Ah yes...the ancient religion of Islam has a very credible new spokesman...GERMAINE JACKSON!

Ugh....

MANAMA, Bahrain (Reuters) - Pop star Michael Jackson's brother, Jermaine, in the Gulf to promote understanding between Muslims and his fellow Americans, said Tuesday that Muslims are "the new Negroes in America." Jermaine, a convert to Islam and dressed in white Arab garb, has been speaking about Islam and U.S. "adventures" in Iraq to enthusiastic audiences at Koranic centers and universities in the Gulf Arab state of Bahrain. "I think Muslims have become the new Negroes in America. They are being mistreated at airports, by the Immigration -- everywhere," he said. Jermaine, also a singer, told Reuters in an interview: "I do not agree with the U.S. government. What they are saying about Muslims and Arabs is all propaganda and brainwashing." "I don't think it is right for us to go to someone else's country and tell them what to do and how to do it," said Jermaine, who is a guest of the royal court in the pro-Western kingdom, which hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. He disapproved of Muslim extremism, which has been on the rise in the wake of the U.S. occupation of Iraq last year. "I understand their feelings but do not approve of their methods. Islam is a religion of peace. They are wrong," he said.

Can you imagine...a washed up one-hit pony making these pronouncements? I guess blowing up police stations, oppressing women is a good thing for good ol' Jermaine. And I guess killing 3000 Americans is OK too....

I swear...the Jackson family is quickly going to be branded the "Munster" family along with the Osborne (Ozzy and company) -- America's own 21st century "Addams Family."

MIAMI - Democrat John Kerry on Sunday accused President Bush of being "stunningly ineffective" at foreign policy and stuck by his argument that the war against terrorism isn't primarily a military struggle.

Kerry, in a wide-ranging interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," also stood by his promise to create 10 million jobs and halve the deficit in his first term if elected, though he conceded that soaring red ink could squeeze some proposals.

The Massachusetts senator and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee pressed his argument that Bush, the Republican incumbent, went about the Iraq war in a way that has left the United States and its troops shouldering too much of the burden. He said he would build an international alliance to share the responsibility for rebuilding Iraq.

Blab...blab...blab....
Blab...blab...blab....
Blab...blab...blab....

I can see that the Presidential race is going to be between "dumb" and "dumber."...with the honor going back and forth between Pres. Bush and Sen. Kerry.

And so how is Sen. Kerry going to create 10 million jobs when American companies are now more and more outsourcing their customer service and manufacturing work? And I guess that 37 countries now being a part of the coalition in Iraq is not an international alliance.

Kerry wants to bring the "U.S. back into the United Nations." What in the hell has the UN done except be a bloated bureaucracy that can't even agree on how to tie a shoe lace. Everybody likes to gloat about the United Nations and talk-the-nicey-talk how important of an organization it is in order to preserve world peace.... I guess we're not going to talk about the slaughter of white farmers in Zimbabwe, "disappearing" children in Brazil (actually being shot and killed by the police), the increasingly faster destruction of the rainforests in the Amazon region, the list goes on. And what about the continued slavery of women and children in Africa? What about the sexual mutilation of women in Africa which runs rampant in the 21st century? The League of Nations watched with its finger up its collective nose as the Soviet Union gobbled up the Baltic States and engaged in the genocide of the Baltic peoples during World War II. The United Nations is no different.

The time has come for the US to GET OUT of the UN and pass back the tax savings back to the American workers who are continually having to skimp and sacrifice to pay their taxes just to be wasted and wasted.

At the beginning of his campaign I was a major supporter of Sen. Kerry. Now I see he is just another tax-and-spend Democrat who will say whatever to whatever crowd might be listening to him. I also understand why they call politics the world's second oldest profession....not far away from the world's oldest profession...prostitution!

Yahoo! News - Front Page

I am now supporting wholeheartedly President Bush after seeing the press conference tonight. I have not heard ANYTHING of substance from Sen. Kerrey...and believe me I have really sought it out... Only thing Kerrey can do it BITCH, BITCH, BITCH.... That's not substantive.

Let me use the analogy of a President/CEO of a major corporation...and the citizens of the US are the stockholders. We have a choice every four years to elect a new President/CEO. As a stockholder I want to know when considering a new President/CEO....

• What will he do differently?
• What is his vision? How will he achieve that vision?
• How much is that vision going to cost?

I'm neither a Republican or Democrat, but through everything else, all I know is that we have to stay the course. Personally, I want us to drop the BIGGEST, LOUDEST bomb on Iraq to send a message to the inhabitants that we as a country aren't going to take any crap. We lost 3000 citizens...unlike any other country in the world....just because of the fanatical Muslims and their fantasies of an all-Muslim world....where NOBODY has rights...

It's all very nice to be diplomatic...Neville Chamberlain was "very diplomatic" and a result ended up with the blood of six million Jews on his hands. Then you have Mr. Know-It-All so smart former peanut farmer Jimmy Carter with his anti-semitic anti-Israel statements, complaining that the US is supporting the State of Isreal to much...and not on the side of a "balanced" peace process. What in the hell have the Palestinians done to deserve independence with their suicide bombers...and Palestinians bearing children so they can be future suicide bombers on behalf of Hamas? As far as I'm concerned, Palestine needs to DESERVE Palestinians and prove to the world that they are not a bunch of numb-skull rock throwing lemmings following a policy of hate and terrorism.

President Bush has made mistakes....like any other President/CEO of a major corporation. If Sen. Kerrey is elected, do I have the right to be so blindly rabid when things don't look so bright?

This is the ONLY way to deal with these creeps...and show who is boss...just as the US showed who is boss in World War II. Unfortunately for these people, force majeur is the only way they will understand that their ways are not acceptable, and should show Iran NOT to meddle in the affairs of other countries.

I really want to hear if Sen. Kerry has the mettle beyond the reputation of the Democrats in handling issues of national security. These were not the words of Ivars...but of DEMOCRATIC New York City mayor, Ed Koch....who has endorsed President Bush.

(AP) "As a tenuous cease-fire held in the Sunni city of Fallujah, a radical Shiite cleric was on the retreat Monday, pulling his militiamen out of parts of the holy city of Najaf in hopes of averting a U.S. assault. Still, a U.S. commander said the American mission remained to 'kill or capture' the cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr. "

Dictionary.com/Troglodyte: "Troglodyte.
trog•lo•dyte

(noun )

1.
(a) A member of a fabulous or prehistoric race of people that lived in caves, dens, or holes.
(b) A person considered to be reclusive, reactionary, out of date, or brutish.

2.
(a) An anthropoid ape, such as a gorilla or chimpanzee.
(b) An animal that lives underground, as an ant or a worm.



[From Latin Trglodytae, a people said to be cave dwellers, from Greek Trglodutai, alteration (influenced by trgl, hole, and -dutai, those who enter), of Trgodutai.]

troglo�dytic (-dtk) or troglo�dyti�cal (--kl) adj."

AN OPEN LETTER TO EDWARD E. WHITACRE, JR., CEO OF SBC COMMUNICATIONS.

175 East Houston
San Antonio, TX 78205-2233
Tel: 210-824-4105
Fax: 210-351-2071
Stock Symbol: SBC


To: Edward E. Whitacre Jr., CEO
From: ibezdechi@sbcglobal.net
Subject: PLANETFEEDBACK REFERENCE NUMBER 2150066
/OUTSOURCING OF SBC NEW MEDIA CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Dear Mr. Whitacre,

The world thrives on communication today, which is why I'm so upset with the customer service at SBC Communications Inc., a situation that's very frustrating. Quite honestly, I'm annoyed with this issue. Just for the record, here's my telephone information: (619) XXX-XXXX.

I attempted to communicate a problem with my SBC DSL service to the appropriate customer phone number. When I was connected I immediately realized that he call was being outsourced overseas to which seemed to be India. The person answering the phone didn't understand me, nor could I understand him with his very thick accent and very awkward verbal rhythm. For the amount of money which I'm paying for my DSL service, I should be able to communicate with American customer service technicians who have a clear understanding of my service trouble, and who have the verbal means to effectively communicate with me. (This all started when my DSL connection is interuppted everytime a call comes in on that line.)

I've been rather satisfied with my DSL service in the past and the excellent customer service provided by Americans employed by SBC without foreign accents. But given the nature of this problem, I'll probably take my business elsewhere from now on if I'm able to get better broadband Internet service with another company. Here in San Diego, SBC is not the only broadband Internet provider and I guess you realize that with all of your constant television advertising. And as someone who is often asked about my experience with different companies and services as an opinion leader, I'll probably tell other people about my negative experience so they can avoid it in the future.

Here's what I'd like to see happen: First, and foremost, you owe your subscribers way better customer service with individuals who truly care and are capable of clear communication and not gibberish. If you are going to degrade the level of customer service, you should then reduce the price of the DSL service.

Ethically, outsourcing customer service to other countries and putting Americans out of work is wrong. Of course, in this day of ENRON and other corporate scandals of gargantuan size, American business and ethics have become oxymorons.

I hope you get back to me soon. In this age of modern communication, seemingly simple things should not go unresolved. I know I won't bring down SBC Communications with my opinion, but I am posting this communication on my personal website's "blog" ("Evarhz Says") at www.ivarsonline.com

/s/
Ivars Bezdechi

That's a good one...a statement from a country that STILL refuses to recognize the sovereignty of the independent democratic republics of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania after 12 years of independence....and continues to threaten and bully the Baltics.

Can we say a very loud, collective, "SHUT UP and MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!!"

And of course, good ol' peanut brain Jimmy Carter (the most inept President of the 20th century) wants us to nuzzle up to these international criminals. As for you, President Carter, go back to building your houses for poor people...and be sure not to hit your finger with a hammer.


RosBusinessConsulting - News Online: "RBC, 09.04.2004, Moscow 18:56:12.Russia calls for ceasing fighting in Iraq, Russian Foreign Ministry declared in its published release. We should prevent an imminent humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq and further escalation of violence. Many people died in recent fighting. The humanitarian situation has substantially worsened.
According to Resolution 1483, adopted by the UN Security Council, the US-led occupation forces should comply with international humanitarian law, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported. "

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - President Bush said Monday he is committed to the June 30 deadline for transferring power in Iraq and will not be deterred by violence and an armed Shiite revolt against the U.S.-led occupation.
'The deadline remains firm,' Bush told reporters. "

Pres. Bush...you do remain committed to that deadline because, (a) you don't want to have any more disasters in Iraq for which you want to be held accountable for before the election; (b) You know the voters have short memories and this way you have one less thing to worry about, potentially; (c) It is because of political ego.

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > World -- Latvia bringing its language problem into the European Union

What a sob piece... Makes me so sick to my stomach....

As the piece indicates, the best thing about Latvia joining the EU will be for the Russian occupiers to have an easier way on getting out of Latvia and back to the vast expanse of the motherland.

It is so sad that the Russians have no self-esteem and apparently think they are so dum that they can't learn Latvian. NEVER MIND that when the Russians occupied Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania that the native Latvians (and Estonians and Lithuanians) IMMEDIATELY had to speak Russian.

Good riddens...and goodbye!

I'm coming to the conclusion that I can neither vote in November for "Shrub" or "Kerry's Not So Very." They say the same things, but in different ways.

Iraq, with all of its good intentions, is becoming another Viet Nam... Although an Iraqi citizen who I sometimes chat with over the Internet says that things now are definitely getting better, I keep feeling that we are pursuing the situation without a clear plan. The purpose is clear. But how we are going to achieve that purpose is another question.

The economy IS getting better, and apparently joblessness is being reduced. At the same time, while we are adding jobs, jobs are being lost to outsourcing to India and other third world countries, not to mention that one keeps hearing that manufacturing and production is still hightailing out of the United States.

We need leadership. I think that neither "Shrub" or "Kerry's Not So Very" is not up to the task.

I'm at a total loss.

I simply don't understand the frenzy and hysteria amongst some people against Pres. Bush amongst the RABs (Rabid Against Bush). One T-shirt I recently saw had "BUllSHit" emblazoned on it. He showed real leadership after 911...didn't play under the skirt of an intern...has brought stable leadership after 8 years of scandals du jour under Billy and Billary.... Several acquaintances short-of-breathlessly say they are ready to escape to Canada if Pres. Bush wins another term in office.

One sees John Kerry moaning and droaning on and on about his Viet Nam action, has flip-flopped on so many issues in whatever direction the wind blows...and whose position on so many issues is no different than his opponent. They are both against "gay" marriage -- in my opinion -- a real tempest in a teapot in terms of national issues. (Of course, I have sometimes felt just as passionate seeing the idiotic sham marriages in San Francisco.)

I guess some people are so gullible to the ramblings of the Hollywood political heavyhitters as non-actors Leonardo DiCapiro and Ben Affleck, ego extraordinaire Barbra Streisand, and other lightweights of educated American opinion, and are incapable of thinking on their own.

My question is this: How do the most ardent anti-Bush bashers know that their candidate won't be making missteps? Will I have the honor to complain about their man in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue after three-or-four yours? Nobody is perfect.

"Ivars, looks like someone just gave you an enema with broken glass"

Dictionary.com/bloviate:

Bloviate

intr.v. Slang blo-vi-at-ed, blo-vi-at-ing, blo-vi-ates

To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner: "the rural Babbitt who bloviates about progress and growth (George Rebeck). "

John Kerry has spoken about mounting a civil campaign, but at this point I just wonder if he is capable of doing anything but attacking the President. Sen. Kerry, WHAT would YOU do? That's a lot harder question to answer. I'm not an ardent Bush supporter, but as I look at both candidates, I'm not sure if we'd be doing or having anything different by going for our own regime change.

What is YOUR vision, Mr. Kerry? Sorry to say, but so far your "vision" seems to be more like "hindsight." And hindsight is always 20/20.


KANSAS CITY, Mo. - John Kerry said Saturday the White House is committing character assassination with its treatment of former counterterror chief Richard Clarke to avoid responding to questions about national security. Kerry also said Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), President Bush (news - web sites)'s national security adviser, should testify in public before the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

"If Condoleezza Rice can find time to do `60 Minutes' on television before the American people, she ought to find 60 minutes to speak to the commission under oath," Kerry told reporters. "We're talking about the security of our country."

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Being bitch slapped by Richard Simmons....YUCK!

Fitness Guru Simmons Cited for Slapping Fighter

"PHOENIX (Reuters) - Flamboyant fitness guru Richard Simmons was cited by authorities for allegedly slapping a 255-pound Harley-Davidson salesman who was poking fun at his exercise videos at an airport, police said on Thursday. Simmons, 54, famous for his frizzy hair, glittery tank tops and exuberant demeanor, was ticketed for misdemeanor assault after allegedly striking the man across the face while in line at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Wednesday night, police said.
The confrontation occurred when the man, identified as Chris Farney, 23, recognized Simmons as the celebrity trainer was signing autographs and posing for pictures, police said.
'He (Farney) apparently said, 'Hey everybody, it's Richard Simmons. Let's drop our bags and rock to the '50s,'' said Sgt. Lauri Williams in a reference to Simmons' well-known series of 'Sweatin' to the Oldies' exercise videos. 'Mr. Simmons took offense and said he had to 'bitch slap' him.'
According to the police report, Farney said Simmons told him, 'It's not nice to make fun of people with issues' before slapping him on the left side of the face. Stunned, Farney walked away for a moment before contacting authorities.
Police described Farney as a 6-foot-1-inch sales representative for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company who weighs 255 pounds and has competed in the spectator sport of cage fighting -- otherwise known as mixed martial arts.
He told officers he had no intention of hitting Simmons, who stands 5 feet 4 inches tall, because he 'knew that he was much more powerful than Simmons.'
Nevertheless, Farney told police he wanted to press charges"

I guess telling fibs about having received numerous calls from foreign leaders saying that they support him doesn't count. And I think having a terrorist country that tortures its people and rules with terror doesn't count either.


Kerry Says U.S. Deserves Truthful Leader

"WASHINGTON - John Kerry (news - web sites) said the country deserves leadership that 'tells the truth' as he took over the mantle of the Democratic Party at a unity dinner Thursday with Presidents Clinton and Carter and most of his former foes. "
"Above all, this country of ours which we love deserves leadership that faces the truth and tells the truth," Kerry said, "that trusts the American people and knows that when we live up to our values, the United States of America never goes to war because it wants to, we only go to war because we have to."

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - The militant group Hamas backed off its initial threats against the United States, saying Wednesday that it would focus on attacking Israel — and try to kill Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) — in retaliation for the assassination of its founder in an Israeli missile strike.

Can we talk bombing Hamas into smithereens like we bombed Libya into oblivion? Afghanistan? Baghad? Go ahead...make our day....

DON'T FENCE ME IN
(Cole Porter)

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love,
Don't fence me in.
Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze,
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees,
Send me off forever but I ask you please,
Don't fence me in.

Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the western skies.
On my Cayuse, let me wander over yonder
Till I see the mountains rise.

I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences
And gaze at the moon till I lose my senses
And I can't look at hovels and I can't stand fences
Don't fence me in.

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love,
Don't fence me in.
Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me off forever but I ask you please,
Don't fence me in

Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the western skies
On my Cayuse, let me wander over yonder
Till I see the mountains rise.
Ba boo ba ba boo.

I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences
And gaze at the moon till I lose my senses
And I can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences
Don't fence me in.
No.
Poppa, don't you fence me in"

Now I'm mad....

Some of my friends will take the excuse that "they don't watch TV or follow politics" (they should...it is about their pocketbook), but hearing about these anti-American, anti-war demonstrations really gets to me...just like the protests by the parents of soldiers killed in combat walking in silence with drawn faces and moaning and whining about the death of their kid in war. NOBODY ASKED THEIR KIDS TO JOIN THE MILITARY... The stark reality is that the military is about killing people and blowing things up. Soldiers get killed in conflicts. It happens in 2004. It happened 2000 years ago. Yet these people look for the nearest TV camera for the 15 seconds of fame and go on whining and sobbing. And of course, the TV folks love it because it is dramatics cloaked as news.

Hey folks, the military is not Club Med.

So today on the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, why aren't these same boobs protesting against the liberation of 6 million Jews United States and its allies during World War II....and against the liberation of Europe from this tyrant called Adolf Hitler? Huh? I want to hear somebody give me a good reason based on FACTS not HYSTERIA. These boobs have never lost a family member because they were of an ethnicity and profession (my grandfather was killed in a Russian-run prison/concnetration camp in East Germany; my mother, aunt and grandmother fled from the Russian occupation of Latvia. My dad he was put in jail in Belgium by the Nazis and my grandfather since World War I always managed to be enslaved in a prison factory as Jews were easy targets and to be blamed for all of the world's miseries.) World War II British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's predecessor, Sir Neville Chamberlain pursued a pacificist policy with Adolf Hitler and ended up with the blood of six million Jews on his hands while he negotiated, negotiated, negotiated and signed useless and valueless agreements. And what about the 3000 Americans killed with the bombing of the World Trade Center... Remember that? Did these people have a choice? It would seem that poet George Santayana's almost worn out words about those refusing to learn from the past are destined to repeat the mistakes of history are coming to roost once again.

Don't get me wrong....WAR IS HORRIBLE. Innocent people get killed. But that's life. The biggest boob of them all, former Pres. Jimmy Carter said it himself many years ago... "life isn't always fair." NOBODY in their right mind wants war. But it is a part of human nature and man's innate need to dominate other men (and women and others). Just see the effect that religion has on some people.

While I'm bothered by President Bush's confused and untidy foreign policy in dealing with terrorism, Americans and others need to figure out that we are in a full-fledged war against radical fundamentalists who want to inflict THEIR doctrines and whacked out philosophies on us. We were at war as early as the bombing of the Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland by Libya in the arly 1980s. The people who we are fighting against are those who don't give a rat's ass about women's rights, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, etc., etc. I'd love to see what the National Organization Of Women would say if women this country were FORCED to wear chadors or burhkas as the Islamic terrorists imposed on the women in Afghanistan, and if women were denied to the right to education and freedom of thought and assembly as they were in Afghanistan and Iraq under the tyrannical regimes.

Whew...I feel better...

Back to your regularly scheduled programming....


Major Protests Mark Iraq War Anniversary
"NEW YORK - Hundreds of thousands of people around the world rallied against the U.S. presence in Iraq (news - web sites) on the first anniversary of the war Saturday, in protests that retained the anger, if not the size, of demonstrations held before the invasion began.
Protesters filled more than a dozen police-lined blocks in Manhattan, calling on President Bush (news - web sites) to bring home U.S. troops serving in Iraq. Mayor Michael Bloomberg estimated the crowd at about 30,000, but organizers said later that number had grown to more than 100,000.
'It is time to bring our children home and declare this war was unnecessary,' said the Rev. Herbert Daughtry, a New York activist addressing a rally in Manhattan. The roughly 250 anti-war protests scheduled around the country by United for Peace and Justice ranged from solemn to brash. "

Mr. Kerry....you are such Presidential material! You are so classy...so...so..eloquent in your utterances...

C'mon you RABs (Rabid Against Bush)...you think this guy is any smarter than good ol' GW? At this point, I would beg to differ.

KERRY CALLED SECRET SERVICE AGENT 'SON OF A B*TCH' AFTER SLOPE SPILL

(AP) Dem presidential candidate John Kerry called his secret service agent a 'son of a bitch' after the agent inadvertently moved into his path during a ski mishap in Idaho, sending Kerry falling into the snow.

When asked a moment later about the incident by a reporter on the ski run, Kerry said sharply, 'I don't fall down,' the 'son of a b*itch knocked me over.' The Secret Service agent in question has complained about Kerry's treatment, top sources tell the Associated Press. Last month, Kerry began receiving Secret Service protection.

'Obviously, the complications and burden of being monitored 24-hours a day is not just an a simple inconvenience,' a government source explained Friday. 'But Senator Kerry should understand agents are working for his safety and well-being.'

On Friday, Kerry, his snowboard strapped to his back, hiked past 9,000 feet on Durrance Peak, then snowboarded down the mountain, taking repeated tumbles. Reporters counted six falls, although Kerry was out of sight for part of the descent. "

This is why religion is bad.... Religion whether it is practiced by some Bible-thumpin' right winger in Tennessee or an Arab fundamentalist in the middle east is no different.

MANAMA (Reuters) - Some 100 Bahraini Islamists shouting "God is Greatest" stormed a French restaurant serving alcohol in the pro-Western Gulf Arab state and threatened diners with knives, witnesses said on Thursday. One diner managed to wrest a knife away from the Islamists and stabbed one with it, causing him severe injuries, a witness said. They said the assailants, opposed to the consumption of alcohol banned by Islam, also threw gasoline bombs at customers' cars parked outside the restaurant near the capital Manama late on Wednesday, damaging nine vehicles.

"Abound 100 young men, shouting Allahu Akbar (God is greatest), came to the restaurant carrying knives and shouted at the customers: Why do you drink?," Jahanshah Bakhtiar, owner of La Terrasse Restaurant, told Reuters. "They were acting as if they had the right ideas and people should obey them," he said, adding that there were about 40 customers in the restaurant. Security police investigating the incident declined to comment.

Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and the Gulf's banking hub, has traditionally enjoyed a more liberal atmosphere than some of its more conservative neighbors. It allows restaurants, bars and night clubs to serve alcohol but has recently witnessed a rise in protests against Western-style events deemed immoral by Islamists. Bahraini newspapers reported on Thursday that young men had attacked a house in a village where they suspected foreign workers were producing alcohol.

"WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean said Tuesday that President Bush's decision to send troops to Iraq appears to have contributed to the bombing deaths of 201 in Spain."

Oh shut up....go back to your corner in the mental asylum where you can act out another scene in your Napolean Bonaparte costume.

Life has a way of making you get off your ass and do what it is you are supposed to be doing.

(Madrid, SPAIN) (AFP) MORE than a thousand people held a protest in Madrid today to blame this week's bombs in the capital on the government's unpopular decision to support the US war on Iraq.

Shouting "The bombs on Iraq have exploded in Madrid" and "Resign", the crowd gathered in front of the ruling Popular Party's headquarters but were held back by police in riot gear.

The demonstration, on the eve of general elections, came amid conflicting theories as to who was to blame for Thursday's blasts on crowded commuter trains that killed 200 people and wounded nearly 1500.

Never mind that radical Muslims are implicitly trying to kill off all the "infidels" of the Western world.

The other night I saw an interesting grafitti outside of a popular San Diego coffeehouse...

"MAKE COFFEE, NOT WAR!"

That got me to thinking...with everybody high and buzzed on caffeine...doesn't this raise the possibility of war?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry returned to Congress on Thursday for a series of party unity meetings and slammed a 'Republican attack squad' that he said specializes in destroying foes.

Kerry, facing a flood of Republican criticism for characterizing his critics in the other party on Wednesday as a 'crooked, lying group,' refused to apologize and amplified his charges.
'There is a Republican attack squad that specializes in trying to destroy people and be negative,' Kerry told reporters after having lunch in the Capitol with his Senate Democratic colleagues. 'I think the president needs to talk about the real priorities of our country.'"

I guess that calling critics and the Republican party "crooked, lying group" is talking about the real priorities of our country.

More and more I don't know about this guy.....

Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition

Down went the gunner, a bullet was his fate
Down went the gunner, and then the gunner's mate
Up jumped the sky pilot, gave the boys a look
And manned the gun himself as he laid aside The Book, shouting...

{Refrain}
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
And we'll all stay free

Praise the Lord and swing into position
Can't afford to be a politician
[or Can't afford to sit around and wishin
or All aboard, we're on a mighty mission]
Praise the Lord, we're all between perdition
And the deep blue sea

Yes the sky pilot said it
Ya gotta give him credit
For a sonofagun of a gunner was he

Shouting Praise the Lord, we're on a mighty mission
All aboard, we ain't a-goin' fishin'
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
And we'll all stay free

{Refrain twice}"

What in the hell were the Republicans thinking?

Sheesh... You mean to say that the proliferation of guns is no longer a problem? What in the hell is wrong with background checks?

This is crazy.... IMHO!


Senate Republicans Scuttle Gun Bill

WASHINGTON - In a last-minute turnaround, Senate Republicans scuttled their election-year gun legislation Tuesday after Democrats added amendments to extend an assault weapons ban and require background checks on all buyers at private gun shows to the package. The 90-8 vote against the bill handed Democrats and gun control advocates an unexpected victory in the GOP-controlled Congress. It all but eliminated any chance for gun legislation this year.

'Twenty-four hours ago, I knew of no one who would have said we would be sitting where we are right now,' said Mike Barnes, president of the Brady Campaign gun-control group. 'The NRA's highest legislative priority was just defeated.'
Beginning in September, the gun industry can resume making, importing and selling military style semiautomatic weapons that were outlawed a decade ago. Nonetheless, Democrats say they now have the Senate on record as supporting the assault weapons ban by a 52-47 vote even though Republican leaders have vowed they won't allow the House to consider it this year. "

The Trolley Song from "Meet Me In St. Louis"

Judy Garland

With my high starched collar and my high top shoes
And my hair piled high upon my head,
I went to lose a jolly hour on the trolley,
And lost my heart instead.
With his light brown derby and his bright green tie,
He was quite the handsomest of men.
I started to yen, so I counted to ten,
Then I counted to ten again.
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley,
Ding, ding, ding went the bell.
Zing, zing, zing went my heart strings,
From the moment I saw him I fell.
Chug, chug, chug went the motor,
Bump, bump bump went the brake,
Thump, thump, thump went my heart strings,
When he smiled, I could feel the car shake.
He tipped his hat and took a seat.
He said he hoped he hadn't stepped upon my feet.
He asked my name; I held my breath;
I couldn't speak because he scared me half to death.
Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer,
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels,
Stop, stop, stop went my heart strings.
As he started to go, then I started to know
How it feels when the universe reels.
The day was bright, the air was sweet.
The smell of honeysuckle charmed you off your feet.
You tried to sing, but couldn't squeak.
In fact you loved him so you couldn't even speak.
Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer,
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels.
Stop, stop, stop went my heart strings.
As he started to leave I took hold of his sleeve
With my hand, and as if it were planned,
He stayed on with me,
And it was grand just to stand
With his hand holding mine
To the end of the line.

words & music:Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane
copyright: Unknown
recorded: 21 April '44

source: Judy Garland: The Complete Decca Masters, 1994
CD #3 (1942-45) "Meet Me In St. Louis"

"Rhythm of Life" from Sweet Charity

The Rhythm Of Life is a powerful beat,
Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet,
Rhythm in your bedroom,
Rhythm in the street,
Yes, The Rhythm Of Life is a powerful beat,
To feel The Rhythm Of Life,
To feel the powerful beat,
To feel the tingle in your fingers,
To feel the tingle in your feet,
To feel The Rhythm Of Life,
To feel the powerful beat,
To feel the tingle in your fingers,
To feel the tingle in your feet,
Flip your wings and fly to Daddy,
Take a dive and swim to Daddy,
Hit the floor and crawl to Daddy,
Daddy we got The Rhythm Of Life,
Of life, of life, of life.
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Man!"

Kerry Blames Bush for Job Losses in Ohio

TOLEDO, Ohio - Presidential hopeful John Kerry (news - web sites) said Wednesday he would require companies to give their employees a three-month warning before sending their jobs abroad, blaming President Bush (news - web sites) for job losses in an appeal to displaced workers in the Democratic battleground state of Ohio. "

That's a stretch! President Bush (the elder and younger) have supported NAFTA...the North American Free Trade Agreement...which has sent jobs out of the United Staes. Senator Kerry supported and voted for the implementation of NAFTA which has sent jobs out of the United States.... So how can Senator Kerry blame President bush for sending jobs out of the US? And how would it help the workers if they are being given notice of their lay off three months or one day day before the end of their jobs?

Methinks that Sen. Kerry is kinda lyin' here, dontcha?

LEAVE ME ALONE (RUBY RED DRESS) Helen Reddy
Words and music by Linda Laurie

Big ole ruby red dress wanders round the town
Talkin to herself now, sometimes sitten down
Don't you get too close now, ruby runs away
Poor ole ruby red dress born on a sorry day
I can hear her say

CHORUS:

Leave me alone, won't you leave me alone
Please leave me alone now, leave me alone
Leave me alone, please leave me alone, yes leave me
Leave me alone won't you leave me alone
Please leave me alone, no leave me alone
Leave me along, just leave me alone, oh leave me

Big ole ruby red dress, everybody laughs
Say she's got no future and never made no past
Something hurt that ruby, shomething she can't bear
Ya look at her real close now, you see a little tear
When she says now

CHORUS

Some folks say some farm boy up from Tennessee
Taught it all to Ruby, then just let her be
Her daddy tried to hide it, tried to keep things cool
But something happened to Ruby, she broke down to a fool
who just said now

CHORUS "

"I ENJOY BEING A GIRL"
From "Flower Drum Song" (Rogers/Hammerstein)

When I have a brand new hairdo
With my eyelashes all in curl
I float as the clouds on air do
I enjoy being a girl
When men say I'm cute and funny
And my teeth aren't teeth but pearl
I just lap it up like honey
I enjoy being a girl

I flip when a fella sends me flowers
I drool over dresses made of lace
I talk on the telephone for hours
With a pound and a half of cream upon my face

I'm strictly a female female
And my future I hope will be
In the home of a brave and free male
Who'll enjoy being a guy having a girl like me."

I AM WOMAN
-
(Reddy and Burton)


I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again

CHORUS
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

You can bend but never break me
'cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

CHORUS

I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin' arms across the land
But I'm still an embryo
With a long long way to go
Until I make my brother understand

Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
Oh, I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong

FADE
I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman

I'm sorry but I don't have any love lost for the Iraqi insurgents who have attacked, maimed, and killed coalition forces in Iraq.

British soldiers kicked and punched hooded Iraqi prisoners

British soldiers in Iraq kicked and punched hooded prisoners as they screamed for mercy, a witness to an incident in which one Iraqi detainee was allegedly beaten to death was quoted as saying.
The serving British soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Thursday's edition of The Sun newspaper he had been 'sick to his stomach' after witnessing the beatings in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

Britain's defence ministry said earlier this month that it was investigating the death of an Iraqi prisoner while in British custody following reports that he had been beaten to death.
According to The Sun, the dead man was among nine Iraqis held by the Queen's Lancashire Regiment on suspicion of being bandits last September, just a few weeks after the regiment lost one of its number to a roadside bomb."

There was the Paula Cole song from several years ago, "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?" I have to say now..."Where have all the really funny comics gone?".... Just like the strangest thought which went through my head while driving home from having a beer (yes, one beer) with friends tonight: I would have so loved to see Gilda Radner as "Emily Litella" doing something on "Kiddie Porn" vs. "Kitty Porn" and then Jane Curtin explaining the difference between the two, and then Emily Litella meekily looking at the camera saying, "Never mind."

Canada Condemns 'Racist' Conan O'Brien TV Show
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's government on Friday condemned a show by U.S. late-night television host Conan O'Brien that insulted people in French-speaking Quebec and seemed to suggest everyone in the province was homosexual.

Mmmmm...I always thought all Quebecois WERE homosexuals!

In an off-the-record conversation with a dozen reporters earlier this week, General Wesley Clark plainly stated: "Kerry will implode over an intern issue." [Three reporters in attendance confirm Clark made the startling comments.]

When is "off the record" journalistically "on the record"?

Just possibly I'm going to have to eat my words and my opinions about Britney Spears... Her video for her great song "Toxic" is FANTASTIC....



Toxic

Baby, can't you see, I'm callin'
A guy like you should war a warnin'
You're dangerous, I'm fallin'
There's no escape, I can't wait
I need a hit, baby give me it
You're dangerous, I'm lovin' it
Too high, can't come down
Losing my head, spinning round and round
Do you feel me now

CHORUS
Oh, the taste of your lips, I'm on a ride
You're toxic, I'm slippin' under
Oh, the taste of your poison paradise
I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic
And I love what you do
Don't you know that you're toxic

It's getting late to give you up
I took a sip from the devil's cup
Slowly it's taking over me
Too high, can't come down
It's in the air and it's all around
Can you feel it now

CHORUS - as before

Intoxicate me now
With your lovin' now
I think I'm ready now...I think I'm ready now
Intoxicate me now
With your lovin' now
I think I'm ready now

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.
-- Winnie the Pooh "

My sentiments exactly.

"TIKRIT, Iraq - For Staff Sgt. Isaac Day and many other American soldiers serving here, ridding Iraq of Saddam Hussein made the war worthwhile regardless of whether anyone ever finds weapons of mass destruction.
'I'm glad we got Saddam,' said Day, of Tarpon Springs, Fla. 'When I grow old I can tell my grandchildren that we liberated this country.'
That was a sentiment expressed in dozens of interviews with U.S. soldiers stationed near Tikrit, Saddam's hometown and a center of resistance to the U.S. occupation.
'Saddam lived in splendor while the rest of his people had to fend for themselves,' Maj. Paul Lehto of Kingston, Mass., said over lunch here.
Despite widespread resistance from some of America's oldest and closest allies, President Bush (news - web sites) launched the war last March because Iraq allegedly possessed stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. Senior administration officials also said Saddam wanted to reconstitute a nuclear weapons program which was cut short by the 1991 Gulf War .
However, no such weapons have been found. David Kay, who led the weapons search after the end of active combat, has said he doubted that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction in recent years.
'My satisfaction came when we were riding through from Kuwait and all these children were shouting 'America is number one'," said Staff Sgt. Temu Gibson from Schenectady, N.Y.
Most of the 130,000 American troops stationed in Iraq have access to the Internet and other media and are aware of the growing political storm over the failure to find any weapons.
A number of them say Saddam's brutality to his own people justified the war.
"I have a shoebox full of pictures of people who have gone missing over the last 30 years," said one soldier who asked to be identified as Mac. "And people are getting all tied up over the WMD issue. Coming here was the right thing to do."
Still, the ongoing attacks by insurgents and the continuing loss of American lives underscore the political problems facing the Bush administration over the absence of any weapons of mass destruction.
Lt. Jerry England said it appeared that Bush had "played on the fear" of weapons of mass destruction in arguing the case for war. "It was a harder case to sell without them," said England, from Overland Park, Kan.

Projects are an excuse for a mess. It's a part of creativity.

I'm very creative..... ergo.... I'm very messy.

What did I say a few days ago about my computer and how it is so much like the US Mars rover "Spirit" and "Opportunity"?

Spirit had been crippled for the past two weeks because its flash memory system — a setup similar to that used on digital cameras here on Earth — couldn't handle the size and number of files that were being stored onboard. After diagnosing the problem, engineers had to reboot the system remotely, and mission manager Jennifer Trosper said the rover now appears to be operating normally.

"I think I can say this morning with as much certainty as we can say anything here that our patient is healed — and we're very excited about that," Trosper told reporters at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. She also reported that Spirit communicated successfully with Europe's Mars Express orbiter, strengthening an "international, interplanetary communication network."

Reviewing Spirit's past failings, flight software architect Glenn Reeves said the memory glitch was a "very serious problem" that was worsened when "we managed to corrupt this file system." He said the memory management issue was not caught during the pre-launch testing process, but a review of the test data turned up hints that storing too many files might create a problem.

AxisofLogic/ Canada

In attempt to fan the fires of disagreement once again after they wer seemingly doused by the new Canadian prime minister, a Time-magazine (a pretty lousy one at that) has put out a poll saying that only 15 percent of Canadians would vote for President Bush. WHO FREAKING CARES? WHAT'S THE POINT?

I love Canada. Canadians are wonderful people. But with apologies to my many Canadian friends, the left wingers in Canada are running amok...IMHO.

Jigsaw
Written by: Clive Scott/Des Dyer

Blown Round By The Wind
Thrown Down In a Spin

I Gave You Love
I Thought That We Had Made It To The Top
I Gave You All I Had To Give
Why Did It Have To Stop

You've Blown It All Sky High
By Telling Me a Lie
Without a Reason Why
You've Blown It All Sky High

You, You've Blown It All Sky High
Our Love Had Wings To Fly
We Could Have Touched The Sky
You've Blown It All Sky High

Up Round I've Flown
Then Down Down Like a Stone

I Gave You Love .."

This past weekend I got the biggest kick listening to some great 80's disco queen songs... Then I heard the classic song "Sky High" by Jigsaw. Woohoo! Put on those dancin' shoes!

This is exactly why I think organized religion is for the birds. My relationship with God is a personal one...not requiring an "oh well" at the end.

MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Nearly 250 Muslim worshipers died in a hajj stampede Sunday during the annual stoning of Satan ritual in one of the deadliest tragedies at the notoriously perilous ceremony.
The stampede, during a peak event of the annual Muslim pilgrimage, or hajj, lasted about a half-hour, Saudi officials said. There were 244 dead and hundreds of other worshippers injured, some critically, Hajj Minister Iyad Madani said.
'All precautions were taken to prevent such an incident, but this is God's will. Caution isn't stronger than fate,' Madani said.
Most of the victims were pilgrims from inside the Saudi kingdom and many were not authorized to participate, he said.
In an effort to control the crowd of about 2 million, Saudi authorities sets quotas for pilgrims from each country and required its citizens to register.
The devil-stoning is the most animated ritual of the annual pilgrimage and often the most dangerous. Many pilgrims frantically throw rocks, shout insults or hurl their shoes at the pillars - acts that are supposed to demonstrate their deep disdain for the devil. But clerics frown upon such action, saying it's un-Islamic.
Last year, 14 pilgrims were trampled to death during the ritual and 35 died in a 2001 stampede. In 1998, 180 pilgrims died.
The annual hajj, which began Thursday, climaxed Saturday as some 2 million Muslim pilgrims listened to Saudi Arabia's top cleric denounce terrorists, calling them an affront to Islam. However, he defended the kingdom's strict interpretation of the faith.
Sheik Abdul Aziz al-Sheik said in his sermon there were those who claim to be holy warriors, but were shedding Muslim blood a"

Aren't all politicians all-talk and no-action?

WASHINGTON - John Kerry (news - web sites) scooped up key union endorsements Friday as presidential rivals criticized his nearly 20-year Senate record, calling the Democratic front-runner all-talk, no-action on affirmative action and health care.

First it was e.coli.... then it was Mad Cow disease... now it is a Listeria threat in Pittsburgh... who is protecting our beef supply? PETA? Hey George...WAKE UP! Stop getting your pants in a wad over gay marriage and other right-wing conservative whacko Bible-banger issues and take control of the country...you are President for at least 9 more months before election day....

Porcelain
(by Moby)


In my dreams I'm dying all the time
As I wake its kaleidoscopic mind
I never meant to hurt you
I never meant to lie
So this is goodbye
This is goodbye

Tell the truth you never wanted me
Tell me

In my dreams I'm jealous all the time
As I wake I'm going out of my mind
Going out of my mind

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt" - Bertrand Russell

So true!

I'm feeling somewhat humbled these days that I'm not the only one who experiences crashing computers, uncooperative software, and a quirky DSL router that will work endlessly for a week then constantly drop my DSL connection. It would seem that the Mars rover Spirit had too many "temp" files on its onboard computers which caused it to crash 60 times and generally konk out.

"Mission manager Jennifer Trosper said engineers are exploring several scenarios for what may have caused problems with Spirit's onboard computer memory, including an overload from the buildup of data files during the spacecraft's eight-month voyage to Mars. "

I'm still amazed and enthralled at this whole Mars mission....

Friendships
Tonight I was chatting with a super good friend. I told him about an incident in which a friendship had come to an abrupt end with somebody recently and was very hurt by the whole incident. To quote what I had to say about friendships:

"I'm into friendships for the long haul. Every friendship goes through "hot"periods, and times when cold winds blow. When the cold winds blow, and both people work to get through it, the friendship grows even stronger. And for me, "a real friendship doesn't have any asterisks or fine print." "

After seeing Democractic Presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry tonight on 60 Minutes...he is the only candidate at this point who I can vote for in the upcoming man. An educated, very passionate (yet reserved) man with a conscience.

Is it a really good thing that we see Jerry Falwell (really "Jabba The Hut" potentially nekkid) cavorting in the water? This also proves that right-wing fascist conservative Bible bangers can use whatever verse in the Bible to justify themselves and their actions. Blech!

TAMPA, United States (AFP) - The first nudist resort created primarily for Christians in the United States is due to open in Florida and its co-founder claims that he can provide passages in the Bible where nudity is prominently mentioned.

"Depending on the version of the Bible you use, there are as many as 40 passages that refer to nudity," said Bill Martin, co-founder of Natura, which will be the first Christianity-themed nudist colony in the country when it opens in a Tampa suburb in April.

"In (the Bible book of) Isaiah 20.2, God tells Isaiah to go into the wilderness naked for three years. So there's historical basis for a Christian nudist lifestyle," continued Martin, who is a Quaker.

When Natura is completed, the 240-acre resort area will have 500 homes, a hotel, a water-slide park, and a non-denominational Christian church. Although nudity will be mandatory, attending church services will be clothing-optional for residents, according to Martin.

Followers of the Baptist, Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonites, and Quaker religions are some of the different Christian denominations who will call Natura home.

"Fundamentalist Christians and the Southern Baptists may object to us, but I will meet with them anytime to talk about both Natura and nudity," said Martin. "It's funny that some Southern Baptists oppose us, because for about the first 500 years after the death of Christ, mass baptisms were done nude."

This is really cute... Ken Lay of Enron and the head of WorldCom get off scott free ripping off their employees billions and billions and billions of dollars with their high-priced lawyers, but this 92 year old guy who had hit on really hard times gets 12 years for robbing a bank of $1,999! This is the same idiocy which has under 21 year old grocery clerks not being able to ring up a bottle of wine...although it's good enough for them to get killed or maimed on the battlefield. This is the type of in-your-face stupidness which numbs my male reproductive organ!


Oldest U.S. Bank Robber Gets 12 Years in Prison
LUBBOCK, Texas (Reuters) - The oldest bank robber in the United States, 92-year-old J.L. Hunter Rountree, was sentenced to over 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to robbing $1,999 from a Texas bank last August.

Rountree, who goes by the nickname 'Red,' said he robbed his first bank when he was about 80 because he wanted revenge against banks for sending him into a financial crisis.
Rountree was sentenced on Friday to 151 months in a federal prison, which he will serve at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
He appeared in court in a loose-fitting prison outfit and shackles on his ankles. He had a cane to help him walk. Rountree listened to the proceedings through headphones because he is hard of hearing.
Police said Rountree, who was not armed, handed two envelopes to a teller at a bank in Abilene, Texas. One envelope had the word 'robbery' written in red ink. Rountree told the teller to stuff money into the other envelope, or else she would get hurt.
After asking Rountree twice if he was kidding, she put the money into the envelope and Rountree then made off in a 1996 Buick sedan, police said.
A bank employee noted the license plate of the vehicle and Rountree was pulled over by police on a highway about 20 miles from the crime scene, 30 minutes after the robbery.
Rountree left a prison in Florida, where he was the oldest prisoner in the state, about a year and a half ago after serving a three-year sentence imposed on him for a 1999 bank robbery in Pensacola.
He was caught holding up a bank in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1998 when he was 87, and given three years' probation.
Federal officials said they had no records to prove it, but they are fairly certain Rountree was the oldest person ever to rob a bank in the United States.
In a prison interview with the Orlando Sentinel in 2001, Rountree said he had been a businessman in Texas but had fallen on hard times. He also told the paper that prison food was better than what was served at some nursing homes.
"A Corpus Christi (Texas) bank that I'd done business with had forced me into bankruptcy. I have never liked banks since," he told the newspaper. "I decided I would get even. And I have."

They say that Mad Cow disease cannot be transmitted to human beings. Are we totally sure??? I think just possibly there might be a link between Mad Cow disease and its possible effects on human beings when you consider Democratic Presidential Candidate Howard Dean's recent showing of insanity when he lost the Iowa Democratic caucuses and was speaking to supporters. Scary.

Click here to hear it. (RealPlayer or other MP3 sound file compatible utility must be installed on your system.)

See what USA Today wrote about this (Adobe Acrobat needs to be installed) by clicking here.

The most politically incorrect thought just crossed my mind (again).

In college course catalogs they talk about "English as a Second Language."

Shouldn't it be "Engrish as a Second Ranguage"????

Everybody Hurts
by R.E.M.

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you’re sure you’ve had enough of this life, well hang on.
Don’t let yourself go, everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes.

Sometimes everything is wrong. now it’s time to sing along.
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)
When you think you’ve had too much of this life, well hang on.

Everybody hurts. take comfort in your friends.
Everybody hurts. don’t throw your hand. oh, no. don’t throw your hand.
If you feel like you’re alone, no, no, no, you are not alone

If you’re on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,
When you think you’ve had too much of this life to hang on.

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
Everybody cries. and everybody hurts sometimes.
And everybody hurts sometimes. so, hold on, hold on.
Hold on, hold on. hold on, hold on. hold on, hold on. (repeat & fade)
(everybody hurts. you are not alone.)

Tonight, somehow I got to thinking about my political beliefs and my value system. What I think what basically irks me are the people -- both Republicans and Democrats -- who can be so closed minded and with a stroke of their broad paintbrush give way to carte blanche condemnation of each other's views. It is so counterproductive. What I think it comes down to is that I detest persons who are so fixed in their belief system that there is no flexibility nor compassion.

That's what is my problem, too, with organized religion and fundamentalist Christians. They so totally miss the boat about what GOD IS, what He represents, if He exists, and what He is all about.

It's about LOVE...stupid!

I have made a few housekeeping changes on my blog. Please post any comments to my rants and raves ABOVE the item. I think this update might make responding less confooooozing.

Suicide Bomber Kills About 20 in Baghdad
(AP) A suicide driver set off a truck bomb at the gates of the U.S.-led coalition headquarters Sunday, killing about 20 people and wounding 63 in the deadliest attack here since Saddam Hussein's capture last month"

That really pins it down...."kills about 20"

(AP) - An aide to Iraq's most prominent Shiite cleric on Friday branded the U.S. formula for transferring power a "hasty agreement" aimed at boosting President Bush's re-election campaign. Doubts over the American plan for transferring power to Iraqi hands by July 1 have loomed over the U.S.-led occupation this week, with the Americans pointing to sporadic violence as evidence the country is not ready for direct elections.

I couldn't agree more. President Bush is trying to eliminate one more possibility for anything to screw up his re-election bid. What better way than to pull the troops out?

NEW YORK -- Former Vice President Al Gore on Thursday blasted President Bush as a "moral coward," saying he abandoned the public interest to accommodate his financial contributors. Gore, in a speech before a full house at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan, said it sometimes appeared that "the Bush-Cheney administration is wholly owned by the coal, oil, utility and mining industries."

It was the latest in a series of harsh critiques from Gore on the Bush administration. The ex-Democratic presidential candidate, who lost the 2000 election to Bush, had previously accused the administration of cracking down on civil liberties since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and mishandling post-war Iraq. Gore, speaking on a bitterly cold day, addressed the issues of global warming and the administration's environmental policies. "While President Bush likes to project an image of strength and courage, the real truth is that in the presence of his large financial contributors, he is a moral coward," said Gore.

This all may be true...I have no use for Vice-President Cheney and his deep corporate ties....but Gore himself is a moral coward HIMSELF that he can't control his multiple time arrested, pot-smoking, alcoholic, jailbird son from driving his car on the banks of Potomac River high on pot without his lights on and spitting on a police officer justifying his actions because he was a "Gore." What a family of pompous asses!!! Sheesh!

I have really come to enjoy the new reality series called "AIRLINE" which airs Monday nights at 10-11 p.m. and repeats later on at 2 a.m. on A&E (Arts and Entertainment cable network). The series follows actual passengers and their "thrills, chillls and spills" behind the scene of Southwest Airlines...some who call it the Greyhound buslines of the 21st Century.

After last night's episodes I don't know if I can ever face one of these customer service reps and not feel embarrassed for my fellow members of the human race. I mean, how the passengers treat the customer service reps with such repugnancy and disrespect. I swear I could never be a customer service rep for an airline without ending up behind bars...and these people keep up a generally good attitude when dealing with some absolute scum of the human race.

My hat is off to the employees of Southwest Airlines!!!!

So tell me, how does the Taliban in Afghanistan differ from the dogmatic, conservative Bible-banging religious "right" in the US (other than that they don't openly execute those who disagree with them)?


KABUL (Reuters) - More than two years after the fall of the hardline Islamic Taliban regime, state television has broadcast for the first time footage of an Afghan woman singing used old footage of Parasto, a well-known singer who now lives in the West, performing without a headscarf. The broadcast late on Monday will be seen as another small victory for moderate democrats led by President Hamid Karzai over religious conservatives opposed to many of the changes that have swept Kabul since the Taliban's collapse.

"We are endeavoring to perform our artistic works regardless of the issue of sex," Information and Culture Minister Sayed Makdoom Raheen told Reuters on Tuesday, when asked about the lifting of a ban on the broadcasting of women singing. The ban has been in place since 1992, when the "mujahideen," or holy warriors, came to power and fought factional battles that reduced much of Kabul to rubble and claimed tens of thousands of lives. The Taliban swept aside the mujahideen in 1996, and banned all television as part of its strict imposition of sharia law.

The mujahideen now form the backbone of the Northern Alliance, a faction of mainly Tajiks from the north who were instrumental in helping the U.S. military topple the Taliban in late 2001.

Now you think you might have a bad day...

Surgeons’ cut leaves British man ‘gay’

LONDON — A Leeds area man may file a lawsuit against doctors and a hospital after he went under the scalpel for a heart operation and, he told the media, came out “gay” via a tattoo on his leg, the Daily Mirror reported. In Leeds General Infirmary for a heart bypass operation, the man, whose name was not revealed by the Daily Mirror, said that during the surgery, doctors took part of a large vein out of his leg to replace a section of damaged artery in his chest. According to the tabloid, in order to get the vein, the doctors made an incision in the patient’s leg but did not notice the tattoo the man had on that leg. The tattoo, which said, “I love women” when the man went in for surgery, ended up reading “I love men” when he came out, the Daily Mirror reported. The man is considering a lawsuit against the hospital and doctors involved in the procedure.

From "Time Enough For Love".....

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze new problems, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
– Robert A. Heinlein

“Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded—here and there, now and then—are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as ‘bad luck’.”
– Robert A. Heinlein

“A ‘critic’ is a man who creates nothing and thereby feels qualified to judge the work of creative men. There is logic in this; he is unbiased—he hates all creative people equally.”
– Robert A. Heinlein

"When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, 'This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know,' the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man whose mind has been hoodwinked; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
- Robert A. Heinlein

A couple of days ago I said that the imbeciles of the world were employed at Sprint PCS stores. I actually met one today when I tried (for the THIRD time) to get my cell phone serviced who obviously had failed Sprint's obligatory employee imbecility test. His name was "Richie," a really cool African American guy with a great sense of humor and a great smile. He works at the Santee store.

I really had a pretty gnarly sore throat today. Got up...worked a bit...went back for a nap...got up...etc. I actually did get something accomplished. I don't know where this came from, but in one of my more lucid moments (or as it) today I had the weirdest thought about Stonehenge in Great Britain. I have no idea why the idea crossed my mind, but while the popular media and he educated circles love to continue the promote stereotype of it being the meeting place of ancient druids in their effort to connect with a higher force or UFOs, somehow I got the idea Stonehenge was assembled together by a whole bunch of errant, boozed up teenage druids who decided to play a joke while their parents were rolling their eyes worrying about the future driud generations. In their best California surfer accents, "Hey dude, let's like put these stone blocks all together in a circle, and like really mess with the heads of some dudes thousands of years from now."

A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.
Robert Heinlein (1907 - 1988), The Notebooks of Lazurus Long

History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it.
Robert Heinlein (1907 - 1988), Time Enough for Love (1972)

Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin, the victim can't help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime: the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.
Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough For Love

Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn't there. Theologians can persuade themselves of anything.
Robert A. Heinlein

A wonderful friend made the observation today:

"Religions have a way of narrowly defining a person's being. I guess that's the difference between religion and spirit."

Why hasn't anyone in the US media pointed out that the so-called conservative "Christian" right-wing intolerant whacked out Bible bangers are no different than the conservative Muslim right-wing intolerant whacked out Qu'Ran bangers? Just like the song from REM said several years ago..."Losing My Religion."


BAM, Iran (The Associated Press)- Hard-liners in Iran’s government criticized U.S. relief efforts after the devastating earthquake that killed more than 30,000 people and flattened the ancient city of Bam, accusing Washington of trying to meddle in Tehran’s affairs. The criticism came as Iran told the Bush administration that it did not want Washington to send Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., former president of the American Red Cross, to Iran as part of a relief mission after the 6.6-magnitude quake, the State Department said. The United States has already sent Iran several planes full of humanitarian relief, including teams of doctors and aid workers, even though diplomatic relations have been severed since the 1979 hostage crisis. Iranian President Khatami has thanked Washington for its support, but hard-line clerics within the government expressed suspicion about the motives behind U.S. aid offers.
State radio, a mouthpiece for Iran’s clerics, charged Friday that Bush had “once again demonstrated that America’s interfering and hostile policy against Iran has not altered at all.”

LOSING MY RELIGION
© Copyright 1991, Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe.

Life is bigger
It’s bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no I’ve said too much
I set it up

That’s me in the corner
That’s me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don’t know if I can do it
Oh no I’ve said too much
I haven’t said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

Every whisper
Of every waking hour I’m
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool
Oh no I’ve said too much
I set it up

Consider this
The hint of the century
Consider this
The slip that brought me
To my knees failed
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing around
Now I’ve said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream

Yahoo! News - Anger Over Australia Crocodile Hunter's Baby Stunt:

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) - Celebrity crocodile hunter Steve Irwin triggered outrage when he held his 1-month-old baby while feeding a snapping crocodile during a show at his Australian zoo.

In a show for the public and the media Friday, Irwin held his son in one arm while feeding a dead chicken to a large, lunging crocodile then put the baby on the ground and helped him walk toward the reptile's pond.
Seven television network was inundated with calls after the incident was aired. Protests were lodged on a government families crisis line and with police.

In my best Foster's Grand Ale Australian accent, "Now lookie he'a... a jerk.... Could this be Australia's own Michael Jackson!? Oy think it is!!! Can we all spell 'jerk.'"

"Zen O'Clock - Time To Be"
written by Scott Shaw

"It is you who decides how to react a certain way to any life situation. You can choose to feel anything you want - peace when you are angry, happiness when you are sad, love for a person whom you previously hated. THIS IS YOUR TIME - consciously choose to make the best of it."

I couldn't have said it better.....

Are all of the imbeciles of the world employed at Sprint PCS...both in their company stores and in their call center customer service?

First of all, I'm not a rabid fan of Michael Jackson. He had a couple of good songs, and I especially enjoyed the now famous "Thriller" music video from several years ago. He's weird. The guy creeps me out. Nevertheless, I watched the Michael Jackson interview tonight on CBS' "60 Minutes" and became somewhat convinced that he is NOT GUILTY of the child molestation charges. The guy is so naive, so not of this world, so...so...so... I dunno... but until I hear anything conclusively different, I am very much going to presume at this point that he is INNOCENT of the accusations.

Happiness is when you discover that you didn't lose all of your saved Internet Explorer web site bookmarks after all.

This is good.... Such party unity! This is what we should replace the current regime with? Would this be any better?


Kerry Says Dean Has No Chance Vs. Bush

By STEPHEN FROTHINGHAM, Associated Press Writer

MANCHESTER, N.H. - With a month to go before the New Hampshire primary, John Kerry made some of his strongest attacks yet against Democratic front-runner Howard Dean, portraying Dean as inexperienced in foreign policy, wrong-headed on the economy and a muddled thinker.

"People are left wondering: What will he say next?" said Kerry, addressing about 180 supporters in a city library auditorium.

"We need more than simple answers and the latest slip of the tongue," he said. "This election is too vital for us to lose it if voters refuse to take a gamble on national security and the steadiness of our leadership."

He pointed to Dean's statements on Saddam Hussein 's capture and Dean's answer to a hypothetical question about where Osama bin Laden should be tried, if captured.

"What kind of muddled thinking is it if you can't instantly say that in your heart you know that bin Laden is guilty?" Kerry asked. "After every episode comes a statement trying to explain it away. Will Americans really vote for a foreign policy by clarifying press release?"

The Massachusetts senator and Vietnam war veteran said "this is a perilous moment in history and we cannot master that moment with a stubborn unilateralism or a soft and vacillating isolationism."

A great friend got me thinking today when he quoted a line from Austin Powers....a movie I still have not seen in its entirety: "Is that anything like the militant wing of the Salvation Army?"

Well, it would seem that Howard Dean has found Jesus. Gosh...could that be because that despite his popularity with democrats that he wants to appeal to conservative Republicans? And that early polling data suggests that he doesn't stand a chance in direct competition with President Bush. It just occurred to me that Dean's 8 other opponents will try to use this hook....they might out conservative, conservatives! We'll see I guess....

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Presidential contender Howard B. Dean, who has said little about religion while campaigning except to emphasize the separation of church and state, described himself in an interview with the Globe as a committed believer in Jesus Christ and said he expects to increasingly include references to Jesus and God in his speeches as he stumps in the South.

Dean, 55, who practices Congregationalism but does not often attend church and whose wife and children are Jewish, explained the move as a desire to share his beliefs with audiences willing to listen. His comments came as a rival, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, chastised other Democrats for forgetting ''that faith was central to our founding and remains central to our national purpose.''

The move is striking for a man who has steadfastly kept his personal life out of the campaign, rarely offering biographical information, much less his religious beliefs. But in the Globe interview, Dean said that Jesus was an important influence in his life and that he would probably share with some voters the model Jesus has served for him.

''Christ was someone who sought out people who were disenfranchised, people who were left behind,'' Dean said. ''He fought against self-righteousness of people who had everything . . . He was a person who set an extraordinary example that has lasted 2000 years, which is pretty inspiring when you think about it.''

He acknowledged that he was raised in the ''Northeast'' tradition of not discussing religious beliefs in public, and said he held back in New Hampshire, where that is the practice. But in other areas, such as the South, he said, he would discuss his beliefs more openly.

Some of Dean's competitors have made no secret of their religious beliefs. US Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri regularly describes his son's recovery from an illness as a gift of God, while Lieberman takes pains to emphasize his inability to attend campaign events on Saturdays because of the Jewish Sabbath.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Mohammed Jaber said he went to Iraq (news - web sites) on a pilgrimage to Muslim holy sites, he ended up being 'tortured' with loud rap music by U.S. troops suspicious he might be a foreign fighter against their occupation.

Jaber said an Iraqi taxi driver handed him and three friends over to U.S. troops for $100 each in April apiece as fighters for ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).
'They asked us why we were there and if we came to fight them. But we said we came only to visit the holy sites in Kerbala,' he told Reuters.
'They didn't torture us physically but they did psychologically by raising the volume of rap music all day until it became unbearable and by withholding food,' he said.
But Jaber said he kept one secret from his captors, fearing the treatment could get worse.
'I mean I like rap, just imagine them playing jazz.'
U.S.-led forces in Iraq freed Jaber and sent him and seven other Arab detainees home on Saturday. "

Priceless.

This is soooooooooo cute...


T'was The Night of the Capture
(a poetic Christmas VANITY tribute to the 4th Infantry Division) by “Hispanarepublicana” on Free Republic



'Twas 13th December, when deep in Iraq, the 4th I.D. had a big enemy to track. Saddam's stockings were smelly from months on the lam, In hopes that Dean or Kerry would soon take command;

Our soldiers were nestled in their desert humvees, they’d been told they were hunting Iraqi V.I.Ps;

And Saddam with head lice infesting his cap, Had just settled down for an Iraqi-type nap, When out on the farm there arose such a clatter, He sprang from his shack to see what was the matter. Away to his hideout he flew in a snit, Tore open his pants leaping into
the pit.

The searchlight on the dictator now caught in our snare, Gave the lustre of mid-day to his nasty wild hair. When, what to our soldiers’ wide eyes should appear, But a bedraggled old dictator cowering in fear!

Beneath the dirty old beard and the lice in his mane, They were amazed to discover that it was Saddam Hussein. More rapid than eagles they called up old Rummy, And he whistled, and shouted, and said, "This is yummy!"

"Now, Condi! now, Sanchez! now, Cheney and Bush! On, TV! on Radio! and Free Republic! Let’s Rush! To the top of the news! Get this video on! Call FNC first! Then Dan
Rather and Tom!

As a gloved doctor examined the smelly old goat, he shoved a big wooden stick down Saddam’s nasty throat, Around the world in a flash the footage it flew, As the French and Russians gulped, wondering what we now knew.

And then, in a twinkling, we heard from our leader, As he confirmed the capture of the despotic bottom feeder. As he concluded his announcement, they replayed the scene, (We heard nothing from Clark and nothing from Dean).

Saddam was covered in filth, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all greasy, with ashes and soot; A bundle of money he had flung on his back, And he looked like a
peddler who’d sold out to Chirac.

His eyes -- how they sagged! his dimples now pits! His forehead was covered with curious zits! His head was examined for vermin and lice, shaved his face of the beard
that was his disguise;

A large piece of wood was probed in his mouth, (And we don’t even know if the gloved hand went South); He still had a fat face but had lost his round belly, His clothes were
a shambles and his feet downright smelly.

He was skinny and drawn, the lying old coward, And I laughed when I thought of the speech made by Howard;

But the spin of the media and a liberal talking head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

Dean spoke not a word; Kerry went straight to work, And tried to get airtime; (sounds just like the jerk), Bush kept it short, not given to prose, And giving a nod, up the polls
he rose;

He sprang back to work, to his team gave a whistle, And to D.C. they flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, as he went on his way....

"Happy Christmas to all, and God Bless the USA!”

Shock! I've been listening to a lot of 80's pop music and a lot of disco music over the past couple of days, and it struck me that all of these songs are so melodic, so positive, so uplifting....so contrary to listening the unmelodic, negative, songs of today. Please...give me "Shake Your Groove Thing," "That The Way I Like It," over "Smack Your Bitch Up."

If we don't blow up the earth within the next 10 years, what will archeaologists say about these lyrics found on the web (David Banner's "Like A Pimp"):

Real girls get down on the flo' on the flo' (4 Times)
Like a Pimp
Real girls get down on the flo' on the flo' (2 Times)
Like a pimp
Real girls get down on the flo' on the flo' (2 Times)

[Lil' Flip]
By the time I hit the door
I saw hoes on the flo'
Niggas dressed in suits
Tricking all dey hoes
Me imma pimp
I aint paying for no sex
Man I'd rather buy a car
Or a new rolex
Cause I got street paint
So hoes flock like birds
I got one hoe in the range
And another in the surbs'
When I hit the club
Imma be wit David Banner
A thug ass nigga
Wit bad table manners
We act bad (my nigga what is yall saying)
Like when we walk inside clubs
Niggas hold they gal's hand
Cause they know we run trains (choo choo) all night
How could yo gal leave me
And be wit you all night
But its all right
Cause you know we don't kiss
Like Too $hort said
Bitches aint shit
I tried to told ya
Dat most girls really freaks
And dis is how they gotta
make they money every week

http://www.raplyrics.circularmoney.com/davidbannerlikeapimplyrics.html.html

I was at the mall tonight with the rest of the throngs of Christmas shoppers and came to the conclusion that all of the sales people at the cell phone kiosks are the new used car salesmen of the 21st century with their "limited time offers," "let me ask my general manager if I can offer this special deal," "You are such a nice guy that I really want to offer you this great deal."

Ugh.

"DERRY, N.H. -- (Houston Chronicle) Moments after praising his opponents in the Democratic presidential race as worthy running mates, Wesley Clark said, in no uncertain terms, how he would respond if they or anyone else criticized his patriotism or military record.
'I'll beat the s--- out of them,' Clark told a questioner as he walked through the crowd after a town hall meeting Saturday. 'I hope that's not on television,' he added.
It was, live, on C-SPAN.
The campaign's traveling press secretary, Jamal Simmons, was with Clark at the time.
'If anyone tries to question Wes Clark's character, integrity or his commitment to this country or its security, they're going to be in the biggest fight they've ever had,' Simmons said. "

Well, it looks like Wesley Clark is now trying to beat Howard Dean on the flip flop game. As much as I agree with Howard Dean on a lot of issues, his reknown bad temper, and flip flopping on his flip flops really do concern me. Seeing how the Democratic presidential candidates are committing fratricide by bashing and sticking knives in each other and not addressing the issues straight on, one can only think that President Bush is going to perhaps find and eat the carrot. Sad.

Yahoo! News - Revised WTC Freedom Tower Design Unveiled

They've tried again to come up with a new design of the monuments and buildings to replace the bombed World Trade Center in New York City. And in my opinion, they have failed...in my humble opinion. It is soooo sterile...characterless. Not only that based on the models of the site are overpowering the Statue of Liberty. What about such classic designs as Seattle's Space Needle? We need a monument which characterizes warmth, power and strength.

On June 5th. 1973, Canadian radio commentator Gordon Sinclair decided he'd had enough of the stream of criticism and negative press recently directed at the United States of America by foreign journalists (primarily over America's long military involvement in Vietnam, which had ended with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords six months earlier). When he arrived at radio station CFRB in Toronto that morning, he spent twenty minutes dashing off a two-page editorial defending the USA against its carping critics which he then delivered in a defiant, indignant tone during his "Let's Be Personal" spot at 11:45 AM that day.

While it might be unusual for any foreign correspondent — even one from a country with such close ties to the USA as Canada — to such a caustic commentary about those who would dare to criticize the USA is best demonstrated by the fact that even thirty years later, a generation of Americans too young to remember Sinclair's broadcast doubt that this piece is real. It is real, and it received a great deal of attention in its day. After Sinclair's editorial was rebroadcast by a few American radio stations, it spread like wildfire all over the country. It was played again and again, read into the Congressional Record multiple times, and finally released on a record (titled "The Americans"), with all royalties donated to the American Red Cross. Sinclair passed away in 1984, but he will long be remembered on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border — both for his contributions to journalism, and for his loudly proclaiming a friendship that few at the time were willing to embrace.

Here's a link to that memorable commentary.

Canadian Communications Foundation - Fondation Des Communications Canadiennes

And a link to the Real Player version where you can actually hear Mr. Sinclair read his commentary.

http://www.canadianaconnection.com/cca/gordonsinclair.htm

The Canadians are trying to influence our politics here in the USA. A website has been created by some Canadian citizen who thinks Wesley Clark should be elected President. I was so irritated by this that I sent them an e-mail voicing my opinion about their efforts. I have invited a representative for Canadians for Clark to respond to my comments which I offer here:

I'm neither a Republican or Democrat, but first clean up your own Canada before you raise judgement on my country. We'll see how you react when the CN Tower is bombed...or a skyscraper is plowed into by an airliner.

I was in Yellowknife a couple of years ago and saw how the Mounties and local police WERE BEATING drunken indigineous Canadians in broad daylight puttiing them in leg irons...and herding them into waiting police wagons. Please ensure and provide adequate healthcare for my grandmother in Ontario who must wait 4-6 weeks before she can see a doctor...and even longer before she can have a medical procedure done in a hospital. Give employment to an intelligent and well-schooled Canadian young person -- a good friend -- who has been struggling to gain an equitable employment situation where he doesn't have to compete with employment quotas reserved for Pakis and other non-citizen immigrants who have one-quarter of his education, knowledge and talent. Tell your politicians like that MP from Mississauga who went on a tirade earlier this year about the U.S. and referred to her citizens as "damn bastards."

Read and remember your own venerable Gordon Sinclair and what he said about America.

And don't forget that in these days of global terrorism that nobody is safe, not even your little Nirvana called Canada. The fact is that America is going to be by your side when the winds of a natural-or-manmade disaster befalls. Will you? America has its problems. Let us deal with them...

Please stay out of our politics... just as we Americans stay out and do not meddle in your national politics...

Thank you.

Canada For Clark (Canadians For General Wesley Clark)

I was thinking today how I would describe myself succinctly. "Highly creative" is more like it. Real intelligence is a creative use of knowledge, not merely an accumulation of facts.

I'll be honest, I am very troubled by the Presidential candidates so far and their response to the war of terrorism. They are bickering amongst themselves, are either namby-pamby, or want to give up the fight altogether. We cannot give up the fight. We lost 3000 of our American citizens due to the inept policies of the past. Pres. Bush IMHO hasn't been bad, but has gotten into the rut of listening to too many people and not being decisive. Our foreign policy is fractured if not non-existent as it has under previous administrations both Republican and Democrat. It is becoming to be more like business as usual with all of the politicians being more interested in their egos than solving problems. I want to hear way more DIALOGUE than DEBATE.

A friend said the nicest thing to me today...

"Ivars, I really respect the ideas, beliefs and morals you stand up for."

Wow....

Integrity is being the same on the outside as you say on the inside.

Do you do what you say?

Something a friend said today that put a smile on my face: It is good to make sure that one doesn't befriend an axe murderer...coz too many axes have been senselessly slaughtered....

It amazes me how Arabic vernacular is creeping into the American vernacular. The word "Jihad" (war) is now becoming very common in the context of, "You are engaging in a Jihad against me." We now regularly talk about abayas, chadors, and burhkas. But now Arabic vernacular is now sure to emanate more frequently from the boardrooms of corporate America with accusation that Disney CEO Michael Eisner has allegedly referred to former board members Roy Disney and Stanley Gold and Pixar (and Apple Computer) chairman Steven Jobs as "Shiite Muslims." The Los Angeles Times and other newspapers say Gold took that to mean that Eisner believed his critics were extreme in their views. A company spokeswoman said Eisner 'categorically denies' calling anyone a 'Shiite Muslim.' 'They're happy to have us gone. They're been pushing us out. They push anybody with dissent out,' Gold tells the paper... If we were to make it plain and simple, this would in American vernacular be as though Eisner accused Gold's, Disney's and Jobs' mothers of wearing army combat boots.

Oh boy..... All of you...back to your rooms...no dinner!