from the American Conservative comes this:
"The Defense Authorization Act of 2006, passed on Sept. 30, empowers President George W. Bush to impose martial law in the event of a terrorist “incident,” if he or other federal officials perceive a shortfall of “public order,” or even in response to antiwar protests that get unruly as a result of government provocations."
this is a conservative publication weighing in on a matter of very heavy constitutional and legal precedent. our president and his handlers managed to pass a bill through Congress (100-0) that allows the president to declare martial law in almost any situation that he disagrees with politically.
senator patrick leahy is actively working to have it repealed, but he was one of the 100 who voted for it, because he and they evidently didn't have time to read it.
"Section 1076 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 changed the name of the key provision in the statute book from “Insurrection Act” to “Enforcement of the Laws to Restore Public Order Act.” The Insurrection Act of 1807 stated that the president could deploy troops within the United States only “to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy.” The new law expands the list to include “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition”—and such “condition” is not defined or limited."
hey, you republicans. would you like this to stay in effect if hillary clinton is elected our next president? she could use this to arrest pro-lifers who try to block entrance to an abortion clinic.
we've already been told how the internet is now being used by terrorists to send messages and instructions. would it be too farfetched to imagine the internet being taken over by our government to "protect us"? especially in an election year?
i can see where martial law (in hindsight) might have been something to pull in new orleans after their hurricane, but that would have been a knee-jerk response to the fact that the government had no response to the warnings beforehand and the supposed emergency response system it was supposed to have in place.
seems to me that martial law is something a party in power puts into effect precisely because it has no power popularly. because it holds on to power illegally and through fear of arrest or worse. in a nation like ours we put our trust in the individual to stand tall when a disaster happens. we put our trust in the police to reestablish order. we put our trust in our government to provide leadership and aid.
we don't, however, expect or even hope that a president will take unilateral action to quell dissent. regardless of our political persuasion. because if one president can do it, then the next can as well. and don't forget that a presidential election can be postponed indefinately due to martial law.
the article may be from a journal i might ordinarily disagree with, but in this moment they caught something i hadn't yet heard about. and i thank them.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Laughing My Fucking Ass Off While Masturbating With One Hand
this, obviously, is a scientific investigation in its infancy, but it just reminds me to say one more time (and this time on my blog): yo, people, drop the cell phone and start living. what's so effing important that it can't wait until you get to work or get home? why do you need to answer the phone in the car or on the bus or in the supermarket or as soon as you get off a plane or at a sporting event or on your morning break or when you're visiting someone at their house or...anyfuckingwhere?
of the people i know who have cell phones, how many have a land line as well? um, i think all of them. and how many of those have a message machine or voice mail attached to their land lines? um, yeah, once again: all of them. you will, of course, let me know if i'm wrong.
am i opposed to all cell phones? no. do i think the cell phone is an important invention? yes.
a cell phone on a road trip is a good thing in case of a flat tire or engine breakdown or injury accident. a cell phone is a nice luxury when one is on vacation in a remote or foreign land when something of import (e.g. death of a loved one) occurs. sometimes a cell phone is even financially preferable to a land line, but that is a very rare and shaky premise considering the amount of time most users spend on their cell phones (free minutes notwithstanding).
i spend approximately $31.75 per month to keep my home phone in operation. i don't feel the need for caller i.d. or three way or call waiting. if you call and my phone's busy, call back in a few minutes. if you're a telemarketer, watch out (i evidently have a bad habit of fucking with you when i've been imbibing). if it's important and you're local, drive or walk over.
i remember, as a child, not knowing what a phone sounded like after 6 p.m. that black made-of-graphite bludgeon, which sat somewhere in our kitchen, was something that adults talked on and sometimes made obscene gestures to. it was an important piece of furniture, but it was as foreign as foreign could be. as a child i knew what it did. but i didn't know why. i would be given the receiver on occasion to say hi to a grandparent or someone, but generally it was the possession and responsibility of an adult. and it sits there in my memory as magic as the fourth of july (which, for a couple of you dear readers, would include my firedancing).
rereading the above, i feel i need to give my definition of an adult:
"someone who knows how to use a tool properly". say what you will about the neanderthals. they learned about fire and spears to use in catching and cooking their prey. say what you will about the nazis, so did they. although, the nazis used the equivalent of the cell phone and it wasn't about survival. and it wasn't proper. so, the nazis really shouldn't be included in this definition of the word. let's scratch them out and go back to the neanderthals.
another quite interesting and disturbing phenomenom is the need for IMing while at work. or just checking for new text messages while at work. it's like email without the hassle of having to write real words. I M LOL. INMHO. LMAO. LMFAOWMWOH.
LOL has got to be the most overused acronym by people who want you to understand that they are making a joke. it's the new equivalent of the comedian's rimshot. you know, just in case we didn't get it. most of the time we get it. most of the time we still don't laugh. most of the time we're wondering if they got it when they felt the need to write LOL.
sometimes, it's a self-deprecating move. along the lines of "in case you thought i was serious...". or "no one gets my sense of humor unless it's in person, so i better put this one in or they'll think i'm a big buttfuck of a egotistical prick". or "please don't take it seriously yet that i'm depressed and suicidal".
but i digress. i meant to simply address the need to use cell phones away from working bees. my goodness, if any living being needed a cell phone it would be the bee. they travel from their hives, ride the breezes smelling for scent, get there, gather pollen, fly back to the hive, do a complicated dance to give directions to where they found the pollen, then hit the road again. several times a day.
then there's the giant cat (tiger, leopard, jaguar, puma, etc) that is forced to leave its mark wherever it goes to let the other cats know that this is its territory. it's been doing this since time immemorial with no upgrades. it could use a cell phone. call its rivals. let them know it's in the transvaal 40 until 5 p.m. and to stay the hell away.
elephants (when migrating) would be able to call ahead to traffic control and ask them to make sure the road was devoid of turtles and such that are slow to clear the way.
geese could get weather and windshear updates.
punxsutawney phil could just call it in.
but it is, of course, the humans who are blessed with this privilege. and use it to no effect at all.
so, excuse me when i say the LOL's on us as we waste our intelligence with gellifying our braincells on extravagances like the cell phone so we can get a call from a friend when they see us on national television at a ballgame.
we don't need cell phones. the rest of the animal kingdom might, though.
of the people i know who have cell phones, how many have a land line as well? um, i think all of them. and how many of those have a message machine or voice mail attached to their land lines? um, yeah, once again: all of them. you will, of course, let me know if i'm wrong.
am i opposed to all cell phones? no. do i think the cell phone is an important invention? yes.
a cell phone on a road trip is a good thing in case of a flat tire or engine breakdown or injury accident. a cell phone is a nice luxury when one is on vacation in a remote or foreign land when something of import (e.g. death of a loved one) occurs. sometimes a cell phone is even financially preferable to a land line, but that is a very rare and shaky premise considering the amount of time most users spend on their cell phones (free minutes notwithstanding).
i spend approximately $31.75 per month to keep my home phone in operation. i don't feel the need for caller i.d. or three way or call waiting. if you call and my phone's busy, call back in a few minutes. if you're a telemarketer, watch out (i evidently have a bad habit of fucking with you when i've been imbibing). if it's important and you're local, drive or walk over.
i remember, as a child, not knowing what a phone sounded like after 6 p.m. that black made-of-graphite bludgeon, which sat somewhere in our kitchen, was something that adults talked on and sometimes made obscene gestures to. it was an important piece of furniture, but it was as foreign as foreign could be. as a child i knew what it did. but i didn't know why. i would be given the receiver on occasion to say hi to a grandparent or someone, but generally it was the possession and responsibility of an adult. and it sits there in my memory as magic as the fourth of july (which, for a couple of you dear readers, would include my firedancing).
rereading the above, i feel i need to give my definition of an adult:
"someone who knows how to use a tool properly". say what you will about the neanderthals. they learned about fire and spears to use in catching and cooking their prey. say what you will about the nazis, so did they. although, the nazis used the equivalent of the cell phone and it wasn't about survival. and it wasn't proper. so, the nazis really shouldn't be included in this definition of the word. let's scratch them out and go back to the neanderthals.
another quite interesting and disturbing phenomenom is the need for IMing while at work. or just checking for new text messages while at work. it's like email without the hassle of having to write real words. I M LOL. INMHO. LMAO. LMFAOWMWOH.
LOL has got to be the most overused acronym by people who want you to understand that they are making a joke. it's the new equivalent of the comedian's rimshot. you know, just in case we didn't get it. most of the time we get it. most of the time we still don't laugh. most of the time we're wondering if they got it when they felt the need to write LOL.
sometimes, it's a self-deprecating move. along the lines of "in case you thought i was serious...". or "no one gets my sense of humor unless it's in person, so i better put this one in or they'll think i'm a big buttfuck of a egotistical prick". or "please don't take it seriously yet that i'm depressed and suicidal".
but i digress. i meant to simply address the need to use cell phones away from working bees. my goodness, if any living being needed a cell phone it would be the bee. they travel from their hives, ride the breezes smelling for scent, get there, gather pollen, fly back to the hive, do a complicated dance to give directions to where they found the pollen, then hit the road again. several times a day.
then there's the giant cat (tiger, leopard, jaguar, puma, etc) that is forced to leave its mark wherever it goes to let the other cats know that this is its territory. it's been doing this since time immemorial with no upgrades. it could use a cell phone. call its rivals. let them know it's in the transvaal 40 until 5 p.m. and to stay the hell away.
elephants (when migrating) would be able to call ahead to traffic control and ask them to make sure the road was devoid of turtles and such that are slow to clear the way.
geese could get weather and windshear updates.
punxsutawney phil could just call it in.
but it is, of course, the humans who are blessed with this privilege. and use it to no effect at all.
so, excuse me when i say the LOL's on us as we waste our intelligence with gellifying our braincells on extravagances like the cell phone so we can get a call from a friend when they see us on national television at a ballgame.
we don't need cell phones. the rest of the animal kingdom might, though.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Rudy, We Hardly Knew Ye (well, i didn't at all)
(from Welcome To Pottersville, this post concerning the religious right's attack on separation of powers and a nod to rudy giuliani who many see as a sane and centrist man):
In 1981, Gary North, a leader of the Christian Reconstructionist movement — the openly theocratic wing of the Christian right — suggested that the movement could achieve power by stealth. “Christians must begin to organize politically within the present party structure,” he wrote, “and they must begin to infiltrate the existing institutional order.”
Today, Regent University, founded by the televangelist Pat Robertson to provide “Christian leadership to change the world,” boasts that it has 150 graduates working in the Bush administration.
Unfortunately for the image of the school, where Mr. Robertson is chancellor and president, the most famous of those graduates is Monica Goodling, a product of the university’s law school. She’s the former top aide to Alberto Gonzales who appears central to the scandal of the fired U.S. attorneys and has declared that she will take the Fifth rather than testify to Congress on the matter.
The infiltration of the federal government by large numbers of people seeking to impose a religious agenda — which is very different from simply being people of faith — is one of the most important stories of the last six years. It’s also a story that tends to go underreported, perhaps because journalists are afraid of sounding like conspiracy theorists.
But this conspiracy is no theory. The official platform of the Texas Republican Party pledges to “dispel the myth of the separation of church and state.” And the Texas Republicans now running the country are doing their best to fulfill that pledge.
Kay Cole James, who had extensive connections to the religious right and was the dean of Regent’s government school, was the federal government’s chief personnel officer from 2001 to 2005. (Curious fact: she then took a job with Mitchell Wade, the businessman who bribed Representative Randy “Duke” Cunningham.) And it’s clear that unqualified people were hired throughout the administration because of their religious connections.
For example, The Boston Globe reports on one Regent law school graduate who was interviewed by the Justice Department’s civil rights division. Asked what Supreme Court decision of the past 20 years he most disagreed with, he named the decision to strike down a Texas anti-sodomy law. When he was hired, it was his only job offer.Or consider George Deutsch, the presidential appointee at NASA who told a Web site designer to add the word “theory” after every mention of the Big Bang, to leave open the possibility of “intelligent design by a creator.” He turned out not to have, as he claimed, a degree from Texas A&M.
One measure of just how many Bushies were appointed to promote a religious agenda is how often a Christian right connection surfaces when we learn about a Bush administration scandal.
There’s Ms. Goodling, of course. But did you know that Rachel Paulose, the U.S. attorney in Minnesota — three of whose deputies recently stepped down, reportedly in protest over her management style — is, according to a local news report, in the habit of quoting Bible verses in the office?
Or there’s the case of Claude Allen, the presidential aide and former deputy secretary of health and human services, who stepped down after being investigated for petty theft. Most press reports, though they mentioned Mr. Allen’s faith, failed to convey the fact that he built his career as a man of the hard-line Christian right.
And there’s another thing most reporting fails to convey: the sheer extremism of these people.
You see, Regent isn’t a religious university the way Loyola or Yeshiva are religious universities. It’s run by someone whose first reaction to 9/11 was to brand it God’s punishment for America’s sins.
Two days after the terrorist attacks, Mr. Robertson held a conversation with Jerry Falwell on Mr. Robertson’s TV show “The 700 Club.” Mr. Falwell laid blame for the attack at the feet of “the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians,” not to mention the A.C.L.U. and People for the American Way. “Well, I totally concur,” said Mr. Robertson.
The Bush administration’s implosion clearly represents a setback for the Christian right’s strategy of infiltration. But it would be wildly premature to declare the danger over. This is a movement that has shown great resilience over the years. It will surely find new champions.
Next week Rudy Giuliani will be speaking at Regent’s Executive Leadership Series.
In 1981, Gary North, a leader of the Christian Reconstructionist movement — the openly theocratic wing of the Christian right — suggested that the movement could achieve power by stealth. “Christians must begin to organize politically within the present party structure,” he wrote, “and they must begin to infiltrate the existing institutional order.”
Today, Regent University, founded by the televangelist Pat Robertson to provide “Christian leadership to change the world,” boasts that it has 150 graduates working in the Bush administration.
Unfortunately for the image of the school, where Mr. Robertson is chancellor and president, the most famous of those graduates is Monica Goodling, a product of the university’s law school. She’s the former top aide to Alberto Gonzales who appears central to the scandal of the fired U.S. attorneys and has declared that she will take the Fifth rather than testify to Congress on the matter.
The infiltration of the federal government by large numbers of people seeking to impose a religious agenda — which is very different from simply being people of faith — is one of the most important stories of the last six years. It’s also a story that tends to go underreported, perhaps because journalists are afraid of sounding like conspiracy theorists.
But this conspiracy is no theory. The official platform of the Texas Republican Party pledges to “dispel the myth of the separation of church and state.” And the Texas Republicans now running the country are doing their best to fulfill that pledge.
Kay Cole James, who had extensive connections to the religious right and was the dean of Regent’s government school, was the federal government’s chief personnel officer from 2001 to 2005. (Curious fact: she then took a job with Mitchell Wade, the businessman who bribed Representative Randy “Duke” Cunningham.) And it’s clear that unqualified people were hired throughout the administration because of their religious connections.
For example, The Boston Globe reports on one Regent law school graduate who was interviewed by the Justice Department’s civil rights division. Asked what Supreme Court decision of the past 20 years he most disagreed with, he named the decision to strike down a Texas anti-sodomy law. When he was hired, it was his only job offer.Or consider George Deutsch, the presidential appointee at NASA who told a Web site designer to add the word “theory” after every mention of the Big Bang, to leave open the possibility of “intelligent design by a creator.” He turned out not to have, as he claimed, a degree from Texas A&M.
One measure of just how many Bushies were appointed to promote a religious agenda is how often a Christian right connection surfaces when we learn about a Bush administration scandal.
There’s Ms. Goodling, of course. But did you know that Rachel Paulose, the U.S. attorney in Minnesota — three of whose deputies recently stepped down, reportedly in protest over her management style — is, according to a local news report, in the habit of quoting Bible verses in the office?
Or there’s the case of Claude Allen, the presidential aide and former deputy secretary of health and human services, who stepped down after being investigated for petty theft. Most press reports, though they mentioned Mr. Allen’s faith, failed to convey the fact that he built his career as a man of the hard-line Christian right.
And there’s another thing most reporting fails to convey: the sheer extremism of these people.
You see, Regent isn’t a religious university the way Loyola or Yeshiva are religious universities. It’s run by someone whose first reaction to 9/11 was to brand it God’s punishment for America’s sins.
Two days after the terrorist attacks, Mr. Robertson held a conversation with Jerry Falwell on Mr. Robertson’s TV show “The 700 Club.” Mr. Falwell laid blame for the attack at the feet of “the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians,” not to mention the A.C.L.U. and People for the American Way. “Well, I totally concur,” said Mr. Robertson.
The Bush administration’s implosion clearly represents a setback for the Christian right’s strategy of infiltration. But it would be wildly premature to declare the danger over. This is a movement that has shown great resilience over the years. It will surely find new champions.
Next week Rudy Giuliani will be speaking at Regent’s Executive Leadership Series.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
F Bomb (Auld Lang Syne)
i don't like to crow. that's not me...normally. but there comes a time when i just can't keep it in. i gotta let it out. i gotta shout. i gotta strut and shake my stuff. jiggle the booty and shimmy the shake.
i'm going to see the san francisco giants play the new york yankees. did a bit of movin' and groovin', greasin' and wheelin' and shrimpin' the pimp if you know what i mean. yeah, you do. because you're sassy.
the freakin' giants are playing the fuckingyankees. to a diehard baseball fan this is nirvana. to a giants fan this is once in a lifetime plus peanuts. we've been waiting since 1962 to get another shot at those arrogant whale dorks.
i'm going to see the san francisco giants play the new york yankees. did a bit of movin' and groovin', greasin' and wheelin' and shrimpin' the pimp if you know what i mean. yeah, you do. because you're sassy.
the freakin' giants are playing the fuckingyankees. to a diehard baseball fan this is nirvana. to a giants fan this is once in a lifetime plus peanuts. we've been waiting since 1962 to get another shot at those arrogant whale dorks.
and arrogant they are with the likes of derek fuckingjeter, alex fuckingrodriguez, bernie fuckingwilliams, hideki fuckingmatsui, johnny fuckingdamon, bobby fuckingabreu, andy fuckingpettite, doug fuckingmientkiewicz, jason fuckinggiambi, josh fuckingphelps, miguel fuckingcairo, robinson fuckingcano, kyle fuckingfarnsworth, carl fuckingpavano, mike fuckingmussina...and,uh, mariano fuckingrivera.
the fuckingyankees do one thing well above all others. they stack their roster with fuckingplayers. and by fuckingplayers i mean real ballfucking players. ballfucking players who are all very fuckinggood at what they fuckingdo. some of the time they fuckinggel and sometimes they fuckingdon't. derek fuckingjeter owns four fuckingworld series champion rings. and he started in fuckingall of them. mariano fuckingrivera has those same four rings. fuckingplus one or two MVPs.
george steinfuckingbrenner (owner) has a good fuckingfarm system that he treats like a trading fuckingstable. he cultivates fuckinggood talent, then trades it for a goodfucking deal. unless it is fuckingtoo popular on the block. then he keeps and fuckinggrooms it.
george steinfuckingbrenner, also, buys the bestfucking talent he can afford. every year. and since he has more fuckingmoney than any other owner he can buy the bestfucking talent. fuckingperiod. keep the fuckingones who produce each year after year and fuckingboot the ones who don't. with no fuckingfear.
so, i want to see in person my stinking giants kick the crapping crapcrap out of those damnitall yankees.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Where's Generik?
first of all, i'd like to congratulate our first guesser (mr. mintzworks) for making the brave gesture of going first. you are to be commended, sir. truly.
secondly of all mustang, it is Harry: Men's Sweaters. or should be. and it should be said with the threat of a sister mob hit behind it.
lastly, you lie, dear mr. mintzworks. you did meet generik. i may have even introduced you. but you guessed right as well and i didn't prohibit knowing what he looks like from the contest. and you might have talked for as long as it took to say hi. [editor's note: forget that last sentence...please!]
so, well done. and, actually, i'm still impressed. the fact that he's looking away should have made it harder.
so...you win, you magnificent bastard.
what you've won i hadn't thought about until now. so, let it be...
...
...
...one free admission to an imax film when accompanied by moi. any film. name the time.
[editor's note: all times negotiable, all films negotiable]
secondly of all mustang, it is Harry: Men's Sweaters. or should be. and it should be said with the threat of a sister mob hit behind it.
lastly, you lie, dear mr. mintzworks. you did meet generik. i may have even introduced you. but you guessed right as well and i didn't prohibit knowing what he looks like from the contest. and you might have talked for as long as it took to say hi. [editor's note: forget that last sentence...please!]
so, well done. and, actually, i'm still impressed. the fact that he's looking away should have made it harder.
so...you win, you magnificent bastard.
what you've won i hadn't thought about until now. so, let it be...
...
...
...one free admission to an imax film when accompanied by moi. any film. name the time.
[editor's note: all times negotiable, all films negotiable]
a City excursion
this is how buses are supposed to look.
calling all mustangs.
so cool i peed myself.
then the game started...
...and we surrendered quickly and quietly...
after the game we found a quiet spot where the waitress was prompt, deft and oddly familiar looking...
belly shots...that is, if her belly is up around her hoo hoos...
generic showing a bit of bling.
the post game fights began with hair tossing as a dodger fan made bad bad lovin' to a giant girl and the marines just looked on without intervening...it was close to civil war.
finally, for those of you who know generic and those of you who just met him in the above picture, it's time to play the game: WHERE'S GENERIK? he's somewhere in here, i promise. exciting prize for the person who correctly identifies his row and seat number (employees and relatives of genericbling enterprises excluded).Thursday, April 05, 2007
Battle For Middle Earth V. Iraq
i've been playing this computer game of late that my brother got me into. it's called "battle for middle earth II". in it i create resources for money and buildings that recruit fighters. then i command them in battle.
honestly, i started with the evil campaign and directed goblins and trolls and mountain giants and nazgul to do woe upon the elves, dwarves and hobbits. i'm neither proud nor ashamed.
but one of the things i noticed while learning how to play the game is that when i create a few hordes and then attack the enemy i tend to get my ass kicked. also, when i create a lot of hordes and choose the wrong place to assail i tend to get my ass kicked.
with that in mind, i encourage you to seek this link and see for yourself what can happen in real life when a commander doesn't look to the future and prepare what should have been seen as a long, protracted battle in need of constant refreshing of cannon fodder resources anf monetary delinquincies.
honestly, i started with the evil campaign and directed goblins and trolls and mountain giants and nazgul to do woe upon the elves, dwarves and hobbits. i'm neither proud nor ashamed.
but one of the things i noticed while learning how to play the game is that when i create a few hordes and then attack the enemy i tend to get my ass kicked. also, when i create a lot of hordes and choose the wrong place to assail i tend to get my ass kicked.
with that in mind, i encourage you to seek this link and see for yourself what can happen in real life when a commander doesn't look to the future and prepare what should have been seen as a long, protracted battle in need of constant refreshing of cannon fodder resources anf monetary delinquincies.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Evolution Shmevolution
(from crooksandliars comes this reporting of a newsweek poll):
"Evolution fares poorly in Newsweek poll
By: Steve on Monday, April 2nd, 2007 at 12:22 PM - PDT
The latest Newsweek poll included a variety of interesting questions about Americans and religious matters, including the not-surprising fact that 91% of the public say they believe in God and almost as many (87 percent) say they identify with a specific religion. But perhaps more importantly, Newsweek also asked poll respondents about modern biology.
Nearly half (48 percent) of the public rejects the scientific theory of evolution; one-third (34 percent) of college graduates say they accept the Biblical account of creation as fact. Seventy-three percent of Evangelical Protestants say they believe that God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years; 39 percent of non-Evangelical Protestants and 41 percent of Catholics agree with that view.
These poll results come just a few months after an international study was conducted to measure which countries were the most accepting on evolutionary biology. Of the 34 countries involved, the United States ranked 33rd. Only Turkey ranked lower.
This is not at all encouraging. "
(not that any of us can prove one theory over another here, but this poll smacks of a bit of a tilt toward those on one side...or i could be wrong and darwin's indeed on the outs right now)
"Evolution fares poorly in Newsweek poll
By: Steve on Monday, April 2nd, 2007 at 12:22 PM - PDT
The latest Newsweek poll included a variety of interesting questions about Americans and religious matters, including the not-surprising fact that 91% of the public say they believe in God and almost as many (87 percent) say they identify with a specific religion. But perhaps more importantly, Newsweek also asked poll respondents about modern biology.
Nearly half (48 percent) of the public rejects the scientific theory of evolution; one-third (34 percent) of college graduates say they accept the Biblical account of creation as fact. Seventy-three percent of Evangelical Protestants say they believe that God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years; 39 percent of non-Evangelical Protestants and 41 percent of Catholics agree with that view.
These poll results come just a few months after an international study was conducted to measure which countries were the most accepting on evolutionary biology. Of the 34 countries involved, the United States ranked 33rd. Only Turkey ranked lower.
This is not at all encouraging. "
(not that any of us can prove one theory over another here, but this poll smacks of a bit of a tilt toward those on one side...or i could be wrong and darwin's indeed on the outs right now)
Thursday, March 29, 2007
DC United
speaking of spreading democracy...
...bob herbert has a good column here about DC's ongoing problem with political respect. because it's a district (as opposed to being a state) it is afforded no representation in Congress. and herbert brings up a very good point: while bush touts democracy as the current reason (well, one of a few) why we must "stay the course" in iraq, he and his cadre have worked very hard to keep it from happening in washington, dc. why? i dunno...maybe because it's primarily a democratic party oriented area (what with all of those pesky minorities and whonot) with half a million people? and considering that one electoral vote is two too many these days? and one extra representative or senator could be enough to tip the scales against him on a close vote or veto override?
i dunno.
the idea that the district should be kept from government representation, because it's the seat of power and should thusly be protected from partisan leanings is a joke. what i don't know is if these residents get to vote in the presidential primaries. hopefully, they do. all i know is that they have no voice in the senate or the house of representatives.
let's give them one. just one. then maybe they'll shut up and go back to shooting each other over whether they should get to own concealed weapons like all good americans.
...bob herbert has a good column here about DC's ongoing problem with political respect. because it's a district (as opposed to being a state) it is afforded no representation in Congress. and herbert brings up a very good point: while bush touts democracy as the current reason (well, one of a few) why we must "stay the course" in iraq, he and his cadre have worked very hard to keep it from happening in washington, dc. why? i dunno...maybe because it's primarily a democratic party oriented area (what with all of those pesky minorities and whonot) with half a million people? and considering that one electoral vote is two too many these days? and one extra representative or senator could be enough to tip the scales against him on a close vote or veto override?i dunno.
the idea that the district should be kept from government representation, because it's the seat of power and should thusly be protected from partisan leanings is a joke. what i don't know is if these residents get to vote in the presidential primaries. hopefully, they do. all i know is that they have no voice in the senate or the house of representatives.
let's give them one. just one. then maybe they'll shut up and go back to shooting each other over whether they should get to own concealed weapons like all good americans.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Jumpin' Jive
now, just what the hell is going on here?
over the past few months i've been witnessing the word "jive" used in countless web blogs, political commentaries, quotes from politicians and even in newspapers to describe situations where a person's actions don't conform to a person's words or stance on something.
example: bush's claim to be a uniter doesn't jive with any single thing he's done since he came into power.
when , in fact, the word to be used is "jibe". jibe originally was a term used at sea. it was a nautical term.
example: To turn a boat to take the wind on the other side, with the stern going through the wind. Unless the jibe is controlled, the boom will bang over and the sudden change of forces can cause momentary loss of control.
it, also, is a word used to describe consistency (or lack thereof).
example: agree with, as in: His alibi doesn't jibe with the testimony of eye-witnesses.
jive is slang for describing swing blues music. it is, also, used as a dismissive term when one person thinks another is handing him a bunch of bullshit.
example: BB King sings "My momma says she loves me, but she could be jivin' too".
only the urban dictionary has crossed the word "jive" over into sharing the same meaning as "jibe". and it's the fifth definition on the list.
but i guess it's the buzzword du jour and no one has the time to look into its etymology. we all know that politicians don't. and we all know that most political columnists won't.
think before you use the word. because jive don't jibe with jibe, it's just jive.
over the past few months i've been witnessing the word "jive" used in countless web blogs, political commentaries, quotes from politicians and even in newspapers to describe situations where a person's actions don't conform to a person's words or stance on something.
example: bush's claim to be a uniter doesn't jive with any single thing he's done since he came into power.
when , in fact, the word to be used is "jibe". jibe originally was a term used at sea. it was a nautical term.
example: To turn a boat to take the wind on the other side, with the stern going through the wind. Unless the jibe is controlled, the boom will bang over and the sudden change of forces can cause momentary loss of control.
it, also, is a word used to describe consistency (or lack thereof).
example: agree with, as in: His alibi doesn't jibe with the testimony of eye-witnesses.
jive is slang for describing swing blues music. it is, also, used as a dismissive term when one person thinks another is handing him a bunch of bullshit.
example: BB King sings "My momma says she loves me, but she could be jivin' too".
only the urban dictionary has crossed the word "jive" over into sharing the same meaning as "jibe". and it's the fifth definition on the list.
but i guess it's the buzzword du jour and no one has the time to look into its etymology. we all know that politicians don't. and we all know that most political columnists won't.
think before you use the word. because jive don't jibe with jibe, it's just jive.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Hmmm, Maybe Not Killing All The Lawyers IS A Bad Thing
J. Tony Serra, celebrated by filmmakers and fellow lawyers as an advocate for the downtrodden and jailed by the feds for dodging his taxes, was out of prison and back at work Wednesday -- suing over the low wages federal inmates earn and citing the 19 cents an hour he got for watering penitentiary gardens.
"I'm angry at a system that perpetuates, from my perspective, slave labor," Serra, 72, said at a news conference in his office on Broadway in San Francisco's North Beach. Behind him was a prisoner's painting showing a shackled and grimacing inmate in the hands of two guards.
He said he wasn't complaining about personal mistreatment -- his nine months at the federal prison camp in Lompoc (Santa Barbara County) and one month at a halfway house were "a 10-month vacation," he said -- but about systemic unfairness.
In the prison industries program, in which he and other inmates were required to work, he was assigned to water the prison gardens for five hours a day, 20 days a month, and paid $19 each month, or 19 cents an hour, Serra said. He said other prisoners whose work was much more arduous were paid between 5 cents and $1.65 an hour.
"Prison industries is a dirty secret," Serra said, describing a nationwide network of prison camps churning out products made by low-paid inmates for contractors and federal agencies that, he said, might otherwise buy the same goods from unionized private plants.He also sang the praises of "fabulous jailhouse lawyers" and of a multiracial society of inmates at Lompoc, where "white-collar millionaires and people right out of the ghetto were enjoying themselves together," united by their hatred of prison guards.It was vintage Serra.
"Tony has come out of his prison sentence even more energized to fight against injustice," said San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, who testified on Serra's behalf at his July 2005 sentencing hearing. "You put him in prison, he's going to not only look at potential injustices, but he's the kind of person that does something when he gets out. It probably would have been cheaper for the government just to put Tony on probation."
Hollywood latched onto the attorney in the 1989 movie "True Believer," in which James Woods played a character based on Serra, who wins an acquittal in a Chinatown murder case. Adachi, who worked on the real-life case as a college student, recalled that he and others "couldn't find a lawyer in town" to help the defendant before locating Serra.
Serra also successfully defended Black Panthers leader Huey Newton in a murder trial and has represented scores of controversial and unpopular clients while living a Spartan life and driving a rundown car.His prison lawsuit, like many of his cases, appears to be a longshot. Others have challenged the prison pay system, citing federal minimum-wage laws and other arguments, without success.
Serra's lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco, invokes federal labor law, the constitutional ban on slavery and U.N. standards for treatment of prisoners. Serra's lawyer, John Murcko, said the U.N. standards entitle prisoners to "equitable remuneration" -- which he pegged at $25 an hour -- and that federal labor law should entitle them to the federal minimum wage, $5.15 an hour.
The suit seeks damages for all Lompoc inmates in the prison industries program, a number Murcko estimated at between 300 and 500. Felicia Ponce, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, declined to comment on the suit or on prison wages. Serra was freed March 13 after serving a sentence for his third tax conviction, a guilty plea to two misdemeanor charges of willfully failing to pay $44,000 in federal income taxes in 1998 and 1999. He had previously spent four months at Lompoc in 1974 for failing to file tax returns, in a protest against the Vietnam War, and was given probation for filing late returns in 1986.
"I'm a lifelong tax boycotter," he said Wednesday. To maintain his law practice, he said, he'll comply with a court order to pay $100,000 in back taxes, and will "do my best to abide by the law" in the future.
He said his California law license was suspended for six months but has been restored, because his convictions were misdemeanors rather than felonies. That allowed him to practice law during his last months in prison, helping fellow inmates with their criminal cases as well as with divorces, wills and other matters, he said.
After 44 years as an attorney, Serra said, "I want to practice vigorously another 10." That means staying out of prison, he said, because "you can't fight them from inside."
(italics and bold letters mine all mine)
"I'm angry at a system that perpetuates, from my perspective, slave labor," Serra, 72, said at a news conference in his office on Broadway in San Francisco's North Beach. Behind him was a prisoner's painting showing a shackled and grimacing inmate in the hands of two guards.
He said he wasn't complaining about personal mistreatment -- his nine months at the federal prison camp in Lompoc (Santa Barbara County) and one month at a halfway house were "a 10-month vacation," he said -- but about systemic unfairness.
In the prison industries program, in which he and other inmates were required to work, he was assigned to water the prison gardens for five hours a day, 20 days a month, and paid $19 each month, or 19 cents an hour, Serra said. He said other prisoners whose work was much more arduous were paid between 5 cents and $1.65 an hour.
"Prison industries is a dirty secret," Serra said, describing a nationwide network of prison camps churning out products made by low-paid inmates for contractors and federal agencies that, he said, might otherwise buy the same goods from unionized private plants.He also sang the praises of "fabulous jailhouse lawyers" and of a multiracial society of inmates at Lompoc, where "white-collar millionaires and people right out of the ghetto were enjoying themselves together," united by their hatred of prison guards.It was vintage Serra.
"Tony has come out of his prison sentence even more energized to fight against injustice," said San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, who testified on Serra's behalf at his July 2005 sentencing hearing. "You put him in prison, he's going to not only look at potential injustices, but he's the kind of person that does something when he gets out. It probably would have been cheaper for the government just to put Tony on probation."
Hollywood latched onto the attorney in the 1989 movie "True Believer," in which James Woods played a character based on Serra, who wins an acquittal in a Chinatown murder case. Adachi, who worked on the real-life case as a college student, recalled that he and others "couldn't find a lawyer in town" to help the defendant before locating Serra.
Serra also successfully defended Black Panthers leader Huey Newton in a murder trial and has represented scores of controversial and unpopular clients while living a Spartan life and driving a rundown car.His prison lawsuit, like many of his cases, appears to be a longshot. Others have challenged the prison pay system, citing federal minimum-wage laws and other arguments, without success.
Serra's lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco, invokes federal labor law, the constitutional ban on slavery and U.N. standards for treatment of prisoners. Serra's lawyer, John Murcko, said the U.N. standards entitle prisoners to "equitable remuneration" -- which he pegged at $25 an hour -- and that federal labor law should entitle them to the federal minimum wage, $5.15 an hour.
The suit seeks damages for all Lompoc inmates in the prison industries program, a number Murcko estimated at between 300 and 500. Felicia Ponce, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, declined to comment on the suit or on prison wages. Serra was freed March 13 after serving a sentence for his third tax conviction, a guilty plea to two misdemeanor charges of willfully failing to pay $44,000 in federal income taxes in 1998 and 1999. He had previously spent four months at Lompoc in 1974 for failing to file tax returns, in a protest against the Vietnam War, and was given probation for filing late returns in 1986.
"I'm a lifelong tax boycotter," he said Wednesday. To maintain his law practice, he said, he'll comply with a court order to pay $100,000 in back taxes, and will "do my best to abide by the law" in the future.
He said his California law license was suspended for six months but has been restored, because his convictions were misdemeanors rather than felonies. That allowed him to practice law during his last months in prison, helping fellow inmates with their criminal cases as well as with divorces, wills and other matters, he said.
After 44 years as an attorney, Serra said, "I want to practice vigorously another 10." That means staying out of prison, he said, because "you can't fight them from inside."
(italics and bold letters mine all mine)
Friday, March 16, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Happy Birthday To Me
if you've been following the recent spate of federal prosecutorial firings by the Justice Department (and Alberto Gonzales) and thought to yourself "well, here's a new spin problem for Bush and Co.", perhaps you should take a look at this.
Seems there was another a few years back that smells just a bit coincidental and feels just a tad slimily familiar. Jack (Abram)off was being investigated (well, a lot of people were) for ties to corruption on the tiny island of Guam. just as the temporary (despite being in the position for a decade and being put there by Bush, Sr.) prosecuter was really getting going he was summarily demoted and a cousin of one of the "targets" was instated in his place (the cousin then recused himself due to confilct of interest and the whole issue of corruption went away). bad timing or good? abramoff brought down a few highly placed republican politicians when he was finally brought to justice here in the states. but why would Bush (or his handlers) worry so much about what happens in a protectorate? unless, of course, jack was making big money for republican politicians and big business (note the reference to sweatshops).
remember: in politics, the only species woth protecting is your own and the gophers digging your holes. and that is exactly what Jack was for the republican party: a gopher. he tunneled into where others couldn't be seen to go aboveground. and the only reason he got caught and couldn't be protected in the end was because he tried to sell indians some more infected blankets.
but this is merely a preamble to what is happening now. only eight out of the 93 federal prosecutors were fired or demoted. but of the eight only three had been given less than satisfactory evaluations. three were given positive evals and three were given satisfactory. one put away a couple of california republicans, one wasn't moving fast enough on voter fraud claims connected to democrats. one, in seattle, nobody knows why. one was removed to make way for a Karl Rove protege.
the administration and justice department fist claimed that all were removed due to poor performance evals. next, they said that while some were poor, others were just told to leave, because that's what a president can do. finally, alberto gonzales said mistakes were made and certain people speaking under oath to congress did so without all the proper information (when they were insisting that all removals were due to poor performance) and did not constitute perjury. he said he is responsible even though it's been proven that karl rove was bringing some of the complaints by republican politicians straight to him and the president and that the president "may have" related some of the complaints "informally" to gonzales.
it's also been proven that the move to purge the prosecutorial rolls of those not in line with administration policy dates back a few years. harriet miers, then legal counsel to bush, suggested firing all 93 and starting off fresh after the 2004 election. she was beaten down by those much smarter than her (i.e. karl rove), because the others knew all too well what kind of political backlash that would cause (damn skippy). instead, they took their time to figure out the worst of the worst (those who sought to punish people for breaking the law) vs. the best of the best (those who toed the administration's policies).
and, thus, this conservative republican administration is being seen for what it's best at: heavyhandedness vs. what it's worst at: evenhandedness.
if you hire a prosecuter to prosecute lawbreakers, then let that person prosecute them all.
p.s. i just realized that this is the two year anniversary of my starting this silly blog. happy birthday to me and to all squirrels.
Seems there was another a few years back that smells just a bit coincidental and feels just a tad slimily familiar. Jack (Abram)off was being investigated (well, a lot of people were) for ties to corruption on the tiny island of Guam. just as the temporary (despite being in the position for a decade and being put there by Bush, Sr.) prosecuter was really getting going he was summarily demoted and a cousin of one of the "targets" was instated in his place (the cousin then recused himself due to confilct of interest and the whole issue of corruption went away). bad timing or good? abramoff brought down a few highly placed republican politicians when he was finally brought to justice here in the states. but why would Bush (or his handlers) worry so much about what happens in a protectorate? unless, of course, jack was making big money for republican politicians and big business (note the reference to sweatshops).
remember: in politics, the only species woth protecting is your own and the gophers digging your holes. and that is exactly what Jack was for the republican party: a gopher. he tunneled into where others couldn't be seen to go aboveground. and the only reason he got caught and couldn't be protected in the end was because he tried to sell indians some more infected blankets.
but this is merely a preamble to what is happening now. only eight out of the 93 federal prosecutors were fired or demoted. but of the eight only three had been given less than satisfactory evaluations. three were given positive evals and three were given satisfactory. one put away a couple of california republicans, one wasn't moving fast enough on voter fraud claims connected to democrats. one, in seattle, nobody knows why. one was removed to make way for a Karl Rove protege.
the administration and justice department fist claimed that all were removed due to poor performance evals. next, they said that while some were poor, others were just told to leave, because that's what a president can do. finally, alberto gonzales said mistakes were made and certain people speaking under oath to congress did so without all the proper information (when they were insisting that all removals were due to poor performance) and did not constitute perjury. he said he is responsible even though it's been proven that karl rove was bringing some of the complaints by republican politicians straight to him and the president and that the president "may have" related some of the complaints "informally" to gonzales.
it's also been proven that the move to purge the prosecutorial rolls of those not in line with administration policy dates back a few years. harriet miers, then legal counsel to bush, suggested firing all 93 and starting off fresh after the 2004 election. she was beaten down by those much smarter than her (i.e. karl rove), because the others knew all too well what kind of political backlash that would cause (damn skippy). instead, they took their time to figure out the worst of the worst (those who sought to punish people for breaking the law) vs. the best of the best (those who toed the administration's policies).
and, thus, this conservative republican administration is being seen for what it's best at: heavyhandedness vs. what it's worst at: evenhandedness.
if you hire a prosecuter to prosecute lawbreakers, then let that person prosecute them all.
p.s. i just realized that this is the two year anniversary of my starting this silly blog. happy birthday to me and to all squirrels.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Rogue Festival, Week One, Part Two
the wheel of dad appearing only at the rogue festival:
this one is my one art shot of the first weekend:
this one is my one art shot of the first weekend:
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Rogue 2007, First Saturday
dear journal,
today was my second day of Rogue 2007. this was the first day that i remembered to bring my camera. the previous first day i was a nervous wreck getting ready for my first day as a truly free man who had ended a long relationship over a year before and was now about to see my ex for the first time since that fateful day. naturally, i showered, shaved and applied deoderant even though i knew i had nothing to prove despite the 10 pounds i had gained and the stress acne thqt now dotted my face. i could tell myself that i felt confident seeing my ex in oublic and did a good job of not smelling my pits after the second hour.
it didn't bother me, as well, that a cameraman was following me around and recording my every move. that's how stable i was. of course, i have no idea why i was being followed. unless it shows up on punked or jackass. than i'll understand hindsight, 20/20 and payback's a bitch.
nevertheless, i saw two shows on friday. my parents were in town for the festival (all the way from spokane) and my son was on his way down from san francisco via amtrak.
i began the festival with a group of shakespeare monologues tied together with interim preparatory exhalations. nicely done, inventive, not too shabby for an opemning night. after that, i hung around the same venue for some chart toppers from the year 1349. it was evidently a hell of a year for pop hits if you're into european folk tales told by a roast master. which it tuns out i was.
on saturday i began my true rogu-on with a show about a man who wanted to be a concert organist and settled for alcohol and the church (insert own punchline about man/organ/priest). chuckled, giggled, snarked my ass off to this one. but no pictures. i have a rule about taking photos in theater productions.
than, it was on to the trike shop, which i have pictures for. blake, the gang and his daughter chelsea did their best to convince us we should send them to liverpool. the one question left unanswered was: are we helping to pay for one way or round trip tickets?
next, i went over to dada, but i deleted her pictures and have nothing at the moment. so, i leave you with this shot of the ugliest marmoset i've ever seen:
to be followed by the cutest tyke at the fest so far:
followed by the hottest hootchie mama:
and then some too rapid percussion by stan of poplord (a great duo to check out at veni's):
and then there was me at home in front of the keyboard wondering if the cat i was housesitting would let me get some sleep tonight (as chris would say: overactive pussy CAN be a bad thing).
today was my second day of Rogue 2007. this was the first day that i remembered to bring my camera. the previous first day i was a nervous wreck getting ready for my first day as a truly free man who had ended a long relationship over a year before and was now about to see my ex for the first time since that fateful day. naturally, i showered, shaved and applied deoderant even though i knew i had nothing to prove despite the 10 pounds i had gained and the stress acne thqt now dotted my face. i could tell myself that i felt confident seeing my ex in oublic and did a good job of not smelling my pits after the second hour.
it didn't bother me, as well, that a cameraman was following me around and recording my every move. that's how stable i was. of course, i have no idea why i was being followed. unless it shows up on punked or jackass. than i'll understand hindsight, 20/20 and payback's a bitch.
nevertheless, i saw two shows on friday. my parents were in town for the festival (all the way from spokane) and my son was on his way down from san francisco via amtrak.
i began the festival with a group of shakespeare monologues tied together with interim preparatory exhalations. nicely done, inventive, not too shabby for an opemning night. after that, i hung around the same venue for some chart toppers from the year 1349. it was evidently a hell of a year for pop hits if you're into european folk tales told by a roast master. which it tuns out i was.
on saturday i began my true rogu-on with a show about a man who wanted to be a concert organist and settled for alcohol and the church (insert own punchline about man/organ/priest). chuckled, giggled, snarked my ass off to this one. but no pictures. i have a rule about taking photos in theater productions.
than, it was on to the trike shop, which i have pictures for. blake, the gang and his daughter chelsea did their best to convince us we should send them to liverpool. the one question left unanswered was: are we helping to pay for one way or round trip tickets?
next, i went over to dada, but i deleted her pictures and have nothing at the moment. so, i leave you with this shot of the ugliest marmoset i've ever seen:
to be followed by the cutest tyke at the fest so far:
followed by the hottest hootchie mama:
and then some too rapid percussion by stan of poplord (a great duo to check out at veni's):
and then there was me at home in front of the keyboard wondering if the cat i was housesitting would let me get some sleep tonight (as chris would say: overactive pussy CAN be a bad thing).
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
while this is merely a "non-paper" (meaning it lacks legal status) it is interesting and will not likely make the mainstream press in any meaningful way. but the mere fact that israel and syria have been meeting in secret for a few years to negotiate a new territory treaty while those between israel and the palestinians have unraveled repeatedly even before they were announced as dead is of note. if you click on the above link take a look at the map of the proposed parkway...it's huge, the entire golan heights. and it would be accessible to both syrians and israelis. read the article and you will see that, as of now, if all terms are met the syrians would disavow hezbollah (syria is the prime military and political backer of that terrorist organization).
will it actually come to pass? probably not. nothing ever really does in that part of the world. too many extreme factions within all governments that proclude any real attempt at peace. but this one is a new twist between two countries historically turned against one another.
will it actually come to pass? probably not. nothing ever really does in that part of the world. too many extreme factions within all governments that proclude any real attempt at peace. but this one is a new twist between two countries historically turned against one another.
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