Saturday, September 17, 2005

Poorness

The Angry Old Broad is fired up again; this time at white people who think they know poor.

Shut the Fuck Up.Yeah,I said it.Sit Down,Shut Up,and for once in your meaningless little spoiled ass life listen.

No one"wants"to be poor you morons.You talk like you've lived poor.Like you've had to struggle to survive and make ends meet.Like you know what it's like not to eat so your kids can.No you don't.

You talk like you've been poor,and therefore deem yourselves experts.No you aren't.

You seem to be living in a very sheltered world,so I'll try to keep this simple.

[. . .]


Read it now.

Back Door

Avedon Carol and I have been doing some link trading. From Brad Blog:

[. . .]

Pointing to a little-noticed "Cyber Security Alert" issued by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the source inside Diebold -- who "for the time being" is requesting anonymity due to a continuing sensitive relationship with the company -- is charging that Diebold's technicians, including at least one of its lead programmers, knew about the security flaw and that the company instructed them to keep quiet about it.

"Diebold threatened violators with immediate dismissal," the insider, who we'll call DIEB-THROAT, explained recently to The BRAD BLOG via email. "In 2005, after one newly hired member of Diebold's technical staff pointed out the security flaw, he was criticized and isolated."

[. . .]


Ever wonder how Bush won, and the Republicans plan to stay in power? Brad has links aplenty.

She's got great teeth but . . .

Symbolic of the importance the Bush Administration places on women's health, a male veterinarian has been appointed by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Lester Crawford as acting director of the Office of Women's Health. Norris E. Alderson, PhD, has spent the majority of his career at the FDA holding various positions in the Center for Veterinary Medicine. [my em]

[. . .]


She's a little broad across the flanks. Hope you ladies realize what the Chimp thinks of you.

Great thanks: Maru

Empires

For anybody interested, Chapter 14 is up at creativity . . .

Can we talk?

About tax and spend Liberals?

Click. I'll wait.

Now, shut the fuck up.

Graphic thanks to Ol' Froth

Heh . . .

Our esteemed colleague and fellow veteran Jo Fish made a list of all the names he's used for President Useless Gasbag:

Preznit Their Blood His Gutz
Preznit Kissin' Condi
Preznit Rexall Wrangler
Preznit Economic Disaster
Preznit Dangerous Pretzel
Preznit Illiterate
Preznit Yellow Stripe
Preznit Turd Smoker
Preznit Buggered and Beholden

[. . .]


Much more here.

Unbelievable

As most regulars know, I refuse to go to wingnut sites. I just get too pissed off and it torques my sphincter to give them a hit. Fortunately there's Pam, who would deserve a Medal of Freedom for going to these places, were the MoF not so devalued by Chimpy's giving it to Tenet and Bremer.

So, I'm over at Big Brass Blog for my daily visit and I see this post by Pam with her usual section with quotes from the Freepers. They're getting more hateful by the day.

"If everyone in your town feels the same way. Just act like they aren't there. Act like they're invisible. Everybody. Do it long enough and the nature of the attention starved negro will come out in such ways to deserve arrest, but none will be able to blame Whitey."

"Yea man, I know how you feel. The little town that I live in which is in Utah is 98% white at least, and now we have these blacks being moved here . Im not saying all of them, but the majority of them are low life druggie criminals who live off of welfare. I would also like to know what to do."

"So far none here in north Indiana, coons don't like the cold. I'm buying some guns to prepare myself for them, I'm sure some will make it up here."

"115 due to land in Tucson this morning! Time to print out my listing of the dangers these negroes will face in this area of the Sonoran Desert and infiltrate the leaflets in their Welcome Wagon handouts."

"Unless these niggers get krystaaal and fried chicken, they will start rioting and raping whites. If they do get their demands, they will still rape and kill, just not riot as much."


This is America in the 21st Century. Thing is, much as I revile these people, I pity them too. To have such closed minds must be painful. I can imagine their torment. That doesn't mitigate the fact I'd like to throw them all a serious beating and knock some sense into them. Hateful motherfuckers. I did see a glimmer of hope in one quote though.

"Believe it or not, we called the local Klan about 2 weeks ago, and they actually admitted that they don't do anything anymore, because they are broke...."


I hope they all go broke.

Friday, September 16, 2005

Hi, gang

This is bitchin'! I'm sittin' in the Days Inn in Moab, Utah, wi-fied up. I think this might actually work!

We spent last night at the Ramada Inn & Copper Queen Casino in Ely, Nevada. They had a data port on the telephone for dial-up. They gave me a local number, but I couldn't figure out how to connect. My set said I was connected, but I missed something. I was tired. This is, after all, a learning curve and it helps to be alert.

We took US 50, "The Loneliest Road in America", from Fallon NV to Ely. Fallon is famous for Fallon melons and for having a Naval Air Station billed as "The World's Largest Aircraft Carrier". In 250 miles of two-lane, we crossed 11 mountain ranges over passes from 4400' to 7600'. There's only two towns in between, Austin and Eureka, both old mining towns clinging to mountainsides, literally and figuratively. Ely is at 6500'.

On the way, we got passed three times by the same group of Indiana bikers on sport machines with one really weird trike: two wheels in front, one behind, Yamaha (I think) shaft-drive powertrain. The driver had a single-seat cockpit. I looked at it in the gas station in Fallon, and it had a handicap control setup. It takes balls to ride out from the Midwest when you can't walk, folks. These guys weren't dawdling, either. They were haulin' ass.

Today was more mountains, but with some I-70 and some spectacular geological scenery thrown in. We came here for the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, but come to find out this burg is mountain bike and 4WD central as well as a geological wonderland. There's a 'sickle rally this weekend, apparently run out of "Bone Daddy's Custom Cycles" which is across the street. Hawgs and other large bikes all over the place. Also, some kind of music festival. It's a happenin' joint in a beautiful setting.

On the technical side, we're 740 miles from home. Gas has been runnin' $3 to $3.11 and, get this, starting at Ely, 87 octane is the middle grade. That's new to me. Regular is 85 octane. Our mileage has run from 20.1 mpg to 23.2 mpg. I'm happy with that. V6 Toyota Tacoma.

I didn't put in links 'cuz...no guts! I'm afraid I'll screw up and lose it all.

More later.

They knew

All the denials and bullshit aside, the Chimp and all his cronies knew exactly what could happen when Katrina made landfall. NPR:

[. . .]

Leo Bosner, an emergency management specialist at FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C., is in charge of the unit that alerts officials of impending crises and manages the response. As early as Friday, Aug. 26, Bosner knew that Katrina could turn into a major emergency.

In daily e-mails -- known as National Situation Updates -- sent to Chertoff, Brown and others in the days before Katrina made landfall in the Gulf Coast, Bosner warned of its growing strength -- and of the particular danger the hurricane posed to New Orleans, much of which lies below sea level.

But Bosner says FEMA failed to organize the massive mobilization of National Guard troops and evacuation buses needed for a quick and effective relief response when Katrina struck. He says he and his colleagues at FEMA's D.C. headquarters were shocked by the lack of response. [my emphases]

[. . .]


It wasn't that they 'had no idea the levees could break'. Chertoff and the rest knew what could happen and didn't give a shit. Time for some 'Homeland Security' [cough] guys to do some jail time.

Link courtesy of the wonderful Melanie.

Sound like Iraq to you?

[. . .]

It is impossible to over-emphasize the extent to which this area is under government occupation, and portions of it under government-enforced lockdown. Police cars rule the streets. They (along with Humvees, ambulances, fire apparatus, FEMA trucks and all official-looking SUVs) are generally not stopped at checkpoints and roadblocks. All other vehicles are subject to long lines and snap judgments and must PROVE they have vital business inside the vast roped-off regions here. If we did not have the services of an off-duty law enforcement officer, we could not do our jobs in the course of a work day and get back in time to put together the broadcast and get on the air. As we are about to do. [my emphasis]


It's New Orleans. It's the Chimpy Inc way. Turn everything they touch into a fucked up police state. Brian Williams also has more to say about the 'electrical situation' for the hours around Chimpy's speech. By the way, I like Brian Williams. Seems like he has a bit more character than most of the news-reading weenies.

Hat tip: Shakes

Suggestion

Smirky McFlightsuit says we need to cut stuff to pay for the mess Katrina made. How about WE CUT THE WAR IN IRAQ!

Intelligent [cough] Design

Go see CN Todd.

Puppies!

It is Friday, isn't it?

But . . .

Can he make sparks shoot out his ass? Zoe at Demagogue:

Just in case people didn't realize it, last night's flood of pretty lights in Jackson Square that served as a etheral backdrop during Bush's speech were only temporary. About an hour after Bush left town, so did all the electricity.

[. . .]


The Bush Stage Show travels on and fuck the people, wreckage, and bodies they use as props. Motherfuckers.

I love Pauly

Especially when he's pissed.

[. . .]

Mr. President, your legacy is set in stone, finished. You might as well go on another vacation -- your self-portrait is as good as shredded. Your word isn't worth dog paddies anymore. It doesn't matter if you ride out the rest of your second term indictment-free -- your reputation is irremediably shot.

[. . .]


Go read the rest. If I were a gay man, I'd want to have Pauly's children.

Morons

I love how the Chimp's handlers have pushed the meme that 'Dumb is Beautiful'. Getting President Underachiever elected supposedly proved you don't have to be smart to run a country. After 5 years we've learned you have to be smart to run it well. Now that dumb is fashionable in America, businesses are starting to feel the effects:

NEW YORK (AP) -- International Business Machines Corp., worried the United States is losing its competitive edge, will financially back employees who want to leave the company to become math and science teachers.

[. . .]


I wrote about this a few months back when Toyota opened an assembly plant in Ontario, Canada instead of the southern U.S.

[. . .]

He said Nissan and Honda have encountered difficulties getting new plants up to full production in recent years in Mississippi and Alabama due to an untrained - and often illiterate - workforce. In Alabama, trainers had to use "pictorials" to teach some illiterate workers how to use high-tech plant equipment.

"The educational level and the skill level of the people down there is so much lower than it is in Ontario," Fedchun said.

[. . .]


So, in 20 years, all we'll be able to provide is unskilled labor for the Japanese and the Europeans. In a probable scenario, India will probably start outsourcing their menial labor to us as well, as the standard of living there becomes more robust. That's if the Chinese just don't foreclose on our debt. Idiots.

Great thanks to the Chemist for the AP link.

The Delusion Administration

From John Emerson at Seeing the Forest.

The brazenness of the Republican PR machine is almost impossible to describe.

After years passing out pork and presiding over the highest deficits in American history, for example, Tom Delay has just declared victory in the budget wars -- claiming that the Republicans have finally cut out all the fat.

So now Karl Rove will be free to throw as much money at the Gulf Coast as he wants to, in order to advance the Republican campign operation he's headed for so long. [my emphasis]

[. . .]


No, they're not delusional, anybody who still calls themselves a Republican is. They'll keep spouting this shit as long as someone believes them. Time for folks who still think these guys are doing a good job to drop the denial and stare reality in the face . . . before it jumps up and bites them in the ass.

Spineless

How very true. From my friend, Ed:

. . . As I have written before, the longer the insulated D.C. Democratic Establishment practices its trademark thumb-in-the-wind, split-the-difference politics on the most important national security issues, the more the public will perceive the Democrats as standing for nothing. . .

Friday Cattle Dog Blogging



Princess Shayna says George W. Bush is full of shit and last night was merely a feeble attempt to boost his poll numbers. And even her father can button his shirt correctly without help.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Housekeeping . . . again

That Google Blog Search I put in the left sidebar really sucked. I replaced it with Technorati's offering.

Opinions

Yeah, I know. Opinions are like assholes. Everybody's got one and they all stink. But when they're John Roberts' opinions, it behooves you to listen. Jami's got a compendium of them. This guy should be filibustered.

Glow in the dark?

I know about radiation. My dad owned an industrial testing lab and was a major contractor for Grumman, Republic, the State and City of New York. Almost every major bridge connecting Manhattan with New York, Long Island, and New Jersey was X-rayed by his people. So was the World Trade Center when it went up. My dad was one of the pioneers in the field. I worked for the crusty old Brit for 2 years as well. I know about radiation and what it can do to living things. My dad was only 64 when cancer took him in a violent and painful way. Thankfully he went quickly. Naturally, when I see this symbol:



It makes my sphincter tighten. If I poked around my garage, I could probably still find a couple of those signs. I urge you to read this post from RJ Eskow:

How's this sentence for grabbing your attention? "Some radiological waste storage areas may lack adequate protection against sabotage which could cause wide-area radiological dispersal." That's from a retired Admiral's independent report on the security capability of the Department of Energy, another crony-laden organ of the Bush Administration. [my em]

[. . .]


There's only one good thing about radiation poisoning. You don't have to turn on the light when you go take a leak in the middle of the night. But that only lasts until you die horribly and painfully. If the Chimp administration drops the ball after a dirty bomb attack, you can curse them with your last breaths.

Toxicity

From Advena at 12th Harmonic:

[. . .]

I would genuinely like to know the answers to these questions because I am trying to think of a way in which this doesn't mean that Louisiana and Mississippi will be a giant dead zone and I'm not coming up with one:

New government tests show dangerous amounts of sewage-related bacteria and lead from unknown sources in the floodwaters in New Orleans, and high levels of chemicals such as hexavalent chromium, used in industrial plating, and arsenic, used in treating wood.

. . .


[. . .]


Just ruined my dinner.

Update:

Cookie Jill has more.

So long for a while...maybe

Me 'n Mrs. G are heading out for a little road trip. She's in a position that is required by law to take two weeks off in a row to see if there's a spike in the books. Like, to see if the joint starts making a profit while she's gone. We'll be gone eight or nine days.

We're heading for Santa Fe, New Mexico. We like to look at different-colored dirt and rocks. There'll be plenty, no doubt.

I think I've got my laptop to where I can post along the way. I want to, just to see if it actually works. We will see. If it does, you'll be hearing from me sooner. If it doesn't, you'll be hearing from me later.

Thanks to all of you who helped me with hints and tips. If nothing else, I know to keep the Cholula away from the keyboard and not to take mini-Hal in the swimming pool.

Hasta luego, amigos.

Why do I have no problem believing this?

From The Onion:

HOUSTON - On Tuesday, Halliburton received a $110 million no-bid government contract to pry the gold fillings from the mouths of deceased disaster victims in the New Orleans-Gulf Coast area. "We are proud to serve the government in this time of crisis by recovering valuable resources from the wreckage of this deadly storm," said David J. Lesar, Halliburton's president. "The gold we recover from the human rubble of Katrina can be used to make fighter-jet electronics, supercomputer chips, inflation-proof A-grade investments, and luxury yachting watches."

It's about what we've come to expect from this lowlife administration.

NYC Unity

(New York - AP, Sept. 14, 2005) - The second-place finisher conceded the Democratic mayoral primary to Fernando Ferrer on Wednesday, sparing the party the threat of a divisive runoff in its uphill quest to unseat Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

With absentee ballots still outstanding after Tuesday's primary, Ferrer was just fractions of a percentage point shy of the 40 percent he needed to avoid a runoff with Rep. Anthony Weiner, who had 29 percent. Elections officials had said it might take several days to count all the votes.

[. . .]


I know Weiner is looking long-term and this move to consolidate Dem Party unity in NYC earned him a lot of goodwill here. Maybe a Senatorial run if Hillary chases the White House? But the morning after election day, Bloomberg will still be Mayor of New York. Freddy Ferrer's time is long past and I hope he bypasses any future elections in favor of a younger, more electable candidate.

The Pledge

I wasn't gonna say much about it because folks to the left of me would probably be pissed and this isn't worth it. Mustang Bobby has probably the closest take on what I believe. Stolen in full:

I'm sorry, but this finding the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional is just plain silly. I suppose in the strictest construction of an interpretation of the First Amendment it probably rises to some level of violating the Establishment clause, but sheesh... There are just some fights not worth picking and this is one of them.

Aside from the fact that it hands the Religious Reich a couple of million dollars in fund-raising, it trivializes the real abuses of the First Amendment like the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act.

This is a no-win fight. Even if the complainant prevails, all it will do is piss off a bunch of people who are spoiling for a fight, as if they need another excuse to raise more money to rally for a theocratic state.


Ya gotta go to his page for the links though.

Creationist humor

Go see M and T (and give Harry Hound a milkbone).

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Something stinks

And a guy who's used to eating fish all the time (no, I'm not going there) knows about bad smells. I never agreed with any Libertarian as much as I do the guy in the fancy suit.

I gotta go potty



Seriously.

Via Atrios

Housekeeping

I put a link up in the left sidebar to a new utility from Google. It's a blog search engine. Give it a try. Thanks to Kevin Drum for the heads up.

Are you surprised?

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans on Wednesday scuttled an attempt by Sen. Hillary Clinton to establish an independent, bipartisan panel patterned after the 9/11 Commission to investigate what went wrong with federal, state and local governments' response to Hurricane Katrina.

The New York Democrat's bid to establish the panel - which would have also made recommendations on how to improve the government's disaster response apparatus - failed to win the two-thirds majority vote needed to overcome procedural hurdles.

[. . .]


Great thanks: Mr. H

Moon over Nassau

Nassau County, New York that is. Got my ass in trouble today. Heh. As regular readers know our local (Republican) congessman's office is in a storefront just up the block from the shop. And as regulars also know, I moon him whenever I see him in there (I been doing it for a year and a half, since he moved his office there). So, this morning I see him pull up and get out of his car. Heh again. I put down the wrench, walk out to the sidewalk, bend over, and drop my pants. I look over my shoulder and yell, like I always do, "Hey John, you Nazi sonofabitch, come over here and kiss my ass". His secretary always laughs and waves. She can't stand him either and she likes looking at my ass but I digress.

Today, after I'm done yelling, I hear laughter from the Indian and PDB. I turn around (I'm still bent over) and guess what? I'm staring into the grille of a Nassau County police car. Great. The lady cop (whom I've known for 10 years) gets out and says, "Jesus Christ, Rich, pull up your pants". More raucous laughter from the shop.

So of course I say, "what's the problem, officer?" Turns out she too likes the way my ass looks, but the Republican sonofabitch is threatening to press charges now. So, I made a deal with the cop that I'd just give the Neocon prick the finger from now on or she'd have to bust me for public lewdness. Of course, this afternoon I went over there and stuck an 'I think with the Alternate Brain' bumper sticker on his car. Wonder how long it is before he notices.

Charities are for Suckers

I came across this one on Yahoo News. Not a bad article - and the headline sure grabs ya.

Charities are for Suckers


By Ted Rall Tue Sep 13, 8:06 PM ET

Leave Katrina Relief Efforts to Government

NEW YORK--Hurricane Katrina has prompted Americans to donate more than $700 million to charity, reports the Chronicle of Philanthropy. So many suckers, so little foresight.

Government has been shirking its basic responsibilities since the '80s, when Ronald Reagan sold us his belief that the sick, poor and unlucky should no longer count on "big government" to help them, but should rather live and die at the whim of contributors to private charities. The Katrina disaster, whose total damage estimate has risen from $100 to $125 billion, marks the culmination of Reagan's privatization of despair.

The American Red Cross leads the post-Katrina sweepstakes, quickly closing in on the $534 million it took in just after 9/11. But Red Cross spokeswoman Sheila Graham told the AP it needs another half billion "to provide emergency relief over the coming weeks for thousands of evacuees who have scattered among 675 of its shelters in 23 states."

Shelley Borysiewicz of Catholic Charities USA, which has raised $7 million thus far, also continues to solicit donations: "We don't want people to lose sight of the fact that this is going to take years of recovery, and we're going to be there to help the people who fall through the cracks."

What "cracks"? Why should New Orleans' dispossessed have to live in private shelters? We live in the United States, not Mali. There's only one reason flood victims aren't getting help from the government: because the government refuses to help them. The Red Cross and its cohorts are letting lazy, incompetent and corrupt politicians off the hook, and so are their donors.

It's ridiculous, but people evidently need to be reminded that the United States is not only the world's wealthiest nation but the wealthiest society that has existed anywhere, ever. The U.S. government can easily pick up the tab for people inconvenienced by bad weather--if helping them is a priority. That goes double for Katrina, a disaster caused by the government's conscious decision to eliminate the $50 million pittance needed to improve New Orleans' levees.

For our leaders the optional war against Iraq is such a priority, which the Congressional Budget Office expects to cost $600 billion by 2010. That's four or five Katrinas right there. (That's also where the levee money went.) Because rich people are always a political priority, their taxes have been slashed by $4 trillion over a decade--the equivalent of 32 Katrinas. So worried are our public servants about the tax burden placed on the rich that they're looking out for rich dead people. This is why they've gutted the estate tax that, at a cost of $75 billion annually, will run half a Katrina a year. Trickle-down economists beginning with Milton Friedman shout "starve the beast," but while the social programs are put on a diet, the mean and powerful pig out more than ever.

Disaster relief is too important to be left to private fundraisers, with their self-sustaining fundraising expenses, administrative overhead (nine percent for the Red Cross) and their parochial, often religious, agendas. It's also way too expensive. In the final analysis, after the floodwaters have receded and the poor neighborhoods of New Orleans have been razed under eminent domain, major charities will be lucky if they've managed to raise one percent of the total cost of Katrina. Congress, recognizing the reality that only the federal government possesses the means to deal with the calamity, has already allocated $58 billion--over 70 times the amount raised by charities--to flood relief along the Gulf of Mexico. As Bush says, that's only a "down payment."

Cutting a check to the Red Cross isn't just a vote for irresponsible government. It's a drop in the bucket compared to what you'll end up paying for Katrina in increased taxes.

Granted, in terms of popularity of likelihood of success, trying to make a case against giving money to charities compares to lobbying against puppies. The impulse to donate, after all, is rooted in our best human traits. As we watched New Orleanians die of thirst, disease and anarchic violence in the face of Bush Administration disinterest and local government incompetence, millions of us did the only thing we thought we could to do to help: cut a check or click a PayPal button. Tragically, that generosity feeds into the mindset of the sinister ideologues who argue that government shouldn't help people--the very mindset that caused the levee break that turned Katrina into a holocaust and led to official unresponsiveness. And it is already setting the stage for the next avoidable disaster.

It's time to "starve the beast": private charities used by the government to justify the abdication of its duties to its citizens.

Pay up, sucka

Roger Ailes the Good:

Starting next week, the New York Times' "influential" op-ed columnists will only be available online to those who subscribe to TimesSelect for a $49.95 annual fee. (They should combine forces with BSafe.com for a package deal -- "keep teen masturbators off your computer and Nick Kristof on your computer for only $99.90 a year.")

[. . .]


Looks like I'll be reading something else online. It sure as Hell ain't worth $50 a year. Not when the FT is on my doorstep at . . . now in fact.

Alles klar, Frau Kommissar



Pic shamelessly stolen from Karena

Resignations and Impeachments

Go see Froggy.

And speaking of clusterfucking . . .

BAGHDAD, Iraq - At least 73 people were killed and 162 wounded early Wednesday when a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle near a group of construction workers in a Shiite district in northern Baghdad, police said.

[. . .]


So tell me, what has actually gone right over the last five years? I mean, blowing away all the Republican rhetoric, what exactly can they point to that's been a benifit to this nation? What do we have to show for the past five years? Nothing but death, destruction, and disaster. Oh yeah, that $300 check from the IRS I got a couple years ago. Gee, thanks a fucking lot.

Maybe it is time for what I call a 'Bastille Moment'. Maybe it is just about time to storm the gates. I mean, after catching some of the Roberts hearings, I sure as Hell know the Democrats in the Senate are all taking turns sharing the same set of balls. If you heard Schmuck Schumer (D-NY) yesterday, "You know you're going to be Chief Justice", it's already a foregone conclusion he'll be confirmed.

Hel-lo, Idiots? Every single nominee, every single piece of legislation that comes from the Republican side of the Congress or the White House itself should be opposed and filibustered by every Democrat. If some don't want to toe the party line, it's time to back those candidates who will. How long will you spineless wimps let these treasonous bastids get away with everything?

And just a note: At the shop, when somebody fucks something simple up, a question is asked. "What are you, a fucking Republican?"

Body counts

New Orleans is beginning to look like Funeralgate, supersized.

FEMA has relieved volunteers of their emergency mortuary services in Louisiana only, and contracted out to Kenyon, a "wholly-owned subsidiary of Service Corporation International" of Houston, Texas.

Are the alarms sounding yet? LightUpTheDarkness reminds us why they should be:


Of course, we have to protect Dear Leader against those Satan-spawn Democrats who'd use this against him. Wait, soon we'll hear no one died in the storm. Bodies, what bodies?

Hat tip: Cabana Boy

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

What If...

It's around 8:15, and I'm on a sugar high from eating an almond roca brownie, so my mind is spinning in all sorts of directions, sort of like...Hurricane Ophelia.

Someone had better phone the White House and let Smirky McFlightsuit, Darth Cheney, Chertoff, and Captain Duct Tape know that Hurricane Ophelia is headed for the Carolina coast. Seems no one there has a radio, a TV, a newspaper, a carrier pigeon, or access to the Internets. They might want to start preparing now instead of next week.

But what if...what if the hurricane veers northerly and hits the coast of Virginia? Smirky hasn't been watching the news; he's been playing his new guitar for Dick and the boys. No one gets on the horn and let's D.C. know a hurricane is knocking on the door. The storm hits, and a storm surge the size of Rush Limbaugh's ass roars up the Potomac, turning elite Foggy Bottom into Soggy Bottom?

I'd like to see the Georgetown/Soggy Bottom crowd herded into the Capital rotundra for a week with nothing to eat, no lights, no bathroom, and no maid service. Betcha some of them would sneak out and loot, I mean find stuff at Nordstoms. I'd like to see them perching on the roofs of their Mercedes, waiting for the military to airlift them out.

And would the Jesus jumpers in Kansas say "Hallelujah, God has sent a storm to cleanse Washington of its sinners" like they said of New Orleans?

Now I've seen everything...you may shoot me

I've been sitting trying to reconfigure the dilithium crystals in this blankety-blank high-zoot laptop so it'll have some chance of being useful out in East Dumptruck and I ran across this at Alternet:

A German inventor says he's found a way to make cheap diesel fuel out of dead cats.


Holy crap.

Al Gore

[. . .]

All of us know that our nation -- all of us, the United States of America -- failed the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast when this hurricane was approaching them, and when it struck. When the corpses of American citizens are floating in toxic floodwaters five days after a hurricane strikes, it is time not only to respond directly to the victims of the catastrophe but to hold the processes of our nation accountable, and the leaders of our nation accountable, for the failures that have taken place.

[. . .]

And of course in both cases the story is complex and many factors are involved, but I want you draw a line connecting the feelings that you had then and now. And I want you to draw another line, connecting those responsible for both of those unbelievable tragedies that embarrassed our nation in the eyes of the world. [my emphases]

[. . .]


Go read it all.

Thanks to Jaye at Blondie's

President Dicknose

Can we qualify this any more?

[. . .]

"To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility," Bush said.

[. . .]

"Are we capable of dealing with a severe attack? That's a very important question and it's in the national interest that we find out what went on so we can better respond," Bush replied.

[. . .]


The extent the federal governement didn't fully do its job right? Christ almighty. Can you stand any farther away and still take responsibility? You know how to better respond? Resign before we impeach you and before we have another catastrophe you'll fuck up beyond recognition.

Hat tip: Lady Shakes

Like, Later, Maynard

Bob Denver passed away on September 2. Most of you probably remember him from "Gilligan's Island". Not me. I don't think I ever watched an episode of that all the way through. I remember him as Maynard G. Krebs in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis".

This LATimes article does too.

For that, we have Denver to thank. Even though his face will forever be associated with Gilligan, whom the skipper blamed for every mishap on the island, I suspect he was more of a beatnik than a shipwrecked buffoon. If only today's television teenagers were less like Gilligan and more like Maynard. May Bob Denver, like, rest in peace.

MIA

Sorry I've been somewhat MIA for the past couple weeks. Harry (my boss) was on vacation until Friday. On Saturday, he got a call that his brother was dying (he's been fighting cancer for the past 5 years), so Harry headed up to Oswego to be with him. Guess who's doing the administrative stuff at the shop? Yeah, that's why I don't have my own shop.

I've also been trying to finish Empires and, as the readers who are also writers know, when inspiration comes, you gotta go with it.

Hopefully, I'll be back to a regular posting schedule soon.

Ramblin' Man

I'm on my way to New Orleans this morning:



Leaving out of Nashville, Tennessee:



They're always having a good time down on the Bayou:



And Delta women think the world of me:



Words: Ramblin' Man - The Allman Bros.
Pics: Jane, Maru, and Attaturk

Fear rules

Jane:

[. . .]

There are many reasons why people in power live in denial and create dream worlds for themselves. But the personality characteristics George Bush is evincing are typical of people with untreated alcoholism, or as we in the club call it, being a "dry drunk." [my em]

[. . .]

Book Review



[. . .]

Whether or not any of these people believe their own "bull" on this subject, their attempts to argue there exists a coherent left/liberal/Democratic movement, coordinated and institutionalized, that is constantly on the political attack in order to preserve a secular, internationalized, multi-culti America, have been shown by various writers, journalists (though fewer of those) and academics, to be pitifully lacking in evidence or credibility, despite the Herculean efforts of David Horowitz.

[. . .]


Leah's review. Looks like I'll be reading this when the Mrs. heads to LA next week.

The 'new' FEMA

The guy on the iceberg looks at Mr. Duct Tape and Plastic.

FEMA = Flatulent Emissions, Mentally Addled

Monday, September 12, 2005

How Bush Blew It

Newsweek. 'Nuff said.

Charles Emerson Winchester III

"I do one thing, I do it very well, and then I move on." Of course, Charles was a thoracic surgeon at Massachusetts General before serving his country in Korea*. Chimpy did neither, and he's certainly not even half as smart. Digby:

Junior just said that the American people need to understand that he can do more than one thing at a time and that the government and other individuals can do more than one things at a time.

[. . .]


I saw his little photo op this afternoon. He didn't even know Brownie resigned. Does he even know he's the President . . . like . . . for real?

*Yes, I know M*A*S*H was a TV show and not real, but you gotta admit, as Conservatives go, Charles was the type of Conservative you could respect.

Hints and Tips Needed

Me 'n Mrs. G are going on vacation later this week. If anybody has hints and tips about operating a laptop while away from home, please comment. I know nothing, so say anything. Please.

Katrina Humor

Whilst blundering and careening about the internets, I found About: Political Humor. Many jokes about the slow political response to Katrina, many links. Go spend some time there.

From the Late Night Comedians link:

"Although the waters have receded from New Orleans, it's still a huge, huge problem and will be for months to come. You see the fresh water is contaminated with oil and gas. Actually, from Dick Cheney's perspective, the oil and gas is contaminated with fresh water." -Jay Leno

"As you know, FEMA stands for 'Fix Everything My Ass.'" --Jay Leno
"By the way, if you want to help the victims hit hardest by hurricane Katrina, Fox news has posted the Web site of the Republican National Committee." --Bill Maher

"But hey, it is New Orleans. Watching today, I could tell that this city has not lost its hope. It has not lost its distinctive pluck, because every time rescue teams would toss supplies to people, women flashed their tits." --Bill Maher

Laughter heals. Go start gettin' healed.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Everywhere I roam . . .

River:

[. . .]

The electrical situation deteriorated this summer in Baghdad. We've gone from a solid 8 - 10 hours daily to around six. During the winter, we have generators in the area providing electricity when it goes off. In the summer, however, with the heat and the heavy electrical load from air-conditioners AND the fuel shortage, many generators have to be turned off for most of the day.

We're also having water difficulties, though people have grown accustomed to that. You can tell first thing in the morning that the water is cut off. I woke up this morning and knew it even before I had gotten out of bed. The house just sounds . . . dry. You strain your ears for the familiar house sounds and they aren't there- there's no drip-drip-drip from the faucet in the bathroom down the hall. There's no sound of dishes being washed in the kitchen downstairs. There's no sound of a toilet being flushed, and certainly no sound of a shower. The house is dry.

The dryness and heat are a stark contrast to the images we see on television of Mississippi and Louisiana. Daily, we watch the havoc Katrina left in its wake and try to determine which are more difficult to bear- man-made catastrophes like wars and occupations, or natural disasters like hurricanes and tsunamis.

[. . .]


The Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Mexico, everything the Chimp touches turns to shit.

9/11 and the Sport of God

Damn fine rant by Bill Moyers on why we must fight religious fundamentalists, any of 'em, with all our might.

What's also unique is the intensity, organization, and anger they have brought to the public square. Listen to their preachers, evangelists, and homegrown ayatollahs: Their viral intolerance - their loathing of other people's beliefs, of America's secular and liberal values, of an independent press, of the courts, of reason, science and the search for objective knowledge - has become an unprecedented sectarian crusade for state power. They use the language of faith to demonize political opponents, mislead and misinform voters, censor writers and artists, ostracize dissenters, and marginalize the poor. These are the foot soldiers in a political holy war financed by wealthy economic interests and guided by savvy partisan operatives who know that couching political ambition in religious rhetoric can ignite the passion of followers as ferociously as when Constantine painted the Sign of Christ (the "Christograph") on the shields of his soldiers and on the banners of his legions and routed his rivals in Rome. Never mind that the Emperor himself was never baptized into the faith; it served him well enough to make the God worshipped by Christians his most important ally and turn the Sign of Christ into the one imperial symbol most widely recognized and feared from east to west.

Read it. Hallelujah, brethren 'n sisteren!

A little wry humor...

Here's seven on Katrina from The Onion. Here's my favorite:

White Foragers Report Threat Of Black Looters

NEW ORLEANS - Throughout the Gulf Coast, Caucasian suburbanites attempting to gather food and drink in the shattered wreckage of shopping districts have reported seeing African­Americans "looting snacks and beer from damaged businesses." "I was in the abandoned Wal-Mart gathering an air mattress so I could float out the potato chips, beef jerky, and Budweiser I'd managed to find," said white survivor Lars Wrightson, who had carefully selected foodstuffs whose salt and alcohol content provide protection against contamination. "Then I look up, and I see a whole family of [African-Americans] going straight for the booze. Hell, you could see they had already looted a fortune in diapers." Radio stations still in operation are advising store owners and white people in the affected areas to locate firearms in sporting-goods stores in order to protect themselves against marauding blacks looting gun shops.

We ofttimes say in jest what we mean the most.

Noblesse oblige? Not our president

You know it's serious when sweet little Margaret Carlson gets pissed off.

Oh really? The Bushes have always made fun of Bill Clinton's lip-biting, hands-on governing, but who wouldn't prefer it to this president's upbeat platitudes. Tanned and rested from a vacation so long it would embarrass the French, Bush initially flew over the devastation in Air Force One, promising his prayers on his way someplace else. When he actually arrived in Louisiana a few days later, he reminisced about going to New Orleans "to enjoy myself, occasionally too much," apparently thinking he was at a fundraiser. He topped that in Mississippi: "Out of the rubble of Trent Lott's house ... there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch."

Even to his detractors, the callous, puerile attitude and sheer ineptitude of Bush this past week is shocking. He got off to a slow start on 9/11 but quickly found his bullhorn and Rudy Giuliani. He's got neither here.
To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, we went to New Orleans with the government we have - replete with its Chertoffs, Brownies, Cheneys and assorted other ideologues, cronies and schemers who gorge on patronage, revel in politics and brush off the mundane responsibilities of the offices they hold. They're Big Picture guys who have brought the same management skills to the Gulf states that they brought to that other gulf.

The worrisome question is how much like them are the rest of us? In 2000, even his supporters found Al Gore and his 10-point plans long-winded compared with the affable frat boy rescued from a checkered career by family and connections until he was running the Texas Rangers and then Texas itself. For three years, we watched as Bush created and compounded the tragedy in Iraq, and rehired him anyway. Perhaps now we see that you better treat government with respect. You never know when your life - political and otherwise - might depend on it.

Screw Bush, what worries me is that my life has been put in danger by my fellow citizens who bought into his crap because they're scared of gays and women's choices.

I read somewhere recently that if voting were an IQ test, the nation failed it.

Performance

And no, I'm not talking about Dubya's limp little pecker. DemVet has an excellent essay up:

[. . .]

But all of a sudden we've hit this sort of weird peak. People have been getting bombarded for so long with the concept of performance; corporate performace (work harder!), personal performance (home/life/relationships), familial performance (soccer mom/dad), school (right one/SAT/Med/Law) and it goes on and on. We all go to work and have meet performance expectations, sometimes monthly or half-yearly or certainly yearly. But strangely no one does seem to apply these standards to politicians. Elections occur, and they don't get judged on anything but their ability to perform like trained seals at fundraisers: perform well, get enough cash-stuffed fish to run a campaign until you have so much electoral momentum cycle-to-cycle that it's not even a chore anymore, no one runs against you. Performance is only due for the corporate masters who toss the fish, and sometimes their orders are "do nothing".

[. . .]

September 11th

Fuck all the commemorations and memorial services. Fuck all the rhetoric and the bullshit you'll hear today. All I ask, as a New Yorker who lost friends and neighbors (and nearly my wife) that horrible day, is that you remember. Just remember what this nation was like before this day and how far we've fallen since Osama bin Laden gave George W. Bush the gift from Allah that turned out to be a mandate from the Devil.