Check out my dad's new website, JoeyRamone.org
Joey Ramone is a vital part of the basic foundation on which I was raised. I'm sure that will get a lot of scoffing and snearing from some, but if you knew how deep our connection to the music of the Ramones truly is, if you had been there during those happy saturday and sunday mornings when nothing mattered except that my family was there and my dad was spinning vinyl on the record player, and Joey's voice and Johnny's guitar and DeeDee's bass and Marky's drums were filling up our hearts with happiness, innocent rebellion and the desire to rock our little bodies all over the floor, then you might understand how much a single punk rock band can mean to one family. To my father, this band has an even deeper place in his heart.
Like a lot of things that my dad has written, the peice "Bad Brains Answers the Question, What Do The Ramones Mean To Me?" made me cry. It made me cry because I feel so connected to him. I realize how much he molded me, how we have the same "vibe," but I also realize what an amazing individual he is, not only that he has lived the life he has lived, but that he can tap into the essence and meaning and power of things and put it into words. I admire how unafraid he is to feel, to experience profound epiphanies and to reach out and touch the dirty and rough edges of life. I admire how unafraid he is to always learn something new. I love the way he sees things and embraces all that is wild and unruly, but also that which is serene and magical, and I love the way he shares his thoughts. I feel lucky that he passed many of his traits on to me. I feel lucky for the childhood that he gave me, all the special memories that I have of our family, and of him being the pinnacle of our world. Leading us through the good and the bad with a calm and composure and toughness that some people just don't possess. He may not think he was always so calm and composed, but to me, as his daughter, I never felt him waver. That's not to say my father is perfect. No one is perfect. He has his weaknesses and his flaws just like everyone else. But he is my greatest hero, nonetheless. I hope you go to this new site of his and tap into his soul for a moment.
It's so obvious that they have something to hide. I read an article today about the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and they quoted him as saying something like (not exact words) "it's amazing how this administration stands knee deep in shit and just shakes its head and denies that there is any shit. But they're standing in it." He was highly vexed. As am I and about half of my fellow Americans. The other half are in a place that, try as I might, I cannot comprehend.
After asking that question about the devilry behind rebuilding contracts in Iraq the other day and getting the response from Geoffrey that he doesn't see anything wrong with it, I just realized that those who support this administration regardless of the mountain of shit in which they stand, are on a level that I will never be able to understand. The priorities of the rightwing are completely different. I.e., It is okay to reward and condone the unethical and fraudulent behavior of a corporation by awarding them enormous no-bid government contracts in the midst of a bloody war where they can take full advantage and defraud U.S. taxpayers freely. The environment is worthless & indestructable anyway so there's no point in spending money on it or preserving it (best to just rape it for what it's worth). Poor people should help their damn selves, but not by coming to this country, mind you, and "takin ar' jbs'!" (as the average blue collar redneck was so beautifully portrayed on South Park last night). Abortion should be illegal, but so should welfare and public assistance programs, the act of speaking out against Bush is an outrage, but killing thousands and sacrificing your own in Iraq for something that doesn't exist is business. It's okay to take an average citizen's basic civil rights away as long as it helps us find terrorits, but we shouldn't give any money to the FBI and CIA for reform and we shouldn't ernestly investigate what led up to the 9/11 attacks so that we can see where things went wrong because that is an affront to the president and the president is to be trusted no matter what red flags go up (unless he happens to receive oral sex from an intern and then he should be crucified and flogged in the streets).
It's okay to violate international law, including the Geneva Convention and hold people in a remote prison without affording them any legal representation or the guarantee of a trial. It makes perfect sense to spend billions of dollars to enter into a violent quagmire that is virtually beyond control or repair while jipping our own citizens on healthcare and education. It's okay to spend billions of dollars to make a huge ugly mess in another country, while our politicians consider it a low priority issue to clean up environmental wastelands in Oklahoma and Idaho and New York and New Jersey and many other states, environmental travesties that are emitting leads and other poisons, causing cancer and death and learning disabilities to residents. There's no money for them. Ever hear about Tar Creek in Pitcher, OK? There's no money for them.
We supposedly can't afford to protect our own people here in this country from serious environmental hazards, devestating poverty, terrorist attacks, stupidity, but we have unlimited funds and lives to contribute to a war that has nothing to do with the initial problem: terrorist attacks in the United States. Billions of dollars on a diversion timed perfectly and advertised perfectly to look like a war against the people who attacked us. But it's not. Iraqis did not attack us. We have no business being there in the war capacity. We have not helped them. We have hurt them. And we have hurt ourselves.
Not only have we become a squabbling nation, comprised largely of fools who don't gather any facts before spewing rhetoric (that goes for both sides), but we have already created a worrisome future. And if anyone thinks that it's a coincidence that Bush was the president at the time of the 9/11 attacks and a coincidence that he was given this opportunity to prove his leadership and that he has exercised it so brashly, I say you've been had, and if you think that he has handled our foreign and domestic affairs in a manner since then that is beneficial to Americans and the rest of the world now and in the future, I strongly question the reasoning behind that viewpoint.
Bush is getting everything he wants. All he needs now is re-election and he'll be coasting. He can do whatever the fuck he wants for the next four years, and that will most undoubtedly include continuing to neglect and further degrade the environment, finding special ways to help his friends, increasing weapons & military spending while decreasing any other funding (lots of friends to help in the arms biz!), and purportedly following the instructions of his noble god. Every bit of evidence points to a government agenda of monumental proportions which combines huge corporate interests (hello to those who put George in office with their hefty campaign contributions!), judicial shenannigans (hello Justice Scalia!), religious extremism (He answers to no one but God and the almighty Jesus), and an insatiable thirst for power that has long lived in the Bush bloodline.
The American Idol rollercoaster is giving me motion sickness. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad my precious Fantasia was in the top three, but I don't get how she and La Toya were in the bottom three last week and the top three this week. America is schitzo. I'm glad George didn't get eliminated though. He's my second pick.
It amazes me how many people watch this show. Kids and full grown adults alike. Why? We all just buy into this whole silly competition, which in the end, results in something I find kind of repellant, the total commercialization of music to the point where the art & soul gets sucked out of it & people have to compete for their place in the music industry on tv because we so badly need a new 'idol'. But on the other hand, there is something so cool about seeing this group of people, each with such a different presence and voice, singing their hearts out show after show. The ad placement segments are awful & cheesy, but aside from that, more than half way through the third season, I can't help still being interested and enjoying the phenomenon of this silly tv show. (Of course, no one can deny that the audition process is the best part of that show, that is the thing that really gets people hooked so they'll watch what is essentially a bunch of boring shows in the weeks that follow).
Does anyone watch Twenty Four? That show is crazy. I have missed only two episodes (have em on tape but haven't watched em yet) in the three seasons that it has been on. (Started the same time as American Idol, which is part of how I got hooked on both). Those are the only two tv shows I am genuinely devoted to watching, except for maybe Dave Chapelle. Twenty Four has reignited my adoration for Keifer Sutherland. The raging crush I had after The Lost Boys and Young Guns had sort of fizzled out after all these years... He was pretty good in that new Angelina Jolie flick "Taking Lives", though he didn't have a huge part. But as Jack. He is the tough guy of my dreams.
Leave me alone...I know I'm a freak ;o)
As a journalist, you could wait a lifetime for the opportunity to use a headline like this.
"Hurt In The Line Of Doody..."
My boss and I laughed for ages about this story. I almost feel sorrier for the guy in the next stall over!
Is this for real? I mean, I watched the video with my own two eyes. Three times in fact. And I still can't believe that it actually happened.
Yeah. I hear it's raining cats and dogs in Idaho. The rain stopped falling here. Today was glorious.
I went shopping with my co-worker Aida during lunch while she looked for a raincoat & rubber boots for her toddler. She's been having a really rough time finding anything. It's rainy season in NY, you'd think you could find a raincoat that fits a little kid. At least in the major places where you would expect to find them. She called every place she could think of and no one had them. Finally we went to Daffy's "Clothing Bargains for Millionaires" (hey I didn't come up with the silly name). It's kind of like Ross Dress for Less if you live on the West Coast. Daffy's is the Ross of NY.
I browsed around the kids section and found a couple things for my friend Tanya's daughter. I got her a sparkly pink bikini with butterflies and cherries on it and a turquoise blue tanktop with a sequined horse on the front. Very Precious. I love kids. I don't have any and will probably wait awhile still. But I LOVE other people's kids (unless they're horrible brats like just a few I can think of off the top of my head). I fear raising a child in a way. It's so much responsibility. And I fear ever having to deal with the insanity of a teenager like I was. But Tanya's baby, well in addition to the fact that she's my boyfriend's godchild, she's beyond beautiful. I could stare at her for hours. Just sit and watch her learning about new things and interacting with her surroundings and people. I saw her the day she was born. So innocent. So perfect. Now she's a little over 18 months old. Big, incredible, gleaming eyes the color of dark jade fringed in tiny soft lashes, shining chestnut silk locks...and the best smile ever. She's playful and comedic. Sometimes she starts thinking she's really cute and having mucho attitude. I never get tired of her. I can't wait to see her running around on the beach for the first time in that cute pink bathingsuit I bought her.
Speaking of which I can't wait to run around in my bathingsuit! Summer can't come soon enough. I haven't had a vacation since last September and I am ready. I am going to go home to Oregon for the fourth of July. More than two months to go and I'm already counting the days. How sad is that? I love the city, but I'm ready to be out in the country for a couple weeks. A couple months would be even better but I have to go back to work sometime. If you've never been to Oregon, I highly recommend it. It's a great place.
I get the feeling the morality police will probably be in full agreement with this proposed law prohibiting people from wearing low-slung pants that reveal too much skin or undergarments.
"The bill would punish anyone caught wearing low-riding pants with a fine of as much as $500 or as many as six months in jail, or both. 'I’m sick of seeing it,' said Shepherd, a first-term legislator. 'The community’s outraged. And if parents can’t do their job, if parents can’t regulate what their children wear, then there should be a law.'"
He's sick of seeing it? The community is outraged? Maybe he should go to therapy to work out his sexual repression issues and the community can get a big fat wake up call that says "Hello! Attention ladies and gentlemen of Jefferson Parish, in case you have not been informed, it is the year 2004 and this is a free country. If you don't like it, die already." Now excuse me while I go slip into a lacy black g-string and don my tightest, lowest hip huggers to celebrate the fact that I don't live in backassward Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
I have a question for Bush supporters out there and I am asking it seriously.
Do you think it's okay that George W. Bush has revoked regulations put into place by the Clinton administration, that would prevent companies that had been convicted or penalized in the previous three years, from procuring government contracts?
Does it bother you that Bush has shown that he believes that companies who have been convicted of unethical business practices should not be punished for their misdeeds, but instead, rewarded with new government contracts in Iraq?
I read an article about this in the paper this morning and it made my stomach turn. I want to know if this is okay with the people who support Bush, if they think that what is happening here is wrong or if it is just one more glaring perversion occurring within this administration that you are all too ready to dismiss as no big deal.
According to the article, "[a]n AP investigation [revealed that] ten companies with a combined $7 billion worth of Iraq reconstruction contracts have paid more than $300 million in penalties since 2000 to resolve allegations of bid rigging, fraud, delivery of faulty military parts and environmental damage."
Halliburton was one of those companies, and not only were they one of the first to receive a huge government contract in Iraq (the transparency of the BushCo interest here is painful), but they have already come under fire for overcharging the U.S. government for work performed there. So we can get this straight, after Halliburton paid $2 million in 2002 to settle charges of inflating costs on a maintenance contract at Fort Ord in CA, it is being rewarded with our trust and tax dollars, which they have since already greedily extorted beyond the worth of their services.
Dick Cheney's old company is not the only shady corporation in the war profiteering business. AMEC, a British firm with $780 million worth of contracts from the U.S., was convicted of fraud on three federal construction projects and banned from U.S. government work during 2002. Yet this is another company that Bush has opened his arms to and welcomed into Iraq at the expense of Americans.
Not even broaching the subject of whether or not any of this is in the interest of past and future Bush campaign funding, on a purely moral level, does it make sense to reward corporations that have already proven themselves time and time again to be untrustworthy?
I'm sorry I just haven't felt like writing. You ever get in those blah moods where nothing seems to grab your interest? I'm having one of those for the past couple days. Sunday was dreary, today was dreary. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Maybe tomorrow I will shake this case of the blahs and get back to my usual blah blah blah.
There was a fatal stabbing in my neighborhood two days ago and I just heard about it from Kathleen while we were out last night. Two old guys were arrested over at Amici who apparently had something to do with the stabbing of a 52 year-old man (five times!), possibly with a kitchen knife. Fucking weird. There are a lot of tough guys in this area though. Greek and Italian tough guys. So it doesn't really surprise me all that much. I'll have to keep an eye out for the whole story.
Oh wait, look at this here in the NY Times:
"65-year-old reputed mob figure described by a law enforcement official as "erudite and sophisticated" fatally stabbed his brother-in-law yesterday on the street in front of a Brooklyn restaurant of which the victim was a co-owner, the police said.
The suspect, Andrew Gargiulo, who law enforcement officials said ran such a successful bookmaking operation that he once forfeited $1.5 million as part of a plea deal in a gambling case, was arrested in the stabbing in front of Amici Restaurant at 9202 Fort Hamilton Parkway in Bay Ridge, the police said. He was charged with second-degree murder and weapons possession.
Mr. Gargiulo, identified by several law enforcement officials as a soldier in the Genovese crime family, used a hunting knife to stab Preston J. Geritano, 57, the police said."
Was I right or what? These are the types of people I was just talking about. My neighborood is their mecca.
I was introduced to the following quiz by Daria. The results are not terribly surprising.
#FF1493 |
Your dominant hues are red and magenta. You love doing your own thing and going on your own adventures, but there are close friends you know you just can't leave behind. You can influence others on days when you're patient, but most times you just want to go out, have fun, and do your own thing. Your saturation level is high - you get into life and have a strong personality. Everyone you meet will either love you or hate you - either way, your goal is to get them to change the world with you. You are very hard working and don't have much patience for people without your initiative. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation. |
I really like this song by Yeah Yeah Yeahs called Maps. Click on that damn link and crank the speakers.
Then g'head and tell me what YOU think.
Oh yeah, I like the video too. Except when it makes me cry. Which is almost every time I watch it.
Not only were Ms. Hampton and her boyfriend stealing money, but they were stealing it from co-workers, family members and HER OWN ASSISTANT! That is lower than low. I don't know how anyone could live with such a lack of conscience! People will sell their souls to the devil for a chance to satiate their greed. It just proves that you can never completely trust anyone.
Now, for her evil deeds, Ms. Hampton gets to spend time in a boot camp prison in Buffalo. I can comprehend that people who are stuck in poverty sometimes reach the conclusion that crime is the only way for them to turn to get a few bucks in their pocket or some food in their bellies, but what I cannot even begin to fathom, is those people in this country who are already wealthy or have the capacity and career prospects to become very wealthy, who cheat, lie and steal to achieve the lifestyle and financial gain that they desire.
So there is this piece of crap and then there are those who get away with cheating, lying and stealing for their own gain and riding completely beneath the radar, playing it off legit. Look at Enron. Those fuckers still haven't paid what's due.
It's been a busy day. I haven't watched the news or read a paper or been on the computer much, so I don't have any idea what's going on in the world today. Can't blog about that. Spent two hours in a staff focus group/meeting with the managing shareholder of our NY offices airing any grievances regarding...well pretty much everything was covered, from how much file storage space we have, to communications with other departments, to difficulties with human resources, to training issues, and even our compensation packages & increases. It was actually a pretty cool meeting and nice that all staff were invited to take the opportunity to express our thoughts about the firm to someone who actually has the power to take it into account. It was an amicable meeting and he was very receptive to any ideas and concerns. A nice lunch was served. And a lot of ground was covered. Not a bad way to spend a couple hours in the middle of the day.
After work I went to the dentist. It wasn't a fun (or fun-ny) experience. There were a couple of painful moments. I have my new crowns and I'm very happy, but my teeth are super sensitive underneath from bleaching and being tampered with. Blah blah blah. I am exhausted and have a big weekend planned so I'm off to sleepytown.
First thing tomorrow I will try to come up with something riveting to say. Until then...
Talking about partying too hard with Sandy this morning has reminded me of a movie I recently watched called "Party Monster" with Macaulay Culkin, Seth Green and Chloë Sevigny. Awesome movie. And a true story to boot. It's worth it to watch the DVD because the interviews and behind the scenes footage are terrific.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Marilyn Manson is also in the movie. I almost didn't recognize him as an out of control, blonde, drugged up, transvestite. There is a wonderful scene where they are having a huge party in the back of a giant hot pink 18-wheel truck and he's driving. When the cops get to him they drag him out of the cab of the truck and he falls to the ground in the most helpless, flailing manner. It was beautiful.
Happy 4/20 4:20 my friends.
To those of you who celebrate, lighters up! (Unfortunately I'm at work, otherwise I would be celebrating). If you don't know what the hellll I'm talking about, you don't need to know. And if you do know, then congratulations on not having grown out of the most juvenile dilinquent holiday in existence.
My Shareholder bosses are taking me to lunch at Pampano today. I don't know what the hell we are going to talk about. I feel like it's an interview all over again. It's weird. I get along with them so well in the office on a professional level. We share good humor and work harmoniously with eachother. I know they think I am a great secretary and they like me as a person, but it seems like it might be weird to sit down to lunch with them and conduct casual conversation. I don't know why. We conduct casual conversation in the office, but we all have a mutual reason for being here. We just never have lunch together, you know? I guess I should just kick back and enjoy it though. Luckily they are both "democrats" and one of them is heavily involved in the CLU, so there's always that to fall back on. If all else fails we can always talk politics and civil liberties. Riveting lunch conversation. Hahaa! This is my reward for being a good employee. Lunch with the big dogs.
Wish me luck.
Anyone here who has not tried bbq chicken pizza has no idea what they are missing. Now unless you are a vegetarian, go out and find yourself the nearest place that makes a bbq chicken pizza, and order yourself one.
Or, if finding a place in your area is not an option, I suggest you make yourself one. Start by putting sweet bbq sauce on a thin pizza crust instead of marinara, add mozzerella cheeze and chunks of bbq'd chicken breast, and some onions if you so desire. (I do.) It is, quite simply, THE BOMB.
I don't want to see any snearing or fearful whining about how it sounds weird. It is good shit and you must partake of it at least once before you leave this earth. That's an order. Yianni's, by me, makes a mean one. Because, as it says on their menu, "[they] cook with love."
Some fried mozerella sticks w/ marinara on the side don't hurt a bit either.
Hey Bush! You're fired!
Or, to bypass the hilarious video and proceed straight to action, you can go to www.showgeorgethedoor.org
Ah. The Dra-mah. The Horr-ah.
I'm too tired to throw down.
I spoiled the crap out of myself this weekend and it felt great. Yesterday I spoke to my boyfriend before I left the house to run an errand and we made plans for me to go over to his house all the way up in the Bronx later. So I ran the errand but got seriously sidetracked when I passed the Nine West store and saw that they were having a "buy one pair, get the second pair half off sale." After trying on about ten pairs, I selected two that I loved. Cha-ching. After that I started back towards my house but got once again sidetracked by the thought of what sorts of fabulousness was taking place on the racks at Century. So I went to Century and after trying on tons of things (for some reason every damn thing looked good and fit perfect...I was having a good body image day), I walked out with two new pair of jeans, sexiest pair of black pants ever (yes, again) and a silky-slinky blouse. Cha-ching.
On my way out of the store I steadfastly averted my eyes from the colorful swirling mecca of the shoe department, having just purchased two pair not but a half hour before, but was unable to hold out until I got past the sunglasses. Shit. It was sunny out and I lost my favorite pair from last summer. So I bought a new pair of D&Gs (fuuuck! They were on saaaaaaale man!) Cha-ching, and I ran my ass out of there before I did anymore damage.
I got home and Rob had left a bunch of messages which escalated in urgency as if we hadn't spoken for days when in fact it had only been three hours earlier. I said "fuck, I didn't know I wasn't allowed to take a little detour to the department store!")... He said he was worr-ied. Truth be told, he just couldn't wait to see my bad self. I took a train to the city and met up with a couple of our friends and we drove to Rob's in the Bronx. A small party ensued upon our arrival.
We got up this morning and went to "The Westchester." Rob had to manage a demo at Nordstroms and so while he worked, I wandered around the mall. For hours. Dangerous, yes. But this is a mall too high falutin for my kind. I cannot even remotely afford to freely shop at Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Coach, Movado or most of the many other high-end establishments therein. But I know how to sniff out a bargain. So after perusing many stores and not finding much of great interest, I stumbled upon Anthropologie. I love that store. And that is where I scored the greatest stuff at the best price in their little sale niche in the back. Ladies! Even if the store looks a little too spendy for your budget, do not be afraid to go in and check it out, because most of the time, you can find great stuff on sale (husbands and boyfriends everywhere groan in agony). (This is the death chant) Cha-ching.
You know, it feels so good to really indulge yourself every once in awhile. I know the acquirement of material possessions is such a temporary euphoria, but it's still one of the best natural highs. And to me, there is nothing like having something to show for what you spent. A beautiful pair of shoes, a sexy new pair of shades, frilly underpants... it's not the end all, be all in life, but it sure does make it extra fun. And every person has their thing that they like to indulge in. For many guys it is electronics, or power tools or games or automobiles. For some women it is furniture...or clothes...or spa treatments. For most women, it's just about anything with a pricetag on it. I feel it is okay to indulge yourself (though I always feel guilty as if I could have done something so much more productive with that money). I was a little bad, but hey. Life is short.
And for all you guys out there, you can open your eyes now, the shopping extravaganza is over. For the time being.
This is officially the most beautiful day NY has seen this year so far.
Seventy degrees. Heaven.
Went to see Taking Lives starring Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke and Keifer Sutherland last night with Rob. It was a good movie and had a few good surprises though it did jump the shark at the end with one scene where someone got stabbed and blood came out and the next time the person was shown there was no blood, but it was a small jump and I am willing to overlook it and say that all in all it was a pretty good flick.
Though after seeing Dawn of the Dead a few weeks ago, nothing could shake me up that much. All the suspense and drama in the world couldn't equal the sheer terror and roaring stomach flipping that I experienced during that movie. I am not joking in the least when I say that I was emotionally traumatized by DOTD. I had flashes of it in my mind for days afterwards and just two nights ago had another zombie nightmare where my own brother was a zombie and my sister and I were scrambling to get in the car and drive away from him. It was one of those dreams that feels so silly when you tell someone about it, but when I was dreaming it I was scared to death. Kept waking up and trying to shake it off and falling back asleep only to resume the same miserable nightmare. That movie was seriously fucked up and it fucked me up. I could talk about it forever, so I'll stop.
It's a beautiful day in Brooklyn and I'm going to get out there and enjoy it.
My best friend and I have been trying to figure out a plan to get down to D.C. for the Women's March on April 25th. We will see if we make it there...
But check out Right Wing Eye...good times!
An oldie but goodie from our friend Pat Buchanan (We can count on him to spew this crap for years to come. He never lets us down!)
A very good friend who I don't talk to nearly often enough emailed this to me and I thought I'd share it with all of you, in case you're in need of some inner peace:
"By following the simple advice I read in an
article, I have finally found inner peace...
The article read:
"The way to achieve inner peace is to finish
all the things you've started."
So I looked around the house to see all the
things I started and hadn't finished...
and before coming to work this morning I
finished off a bottle of red wine, a bottle of
white, the Bailey's, Kahlua and Wild Turkey,
my Prozac, some valium and a box of chocolates.
You have no idea how freakin good I feel..."
I wish I had that much unfinished business in my house about now. I could definitely use some inner peace at the moment.
I took the day off work today to go to the dentist first thing in the morning and sit in the chair for four hours while he removed old crowns, took multiple impressions and put in temporaries. The temporary crowns are made of acrylic and I have to say, I don't like them much. But the beautiful new ceramic ones will be in place next week.
My dentist is a funny guy and also an incredible dentist. But...he's...dundundun...a Republican!!! Screeeeeeeeeech. Okay you know me right? I have to be able to voice my opinion when I so desire. Imagine me being strapped to a dentists chair breathing obscene levels of nitric oxide and suddenly being confronted with someone's conservative views on the Iraq war and the impending election. It's all fine if I could cognitively form a fucking thought or even speak! In the beginning it was a good little debate during which he tried to convince me that John Kerry is a criminal and that you can't reason with those desert people (the only way to communicate with them is with bombs) and that the 9/11 commission is a sham. I put up a good fight. The technician was nodding in agreement with me. My dentist was getting a little flustered and threatening to make my teeth purple.
Then, BAM, the nitric really hit me. I started dancing in the abstract recesses of my mindspace. I started thinking things were really funny. He started really going to work on my teeth. But he continued spouting off. When he took his hands out of my mouth for a moment I blubbered something about being subjected to his political views while being rendered incapable of a response was worse torture than all the drilling, tooth shaving and acrylic impressions in all the world.
He changed the subject for awhile and went off about how he loves being able to look out the window at the bank across the street while he works and seeing all those happy people coming out and how there are three types of dog owners, the type that are hovering right behind their dog as it shits and they scoop it up like a pro, the old lady who stands far away from the dog and pretends it's not shitting, but can't stop peaking out of the corner of her eye, and the jerkoff who lets it shit right in the middle of the sidewalk and keeps walking. All of this made me laugh and forget about politics. Then he wandered off in his train of thought, saying "what do I want to do this weekend? If it's sunny, I want to play tennis. If it's rainy, I don't want to do anything....yeah. If it's rainy I definitely don't want to do anything..." And the image of him in a pristine tennis outfit reminded me that he's a fucking pansy ass republican!
When I finally left the office he said "see you next time and we can duke it out some more over politics." I glared at him and told him I was going to verbally bitchslap him when that time came. I walked the few blocks back to my house in a post-drug haze and fell straight to sleep in my warm happy bed. But all I could dream of was being in the chair and all the responses I would have had to all the things he said, had I not been incapacitated in such a manner.
Dentists are cruel. In every imaginable way...
I hate pop-ups on the computer and I detest spam even more. I think it should be illegal. It is a nuisance, an invasion of privacy and sometimes even goes so far as to be categorized as harassment, but this takes the cake.
Can there be no refuge from these vermin?
"SYDNEY (Reuters) - Compulsive Australian gamblers seeking help from Gamblers Anonymous are being hit with online casino pop-up advertisements when they visit the Web site of the self-help group..."
This is like going to an AA meeting and there's someone who greets you at the door and offers you a cocktail. You say no and take a few more steps and there's another jerk offering you a beer. The whole business of pop-up advertisements and spam is so depraved as it is.
Dave Chapelle did a very funny skit recently called "If The Internet Was A Real Place..." It was hysterical, but it was also insightful. If the things that occur on the internet occurred in our tangible day-to-day reality, we would be deeply disturbed by how quickly we were watching things go down the toilet. I really believe that there needs to be legislation in place protecting people from pop-up ads and spam email. Unfortunately, it's a whole issue of regulating the internet and the idea that once you open that door, you never know what will get in. The rationale for why we can't stop this kind of nuisance is that once you start regulating one thing, then you can start regulating everything. But I don't think that's true in this case. I think you should be able to set down property rights on the internet (my own dad was a pioneer in this department) and I think you should be able to protect yourself from harassment and privacy infringement. Spam and pop-ups constitute both. And in this particular instance, it's just cruel.
Here is my favorite quote from last night's presidential campaign speech/press conference:
Can this man be for real? People don't like to see dead people on their television screens? This is what he has to say about the intense violence of the past couple weeks? I paid $10 to go see Dawn of the fucking Dead! People love seeing dead people on their television screens!
You know what people don't like? BEING DEAD. Sending their 18 year old child off to war and finding out soon after that their CHILD IS DEAD. People don't like being tricked into things. People don't like being told one minute that they are going to war because we are going to be attacked with weapons of mass destruction by a country that is harboring terrorists and then turn around to be told that we actually went to war to liberate the people who were supposedly going to attack us with weapons of mass destruction and p.s. the only terrorists there are the ones that have risen up to fight our occupation. People don't like being told that the difference is insignificant and having it be implied that the worst thing that is going on is that people are being forced to see dead people on their television screens. That statement shows just how far removed he is from reality and how little he truly cares about the lives being lost. This is not about what kind of horrors the people sitting in their safe little living rooms are being exposed to via the little screen. It is about people losing their own precious lives and about families suffering real loss and anguish as a result of his administration's political agenda. Who gives a fuck what people like to see on their television screens?
This press conference is to die for. Most comedians couldn't come up with this much funny material in a lifetime.
Came across this excellent timeline of terrorist warnings the Clinton and Bush Administrations received prior to 9/11. For the actual links to all sources, please click here. Note how much of this is contrary to statements given by our current Whitehouse.
A tidbit, perhaps?
1999 –EXPLICIT WARNING THAT AL QAEDA HAD PLANS TO FLY AIRPLANES INTO BUILDINGS: A 1999 report prepared by the Library of Congress for the National Intelligence Council "warned that Osama bin Laden's terrorists could hijack an airliner and fly it into government buildings like the Pentagon." The report specifically said, "Suicide bomber(s) belonging to al-Qaida's Martyrdom Battalion could crash-land an aircraft packed with high explosives…into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the CIA, or the White House." In response to the ominous warnings, the New York Times reports "under Janet Reno, the Justice Department's counterterrorism budget increased 13.6% in the fiscal year 1999, 7.1% in 2000 and 22.7% in 2001." During the Clinton Administration "the federal government had on several earlier occasions taken elaborate, secret measures to protect special events from just such an attack." [Source: CBS, 5/17/02; NY Times, 2/28/02; WSJ, 4/1/04]
EARLY 2001 – MAJOR SURGE IN AL QAEDA ACTIVITY: "In late spring 2001, a sudden surge in activity began among known Al Qaeda operatives…a reporter from Middle East Broadcasting visited bin Laden at a camp in Afghanistan and noted that his supporters were preparing for attacks against American 'interests.'"[Source: The Age of Sacred Terror, 2003]
EARLY 2001 – WHITE HOUSE DEPARTS FROM EFFORTS TO TRACK TERRORIST MONEY: The new Bush Treasury Department "disapproved of the Clinton Administration's approach to money laundering issues, which had been an important part of the drive to cut off the money flow to bin Laden." Specifically, the Bush Administration opposed Clinton Administration-backed efforts by the G-7 and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that targeted countries with "loose banking regulations" being abused by terrorist financiers. Meanwhile, the Bush Administration provided "no funding for the new National Terrorist Asset Tracking Center." [Source: The Age of Sacred Terror, 2003]
APRIL 30, 2001 - BUSH ADMINISTRATION SAYS BIN LADEN FOCUS WAS "MISTAKE": The Bush Administration released the government's annual report on terrorism, but unlike previous Administrations, it decided to specifically omit an "extensive mention of alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. A senior State Department official told CNN the U.S. government made a mistake in focusing so much energy on bin Laden." Similarly, AP reported in 2002 that the Bush Administration's "national security leadership met formally nearly 100 times in the months prior to the Sept. 11 attacks yet terrorism was the topic during only two of those sessions." [Source: CNN, 4/30/01; AP, 6/29/01]
JULY 2001 –ANOTHER WARNING THAT AL QAEDA PLANNED TO USE PLANES AS MISSILES: The LA Times reported that U.S. and Italian officials were warned in July 2001 that "Islamic terrorists might attempt to kill President Bush and other leaders by crashing an airliner into the Genoa summit of industrialized nations." [Source: LA Times, 9/27/01]
(...Oh, this one below is one of my FAVORITES!)
JULY 2001 – ASHCROFT STOPS FLYING COMMERCIAL BECAUSE OF "THREAT ASSESSMENT": Attorney General John Ashcroft stopped flying commercial airlines and instead began "traveling exclusively by leased jet aircraft instead of commercial airlines" because of "what the Justice Department called a 'threat assessment.'" That "threat assessment" has never been made public. [Source: CBS, 7/26/01]
There's more!!!
Front page of AM New York this morning:
"Price of Truth: Clinton Investigations $65 Million, 9/11 Commission $15 Million"
Anyone who can justify this to me, please, be my guest.
I'm not feeling in such tip-top shape.
Spent all Easter Sunday puking up anything I tried to ingest. Crazy cramps, crazy stomach virus, crazy Maria dragging her ass around like a sore sack of potatoes. Every muscle achey. Sad girl. Couldn't even keep down an aspirin.
This morning I forced myself to go to work even though I felt like staying home and puking some more. My boss had left me a mountain of work to do. Talk about a great Easter. He obviously worked. I'd rather be home puking. So he left me a fine plethora of various assignments. Not tedious drone work either like copying and faxes which I can do while I nap, but shit that made me have to concentrate. Shit that made my neck and shoulders ache from staring and deciphering his obscenely intricate, borderline ridiculous revisions and incorporating them into these huge documents. No food in me. Just coffee & Pepto. Afraid to eat. Teetering on the edge of a breakdown. Any other day I would have been thrilled to be this busy, but today was the wrong day.
But I didn't breakdown. I went downstairs and got some chicken vegetable soup and a piece of bread and went on to complete all the work I had to do. I finished every last thing that he left for me. All revisions, releasing time entry, putting in new time entry, faxes, photocopies, fedexes, everything.
I left promptly at 5:32. Slept on the train. Got into my house, and what do I do? Instead of going to my bed and falling into a deep sleep? I sit down at this stupid fucking computer and proceed to blog about it. I am sicker than I thought.
Did anyone watch this scary show, "The Swan"?
I just read this review of it that was pretty accurate.
"If a network wants to do a truly ground-breaking reality show, maybe they should take 16 contestants with the personalities of wallpaper and spend three months transforming them into people who are smarter, funnier and more interesting."
I watched the first episode and it was really, profoundly disturbing, to say the least. And the message it conveys is a big neon sign flashing that says "it's okay if your life is miserable and you are completely emotionally crippled. If you were prettier, you would be happier. And a great and acceptable way of becoming prettier is to submit yourself to plastic surgery and surrender to people who couldn't really care less about your inner well being."
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning plastic surgery for what it is. But one thing that it isn't is a cure for marital problems (especially that one big problem of your spouse being a complete fucking asshole) or other serious psychological issues and distorted body images. This show pretends otherwise.
Launchcast just played King Missile's ""Take Stuff From Work." If you don't listen to King Missile, you are seriously missing out. They are a combination of great music and comedic genius. Every time one of their songs play on my station, I feel like posting the lyrics because they always make me laugh. Thus, below you will find the lyrics from "Take Stuff From Work."
By King Missile
Take stuff from work.
It's the best way to feel better about your job.
Never buy pens or pencils or paper.
Take 'em from work.
Rubber bands, paper clips, memo pads, folders-take 'em from work.
It's the best way to feel better about your low pay and appalling working conditions.
Take an ashtray-they got plenty.
Take coat hangers.
Take a, take a trash can.
Why buy a file cabinet?
Why buy a phone?
Why buy a personal computer or word processor?
Take 'em from work.
I took a whole desk from the last place I worked.
They never noticed and it looks great in my apartment.
Take an electric pencil sharpener.
Take a case of white-out; you might need it one day.
Take some from work
It's your duty as an oppressed worker to steal from your exploiters.
It's gonna be an outstanding day.
Take stuff from work.
And goof off on the company time.
I wrote this at work.
They're paying me to write about stuff I steal from them.
Life is good.
...Now try to imagine someone singing that.
It's hard to remember what life was like before personal computers.
When I was a kid I had a C-64. I played Pitfall religiously. Despite being a "computer," it had no other purpose in my mind other than that. To fight with my brother over, and to happily trot along, screen after screen, a little stick man, swinging from a little green stick of vine over little brown pools of "scary" swampage inhabited by less than terrifying alligators. Boy was that fun. I miss those days.
Skip to now. Remember when no one knew what a blog was? You would say "yeah, I have a blog," and people would say "pardon?" One of my friends even laughed and said "What???" I said "a weblog, you know, like an online journal." And she said (laughing) "Oooh! I thought you said a BLOG and I was like, whaaaaat??? What's that?" And I said "I did say 'a blog'. That's short for web-log." I could tell she thought I was a complete dorkasauras.
But now everyone seems to know what it is. People still think you're a dork, but it's okay because you're also kind of cool and you have something that's your outlet and not everyone has that. My boss at work emails me blog entries that he's come across in his incessant internet foodie searches. He found one that actually killed me. I printed it up and read every last comment on the train on the way home. This is what it's all about man. Real writing and laughs. Big fucking laughs.
Oh, p.s., if you read the linked blog entry, the restaurant ("Spice Market") that Amanda Hesser was writing about is directly across the street from the Hogpit! Sounds a little inflated to me though. I'm gonna stick with the Hogpit for now.
I cannot deal with stupid people. But even worse than that, I can't deal with CHEAP, stupid people. I am not a rich person. I work for a living. But no one could ever accuse me of being cheap. It's just not in my character. I have friends who don't like to tip waitstaff because they feel they've already paid enough for their food or drinks & that they shouldn't have to pay a tip too. Friends who take out the calculator during a lunchdate. These people aren't broke. They're not even remotely poor. They're just fucking cheap.
This girl at my work just came up to me and asked me if I'm still using Launchcast. I said yes. I love it. Listen to it almost every day.
She said she has recently been trying to play hers and it tells her she has exceeded her free usage for the month. I said "that's weird, if that started happening to me, I would just start ordering the premium service for $2.99 per month or $36.00 per year or whatever it is." (Super cheap considering the value of the service in my mind). She sneared and said "you would PAY for it? Why not just bring cds to work and listen to them?" I said "and what, DJ all day? No way. First of all, a lot of the music I get to hear on launchcast isn't even in my music collection and it would cost roughly $12-$15 PER CD if I was to buy ones that I get to hear on my station. Second, it's an awesome service that I love and $36 per year is NOTHING. A pittance for the joy that it brings into my life. Especially considering that for the premium service, there are no commercials and you have endless additional control over what plays on your station and when. You can't beat that with a stick. Especially for $36.
She continued to snear. She said "Right! Pay $36 per year and then what if I leave this job and then I've paid just so someone else can use it???" (This is where the stupidity comes in) I said "what on earth do you mean? It's YOUR service? You take it with you wherever you go. If you leave your job, your account still exists and how is someone going to use it on your computer after you leave? You have to login. It's yours. No one else can just take over your launchcast without your password!" She said "Well it's saved in my cookies!"
OKAY. First of all it's saved in your favorites. Delete all your favorites when you leave this job, and you don't have to worry about it. If you are really so paranoid that someone is going to search your hard drive for temporary internet files and highjack your launchcast station after you leave, you need to seek psychological help.
Then she tells me some things should just be free and that it's not fair to have to pay for it. I don't know where this fucking sense of entitlement comes from in Americans. She says "well the radio is free." And I say "yes and when you listen to the radio you have to hear all the music they play over and over that you don't want to hear and you have to listen to endless blocks of commercials. Not so with launch. Not only do you get to customize your genres and specific music preferences, but you also do not have to listen to commercials. Even with the free launch service, they play a commercial maybe once or twice per hour and it never runs over one minute."
She continues to insist that it should be free. Which it IS! I listen to my free launchcast station all the time. I've been using this service for more than a year and have never paid a single cent. I have derived endless hours of bliss, contentment, delight, surprise, elation, exuberance, glee, hilarity, jubilation and general entertainment from my launchcast service. I'm not about to give it up. Even if, HEAVEN FORBID!, I have to pay a few bucks a year.
Last Friday I blogged about how Fridays always tend to drag. HOLY. I feel like I've been here six hours already and it's not even eleven a.m. yet. And the sun is shining, which makes it worse. Being stuck up here in a fishbowl in the sky, only able to observe the resplendent colors of the day, but unable to tangibly experience its divinity in a walk, unable to feel a kiss of breeze or to turn my face up to the sky and relish in the warmth of this blessed sunshine. To feel drenched in the ecstacy of a fair spring day.
Can you tell how deprived we have been of decent weather?
It has been a long, hellishly cold winter. If someone mentions in the elevator that they heard more snow may still be on the way, everyone jumps as if the jerk just pulled out a gun. We are shell shocked & still menaced by the misery of another NY winter that doesn't want to go away.
I dream every day of putting on my new silver bondgirl bikini and splashing in warm beckoning waves, backstroking towards tiny sailboats in the distance and hearing the muted sounds of children's laughter, blinking salty droplets off wet lashes, sitting in the sand and eating turkey & avocado sandwiches washed down with cold corona, laying back and basking in the glory & freedom of summertime.
It's going to happen soon. Very soon.
I haven't cared about The Apprentice.
It seems like everyone loved it right off the bat and were immediately sold on Donald Trump's schtick. Not me. It doesn't change the fact that both him and his hair give me the creeps. But my boyfriend loves it. So I watch.
And I know I am not alone when I say FUCKING OMAROSA, you stupid, lazy, lying, flippant, spoiled, shifty ass BITCH.
I can't believe she LIED outright to Kwame and her other teammates about the phone call she receieved from Diane in the restaurant about Jessica Simpson's transportation from the airport. (By the way, I know I sound like a raving lunatic, especially for someone who has never given much of a crap about this show, but that was just wrong).
Shame on you Omarosa. SHAME ON YOU.
I suddenly just realized that there is no sane reason why I should care even the slightest bit about the fate of the last two contestants on the Apprentice. What a stupid show. Why do people like it so much?
Man, China really pisses me off. I'm sorry. I already have issues because of being raised Tibetan Buddhist (my mother said we've been brainwashed to hate China), and I guess they have just never totally gone away. I don't like feeling animosity towards an entire country. It doesn't seem right, but I can't help it, and everytime I read something like this, it reinforces the distaste that I feel. It's not the people themselves, it's not racial and it's not the cultural differences, it is the government. It is the arrogance of the leadership. I know it's funny to talk about arrogance in leadership as an American, but China has us beat. ("When asked why China, with its surging economy and rising power, has not yet begun to democratize, its leaders recite a standard line. The country is too big, too poor, too uneducated and too unstable to give political power to the people, they say.")
The situation with Taiwan is another perfect example of why they piss me off. China claims to "own" Taiwan and seeks to barr any attempt by Taiwan to set forth a concrete declaration of independence, despite the status quo, which has been that Taiwan is the most democratic sector in all of "China," that it stands alone and has never actually even been a part of China. Taiwan wants to be free. And even though they are free in practice, if China has its way, Taiwan will never be free of the looming threat of someday being subject to China's laws and government and being claimed as Chinese territory. China fights tooth and nail the prospect of Taiwan declaring its independence.
Though China claims that international law gives them the right to claim Taiwan as its territory, Taiwan's effort to become an independent country conforms to the principle of self-determination widely adopted in international law which says that people have a right, above the territorial right of a state, to found a government that can "truly represent all the people in the said region and not to be subject to oppression as a result of racial, religious, ethnic and other differences."
Another thing that irritates me about China is their age-old preference for boy-children which is affecting their female population due to selective abortions of female babies. Well that's okay. It will come back to haunt them and that really has nothing to do with anything I'm talking about here, I just thought I'd let ya'll know how much that kind of pervasive sexism pisses me off. Back to the subject.
Now there is this whole thing with Cheney going over there for talks and apparently "the topic most fraught with controversy will be talks with China over Taiwan. Perennially a hot-button issue in U.S.-Sino relations, the Pentagon's recent approval of the sale to Taiwan of an anti-missile radar system — which could be used to detect and defend against an attack from the mainland — has raised the ire of Beijing." Meanwhile, let's talk about the weapons China has been setting aside for the purpose of taking Taiwan by force...
But my real question is this: With a population of over one billion people already, what does China need with Taiwan? They don't rule enough people, enough land? They must have the Tibetans and the Taiwanese as well? I think their government is just stubborn like children on the playground who don't know how to share. They just want everything to be theirs and if they can't have it that way, watch out, they'll scratch your eyeballs and pull your pigtails. I can't think of any other rational explanation for their being such bastards.
This song always puts me in a great mood when I hear it and makes me remember all kinds of good times:
Don't Worry About the Government
By: Talking Heads
I see the clouds that move across the sky
I see the wind that moves the clouds away
It moves the clouds over by the building
I pick the building that I want to live in
I smell the pine trees and the peaches in the woods
I see the pinecones that fall by the highway
That's the highway that goes to the building
I pick the building that I want to live in
It's over there, it's over there
My building has every convenience
It's gonna make life easy for me
It's gonna be easy to get things done
I will relax alone with my loved ones
Loved ones, loved ones visit the building,
take the highway, park and come up and see me
I'll be working, working but if you come visit
I'll put down what I'm doing, my friends are important
Don't you worry 'bout me
I wouldn't worry about me
I see the states, across this big nation
I see the laws made in Washington, D.C.
I think of the ones I consider my favorites
I think of the people that are working for me
Some civil servants are just like my loved ones
They work so hard and they try to be strong
I'm a lucky guy to live in my building
They own the buildings to help them along
It's over there, it's over there
My building has every convenience
It's gonna make life easy for me
It's gonna be easy to get things done
I will relax along with my loved ones
Loved ones, loved ones visit the building
Take the highway, park and come up and see me
I'll be working, working but if you come visit
I'll put down what I'm doing, my friends are important
I wouldn't worry 'bout
I wouldn't worry about me
Don't you worry about meeee
Holy Mary Mother of God.
Don't ever say us Mexican women aren't the toughest. SHIIIIIT.
The line that caught my attention the most was the first paragraph "ASHGABAT (Reuters) - Turkmenistan's president has told his people to shun traditional false gold teeth in favor of white ones, the latest eccentric command after moves to ban beards, ballet and circuses."
It's not enough that you have to be a fascist. I know I have blogged about cultures where "anything fun, merry or remotely enjoyable must go." It bothers me so fucking much though. "Is that a smile I see? NO SMILING! Smiling makes you attractive, and being attractive makes you a jezebel!" "Is that dancing? DANCING? What is this dancing? Stop it immediately. You look like jezebels. Stop right now!" "A spectacle? Is that a HARMLESS SPECTACLE? Stop it immediately. You are entertaining people. If they are entertained, they will smile. And if they smile, they will be attractive. And if they are attractive, they are PROMISCUOUS."
So now President Saparmurat Niyazov is expressing his dislike for gold teeth. Granted, he seems to have a way of suggesting that he doesn't like something and before you know it, a ban is in place. But what really bothers me is the thought that anyone should have this much control over free-will. Of course, as we know, not everyone demands the right to free-will the way we do in America...
Okay. Sorry. Just had to vent that one out.
So here's something you don't exactly hear coming out of Hollywood everyday. Ozzy alleges his doctor over-prescribed addictive drugs that transformed him into the ambling, mumbling, profane character that we love and endearingly watch on the Osbournes.
Apparently, Ozzy hired this doctor in June 2002 to kick a prescription drug habit. Dr. Kipper charged the Osbourne family $650,000 for his services. Thanks Doc. You've been a big help. Here, will more than half a mil do it you fucking scumbag? (Not that the Ozzy's can't afford it, but seriously...the least the doctor could have done is not made the problem worse!)
Former Mayor of Covington, GA, Allene C. Burton, is arrested for stealing a $4.00 necklace. Yes folks, you read that right. FOUR DOLLARS. Burton served on the Covington City Council for 26 years before winning election as the city's mayor in November 1995.
Burton was also accused of shoplifting in 1997, the year she resigned as mayor.
In that case, Burton was allegedly seen on a Covington Belk security camera placing three pieces of jewelry, valued at $75, in her vest pocket. According to a warrant, Burton admitted to a store manager that she took the jewelry. On the same day that she was served with the warrant, Burton resigned as mayor of Covington, citing a "physical and emotional health crisis."
Now why a grown woman would have a penchant for such cheap-shit jewelery is beyond me. But even more unbelievable is that a former public servant would risk jail time just to get her hands on some. The other thing that strikes me is that she paid for other items, but not the four dollar necklace. That is an almost sure indication of a cleptomaniac. But honestly, I feel bad for her. It sounds like she probably wasn't joking about the emotional health crisis.
So during the continuing debate regarding Bush's lies today, I posted the link to this article in the Economist titled A Matter of Trust. I have a feeling that none of the conservatives who are so happily living in ignorance when it comes to this issue, have even bothered to read the article, but continue to debate the subject as if it has never been recorded in history that Bush has said things that turned out not to be true.
I.e., "the president claimed in October 2002 that Iraq had a 'massive stockpile of biological weapons.' The CIA's director, George Tenet, has said he had no specific information on such stockpiles even at the time...
"Mr Bush dismissed the idea that the absence of WMD had any implications for perceptions of the Iraqi security threat. 'So what's the difference?', he asked a television interviewer rhetorically last December, between Saddam actually possessing WMD and his moving to acquire them? The idea that the absence of WMD is insignificant sits oddly with the administration's earlier claims that the existence of the weapons was vital."
Okay, so let's put this into terms we can all understand, Jerry Springer terms, if you will. An analogy or a scenario that will better portray what is happening here: Your best friend tells you she is sure that your boyfriend is cheating on you. You ask how she knows this and she says she has a very reliable source (pretend it is the CIA) and that if you go over to his house right now, you will definitely find evidence of infidelity. Obviously, you are going to believe it. So you break up with your boyfriend, stating that he is a cheater (before being completely sure). All hell breaks loose. You barge into his house looking for the evidence, but you don't find anything. You find out from the supposedly reliable source (the CIA) that your best friend was never actually even told that your boyfriend was cheating, only that he COULD cheat if he wanted to (WHOA! Big difference!) So you go back to your best friend and confront her about the lie. She refuses to admit that she lied, even though you already know she did, because the CIA told you in not so many words, but she says it doesn't even matter if she did lie, because your boyfriend was an asshole anyway and you're much better off without him.
So when George Bush is the best friend (so he makes an ugly girl, sorry) and George Tenet is the CIA and you are you, wouldn't you view it as having been lied too? Would you split hairs about whether or not it actually constituted a lie or a misstatement? NO. You lost your boyfriend. So he was a huge asshole. If you wanted to get rid of him because he was an asshole, you would have. That's your business. Unless he has weapons of mass destruction and he is about to start using them. If Iraqis wanted freedom from Saddam, they are their own country. It is their responsibility to overthrow their own government if they are unhappy. I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. We can encourage them to strive for democracy, but we cannot make up lies about their dictator harboring weapons of mass destruction and huge stockpiles of biological weapons and terrorist camps so we can bring them liberation and risk thousands of lives in the process and billions upon billions of American tax dollars. It's not okay. Just like all the other countries that are run by awful governments. We can only offer assistance to those people, but if they don't really have WMDs, a war is not an option. I believe there were ways we could have helped the Iraqi people, but I don't think this was the way.
I know this seems like a very trivial analogy, but when you look at it, it's really the same dynamic on a much, much larger and more detrimental scale. There are thousands of broken hearts. All of those who have lost loved ones as a result of the lies that this administration has told. And if you don't think they're lies, then please put yourself in the situation I just described. It's the same damn thing. A lie is a lie. No matter how you try to manipulate it into an "overstatement."
I cannot believe that anyone would let their toddler watch up to three or four hours of television per day.
People have got to wake up and stop allowing their children destructive activities such as overeating, overexposure to violence and excessive television. I sincerely believe that the increasing neglectfulness of parents and families is a huge contributing factor to the direction in which American society is heading. Down the shitter. Aside from the masses of new disorders that appear everyday in adult Americans such as chronic fatigue, stress & anxiety, depression and so on, now children have become the major victims. We sit them in front of the TV for hours a day beginning while they are babies, and then when they get into gradeschool we wonder why they have ADD and hyperactivity and why the teachers and principals are insisting that the children be medicated to make them more manageable in class and to curb misbehavior. Then when they are in highschool we wonder why they are violent, suicidal or even homicidal. We let them consume fastfood, unhealthy snacks, soda and rarely a vegetable, day after day, and then we wonder why they are overweight. Then we let them watch some more TV and come Christmas time, we wonder why their wishlist is ten pages long with things they saw in ads.
This all makes me really sad. And I think the solution is pretty simple. But for some reason, people refuse to protect their children more from the negative influences of television & violent video games or to restrict them from frequently eating unhealthy foods.
I know I've blogged about this before, and I'll likely do it again, because it's an issue I feel really strongly about. I was raised primarily without television. (Though I did manage to sneak in some TV watching at friends' houses or when my parents were away). I am a firm believer that this is the reason that everyone talks to eachother in my house. An entire day passes and a television may never even be turned on, and certainly not for anything other than movie watching. (No one in my parent's house vegges in front of the television, it's just not an option). People have told me before that they think my parents were too lenient with me -- allowed me too much freedom at a young age (even though I was practically a prisoner until I was 13 and after that all hell broke loose and I was like a wild horse that couldn't be stopped). But my parents pulled the reigns where it was most necessary and they laid a foundation that consisted of well rounded eating habits (I don't eat anything non-fat or that says diet on the label. I honestly believe that just makes you fatter) and setting an example that reading and writing and artistic activities are far more fulfilling than hours of TV watching.
My best friend Kathleen always said the thing she liked the best about staying over at my house was waking up in the morning and hearing my parents talking to eachother. They both do their own things, but you will never see them side by side in lazy-boyz watching TV. My dad does not watch sports. My mother does not watch soap operas. I think this is part of the reason they are so far from the stereotypical American. And probably one of the reasons that they are still married after thirty years. They talk to eachother.
I'll be the first to admit that now, living on my own, I watch television (and I eat pizza and cheeseburgers with gusto but my ass is still narrower than most people I know). However, many days pass when I won't turn it on at all and I am fully capable of just putting on some music and drawing or painting or sitting in silence and reading a book as an alternative to watching TV. It seems like adults who do not overexpose themselves to television are also in a better position to be able to analyze things and to grasp reality without being overly influenced by the subliminal affects of television. But that is a choice that adults must make for themselves. Your children cannot be left with the decision about how much television and what is okay to watch. Parents have to take control. And more than anything, they need to stop using the television as a babysitter.
While doing a search online for George Carlin related stuff, I found this old article about George's appearance at Yale. I love him. He is forever one of my great heros.
"I know I am a very lucky individual," Carlin said
He then described the extraordinary circumstances of his birth. Not only was Carlin conceived out of the chance meeting of his parents after they had already split up, but also he was saved from abortion when his mother saw a "sign" in an oil painting in the waiting room of the abortion clinic.
"By the way," Carlin said, "I still support abortion even though I was almost done in."
Carlin then opened the floor to questions. When asked to comment on the recent election, Carlin replied that though he dislikes discussing topical issues, he would rather discuss politics "with a lowercase 'p.'"
"I was embarrassed in the midst of the Florida election thing, when all the media wanted to show was what 'Saturday Night Live,' Leno and Letterman were doing," Carlin said. "It was very superficial."