April 2007 Archives

I got to catch a John Edwards speech here on campus today. (Note that I couldn't find local coverage of his stop.) Granted, I'm leaning pretty solidly for Obama, but prior to him entering the race Edwards was my boy.

He's still great to listen to and I still like where he's coming from. That said, it is kind of like when Dad wanted to back Dick Gephart but knew the guy just didn't understand what it would take to win an election. Idealism is fine, and facts and plans are great too. That said, unfortunately you have to capture the attention of the morons watching American Idol while simultaneously either winning over or not scaring the NASCAR mouth-breathers enough to vote either for you out of interest or not voting against you out of reactionary fear.

This is one of the reasons I'm going with Obama: he knows you have to get rowdy when the bigots, corporate shitheels, and reactionaries come after you.

That said, Edwards spoke for a good 40 minutes and honestly answered a good half dozen questions. I was impressed and, while still sticking to my decision, I really wish he'd grow enough of a mean streak to handle anything the GOP would throw at him.

Judging by the online sites, both Edwards and Obama want to focus on some of the ills Bush can fix. Edwards' campaign is Time to Go, an effort to ask Bush to fire Karl Rove. Meanwhile, Obama's campaign is One signature could end this war, a move to get Bush to sign Congress' bill and get our troops the hell out of Iraq.

Neither effort will succeed unfortunately, but I love the pluck each campaign is putting out.

“I don’t know what we were supposed to preemptively strike in Afghanistan. Perhaps somebody can ask that."

- Condoleeza Rice, on why we didn't she and her "husband" didn't try to take out bin Laden prior to 9/11

I know, I'm picking on "Condi" but she's been in the news lately so she brought it upon herself.

Ex-CIA head George Tenet has written a tell-all book, giving those of us without a Ranger-level donation (or Pioneer, whatever is higher) to Bush's campaign a look at the administration. The picture is ugly and the Bushites are circling the wagons. Rice, in the above quote, is trying to cover her ass after Tenet told her that al-Qaeda was going to attack and she basically ignored him.

She's also running around claiming that UN inspectors knew there were WMDs in Iraq; something they have never claimed.

She also claimed that "the surge" would work after 2-3 months "or else." So, it has been that long. What now? An excert of the transcript on 1/11/2007:

Rice: I think that over the next several months they’re (the Iraqis) going to have to show that.

Sen. Obama: Or else what? Mr. Chairman –

Rice: Or this plan — or this plan is not — this plan is not going to work.

Do tell.

To wrap up, apparently someone has bothered to write a biography of Rice. In it are some more allusions to her admiration of Bush...and maybe more?

"To begin now to tie our own hands - and to say 'We must do this if they don't do that' - doesn't allow us the flexibility and creativity that we need to move this forward."

- Condoleeza Rice, 4/29/2007, on Congress setting forth a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq; after the Bush administration's "flexibility and creativity" got us neck deep into a civil war in the first place

Congress is submitting a funding bill to Bush tomorrow that he is going to veto. Why? Because, despite lip service that he doesn't want to hamstring generals, he just doesn't want to admit he's wrong. No story there, really. We're used to him falling on his face and denying it. Bush as a complete utter moron and dangerous fool? Mission accomplished.

And apparently for Bush, the US is not as safe as Iraq is. Check this out:

"I think it -- I'm just envisioning what it would be like to be a young soldier in the middle of Iraq and realizing that politicians have all of the sudden made military determinations. And in my judgment, that would put a kid in harm's way, more so than he or she already is."

All this blustering despite the fact that much of the bill is dependent on guidelines Bush already authorized. Plus delaying the delivery of important mile resistant armored carriers for our troops.

Incidentally, the terrorists won't follow up home if we leave (audio from NPR).

And how is said war going George?

I'll let you in on some news since the president is known not to read the paper. Terrorism was up just over 29 percent last year, with 45% of those incidents in Iraq, which means that things are tough all over.

Our programs to help reconstruct Iraq? It ain't going well, as 7 out of 8 projects have either been destroyed or left to fall apart (audio story)

Since Bush is so worried about getting the troops their money, how about getting his friends with Pentagon contracts to pay the $7.7 BILLION dollars in back taxes they owe?

John Murtha pipes in on what Congress should do after Bush's veto.

Oh hey, we have been "interrogating" suspects sent to Ethiopian prisons. The concept just warms your heart when you consider the idea of CIA "interrogations" and "Ethiopian prison," doesn't it? If we haven't already destroyed the concept of the US as a benevolent society, this just be the killing blow.

Lastly on the subject, here is an essay by a brave US officer putting his career on the line to tell it like it is. He addresses the major problem of our military these days as a problem of leadership. You know, the generals that Bush keeps telling us to trust. The ones left after anyone who told Bush that his plans for Iraq were incomplete and incompetent were let go.

Frankly, if you skimmed this entry, go back and read that essay. The rest of it will soon pass. This problem will be with us for years to come.

I wanted to provide you the whole online experience before posting this, but Brenda and Brent have a new son, Jaxon, born on Thursday.

Here's a peek at the little tyke and his info, or just reference the picture below.

Congrats to the proud new parents and to Chance, Drake, Julia, and Lauryn on their new brother.

A while back, Marvel Comics killed off Captain America. There was some strong reaction to it, as well as a mix of introspection and doubt.

That's in the comic books.

Here is where real life interrupts fantasy. Miners in Serbia have found, and scientists in England have determined, a mineral that, by all accounts, is kryptonite. Apparently it has no remarkable powers. Then again, none of us are from Krypton.

Would you like to know more?

So, as many of you know, I married into a primarily conservative family. Nice folks and all, but talking politics doesn't get us anywhere. I think the last political conversation we had was about what has George Bush done to personally harm me and I answered with, "He tried to kill off my brother for no good reason." Not very classy of me, but it has ended such discussions for a few years.

So today in my inbox I get this email originally attributed to Jay Leno. I snoped it and forwarded that on to my father-in-law, who sent the email originally along with some commentary of my own. And yeah, if you send me a chain email, I'm first off going to see if it is even a valid story and let you know if it isn't, even more so if it is a scam. It is a small and annoying service I provide.

That said, the part about the email I find funny is a litany of services the government provides. So to attribute this as a conservative talking point considering their hate of government and of taxes, is ironic and sad to me. Let's face it, conservatives subscribe to the Grover Norquist notion that follows: "My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years...to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."

In any event, this has been bugging me all day in an itch-at-the-back-of-your-mind kind of way.

Conservatives have been led to believe two things. One, anyone who disagrees with Bush is some form of quisling, anti-American traitor. This, thankfully, has been diminished since it has become obvious he's a frigging delusional liar. Also, it is patently false, but truth doesn't seem to matter to the GOP anymore.

That said, the other point they usually make about anyone who criticizes the system is just as harmful. This one follows, as does the article sent to me, that folks who complain about the state of affairs in the world don't appreciate how good they have it. I will admit, some of it does sound like whining, but take it for what is actually is, which is not settling for less.

First off, we do not live in a perfect world. Racism abounds, as does sexism, bigotry, hate crimes, child abuse, and outside much of the major industrial countries organized sex rings, child labor, slavery, and genocide. To sit back in a suburb, watch 500 channels of cable TV, pay some illegals to build a deck, and tune out of the issues is complete and utter surrender.

Sure, we can't all storm into Darfur, rebuild the Antarctic ice shelf, and stop Brazilian clear cutting, but to ignore at least checking to see if there is something you can do on a personal level is just shallow. Same thing goes for not sitting idly by and letting the GOP tear up the Constitution like it is "just a goddamned piece of paper" as Bush calls it.

Look, I love my country enough to not quietly let some fundamentalist zealots legalize torture, illegal imprisonment, and turning the US into a police state. It doesn't make me unhappy as a person. I can love my life and the place I live in. I can also be real disenchanted with the current crop of leaders who are taking a dump on 200 years of history and sullying the name of the place I call home.

The true "traitors," if anyone needs to be labelled such, are those who let the Republic and its history and laws, be shat upon by ideologues who want to repress freedom at home and destroy the planet's ecology all in the name of power and the almighty dollar. They should know better, and those not in power should know better to not fall under their propaganda's sway.

FOXNews, looking for any angle to insult Muslims, has latched onto a false story in order to poke fun of people who aren't pork rind-eating rednecks.

Meanwhile, Fox's John Gibson, instead of praising our esteemed Iraqi allies or whatever Bush is calling them, has stated the the war has shown "it's our fault that we unmasked them as knuckle-dragging savages from the 10th century" in reference to the Iraqi people.

That said, Shepard Smith, apparently the only FAUXNews employee left with a soul, has been covered the funeral of a Blue Angels pilot who crashed recently and came up with the following observation when seeing his flag-draped coffin: "It’s a wonderful honor to be able to pay tribute to this man in this way. Wouldn’t it be nice if we were able to do this with the hundreds upon hundreds who have died for us in Iraq?"

Well, I'm on call this weekend so I guess I may either be working all the time or sitting at home trying to clear out my tabs.

I'm looking to get a new flash drive and maybe a portable drive with my next check. With that in mind, I've been searching across the 'net and ended up finding a good article on Lifehacker, which is one of my daily stops anyway.

Here's another article on many other things you can do with your flash drive.

Enjoy.

Alright, here's the deal. I have opened up the comments again for those of you who would like to put in your two cents. I would still prefer you get the TypePad account and go that route, but let's give this a try.

I've got a few more plugins in place which *should* keep the spam comments out of the way. We'll see.

I noticed I've been off my PG-13 rule a couple times lately. I'll try to keep it down. It would help if someone would slap the people who piss me off into submission.

Bill Moyers has come out of retirement to address the sordid state of the media, particularly when it came to cheerleading and/or quietly submitting to the war in Iraq. Here's an interview he did with Rolling Stone recently, and one he did on Fresh Air this week.

To watch his show, Buying the War, follow this link.

To watch one of Moyer's target's, the ass-to-mouth proponent, former-A Current Affair "reporter" Bill O'Reilly, whine about being picked on by a real journalist, go here. In all fairness, I probably got about three minutes into this before feeling filthy. So let me know if anything of value (HA!) comes from the remaining five minutes or so.

In any event, O'Reilly should know enough to get his shrill ass out of the way when a person of integrity is trying to speak. I'd like to think we're turning a corner here, but I doubt it.

"No one suffers more than their president and I do."

- Laura Bush, about the situation in Iraq; could she possibly be more full of shit?

(Title courtesy of Sevendust. If you haven't heard it, find the song on their album, Home)

We start off with the Congressional hearing concerning the lies the government gave surrounding Pat Tillman's death (and the whole Jessica Lynch fiasco, but I still find contempt for all involved in that). You know it is a bad scene when Tillman's brother says the whole sordid affair is "utter fiction…intended to deceive the family and more importantly the American people.”

The GOP did everything but call Nancy Pelosi a traitor when she went to talk to the Syrians recently. Strangely, they haven't said a word about GOP Representative David Hobson, who accompanied her.

Speaking of the Middle East, most Muslims think our goal is to destroy their religion. Not that "Crusader" Bush hasn't done enough to give them that impression or anything....

Yet another forgotten soldier screwed over by the government. Watch it and be as pissed off as I am about the way the Bushites treat our veterans.

Even MORE bad news concerning veteran's health care.

McCain is officially running for president, and has officially signed on a global warming denier. Just so the few of you still trying to claim he's a good fella can eat more crow.

Nazi Pope has taken away the concept of limbo. Still not sure where my feelings are on that move.

After making billions promoting rap and hip-hop acts, Russell Simmons wants them to tone down on the cursing and demeaning of women. Glad you thought of that when cashing all those checks, Russ.

Usually I remember to pet Mono on the head and make sure he's got food, water, and available toys before heading off to work. Some folks, however, apparently need to get "puppy Prozac" to get their pets through the day.

Sheesh.

Random links and NPR audio streams for ya to check out.

Congress got their collective act together and are sending a bill to Bush with a mere request to get our troops out of Iraq by next year. But while they are compromising, Bullheaded Bush continues to plan to veto it.

Meanwhile, that idiot Glenn Beck, CNN's quisling conservative, is equating leaving Iraq to slavery.

So how are the troops taking this news? While news that Army and Guard units are exceeding their recruitment/retention quotas (remember, these were lowered previously as the services couldn't meet pre-war levels so this ain't so great news as they'd have you believe), there is a concern that high level NCOs and high level officers are leaving/retiring early. I've touched on this before and there is quite a bleak story about the loss of veteran combat leaders.

Meanwhile, other vets (and active members) are actively speaking out against the war.

Oh, and the whole training the Iraqi army concept is falling by the wayside. From everything I've heard, it wasn't working anyway.

And that "Long War" title? Yeah, that's being quietly pushed out of use too.

"In the war of my youth, World War II, I volunteered for military service at the age of 19 and flew 35 combat missions, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross as the pilot of a B-24 bomber. By contrast, in the war of his youth, the Vietnam War, Cheney got five deferments and has never seen a day of combat — a record matched by President Bush."

- George McGovern

George McGovern is tired of taking crap from Dick Cheney and his ilk and has fired back at those who would attempt to discredit honest discussion of both the Vietnam and Iraq wars. (Use visitor@wallenfeldt.com/visitor when prompted for login info.)

Here's an awful sobering thought:

"I find it ironic that the flags were flown at half-staff for the young men and women who were killed at VT, yet it is never lowered for the death of a U.S. service member."

- US Army SGT Jim Wilt in Afghanistan

Read the article here and the full essay here.

I'd been watching the Red Sox-Yankees series all weekend but last night's was a gem. "Dice-K" had a shaky game, but a winner nonetheless.

The best part? The record-tying four consecutive home runs off of a single pitcher.

Well, Bush wants a war czar, basically someone who can likely take the blame for his failed foreign policies.

Too bad the guy they asked to do the job, Marine Gen. John Sheehan (ret.) isn't gullible and knows the administration is full of it.

Now, of course, the administration is out to slander the general's good name. You know, for a bunch of people who accuse the Democrats for under-cutting the military, these guys do a good job of screwing active duty troops out of combat pay and equipment and training, veterans out of medical care, and either forcing out active duty generals who disagree with them or attempting to discredit retired leaders.

You'd think the military would have had enough by now, especially as the new strategy is to create a partitioned Fortress Baghdad, that keeps warring factions away from each other. First came the trenches/moats to route traffic to checkpoints. Now, come walls to keep neighborhoods apart from one another. The locals, understandably, are not pleased.

UPDATE: As I am writing this post, PM al-Maliki has put a stop to the wall construction. Seems he's not on-board with Balkanizing his capital city.

More on the problems returning troops have getting medical care. Plus, news that the Pentagon is sending injured troops back to Iraq, including one with a serious brain injury.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is ordering officers not to speak to Congress regarding the Iraqi military's readiness and performance.

An article from Esquire about a soldier who doesn't fit in now that he's back from war. Plus a small lexicon of terms you may or may not already know.

Finishing off the end of a wine night here. Good vino, great cheese and some fruit and crackers (and cut up a beef stick if you're feeling a tad barbarian) and watch a movie or two. Tonight was Dodgeball. Yeah, finally watched it and did enjoy it. So get off my case.

Speaking of though, we went and caught a "matinee" of Hot Fuzz today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Link is to a happy review by the way. If you've ever seen any cop movie, you're probably gonna love it too.

Thank me later. Go buy tickets now.

Incidentally, since when did matinee times end a 4 pm on the weekend? According to Regal Cinemas, this is their new way of screwing the customer. Matinees end at 6 pm. Capische? I imagine other theater chains will follow. The asses.

Oh, and since it needs the good business, Take some time (and wear Depends if you have to) and go see Grindhouse if you haven't yet already. I guarantee that if you aren't sickened to the core, you will have some of the most fun you've had at the theater in years.

Yes, it lasts over 3 hours, but the time passes quickly and well. And yes, there is a lull during Death Proof but it totally pays off in the end.

Extra thanks to the Las Vegas Weekly for not having that asshat Josh Bell do either of these reviews. Don't take my word for it. Take any movie you've ever like that this moron has reviewed and read his "expert opinion" on it. If you agree on any review he has, I'll buy you a beer next time I see you.

Wait, one caveat on that. We all agree Halle Berry films has sucked of late. Even Bell can't get that call wrong.

For all those conservatives this week who keep blabbing on and on that people should carry guns to work, school, church, swim meets, and to take a raging dump, I have a response to your insane illusions.

Here's what happens when people bring guns to work. And no, I doubt you'll ever convince EVERYONE to pack heat, so this is pretty much what will happen. People will get pissed about the slightest thing and the next thing you know, SWAT is waiting for you to either shoot someone or yourself. Maybe both.

And yes, there was an elementary school nearby. So go Cheney yourselves you crazy fools.

I was riding around and listeing to NPR as usual. The local station has a show called "State of Nevada" that deals with local issues, and the occasional entertainer who comes to town. Today, they had an interview with Dita von Teese, known for her burlesque shows. I mention it because it was a surprisingly good and interesting interview. It should be the fourth link down on the page.

Some international reaction to the Virginia Tech shootings and American gun fever in general. South Korea is particularly embarassed and worried about retaliation against its citizens here in the States.

Some articles on administration-led voter fraud and on Bush apparently losing his mind.

Oh, when the Bushites actually spend time giving lip service to promoting democracy, they kick out reporters who try to attend the "open hearings." There's some obvious lessons there Americans should be paying attention to.

Remember the recent stories on the disappearance of bees? Apparently cell phones may be to blame.

By now, most of you should have heard, read about, and been sickened by the shootings at Virginia Tech the other day. Like you, I've had some time to absorb this event and, unlike a lot of you, I'm going to vent about it openly.

First off, we have a token conservative here in the office. Nice enough guy, but I think he downloads his personality of the day from the O'Reilly Factor. Anyway, seeing as this is the second day I've had to hear his thoughts on how even nuns and infants should walk around in public like John Rambo, I've really just about had it.

Look, arming people to the teeth will not deter lunatics with handguns or even a long piece of rebar. Lunatics are, well, crazy. There is no flow chart of if...then with a nutcase. They just lash out.

As for making schools, churches, hospitals and other currently "safe" environments into replicas of armed-to-the-teeth Alamo fortresses, that too is bullshit. There's a reason we keep guns away from students, learning environments, holy places, preschools, and places where people are to be healed spiritually, physically, and otherwise. That reason? Common sense.

And here may be the core of my problem with the all guns all the time crowd. Look, at the core this is a conservative argument of non-governmental interference. Okay, let's see how well that works. We don't teach civics in school, thus people - when they even participate - only vote by party line or by what a church circular or TV talking head tells them to. We get irresponsible government.

We don't properly teach ethics in school, and consumer ed is a joke in most places. Thus, we get the perfect storm that is the current mortgage problem where lenders try to make a buck and homeowners don't know what the hell their fine print means on the rare occasion they even read it.

Don't start me on sex ed (or more importantly, the lack of it). This leads to unplanned pregnancies and kids (and adults) with zero mechanism to raise children properly. Bored kids with no decent upbringing. Columbine came to mind during our discussions here this morning.

As for guns, you can be completely bonkers but not have a criminal record and you can buy out a gun show. Every indication about the VT shooter shows that neighbors, friends, teachers, fellow students, etc., basically most people in contact with him, knew he had issues. But he got to not only buy a couple guns and some ammo, but conservatives don't have an issue with it.

I do. I don't want black suited feds busting in on folks and taking their guns. Hell, we're not even doing it in Iraq and look how well *that* works for us. That said, I don't even like how easy it is for morons to get a driver's license, so I have issues with our current setup.

What is wrong with restricting handguns to just a few plausible instances? I mean, I've never liked that damn things and don't see a reason for their need to be everwhere in our culture.

Seriously, get a shotgun and shut up.

But actually seriously, what's wrong with having an honest discussion on what home and personal protection is, or at least should be? I don't think ANYONE should have a gun without going to at least a three day gun education school, with refresher courses ever 10 years or even sooner. And, as stated earlier, will someone give me a real reason why we have handguns all over the place?

Have a shotgun, have a rifle. I just don't see the reason to be Dirty Harry, or have an Uzi, or an MP-5 in most instances. It ain't like you can rise up with your anti-government militia and take over Washington. For every AR-15 the GOP/NRA wants everyone to have, I guarantee the feds will have cluster bomb dropping Predators or somesuch reaction.

Don't get me wrong, I like guns in a passing sense. I just don't see why I should be rabidly advocating a hands-off, let everyone do whatever they want to do approach to guns.

Come on, the same people who want open gun ownership want to ban abortion, ban free speech, burn books, censor music, ban funding to art and music in schools, ban funding for public schools, give money to Halliburton and Blackwater with no oversight, ban stem cell research, rig voting machines, imprison people without charging them, legalize torture, strip your civil rights, ban other languages, racially profile, ban non-Christian religions, create fear of everything, and generally meddle with your personal, private lives in the name of a hateful god.

But you can have all the Glocks you want.

Consider the source.

Lindstrom has a new band, 99 Souls. Yes, I linked a MySpace page. Get over it.

They've got a couple songs up, but just quick demos by what Jason has told me. Once they get some dates, go support the guys. And yes, BarCode is just like that. It can't be helped.

It occurs to me that I need to spend some time on the domain. Let me know what you'd like fixed/completed. Also, help me fix any links I have wrong for any of you.

(Stacy, why oh why do I need a LiveJournal account now?)

Incidentally, going to mix around my plug-ins and maybe lighten up on the comment security so you all don't have to sign up for a TypePad account.

I ate a big bacon cheeseburger at the Burger Bar and had a peanut butter shake for lunch. Color me drowsy at my desk....

An essay on taxes for you on this last day of filing. Plus, there is a rise in filings from illegal immigrants. Who says they aren't contributing?

Here's a fun one. Apparently, our allies the Brits has not used the phrase "War on Terror" in quite some time. It seems, according to one UK terrorism expert, that "It requires a much deeper sensitivity than that." Um, could you teach that to our dim-witted leaders?

Meanwhile, lawyers here in the US want to justify throwing people out out of Bush rallies who haven't caused any problems as legal. Um, noooo. Freedom of speech pretty much demands that people can disagree with their leaders. As one commenter put it, it is part of that concept of "taxation without representation" that started the American Revolution. Then again, we had a corrupt and absentminded King George then too.

Steve Jobs is anti-union. Go figure. Your next iPod may be built in a sweatshop.

Bad news for the Chicago El and the rail system at large. Let's hope they get to fixing it soon.

Some work and travel related links.

One link on the wireless provided at airports, plus a link on where you can get free wireless (one of the major reasons I put up with the insanity here at McCarran).

Some exercises to perform at your desk.

Plus, the 12 types of business clients you can run into and how to deal with them.

Alright, back to work with me.

When we were down near Port Arthur, Tasmania, we stopped at the Tasmanian Devil Discovery Center and learned the awful news that the species is being ravaged by a facial cancer. (more here.)

Being kind of fond of the critters, I've been trying to follow the story. Lately there are reports that some devils may be sent to some Tasmanian islands as a form of species survival plan as the still-incurable cancer burns through the rest of the population. Grim, but probably not a bad idea given the lack of a cure.

There are some risks, but barring major proof of a problem, my vote is with the devils.

First off, Google has teamed up with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum to focus on the genocide in Darfur. Check it out on Google Earth as a layer. So, kudos to them for that.

That said, Google Maps has decided to revert to pre-Katrina maps for its views of the Gulf Coast. Other than George Bush trying to whitewash his inaction in this area, who gains from this?

Cover the worldwide disaster, but cover up for the feds in a national disaster? Despicable.

Well, time to clear off the tabs here at work.

Pat Robertson and his ilk and taking over the Bush administration. As if those morons weren't scary enough.

Diebold is suing the state of Massachusetts for going with another e-voting vendor. So much for that free market capitalism the conservatives are always gabbing about.

Then again, they give away secret no-bid contracts, enforce tariffs, and put Wolfowitz in charge of the World Bank. Hypocrites.

The company hired to build Bush's Dream Party Fence on the border is hiring illegals to build said fence. Figures.

The Marines have recently banned tattoos below the elbow and the knee. Because, you know, nothing inhibits our troops' ability to kill terrorists like getting inked.

Edwards, then Obama, then Clinton have refused to join a debate hosted by FAUXNews. Good for them and I hope this trend continues.

A story on the female British sailor kidnapped by Iran recently and what she went through.

Both Bush and Cheney narrowly escaped injury and possible death this past week. It can't completely be coincidental given their mad rush to get others killed. And the corporate exec who gave up the story on Bush has had to recant his story. No pressure there of course. Probably offered him a trip to Gitmo if he didn't change his tune.

And then there's McCain. He's getting kicked by everyone lately: Bill Maher, NPR, Newsweek, and, hell, the Chicago Tribune. I don't want to cover it too much except to say, I'm almost sad to see his crash and burn so badly. Then again, as stated previously, his previous patriotic duty has been duly sullied by his turning on his friend Kerry and supporting the man who insults his family, Bush. There's nothing you can say to change my mind on this piece of crap of a human being.

Meanwhile, an article on the GOP hoping for a better candidate and the history of poor wish fulfillment in this area.

Bush is trying to blame Democrats for screwing the troops since both the House and the Senate want Bush to get our troops the hell out of Iraq. There's still time to get the budget numbers right but Bush - go figure - doesn't want to be part of the solution or be blamed for anything. He just wants the problem to go away.

Too bad.

It is HIS Secretary of Defense who extended EVERY soldier, marine, airmen and sailor another three months on their current tour. This has ruined morale and angered troops under HIS watch. It is under HIS reign of terror that West Point is seeing the lowest retention rates since the '70s.

Best lie of the week? The White House swears it didn't know about the tour extensions. Literally, the right hand doesn't even know what the left hand is doing. Actually, scratch that. Since the DoD is part of the executive branch, it is like the right hand not knowing what the thumb is up to.

More continuing bad news on returning troops and poor medical care.

Hell, even the greatest corporate welfare recipient in US history can't stand Bush. And seriously, when I agree with Lee Iaccoca, you know you're in bad shape.

More on the legacy of Kurt Vonnegut.

Sam Kinison died 15 years ago this week, the 10th to be precise. I was going to mention this earlier but the local weekly had done a two-part story on him and I wanted to link both parts.

So here you go.

Now maybe some of you didn't have Sammy as part of your upbringing and that may actually be a good thing. For those heathens like me, however, it really sucked when he up and died on us, as your better tortured entertainment types tend to do.

Today is unfortunately going to be remembered for a more significant death. Kurt Vonnegut passed away and if you have never read any of his books, go pick up Breakfast of Champions. You'll thank me for it.

I completely forgot to add this to the Gingrich portion of the last rant. Apparently, some morons in New Jersey are using their radio show to promote racist BS. Here's a podcast on it, plus a wiki entry on the idiots in question.

Speaking of racist radio, here's the latest on Don Imus. Of course, most GOP presidential candidates have no problem with this.

Seriously, vote accordingly.

I found a name for my occasional bookmark dumps. Enjoy.

The Army is forced to ship injured solders into combat since it is - you know - overstretched these days.

Incidentally, Colin Powell is sure Iraq is in a civil war. Too bad the currently employed Bushites can't see that.

Check it out: Republicans hypocrites are freaking out because a Democratic Senator owns a gun. Then again, they might be worried about a repeat of the Sumner-Brooks affair where a Republican was beaten senseless for being a loud-mouth jackass.

And yeah, a lot of those GOP types might have something to worry about on that front.

GOP poster boy Newt Gingrich took another step into the KKK Hall of Fame last week by calling for an end to bilingual education, calling Spanish the "language of the ghetto." Here's a nice Daily Illini take on it, plus a look at the advantages of speaking something other than Redneck English.

Bush is full of shit about the "we fight them there so we don't fight them here" meme. No big surprise.

Bush is also getting less than thrilling responses when he tries to pump up the troops lately.

Things that should concern you Mr. Chimp.

Here's a bunch of links on Iraq concerning the end of the fourth year and the anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. Recent numbers on the conflict and the regrets of the Iraqi wrestler who toppled Saddam's statue.

Conversations with Iraqis concerning the war and the future of Iraq, including the lives lived by those who have fled the country.

More on the mass deaths of bees.

Random enough for ya?

Alright, you're curious, I can tell. So here's the test to see if you are more a nerd, geek, or dork. Full disclosure. I ranked 69% Nerd, 78% Geek, 26% Dork. Yeah, kinda scary. Then again, I help run a Star Wars gaming group. So that was kind of a clue.

The good news? Geeks apparently make better lovers.

On a totally non-geek subject, Snoop Dogg lets out his feelings about Bill O'Reilly in a Dutch TV interview. Um, since it's Snoop, you should realize it ain't PG-13.

For some conservative jackasses, the concept of peace scares them and brings on the hate.

And so it goes.

So, Marcos here at work recently gave me my new favoritest guilty pleasure. It's called The Dugout and is an irreverant look at baseball.

Basically everything is setup as a AIM chat. Hell, just go there and pick something. Something with Kyle Farnsworth preferably.

And, no, I don't know why this is funny, it just is:

And if you like you humor hitting the low road, there's this type of humor:

Personally, Jeter hating is a minor hobby of mine. Alright, quit reading this and go to the site.

One more article, this one from the New York Times, concerning McCain's stroll through Baghdad. I'll let the article speak for itself.

"Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead in this fight. And sending more Americans would suggest that we intend to stay forever, when we are, in fact, working for the day when Iraq can defend itself and we can leave."

And this clown had the stones to accuse Kerry of being a flip-flopper?

Bush has been trying to accuse Democrats of harming the troops by trying to end the immoral war that gets them killed. He's put some arbitrary 57 days out figure for when the military is going to feel the pinch. So wait? Fifty-seven days is a period long enough to destroy our military? How about when the frigging Republicans took 86 days in 2005 and 119 days in 2006 to approve Bush's supplemental budgets. So what's the problem now? Oh yeah, his puppets aren't in charge.

As for this "not supporting the troops" BS, I'd argue that trying to get our fighting men and women out of an illegal war is EXACTLY what we should do to support our troops in Iraq.

And, concerning this "don't put pork in a supplemental spending bill" crap, I reference the morons who are crying now are the same idiots who gave you the "bridge to nowhere."

Nancy Pelosi went to Syria to at least talk with a regime we don't get along with and the White House promptly sold her out, even though the let GOP congressional types go there with no comment. What is worse is that she threw on a head scarf to respect local cultural mores. And then promptly gets squewered for it by the GOP, who have no problems with Laura "I killed my boyfriend" Bush doing it. Not to mention Bush dressing up in local garb every time he's in Asia, etc.

It's called diplomacy and good graces. Our government should be doing MORE of it, not bashing those who realize we have more tools at our disposal than an airstrike.

As Madeline Albright recently said on The Colbert Report, "Armageddon is not exactly a foreign policy."

Then again, the GOP had no problem with Hastert used to run around the globe actively subverting the Clinton administration.

Republican Candidate for Moron of the Century John McCain went to Baghdad recently to back up his "straight talk" about being able to walk safely down the street there. Let me get this right. He said that there "are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods, today.” And he did.

All it took was 100 troops, snipers on the root tops and 3 BlackHawks and two Apache attack helicopters. Oh, and he had to wear a flak jacket.

Reporters spoke with market vendors after the circus went back to the Green Zone and here are some excerpts.

The next day? Sniper return to the market.

I'm home for lunch and planning to take Mono out for his mid-day walk (nah, he's not spoiled), and I ran across a story about a kid getting a vicious wedgie. When trying to find a non-FAUXNews version of the story (couldn't) I ran into another recent story.

First off, a kid in Georgia on the school golf team gets a wedgie so bad it ripped his drawers and sent him to the hospital.

Meanwhile, a teacher in Oregon recently got reprimanded, put on probation, sent to an obediance class and had to apologize after he bit a student who was part of a gang of six wrestlers who tried to give him a wedgie. Wrestlers! And he had to apologize!

I mean, I can see the South coddling it's juvenile delinquents, but Oregon? Jeez.

Last weekend Leslie and I watched The Host, a Korean humor cum comedy flick that is maybe in your area. It is an indictment against US wanton mistreatment of our allies (and apparently inspired by an actual incident, though the rest of the movie is it's own creation), enviromental pollution and a slap towards South Korean government control and public submission.

It isn't world cinema by any means, and doesn't pretend to be. It also doesn't pretend to be intellectually stimulating. It is a family movie by way of attacking monster with a few keen observations thrown in. I had a good time watching it. If you can get over watching subtitles, you probably will too.

Here's our local review (and when did we get sci-fi writer K.W. Jeter writing for the local free paper?) and a Wired story on the rise of Korean horror flicks (though this sure the heck isn't Old Boy).

First off, I haven't really been following this story because, honestly, I don't really care.

Some sorority got kicked off its campus for kicking out all its minority members and those deemed "not pretty" enough for them. Of course, the remaining members say they're been unfairly judged and the university is tarnishing their reputation or some crap.

Then again, look at them.

I say the smug faces in this picture do much more damage.

Hey! I got to see a Cubs game here this weekend and they actually won!. Went with some folks from work and had a pretty decent time. I miss having good baseball in a decent stadium. Face it locals, Cashman Field is a concrete slab and not comfortable when it is 110 outside.

With Leslie gone at her NASPA conference for the next few days, Mono and I went to Pet-a-Palooza. Yes, Vegas brings in rock acts to play for animals at an event with pet adoption agencies and various vendors and booths and such. We spent the morning there and then came home to nap. Yes, I'm living the high life here.

Other sick Vegas news: Michael Jackson wants to build a 50-foot tall robot version of himself that shoots lasers out of its eyes as it roams the desert. I'm not kidding. So, um, if any of you would happen to have any idea how to take down a - say - fifty foot tall robot, just pop me an email. Okay?

Doing some housework and relaxing today after a late night of Star Wars Risk. Yes, I'm a geek, get over it.

I have some crap I'm deciding whether or not to rant about.

But not tonight.