River Trip Time

Tomorrow morning, I depart on a nine day trip on the San Juan river. My first major river trip since breaking my humerus, and I'm really looking forward to it. Packing for the trip has been a challenge, as we're trying to travel light due to low water but also be prepared for all the various weather that October brings. Over the course of nine days, it's gonna get cold.

During my absence I hope that Sweaterman will throw up a few posts. He's been up to some interesting activities over the past month, and I hope he'll share them with you.

Whitewater is calling me, and I must be on the river.

Eight Years in Afghanistan

Eight years ago, we invaded Afghanistan to pursue Al Qaida after the 9/11 attacks (and by extension the Taliban that enabled them). It sounded rather straight forward at the time, but Afghanistan has never been a good place to invade. After eight years, it's unclear what we've accomplished, what we hope to accomplish, our how the hell we're going to finish whatever we're attempting to accomplish.
When we first invaded Afghanistan, I felt it was justified in order to go after Al Qaida. But I also feared the potential for disaster, based on history and the absolute incompetence of the shrub administration. At the time I stated "I fear that we've just stuck our foot in a very large bear trap." And, sadly, this has proven to be true.
The largest mistake, obviously, was the invasion of Iraq which was completely unjustified and also removed the resources needed to defeat Al Qaida. Afghanistan was left to muddle along as a forgotten war.
So what do we do now? There are no good options and the status quo isn't working. Obama's right to want a clear strategy, with clear goals, before allocating more resources. But those goals have to be realistic. And looking at the history of Afghanistan, "realistic" is somewhere between "really bad" and "absolutely horrible." Every option is going to be bloody and expensive.
Getting out of Afghanistan is a lot harder than getting in.

Renzi: Five More Charges

My corrupt former congress critter Rick Renzi has been doing everything he can to delay his trial on 36 charges of corruption and embezzlement. Now prosecutors are adding 5 more charges:

The Justice Department has expanded its case against former Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.), adding five new corruption charges. Prosecutors added insurance fraud and racketeering accusations in a second superseding indictment filed in late September. It is the second time the government has added charges to the original indictment, first filed in February 2008.

The government added a conspiracy to commit insurance fraud charge to the indictment. Explaining the charge, the government argued that Renzi, co-defendant Dwayne Lequire and others willfully embezzled funds and premiums from a risk retention company called Spirit Mountain to pay Renzi’s “substantial personal expenses.” Lequire helped conceal the embezzlement by transferring other funds into accounts of Renzi’s insurance company, Patriot Insurance, including proceeds from a line of credit and the real estate deal at the heart of the corruption case against him, the prosecutors allege.

Renzi is accused of telling executives for Resolution Copper Mining that he would not support a land swap bill unless they bought his former business partner’s property. Another company agreed to the deal, and Renzi pocketed more than $700,000 from it, according to the indictment.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/61723-feds-expand-case-against-renzi

So keep it up, Rick. The longer you stall, the more of your crimes will come to light. If you succeed in postponing your trial to January, you might be facing 50 charges or more.

(the tattoo'd pigs are a Pygalgia tradition for all things Renzi)

Twins! (or extra baseball)

Nothing like 'bonus' baseball, is there? The Tigers and Twins needed to play an extra game to decide their season. So it is only apropos that they would go into extra innings.
I was (mildly) rooting for the Twins, due to a very dear lady friend being a diehard Twins fan (and that my team is already out). And they won.
Now, if only they can beat the hated Yankers.

Rewrite

This is just too funny to ignore. Some whacked out conservatives have a problem with the bible, so they want to rewrite it and eliminate liberal "bias". Go read...it's as crazy as you think.
Not that this is a new idea. The bible has been rewritten many time, leading to the multiple versions seen today. But in all of them, Jesus is a pretty liberal fellow. That whole "love thy neighbor" thing will have to go.
But I wonder how this will be received by strict biblical literalists, who believe that every word was 'divinely inspired' by 'god'. Wouldn't a new version of the bible be seen as blasphemy?

Making a Simple Statement

From The Ostroy Report, this simple statement:

Republicans' 2010 Campaign Message: Vote For Us Because Obama Can't Magically Fix in a Year What it Took Us Eight Years to Destroy

Wish I said that.

Really Bad Technology

Voice activated telephone answering systems are the most annoying new technology I've yet to run across. Attempting to refill my prescriptions, I encountered the pharmacies answering system, and I'm ready to slowly torture the designer to death. The voice system seemed programmed to default to "I'm sorry; I didn't understand" to every thing I said, even "yes" or "no". Which is funny, because I have very good diction, thanks to years of theater. If it couldn't understand my voice, I can only imagine how a less clearly spoken person would fare. Of course, the last thing the system wants you to do is to speak to an actual human being, so it doesn't offer that as an option.

But I figured out a way to defeat the system, after multiple tries. If you repeat a ridiculous word enough times, it finally gives up and transfers you to a person. So I answered every question by saying "pomegranate" over and over again, and it gave up.

I'm convinced that these things were created by republicans. Or microsoft. They're the only ones with ideas that bad.

Helen's Still Swinging

Have I mentioned that I love Helen Thomas? She's been a thorn in the side of every president since Kennedy. The dictionary definition of "tenacious" should have her picture.

Helen Thomas is 89 years old and requires some assistance to get to and from the daily White House briefing. Yet her backbone has proved stronger than that of the president she covers.

On Thursday afternoon, Thomas gave a clinic in fortitude to President Obama's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, during the briefing. "Has the president given up on the public option?" she inquired from her front-row-middle seat.

The press secretary laughed at this repetition of a common Thomas inquiry, but this questioner, who has covered every president since Kennedy, wasn't about to be silenced. "I ask it day after day because it has great meaning in this country, and you never answer it," she said.

"Well, I -- I -- I apparently don't answer it to your satisfaction," Gibbs stammered.

"That's right," Thomas snarled.

"I -- I'll -- I'll give you the same answer that I gave you unsatisfactorily for many of those other days," Gibbs offered. "It's what the president believes in --"

"Is he going to fight for it or not?" Thomas snapped.

"We're going to work to get choice and competition into health-care reform" was Gibbs's vague response.

Thomas took that as a no. "You're not going to get it," she advised.

"Then why do you keep asking me?" Gibbs inquired.

"Because I want your conscience to bother you," Thomas replied. The room erupted; Gibbs reddened.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100104303_pf.html

89 years old, and still speaking truth to power. When Helen says "you're not going to get it" Mr. Gibbs (and by extension, Mr. Obama) would be wise to listen.

Another Rethug Idiot on Health Care

OK, it's not news, but Rep. Broun sinks to a new low:

One of the most radical opponents of health care reform is Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA). He has said that a public option would “kill people.” Last Tuesday, Broun was confronted by a constituent at a health care town hall who explained that he has has gone into debt because he can’t afford insurance for his major depressive disorder. In response to his constituent’s story, Broun said that “people who have depression, who have chronic diseases in this country…can always get care in this country by going to the emergency room.” That comment prompted boos from the crowd. Towards the end of Broun’s answer, a constituent yelled, “That’s why we need a public option!” which brought cheers from the audience. (video at link)

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/01/broun-emergency-room/

As a former mental health counselor who's suffered bouts of depression myself, I'm outraged at this. Chronic depression (like all chronic diseases) requires long term treatment. Ideally, a combination of counseling and medications are used, but currently it's mostly just medications. They're cheaper. Emergency treatment of depression usually comes as a result of a suicide attempt or serious suicidal ideation. So the congressman was basically saying "go attempt suicide, and you can get treatment". If you survive.
Perhaps the most stunning part of the whole health care debate is how blatant the rethugs have been about there lack of compassion for their fellow human beings. It's one thing to be a cold heartless bastard, another thing to proudly publicly proclaim it.

Party in Rio

Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympics. Sounds like a great choice, since the Olympics have never been in South America. Rio beat out Madrid, another really fun city. And, no offense Chicago, but Rio knows how to throw a party.
Of course, the right-wing will celebrate Barack's failure to secure Chicago's bid. It's what they do.

A Flying Boobie

Looking good!

Nose Blowing

So, I'm just sitting with the bird and I start having a minor case of rhinorhea. So I grab a tissue, and blow. Grizelda reacts like I've just fired off a shotgun. She's currently hiding in her (open) cage.
I didn't know that I blew my nose that hard.

Jimmy Carter turns 85

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter addresses the crowd during the museum's Oct. 1 grand reopening as Carter Library and Museum Director Jay Hakes looks on. Watch the ceremony >

Former President Jimmy Carter turned 85 today. Most analysts consider Carter's presidency a failure, as he only lasted one term and was unable to pass much of his agenda while in office, but his humanitarian work since leaving office has been magnificent.
I've always felt the Carter was the kindest and smartest president of my lifetime, but that he was a very ineffective politician. I wonder how history might have been different if Jimmy had gotten his alternative energy program passed.

The PRC Turns 60

China 'celebrates' 60 years of communist rule today:

President Hu Jintao inspected China's defense forces in Beijing on Thursday, as the country held celebrations to mark the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

About 200,000 soldiers and civilians -- from veterans and athletes to space heroes and young people -- gathered in Tiananmen Square for the National Day military and mass parade showcasing achievements of the last 60 years, Xinhua reported.

The packed square resembled a carnival as colorful crowds marched, cheered and waved. A 60-cannon salute rang out as the nation's flag swept over the square.

The army showed off its latest weapons, which officials touted as made in China. Weapons on display included China's new generation of tanks, unmanned aerial vehicles and satellite communication devices, Xinhua said.

More than 150 fighter jets, bombers, helicopters and other aircraft were to fly over the square, including a fly-past by China's first batch of female fighter pilots, state-run media said.

A 1,300-member military band were also to make an appearance, according to Xinhua.

http://edition.cnn.hu/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/30/china.anniversary/index.html?iref=hpmostpop

China's history is rather unique in the world. Now a manufacturing and economic behemoth, China is a very different place from the one Mao declared 60 years ago. One could even question whether China today is truly "communist", given the amount of business enterprise going on. But the evolution over the past 60 years has been bloody and brutal, and the regime is still repressive.
History is prone to taking strange turns, and the history of relations between the PRC and the USA is a story with many twists. From the cold war and the Korean war, to Nixon's opening of relations (one of the few good things Nixon ever did), to Tiananmen Square, to their current status as America's underwriters.
Of course, from a historical perspective, 60 years is a very short time for the Chinese. Compared to some of the Dynasties, the Communist regime is just a pup.
additional story: China 60 years on: From Mao to today