves sometimes at odds with political allies in the culture wars that have buffeted the country for two decades. Genuflecting to political realism, the new framework calls on evangelicals to seek to work with whom they disagree in common cause. The framework also recognizes that in the give and take of political compromise, they may frequently have to settle for "half a loaf."
...
"I think it will be a surprise to those who have a very stereotyped idea of what evangelicals are," Knippers said. "I also think that it helps the media understand evangelicals more accurately."
It is also a recognition of the tensions within evangelicalism.
This is a mouthful because it is not what we expect to hear from evangelicals, is it? It seems that they are willing to call for a compromise politically. Good. This is a secular nation. Everyone is compromising somewhat in order to live peacefully. This is a huge step for any large religious group to take... but it's necessary. If separation of church and state isn't held up, we are in for a civil war in this country and the bad guys are going to end up being the so-called religious right. What an oxymoron.
The March poll, for example, reported that although 37% of white evangelicals said moral values were of most concern, 41% of all African Americans and 34% of all Hispanics said they worried most about the economy and jobs.
This poll doesn't explain exactly what the 37% of white evangelical people who are concerned about moral values actually believe are moral values. Are they talking about advocating for social and economic justice which are moral values according to the Gospels or do they think moral values only have to do with sex and gayness? Jesus spends the majority of his ministry according to the Gospels advocating for the poor and condemning the rich. Careful reading of the Bible would lead a critical reader to only one assumption: Love God, love one another, take care of one another, especially the poor. The rich are going to get their rewards here on earth while those who advocate for economic and social justice will live forever is consistent with the Bible.
Ranting about gay marriage is not doing any good for the poor. Neither is forcing pregnant poor women to have babies they can't afford. Changing societal values and advocating for life across the board, including prison reform, education reform, government jobs programs, health care for all and offering all Americans an equal chance at living outside the realm of poverty is most likely to make abortions become rarer. People are just going to have to learn to tolerate homosexuals because they keep being born to heterosexual couples who love them very much. The war in Iraq is debatable among Christians.. probably because the real story behind the war is so garbled, constantly changing and secretive. There is a "Just War" doctrine and this blonde doesn't think that the Iraq invasion would fall under this doctrine. It's not even constitutional.
I printed out the whole LA Times article in the BlondeSense Annex.
Other posts of interest:
The Beatitudes: This is what Christianity is all about. For real!
My Letter To Bishop Sheridan: He wants to deny Catholics, who support democrats, communion.
The Christian Wrong: More of my rantings.
The Right To Life: It doesn't end at the moment of birth.
Religion and Ethics Newsweekly: Interview with Mario Cuomo
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