Pass it on-from Whig

I don't usually copy other people's posts, but this one from Whig at http://cannablog.wordpress.com/ is worthy:

Would you please take one minute to call your member of Congress and ask him or her to vote in favor of the medical marijuana amendment that the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting on next week?

It’s easy: Just call the Capitol switchboard operator at (202) 224-3121. Give the operator your zip code and ask to be connected to your U.S. House member; you don’t even need to know your congressperson’s name to do this.

When the receptionist for the congressperson — not the Capitol switchboard operator — answers, say something like: “Hi, this is [name]. I live in [city], and I’m calling to ask that my representative vote for Rep. Maurice Hinchey’s [HIN-chee’s] medical marijuana amendment to the Justice Department’s spending bill, which I understand will be considered on the House floor next week. The amendment would prohibit the Justice Department from spending taxpayer money to arrest medical marijuana patients in the 12 states where medical marijuana is legal.”

Please call now: (202) 224-3121

Make the call. We can debate recreational marijuana, but medical marijuana should be legal to alleviate the pain and suffering of millions.

Not that I think my congress-creep will vote for it, but at least his office "noted my view".

The press

The press gets a new press room. And shrub shows his great respect for the press:

Q What, do you think I'm going to ask a question?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I did think you were going to ask me a question, yes.
(Laughter.)

Q I am. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, maybe some other time.

Q Oh, but do you think you open --

THE PRESIDENT: See what I'm saying? (Laughter.)

Q You can't come to the press room, especially a modern press room --

THE PRESIDENT: Wait a minute, let's do this -- let me cut the ribbon, and --

Q You think anything has changed?

THE PRESIDENT: Let me cut the ribbon -- are you going to cut it with me,
Steve -- and then why don't you all yell simultaneously? (Laughter.) Like, really loudly. (Laughter.) And that way you might get noticed.

Q It doesn't sound like you're going to answer --

THE PRESIDENT: No, I will. I'll, like, listen --

Q And leave?

THE PRESIDENT: -- internalize, play like I'm going to answer the question, and then smile at you and just say, gosh -- (laughter) -- thanks, thanks for such a solid, sound question. Here we go, ready? I'm going to cut the ribbon. (Laughter.) Then you yell. I cogitate -- and then smile and wave. (Laughter.)

Are you going to come, Laura? Here we go.

(The President and Mrs. Bush cut the ribbon.) (Applause.)

Q -- (inaudible) --

THE PRESIDENT: Brilliant question.

Q -- (inaudible) -- cogitating that, right?

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. See you soon.

Q We look forward to seeing you come and do a little --

THE PRESIDENT: I will see you soon, thank you.

Q Y'all come back. (Laughter.)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070711.html

Holy crap, they proudly post this juvenile crap? I know that stupidity and arrogance aren't technically ground for impeachment, but this kind of behavior should be.

Rant-y Day

I guess today is a good day to rant. Both Sweaterman and Ghandisxmas have posted great rants, and I recommend both.
Now I've got one more:
The rethuglicans in the senate have decided to filibuster Webb's amendment, and have basically said that they will filibuster ANY bill calling for any change of course in Iraq. They've used the filibuster to stop almost every bill the house has passed. Can we call them obstructionist? You bet. But will anyone listen?
This is what the rethugs support in Iraq:

On Tuesday, guerrillas launched some 20 katyusha rockets and mortar shells into the Green Zone in downtown Baghdad, killing 3 persons, including a US soldier, and wounding 25 persons.
The Green Zone was originally supposed to be the safe place in Iraq, with the area
outside it (everything else) called the "Red Zone." The US Embassy in Baghdad appears to have forgotten what the phrase "Green Zone" means, since a spokesman
there told the LAT, "There's fire into the Green Zone virtually every day, so I can't draw any conclusions about the security situation based on that . . ."
Let me draw the conclusion. If you've got fire into the friggin' Green Zone every day, then we can draw the conclusion that the security situation in Baghdad sucks big time. When you've got people killed and a large number of people wounded in the one place in Iraq that was supposed to have a "permissive" security environment, then security in general is the pits.
Now you might say that we can't draw many conclusions from the events of a single day. And, being able to lob mortar shells over a wall doesn't speak to that much organization. But then what about these two nuggets in the LAT story?
1) "There were about 39 attacks [on the Green Zone] in May, compared with 17 in March, according to a U.N. report."
2) "Tuesday's attack came the same day gunmen kidnapped Iraqi Police Col. Mahmoud Muhyi Hussein, who directs security inside the Green Zone . . .
In other words, the security situation in the Green Zone is spiralling down at an
alarming pace, and the guerrillas have such good inside knowledge that they can
kidnap the very person responsible for security in it, as he drives in Jadiriya. That, my friends, is an inside job. And such an inside job doesn't bode well for future security in the Green Zone. For one thing, presumably they are "debriefing" Col. Hussein as we speak, looking for weak points.http://www.juancole.com/

They OWN it. For every soldier killed or wounded in Iraq, we need to shout "this soldier died because of republican obstructionism!". It may not get the media's attention, but it could get our neighbors attention.
OK, enough ranting by me for now. I'm gonna need a beer after all this crap. Hey, Sweaterman and Ghandisxmas, I'll buy the first round. And if any of you readers come by, I'll buy you one too.

The Fear-litzer

It's chillingly white. Maybe it's made of bones! BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!


From yesterday's stories:

Tue Jul 10, 8:25 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has called an urgent multi-agency meeting for Thursday to discuss a potential new al Qaeda threat on U.S. soil, ABC News reported on Tuesday.

Top intelligence and law enforcement officials have been told to meet in the White House Situation Room to report on steps to minimize or counter the threat and what steps are being taken to tighten security at government buildings, ABC said.

Now, if'n there's really something to all of this "urgency" about an imminent attack, then why announce (on a Tuesday) that you want to have an all-important, double-secret-Probation meeting of the big wigs on Thursday? Why wait a couple of days? Travel time? Fuck that, waste some Avgas on some fighter jets and get 'em all there in a few hours. A-and, why get them all together in one place to talk? Isn't that bad security? Don't these folks know about conference calls? Do they all have to be in the same room to absorb or disseminate information? Hasn't a plan been put into place since September 11th, 2001 that will allow coordination between all these agencies?

Wait.

You mean no plan for coordination has been put into place?

Not even simple conference calls?

Nothing?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Well, you and I feel safer, anyways, right? I mean, there haven't been any events since 9/11, so we must be safer, right? Of course we are. But just not abso-fuckin-lutely safe enough, as the Republicans want to keep reminding us (July 8th, 2007):

In an alarming display of fearmongering, former Republican Senator Rick Santorum has suggested that a series of "unfortunate events," namely terrorist attacks, will occur within the next year and change American citizen's perception of the war.

Appearing on the Hugh Hewitt radio show, Santorum also hyped the necessity of "confronting Iran in the Middle East," and predicted that Giuliani, Romney and Fred Thompson would be the three surviving Republican candidates who would go head to head in the race for the nomination.

Santorum went on to clearly imply that terror attacks will occur inside America which will alter the body politic and lead to a reversal of the anti-war sentiment now dominating the country.

Or this:

Last month, the new chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party Dennis Milligan said that there needed to be more attacks on American soil for President Bush to regain popular approval.

"At the end of the day, I believe fully the president is doing the right thing, and I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [Sept. 11, 2001]," Milligan told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "And the naysayers will come around very quickly to appreciate not only the commitment for President Bush, but the sacrifice that has been made by men and women to protect this country," he concluded.

Now. Wait.

Just. A. Gawd-damned. Minute.

Are we going to fall for that?! For that kind of obvious horseshit? From Republicans who seem to be showing almost a sense of glee that there will again be attacks on American soil? Like they WANT IT TO HAPPEN?!?!?! I mean, little Ricky up there seems like he's going to decompose into his frothy namesake, just thinkin' about it, and Gilligan...errr...Milligan sounds like he looks forward to the mayhem.

Yep, that's right, it's the last trump card any and all Republicans can play, the Fear Factor card. Cue the Fear-litzer! Start your propogandifyin'! Throw the fear of Jay-sus and the onslaught of Islamofacist Muslim hordes into the crowd! Because after all, they surely wouldn't want you to see what's going on elsewhere. As in:

1. Sara Taylor, that blonde-haired, blue-eyed Stepford-bot aide of our current Fuhrer is testifying before the Senate today. Maybe she'll take the 5th (after all, she's been ordered to by her master, Der Fuhrer Bush himself). But, maybe she won't and she'll spill some beans about the attorney firings. Can't have that, so...LOOK OVER THERE! It's al-Qaeda! RIGHT THERE!
2. Generalissimo Patraeus is set to release a pre-lim finding of how well the "splurge" is working in Iraq. My guess, not so well. But don't think about that, BE SCARED, SCARED, SCARED!
3. Harriet Miers still hasn't decided (or still has not answered whether or not she'll blindly follow the "Deciderer's" orders) and testify before the Senate. If not, the American public will soon find out if subpeona power means anything at all, and, basically, if Americans should give a shit about the law of the land. But, we know that's not important, and besides, THERE'S A CAR-BOMB ON YOUR DOORSTEP! AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!
4. More prominent Republicans are vocally bailing on Our Glorious Leader's plan for Iraq, and calling him out on it in public. But they're wrong, and the reason they are wrong is because OSAMA IS EATING YOUR PETS! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!
5. The House is starting hearings into whether Scooter Libby might have received, oh, shall we say preferential treatment from the White House in regards to that sentence commutation, but never forget that al-Qaeda is training giant attack badgers to MURDER US ALL IN OUR SLEEP! OH THE HUMANITY!

And, that's just this week. Previous weeks have been similar, and I'm sure that future weeks will be the same.

Because it's all they have left.

Like the chronic complainer who just wants to spread their brand of misery throughout the world, Republicans are good at only one thing: spreading fear. Spreading it far and wide and piled a couple of feet thick.

Why? Because deep-down, they are afraid. Spine-tingling, hair-standing paralyzed with afraid-i-ness. Others, who are cautious, but brave, walk on through their lives without giving into teh fear. The Republicans wallow in it and insist that we wallow in it too. But enough is enough, and actually, it has been more than enough for a few years now. Because, see, eventually, that kind of fear-mongering becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and soon enough, becomes part of who each of us is, and most importantly, part of our collective national psyche and culture.

And that's not the kind of America I want to live in. Change "Land of the Free, and Home of the Brave" to "Land of the Contentedly Shackled and Home of the Big, Fat, Cowardly Pussies" and it just goes all sour on me.

I want to live in the kind of America that says, "We know it sounds crazy, but we're goin' to the moon!". Not the kind of America that's afraid to take the dog out for a poop on account of some crazy turban-wearers that are ready to nuke my front lawn. I want to live in the kind of America that says, "By god we've got some pretty country out here. Better save some of it for my grandkids." As opposed to the other kind of America that would as soon pave over the whole place, because then those brown-skins won't be havin' any place to hide. I want to live in the kind of America where I stop and say howdy to my neighbors sitting on the stoop, reach down and pet their dog, and wish them well on my walk to work. Not the kind of America that feels it has to cocoon itself up inside a McMansion somewhere, because the only way they can live, is if they're living amongst their "own kind". I want to live in the kind of America where a schoolkid learns actual, empirical truth (e.g., the earth is a sphere, albeit oblate, but a sphere), instead of learning what's been handed down as dogma for 2000-plus years and is never challenged by anyone. And I want that opportunity for every damn kid in this country. I want to live in the kind of America that every other place in the world looks up to because of our kindness as well as our strength, because even though we don't always get things right, at least we have ideals, and because this country is about the best example of social organization that seems to have come about yet. Not the kind of America where we get respect only because we're the bullying type, the one willing to change anyone else to be "just like us", and if not, well, we'll just get rid of them.

That's the kind of America I want to live in.

So the next time the Republicans bring on teh fear, mock them. Laugh at them. Tell them, to their face, what big, fat, cowardly, pencil-dicks they are, and tell them you're walkin' away, because you've got a life to live or better things to do or even that you need to get away to wash away their piss-scented fear cloud off of you. Tell them that you're the real America and you're grown-up and that you don't have time to cry over every damn little thing any more. Offer to put them in a bassinet, if they want it, and tell them you'll hand them a pacifier, and then, just walk away, and go out and make your America.

More problems for Iraqi's

With everything else going on in Iraq, here' another one:

The Iraqi port city of Basra, already prey to a nasty turf war between rival militia factions, has now been gripped by a new fear -- a giant badger stalking the streets by night.

Local farmers have caught and killed several of the beasts, but this has done nothing to dispel rumours of a bear-like monster that eats humans and was allegedly released into the area by British forces to spread panic.

Iraqi scientists have attempted to calm the public but, amid the confusion and mistrust spawned by the ongoing guerrilla war, the story has spread like wildfire in the streets of the city and the villages round about.

That's right. Giant Badgers in Basra.

"They are native to the region but rare in Iraq. They're nocturnal carnivores with a fearsome reputation, but they don't stalk humans and carry them back to their lair," he said.

Both the scientists and the soldiers agree that the badger ought not to be a danger to humans, but so far they have failed to reassure the populace.

OK, they're not really all that dangerous. But they do sound kinda scary.

"I was sleeping at night when this strange animal hit me on my head. I have not seen such an animal before. My husband hurried to shoot it but it was as swift as a deer," said Suad Hassan, a 30-year-old housewife.

"It is the size of a dog but his head is like a monkey. It runs so quickly."http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Giant_badgers_terrorise_Iraqi_port__07112007.html

Here's a pic:

The honey badger, or ratel, is known as a brave predator capable of killing a cobra. It weighs up to 14 kilos (30 pounds), not usually known as man-eater.

Thanks, Chertoff

So our brilliant homeland security guy is warning that terrorists just might want to attack us, because it's summer. Guess they like warm weather or some such.

On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the editorial board of The Chicago Tribune that he had a “gut feeling” about a new period of increased risk.

He based his assessment on earlier patterns of terrorists in Europe and intelligence he would not disclose.

“Summertime seems to be appealing to them,” Chertoff said in his discussion with the newspaper about terrorists. “We worry that they are rebuilding their activities.”He added, “I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk.”

Let me explain it for you: terrorists would like to attack us, but only on days that end in "y". Most of us know this. Your job is to stop them. When you make these kinds of public pronouncements, you're just fear-mongering. If you have a specific threat, get to work. But don't waste are time trying to scare us.

If the Bush Fear Machine six years after 9/11 still sees a need to scare the base with threats like this to justify the Escalation To Nowhere, then its time for JayRockefeller and Silvestre Reyes to drag Chertoff's butt to a hearing. Chertoff says that their concerns about Al Qaeda stem from their resurgence and regrouping in the areas along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. If this is the reason for the new fear campaign, Democrats need to ask why then did the Bush Administration encourage Pervez Musharraf to allow the Taliban and Al Qaeda to regroup there in the first place?

Bin Laden is still free nearly six years after Tora Bora because Bush needs him to be free.

I'm not saying that the terrorist threat isn't real. It is. al-Qaida and their ilk have come right out and said they want to attack us. They want us to be afraid. And your stupid statements only help them. I would hope that you're department is actually trying to prevent such attacks. But here's the important thing: most Americans aren't fearful. We're courageous. Life is dangerous by it's very nature (heck, today's forecast calls for lightning in my area. People get killed by lightning. We aren't hiding under our beds though.).
Lot's of blogs think the fear-mongering is to distract us from other issues, and I agree that it's the intent. But I don't think it works anymore. We've heard "wolf" so many times, but we have lives to live.

it ain't ALL bad folks!

here is a buddhist monk and a dancing cat.

Fun at the All Star game

Oooh, here's another reason to watch the All Star game this evening:

Online activists raised enough money in two hours Monday afternoon to fly a banner encouraging the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney over AT&T Park in San Francisco before Tuesday's baseball All Star Game.http://rawstory.com/printstory.php?story=6783

Although I doubt the corporate TV masters will let it be shown.
Added: it's on Faux, so no showing. Anybody out there got photo's?

Something Lighter

I need something less depressing at the top of the page. How about this?

Cactus in bloom.

The cost of occupation

No, not just the $12 billion a month. It's the human cost that will haunt us for decades to come. This is just plain tragic:

With no end yet in sight for the long dark night of the Iraq war, The Nation magazine is coming out this week with an article that goes into great and disturbing detail about the brutal treatment of Iraqi civilians by some U.S. soldiers and marines.

The article does not focus on the handful of atrocities that have gotten substantial press coverage, like the massacre in Haditha in November 2005. Instead, based on interviews conducted on the record with dozens of American combat veterans of the war, the authors address what they describe as frequent acts of violence in which U.S. forces have abused or killed Iraqi civilians — men, women and children — with impunity.

The combination of recklessness, wantonly destructive behavior born of panic and
deliberate acts of cold-blooded violence by G.I.’s are believed to have cost the lives of thousands of innocent Iraqis, the article says. The soldiers interviewed said they believed that only a minority of U.S. troops engaged in objectionable behavior, but the toll of their actions has been huge.

The long occupation has a dehumanizing effect on our soldiers. They've been stuck in an alien culture, where they don't know the language or customs, can't tell friend from foe, and have no workable mission plan.

The article describes soldiers and marines frustrated and fearful in an alien environment in which the enemy hides among civilians and uses acts of terror as
the primary tactic. “The mounting frustration of fighting an elusive enemy and
the devastating effects of roadside bombs, with their steady toll of American dead and wounded, led many troops to declare an open war on all Iraqis,” said the authors, Chris Hedges, a former Middle East bureau chief for The New York Times, and Laila al-Arian.

Returning soldiers that I've talked to (including the Marine below) have expressed how frustrated they were about the inability to identify the enemy. While they try to do their duty honorably, it's not surprising if some begin to blame all Iraqi's.

Accidents, even those caused by recklessness, are bad enough. More disturbing
are the incidents described in the article in which G.I.’s routinely abused civilians. Among the worst abuses have been the shootings of innocent civilians and the improper arrests that have occurred in the course of raids carried out by soldiers and marines looking for insurgents.

There have been thousands of such raids. An extraordinary number of them — the vast majority, according to the interviews for article — were exercises in futility, yielding nothing but grief and terror for the innocent families whose homes were invaded.

“So you have all these troops, and they’re all wound up,” said Army Sgt. John Bruhns of Philadelphia, who participated in many raids while serving in Baghdad and Abu
Ghraib. “And a lot of them think once they kick down the door there’s going to be people on the inside waiting for them with weapons to start shooting at them.”

In most cases, there is nothing more than a terrified family on the other side of the door.[Bob Herbert, NYTimes Select]

And, after over four years, Tony Snow says this:http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070709-4.html

MR. SNOW: No, he's -- again, we have just started the course. The course has just begun.

Off-script

Remember (as recent as last week) the administration's attempts to conflate Iran with Al-Queda? Someone forgot to tell them that they were co-operating:

CAIRO, Egypt - The leader of an al-Qaida umbrella group in Iraq threatened to wage war against Iran unless it stops supporting Shiites in Iraq within two months, according to an audiotape released Sunday.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, who leads the group Islamic State in Iraq, said his Sunni fighters have been preparing for four years to wage a battle against Shiite-dominated Iran.

“We are giving the Persians, and especially the rulers of Iran, a two month period to end all kinds of support for the Iraqi Shiite government.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19667464/from/RS.4/

Long ago, I made the point that Al-Queda is a strictly Sunni group, whereas Iran is fundementalist Shia.

We really would be better off if we at least talked wtih Iran.

tuesday tortoise

Some of ya'll may already be familiiar with Pygalgia's tradition of posting booby pictures on Fridays. I've decided to post tortoises on Tuesdays. Actually, I'm posting on a Monday. I may not be this bored tomorrow.

Please stop

I see that the Senate is ready to tackle an issue important to all Americans:

Oh, and on Thursday, the Judiciary Committee will move on to the weighty subject of too many Americans not knowing the words to the national anthem and will consider S. Res. 236, "a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of the National Anthem Project, which has worked to restore America's voice by re-teaching Americans to sing the national anthem."

To which I say "please don't". The last thing we need is more people attempting to sing a song that is routinely butchered by professionals. The amateurs should not be encouraged.

An Attorney Speaks

John S. Koppel on the DOJ scandal:http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_6308408

As a longtime attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, I can honestly say that I have never been as ashamed of the department and government that I serve as I am at this time.

The public record now plainly demonstrates that both the DOJ and the government as a whole have been thoroughly politicized in a manner that is inappropriate, unethical and indeed unlawful. The unconscionable commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's sentence, the misuse of warrantless investigative powers under the Patriot Act and the deplorable treatment of U.S. attorneys all point to an unmistakable pattern of abuse.

This is the real scandal:

In more than a quarter of a century at the DOJ, I have never before seen such consistent and marked disrespect on the part of the highest ranking government policymakers for both law and ethics. It is especially unheard of for U.S. attorneys to be targeted and removed on the basis of pressure and complaints from political figures dissatisfied with their handling of politically sensitive investigations and their unwillingness to "play ball." Enough information has already been disclosed to support the conclusion that this is exactly what happened here, at least in the case of
former U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias of New Mexico (and quite possibly in several others as well). Law enforcement is not supposed to be a political team sport, and prosecutorial independence and integrity are not "performance problems."

And this paragraph should be read by every member of congress:

In his long-awaited but uninformative testimony concerning the extraordinary firings of U.S. attorneys, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales did not allay these concerns. Indeed, he faced a no-win situation. If he testified falsely regarding his alleged lack of recollection and lack of involvement, he perjured himself and lied to both Congress and the American people. On the other hand, if he told the truth, he clearly has been derelict in the performance of his duties and is not up to the job. Either way, his fitness to serve is now in doubt.

I appreciate his courage.

I realize that this constitutionally protected statement subjects me to a substantial risk of unlawful reprisal from extremely ruthless people who have repeatedly taken such action in the past. But I am confident that I am speaking on behalf of countless thousands of honorable public servants, at Justice and elsewhere, who take their responsibilities seriously and share these views. And some things must be said, whatever the risk.

The views presented in this essay are not representative of the Department of Justice or its employees but are instead the personal views of its author.

John S. Koppel has been a civil appellate attorney with the Department of Justice since 1981.

Tommy, can you hear me?

One of the blogs I follow (hey, we started before he did) is http://www.petetownshend-whohe.blogspot.com/.

There are still a few news sources suggesting that The Who are playing a part in
the Live Earth Festival. We are not, but this should not be taken as a rebuff, we know what the organizers are trying to achieve. We were not invited. We are playing at Roskilde in Denmark, and so have not had to do what most participants must have done, which is to work out how to balance the Ying against the Yang of the whole thing. Festivals are energy consuming, but at least they involve gatherings of large numbers of real people coming together in a common cause, with joy, humour and optimism.

If you don't know who (WHO) Pete Townshend is, please stop reading this blog.

In London change has been forced on us. Traffic Congestion charging is an extreme
way to get people to travel on trains and buses. It seems to be working. Many more people are riding push-bikes to work as well. I am not soft. I can ride a bike with little effort, even at 62 years old. I do love my car, but I don't mind walking or riding a bike. Roger and the band have made several long journeys on this European tour by train. I often use the train from my home town to central London. Once, when I mentioned the wonder of our local train service to Mick Jagger in a documentary, the British press took the piss. Better I buy a Hybrid car? Better I keep my old one and use it less I think.

But you don't need Pop Stars telling you how to save the planet. Neither do you need
news services telling you the uncaring, selfish Pete Townshend travels with seventy guitar cases. (I carry about fifteen). Exaggeration has always been my weakness. Seventy does sound better. It's just not true. But when the Live Earth events are cited in the same news services as producing as much carbon as Afghanistan, you can see how lazy web-'journalism' creates hysteria, anger and pointless jealousy. Someone else suggested we travel with 1,000 tons of equipment (this extrapolated from the earlier report that we had 1,000 cases). I think 1,000 tons might be the weight of a small aircraft carrier you chumps. We all want to do our bit. What about next tour we don't take the surface to air missiles?

This was weird.

Weddings and Bars

I just performed a wedding in a bar (yes, I am an ordained minister) . Some may wonder why people get married, but this one was clear. He's going for a fifth deployment. She just got back from Iraq. Short story: they both are serving our country. He's a Marine, she's Army Reserve. They wanted to be married before he left. So I was happy to wed them.

The next person who tells me that I "don't support the troops" better be ready to tell a marine.

(and yes, that is the couple who got married).

A Story of a Moose

I was asked (in real life, not the comments) about what I wrote in "8 random things about myself" where I said "Yes Gary, I stole the moose. But the moose really wanted to be stolen". Last night, at a friends b'day party, I was asked "did you really steal a moose?".
Yes.
(Oh, come on. I bet a lot of you have.)
So I got to tell the story. It goes something like this:
Years back, I was a mental health counselor in a large hospital. The head administrator had in his office a stuffed moose. I mean, a real taxidermist stuffed moose. He got it at some estate sale, and kept it beside his desk as a curiosity. Yeah, he was a fun boss.
Every year on April 1st, I would break into his office and take the moose (sidetrack: I've always enjoyed picking locks. I started as a kid. It was the challenge. I've never been a burglar or a thief. Locks are to me what crossword puzzles are to some people.) and then hide the moose somewhere in the hospital. As soon as the administrator found out the moose was missing, he would confront me with "where's the moose?". I, of course, would say "what moose?". The fun was hiding the moose various places in the hospital. The morgue, x-ray, the nurses changing room, and of course beside the helicopter landing pad on the roof. I mean, if you have a moose where should you put it?
The moral of this story is if your gonna have a moose, you're just asking for a moose-napping.

al-Maliki may be out soon

Nouri al-Maliki may face a "no confidence" vote, according to CBS:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/07/eveningnews/printable3027794.shtml

That has led senior Iraqi leaders to demand drastic change. CBS News has learned that on July 15, they plan to ask for a no-confidence vote in the Iraqi parliament as the first step to bringing down the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Even those closest to the Iraqi prime minister, from his own party, admit the political situation is desperate.

"I feel there is no strategy, so the people become hopeless," said Faliy al Fayadh, an MP from the Dawa party.

I really don't see any way he can pull together enough votes to win. While al-Maliki may have the best intentions (I'll emphasize "may") he's always been vulnerable. I'm not passing judgement, but it still appears to me that Moqtada al-Sadr has positioned himself to be the "kingmaker". His power base has been a coalition of parties that have diverse interests.

Al-Maliki has announced his own alliance to try save his government, but even his vice president says that's little more than a short-term fix.

"Cosmetic change is not going to serve the interests of Iraqis is not going to stabilize, is not going to improve security , what we need is much bigger that that," said al Hashimi, the leader of the Iraqi Islamic Party.

Leaders of the Iraq Project claim they have the necessary votes to force al-Maliki to resign, but that has yet to be tested in parliament. For now, the U.S. is still standing by the Iraqi leader – publicly at least.

As always, Juan Cole:http://www.juancole.com/

They would need 138 seats to unseat al-Maliki, however, and it is not clear that they would have them. The 58 Kurdish deputies will vote for al-Maliki, and he would only need 80 Shiite votes to win the vote. Even with the defection from his alliance of 32 Sadrist MPs and 15 from the Islamic Virtue Party (Fadhila), al-Maliki probably still has 80 Shiite MPs behind him (before the defections he had about 130 in his United Iraqi Alliance, so the defections should have left him with 88). It is also not clear that the Sadrist and Islamic Virtue MPs will actually vote with Sunni fundamentalist parties to unseat a Shiite prime minister.

Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that al-Maliki has put together an alliance of 'moderate'
parties, including the Da'wa (Islamic Call) Party, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (Shiite, leans toward Iran), and the Kurdistan Alliance. Da'wa has 24 seats in parliament, SIIC has 30, and the Kurds have 58. That gives them 112. For a stable government they need another 26 at least. There are some Shiite independents in the United Iraqi Alliance that still support al-Maliki, and he is hoping to peel off one of the three parties (the Iraqi Islamic Party) that make up the Sunni Arab Iraqi Accord Front, so as to put him over the top. (When he made these plans, I don't think al-Maliki realized that the Iraq Islamic Party's head, VP Tariq al-Hashimi, was planning to try to unseat him). So it is close, but al-Maliki may still have a simple majority behind him.

And I must quote this from Prof. Cole:

Readers sometimes ask me if analyzing the news from Iraq every day doesn't get me down.

It got me down today. Sunni Arab guerrillas, unable to operate as effectively in Baghdad because of the US troop surge, had a suicide bomber drive a truck loaded with explosives into a market in a village on the fringes of the northern city of Tuz Khurmato and detonate his payload. As I write, authorities had counted 130 dead bodies, many of them women and children, and relatives reported another 20 dead. Another 250 or so were wounded, some of them badly, according to the Arabic daily al-Hayat. The latter says Iraqis are referring to the bombing as "the Turkmen massacre." Some 40 homes, 20 shops, and a dozen automobiles were also destroyed.

Too little, too late

This from Colin Powell today:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2042072.ece

THE former American secretary of state Colin Powell has revealed that he spent 2½ hours vainly trying to persuade President George W Bush not to invade Iraq and believes today’s conflict cannot be resolved by US forces.

“I tried to avoid this war,” Powell said at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado. “I took him through the consequences of going into an Arab country and becoming the occupiers.”

So he spent a whole 2 1/2 hours trying to talk shrub out of the war? I'm sure the 3,600 or so dead soldiers appreciate that level of effort.

Powell has become increasingly outspoken about the level of violence in Iraq, which he believes is in a state of civil war. “The civil war will ultimately be resolved by a test of arms,” he said. “It’s not going to be pretty to watch, but I don’t know any way to avoid it. It is happening now.”

He added: “It is not a civil war that can be put down or solved by the armed forces of the United States.” All the military could do, Powell suggested, was put “a heavier lid on this pot of boiling sectarian stew”.

Colin, it's not like you had some sort of public forum to oppose the war from or anything. I mean, like talking to the UN. I seem to recall a presentation that you made, but I don't recall it being in opposition to the war.

What you will see is an accumulation of facts and disturbing patterns of behavior. The facts on Iraq's behavior demonstrate that Saddam Hussein and his regime have made no effort -- no effort -- to disarm as required by the international community.

Indeed, the facts and Iraq's behavior show that Saddam Hussein and his regime
are concealing their efforts to produce more weapons of mass destruction.http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/02/05/sprj.irq.powell.transcript/

Not exactly a profile in courage.

A pet funny

Found this cartoon while surfing, and it made me laugh (I don't have either cat or dog. Atrocia works better for my lifestyle, as Boa's only need to be fed once every couple of weeks):
Click on the image for full scale

It's about the oil

Most of us knew that the whole Iraq fiasco was about oil. And the Iraqi "oil law" was a sham to allow western companies to profit. But don't take my word for it:

Is Iraq's U.S. Backed Oil Law "Robbery?"

Six Nobel Peace Prize Laureates have released a statement in opposition to the legislation. The laureates include Betty Williams, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Rigoberta Menchu, Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi and Wangari
Maathai. The statement read, in part, "The Iraq Oil Law could benefit foreign oil companies at the expense of the Iraqi people, deny the Iraqi people economic security, create greater instability, and move the country further away from peace."

Every time this administration does something appalling, just ask yourself "who profits from this?".

Impeachment

Lots of talk about impeaching the mis-administration. The people support it. And I support it. But it's not gonna happen for one simple reason: impeachment is tried in the Senate. We don't have the votes in the Senate for cloture. Bush and Cheney could eat babies live on TV, and they'd still have 41 votes in the senate.

Still, I'd love to see it, if only for symbolic value.

Hello, CNN readers

I rarely check the sitemeter, but this morning I did and found that we're getting a bunch of hits from CNN. So I took a look:

From the Blogs: Controversy, commentary,
and debate

Blogs talking about this topic:

El Comentario Diario - A Reflection on Today‘s News
1 day ago

Glasgow Terror Suspect Charged

Physician Bilal Abdulla was charged today in connection with the Glasgow
terror bombings lastweekend. Abdulla is expected to be in court Saturday on
charges of conspiracy to cause explosions inthe pursuit of endangering lives.
The seven other physicians have not yet been charged. Wellthat‘s one down and
seven to go. That is for now....I don‘t do...

pygalgia
3 days ago

Paging Dr. Bomber

So the London and Glasgow firebombers are Docters? Huh? British police
focused Tuesday on at leastfive physicians and a medical student — including a
doctor seized at an Australian airport with aone-way ticket — in the
investigation into failed car bombings in Glasgow and London. Atleast four of
the eight suspects were identified as d...

FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog
19 hours ago

UK Terror Watch: Dr Bilal Abdullah Charged in Glasgow Car Bo...

Dr. Bilal Abdulla arrested at the Glasgow Airport bombing Dr. Bilal Talal
Abdul SamadAbdulla, an Iraqi from Baghdad who arrived in the UK in April
2006. Dr. Bilal Abdulla has beentransferred to Paddington Green
high-security prison in London as the investigation continues Iraqi doctor Bilal
Abdullah tonight became the firs...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/07/07/uk.terrorism/index.html

OK, I'm really flattered that CNN found us. But come on, there are WAY better blog posts out there. It scares me that someone at CNN would link to me as some kind of authority on anything.
But it is kinda cool.
Added: Now if only Jon Stewart would notice us:

Jon Stewart Sez

: "When I want news, I turn to CNN...and
they...turn...to Skippy...the Bush Kangaroo."

Monsoons

Allright! First Monsoon today, with real rain, hail, thunder, and lightning. Now here's hoping the power doesn't get knocked out, which happens frequently in this type of storm.

Astrology?

Two famous people have birthdays today.

This guy:

and this guy:

So here' a bit from their horoscope for today:

there is good news to report on the love horizon. A Juno-Chiron trine in air signs (12:19AM PDT) and Venus-Mars parallel (4:30AM PDT) favor erotic adventures and passionate expressions. While the morning hours receive the maximum dose of energy, some of the positive vibrations will continue throughout the afternoon and evening.

ewww.

I need more Boobies

Dang, I'm running out of Boobie pics for the Friday Boobie. Here's a Red Footed for today.

to america's first queen elizabeth

Dear hillary clinton-
You spent some time in the White House as a wife. You liked it there and you just can't wait to get back. Maybe that kitchen has a certain sort of marmalade ya can't get nowhere else. Perhaps there are quilts in the linen closet down the long white hall from the oval office any chick would lose her shit over. Good luck with that. I trust that you have made strident improvements in your ability to (well, y'know) ole Bill. Perhaps you(or somebody) planned this from the start.

crack another beer,

For the uninitiated, this post may be confusing or even infuriating to you, even if you are.

My pet dinosaur eats books . Occasionally, she displays wierd side-effects, like calamitous farting and burping . i fed her Herman Melville yesterday. I am so sorry...
Waaagghhh! Blog!Blog Blog? blog blog blog blog blog ...WHAAAGGHHH? blog. BLOG BlOg ? bLOGGGGGGG!WHAAAGH? blog blog TAPPING ON OUR KEYBOARDS ISNT REALLY ACCOMPLISHING MUCH, IS IT? waaaaaagh blog blog bLOG BLOGG BLOG BLOG bloG BLOGBLOG blogblog blog waqaaaaghhhh bbblogghh blog blog... bLOG! blog? www. BLOG!!!!!!!!!. blog///- BLOG. BLOG>BLOG blog blog blog? Blog- blog-blog WHAGGGh blog WHY IS THERE NO ORGANIZED POTENT POWERFUL OPPOSITION TO THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION? Whhhhhaaaggg!whah waagh waghhhhhhh wwagh blog blog blog blog blog blog blo=g bLog b-logwwwwwwaaaGHblogblogblogblogblogblogblogblogblogblogblogblogblogblogwaaaaaagggghhhblog wwaagghh. wwaagghh. blog. b-waag blohhgggawhhhaagghhbbbah!! wagblo? aaagggghhh/ ghogh!WA, WHHHHAAGH WWW. blog blog blog. blog blog blog ? blogblogblogblogblogblogblogblogblgoblogo0blgobWWHHHAAGGGGHBLOGGHHBLOWHAH America is already dead we are all spiraling into unprecedented chaos BLOGb-log@ waggghhhh.BLOGBLOGBLOGBLOGLOGBGOLOBGLOB? GLOB? blogblogblogblogblogblow-me-logwhaaagghhblog Blog? (b-log) BLOG. blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blgoWWWAAAAGHwhy can't we all just get along? WHHAAG.bog boggle whogglewagblogwho bLOg?

- As you can see, i'll never feed my pet dinosaur anything by Melville again.
- shall i try feeding her James Joyce?

Dang, almost

Fate, thou art a cruel master.

I've been on the phone all evening (I hate phones) because I almost got to be off on another river trip. A buddy of mine is doing 6 days on the Rogue. One of his boatmen was waffling, so he asked me if I could fill in. I haven't run the Rogue, so I said "sure".

But the "waffler" is going, so I'm not. (yes, I know that the pic is of the Salt, not the Rogue. See above). Damn, I wouldn't have minded leaving y'all on your own for 6 days.

Things I learn by reading blogs

I had thought about writing a blog post about a question I had, but today I read the answer. Here's the story: There's a graffiti tag that's been showing up around town, especially in my neighborhood, that reads "D.C. 12/21/2012". I had no clue what it meant, but http://blondesense.blogspot.com/ just explained it for me:

The Final Days (according the the Mayan calendar -- 12/21/2012)

This is a fascinating read that appeared in the July 1 issue of the NYTimes Magazine. It is written By BENJAMIN ANASTAS and provides an excellent insight into this ancient civilization and how the Maya looked into the stars and predicted catastrophic changes to the earth, all pegged to the end date of an historical cycle on one of their calendars, Dec. 21, 2012:

See what you can learn from blogs! Now I'll be looking for a graffiti artist with a Mayan calendar.

a scary sticker

If I start seeing these in real life I'm gonna freak out:

added: I called it "scary" because with this administration things that I thought could only be satire have ended up being policy.

Bad analogy

Our Shrub, in a Independence Day speech to the troops:

Facing renewed wrangling with Democrats — and possibly some Republicans — over continuing the Iraq war, President Bush on Wednesday took Independence Day as an opportunity to hark back to another bloody war with no apparent end in sight.

Reading aloud from an article about the first Fourth of July celebration, in Philadelphia in 1777, and its “grand exhibition of fireworks,” Mr. Bush told the
audience of Air National Guard members and their families at the base here, “Our
first Independence Day celebration took place in a midst of a war — a bloody and
difficult struggle that would not end for six more years before America finally secured her freedom.”

Addressing National Guard members with the 167th Airlift Wing

I'm surely not the first to say it, but let's remember together...who won?...the native insurgents or the foreign occupiers?

United by Bush

I was asked what I thought about this:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez sealed their anti-American alliance Monday by laying the foundation stone of a joint petrochemical plant.

The two leaders pledged to "stand against all enemies," a reference to the United States, as they inaugurated construction of a 700-million-dollar methanol plant in the Asaluyeh industrial zone on the Gulf coast.http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Iran_Venezuela_seal_anti_US_allianc_07022007.html

My response was "not surprised". Both have been demonized by Bush, and both have demonized Bush. Both have reasons to fear America, and for both it is easier to blame America than to actually address the problems within their own countries.

Despite their cultural differences, the two are major oil producers and staunch opponents of US "hegemony and imperialism."

"A long step was taken to bolster brotherly ties between the two revolutionary, people's governments of Iran and Venezuela, whose goal is to build their countries and stand against all enemies," Ahmadinejad said.

"It's a glorious day. We're determined to build things together and give it as a gift to our nations," he added, as Chavez chimed in with snippets of Persian such as "eyval" or "bravo."

"Viva Iran and Venezuela and all revolutionary nations and death to the enemies," Ahmadinejad said.http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Iran_Venezuela_seal_anti_US_allianc_07022007.html

I'm not a fan of Chavez (although I do sometimes enjoy his bombastic rhetoric) or Ahmadinejad (who isn't the real power in Iran), but I don't find either particularly threatening. But given the Cheney administration's saber-rattling, I wouldn't be surprised to see more countries bonding together against America.

Zymurgian's latest IPA

Oh my! To celebrate the 4th, Zymurgian has broken out his latest batch of IPA. Damn, but it's worthy of him. Hoppy, but with a clean finish. Full body, good head, and (I'm pretty sure-ask me in an hour) high ETOH content. Not a beer for the faint of heart, but if you're a fan of big beers this one's impressive. Wish that you readers could stop by and try one. Thanks, Zymurgian.

(y'all do know what Zymurgy means, don't you?)

Urp-date: Yeah, it's got a fairly high alcohol content. One is plenty, and I wouldn't try drinking more than four "unless you are a 30-ton elephant with bronchial pnuemonia".

Independance Day

231 years ago this proclamation was issued. It's still worth reading. And a damn good excuse for barbeques and beer. Enjoy!

Fireworks

I admit that I love fireworks with a juvenile level of zeal. When I lived in the (wet) Pacific Northwest, I made my own for the 4th. Not the wimpy little ones, oh no, but the type used for major exhibits. Yeah, illegal, but a heck of a lot of fun. You can do some amazing stuff with the right mix of chemicals.
As I said yesterday, there won't be any fireworks in our town this year. We're in the middle of a prolonged drought, and the forest is a tinder box. The mere thought of a single spark is scary. So I won't miss fireworks this year. But go here for some virtual fireworks:http://www.maylin.net/Fireworks.html

Seen Downtown

Yesterday I saw a bumper sticker:
"Welcome to America
Now learn to speak Navajo"

thus spoke my dinosaur (pet troublesXXII)

My pet dinosaur, Noam, as I've explained many times, never wanted to be in our time . She just got sucked into a time-vortex puddle about a hundred million years ago. How did she become my "pet"?- well, I myself was swept into one of them puddles in the guise of a dumpster. How I made it back is in the fossilized archives of this blog.
My relationship with Noam The Dinosaur is astounding and complex. Invigorating. Infuriating. For starts, this massive critter has a keen nose, and as anyone whom has ever time traveled garners a scent distinguishable only to other time travelers, the ole lizard sniffed me out, and slouched on my porch- confused, desperate, overwhelmed, needy, lonely. My body odor is her only refuge.
If some ya'll already know of all this, please excuse the lengthy introduction, but I was aghast to learn that this dinosaur eats books. Noam is also enamoured of sangria wine. I've tried giving her pinot noir, cotes de rhone, gewurtztraminer, to no avail. She sneers at anything that is not really cheap, watery sangria, with a twist-top cap.
Likewise, my experiments with my pet dinosaur's diet have led me to conclude she's quite fussy about the literature she devours.
Tolstoy is a culinary delight for her, as is Dante, Virgil, Chaucer, Kafka, Plutarch, Thackeray. Epictetus, Noam the Dinosaur greedily devours, though she snarls at Darwin, picks daintily at Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Stephen King, James A Michener, and Judy Blume go careening over the fence, with a single whack of her formidable tail.
Okay, let me back up here- MY PET DINOSAUR IS NOT INTELLIGENT. I cannot explain why such a creature feeds as such. I just can't do it. But what is truly astonishing- there are but two writers that affect Noam differently from all other prose or poesy. These would be Melville and Nietzsche.
Usually, when Noam has something to say, it is along the lines of "WAAAAGGHHH". But when feeding on Nietzsche, she belches profusely, and one can hear the sentences devoured!
"WAAAAGGHH I DESPISE YOUR CONTEMPT WAAAAGGH THEY CALL YOU MY APE YOU FROTHING FOOL BUT I CALL YOU MY GRUNTING PIG WAAAGGHHHHH."
Intrigued, I feed my pet dinosaur a few more pages of "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". She masticates it vacantly, swallows, and burps "WAAAAGGHHH YOU SHATTER MY HEART MALICIOUS UNKNOWN GOD WAAAGGH A CRY OF DISTRESS CALLS ME HURRIEDLY AWAY FROM WAAAAGGH YOU. "
Hmm. "Can you repeat what you just said, my sweet good Noam girl? Sweety precious little mama my pretty-good lizard can you say that again? Please?" Nothing but a stupid bovine stare in her yellow feline irises, subjugant thump of a 2 ton tail. "Waagghh?" is all Noam really has to say.
Next time I'll tell ya'll what insues when she munches on Melville!

Some random musings

At the local brewpub this evening (hey, tuesday is 2 beers for $2.00) I had some very interesting conversations. Politics, Baseball, and the Future all were included.
And some of my anger.
One of my river running buddies had to listen to my rant that my research work was stolen, and he just looked at me and said "always charge the cost first, then let them see what you have". It's true. While I feel I got cheated, I also realize that I let myself get screwed.
Most everyone hates the Libby "commutation". Me too. But you knew Shrub was gonna do it. And it was the best political chess move available. Outrage? You bet.
And then there is the future...
I'm working on 3 different alternative energy projects. Everybody in the field knows that this is the REAL RACE.

Hot and Dry

We're in the middle of a heat wave here. Mid 90's for days (OK, I shouldn't complain. Phoenix is about 115), and we haven't seen any rain for month's. So my radio just told me "no fireworks on the 4th" to which I thought "no shit". The forest around me is so dry that one match could be a weapon of mass destruction.

Paging Dr. Bomber

So the London and Glasgow firebombers are Doctors? Huh?

British police focused Tuesday on at least five physicians and a medical student — including a doctor seized at an Australian airport with a one-way ticket — in the investigation into failed car bombings in Glasgow and London.

At least four of the eight suspects were identified as doctors from Iraq, Jordan and India. One of the doctors from India, 27-year-old Muhammad Haneef, was arrested late Monday at the international airport in the Australian city of Brisbane, where he was trying to board a flight, the Australian attorney general said.

Staff at a Glasgow hospital confirmed that two of the others detained were a junior doctor and a medical student.

I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around this. We're brought up to think of Doctors as healers, not terrorists (although my own Doctor sometimes seems a little sadistic when it comes to therapy on my knee).

Authorities identified Bilal Abdulla, an Iraqi doctor who worked at the Glasgow hospital, as the other man arrested at the airport. Staff at the Glasgow hospital said Abdulla was a diabetes specialist.

Although this does explain the Mercedes. But the Hippocratic Oath?

The Commutation

I'm not surprised by the commutation. Outraged, yes. But not surprised. In the end, this was about protecting Rove and Cheney who were the true architects of the Plame outing. The other outrage is that 45% of the population don't know who Libby is. The administration has gotten away with constant lying because a large part of the population isn't paying attention. And that's another outrage.
Added: Here's the White House phone numbers if you'd like to express your opinion. Warning, the switchboards are pretty clogged up right now (Guess a few folks care). It took me 4 tries to get through.

The offices are taken from the White House site, and the numbers are formatted like so: 1-202-555-1212 / 1-202-555-1212, where the first number is via internet search, and the second, italic number is from the Directory:
The offices included in the Executive Office of the President.

1. Council of Economic Advisers: (202) 456-1414 / (202) 395-5084
2. Council on Environmental Quality: (202) 395-5750 / (202)
   456-6224
3. Office of Administration: (202)456-7921 / (202) 456-2861
4. Office of Management and Budget: (202) 395-4840 / (202) 395-4840
5. Office of National Drug Control Policy: (202) 395-6738
6. Office of Science & Technology Policy: (202) 456-6021 / (202)
   456-7116
7. President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board: (202) 456-2352
8. United States Trade Representative: (202) 395-7360 / (202)
   395-3230

The offices included in the White House Office.

1. Domestic Policy Council: (202) 456-1111 / (202) 456-5594
2. Homeland Security Council: (202) 456-1700
3. National Economic Council: (202) 456-1414 / (202) 456-2800
4. Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives: (202) 456-6708 / (202)
   456-6708
5. Office of the First Lady: (202) 456-7074 / (202) 456-7064
6. Office of National AIDS Policy : (202) 456-7320 / (202) 456-7320
7. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board: (202) 456-1066
8. USA Freedom Corps: 1-877-872-2677 / 1-877-USA-CORPS
9. White House Fellows Office: (202) 395-4522 / (202) 395-4522
10. White House Military Office: / (202) 757-2151

And the Vice Presidential Entity, whatever branch he ends up in: Read more

1. Shooter: (202) 456-9000 / (202) 456-1414

Well You Knew It Would Happen...

...but still, the gall.

Bush spares Libby from prison

22 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush spared former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby from a 2 1/2-year prison term on Monday, issuing an order that commutes his sentence.

To paraphrase the late, great Steve Guilliard, : Fuck the Fucking Republicans!

Joining a Blogswarm

I'll join in on Blog Against Theocracy, which is having a blogswarm through the 4th. To my mind, freedom of religion includes freedom FROM religion.
I'm not religious in any way, but I have studied all the major religions from a perspective of history and philosophy (hey, I'm only a thesis away from a master's degree in philosophy, which would open up some great career opportunities). Historically, theocracies have repressed freedoms in order to maintain power, and dissenters punished to varying degrees. Religions begin as a way to pass on certain "social rules" (i.e. 10 commandments) but evolve into "us vs. them"-isms. Think catholic vs. protestant, shia vs. sunni, etc. In our more tribal history this was a means to control behavior, for the good of the whole tribe, but now is used to judge "morality". One simple example would be the area of sexuality. All major religions have a set of sexual rules which were intended to promote the tribal/family unit for the future. So all religions condemn sexual behavior that is outside their rules. Because the human animal is a sexual animal, there are always some people for the religion to condemn. How dare someone enjoy something other than what is allowed? In truth, the sexual rules were broken all the time, but were kept secret to avoid shaming the tribe/family.
Now, we have "laws" that are the means to maintain social order. Surprise, laws get broken. Just like the rules of religions.
I know many people (including my own family members) who find great comfort in religion. Believing helps them make more sense of their role in society. And I support their right to believe. But I sure as hell don't want their beliefs forced on me (especially the sexual rules). I do like my freedoms.
There was a poll a while back (can't seem to find it now) that said people would be less likely to elect an atheist president than a minority, woman, or gay. I found that astonishing, in that us atheists are a relatively quiet bunch. While our current crop of presidential candidates represent a variety of religious sects, all claim to be religious and some form of christian. None would dare appear as "non-religious". And that's a sad, scary situation.


Your thoughts?

Informed Comment: Global Affairs

Juan Cole has started a new group blog called Informed Comment: Global Affairs. I know, given the quality of Prof. Cole's own work, that it's going to be a daily read.

For Almost As Long As I've Been Alive

Circa 1968:

"Suppose we were planning to impose a dictatorial regime upon the American people - the following preparations would be essential:

1. Concentrate the populace in megalopolitan masses so that they can be kept under close surveillance and where, in case of trouble, they can be bombed, burned, gassed, or machine-gunned with a minimum of expense and waste.
2. Mechanize agriculture to the highest degre of refinement, thus forcing most of the scattered farm and ranching population into the cities. Such a policy is desirable because farmers, woodsmen, cowboys, Indians, fishermen and other relatively self-sufficient types are difficult to manage unless displaced from their natural environment.
3. Restrict the possession of firearms to the police and the regular military organizations.
4. Encourage, or at least fail to discourage population growth. Large masses of people are more easily manipulated and dominated than scattered individuals.
5. Continue military conscription. Nothing excels military training for creating in young men (and women) an attitude of prompt, cheerful obedience to officially constituted authority.
6. Divert attention from deep conflicts within the society by engaging in foreign wars; make support of these wars a test of loyalty, thereby exposing and isolating potential opposition to the new order.
7. Overlay the nation with a finely reticulated network of communications, airlines, and intestate autobahns.
8. Raze the wilderness. Dam the rivers, flood the canyons, drain the swamps, log the forests, strip-mine the hills, bulldoze the mountains, irrigate the deserts and improve the national parks into national parking lots."

It's hard to believe that those words, written about 40 years ago by Edward Abbey, ring so true today as they did when he first put them to paper.

And what has been the Bush administration positions in regards to these propositions? To a 'T', they have been almost like following a playbook (which unfortunately doesn't bode well for Ed, to lay them out so nicely). The only one that hasn't even been remotely broached is a restriction on firearms; when that comes, as I believe it will, this Republic may well splinter, unless we can find a common reason to work together to re-invigorate and re-unite the American spirit.

Unfortunately, a re-invigoration, if it is really to heal broken bonds within our country, may take a position towards a much more isolated international stance for America; contrary to the current demands placed upon our country through international treaties and alliances, as well as our current cultural mythology.

So, what to do? I, personally, am not in favor of America's dominant stance internationally. I believe our arrogance and impudence offends and insults our international neighbors, resulting in a distrust of not just the government of the United States, but also an enmity towards its people as well. However, total disengagement from international affairs isn't possible either. Where the U.S. can lend strength to various international treaties or obligations, we should strive to do so, even if, sometimes, we are not getting the best deal out of the negotiations.

But, of course, that makes me out to be a "dove" instead of a "hawk". And, conveniently, the "hawks" forget that their own guiding tome (no not the PNAC plan, but the Bible) admonishes that for every season (turn, turn, turn) there is a reason. Blah, blah, blah, and all that sixties shit.

But, maybe, just maybe, we ought to turn away, just a tad, from the hawk, and pay a little more attention to the dove. After all, we've had the hawks running things for a generation now (1994-2006). Although sometimes the hawks are right, sometimes the doves are right too.

This post make me sound forlorn and helpless. However, there is another line I keep in mind: "Where there is no joy there can be no courage; and without courage all other virtues are worthless."

Today, I went to the market, I planted plants, I met with friends, and I felt a multitude of joy. Maybe, just maybe, with that joy, this "dove" can turn it into courage to battle those "hawks".

Whom? a challenge.

Europe as it was understood during 1000 A.D. By whom, it does not say. Nor, the finer points of Northumbrian brewing styles, or Magyar cuisine. But hey look- there's Baghdad- in the corner, of course. Them folks had their shit together damn near a millennia before us, and here we are, not even on this map, just bombing 'em all to hell. Who are the barbarians now, of whom are those?

Boating with Bush

Ah, this is almost poetic:

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine - President Bush's presidency is stuck in low gear. On Sunday, his fishing boat was stuck on stop.

Fellow Republicans may not be rushing to rescue his legislative agenda, but the Secret Service bailed Bush out of a jam when his boat anchor got wedged in rocks along the Atlantic Coast.

Relaxing before his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the president went fishing with his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and daughter, Barbara.

They dropped the anchor to fish less than 100 feet from shore at Biddleford, Maine, but when they decided to leave, they couldn't, according to an Associated Press photographer who took pictures of the incident.

A fishing guide along on the trip tried unsuccessfully to pull up the heavy anchor.

Bush yanked hard too, but couldn't dislodge it either.

Soon after, a member of the president's security detail called divers aboard a Secret Service boat that had been following behind.

Some local news

This is an interesting idea:

It may sound a little crude or unreal, but the city of Flagstaff could be the first U.S. city to power its cars from a fuel derived from what residents flush down their toilets.

City officials are evaluating whether to spend nearly $500,000 next year to test a machine that is supposed to turn sewage sludge into heat, liquid fertilizer and a hydrogen-based fuel to power government vehicles.

The device, which is not in operation anywhere else in the United States, would essentially burn some of the biosolids left over from the sewage treatment process at Flagstaff's Rio de Flag plant by putting the waste through a 10,000-degree electric arc.
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2007/07/01/news/20070701_front%20page_19.txt

I'm going to do some research to see how viable the plan is, as the company hasn't actually done it before.