Oh, screw the Fresno Fair. now, THIS is fun stuff. at today's White House press briefing, Tony Snow laid down some thick brown fog...if you get my drift:
“We're making progress,” he replied. “I don't know. How do you define ‘winning’? The fact is, in taking on the war on terror -- let me put it this way, the President has made it obvious, we're going to win. And that means, ultimately, providing an Iraq that is safe, secure, and an ally in the war on terror. And at any given time, as you've seen in previous wars, there are going to be spikes in violence. And it is natural for Americans who have -- really are probably the most empathetic people on the face of the earth, to feel deeply the loss of those who have given their lives in battle.”
(huh? i'm not so sure i'd define the American people as the most empathetic on Earth. maybe spoiled, lazy, entitled and naive, but not so much empathetic past the tip of our collective nose. and empathy is defined by one source as meaning:
"The imaginative projection into another's feelings, a state of total identification with another's situation, condition, and thoughts. The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without explicitly articulating these feelings".
well. thirdly, former president bill clinton was badly maligned by the republican party and all conservatives in general for uttering the words "i feel your pain". does this mean that in the 1990's we weren't empathetic? but now suddenly we are? somehow over the last ten years we have become able to understand what it's like to be bombed daily, to have our families dragged out and executed by those who used to be our neighbors and buy from our stalls? we now know what it's like to live under an occupying military and wonder if we're going to be called a terrorist by someone else in order for them to freed by their captors? somehow, i think not)
Q That's the proposition that the White House put out there, that as they [the Iraqi government] stood up, violence would come down, and we'd stand down.
MR. SNOW: As part of our constant adjustment, let me just add that apparently, the terrorists have also decided not to stand down. They've got to stand down.
(so, the terrorists have to stand down, the Iraqi government has to stand up and then WE can stand down? when did the terrorists get invited to this game of musical chairs? and what's with "constant adjustment"? kind of sounds like "we have no fucking clue what we're doing")
and while the standing up and standing down goes up and...well, up, the newest round of peace talks in Iraq have been cancelled as Sunnis and Shiites continue to massacre one another. heckuva job, georgie.
and now it seems that only 16% of Americans polled think that bush and company weren't lying about what they knew before 9/11 happened. 84% think that they lied or withheld info crucial to the terrorist hijackings. and that's only down 5% from 2002. so, we've been extremely cynical about bush and his for 4 years and still they are in power and every day increasing their hold on it and destroying our rights as citizens.
but, finally, good news from California (where only the fruits and nuts seem to grow in abundance according to most who don't live here): if this source is right, then you and i can request paper ballots when we vote on november 8. click on the link, then the pdf link within the story. hopefully, this plays out. i, for one, am mighty distrustful of electronic voting at the moment.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Fresno Fair
well, the Big Fresno Fair has come to its end yet once again. seems like every year they say it's over and, whatdayaknow, next october here it is again. just like a rolling stones' tour. or that fruitcake that's been sent between my familymates for the last century. hmmm, both are about as old.
and since it was the final day of ye olde faire i decided to accompany katie and do the do as it were.
we started off with a stroll through Kid's Town where the icky sticky reptiles were (gorgeous banded snakes, geckos, chameleons, tortoises and the like) and into which katie was a bit apprehensive about stepping. no worries, though, no one got bit...by a reptile, that is.
then, we marched over to the mammals enclosure where the hairy beasts were. unfortunately, mustang's pen was empty. but we did see the championship judging for pygmy goats, big-balled bulls, bunnies and guinea pigs. and we're talking serious ballage on the bulls. plus, they both had boners. we couldn't ascertain if it was merely an experimental college thing or they were truly sweet on each other
we completed the walkaround, (after visiting the mineral and gem building where i got these shots of mineral rocks under black light)
found beerocks and corn on the cob and prepared ourselves for the main event- horse racing and the losing of money thereon. we were very confident walking in. we'd done all of the homework we felt we needed to and had a good feel for the horses and jockeys (though i wasn't wearing any jockeys) and we immediately began laying down big dollars on the longshots.
as it turned out, sunday was not a day for longshots. until, of course, two races after we left at which time the longshot won and paid off huge. we did have one quick thrill, though, when the 38-1 came out of the last turn with a full length lead. at about that time the jockey (who just happened to be the ancient mariner in need of only a musket to look right at home at a Revolutionary War Old-Timers' Home) evidently decided he needed to make a can-and-string phone call and let all of the other horses pass him so he could hear better. and, yes lecram, once again i didn't wait to see which nag he was riding before placing my bet. personally, i believe he is the stable mucker and only rides the flesh that needs stat padding for a bigger stakes race. or the horse owners are so cheap they won't hire anyone under the age of dirt. or faster than glacial melt. i think the very rotund bugle blower could have beat him. on foot.
so, in my four years of pony betting i have now won a total of ONE time. and that was my very first bet ever. when i had no idea what i was doing. which doesn't seem to have changed. damn fun, though.
and since it was the final day of ye olde faire i decided to accompany katie and do the do as it were.
we started off with a stroll through Kid's Town where the icky sticky reptiles were (gorgeous banded snakes, geckos, chameleons, tortoises and the like) and into which katie was a bit apprehensive about stepping. no worries, though, no one got bit...by a reptile, that is.
then, we marched over to the mammals enclosure where the hairy beasts were. unfortunately, mustang's pen was empty. but we did see the championship judging for pygmy goats, big-balled bulls, bunnies and guinea pigs. and we're talking serious ballage on the bulls. plus, they both had boners. we couldn't ascertain if it was merely an experimental college thing or they were truly sweet on each other
we completed the walkaround, (after visiting the mineral and gem building where i got these shots of mineral rocks under black light)
found beerocks and corn on the cob and prepared ourselves for the main event- horse racing and the losing of money thereon. we were very confident walking in. we'd done all of the homework we felt we needed to and had a good feel for the horses and jockeys (though i wasn't wearing any jockeys) and we immediately began laying down big dollars on the longshots.
as it turned out, sunday was not a day for longshots. until, of course, two races after we left at which time the longshot won and paid off huge. we did have one quick thrill, though, when the 38-1 came out of the last turn with a full length lead. at about that time the jockey (who just happened to be the ancient mariner in need of only a musket to look right at home at a Revolutionary War Old-Timers' Home) evidently decided he needed to make a can-and-string phone call and let all of the other horses pass him so he could hear better. and, yes lecram, once again i didn't wait to see which nag he was riding before placing my bet. personally, i believe he is the stable mucker and only rides the flesh that needs stat padding for a bigger stakes race. or the horse owners are so cheap they won't hire anyone under the age of dirt. or faster than glacial melt. i think the very rotund bugle blower could have beat him. on foot.
so, in my four years of pony betting i have now won a total of ONE time. and that was my very first bet ever. when i had no idea what i was doing. which doesn't seem to have changed. damn fun, though.
there a couple of other pictures, but blogger's not letting me upload them. i'll try again later so you can see the pint sized bronc buster and the deep-fried twinkie i was dared to eat.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
hey, kids! wondering why the price of gas is suddenly falling in such a precipitous way? thinking that the new huge "find" of natural gas in the gulf is involved? or the supposed lessening of of the possibility of our attacking Iran or north Korea? think again.
as i believe was the case in 2004, this year it seems that the Saudis are helping out Bush et al in much the same way. remember, also, that when the price of oil was expected to surge all of the major oil companies bought hard in order to stockpile in the event that a much larger war was to begin, which would encompass all of the mid-east. that didn't happen and now they've got this glut of reserve and they're selling it off as fast as they can. so, while one of the leading experts is saying that $1.15 a gallon isn't out of the question, don't be surprised if the price of gas per gallon begins to stabilize after the november elections (depending on who wins...or not).
also, did anyone notice the most recent report on this year's national deficit, which is said to be much smaller than anticipated and the smallest in the last four years? did anyone, also, notice that social security loans are not included this time around? the administration decided that this year borrowed money shouldn't count as part of the deficit. it always had before, but not anymore. so, any monies borrowed from the social security funds is just that-borrowing with the intent to pay it back sometime in the future (no date specified).
and ain't a sex scandal grand? doesn't it help you focus that anger that seemed so spread out in oh so many directions and you couldn't begin to feel strongly one way or the other? and suddenly out steps this guy who was being nasty and bad and repugnant with teenagers and now you can get pissed again and it feels so goddam good, because it doesn't have the word "iraq" in it? or the word "torture"? or "lobbying"? or "terrorist" or "patriot act" or "eavesdropping" or "tax cuts for the rich" or "abramoff" or "Ohio" or "Florida" or "Minuteman" or "enemy combatant" or "collateral damage" or "pat tilman" or "jihad" or "bin laden" or "billoreillyrushlimbaughseanhannityanncoulter"?
no, sex and scandal are great! because it's easy and fun and we feel so morally superior to an actual living, breathing fuckhead. and he's ours. and he's gay. and he's an alcoholic. and he was buggered by a priest. not that i believe the last two. but he's someone we can look on and spit at, because he's in our backyard and he's done stuff we can look down upon.
it's so easy. and it's such a red herring. while he was being "outted" our congress made it legal for bush to continue torturing suspects and to arrest anyone he deems a threat to our country (be they terrorists or little white children) and to determine what exactly constitutes torture by our interrorgators. bush no loonger has to follow the geneva convention rules or any other international treaty we've signed. simple as that, we are a rogue nation which has announced itself as a true empire. we follow only those laws we deem acceptable and will create new laws to negate the older ones we no longer like.
i wonder if Rome saw it coming.
as i believe was the case in 2004, this year it seems that the Saudis are helping out Bush et al in much the same way. remember, also, that when the price of oil was expected to surge all of the major oil companies bought hard in order to stockpile in the event that a much larger war was to begin, which would encompass all of the mid-east. that didn't happen and now they've got this glut of reserve and they're selling it off as fast as they can. so, while one of the leading experts is saying that $1.15 a gallon isn't out of the question, don't be surprised if the price of gas per gallon begins to stabilize after the november elections (depending on who wins...or not).
also, did anyone notice the most recent report on this year's national deficit, which is said to be much smaller than anticipated and the smallest in the last four years? did anyone, also, notice that social security loans are not included this time around? the administration decided that this year borrowed money shouldn't count as part of the deficit. it always had before, but not anymore. so, any monies borrowed from the social security funds is just that-borrowing with the intent to pay it back sometime in the future (no date specified).
and ain't a sex scandal grand? doesn't it help you focus that anger that seemed so spread out in oh so many directions and you couldn't begin to feel strongly one way or the other? and suddenly out steps this guy who was being nasty and bad and repugnant with teenagers and now you can get pissed again and it feels so goddam good, because it doesn't have the word "iraq" in it? or the word "torture"? or "lobbying"? or "terrorist" or "patriot act" or "eavesdropping" or "tax cuts for the rich" or "abramoff" or "Ohio" or "Florida" or "Minuteman" or "enemy combatant" or "collateral damage" or "pat tilman" or "jihad" or "bin laden" or "billoreillyrushlimbaughseanhannityanncoulter"?
no, sex and scandal are great! because it's easy and fun and we feel so morally superior to an actual living, breathing fuckhead. and he's ours. and he's gay. and he's an alcoholic. and he was buggered by a priest. not that i believe the last two. but he's someone we can look on and spit at, because he's in our backyard and he's done stuff we can look down upon.
it's so easy. and it's such a red herring. while he was being "outted" our congress made it legal for bush to continue torturing suspects and to arrest anyone he deems a threat to our country (be they terrorists or little white children) and to determine what exactly constitutes torture by our interrorgators. bush no loonger has to follow the geneva convention rules or any other international treaty we've signed. simple as that, we are a rogue nation which has announced itself as a true empire. we follow only those laws we deem acceptable and will create new laws to negate the older ones we no longer like.
i wonder if Rome saw it coming.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Dear Mr. President
Dear Mr. "President",
I believe that, based on your new Terror Detainee guidelines, I should be arrested for being a terrorist sympathizer. I know people of dusky descent who are not enamored of your pogrom to eliminate any and all who disagree with its provisions. I have stood up with those who protest our so-called "war on terror". I vote Democrat. I sometimes help to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. I support Planned Parenthood. I am active in the artistic scene and back gay and lesbian movements. I work to educate those who support you and your lies by reading and disseminating accurate reports and facts about said lies (which include: the war in Iraq and its insugency; your ignorance of Afghanistan and the resurgence of the Taliban; your disregard for the rest of the world's opinion of what you do at the expense of the rest of the world; your approval of military incursions to Iran; your protection for pedophiles, racists, mysogynists; your work to help big businesses (i.e. Halliburton) reap obscene profits at the expense of middle and lower class Americans).
So, in order to further your agenda for enriching those who need no further enriching and impoverishing those who can stand no more impoverishing, and to keep me and my kind from pursuing the truth about your empirical and hitlerian fantasies, i must ask you to arrest me and put me into an unknown and unseen prison without access to lawyers or information on which you based your decision. Otherwise, I will continue to debase your name and legacy and seek out those who will stand by me in denouncing your "messianic" zealotry.
You say that only history will judge your Presidency, but I say that you are being judged right now and you are being found wanting and in contempt of everything this country has ever stood for.
So, bring your Secret Service to my door. Bring the FBI or the CIA. Search my computer records and my mail and my credit card statements. Question my friends and associates. Make them think that I am a National Security risk. Bring it on, I say. Because, until you have arrested each and every one of us who denounce your "moral superiority" and your so-called "third religious awakening" and your call to another Crusade, you will never truly be a leader of a united country no matter what you say or your minions do. And remember that Hitler only unified his country by killing millions of the unwanted and disagreeing until he had only those who feared him so much that they would not speak out...until he was beaten and then they all wanted to spit on his corpse. You won't be so lucky. You will retire from politics and have to listen for the rest of your life about all of your lunacy and ludicrousness. And I can only hope that you will go to bed each night and remember the number of innocent people who were killed or maimed by your juvenile, kneejerk decisions.
There is a reason State and Religion were required by our Founding Fathers to remain separate. And it is because they knew the two were incompatible. They knew from experience what happens when the two mix. It's a big part of the reason they left Europe. For you to not remember (or disregard) that lesson is enough in and of itself to impeach you.
But I digress. As I said before, you should probably arrest me for being an American Insurgent. I think you are a disgrace to my country and have helped bring shameon it. And I will continue to tell people that and to offer them the facts refuting any and everything you say, because all you do is lie.
I believe that, based on your new Terror Detainee guidelines, I should be arrested for being a terrorist sympathizer. I know people of dusky descent who are not enamored of your pogrom to eliminate any and all who disagree with its provisions. I have stood up with those who protest our so-called "war on terror". I vote Democrat. I sometimes help to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. I support Planned Parenthood. I am active in the artistic scene and back gay and lesbian movements. I work to educate those who support you and your lies by reading and disseminating accurate reports and facts about said lies (which include: the war in Iraq and its insugency; your ignorance of Afghanistan and the resurgence of the Taliban; your disregard for the rest of the world's opinion of what you do at the expense of the rest of the world; your approval of military incursions to Iran; your protection for pedophiles, racists, mysogynists; your work to help big businesses (i.e. Halliburton) reap obscene profits at the expense of middle and lower class Americans).
So, in order to further your agenda for enriching those who need no further enriching and impoverishing those who can stand no more impoverishing, and to keep me and my kind from pursuing the truth about your empirical and hitlerian fantasies, i must ask you to arrest me and put me into an unknown and unseen prison without access to lawyers or information on which you based your decision. Otherwise, I will continue to debase your name and legacy and seek out those who will stand by me in denouncing your "messianic" zealotry.
You say that only history will judge your Presidency, but I say that you are being judged right now and you are being found wanting and in contempt of everything this country has ever stood for.
So, bring your Secret Service to my door. Bring the FBI or the CIA. Search my computer records and my mail and my credit card statements. Question my friends and associates. Make them think that I am a National Security risk. Bring it on, I say. Because, until you have arrested each and every one of us who denounce your "moral superiority" and your so-called "third religious awakening" and your call to another Crusade, you will never truly be a leader of a united country no matter what you say or your minions do. And remember that Hitler only unified his country by killing millions of the unwanted and disagreeing until he had only those who feared him so much that they would not speak out...until he was beaten and then they all wanted to spit on his corpse. You won't be so lucky. You will retire from politics and have to listen for the rest of your life about all of your lunacy and ludicrousness. And I can only hope that you will go to bed each night and remember the number of innocent people who were killed or maimed by your juvenile, kneejerk decisions.
There is a reason State and Religion were required by our Founding Fathers to remain separate. And it is because they knew the two were incompatible. They knew from experience what happens when the two mix. It's a big part of the reason they left Europe. For you to not remember (or disregard) that lesson is enough in and of itself to impeach you.
But I digress. As I said before, you should probably arrest me for being an American Insurgent. I think you are a disgrace to my country and have helped bring shameon it. And I will continue to tell people that and to offer them the facts refuting any and everything you say, because all you do is lie.
Pic Me
oh, just a random assortment of photos i've taken or been sent. all but the first one are of tower folk or taken in the tower.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
sun and moon
promised myself i'd put these two photos up. the first is the space station and the space shuttle framed against the sun. notice how the shuttle is pointed up from our viewing aspect and the station may actually be upside down. the second is a color composite of the moon. yes, the moon does have these colors if you own access to a telescope powerful enough and patience beyond the longest shutter stop. i will see neither of these like this in my lifetime without the help of others.
it's nice to know that someone who can will share:
it's nice to know that someone who can will share:
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
GetYourWarOn
my goodness i've been lazy. about 9 new pages of getyourwaron are available. so sorry. and if you don't know what getyourwaron is i advise starting from the beginning (as in page 1) so you can stop staring at my manly tee shirt in real wonder and start staring at my manly tee shirt, because i have great boobs.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Spot The Elephant
(YOU tell me what's wrong with this email i received today)
JOEL,
TigerDirect thanks you for your continued business. We work hard to be an industry leader and continue to bring our previous Ultra customers the best prices around.
Help out your fellow customers by submitting a review of the product you purchased. It is simple and quick, go to http://www.tigerdirect.com/, navigate to your product page, then click on the "Submit Review" link.
For your convenience, I've also included some of our latest tech deals below. Again, I want to personally thank you, Deneke, for being a loyal TigerDirect customer.I look forward to serving you again in the near future.
Regards, Carl Fiorentino President
TigerDirect.com
JOEL,
TigerDirect thanks you for your continued business. We work hard to be an industry leader and continue to bring our previous Ultra customers the best prices around.
Help out your fellow customers by submitting a review of the product you purchased. It is simple and quick, go to http://www.tigerdirect.com/, navigate to your product page, then click on the "Submit Review" link.
For your convenience, I've also included some of our latest tech deals below. Again, I want to personally thank you, Deneke, for being a loyal TigerDirect customer.I look forward to serving you again in the near future.
Regards, Carl Fiorentino President
TigerDirect.com
Friday, September 22, 2006
my friend lecram sent me this link. he thought it might be something i would find interesting. indeed. not only interesting, but riveting, thought provoking and i could could only say a hearty "thank you, brother" afterwards. if you find keith olberman to be the devil or the antichrist or (worse) an appeaser or terrorist sympathizer and you would rather listen to the vile spew of ann coulter or rush limbaugh or bill o'reilly (because you care not for truth and decency and the american right to dissent), then move on to someone else's blog.
if you hate politics and the very thought of thinking outside your protective little bubble of ignorance, then you, too, should walk to the next window.
if you are so deadset against anything president bush has done or not done or stands for or doesn't stand for and can't for one millisecond suspend your hatred for him or those he chose to prop him up for the last almost seven years, then you as well might want to click out and on.
for keith olberman gives a damning and sobering commentary on the state of our ground zero, our nation and our very existence as we advance to the future on the shoulders of those giants who helped create this very country, whose visions we reap the benefits of.
but if you still give a damn about us, about our nation, about our history, present and future, then perhaps you might give this link a listen.
in the end you may still feel as you did before (agreement or no agreement).
in the end, you may curse keith olberman. you may curse me for getting you to listen to him. you may banish my blog and never visit it again. but it would be worth that small price if only to have you listen to what he says and maybe (just maybe) consider that there is a truth here that exists outside what we are told to believe by our government and by the majority of the large media and that there is a man who is not afraid to say it.
however, this post is not about keith olberman. it is, rather, about the words and ideas he expresses in this most poignant and pointed commentary. words and ideas delivered without partisan rancor, without personal attack, without reduction to libel and innuendo. it is emotionally charged, personally felt and judiciously laid out in a professional and reasonable format. but with no quarter given.
click on this, give it a watch and a listen, then keep on living with or without the message he imparts. for this is what it is to be free.
as an addendum, i found this quite lengthy editorial round-up in the washington post, which gives a rundown on what really went on as the republicans wrangled over the new terror torture legislation. and a tidbit about karl rove promising an "october surprise". as we should all know by now, that phrase when uttered by rove means something very unpleasant and most likely untrue in order to scare our populace into voting for his party.
oh, and it's been leaked that our military has been alerted to a deployment in or by october to iran in order to start a blockade of that country.
if you hate politics and the very thought of thinking outside your protective little bubble of ignorance, then you, too, should walk to the next window.
if you are so deadset against anything president bush has done or not done or stands for or doesn't stand for and can't for one millisecond suspend your hatred for him or those he chose to prop him up for the last almost seven years, then you as well might want to click out and on.
for keith olberman gives a damning and sobering commentary on the state of our ground zero, our nation and our very existence as we advance to the future on the shoulders of those giants who helped create this very country, whose visions we reap the benefits of.
but if you still give a damn about us, about our nation, about our history, present and future, then perhaps you might give this link a listen.
in the end you may still feel as you did before (agreement or no agreement).
in the end, you may curse keith olberman. you may curse me for getting you to listen to him. you may banish my blog and never visit it again. but it would be worth that small price if only to have you listen to what he says and maybe (just maybe) consider that there is a truth here that exists outside what we are told to believe by our government and by the majority of the large media and that there is a man who is not afraid to say it.
however, this post is not about keith olberman. it is, rather, about the words and ideas he expresses in this most poignant and pointed commentary. words and ideas delivered without partisan rancor, without personal attack, without reduction to libel and innuendo. it is emotionally charged, personally felt and judiciously laid out in a professional and reasonable format. but with no quarter given.
click on this, give it a watch and a listen, then keep on living with or without the message he imparts. for this is what it is to be free.
as an addendum, i found this quite lengthy editorial round-up in the washington post, which gives a rundown on what really went on as the republicans wrangled over the new terror torture legislation. and a tidbit about karl rove promising an "october surprise". as we should all know by now, that phrase when uttered by rove means something very unpleasant and most likely untrue in order to scare our populace into voting for his party.
oh, and it's been leaked that our military has been alerted to a deployment in or by october to iran in order to start a blockade of that country.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Twist Me Up And Smoke Me Out
"I am not going to dignify a comment by the Venezuelan president to the president of the United States," Rice told reporters in New York. The main U.S. seat in the assembly hall was empty as Chavez spoke, though the U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told The Associated Press that a "junior note-taker" was present, as is customary "when governments like that speak."
now, correct me if i'm wrong, but is this the tone we as american people want our leaders to take concerning government leaders of other nations who stand opposed to our actions and stances? while i find chavez's rhetoric to be just that (words to whip up the emotions of those already allied with him) i find it hard to accept that our representative would not even be present for the speech. i could understand walking out in protest if the language turned violent or juvenile (as it obviously did). but isn't bolton paid to attend UN meetings? and isn't he in a sense acting just like those our government dismisses out of hand? it doesn't say much for our maturity, diplomacy skills or respect for international bodies to just refuse to show up during the working week. perhaps, tomorrow i'll refuse to go to work, because it's krispy kreme donut day and i only like the ones that come in the pink boxes.
seriously, though, we act as if the UN exists solely to follow our every whim. yes, their headquarters reside on our soil (which i think is a good thing for the general physical safety of the building and its delegates...for the time being), but they do not answer to us, never have and never should. so, why does our administration get away with this type of 10th grade attitude? why aren't we getting so pissed that the national polls show us ready to vote for anyone not an incumbent in order to make our government act more in line with the rest of the world or even our popular thought (which has nothing in common with what our government has been about for the past 5 years)? i don't ask these questions, because i'm naive. i already know the answers. i'm just curious if any of you have thoughts about this that might make me think a bit sideways about the issues.
p.s. and, because katie never saw this video, i'd like to repost its link now and may she have sweet golden slumbers after viewing it (once you're at the link, click on "the big finale").
now, correct me if i'm wrong, but is this the tone we as american people want our leaders to take concerning government leaders of other nations who stand opposed to our actions and stances? while i find chavez's rhetoric to be just that (words to whip up the emotions of those already allied with him) i find it hard to accept that our representative would not even be present for the speech. i could understand walking out in protest if the language turned violent or juvenile (as it obviously did). but isn't bolton paid to attend UN meetings? and isn't he in a sense acting just like those our government dismisses out of hand? it doesn't say much for our maturity, diplomacy skills or respect for international bodies to just refuse to show up during the working week. perhaps, tomorrow i'll refuse to go to work, because it's krispy kreme donut day and i only like the ones that come in the pink boxes.
seriously, though, we act as if the UN exists solely to follow our every whim. yes, their headquarters reside on our soil (which i think is a good thing for the general physical safety of the building and its delegates...for the time being), but they do not answer to us, never have and never should. so, why does our administration get away with this type of 10th grade attitude? why aren't we getting so pissed that the national polls show us ready to vote for anyone not an incumbent in order to make our government act more in line with the rest of the world or even our popular thought (which has nothing in common with what our government has been about for the past 5 years)? i don't ask these questions, because i'm naive. i already know the answers. i'm just curious if any of you have thoughts about this that might make me think a bit sideways about the issues.
p.s. and, because katie never saw this video, i'd like to repost its link now and may she have sweet golden slumbers after viewing it (once you're at the link, click on "the big finale").
Monday, September 18, 2006
Quickie Dickie
i was hemming and hawing about putting this link on my site for a while ( read: 10 hours), but i feel i have to. if you have the stomach, click on this and read the article. then click on the video portion that accompanies it. kids for another crusade.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Thanks For Little Things
for the past few months since i've been back in the state and at my old lab i've been noticing that all of my old lab mates (but one) have picked it up interms of work output, professionalism and willingness to learn new things. yes, i said all but one. and we will be calling her "But One".
when i left the state for greener and more lucrative pastures back in december of last year, But One was my heir apparent. i began to hear a bad thing or two about her as i attempted to run my first lab all on my own. stuff like "a bit lazy", "arrogant", "not keeping up with the workload". i paid it no mind until i decided to move back and return to my old lab.
that's when i got an eyefull and earfull from the labmates about what she had done to my old department.
i have to admit i was somewhat dumbfounded at the pigsty it had become, but i was taking over a new department within the lab and wasn't too concerned. not my problem. after a month of watching But One i began to get irritated. not so much at what she had done to destroy the clean, efficient area i had left her, but at the snail's pace at which she worked. and the backlog of pending work she had created. and the half hour conversations she would have with people about how backed up she was. and the disappearing acts. and the swagger. and the absolute unwillingness to work overtime. and the lack of reaction by management to this mess she had made and was getting away with not fixing.
after two months of my being back she gave her two weeks' notice. she had accepted a job with a competitor and even went through their required physical. management panicked, because she held almost enough state certifications (wasn't lazy in that regard) to certify the lab. management talked her into staying, even though when polled we (as the lab) stated that we were fine with her leaving and that it wouldn't affect us. she was given a sizable raise and unspecified incentives. she agreed and didn't leave. it had become a soap opera by that time and the lab in general wasn't too pleased by all of the hoopla. i, in particular, was blown away by how she manipulated the system (whether on purpose or not is a question not for me to answer) for a large raise and other stuff even though she was seen by the lab as a liability.
since then, she has fallen even further behind in her work and not stopped any of her bad and lazy behavior. management has asked repeatedly for me to step in and help her (to the point have suggesting that i work night shifts), but my manager has replied every time that i am not in that department anymore and my work is ever ongoing. for me to step away from my work would result in my department falling behind (my work comes in 365 days a year as opposed to hers, which is off and on).
well. today, not more than 5 weeks after the dust settled on But One's last "i quit" episode, comes news that she has given her two weeks' notice yet again. this time, i think, she will not be argued with. this time, i think, she will be allowed to leave. this time, i think, the core lab folks will get their wish that she be let to ride off into the sunset as quickly as possible so that we might clean up the pile of horse manure she built. so that we might rid ourselves of a noxious presence that poisoned the very air about her with her poor-me atitude, with her apathy toward her responsibilities, with her nonchalance about deadlines and turnaround time. and with the delicate manner in which management handled her by not holding her to the same standards the rest of us were.
i had actually gotten to the point where i refused to help her. she has been in that position longer than i had and was still coming to me with stupid questions that only helped to highlight her laziness. within the last three weeks i began to look at her and say "i don't know" to her queries, because i was sick and tired of her not doing her own research or even thinking out the logic of the question.
and, now, she is leaving again. and this time i think it will stick. and i am thankful for that. because no lab runs well when one person is allowed to get away with not carrying their weight. it builds resentment and resentment creates laziness in others as they see the one get away with floating. our lab has a lot of perks and flexibility, because we produce in a big way. we can take a few longer breaks, catch a couple more quick smokes, stop to chat, take a longer lunch, arrive late or leave early for personal reasons, create our start times based on the need we see. it's a great environment. but it only takes one lazy person in a critical position to take it all away. so, she can and must go.
as for fixing what she created, not a problem. we'll be caught up and on schedule within two months is my guess. hopefully, we save all of the contracts and clients that are currently in jeopardy.
as for lessons learned, probably not. that's a management issue and i think we all know that bad management is the only thing that's not better than no management at all and the only kind of management that most of us will ever see in our lifetimes.
(which would be part of the reason i moved back to this state and gave up my management position. there is a certain mental nerve ganglia that upper management expects you to cut out in order to rule over that which you just belonged to.)
so, long wind and strong wind in order to make the simple statement that i am happy for the little things: like an abcess about to be cut away from the otherwise productive and fun body of a lab.
p.s. aughra's about to "give" birth in the next who knows how many hours (c section). go and let her know she's got support for a difficult journey.
when i left the state for greener and more lucrative pastures back in december of last year, But One was my heir apparent. i began to hear a bad thing or two about her as i attempted to run my first lab all on my own. stuff like "a bit lazy", "arrogant", "not keeping up with the workload". i paid it no mind until i decided to move back and return to my old lab.
that's when i got an eyefull and earfull from the labmates about what she had done to my old department.
i have to admit i was somewhat dumbfounded at the pigsty it had become, but i was taking over a new department within the lab and wasn't too concerned. not my problem. after a month of watching But One i began to get irritated. not so much at what she had done to destroy the clean, efficient area i had left her, but at the snail's pace at which she worked. and the backlog of pending work she had created. and the half hour conversations she would have with people about how backed up she was. and the disappearing acts. and the swagger. and the absolute unwillingness to work overtime. and the lack of reaction by management to this mess she had made and was getting away with not fixing.
after two months of my being back she gave her two weeks' notice. she had accepted a job with a competitor and even went through their required physical. management panicked, because she held almost enough state certifications (wasn't lazy in that regard) to certify the lab. management talked her into staying, even though when polled we (as the lab) stated that we were fine with her leaving and that it wouldn't affect us. she was given a sizable raise and unspecified incentives. she agreed and didn't leave. it had become a soap opera by that time and the lab in general wasn't too pleased by all of the hoopla. i, in particular, was blown away by how she manipulated the system (whether on purpose or not is a question not for me to answer) for a large raise and other stuff even though she was seen by the lab as a liability.
since then, she has fallen even further behind in her work and not stopped any of her bad and lazy behavior. management has asked repeatedly for me to step in and help her (to the point have suggesting that i work night shifts), but my manager has replied every time that i am not in that department anymore and my work is ever ongoing. for me to step away from my work would result in my department falling behind (my work comes in 365 days a year as opposed to hers, which is off and on).
well. today, not more than 5 weeks after the dust settled on But One's last "i quit" episode, comes news that she has given her two weeks' notice yet again. this time, i think, she will not be argued with. this time, i think, she will be allowed to leave. this time, i think, the core lab folks will get their wish that she be let to ride off into the sunset as quickly as possible so that we might clean up the pile of horse manure she built. so that we might rid ourselves of a noxious presence that poisoned the very air about her with her poor-me atitude, with her apathy toward her responsibilities, with her nonchalance about deadlines and turnaround time. and with the delicate manner in which management handled her by not holding her to the same standards the rest of us were.
i had actually gotten to the point where i refused to help her. she has been in that position longer than i had and was still coming to me with stupid questions that only helped to highlight her laziness. within the last three weeks i began to look at her and say "i don't know" to her queries, because i was sick and tired of her not doing her own research or even thinking out the logic of the question.
and, now, she is leaving again. and this time i think it will stick. and i am thankful for that. because no lab runs well when one person is allowed to get away with not carrying their weight. it builds resentment and resentment creates laziness in others as they see the one get away with floating. our lab has a lot of perks and flexibility, because we produce in a big way. we can take a few longer breaks, catch a couple more quick smokes, stop to chat, take a longer lunch, arrive late or leave early for personal reasons, create our start times based on the need we see. it's a great environment. but it only takes one lazy person in a critical position to take it all away. so, she can and must go.
as for fixing what she created, not a problem. we'll be caught up and on schedule within two months is my guess. hopefully, we save all of the contracts and clients that are currently in jeopardy.
as for lessons learned, probably not. that's a management issue and i think we all know that bad management is the only thing that's not better than no management at all and the only kind of management that most of us will ever see in our lifetimes.
(which would be part of the reason i moved back to this state and gave up my management position. there is a certain mental nerve ganglia that upper management expects you to cut out in order to rule over that which you just belonged to.)
so, long wind and strong wind in order to make the simple statement that i am happy for the little things: like an abcess about to be cut away from the otherwise productive and fun body of a lab.
p.s. aughra's about to "give" birth in the next who knows how many hours (c section). go and let her know she's got support for a difficult journey.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Saturday Night the 9th
on this particular night about two of them ago i went to a gig at the starline put on by Ticket To Ride. got there early as usual and set up camp on the wallbench. it was 8:45 and no one was there yet. about 25 people, but no one i knew. i took a walk and wound up in front of the stage. this is what i shot:
very soon after, the friends i was expecting arrived. not all at once. and not at all together. drinking ensued as did tactless jokes:
somewhere (in all of the joviality) the band showed up:
then the drunk brit exposed himself, wet all over the bar and performed the most herculean projectile diarama i have ever seen:
he was subsequently invited up on stage to reprise his cameo with the band:
after that, well...we had us a beatle rave. or a bugrant. whichever y'all wanna call it:
except for stan who never raves or rants. he is an island in the sea of chaos:
however, chaos soon reintervened:
women were talking to men, men were listening, drunks kept being drinked, a camera's flash wasn't on, and liaisons erupted like pimples on a cold sore (have no idea who is in this picture, but, shit, it looks sexy, don't it?):
finally, it got bad. everyone was feeling blurry. but still dancing and carrying on as if it was the end of the world...(which it could be, i suppose...if i hadn't just sent $100 to pat robertson to save the souls of the jews and get him to tell God that i really am wealthy and ready to ascend after the Fresno Fair):
and that's what i remember. i do not remember leaving early, because my blood sugar had dropped precipitously. i do not remember waiting at the checkin at lipari's for 5 minutes and then leaving. nor do i remember going to livingstone's and sitting, ordering and waiting for a chicken salad. i don't remember getting up and asking for the chicken salad to be boxed. i didn't know i wouldn't go back to the club to tell people i had to get home and eat NOW! i do remember someone getting home later and asking me what happened and being okay with it.
i got even by kicking her out of bed in my sleep.
update (9:55 pm): yahtzee is a fun game and was just played to christen my oak table.
i'm pretty sure katie cheated. i don't think you're allowed to roll four 2's and a 4 and call it six of a kind the hard way.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Amazing What Friends Will Send Me
i received the following missive in my email inbox today. normally, this emailer sends "jokes". i just thought i would share it with you, because it made me reflect on the importance of only exalting God so that i might live forever (and i mean that in the corporeal sense based on the following):
NEVER MOCK GOD!
Make a personal reflection about this.
Very interesting, read until the end.It is written in the Bible
(Galatians 6:7): "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Here are some men and women who mocked God:
JOHN LENNON:Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: "Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, Today we are more famous than Him" (1966). Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.
TANCREDO NEVES (President of Brazil):During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being ma de President, then he died.
CAZUZA (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):During a show in Canecão ( Rio de Janeiro ), whilst smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: "God, that's for you." He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner.
THE MAN WHO BUILT TITANIC:After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe he said: "Not even God can sink it" The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.
MARILYN MONROE:She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: "I don't need your Jesus". A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.
BON SCOTT:The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang: "Don't stop me, I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell". On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.
CAMPINAS/SP IN 2005 In Campinas, Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend. The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter - holding her hand, who was already seated in the car: "MY DAUGHTER, GO WITH GOD AND MAY HE PROTECT YOU."She responded: "ONLY IF HE (GOD) TRAVELS IN THE BOOT, CAUSE INSIDE HERE IT'S ALREADY FULL"Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the boot was intact. The police said there was no way the boot could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the boot was a crate of eggs, none were broken.....Boot means trunk.
Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus. Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive. JESUS!!!
P.S: If it was a joke, you could have sent it to everyone. So are you going to have courage to send this?. I have done my part, Jesus said "If you are embarrassed about me, I will also be embarrassed about you before my father."What benefit does it have, if a man gains the whole world but loses his soul? What can man give in exchange of his soul? (Mathew16:26).
NEVER MOCK GOD!
Make a personal reflection about this.
Very interesting, read until the end.It is written in the Bible
(Galatians 6:7): "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Here are some men and women who mocked God:
JOHN LENNON:Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: "Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, Today we are more famous than Him" (1966). Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.
TANCREDO NEVES (President of Brazil):During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being ma de President, then he died.
CAZUZA (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):During a show in Canecão ( Rio de Janeiro ), whilst smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: "God, that's for you." He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner.
THE MAN WHO BUILT TITANIC:After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe he said: "Not even God can sink it" The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.
MARILYN MONROE:She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: "I don't need your Jesus". A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.
BON SCOTT:The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang: "Don't stop me, I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell". On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.
CAMPINAS/SP IN 2005 In Campinas, Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend. The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter - holding her hand, who was already seated in the car: "MY DAUGHTER, GO WITH GOD AND MAY HE PROTECT YOU."She responded: "ONLY IF HE (GOD) TRAVELS IN THE BOOT, CAUSE INSIDE HERE IT'S ALREADY FULL"Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the boot was intact. The police said there was no way the boot could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the boot was a crate of eggs, none were broken.....Boot means trunk.
Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus. Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive. JESUS!!!
P.S: If it was a joke, you could have sent it to everyone. So are you going to have courage to send this?. I have done my part, Jesus said "If you are embarrassed about me, I will also be embarrassed about you before my father."What benefit does it have, if a man gains the whole world but loses his soul? What can man give in exchange of his soul? (Mathew16:26).
Vote For Evans Or The Librul Might Win
DeLay no 'Idol' threat
Former majority leader urges Republicans to vote for 'Dancing' contestant
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Tom DeLay once twisted arms for votes in Congress.
Now the former U.S. House majority leader is rounding up votes for ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."
That's right. DeLay has e-mailed his supporters urging them to vote weekly for contestant Sara Evans, a country singer who sang at the 2004 Republican convention because she "represents good American values."
It wouldn't be DeLay if he didn't find a cultural split among the contestants.
"One of her opponents on the show is ultra-liberal, talk-show host Jerry Springer," DeLay wrote. "We need to send a message to Hollywood and the media that smut has no place on television by supporting good people like Sara Evans."
Will political scientists track Evans success or failure as a harbinger of the mid-term Congressional elections?
Who's next on DeLay's radar: "Survivor" or "American Idol"?
Admit it: You'd watch a smackdown between DeLay and Simon Cowell.
(the above is from the Statesman and I can't vouch for its authenticity, although it sounds exactly like something the "Hammer" would pull...or pound...or hit on...)
some quotes from the news today:
On Tuesday, kicking off the mid-term elections campaign, Bush delivered a speech that cited Bin Laden's screeds, Lenin's What Is To Be Done? and Hitler's Mein Kampf, and promised "complete victory". Rice contributed her own comparison of the "war on terror" to the American civil war. "I'm sure there are people who thought it was a mistake to fight the civil war to its end and to insist that the emancipation of slaves would hold," she said.
But the more delirious the rhetoric, the more hollow the policy. "There is no plan for Iraq," a senior national security official with the highest intelligence clearance and access to the relevant memos told me. "There is no plan."
· Sidney Blumenthal is a former senior adviser to President Clinton
Newsman to Tony Snow (Bush's Press Secretary during a press conference):
"Don't point your finger at me".
Richard C. Woollam, who was transferred to BP's Houston offices in 2005 amid concerns that he intimidated potential whistleblowers, invoked the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution in refusing to answer all questions from a House subcommittee.
Oil services contractor Halliburton Co. said Tuesday it has received a contract worth more than $70 million (€54.6 million) for cementing and related services from the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Production.
Former majority leader urges Republicans to vote for 'Dancing' contestant
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Tom DeLay once twisted arms for votes in Congress.
Now the former U.S. House majority leader is rounding up votes for ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."
That's right. DeLay has e-mailed his supporters urging them to vote weekly for contestant Sara Evans, a country singer who sang at the 2004 Republican convention because she "represents good American values."
It wouldn't be DeLay if he didn't find a cultural split among the contestants.
"One of her opponents on the show is ultra-liberal, talk-show host Jerry Springer," DeLay wrote. "We need to send a message to Hollywood and the media that smut has no place on television by supporting good people like Sara Evans."
Will political scientists track Evans success or failure as a harbinger of the mid-term Congressional elections?
Who's next on DeLay's radar: "Survivor" or "American Idol"?
Admit it: You'd watch a smackdown between DeLay and Simon Cowell.
(the above is from the Statesman and I can't vouch for its authenticity, although it sounds exactly like something the "Hammer" would pull...or pound...or hit on...)
some quotes from the news today:
On Tuesday, kicking off the mid-term elections campaign, Bush delivered a speech that cited Bin Laden's screeds, Lenin's What Is To Be Done? and Hitler's Mein Kampf, and promised "complete victory". Rice contributed her own comparison of the "war on terror" to the American civil war. "I'm sure there are people who thought it was a mistake to fight the civil war to its end and to insist that the emancipation of slaves would hold," she said.
But the more delirious the rhetoric, the more hollow the policy. "There is no plan for Iraq," a senior national security official with the highest intelligence clearance and access to the relevant memos told me. "There is no plan."
· Sidney Blumenthal is a former senior adviser to President Clinton
Newsman to Tony Snow (Bush's Press Secretary during a press conference):
"Don't point your finger at me".
Richard C. Woollam, who was transferred to BP's Houston offices in 2005 amid concerns that he intimidated potential whistleblowers, invoked the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution in refusing to answer all questions from a House subcommittee.
Oil services contractor Halliburton Co. said Tuesday it has received a contract worth more than $70 million (€54.6 million) for cementing and related services from the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Production.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Bin Laden Got Back
from ABC News.com (that vital so non-partisan bastion of a free press that's also broadcasting the 9/11 docudrama that blames former president clinton for not killing bin laden and thereby causing 9/11 to happen) comes this little not a bombshell bit of news:
Bin Laden Gets a Pass from Pakistan
September 05, 2006 5:41 PM
Brian Ross and Gretchen Peters Report:
Osama bin Laden, America's most wanted man, will not face capture in Pakistan if he agrees to lead a "peaceful life," Pakistani officials tell ABC News.
The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a "peace deal" with the Taliban.
If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden "would not be taken into custody," Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen."
Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, but U.S. officials say his precise location is unknown.
In addition to the pullout of Pakistani troops, the "peace agreement" between Pakistan and the Taliban also provides for the Pakistani army to return captured Taliban weapons and prisoners.
"What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director.
The agreement was signed on the same day President Bush said the United States was working with its allies "to deny terrorists the enclaves they seek to establish in ungoverned areas across the world."
The Pakistani Army had gone into Waziristan, under heavy pressure from the United States, but faced a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.
"They're throwing the towel," said Alexis Debat, who is a Senior Fellow at the Nixon Center and an ABC News consultant. "They're giving al Qaeda and the Taliban a blank check and saying essentially make yourselves at home in the tribal areas," Debat said.
p.s. check this video out (may have to wait through the ad) for the most pissed off cat i have ever seen. i would adopt it in a heartbeat.
Bin Laden Gets a Pass from Pakistan
September 05, 2006 5:41 PM
Brian Ross and Gretchen Peters Report:
Osama bin Laden, America's most wanted man, will not face capture in Pakistan if he agrees to lead a "peaceful life," Pakistani officials tell ABC News.
The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a "peace deal" with the Taliban.
If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden "would not be taken into custody," Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen."
Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, but U.S. officials say his precise location is unknown.
In addition to the pullout of Pakistani troops, the "peace agreement" between Pakistan and the Taliban also provides for the Pakistani army to return captured Taliban weapons and prisoners.
"What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director.
The agreement was signed on the same day President Bush said the United States was working with its allies "to deny terrorists the enclaves they seek to establish in ungoverned areas across the world."
The Pakistani Army had gone into Waziristan, under heavy pressure from the United States, but faced a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.
"They're throwing the towel," said Alexis Debat, who is a Senior Fellow at the Nixon Center and an ABC News consultant. "They're giving al Qaeda and the Taliban a blank check and saying essentially make yourselves at home in the tribal areas," Debat said.
p.s. check this video out (may have to wait through the ad) for the most pissed off cat i have ever seen. i would adopt it in a heartbeat.
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