"Of all tyrannies,
a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most
oppressive."
- C.S. Lewis
June 30, 2005 - Under a pall of smoke
Yeah, it's still smokin' here in Vegas from a nearby forest fire. Been days since the air has been even remotely healthy - and that's given our normally smoggy conditions.
Been away from awhile and have the "where's the new post" emails to prove it. Work has kept me busy with travelling and training, Leslie & I took a quick mini-vacation to Disneyland for a few days, and plus we've just adopted a dog. That, and I've been so overwhelmed with stories, I didn't know what to pick and choose from.
So, let's dig in.
I've been meaning to pick on Microsoft a bit; and not for the usual knee-jerk "why don't they fix their damn code" reasons. As a company, they have always been a pretty progressive group of people. Too bad they have been rolling over for all kinds of bigoted, authoritarian bastards recently. In April, bowing to so-called religious zealots, the company removed support for an anti-gay discrimination bill in Washington. Earlier this month, MSN China willingly aided the government there by making it impossible for Chinese bloggers to use words like "freedom," "democracy," and "Tianamen" for example. And today, the company plans to buy an spyware company. Screwing your support for expanded civil liberties, kowtowing to a dictatorship, and plotting to infest our PCs with spyware. Oh, and hey, up until last month they were paying Ralph Reed $20,000 a month as a consultant. And this is a fairly liberal company. Good God y'all.
This is the same Ralph Reed who, after helping solidify the nemesis known as the Christian Coalition, went into consulting, just recently pocketing tribal casino money to shut down - surprise - a rival tribal casino. He's now running for office in Georgia. This softball article covers Randall Terry, former Operation Rescue despot and now running for a Florida state senate seat. The article very heavily glosses over the fact that Terry was among the first conservative terrorists, abusing women who went to abortion clinics and doing all but lighting the fuses for the bombs that blew clinics up and loading the bullets into the guns that killed doctors.
And you guys thought that idiot Frist was bad. These fringe rejects are now considered electable by Republicans. And they aren't alone.
More on conservative blacklisting of corporations. You can almost watch our Constitution disappear in front of our eyes.
Bush gave a speech the other night. I'll link to other commentators in a moment, but let's hit the high points. Very few watched. The only applause was staged by White House staffers. And Bush kept trying to tie invading Iraq to 9/11 (which still, in my mind, only justifies invading Afghanistan, where the terrorists trained, and Saudi Arabia, where most of them came from. But we won't be attacking our Saudi "friends" any time soon, will we?). I *almost* feel bad for Scott McClellan trying to justify this particular lie all the time. Almost.
The analysis from HuffingtonPost.com. Arianna Huffington on the Big Lie, plus her Bush speech drinking game and results of it. Sen. Russ Feingold asks for Bush to tell the truth in return for the national support he seeks.
To wrap up: a GQ article on the soldiers who guarded Saddam. Plus another on the best burgers in the US. They have one on separatist religious right types if you want to hit the newsstand. Otherwise, I'll link it once they archive it. Plus, zombie dogs.
June 7, 2005 - For 75¢ a gallon, you can support Bush's slaughter of our troops
Yep, according to Rolling Stone, based on findings from the Council on Foreign Relations, the war in Iraq is costing us seventy-five cents a gallon more than we'd otherwise be paying. Meanwhile oil companies can earn over 40% increases in profits, even as the child-king Bush moves to give energy companies more tax breaks. Meanwhile, our troops are still in harm's way due to this man's egotistical vengeance war.
Hey, it's now illegal to smoke medical marijuana. So sayeth the Supreme Court. The Christian Science Monitor looks more into this, particularly the part where many Americans believe this to be the wrong move. Critics say there "isn't enough evidence" marijuana is a proper medication. But hey, these are the same types of conservatives who condemn science across the board for "lack of proof" but want to teach every child their hateful form of Christianity regardless of their home beliefs - or lack thereof. Besides, are you going to believe a cancer victim finally free of pain or some lab rat yanked out of a GlaxoSmithKline arcology who is speaking on behalf of a multi-billion dollar industry? You know whose word I'm taking to the bank.
I just figured out why conservatives all bark the same hateful talking points. Or at least, one way to explain it all. As the BBC reports, it turns out, according to Swiss and American scientists, there is a chemical called Oxytocin (no, not Oxycontin, Limbaugh's "hillybilly heroin" drug of choice - though there may be a parallel) which creates a very strong sense of trust in people affected by it. So much so that they will believe anything and enter into deals that are harmful to them...like voting for the GOP. Okay, I may have made the last part up. Or did I?
This may also explain why Bush & Cheney only allowed their most vociferous supporters to their rallys last year. If you released oxytocin into the air to make your followers loyal repeaters of lies and untruths, it would be hard for an objective, thinking American to handle the dichotomy that a drug is trying to make you believe something that is patently untrue...not to mention unethical. Just a theory, mind.
News Spotlight on the Evildoers. Rolling Stone tackles the corruption of Tom DeLay. The vile Katherine Harris is planning to run for Senate. She is currently filling the ballot boxes required to win. Disenfranching minority voters takes place in the fall. An idiot at FOXNews says what we already knew: that the network is heavily biased to conservatives. But, it's nice to hear one of the nit-wits actually admit it. This, of course, is the same FOX who is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who published degrading photos of Saddam in his drawers. The White House condemned it, as they should have. Too bad their official media mouthpiece was caught in the middle of their boss playing conservative games with American military lives on the line due to their shenanigans.
One small piece of good news. Bill Clinton is back in the news, and not just the tabloids. The American president the planet wishes was still in office has a not-so-secret wish: to be Secretary General of the UN. It would be the perfect fit in my book, and sooner rather than later. Who better to lead the world against our idiotic tyrant-in-chief than the man who defined the presidency (for, yes, good and ill) in our modern times? Also, it would get rid of Kofi Annan, who confuses anti-Bushism with anti-American loathing and outright hatred.
June 5, 2005 - Denial is not just a river in Egypt (that's the big country in the Northeast of Africa, Mr. Bush)
On the heels of attempting to undermine Amnesty International's report on our holding of "enemy combatants," we - OOPS! - now have proof that the REMFs we choose as prison guards really did violate some copies of the Koran. But, they was jus' joshin'. Boy Howdy.
That's okay though. Good ol' Rummy is out banging the drum trying to scare us all into a war with China. That's right! We're done fighting third-rate Third World dictatorships we helped keep in power even after starving the populace for a decade. Rumsfeld wants a REAL war he and his cronies don't have to actually fight. Um, guys, it's never a distraction when you get soldiers killed. Please remember that.
Then again, if we fight China, where are we going to get all that "I'm a patriot blind to reality" ribbon magnets and sweatshirts?
We call them redneck racists, he calls them his base. More Bush supporters saluting the Confederate flag in Missouri, burning crosses in North Carolina, and enslaving the homeless in Florida. Also in Florida, mandated Bible readings for public school students. And bible studies in Texas schools. Not as history, but as bible studies. Other Red States just flat out refuse to teach evolution in particular, and fail at teaching science at all.
A critique of Bush. If anything else, a reminder of how bad he's screwed us.
The BBC focuses on our changing Earth, thanks to analysis of satellite images. Need proof of global warming? Ask the Russians where their lakes are disappearing to. The Japanese are already ahead of the game and are pushing a nation-wide initiative to conserve electricity and fuel by using modern technology.
Just for fun. I recently finished building a new computer. It's very nice, don't get me wrong. But this is pretty damn cool too. Don't forget to laugh, it'll help you lose weight.
I'm off to Iowa for the week. I'll post if I can.
June 2, 2005 - Hypocrisy up in arms
There has been a rash of stories about BushCo© being angry about certain rude things being said about them. They are OFFENDED about Amnesty International comparing our terrorist detention facilities to Soviet gulags, and Bush himself calls the report ABSURD.
All this is pretty well documented stuff. And let's face it, a policy of shaming and humiliating even vile terrorist freaks by making them pile up like nude, hairy cheerleaders being led by the throat by a piece of West Virginia trailer trash following orders from (at least) Rumsfeld on down does look unseemly. So is flushing Korans down the toilet. Not to mention making the architect of the torture plan the Attorney General. Come on guys, you were ASKING for this.
They chastise Russia for basically railroading the head of the corrupt Yukos oil conglomerate to a nine year prison sentence. This was done, by everyone's admission other than Putin, for political revenge. But then again, so was our invasion of Iraq. If we are calling this case an "eroding of Russia's reputation," then what the heck do we call our blatantly illegal move? Not to mention our legal system isn't so clean. The Supreme Court has overturned and basically absolved Arthur Anderson in it's shred-and-forget accounting of Enron's famous dubious practices.
That, kids, is the pot calling the kettle black.
Meanwhile, Bush is reminding Hosni Mubarak to hold fair elections in Egypt later this year. Um, yeah, this IS the "Do as I say, not as I do" administration. I can see a Diebold Cairo office opening up shop any day now. On the heels of this is "Poppy" Bush endorsing Jeb Bush for president...but, you know, not like RIGHT NOW or anything. You know, in Mexico, this choosing of successors thing led to a 70+ year pseudo-dictatorship. We should, and this is just a thought, perhaps not let that happen here in the U.S.
Then again, how much of America is left? While letting his pals have jobs they aren't qualified for, and letting rich corporations get filthy, unaccountably (yeah, that's a pun) rich at his largesse, Bush hasn't forgotten to turn America into GeorgeWBushAmerica™, a subsidiary arm of the Christian Coalition.
A few more examples. Speaking of activist judges, an Indiana judge has banned the parents of a boy from teaching him their Wiccan beliefs. I imagine you'll see that idiot on a short list for federal judges by Christmas. Mary Kay has been strong-armed into no longer advertising during Desperate Housewives.
The government is trying to force ISPs to turn over customer data in the interests of "fighting terrorism." You know, because a.) your dial-up may be used to send an Al-Qaeda attack order, and b.) really smart terrorists would actually put their correct and precise name and contact info where it could easily be found.
And, oh yeah, allowing the idiots at the RIAA and MPAA act like Nazi stormtroopers (not to mention basically working for them) doesn't seem to be doing the job. Now the government is alleging bootleg DVD purchasers are terrorist accomplices. Hey, Jimmy in Cedar Rapids, you're going to Guantanamo over that download of Kingdom of Heaven. Shoulda picked a better movie at least, ace.
Then of course, we are being locked out of our federal buildings. Um, you know, it was a Republican who coined the "Of the People, By the People, For the People" thing. Might want to remember that.
Oh, and airport screeners with X-Ray vision.
With a goal towards some humor, we finish with Rumsfeld's Kung-Fu that is stronger than your's.
May 7, 2005 - As Americans, we don't even rate a reach-around
I have debated all week as to whether or not to post this pic and say something about it. Well, now you know the answer.
Making nice with the Saudis doesn't save American lives.
It is stunning that a guy who basically runs a country based on religious repression and the absolute stripping of women's rights (yes, I'm talking about Abdullah) can get a stroll with Bush hand in hand. Not to mention a place that's done very, very little to account for the fact that most of the 9/11 terrorists came from right in his backyard. But hey, they're our allies! With allies like this, I counter, who the hell needs an enemy?
Then again, if you're Bush, you will ban Kerry supporters from a government panel on telecommunications (yeah, THAT'S a partisan topic) and then invite a terror suspect to dinner at the White House.
The FBI even gives the bin Laden family more rights than the average Middle-Eastern descended American citizen trying to board a plane.
Ah well, this was also a week where Wonkette released the updated Bush Twins Unemployment Index. Always good for a chuckle.
What else? Oh, repression across the board, starting with Democrats being excommunicated from their own church in North Carolina. The preacher now says its a "misunderstanding" though refuses to apologize for being a politicized ass. Then again, why should he? The Air Force Academy is just asintolerant; as are most Congressional GOP leaders. And of course, our government is very pro-religious, but only if you are Christian. Then, you're screwed.
And its not just religion. The Secret Service decided it wanted to know the race of people attending a White House dinner. Um, what? Of course, Denny's never let laws stop them from being racist. Nor Sodexho apparently.
Speaking of racists, John Rocker is back trying to pitch again, and not doing so well in the minor leagues. In New York state. He's got balls; I'll give him that. But not exactly good fan relations.
Then again, speaking of hypocrites, you have Bush planting a tree at the White House for Arbor Day; then waiting six days before letting lumber companies chop down the remaining 2/3rds of old growth forest we have left. Some environmentalist.
Texas. So worried about their citizen's quality of life they are refusing to name a road going around Austin after Willie Nelson; on purely political grounds. Of course it gets worse: now Texas is banning "suggestive" cheerleading performances. Whatever the hell that means. Plus, besides plotting to eradicate pep rallies, they are adding Bible classes. Wait, isn't that what CHURCH is for?
In other school news, a high school band in Michigan is now forbidden from playing "Louie, Louie," though administrators can't exactly say why. Maryland schools are working to ban sex-ed again. And an Ohio student who received a call from his mother serving in Iraq is suspended for 10 days. Friggin geniuses in charge of our kid's education.
Now onto fun stuff. As you may know, I'm a Star Wars nut (even part of an online club) and am eagerly awaiting the release of Revenge of the Sith. So, now in preparation for the big movie, I provide you stories about the movie and George Lucas, links to reviews from uber-fan Kevin Smith and many, many others. In addition, links to Darth Vader's blog (very funny) and a parody called "A Lost Hope." Enjoy.
April 27, 2005 - Run, little man, run
Bush went into his hidey hole today on suspicion a plane might be near the White House. Seriously, does this guy plan to ever stand in the face of adversity?
Time recovers from its flirtation with Bush love and its associated hatemongers by making us all admit that, yes, inflation is back thanks to the GOP.
Hey, how's this for "moral values"? Minnesota - and other liberal states - provide better health insurance coverage for their citizens, and yes, even the ones with jobs you fascisti punks, than places like Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. GOP stalwarts, you can sloganize all you want; but the facts are not on your side.
Food news. Dieting costs this country about $46 billion a year. Meanwhile, the government is overhyping the claims of the medical costs of obesity. In related news, the "white is right" crowd that scares people to assimilate to a bland "American" diet (not to mention language, culture, Bush worship, etc.) is creating health concerns among Latinos. Perhaps we need a little more menudo in the chicken noodle soup that the bigots in charge of our of country have put in the melting pot.
On the subject of racist food practices, on the heels of Dairy Queen's horrific MooLatte concept, some Swedes have created an ice cream confection called Nooger Black.
Tech news and the social side of it. Congress, in league with the movie industry, is making it so that you can do more prison time for copying a pre-release movie than for manslaughter. The MPAA is also crossing the legal lines by paying off NYPD officers for diverting their attention from, say, murderers, drug lords, and hardened criminals in return for busting guys selling bootleg movies. The RIAA just simply went to outright extortion to punish suspected (that's right, not even proven) music downloaders. Look, irregardless of the propaganda, in the end its not even theft, its improper use of intellectual property. You don't go to jail over a damaged library book. And yes, it IS that simple.
Spoor-in-human-form Rick Santorum is being paid off by so many people he probably can't see reality without a high-powered telescope. Which might explain why he's advocating making it illegal for the National Weather Service to release weather information for free. I mean, seriously, is The Weather Channel SO in danger of financial failure that I can't find out the weather without a freaking Flash ad in my face? How long until I get fined for poking my head out the window expressly to find out if I need a jacket today?
MSNBC covers the end of analog TV, slated for late next year. Get ready to relegate your TV to the game room.
Some good news for a change. The government is rethinking putting RFID chips in passports, as noted here awhile back. They won't do away with them, but at least some security measures are being considered. That's saying a lot for a government run by lobbyists and glad-handed jerks to even pretend to worry about private citizen security. Now, can we find out what Cheney and the oil boys talked about during those energy talks a few years ago? Or how about Bush's free pass to quit the military 8 months early? No?
Also, a federal judge in North Carolina has ruled that universities can ignore the Gestapo tactics of the RIAA, saying essentially that privacy issues outweigh corporate bullying. Frist and DeLay will likely label the guy an activist judge and have him shipped to Guantanamo by tomorrow morning, but at least one branch of the government still (ocassionally) knows the Constitution isn't asswipe.
April 20, 2005 - Get 'em while they still link
Sorry about being away for so long but my last project was out in the sticks. Nice place to visit, but horrible to update page changes on a (at best) spotty 26.4 k connection. So, I have somed stories to pass along, but not sure how long you'll still be able to read them.
In any case, allow me to throw down some links pinpointing our nation's ruling class of bigoted idiots. West Virginia has decided to make English the state's official language. At first, I was offended. Then I thought about it. The Iraq war has been plagued with dumb West Virginians. First, there was Jessica Lynch, who allowed the Bushites to pimp her out as some white-bread rape victims of the "savage" Arabs fighting our troops. First, she wasn't raped; second, they didn't parade around Shoshanna Johnson in a similar manner because (let's be honest) Republicans don't give a rat's ass if one of our black soldiers is sexually assaulted. Then we have Charles Graner and the 372nd Military Torture Team composed of many West Virginia residents such as Lynndie England. When he wasn't screwing half his squad, this Pennsylvanian idiot was assisting WV's finest in stacking naked men atop each other and making a mockery of our country in the process.
So yeah, maybe learning English will help these poor bastards learn about civil rights and decency and how not to look like an idiot in the eyes of the world.
In other language news, Schwarzenegger is still trying to extract his foot from his mouth after saying we should close California's border with Mexico. Yeah, do we call that a "language malfunction" now? Seriously, how long have you been in this country dude?
Here's a Democratic governor who knows how to work his state's image instead of sully it. Though, granted, being overrun by cats isn't the same as dealing with the social issues illegal immigration brings.
The they-have-to-be-Klan-affiliated "Minuteman Project" is folding up shop and moving to D.C. to further obstruct the Constitution. As you may recall, this group of "concerned citizens" have been camping along our southern border and calling in sighting of anyone who might plausibly be an illegal alien. Which, to these rednecks, would be anyone with a tan. You want an example of the ilk that joins this rabble? How about this guy, who forced an illegal to take a picture with him and wear a humiliating t-shirt in return for some water? Yes, George Bush, this too is your base.
Since the government is allowing racists to track down illegals, rabbis are having to resort to fighting Nazis on their own.
Another episode of Texans Against Gays. Look, you don't have to like how people live, you just have to give them civil rights. I, personally, don't like to think that many GOP stalwarts tug one out over a picture of W in a flight suit, but I'm not going to advocate outlawing the act not take away their civil rights over the ordeal.
Congress is, surprisingly, trying to deal with pharmacists who refuse to prescribe drugs they don't like...as in birth control for the most part. Best of luck to them. Meanwhile, they are forced to stand by as Bush cuts funds to anti-drug abuse programs to pay for tax cuts on the wealthy and wars on random countries with brown people in them. Yes, I've been thinking about that Carlin skit lately.
Molly Ivins on the tax code and our role at the bottom of it.
Random news and scorn for Bill Frist, that asshat Tom Delay, and this false notion that only liberals are "activist judges."
And now, guess the man who made the following quote:
"There's no such thing as the United Nations. If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference."
That would be Bush's nominee to the United Nations, John Bolton. Like when he puts industry leaders in charge of government agencies that regulate industries, Bush wants to put a UN hater to be our voice at the UN. Basically, to extend this logic, this is akin to making a serial rapist the head of NOW, or a Nazi chief of the Wiesenthal Center, or maybe David Duke the head of the NAACP. Why the hell do we put up with this crap?
Then again, there's Condoleeza Rice telling the UN to "reform or die." Wait, isn't she supposed to be a diplomat now?
You know, I was going to start resubscribing to Time until I looked at this week's cover. The magazine has jumped on board the Bush love (honey) wagon and has done a fluff article on that wench Ann Coulter. I won't link you to the actual story but to this and another review and analysis on both the absurdity of the idea and the holes in the story.
April 5, 2005 - See you Space Cowboy....
Had to interject a Cowboy Bebop reference there. Still on non-rant mode, except for the Message Board (link up there on the right for ya). Tom came by and visited and Leslie & I had a good time taking him to some familiar hangouts (Shark Reef, Hofbrauhaus, the Orleans and Luxor, and restaurants like Lindo Michoachan and Jamms) as well as some new experiences (UNLV baseball game, a Crossfade concert, and the shooting range at The Gun Store).
Thanks to him for putting up with us as we tried to figure out what to show him next. And just one shot for all of you of what we were up to while he was here; namely having drinks and talking with people. This person here would be our waitress Jenna at the Hofbrauhaus:
Also, big thanks to Tom to giving us a chance to show him our town and for using our place as a stop to relax, rest us, and figure out his next moves. Thanks for the small view into his life over the past year, both good and bad.
In any case, I'm out of town for the next couple weeks. We'll see what kind of connection I get from the road. Have a good one.
April 1, 2005 - Fun and games
Well, Tom is flying in today and staying through Tuesday so that should be a lot of fun. Let's see how he likes our little oasis of hedonism in the desert. Though, granted, my tour of it will probably be a little more sedate.
In any case, taking a break from pointing out the bigots, sellouts, hypocrites and general self-righteous fearmongers who try to destroy our private lives to point out some fun stuff on the web.
Being April Fool's Day, you can usually expect some people to do some web-based trickery. Most of these were discovered while some of the folks in the VE (the Star Wars club I'm in) went searching for oddball pranks. We start with:
- Google Gulp - seeing as they are involved in almost everything else, this almost seems plausible.
- Wikipedia - the Net's famous free encyclopedia offers the possibility that Britannica takes them over in a hostile fashion. Take the time to check out their "new" staff list.
- Maxim's "Girlfriend of the Day" - Every workday Maxim does a write up on a cute singer/actress/model and offers a couple pictures. Today's version is downright frightening (link will go to a new person on Monday and person of note will disappear from list in five days so go now for the shock value).
- LookItsMe.com - This English dating site gets a radical makeover for AFD.
Please send any others you find and if they're really good, I'll add them to the list.
Some follow-up articles:
- Steve Jobs and his supposed hiring at IKEA.
- Scientific American Magazine gives up in the face of Bush-driven Dark Ages ethos (sorry, don't a subscription to read the whole thing).
- A computer virus that spreads to humans.
- A new product for the IPod called the IPotty.
- More products from ThinkGeek, including the ICopulate, USB-powered "Fundue," and Executive Pong. There was also SnoozAlert, which I wish actually existed.
- Tokyo's Ueno Zoo unveiled its giant penguin.
- NASA released proof of water on Mars.
Not sure how long any of these links will last. Enjoy while you can.
