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.