Fine, okay, it's a blog already!

Via a link from those wacky kids at Kuro5hin, a dialect survey being conducted by a professor at Harvard.

The Galva News has an article about the local National Guard unit being shipped out soon. In it, my brother Tom is interviewed about the situation (by the by, if someone could send that to me I'd appreciate it). Anyways, we've known about it for a few months but did not know what we could say or not. I've had a lot of time to think about it since then and you should probably all be able to infer that while I don't think our country got into Iraq on the best of international terms, I also do not think that leaving that place in total chaos is the answer either. So, should any of you choose to make some impassioned plea with me to get into line and shut up about questioning our government, kindly take a moment to realize that a) I have thought about it, b) I do have a history degree and am fully capable of taking the long view of recent events, and c) my brother is getting sent over to get shot at. Yes, I actually had a conversation tonight whereupon my patriotism and objectivity were questioned. I don't appreciate either suggestion and will stop venting about it now.

More signs that we have a long way to go with race relations in Texas. Hey, this time they were acting on orders from some national outfit. Well-intentioned perhaps, but way out of line.

In sports, if you have been following baseball at all, you might realize that I am so completely torn right now. I have some kind of genetic affinity for being a Cubs fan (thanks Dad), though I managed to learn to follow the Astros from when I was a kid living in Pasadena. Both are vying for a post-season spot and only one of them is likely to go to the playoffs. I figure if the Cubs go, I can then hope for the impossible: a seven-game Cubs-Red Sox series which would likely be an event so improbable the planet would tilt on its axis and it would stop being 100 degrees every day here in Vegas.

And yes, Japan now has Hello Kitty taxis. I've been meaning to link this for a few days now, but I think it speaks volumes about how different that country is from the US. Having been there, I can imagine how cute and yet sickening those things must be to look at. Face it, our taxis are no fun here.

Last, but not least, this link takes you to the MC Hawking site. Yeah, basically some software developer decided that the concept of uber-genius Stephen Hawking singing a pack of science-ish rap covers could make him money. I don't know whether to laugh hysterically or just shake my head in shame for our species.

Okay, let's get a couple things straight. If you want to go be a Nazi, move out of Texas, take a rowboat out to the middle of the Atlantic and sink it.

Two, I don't care what your politics are. Even if you are an unsavory, pompous jerk of a radio personality, race baiting is a BAD thing. Of course, he'll increase ratings which is all that matters to the media goons. Just makes you sick to realize how far we have to go in this country.

By the way, I've been watching The Blues on PBS and you can still catch the last few episodes this week. I should have been hyping it all along. Good stuff.

In a moment of curiosity, I strolled over to FoxNews and found this little tidbit. To some, hiring a guy from an organization famous for things like Ruby Ridge and Waco is just the right thing to do in order to scare off all the 12-year old girls and old ladies who supposedly are the software pirates destroying our society. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want to see is RIAA assualt teams breaking into little 10-year old Jimmy's room because he wanted to get a song from his favorite artist.

Another genius is suing to teach his daughter about the joys of polygamy. Okay, let's work this through. LDS members who want to be polygamists are not actual Mormons. People who kill abortion doctors are not Christians. Al Qaeda members are not Muslims. You are all freaks and need to leave our planet. Are we all clear on this now?

Our troops are trying out some new strategies in Iraq. Let's hope this calms things down and gets some order in that country.

Its not all bad news. In Seattle, you can expect to find your cabbie dressed as an Elvis impersonator, among other things. Slate is carrying a story about the guy who did all the background music for Looney Tunes. This year's total cost for the 12 Days of Christmas has been calculated. And here is a site about a guy who loves New York and Lego sets. And he loves them a lot.

We took an informal poll around the apartment and found out we like grilled cheese sandwiches. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF PEOPLE LIKE CHEESE SANDWICHES! Actually, I know some of you don't, but its funny to see these TV shows, magazines and websites try to convince people that just because their viewers/readers/visitors agree with a politically slanted, leading question quiz, that makes it reality. And I'm not just bashing on one side of a political argument, its everyone in the process. Seriously, have any of you actually been asked to fill out a Pew or Harris survey? I'd like to know, because they aren't knocking on my door.

Well, as you may know, our guy Wes Clark dropped out of the race. Which is a shame. So now I'm hoping someone is smart enough to give him a cabinet post or something.

I don't know what's wrong with American Airlines. First, they let a pilot try to badger people into religion, then they kick off some nuns. Who's running that airline? Ralph Reed?

In two varying examples of religion getting in the way of laws and common decency, some pharmacists for Eckerd were fired for not distributing "morning after" drugs to a rape victim. And, as you celebrate Valentine's Day, remind yourself that you are participating in an act some radical Hindus feel is destroying their culture, and they plan to fight back. Just wait until they start hearing rap music.

Doonesbury has a way of saying things a tad more explosive than I would have concerning the Iraq war, but figured I'd share it anyway.

Oh, this is probably off your radar, but the original Star Wars trilogy is finally coming out on DVD later this year, but not in the form you think. Apparently, neckless wonder George Lucas wants his fluffy 1997 remakes better than the originals. There is a site and an online petition if you are interesting in voicing your likely ignored opinion. Not that I didn't sign it myself, mine. Link is on the image below.

Turns out that your average electric razor and blow dryer may be causing brain damage. Don't believe me? The story is here and a link to the research is at the bottom of the article.

Also, more on the distortion of science story from the other day.

I don't know if you've been following the story out of the University of Colorado but I figure anyone who gets up and rips into a player charging another player with rape is a reprehensible human being who needs to be standing on corner with a sign before he gets his next meal. Coach Barnett, get off my planet please. Rick Reilly's original story on Katie Hnida is very well written as well. And you wonder how student athletes become punks. Now you have the proof in the acts of their coach.

Evil Ned sent this along with the comment, "When the King of Cambodia is more socially progressive that a US President, we might have a problem here." And seriously, whether or not you agree with the idea of gay marriage, you've got to ask yourself what type of country are we really be led to become lately?

Still wavering between Bush and Kerry? Still confused as to what constitutes democracy and who is in favor of it? Let me help.

Looks like you've got a couple options when attempting to see Bush or Cheney give a speech this year. You can either a) sign a loyalty oath, or b) work their phones for them, depending on where you are. Yeah, um, you can call people volunteers if you are forcing them to work, okay?

I'm still baffled on how anyone who is gay can back the GOP. I mean, their platform calls for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Now seriously, even if you don't think marriage should cover any couple in love with each other, ask yourself how a party who wants less government keeps trying to constitutionally ban your ability to read a library book without the FBI knowing it, have private thoughts and personal choices about who you love, what you can do with your body, whether you can protest or just have an opinion contrary to their's. Smacks of social dictatorship to me. And hell, even Cheney is against this one.

I meant to cover this one but I had to get over my high levels of disgust first. Apparently, the Bush campaign is pimping Afghanistan and Iraq and the Olympics in a political ad. This has - naturally pissed off the Iraqi athletes and the entire Olympic movement to date. Of course, who do you send into the thick of a controversy like that? Colin Powell, administration scapegoat. You really have to feel sorry for the guy. he couldn't have actually seen much of this coming.

Seriously, this administration is so messed up, even GOP Congressmen are speaking out against them. And more of a social commentary note than anything, but even Pat Buchanan is against Bush & Co. And seriously, with electoral discrimination on the rise, you'd figure a proven racist like him would be all on that bandwagon.

More to come, but I leave you with a fairly moving piece on the stupidity of airport security checks.

Well, it is already starting. The Bush junta is preparing to violate state's rights and tell Oregon what it can do with it's voter approved euthanasia law. And so much for Bush's hollow words to work for all Americans. Not that any Democrat bought that crap. He's moving to bankrupt - at the least endanger - Social Security (given, of course, his plan tied with his economic shortcomings), re-introduce an un-Constitutional gay marriage ban and start kicking civil rights in the teeth, pack the Supreme Court with ultra-conservatives, and probably reinstitute lynching if he thinks it will help him in the mid-term elections.

More on the conservative agenda and the harm it will bring to the average American. Helen Thomas on the Iraq war and recent discoveries, many just plain disturbing. Conservative radio goons are already throwing racism out into the airwaves. I bet Michael Powell has no plan to silence them for obscenities; which I imagine sounds as weird to you as it does to me.

And then there's that frightening incident with the F-16 shooting up a schoolhouse. Hopefully they get to the bottom of that.

Slate covers why terrorism, not values, was the driver for this election. If that is true, then bear with me a moment. Some exit polls (I know, we'll get to that too) said 19% of voters thought terrorism was the most important concern to them. Of that group, 86% voted for Bush. Now, where were these voters? Not in any place affected by 9/11, that's where.

Going by actual votes (found here but go wherever makes you feel good), Washington D.C. voted for Kerry at 90%. Arlington County, VA (where the Pentagon is) went for Kerry/Edwards at 68% to 31% for Bush. New York state went for Kerry at 58%, 40% for Bush. More distinctly, when you look at the New York City boroughs, they went for Kerry at anywhere from 71-84%, the higher end including Manhattan at 82%. The closest Bush got was Pennsylvania at 48% with 51% going to Kerry. Look, the places Bush has been pimping to scare America into voting for him did not want him in office. Is any of this making sense to you people?

Then again, most Bush voters (up to 3/4ths of them) still believe Saddam was tied to 9/11 and al-Qaeda. They are probably best symbolized by this idiot, who probably would string me up the nearest tree for not being white enough for his tastes. That, and I don't listen to country music. To contrast that hate, I give you F*** the South. Yes, it's as offensive as you can imagine. But beyond words come the Republican tire slashers. Beyond that may come the hateful attacks similar to those now rising in the Netherlands.

More from devout Christians sickened with the way their religion has been stolen. And news flash for ya, Massachusetts leads the nation in actual family values (aka less divorce, better education/income/jobs/quality of life, higher marriage age, and lower birthrates than, say, the entire South).

I'm probably as tired of this red state/blue state crap as you are, but let's delve into it some more. There's a lot of chatter about secession amongst liberal minded folks, and aside from this waste of genetic wonder who thinks the GOP all-white party will be just fine, there's data suggesting that us more progressive minded types are actually subsidizing the hate and hijacked Christianity of these fear sheep. That, and apparently the dumbest of Americans voted for Bush. Yeah, like THAT surprised you.

All said, some Americans are ready to go live abroad. Some of the remaining Democratic lawmakers and others have decided to keep fighting. As for the secession crowd, there's the Cascadia folks in the Northwest and I suspect a Bizarro World version of the Hartford Convention can't be too far off. Slate checks to see whether any of this is legal. To be honest, for the first time in my life, I could see the grand experiment failing if Hate Boy keeps pushing things too far.

While damn near the entire planet wanted Kerry to win, it appears that maybe not as much of the US wanted Bush as we have been told. Now, I know this stinks of conspiracy theories but when it comes to electronic voting, not everything adds up, to the point where even Pravda wonders what happened. Now, how proud does that make you? That goes for exit polls (even Dick Morris agrees something smells wrong), to irregularities in Ohio, New Mexico (more), Florida, North Carolina, with rundown summaries here, here, and here of other states too. Read into that all you will I suppose; we're still stuck with Gomer in charge.

But not all is bad news. Ashcroft resigned and Arafat is about to find out how pissed Allah gets when you blow up children in his name. Let that be a warning to some of you warmongers.

More on Tom DeLay stepping down officially as House majority leader. I mean, he isn't right now, but apparently he couldn't bribe the judge enough to throw out his case so he could return to the post. Oh come on, you thought of it too.

I never liked the Utah Jazz much myself - mostly because of crybaby Malone I guess - but now I can dislike their owner too. A movie theater decided to pull "Brokeback Mountain" after agreeing to show it. Look, if you want to be censoring, non-free will, group think bigoted asshats, you do apparently have the right to do it under the reign of W the First. That said, once you agree to something, have the actual stones to follow through with it.

In related news, how conservatives talk about the gay "threat" like Nazis did for Jewish folk. Scary comparisons, even if potentially taken to an extreme. Fascist pseudo-Christians: look people, if you can't handle raising your kids to acknowledge that people are just different in a myriad of ways, maybe you don't need to have children, ya know? You don't have to hate everything and everybody you don't understand. I mean, I don't even know what the hell I'm thinking most days, but I don't blame it on someone's race, gender, or religion to make me feel better.

Speaking of religious zealots, in England and Scotland it is apparently the law to pray in school every day. I know a lot of folks in the UK and have never heard of this. Why? Well, here's a reason: a recent study found that 81% of schools don't get around to fulfilling the obligation.

Contrary to what Cheney thinks, most Americans don't want to be illegally wiretapped by their president. What's scary is that 42% apparently don't mind. Idiots.

I'll be in northern Nevada this week freezing my toches off. Have a good week if I can't post from the road.

As you might have heard, Cheney shot one of his buddies, the White House tried to hide - or joke about - the incident, and now the guy's had a heart attack due to the lead lodged in him. There's not a whole lot to add to this other than, you should know better than to give a chronic draft dodger a weapon.

Moving from chickenhawks to fried chicken, random angry Pakistanis have burned down a KFC. This all stems from the Mohammed cartoons run by various European newspapers depicting the Prophet in sometimes ill fashion. The main problem is that you aren't supposed to denote Mohammed in any satirical form.

That said, the overreaction is just plain silly to me. I know that fundamentalists on both sides are fomenting a clash of cultures, but come on. At some point, these are just angry people with no one they can vent their frustrations out on except whoever their government and religious leaders tell them they can. Hell, it's why we "hate" the French right now; it's the only protest allowed by the GOP. Same problem, just less burnt embassies.

Sure, the cartoons are offensive, but they are a LOT more offensive things going on in the Middle East to worry about. Case in point: the Iranian response to all of this is to (beyond funding terrorist organizations) publish anti-Semitic cartoons. Talk about missing the point of free speech by regressing to your usual hate-filled response.

I've been busy with work lately, sorry about the lack of updates. I have a bunch of links getting less and less relevant every day but will scrounge what I can and post them for all of you.

In the meantime, work has been kind enough to assign me to a job in Puerto Rico. Leslie is coming along and we leave tomorrow. So, if you don't get a post until later next week, realize I'm probably on the beach.

All this talk of immigration lately has bubbled forth a piece of shadowy American history I was unaware of. At least, I didn't know the actual scope of this particular issue.

As reported in yesterday's USA Today, during the Great Depression, hundreds of thousands of Mexicans and Mexican-American citizens were sent to Mexico just so whites could have job preference. In the words of one LA official of the time, “It is a question of pigment, not a question of citizenship or right.” Sounds pretty much like most House Repugnantcans these days.

Schools in many states have taken to banning flags as these symbols are being used for divisive purposes. Gee, aren't you imbeciles supposed to be EDUCATING children. Wait, maybe they are. Bushites are keen on supressing free speech so this may be an opportunity to teach the children that free speech is dead in this nation.

In other news, the same paper speaks about how Massachusetts and other states are looking for ways to < href="http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060405/universal.art.htm" target="_blank">insure their populations. You know, since the feds don't seem to give a damn about the problem. Massachusetts has passed a law that will < href="http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060405/1b_masshealth05.art.htm" target="_blank">require that all its citizens be covered. The proposed plans of other states to provide health coverage is also discussed.

In case you forgot that the culture of fear and authoritarianism that BushCo brings to table can't affect you, a few stories.

In the UK, 12-year old children can be arrested and DNA tested for what heinous crime against society? That's right, climbing a tree and breaking a couple branches. Next they'll be lopping off hands for trying a grape at the grocery store.

Here in the States, Slashdot is carrying links to a couple incidents involving photographing police activities. Apparently, they can film us all they want, but not the other way around.

In the not-so-friendly skies, on top of dealing with TSA folks - some good, some a tad Gestapo - now we have air marshals filing false surveillance reports on random citizens. Why, you ask? Because they have a quota. Hey, I get it. If I HAVE to find one suspicious person a month, I'm gonna file the paperwork. I don't blame the marshals as much as I do their idiot bosses who make them report otherwise innocent citizens in order to keep their jobs.

Incidentally, while posting I had a thought. If Bush and Blair are some kind of political comedic duo like Martin and Lewis, does Bush get points for being a drunk like Deano or an insipid moron like Lewis?

I'll take your thoughts on the subject via comment or email.

On a more sordid note and on the subject of police states, China is trying to quell the outbreak of rabies in some of it's provinces. Which would sound good if they were insituting some kind of pet vaccination program. But being Red China, they aren't. Instead, they are running around the country clubbing up to 50,000 dogs to death. And not just strays, but yanking dogs away from their owners and killing them in front of them.

Disgusting.

Bush is travelling to Mississippi and Louisiana this week to capitalize on all he's supposedly doing to help the victims of Katrina. It wasn't, isn't, and probably never will be enough. Basically, according to the New York Times, he's more worried about his image than anything else. Which, to be honest, I can't disagree with, as much as I wish it wasn't true. Can't this guy - for one damned day at least - try to be president of *all* Americans, instead of just the rich, white, racist ones?

Yahoo! has a decent catch-all page for stories on the anniversary, as does NPR. Shouldn't we come up with another word for such things as commemorating a disaster? I like to think of anniversaries as a good thing. Anyway.

ThinkProgress has a timeline of events pertaining to Katrina and the thing the government calls it's response since the hurricane. ABC is carrying a story regarding the effectiveness of charities in the aftermath of the storm, whereas National Geographic covers the role of pets and the awful response to their needs (plus another story courtesy of Yahoo News.

In the end though, it comes back to people. People who went through hell and are still waiting for help. NPR tracks where the refugees went and how many still remain away from New Orleans. Weekend America has an audio interview with some Katrina victims they have been following over the past year.

Kuro5hin is carrying a post by a Gulf Coast resident that is pretty telling about how much was lost in the region.

Wal-Mart is starting an ad campaign to improve it's reputation amongst those Americans who are not the Jerry Springer/American Idol, mouthbreathing incest crowd. I'm not sure I am, or even should be, their target audience.

Meanwhile, Starbucks is about to find out why they call it Forbidden City, as the Chinese decided whether or not to let their products remain in one of the country's most revered locales.

Meanwhile, Toys 'R Us has had to deal with bad press concerning not awarding a prize to the first baby born in the new year. Turns out that baby was born to a Chinese mother who is not an American citizen, nor has papers. I wish I could find a story that quoted the grandmother of the second prize winning baby in Georgia. She's quite the little ultra-nationalist racist. They've since cleaned her mouth up, at least over the internet. And Toys 'R Us did the wrong thing by giving three kids a prize. Great for the kids, but not exactly an acknowledgement that they're right bastards.

More on the Democrat's legislative assault on the Bush theocorporate agenda. May the Senate wise up and follow suit.

The acceptance of global warming is growing, even in places like Boise, where Al Gore recently sold out a concert hall. In fact, the West is becoming ready converts to the cause.

That said, in Federal Way, WA a parent who is likely from the "intelligent design" lunatic fringe has gotten a school board to restrict showing An Inconvenient Truth to students there. Oh, you can show it, but then you'd have to present some psycho humans-played-with-dinosaurs-14,000-years-ago spiel as actual fact.

Kind of like this moronic museum in Kentucky.

So, we weigh religious kooks against the mind of Stephen Hawking, who supports addressing the issues of global warming. Seriously, who the hell are you going to believe?

Even Big Business is on board, working with environmental groups. The list includes DuPont, Caterpillar, and Alcoa. More on that here.

Still poking your head in the sand waiting for the Rapture? The Weather Channel has a new site devoted solely to climate change at One Degree.

And while we quibble about the problem even existing, Japan is taking the lead in developing new conservation technologies.

"Thanks to untrustworthy officials, our culture and our country have stopped making sense."

- Lynne Cheney, Telling the Truth

I doubt the old battleaxe thought we'd be discussing her husband and his shadow government when she wrote that, but that's karma for ya.

I heard this quote when NPR's Daniel Shorr was discussing the lack of truth telling in government today (audio link here).

I'm not going to cover Gonzales firing lawyers because Karl Rove told him to. I'm not surprised. Alberto doesn't seem to have a thought of his own, unless it involves torturing people; which apparently gives him wood just mulling it over. It isn't that I'm not concerned; I'm just not "shocked" as the media are. This is the crap we've come to expect from these guys.

Here's the media whitewashing bad news from Afghanistan and covering pro-religious education in our public schools instead. Even this doesn't shock me, it just pissed me off. First, that we can't be trusted to discuss critical national security issues because it might piss of Georgie Boy. Second, that even the media is trying to cram religion down our collective throats.

Look, once again, it isn't faith that offends me; it is the racist, hatemongering conservative Talibangelical types that want to subvert democracy to fit their needs that offends me. Seriously, go to church, pray, give to the community - these are all good things. But trying to take over a democracy (successfully so far) and having our tax dollars pay to turn this nation into a fascist theocracy is NOT practicing Christ-like behavior. I mean, I don't remember anywhere in the new testament where Jesus turned the scientists into pigs, called them liars and silenced their theories. I also don't remember him stealing Roman gold to pay his disciples. Much less blowing up clinics, assaulting people and spouting "God hates fags", etc.

But I digress.

Basically, if the fundamentalists want to be on welfare, I say we put them to work actually helping people, not just taking money to preach abstinence or converting drug addicts or homosexuals or whatever it is they do. I figure they should work building schools and hospitals and stuff we need besides their narrow minded form of religion.

Either that, or they can keep our tax dollars and lose the free police and fire protection we already give them. You can't steal from the till twice, you see. You either pay taxes or let Bushie boy give you free money. You can't have both.

Moving on....

Along with this theme, apparently Americans do like it when politicians admit mistakes. This news may come too late for "Stonewall" Hillary Clinton, but you get the idea.

Here's an honest look at how conservatives want to deal with Iran: either bomb it or assassinate someone. Then again, given how their leader speaks, I can see why they'd opt out of talking.

The White House website is getting heavily edited to remove embarrasing quotes, interviews, speeches, basically anything that proves that the administration has been lying and has no clue what it is doing on, well, anything.

In North Carolina, schools are giving out racist anti-Muslim propaganda. You think that story is bad? Read some of the comments.

Good news for me. Yellow ribbon sales have decreased, which means less free money for the Chinese PLA or whoever makes those things.

Because I'm a sick bastard, I'll wrap up with this. Last week, the brother of Iraq's deputy premier died when one of his brother's bodyguards blew himself up, as well as his yellow Volkswagen. To tell you how mental I am, the first thing I thought of on hearing this story was a Volkswagen Polo ad that never got aired. You can catch it here on YouTube.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The feds busted up a gang of Alabama asshats for attempting to set up a machine gun nest and kill Mexicans. Also found were over 200 homemade hand grenades.

In Austin, a bomb was found outside an abortion clinic. Uh oh, the "culture of life" is getting ready to kill again.

Also in Texas - go figure - the Chamber of Commerce in Beaumont has created its own newspaper to argue for tort "reform." i.e. eradication of the right to sue corporations. This is happening in an area of vast industrial pollution where lawsuits occur often, and for good reason.

Whether it is killing people based on race, blowing up doctors and their patients whose ethics you don't agree with, or trying to lie to people through the media, this is the GOP folks. They have no moral high ground, they are feeling up against the ropes even though they have power and the will to use it without any second-guessing. So, here it goes, zealots with bombs and ample stores of racism, hate, and self-loathing to use them.

We'll be fighting against the fundamentalist agents of evil soon I imagine, but it won't be the al-Qaeda kids, it'll be our own.

As bad as Bush is, and how much worse his band of worshiping dolts adore him, I'm still glad to live in the US than in India where you can still be burned at the stake if you are accused of "black magic".

Yikes!

I don't get it.

I really do not understand why people venerate Bush as some kind of ethical, moral, conscientious, respectable role model and leader. I also don't get why people think he is religious.

He's an addict, full of hate. He likes to deny freedom to his citizens and advocate torture. He cheats with our money, and probably on his wife.

What redeemable value does he have?

So, the following stories confuse me more than they annoy me.

First, a veteran who earned three Purple Hearts decided he'd give one of them to Bush for all the "abuse" he'd been taking from the Democrats and some members of the media.

As the article states, the leap of faith here is that a) Bush taking heat on an op/ed page is synonymous to getting shot, and b) that newspaper writers and a member of the Democratic Party are enemies of the United States. Both logical progressions are complete and utter BS. But I don't really think I can blame the vet for his flawed logic as much as I blame Bush for accepting the gift. Real classless move from a guy who already held no esteem in my world view.

And in recent days, Bush used a pen given to him by an Ohio man who lost his son in Iraq to sign the veto that would have ended the war. While I am in no place to judge a man who has lost his son in war, I can and will judge Bush for taking said pen and using it as a political prop.

I should know to expect this but it just keeps surprising me.

You volunteer to serve in our military. You get sent to Iraq for all the wrong reasons. Your president doesn't provide you with body armor, proper weapons, and armored vehicles. He serves fake turkey to you for Thanksgiving as a photo op. He tries to cut your combat pay and veteran's benefits, while hiring mercenaries at five times your pay or more. Oh, and when Congress wants him to stop the war, he ignores them.

What could be worse? Losing custody of your child for answering your nation's call. Granted, I can't put this all at the feet of George Bush, but he'd better stop letting his boy Al fire all the government lawyers long enough to get this problem fixed. As in right the hell now.

Oh the bright side, at least someone agrees with Bush's surge. Too bad it's al-Qaeda's number two goon. Does that mean Bush is an enemy of America? Don't laugh, stuff like that is how he got re-elected.

That and disenfranchising Ohio voters.

Turns out our soldiers aren't very ethical. Hmm, what was your first clue? Abu-Ghraib? Seriously, between rotten schools, reality TV, and corrupt role models, do you blame them?

Speaking of an utter lack of ethics, the White House is "requesting" that reporters wear yellow cancer bracelets that say "Tony Snow." Okay, here's the deal: you don't co-opt the media anymore, quit making them take sides, and stop pimping their emotions to a guy who calls half of them traitors. And make a frigging donation to the Lance Armstrong Foundation while you sick bastards are at it.

Newt Gingrich is convinced Republicans can win any debate with Democrats as long they don't talk about:

- Iraq
- Katrina
- Walter Reed
- George Bush himself
- Firing US attorneys

Let me just add pissing on the Constitution, legalizing torture, spying on citizens, giving rich people and corporations massive tax breaks, hiring Halliburton and mercenaries, and so on. How about being on the wrong side of American public opinion on stem cell research, science in general, abortion and the environment. Oh, and the whole "I don't believe in evolution" thing doesn't help your cause as being considered as sane and credible.

Meanwhile we can't even help the Iraqis provide for their own wounded.

Last stop: Rush Limbaugh is a racist. But you already knew that.

A couple reports on how religion affects your views on evolution. This other report shows that not being a Rapture bunny and getting a college education helps in giving you a non-Dark Ages outlook on life.

Plus, these cretins still infest our schools. Yeah, I found another website to troll.

Reuters has been following polygamists around. Here is one of their articles plus some fast facts. Gotta love the marketing though. Their major argument for our acceptance of this crap is that it is akin to the civil rights movement. Hmm? And where were they when the lynching and shooting was occurring? That was about the right to be treated as human beings, not the right to share wives like the Manson family. Get a grip. Really.

Sure, our president surrounds himself with torture lovers. He treats the Constitution like common asswipe. He's an addict either drunk with power or totalled on near beer. His party is a bunch of frightened babies scared to death by unemployed Mexicans. But at least they are not as bad as the following:

- The Hadzabe tribe, in Tanzania, is the second oldest culture on the planet. And now a bunch of UAE oil rich bastards have been allowed to buy their homeland and hunting grounds for a weekend getaway. The Tanzanian government is totally cool with this, calling the tribe members "backward" amongst other things.

- And not that Bush's girlfriend Condi is any respected source, but the State Department says that some Arab countries are involved in a modern slave trade. This involves the sex trade to even camel racing.

- Last up, a report on the continuing loss of life and culture in Tibet.

See, aside from being racist, sexist, scared bigots and Rapture bunnies out to destroy democracy here while purporting forcing other countries to have elections at gunpoint, our sick, depraved, immoral leaders aren't that bad.

Well, okay, they're still scumbags. But it could be worse.

We're back home and will provide details and pics down the road.

Turns out not much happened while we were gone. Everyone is well and Las Vegas is still under construction, but that will never end.

On the political front, Bush is having sleepovers with KGB Colonel-Dictators and London is facing a threat of educated fundamentalist terrorists.

Howard Dean comments on Bush freeing Libby from any jail time, as does Bill Maher. The New York Times looks at the irony of Bush trumping the law to give his pal a break while trying to be tough on crime and Tony Snow tries to make outing a CIA agent a minor detail.

Keith Olbermann would rather just have Bush and Cheney resign. Which would likely be best for everyone. Even them.

That said, the most disturbing headline I saw today is this: U.S. heightens security for 4th of July. If that doesn't say more about the power of conservatives to scare us out of our freedom using psuedo-Muslim boogeymen, I don't know what does. Get out there and enjoy your freedom.

In our case, freedom has a high of 116 degrees and sunny.

For those staying inside on that news, NPR has a plethora of July 4th stories, including ones on the flag, a reading of the Declaration, and notes on the War for Independence.

After a nice Firehouse Sub, seriously find out if one is around you, the guys at work and I headed up to our local Kwik-E-Mart for some Buzz Cola, Squishees, and pink doughnuts.

Seriously, if you can find one near you, you must go. I know all 7-11s carry most of the Simpson's related food items, but the whole thing is part of the realm of the bizarre.

And damn was this one busy. Real busy.

One bad note. No Duff beer. Stupid PG-13 rating. D'oh!

I mean, I've been to the Alamo and have watched the movie (the one with John Wayne, not the recent Billy Bob Thornton turd). I even get the well-built structural details. That said, what the hell is it with people holing up in churches and mosques and then firing on those trying to arrest/kill them?

Latest case in point is in Pakistan, whe