By Beauty Damned

Blurb

I wasn't going to write about the debates until tomorrow, simply because there was a lot to digest, but one thing I can say with total certainty is that I was struck by the contrast between Bush and Kerry. While Kerry was calm, cool and presidential, Bush was a whiney, defensive child who repeated himself ad nauseum, fumbled repeatedly, didn't disappoint the common perception that he's a terrible speaker, and failed to effectively respond to the many solid, succinct points that Kerry made throughout the course of the debate. I think Bush failed miserably and Kerry came out looking strong, assertive, and far more educated, intelligent and realistic. Bush seemed borderline dillusional as he failed to properly grasp the scope of the topics. He showed what a one track mind he has. I found it excruciating and sometimes hilarious to watch him. Even after hearing John Kerry pronounce "Nuclear" correctly several times, Bush still pronounced it "Nucular."

Factor This

Newsflash! Jon Stewart's Viewers Distinctly More Intelligent and Informed Than O'Reilly's!

I came across this transcript of Bill O'Reilly interviewing Jon Stewart over at Wonkette about a week ago. The interview was so great because Jon Stewart doesn't take anything to heart and is so good at turning everything into a joke at the expense of everyone involved. He can laugh at himself, but he is also incredibly skilled at turning things around to point out hypocricy or to subtly avoid conveying aggravation at the discussion.

Of course, as Wonkette pointed out, one of the most memorable snippets from the interview was the following:

O'REILLY: You actually have an influence on this presidential election. That is scary.

STEWART: If that were so, that would be quite frightening.

O'REILLY: But it is. It's true. I mean, you've got stoned slackers watching your dopey show every night, OK, and they can vote.

STEWART: Yeah.

O'REILLY: You can't stop them.

STEWART: Yeah, I just don't know how motivated they would be, these stoned slackers.

O'REILLY: Yeah, it just depends if they have to go out that day.

STEWART: What am I, a Cheech and Chong movie? Stoned slackers?

O'REILLY: Come on, you do the research, you know the research on your program.

STEWART: No, we don't.

O'REILLY: Eighty-seven percent are intoxicated when they watch it. You didn't see that?

STEWART: No, I didn't realize that.

O'REILLY: Yeah, we have that there.

STEWART: We come on right after, I believe, puppets that make crank calls...

O'REILLY: Yeah.

STEWART: ... so we are, I think, the appropriate follow up...

O'REILLY: Yeah, and that's a great lead-in for you.

STEWART: It's a wonderful show, by the way.

O'REILLY: Puppets can't vote, but these dopey kids who watch you can.

STEWART: They actually can -- in Florida, they can.

O'REILLY: Puppets can vote in Florida.

STEWART: As long as they vote Republican.

O'REILLY: And they haven't committed a felony.

STEWART: And they haven't committed a felony, that's exactly right

O'REILLY: But you do have some influence. Now, how do you see that? You have influence. John Kerry bypassed me and went right over to you. You're only four blocks away. He said, "O'Reilly, I don't think so. Stewart, I'm going to go talk to you."

STEWART: Well, I have to tell you -- and again, I mean no disrespect, but the snack selection backstage, quite frankly...

After a little bit, the conversation gravitated back to where it began:

O'REILLY: What do you think Kerry wants to get out of coming on your show?

STEWART: He wants to get what any politician does: access to a new constituency. He wants to get...

O'REILLY: The stoned slackers.

STEWART: ... that's exactly right, because the stoned slackers, this election is going to rely on the undecided. Who is more undecided than...

O'REILLY: Than the stoned slacker, right.

STEWART: ... the people who are high. Right now, they're thinking to themselves, ice cream or pretzels, ice cream or pretzels.

Some people took offense. Understandably so. I just thought it was hilarious, not only because of the finesse with which Jon Stewart navigated his position in the interview and kept admirably cool as Bill O'Reilly did his usual best to belittle and instigate conflict with his guest, but also because the conversation itself was ludicrous, as it usually is whenever BOR is involved (I think that is the perfect abbreviation for his name, don't you?). You honestly cannot take anything he says seriously because he has no purpose in life other than to berate and inflame those who he disagrees with. In reality, I believe the man's wife must have his balls locked in an iron box in her bedside table and the only time he ever gets to exert any control is when he's on his trashy talk show berating his guests. Maybe he is an abused husband. It happens, you know. Whatever the reason for the monstrous chip on his shoulder, I feel sorry for him. I would not want to wake up every morning only to be reminded that I am that shitstick on Fox News whose only satisfaction comes when I maliciously attack my liberal guest and beat them down with the proverbial belt of ignorance.

So you can only imagine how tickled I was when I picked up my newspaper this morning and saw this little headline up at the top: "Daily Show's Viewers Smarter Than O'Reilly's." Turns out, this story is all over the place!

You got knocked the fuck out, biaaaatch!!!

Couldn't Have Said It Better

The Unfeeling President
by E.L. Doctorow

I fault this president for not knowing what death is. He does not suffer the death of our 21-year-olds who wanted to be what they could be. On the eve of D-Day in 1944 General Eisenhower prayed to God for the lives of the young soldiers he knew were going to die. He knew what death was. Even in a justifiable war, a war not of choice but of necessity, a war of survival, the cost was almost more than Eisenhower could bear.

But this president does not know what death is. He hasn't the mind for it. You see him joking with the press, peering under the table for the weapons of mass destruction he can't seem to find, you see him at rallies strutting up to the stage in shirt sleeves to the roar of the carefully screened crowd, smiling and waving, triumphal, a he-man.

He does not mourn. He doesn't understand why he should mourn. He is satisfied during the course of a speech written for him to look solemn for a moment and speak of the brave young Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

But you study him, you look into his eyes and know he dissembles an emotion which he does not feel in the depths of his being because he has no capacity for it. He does not feel a personal responsibility for the 1,000 dead young men and women who wanted to be what they could be.

They come to his desk not as youngsters with mothers and fathers or wives and children who will suffer to the end of their days a terribly torn fabric of familial relationships and the inconsolable remembrance of aborted life . . . they come to his desk as a political liability, which is why the press is not permitted to photograph the arrival of their coffins from Iraq.

How then can he mourn? To mourn is to express regret and he regrets nothing. He does not regret that his reason for going to war was, as he knew, unsubstantiated by the facts. He does not regret that his bungled plan for the war's aftermath has made of his mission-accomplished a disaster. He does not regret that, rather than controlling terrorism, his war in Iraq has licensed it. So he never mourns for the dead and crippled youngsters who have fought this war of his choice.

He wanted to go to war and he did. He had not the mind to perceive the costs of war, or to listen to those who knew those costs. He did not understand that you do not go to war when it is one of the options but when it is the only option; you go not because you want to but because you have to.

Yet this president knew it would be difficult for Americans not to cheer the overthrow of a foreign dictator. He knew that much. This president and his supporters would seem to have a mind for only one thing -- to take power, to remain in power, and to use that power for the sake of themselves and their friends.

A war will do that as well as anything. You become a wartime leader. The country gets behind you. Dissent becomes inappropriate. And so he does not drop to his knees, he is not contrite, he does not sit in the church with the grieving parents and wives and children. He is the president who does not feel. He does not feel for the families of thedead, he does not feel for the 35 million of us who live in poverty, he does not feel for the 40 percent who cannot afford health insurance, he does not feel for the miners whose lungs are turning black or for the working people he has deprived of the chance to work overtime at time-and-a-half to pay their bills - it is amazing for how many people in this country this president does not feel.

But he will dissemble feeling. He will say in all sincerity he is relieving the wealthiest 1 percent of the population of their tax burden for the sake of the rest of us, and that he is polluting the air we breathe for the sake of our economy, and that he is decreasing the quality of air in coal mines to save the coal miners' jobs, and that he is depriving workers of their time-and-a-half benefits for overtime because this is actually a way to honor them by raising them into the professional class.

And this litany of lies he will versify with reverences for God and the flag and democracy, when just what he and his party are doing to our democracy is choking the life out of it.

But there is one more terribly sad thing about all of this. I remember the millions of people here and around the world who marched against the war. It was extraordinary, this spontaneous aroused oversoul of alarm and protest that transcended national borders. Why did it happen? After all, this was not the only war anyone had ever seen coming. There are little wars all over he world most of the time.

But the cry of protest was the appalled understanding of millions of people that America was ceding its role as the last best hope of mankind. It was their perception that the classic archetype of democracy was morphing into a rogue nation. The greatest democratic republic in history was turning its back on the future, using its extraordinary power and standing not to advance the ideal of a concordance of civilizations but to endorse the kind of tribal combat that originated with the Neanderthals, a people, now extinct, who could imagine ensuring their survival by no other means than pre-emptive war.

The president we get is the country we get. With each president the nation is conformed spiritually. He is the artificer of our malleable national soul. He proposes not only the laws but the kinds of lawlessness that govern our lives and invoke our responses. The people he appoints are cast in his image. The trouble they get into and get us into, is his characteristic trouble.

Finally, the media amplify his character into our moral weather report. He becomes the face of our sky, the conditions that prevail. How can we sustain ourselves as the United States of America given the stupid and ineffective warmaking, the constitutionally insensitive lawgiving, and the monarchal economics of this president? He cannot mourn but is a figure of such moral vacancy as to make us mourn for ourselves.

Depressing

Thanks to Nunya for posting this article in one of my threads today. It made me want to cry. It is so discouraging to me how many people feel totally justified making decisions without even attempting to be informed. The even sadder thing is that mainstream media seems to largely encourage misinformation, and distorted viewpoints and people don't seem to be aware of their resources or responsibility in really getting a clear picture of the issues. Additionally, as mentioned in the article, the ads being put out by the candidates and their supporting 527 groups do not focus on any of these key issues or point out the stark differences in where the candidates stand on those issues. What a huge waste of money. To me, the fact of people's lack of knowledge about these important issues is a huge indicator as to why Bush is still doing so well in polls. He benefits from the ignorance and misconceptions that so much of the public are mired in. I've provided this link before, but I'm posting it again, since, as we get closer and closer to these elections I feel more and more compelled to drive the point home and encourage people to get educated and to feel motivated to get out and vote.

Poll: Americans Uninformed on Bush, Kerry

By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - If matching presidential candidates to their positions on basic issues were like a "Jeopardy!" category, most Americans wouldn't earn a single dollar.

More than half of those polled by the National Annenberg Election Survey didn't know President Bush alone favors allowing private investments of some Social Security money. Nearly as many didn't know that only Democratic candidate John Kerry proposes getting rid of tax breaks for the overseas profits of U.S. companies.

Importing drugs from Canada? That's a Kerry issue, but nearly half either didn't know or thought Bush also supported changing federal law to allow for drug imports from Canada.

Making abortions more difficult to obtain? Nearly one-third of those surveyed didn't know Bush alone supports more restrictions on abortion.

Eliminating the tax on estates? Two-thirds didn't know that's a Bush proposal.

After two years of presidential campaigning and hundreds of millions of dollars in political ads, many voters remained clueless about those and other policies, according to the survey. Annenberg analyst Kate Kenski blamed the candidates for not stressing their points of view and the news media for focusing on character assessments and the race itself.

"It's disappointing that people don't know where the candidates stand, given how much money's been spent on the campaigns," said Kenski, a senior research analyst. "In the absence of good information, voters guess and often guess incorrectly."

The poll of 1,189 adults was taken from Sept. 21-26 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

On the Net: National Annenberg Election Survey: http://www.naes04.org

Shit Howdy!

Couldn't let this one slip by:

Bush's Hometown Newspaper Endorses Kerry

Wed Sep 29, 2004

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - The newspaper in President Bush's adopted hometown of Crawford threw its support behind Bush's Democratic rival, Sen. John Kerry.
The weekly Lone Star Iconoclast on Tuesday criticized Bush's handling of the war in Iraq and for turning budget surpluses into record deficits. The editorial also criticized Bush's proposals on Social Security and Medicare.

"The publishers of The Iconoclast endorsed Bush four years ago, based on the things he promised, not on this smoke-screened agenda," the newspaper said in its editorial. "Today, we are endorsing his opponent, John Kerry."

It urged "Texans not to rate the candidate by his hometown or even his political party, but instead by where he intends to take the country."

Bush spends many of his weekends and holidays at his Crawford, Texas, ranch.

The Iconoclast's publisher and editor-in-chief, W. Leon Smith, said the newspaper is sent to Bush's ranch each week. "But I don't know if he reads it," Smith said.

The White House brushed aside the endorsement. "I feel pretty confident about the people of Crawford and the state of Texas in this election," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The Kerry campaign welcomed the move. "Those who know George Bush the best say it the best: John Kerry will restore dignity to the White House and provide the leadership needed to get America headed in the right direction," said Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer.

That's gotta hurt a little.

The Fifth Ramone

I'm sorry, but I've never laughed so hard at a photo of myself. This was a couple days after my birthday while Darcie and Jenni were here. We were out singing kareoke at Tinga Tinga and I busted out the air guitar. The expression on my face is priceless.

Sizzler

Rob and I just watched that movie "Secretary" with Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader. WOW! I read the short story in "Bad Behavior" by Mary Gaitskill many years ago and when I heard they'd made a movie, I wanted to see it, but never got around to it until now. Man it was HOT. Really hot. Spankings rule. Okay maybe that's a lil too much information for my readers... ;o)

Anyway, the movie was way different from the short story, but they had to make it into a two hour film, so they added some stuff. Good stuff. I highly recommend this flick. The performances were top notch and the story line very original, with plenty of shocking moments and hearty laughs.

You Don't Say

Published at MilitaryWeek.com. Love the analogies here (careful, it may sting a little, but it's good for you):

Without Reservation

by Karen Kwiatkowski, Lt. Col. USAF (ret.)

Sept. 22, 2004

"Leadership Matters"

Believe it or not, "Leadership Matters" is a key theme of the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign.

As a political slogan, it is very nice. Highly paid political consultants, advertisers and Extremely Smart People in Washington picked a fine one. Pithy, eye-catching, looks sharp in red, white and blue.

For people who serve in the military, leadership is beyond important; it takes on an almost mystical and compelling value, becoming a holy grail of sorts. Officers and NCOs seek to be known as leaders, to embody leadership qualities, to be seen as those with leadership potential. We spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about it, reading about it, talking about it.

We know it when we see it. We talk about it when we don't see it. In fact, knowing what leadership is not is a key part of our professional education.

Leadership is rarely seen in the senior officer who doesn't know his core skill area, whether that is flying airplanes, killing the enemy in ground combat, whether engineering or accounting. Incompetence can, of course, be remedied by the ability and willingness to learn. Incompetence without an observable ability to learn was bad news. Any sign that the suspect officer had simply no clue that he might be in severely bad kimshee and hence might possibly need to learn something was even worse news.

Some smart person ought to have mentioned this to George W. Bush when they approved the "Leadership Matters" theme.

An absence of leadership qualities in our military leaders gives rise to terms like "Seagull" Colonels and Generals, a species known to swoop in, make a lot of noise, crap all over everything, and then fly away. But our seagulls had an advantage over Bush and Cheney. Regardless of the mistakes made and not remedied, regardless of the illogic, stupidity and sheer idiocy of our present unit's existence under a seagull commander, at least we could be 100% sure they wouldn't be around for long.

High level incompetence seems to be the natural sea-state of our militarized foreign policy, launching forth with the proud Guardsman George W. Bush at the helm and Dick "Other Priorities" Cheney as navigator.

This track record of sheer stupidity, hubris and other seagull qualities is marred only by the existence of rare officers, like retired Marine General Tony Zinni, who knew their job, led their men and women, and spoke the truth to power about the inanity of the plan to invade Iraq early on. Looking further for aberrations to the rule, we find retired Army General William Odom, conservative through and through, who speaks the truth about Bush's fantasy adventure in Iraq, politely but publicly calling it "a strategic error."

Retired officers and NCOs have had their opportunity, and we are all armchair quarterbacks now. What about active duty soldiers and Marines, who have recently seen both ugly ends of the Bush-Cheney foreign policy baby?

The words of Generals Zinni and Odom are echoed in the more earthy vernacular of thousands of military members in tanks, humvees, cockpits, trucks and mess halls and tents. These words reveal the most important tenet of leadership. With competence, an ability to learn from mistakes, and humility, there is a final critical ingredient. Leadership must demonstrate a hard-headed, stubborn and almost masochistic recognition of the truth, the harsher the better.

On the truth about Iraq, Bush and Cheney have told us it's going just fine, we are killing the appointed number of "terrorists" and "evil doers." We are winning, they say. From the key top officers, whether General Casey, General Abizaid, General Meyers or any of the lesser flag officers on active duty today, we hear only a ricochet of the President's fantasies, or else deafening silence.

But from lower ranking soldiers and marines, we hear plenty. One former marine refers to Iraq as "Bush's Magical Middle Eastern Mystery Tour." He explains why we will leave Iraq, eventually, with nothing. It is one of the rules that should have been learned early on by all leaders, even mediocre ones. Apparently Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld missed the lecture called "Nobody wins a shitstorm."

Another eyewitness to the "leadership" of the Bush/Cheney team, writes from Iraq about what is really going on and what it means. Speaking on the subject of Iraq today, and how leadership matters, Al Lorentz explains,

... it is not politically correct to point out the fact that the locals are not only disliking us more and more, they are growing increasingly upset and often overtly hostile. Instead of addressing the reasons why the locals are becoming angry and discontented, we allow politicians in Washington DC to give us pat and convenient reasons that are devoid of any semblance of reality.

Devoid of any semblance of reality. Pat and convenient reasons. Politically correct.

Leadership matters, all right. Competence, intelligence, humility, and devoted consistent brutal honesty means lives saved, objectives met. It produces everyday demonstrations of courage at all levels that inspire and motivate. Leadership improves recruitment and retention in an all volunteer military, and makes that military both awesomely fierce and awesomely proud. Leadership preserves the Constitution and strengthens the Republic.

Leadership does matter. The Bush/Cheney campaign should be ashamed of itself.

Jackassery

It's nice to know these things don't only happen in the movies. Even the police were laughing!

Gang in series of robbery gaffes

A gang of Brazilian robbers were arrested after a robbery attempt went wrong.

The gang tried to rob a shop in the Pituba area of Salvador in the north east of the country. But as they ran into the shop, one of the gang dropped a gun which went off, scaring the other gang members into fleeing.

Terra Noticias Populares says one robber accidentally fired his gun and was hit in the leg as the group tried to escape on motorcycles. The other gang members then either crashed or fell off their bikes as they looked to see what happened their colleague.

A police spokesperson said: "It was the funniest and easiest criminals to catch. They were so goofy and messy, we were all laughing."

Courtesy of Fark.

Minute By Minute

Wow. Today was a crazy busy day. I got a lot done yesterday. All the usual Sunday housecleaning, all the preparation for the week ahead, made my lunch for today. Went to bed. As I was dozing off, doing that thing that we all do (actually, it doesn't seem like men do it as much as women), thinking about the million things I need to remember to do, all the things I've forgotten to do, all the things I feel guilty about, i.e., the letters I need to write, the phone calls I need to make, and DING! Of the million things streaming through my half consciousness, it occurred to me that I'd forgotten to put avocado on my turkey sandwich and I needed to have some on there if it was to be complete. I couldn't repress it. I got up and went into the kitchen to cut up the avocado, but in my half sleep I stabbed myself in the palm with a small serrated knife. Aaaaahhhh! I hate cutting myself. It scares me. For some reason, you suddenly realize how fragile your body is. I was bleeding out of the deep hole in my hand and trying to make it stop (which is easier than you'd expect on an inner hand wound since clinching a fist is a pretty good way to stop the blood flow), I called Rob at home and whined like a little baby and elicited the desired sympathy before wrapping it up and going back to the warm confines of my bed, still clutching my pulsating hand in a fist, afraid that if I released it I would get blood all over my clean sheets. The drama!

At about four o'clock in the morning I heard a loud thud in the front of the house and shot awake, (being a notoriously paranoid person when it comes to noises in the dark). I turned on the light in the living room only to see that my naughty cat Matilda had knocked over a large vase of fresh flowers on the dining table and there was water pouring onto the floor as she stood there cowering with that incredibly infuriating look of guilt and fear-of-spray-bottle-retribution written all over her. Fulfilling her greatest fear, I spritzed the shit out of her with the spray-bottle, cleaned up the mess she'd made, put the flowers where she couldn't reach them, and once again returned to my warm, happy bed.

Before I knew it, the alarm was going off and it was time to get up. I felt exhausted. I went through the usual morning routine: shower, coffee, dress, watch news, gather belongings, rush to the train. All morning at work was nonstop busy. This is the time of year where the business of law increases in frenetic pace. I don't know why, it's just always been that way. Now through at least the end of February is madness. Had to run to a chiropractic/massage appointment at 2 p.m. (aaaah, the most relaxing hour of my day), hurried back to the office and inhaled my sandwich while continuing to work. Wow, the stress relief induced by massage and physical therapy didn't last long! All of a sudden, I looked at the clock and it was already five. Mondays fly. I finished up all necessary tasks before jetting out to catch my train home.

I slept on the train (something about sleeping on the train makes you feel like a zombie when you wake up - rocking back and forth while speeding along the tracks is a truly hypnotic force) and almost didn't have the energy to walk to the grocery store for a few items that I needed for dinner. I didn't even want to make dinner. Just wanted to come home and fall straight to sleep before having to get up and do it all again tomorrow, with the exception of the chiropractic appointment being scheduled for the dastardly hour of 8 a.m. tomorrow rather than 2 p.m. But I forced myself to walk to the store and rewarded myself by purchasing a nice big, dark Belgian beer to nurse alongside the delectable steak tacos that I whipped up when I got home. Now that the beer is almost gone, I don't even feel like going to bed!

Hopefully, tomorrow, I'll have time to post something slightly more relevant to the rest of the world.

Johnny

Johnny Ramone died the day after my birthday. I had so much going on that I wasn't posting, and didn't pay any attention to many things in the news.

Just thought I'd take a minute to remember Johnny and pay tribute to his amazing contributions to rock and roll music as we know it. Growing up in my family, the Ramones were highly revered. My dad is a serious Ramones fan (check out his website JoeyRamone.org), as is everyone else in our immediate family. I liked Pete Beck's tribute to the Ramones on his site. It's beautiful to hear how the same band means different things and inspires personal memories for each person who loved them.

I truly believe that the Ramones were some kind of saints. Really good, gentle people with a positive energy that was totally infectious. It's sad that three of them have passed away, but at the same time, they had already given the greatest gift they had to the world. Unfortunately, they really weren't too tough to die.

I Wanna Live

I've been thinking it over
And I know just what to do
I've been thinking it over
And I know I just can't trust myself

I'm a Gypsy prince
Covered with diamonds and jewels
But then my lover exposes me
I know I'm just a damn fool

I give what I've got to give
I give what I need to live
I give what I've got to give
It's important if I wanna live
I wanna live
I want to live my life
I wanna live
I want to live my life

As I load my pistol
Of fine German steel
I never thought I'd be so down and out
Having my last meal
But I know I can do it
It just took a few years
As I execute my killer
The morning is near

I give what I've got to give
I give what I need to live
I give what I've got to give
It's important if I wanna live
I wanna live
I want to live my life
I wanna live
I want to live my life

Get With the Program

I really like this post over at Neologic that was written on the third anniversary of September 11th. You should check it out.

My comment, which I believe is relevant not only to the specific subject matter of Bear's post, but also to the political climate in general is this:

People (prominent democrats and journalists) need to stop shying away from these questions [about the real involvemet and knowledge of the Bush administration with respect to the attacks on 9/11]. The fear of sounding like a "conspiracy theorist" and losing credibility is pervasive among even the most staunch Bush critics. I think it takes some guts to break out of that fear and start openly talking about that which, according to the polls you've pointed out, is already on people's minds. Republicans seem to have the monopoly on embracing and vocalizing even their most outlandish accusations and repeating them so furiously, that many people fail to be shocked or reactive in any way. (Example: Ann Coulter says "It's unquestionable that Republicans are more likely to prevent the next attack." Kerry, she said, "will improve the economy in the emergency services and body bag industry.") Not only does she attempt to leave no room for any kind of debate by asserting that her opinion is "unquestionable," as if there is some kind of overwhelming scientific or factual research which has concluded that republicans are more likely to prevent the next attack, but she is also making a patently outrageous statement (as if the deaths that have occurred under George Bush's handling of "the war on terrorism" are meaningless, but any deaths in Iraq that would occur while Kerry is president would signal a beginning to the real violence? I swear that Ann Coulter needs to be euthanized. Put that bitch DOWN before she bites someone else with that rabid mouth!)

My point is, that republicans have no shame. Liberals need to lose the shame complex. "Well I'm not really that liberal" Oh shut up. What you are is a spineless fence rooster. Final word from me: our "democratic" representatives need to stop cowering under the pressure and dictatorial convictions of republicans, and start demonstrating some real convictions of their own!

Goods

It's a hazy Saturday. The first Saturday in a while that I haven't had any plans at all and I've been home alone, left up to my own devices. I know there's a million chores I could apply myself to, but I don't feel like it. I made a big pot of coffee and I've just been sitting here all morning drinking it and listening to cds and reading blogs. Darcie gave me a kickass mix cd for my birthday. I love it that Darcie always gives me presents that are meaningful and provide perrenial joy.

The song lineup is totally tubular:

Speak for me - Cat Power
Three Peaches - Neutral Milk Hotel
Plants & Rags - PJ Harvey
Alameda - Elliot Smith
Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
Flugufrelsarinn - Sigur Ros
Life of Arctic Sounds - Modest Mouse
One Song for You - Sleater-Kinney
Hit - Sugarcubes
Between the Bars - Elliot Smith
The Boy with the Arab Strap - Belle and Sebastian
Motorcrash - Sugarcubes
Trailer Trash - Modest Mouse
Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Sea of Love - Cat Power

Can't stop lovin' on it!!! Every tune is a feel good tune. More than half of these are not groups or artists that I listen to on the regular. That's why getting mixes from friends is so fun. You hear what they are really in to at the moment and stuff you might not otherwise choose at the music store. I've never gotten a mix cd from a friend that I didn't like. Even the one Kathleen gave me once that had songs on it from Cats and The Little Mermaid soundtracks!!! Hahaa. Actually, that was one of my faves.

Where's The News At

Last night I got into Rob's car and he had an issue of the Daily News on the front seat. On the cover was a photo of the latest beheading victims. Instead of a headline, there was just one word plastered across the top of the page in big black block letters (as the sensationalist NY tabloid "news" so love to do to elicit a gut reaction and hopefully, fifty cents). It said "INHUMAN." I am used to this kind of headline from them. Instead of giving you an idea of what the story is about, they just print a big blaring adjective and maybe some depressing photos across the cover to send your blood pressure up.

So I opened it up, expecting to see the story about one of the latest appalling and inhuman acts that have taken place in the middle east, only to see....

Britney Spears and her new husband taking up most of the entire first two pages, followed by a column about Martha Stewart and the latest news on the Phil Spector prosecution before reaching the real news on the following pages.

Are you serious? How could they plaster the cover with these harrowing photos of victims bound and gagged, this alarming headline, getting your gut worked in a knot about all the sadness and pain that's going on in the world, only to then have the nerve to fuck with your psyche -- instantly turning your attention from this real horror, over to this ridiculous, meaningless hoopla relating to people and lives who couldn't possibly mean any less to the average person. It's a mindfuck. Before you have a moment to digest reality, you are accosted with inanity.

Note: I turned this into a letter and emailed it to the Daily News.

Shame

I don't know why I still feel surprised and outraged by the tactics being used by republicans in this presidential campaign. I should be well accustomed to this crap by now, but somehow, it still makes my blood boil over. The blatantly fascist stance of many conservatives that dissidents should stay quiet, along with the rampid accusation that you are either "with the Bush administration or you are with the terrorists" has become the norm. I am amazed that republicans stand for this and perpetrate these appalling distortions. (Why I'm amazed? Beats me.) These people would like to repress the truth, quiet the masses and silence the dissent against their lies, misrepresentations and harmful agendas. I am tired of the fear tactics, tired of the deliberate division of the American people, tired of the transparent repetative brainwashing. Tired of the hypocricy, such as accusing Dan Rather of relying too much on documents that could conceivably turn out to have been forged, at the same time that they ignore the fact that our president -- their president -- took us to war using not only forged documents, but faulty intelligence and brazen lies.

Tired of hearing people accuse Kerry of waffling on his stance on the war, when his course of action has been pretty reasonable and consistent, considering all the relevant circumstances. He voted to give Bush the authority to go to war, with the belief that Bush would exhaust all other options. He did not vote to go to war on faulty intelligence and without exhausting all other options available to us. He never voted to approve the situation that we have now in Iraq. When Bush rushed to war as soon as he had the ring in his hand, Kerry voted against providing a blank check for an endeavor that had been prematurely launched, based on false representations and without a real plan to secure peace. Contrary to the assertions being made by republicans, Kerry's actions have been consistent. If they paid attention to facts and real context, rather than the half truths being spun up and spewed out by the Bush campaign team, they would know that. So what's all the spinning and distorting for? It's to the point where the entire republican message makes me physically sick. No integrity. No adherence to the facts, just taking everything and twisting it into some morbid, monstrous origami of hatred and lies, with so many folds and flips that you could never take it apart piece by piece and identify all of the subtle manipulations that are required to complete the final product. The propaganda that is being poured out of every orifice of the Bush campaign is a tidal wave teeming with piranhas. One splash, a hundred gnashing teeth.

Tying Kerry to Terror Tests Rhetorical Limits

By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 24, 2004; Page A01

President Bush and leading Republicans are increasingly charging that Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry and others in his party are giving comfort to terrorists and undermining the war in Iraq -- a line of attack that tests the conventional bounds of political rhetoric.

Appearing in the Rose Garden yesterday with Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, Bush said Kerry's statements about Iraq "can embolden an enemy." After Kerry criticized Allawi's speech to Congress, Vice President Cheney tore into the Democratic nominee, calling him "destructive" to the effort in Iraq and the struggle against terrorism.

It was the latest instance in which prominent Republicans have said that Democrats are helping the enemy or that al Qaeda, Iraqi insurgents and other enemies of the United States are backing Kerry and the Democrats. Such accusations are not new to American politics, but the GOP's line of attack this year has been pervasive and high-level.

• On Tuesday, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said terrorists "are going to throw everything they can between now and the election to try and elect Kerry." On Fox News, Hatch said Democrats are "consistently saying things that I think undermine our young men and women who are serving over there."

• On Sunday, GOP Senate candidate John Thune of South Dakota said of his opponent, Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle: "His words embolden the enemy." Thune, on NBC's "Meet the Press," declined to disavow a statement by the Republican Party chairman in his state saying Daschle had brought "comfort to America's enemies."

• On Saturday, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (Ill.) said at a GOP fundraiser: "I don't have data or intelligence to tell me one thing or another, [but] I would think they would be more apt to go [for] somebody who would file a lawsuit with the World Court or something rather than respond with troops." Asked whether he believed al Qaeda would be more successful under a Kerry presidency, Hastert said: "That's my opinion, yes."

• The previous day in Warsaw, Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said terrorists in Iraq "are trying to influence the election against President Bush."

Such accusations have been a component of American politics since the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 and surfaced in the modern era during the McCarthy communist hunt and the Vietnam War protests.

"Rhetoric this sharp and ugly is not by any means brand-new," said Jeff Shesol, a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and author of a book about Lyndon B. Johnson and Robert F. Kennedy. "What we're seeing now isn't just offhand comments by outliers but clearly a decision by the Republican hierarchy to put this charge out there consistently."

Pollster Frank Luntz, who has advised Republicans on rhetoric, cautions that "statements like that can cause a backlash" against the accuser. "Candidates have to be careful of going over the line," he said.

Earlier this month, Cheney provoked an uproar when he said that on Election Day, "if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again, that we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating" and that the United States would not respond vigorously. Cheney later said that he was not suggesting the country would be attacked if Kerry were elected. But a few days later, he said: "We've gone on the offense in the war on terror -- and the president's opponent, Senator Kerry, doesn't seem to approve."

The White House and the Bush campaign said they would neither endorse nor disavow the remarks by Hastert, Armitage and others. "Those statements speak to the great concern many people have about John Kerry's consistent vacillation under political pressure on the most significant issues the nation faces with regard to the war on terror," Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan had no quarrel with the remarks. "They are expressing their opinion," he said.

The Kerry campaign, which previously branded Cheney's accusations "un-American," extended that complaint to Bush's remarks yesterday.

"Not only is it un-American, it's un-democratic the way they attack your patriotism when you tell the truth about Iraq," Kerry campaign spokesman Chad Clanton said. "It's called an election, and people deserve an honest debate."

Responding to Hastert and Cheney's remarks, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said yesterday: "These despicable comments cross the line from partisan politics to shameless fear tactics. . . . Republicans should remember that the reason Osama bin Laden is still able to threaten the United States three years after the September 11th attacks is the utter failure of the Bush administration to catch him and destroy al Qaeda."

Such charges surfaced soon after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Late that year, Attorney General John D. Ashcroft said tactics used by critics of the USA Patriot Act "only aid terrorists" and "give ammunition to America's enemies." In 2002, Bush charged that opponents of his version of homeland security legislation are "not interested in the security of the American people." In 2003, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said that if terrorists think Bush's opponents might prevail, "they take heart in that, and that leads to more money going into these activities or that leads to more recruits or that leads to more encouragement."

This year, the accusations began at lower levels. In March, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told a group of Republicans: "If George Bush loses the election, Osama bin Laden wins the election." Republicans say Democrats, while not suggesting Bush is guilty of treason, have indulged in questionable rhetoric themselves; they point to a tasteless performance at a Kerry fundraiser by performer Whoopi Goldberg (which the candidate did not disavow) and by Rep. Jim McDermott (Wash.), who on a visit to Baghdad two years ago defended Iraq and said Bush was misleading the public.

On Fox News, conservative commentator Ann Coulter said, "It's unquestionable that Republicans are more likely to prevent the next attack." Kerry, she said, "will improve the economy in the emergency services and body bag industry."

Whatever the merits, the charges that terrorists prefer Democrats have been echoed by independent commentators and journalists. CNN analyst Bill Schneider, asked about Hastert's remarks, agreed that al Qaeda "would very much like to defeat President Bush."

Late Night Humor

I thought these were the cream of the crop:

"Ashcroft went on to say that our way of life is being threatened by a group of radical religious fanatics who are armed and dangerous. And then he called for prayers in the schools and an end to gun control." -Jay Leno

"Public service announcement: In case of a terrorist attack, bottled water and duct tape are not going to do a damn thing. So do what Homeland Security Dir. Tom Ridge does: Get really drunk, and pick up a hooker." -David Letterman

"It's been reported that the FBI is visiting libraries nationwide and checking the reading records of people it finds suspicious. When asked about it, President Bush said 'I've always been suspicious of people who go to libraries." -Conan O'Brien

"Tom Ridge announced a new color-coded alarm system. ... Green means everything's okay. Red means we're in extreme danger. And champagne-fuschia means we're being attacked by Martha Stewart." -Conan O'Brien

"President Bush delivered his first State of the Union address, riding high on an 82-percent approval rating, and with Attorney General John Ashcroft dispatching agents to interview the other 18 percent." -Daily Show host Jon Stewart

"On Monday, Attorney General John Ashcroft issued a terrorism warning, asking all Americans to be on the high alert this week. Then on Friday, he announced that the period of high alert would be extended indefinitely. I think I speak for all Americans when I say, 'Bitch, I can't be any more alert than I already am. Okay?' I'm opening my mail with salad tongs. I take my passport in the shower with me. I am watching so much CNN, I am having sex dreams about Wolf Blitzer." -Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update"

"Attorney General John Ashcroft said there is a new credible terrorist threat. He said everything is under control; not to panic. And then he went back to his harmonically sealed bunker." -Jay Leno

"I don't mean to harp on this, but it's like the networks are a how-to manual for terrorists. You see them on the news. This reporter is standing outside a water treatment plant, going, 'If they poured the poison here it could wipe out thousands because the guard is off duty from noon until 1 every day!'" -Jay Leno

"The President and Mrs. Bush were on 'Larry King' last night and the president said, 'America is absolutely better off today than it was 4 years ago.' Then he said, 'Did I say America? I meant Chevron.'" -Bill Maher

"President Bush's campaign is now attacking John Kerry for throwing away some of his medals to protest the Vietnam War. Bush did not have any medals to throw away, but in his defense he did have all his services records thrown out." -Jay Leno

"Campaigning in Iowa yesterday President Bush vowed he will not raise taxes in the next four years. He said I believe it is hard, very difficult to raise taxes when you are not president." -Craig Kilborn

"Is it me or is Bush going everywhere Kerry goes? So far in the past week, President Bush has followed John Kerry to Davenport, Iowa; New Mexico; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and he follows him to Portland, Oregon. The only place he never followed John Kerry was Vietnam." -Jay Leno

"President Bush is going to establish elections there in Iraq. He's going to rebuild the infrastructure. He's going to create jobs. He said if it works there, he'll try it here." -David Letterman

"In response to the escalating violence in Iraq, President Bush is delaying the return home of 25,000 troops and will actually add reinforcements to the south. Then in a symbolic gesture he pulled down the mission accomplished banner, put on a flight suit, walked backwards to a jet fighter and flew it in reverse off an aircraft carrier." -Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update"

"President Bush said that the people who are attacking our forces in Iraq are getting more and more desperate because we’re making so much progress. So just remember, the worse it gets, the better it is." -Jay Leno

"President Bush flew over Iraq in Air Force One, saw the devastation and said 'Don't worry about this, we'll get whoever did this.'" -Craig Kilborn

"President Bush is asking Congress for $80 billion dollars to re-build Iraq. And when you make out that check, remember there are two L's in Halliburton." -David Letterman

"As fighting in Iraq intensifies, President Bush delivered his supplemental war budget to Congress. The money will cover 30 days of fighting, then we'll be sent one war every other month until we cancel our subscription." -Craig Kilborn

"President Bush has said that he does not need approval from the UN to wage war, and I'm thinking, well, hell, he didn't need the approval of the American voters to become president, either." -David Letterman

"This week President Bush insisted he is absolutely convinced that Saddam had a weapons program. Of course he was absolutely convinced that he won the 2000 election, so I don't know." -Jay Leno

"As of yesterday, the Bush administration still hadn't found the source of the White House leak that outed a woman as a CIA operative. To recap, here are the things President Bush can't find: The source of the leak, weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin laden, the link between Saddam and Osama bin laden, the guy who sent the anthrax through the mail, and his butt with two hands and a flashlight." -Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update"

"The White House now has disputed allegations by members of the House Intelligence Committee that President Bush went to war with Iraq based on vague intelligence. Of course he did. Everything Bush does is based on vague intelligence." -Jay Leno

"The Justice Department launched an investigation into who in the White House leaked classified info to the press. The big question is, 'What did President Bush not know and when did he not know it?'" -Craig Kilborn

"President Bush insisted that there was nothing in the August 6, 2001 briefing, which was titled 'Bin Laden determined to attack the United States', that hinted what bin Laden was up to. Bush says that he would have moved mountains to stop the attack. Yeah, but he draws the line at reading a memo." -David Letterman

"An aide to the prime minister of Canada called President Bush a moron. Well that's not fair. Here's a guy who never worked a day in his life, got rich off his Dad's money, lost the popular vote and ended up president. That's not a moron, that's genius!" -Jay Leno

"The president finally explained why he sat in that classroom on 9/11 for 7 minutes after he was told the country was under attack. He said he was 'collecting his thoughts.' What a time to start a new hobby.'" -Bill Maher

"Last night, in a prime-time address, President Bush said he backed limited federal funding for stem cell research. That's right, the President said, this is a quote, ‘the research could help cure brain diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and whatever it is I have.’" -Conan O'Brien

"Bush is smart. I don't think that Bush will ever be impeached, 'cause unlike Clinton, Reagan, or even his father, George W. is immune from scandal. Because, if George W. testifies that he had no idea what was going on, wouldn't you believe him?" -Jay Leno

"When Stevie Wonder took the stage at the Kennedy Center, President Bush waved to him. Realizing his faux pas, President Bush turned to his wife and said, 'Oh my God, do you think he saw that?'" -Tina Fey. Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update"

"A White House spokesmen said he fell because it's been raining a lot and the top soil is loose. We went ahead and looked up the rain for real in Crawford, Texas. May 15th, 0.0 inches of rain. May 16th, 0.0 inches of rain. 17th no rain. 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd no rain. First he chokes on a pretzel; now he fell off his bike. Mr. President, when are you going to admit that Laura is abusing you? There is no shame in being a battered husband." -Jimmy Kimmel

"CBS cancelled its miniseries on the life of Ronald Reagan after the Republican National Committee protested what it called 'historical inaccuracies.' The RNC also objected to the networks unflattering look at George Bush, until they realized it was just a live press conference." -Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update"

"President Bush gave his first-ever presidential radio address in both English and Spanish. Reaction was mixed, however, as people were trying to figure out which one was which." -Dennis Miller

"Democrats were quick to point out that President Bush's budget creates a 1 trillion dollar deficit. The White House quickly responded with 'Hey, look over there, it's Saddam Hussein.'" -Craig Kilborn

"President Bush says he has just one question for the American voters, 'Is the rich person you're working for better off now than they were four years ago?'" -Jay Leno

"In his annual economic report to Congress President Bush said that the transfer of American jobs overseas is actually part of a positive transformation that will enrich the U.S. economy over time. So basically, losing your job to someone else can be a good thing. Of course we'll see how he feels about that in November." -Jay Leno

"President Bush unveiled his new economic stimulus plan this week. It was reported that if the plan passes the president himself would save $44,000 in taxes, Dick Cheney would save $327,000, and you could afford to take the whole family down to Burger King to pick up job applications." -Tina Fey, on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update"

"The economy is in big trouble. Yesterday in a big speech, President Bush said the economy was still getting over the hangover from the '90s. And then, the president admitted he was still getting over his hangover from the '80s." -Conan O'Brien

"The FBI has issued a new terrorist warning that al Qadea may be planning a spectacular attack intended to damage our economy. Well I have news for them, they are a little too late. This is where President Bush is smart. Two years ago he did a pre-emptive strike to make sure our economy couldn't be any worse than it is right now." -Jay Leno

"President Bush hosted something called the President's Economic Forum down in Waco, Texas today. Waco. Apparently Jonestown and Guyana were booked up. When I think of government policy that works, Waco is the place to go. He invited members of small business to the summit. He was going to invite big business, but they're all in jail." -Jay Leno

"Bush the younger has two things going for him that his father never had. One: an easy charm with regular people and two: the power to make them disappear without a trial." -Bill Maher

"As the Democrats get revved up at their convention in Boston, President Bush is fighting back the only way he knows how: by going on vacation! Ah, it's nice to take a rest, replenish your supply of smirks. The vacation was expected, because Bush traditionally takes a month off every summer to relax and avoid reading National Security Warnings." -Craig Kilborn

"How many of you get a month vacation? Well President Bush will be getting his month-long vacation. The White House is calling it a 'working vacation.' And I am thinking, well that pretty much describes the entire presidency, doesn't it? ... Bush says he is going to be very active, he plans to exercise every day. And he says he exercise every day because it clears his head. Hey, mission accomplished." -David Letterman

"You never see Bush in the Oval Office. He's always playing golf, or he's riding a horse in Texas, or he's playing tennis. You know? I can't tell if he's president or filming a feminine hygiene commercial." -Jay Leno

"President Bush said today he would like America to establish a permanent base on the moon. This is all part of his plan to get Americans used to an environment where the air is un-breathable and there are no trees." -Jay Leno

"President Bush said he was 'troubled' by gay people getting married in San Francisco. He said on important issues like this the people should make the decision, not judges. Unless of course we're choosing a president, then he prefers judges." -Jay Leno

"We've got drunk and drunker running here. I say we vote for Bush and Cheney just to get them off the damn highway." -Jay Leno, on revelations that Bush and Cheney have three DUIs between the two of them

"How do you look so youthful and rested?" -David Letterman, interviewing George W. Bush in 2000
"Fake it." -Bush
"And that's pretty much how you're going to run the country?" -Letterman

"Well if you're just waking up, the election is over and we have a president, George W. Bush. This is nice, for everyone who wondered what it would be like if Dan Quayle was president, well, here you go." -David Letterman

"Earlier this afternoon, George W. Bush resigned as the governor of Texas. This is historic. It's the first job he's left without going bankrupt. It was a nice ceremony. The state of Texas said while he's president, they'll let him stop by every once in a while and execute someone." -Jay Leno

"I was not elected to serve one party." -George W. Bush (video overlay)
"You were not elected." -Jon Stewart
"I have something else to ask you, to ask every American. I ask you to pray for this great nation." -Bush
"We're way ahead of you." -Stewart

Real Smart

The U.S. sho' do like to sell off some weapons. Hopefully, they'll be used wisely or not at all. I've always been concerned about the level of support we give to Israel, while neglecting and alienating Palestine.

U.S. sells 5,000 'smart bombs' to Israel

Associated Press
Tuesday, Sep 21, 2004

Jerusalem — The United States will sell Israel nearly 5,000 smart bombs in one of the largest weapons deals between the allies in years, Israeli military sources said Tuesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the deal will expand Israel's existing supply of the weapons. They did not identify possible targets.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the deal is valued at $319-million (U.S.) and was revealed in a Pentagon report made to the U.S. Congress a few weeks ago. Funding for the sale will come from U.S. military aid to Israel. Disclosure of the deal comes amid escalating Israeli worries over Iran's nuclear development program.

Israel fears that Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for generating electricity. The bombs Israel is acquiring include airborne versions, guidance units, training bombs and detonators. The bombs would be guided to their target by an existing Israeli satellite used by the military.

The Israeli sources would not say whether the bombs might be intended for use against Iran. They ruled out the possibility that they could be used against Palestinian targets.

Israel drew heavy international criticism after a one-tonne smart bomb meant for a senior Palestinian militant also killed 15 civilians in an attack in the Gaza Strip in July 2002. It has rarely used such weapons since then.

Come again?

Has the world gone completely fucking mad? Yeah. Silly question.

Cat Stevens? Flight diverted after Cat Stevens found on watch list?!?

Our government should work on finding real terrorists. Like Osama Bin Ladin for one. I know I'm not the only one who sees how patently ludicrous this is. Cat Stevens/Yusef Islam has never done anything to indicate that he supports or condones terrorism. Just the opposite, in fact. This patriot act/faux homeland security bullshit is really starting to wear on my nerves.

Meanwhile, our government has consistently dropped the ball on real homeland security. How about turning back time and investigating those schmucks who were taking flight lessons in Arizona or paying attention to some important intelligence for once? What amazes me is that tax dollars are being spent to detain, and focus energy on, Cat "Peace Train" Stevens when there are more pressing things to worry about.

...Ride on the Peace Train...Oooh Ah Eee Ah Ooh Ah...Get on the Peace Train...

John Ashcroft! Tom Ridge! Bush Administration! Get on the Peace Train Ya Fucks!

Afterthought: You know, I think this whole crap with detaining and effectively deporting Cat Stevens is proof that our government's priority is not the eradication of terrorism as much as the eradication of muslims. The only reason he was detained is because he converted to Islam, not because he has terrorist ties or has expressed terrorist sentiments. I truly believe that the Bush administration is bent on converting the world to Christianity, and that they see the very idea of Cat Stevens, an artist loved by Americans, converting to Islam as an affront to this country and a traitorous act. Why else would he have been added to a no-fly list in the first place? The whole thing stinks of the bog of eternal stench that our homeland security policies have become.

Personal History

I've had a lot of difficulty in the couple of days since Jenni and Darcie left, articulating what's going on in my head or digesting much of anything of the "current event" variety.

Having Jenni and Darcie here was amazing. I still haven't gotten over the feeling of incredulousness at the very realization that my friends are the people that they are, that I got so incredibly lucky in my teens to actually meet these people and be blessed with their love and friendship for all these years. I can't get over the fact that they surprised me in such a profound and unbelievable way that I am still reeling from the image of walking into that beautiful restaurant and feeling as if my eyes had been out of focus the entire path to our table and they snapped to attention only to be confronted by one of the most wonderful things that's ever to happen in my lifetime. I can't even pinpoint what went through my mind as I saw those two redheads, familiar freckles and expectant smiles...those two redheads, that seemed almost to be floating in front of me because that's how surreal it was that they were there. I simply couldn't believe it. And I still can't.

So we spent four days together. Galavanting around town, just perfectly happy to be all together in New York, doing fun things.

I need to go back to how lucky I am. That requires telling a little story. When I was fourteen my parents moved me and my two siblings to Oregon from Southern California. Naturally, I was not thrilled to be torn from my friends, boyfriend and highschool, and it took a lot of adjustment before I felt comfortable and happy in a little town called Ashland. I always knew that once I was grown up, I would never be able to stay.

Nevertheless, over the years I made so many friends. Ashland is a great town in a lot of ways. Small enough that you can run around and not worry about violent crime, but big enough that there are a few things to do. Not much, mind you, but a few things. Mainly drinking and partying. Something about boring little towns makes you just want to plop down and have a beer. Or an entire keg party. We had a lot of parties. We were a crazy town full of crazy kids that just wanted to get fucked up every day. We would think of any excuse. We had parties wherever and whenever we could get away with it. Which was basically all the time. Kids in Ashland seem to go about their lives pretty much without any restriction at all. Party at the Caves. Party at the "Whorehouse" on Hwy 99 (not really a whorehouse - more of a haunted house - but you can't control which nickname sticks). Party at Johnny's. Party at that one jock's house. Party at Timberlake Rd. Party at the Chaos house. Party at the East Main house. Party on Beach Street. Party on Clay Street. Party at the Dunlavas (BBQ #52 is coming up soon! Hahaa!). Party. Party. Party. That's all we did. And we had a lot of fun doing it too. (We also had a lot of not-fun moments, as I'm sure you can imagine). There were a lot of people who wanted to party. These weren't small, everyone-sit-around-the-living-room-and-giggle, parties. These were often huge ragers where a great deal of comedy, dancing, drinking and debauchery took place among people ranging in age from fifteen to thirty-five, even several that were a hell of a lot older than that.

All this partying began around the time that I met Darcie and Jenni. Kathleen and I were already friends. We met in a creative writing class in highschool. Us and our other friend Emily. Inseparable. I met Darcie and Jenni around town and I didn't get along with Darcie at first. She was one of those little ringleaders - or so it seemed to me at the time, I know better now. She had her group of friends and they were cool and hung out with all the cool people. She fucked with me a bit at first and I even leaned out a car window and flipped her off when I saw her in a crosswalk one day because she'd said something snide to me at school. But then Kathleen moved into the haunted house on 99 where Darcie and Jenni and a whole bunch of other folks lived. It was a crazy house. Darcie and I made friends over a bottle of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum and a deck of cards one day around noontime and it's been peaches ever since. What lay ahead was too much and too wild to recount. Almost too much even to store away in memory. When we get together it's so fun to tell stories and remember all the crazy shit that happened and all the hilarious characters that Ashland is a mecca for.

See, Ashland has its little attractions. Most prominently, the incredible scenery, trees, mountains, fresh air and such. They also have a little Shakespeare Festival and a whole lot of artsy fartsy, new agee culture. But there are no phenomenal art museums, no breathtaking libraries, very little mind bending architecture, no sprawling maze of streets filled with restaurants, bars, bookstores, boutiques and any other damn thing you can think of. Right next door, in the town of Medford (also referred to regularly as "Deadford," "Dreadford" and more affectionately, "Meddy") there were a few other things, but that was mostly a real redneck kind of place that most people generally disdained.

I knew that as soon as I was a little older, I was going to find something more exciting and productive to do with my life or at least someplace more exciting. I had several jobs in Ashland, starting when I was about fifteen working in a bed and breakfast. There was a music store, a clothing store, a snowboard company and my dad's law office, before I found something that really worked for me at the age of 19. I worked for my dad's friend, Peter Carini. We got along great, me and Peter, and I helped him run his private criminal/family law practice for more than two years, before getting the wild hair (and the opportunity which was both blessed and cursed) to move to New York at the age of 22. I never felt the strong desire to go back to school or any of that business. I don't know why, I've just always had a rebellious streak that does not mesh well with a structured educational environment/institution.

By the time I got the inkling to move to New York, Darcie had moved to New Orleans and Kathleen had moved to Portland and it was just me and Jenni partying and working our lives away in Ashland. When a job opportunity in NY presented itself, within a month I was bidding goodbye to my family and to Jenni and the other friends that I left behind, and off to the big city to try and make it on my own for real. I had a rough time after the first couple months here, when I was living in New Jersey, so I left my job in Manhattan and drove to New Orleans and stayed with Darcie for a couple months on an extended vacation. It was really fun. But the fun had to end and I decided to come back to NY and try again. Needless to say, it all worked out in the end.

I'm pretty happy with my accomplishments, though it's easy to feel like at 26, I should have more of a plan about how I'm going to get the very most out of my time on this planet. But for the most part, I'm just really proud of the fact that I am a self sufficient human being with a stable sense of self worth. As some may remember, over a year ago, when Kathleen graduated from college, she moved here with her boyfriend Charles. And they're making it too. It has been such a blessing to have her here and so accessible and such a big part of my everyday life again. It had been a long time since we lived in the same town, though we always found plenty of ways to connect and embark on adventures together.

Darcie has visited three times since I moved here and Jenni has been twice. What good friends! Of course, I've been back to Oregon several times too. But this last time that Darcie and Jenni came for my birthday was the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. Now that they are gone, I have that memory. While they were here we went to the San Gennero Feast in Little Italy, attended a taping of "Premium Blend" hosted by Jamie Kennedy, went dancing at the Coral room, sang Kareoke at Tinga Tinga, went to Kat and Chas's party at their new apartment, did lots of shopping, and enjoyed every last minute that we got to spend with one another. Darcie blogged about it too! It was sad when we had to say goodbye. But it's so good to know that they are always there for me. The best friends ever.

So that's it. A complete wrap.

Sorry Charlie

My apologies for falling off the blog wagon over the past few days. I have had so much going on, there really hasn't been a lot of time to catch up.

Now, back at work after a four day weekend, I am swamped! Hopefully I'll get a chance to update later.

Best Birthday EVER

This has been the best birthday, and one of the best days of my entire life.

I cannot even believe the incredible thing that happened to me today. I left work to meet Robert at Spice Market. I got there and waited outside for a few minutes until he arrived. We went in to be seated. He was walking like a blind person in front of me and looking the other way and I started practically tripping over him. I scolded him for being rude and not watching where he was going as we were being led to our seats in the restaurant. Before I knew it, our hostess had stopped and we were at our table and I focused my eyes, only to be more pleasantly shocked and amazed than I have ever been at any other point in my life. There was a reason Robert was trying to distract me.

Two of my best friends from Oregon were sitting there at the table. Darcie and Jenni. I saw their faces, but I thought I was hallucinating. I'd just emailed with Darcie this morning. She lives 3,000 miles away. How is it possible that these two were here? In NY. At this restaurant. Well they were there for me, of course!

They have been planning for many months to come and surprise me for my birthday. They have been plotting and planning in cahoots with my boyfriend and Kathleen and Charles. Plotting and planning for this day. To surprise me. To make me feel like the most special person on the planet.

Of course, I cried. I was so blown away. How could anyone have traveled so many hours on a plane and spent their money and secretly planned, without me having any clue, just to be there on my birthday? It was the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. But then, you would have to know how much I love Darcie and Jenni. How important they have always been in my life and what faithful, loyal, smart, beautiful, fantastic people they are.

But now you know that they are the best friends a person could ever wish to have.

We ate an amazing meal and enjoyed every moment. After dinner we went to a nearby bar and had drinks and played a few rounds of pool.

They are here until Sunday. Thank god Rob talked me into taking the rest of the week off work. This is the best birthday present I could ever have hoped to get. And I have never been so surprised!

Highly Religious Horse

The pro-life militia has outdone themselves:

Pill propelled into abortion debate
By Jill McGivering
BBC correspondent in Washington

The birth control pill revolutionised women's health - and grew to become one of the most popular forms of family planning. But it is now under attack from pro-life groups in the US.

A growing number of doctors and pharmacists are now refusing to dispense it, on the grounds that it is actually a form of abortion.

Pro-choice groups fear this new moral objection to the Pill could lead to more unplanned pregnancies, even more abortions. A woman taking the Pill does not usually release eggs. But occasionally she might - and it is possible that egg could be fertilised.

The hormonal conditions created by the Pill mean, if that happened, the fertilised egg would not be implanted or survive. Mainstream medicine does not define that as a pregnancy. But some of those strictly against abortion do.
Dr Cynthia Jones-Nosacek - a family doctor in Milwaukee - now refuses to prescribe the Pill. She opposes it on moral grounds, arguing it is a form of abortion.

"The contraceptive pill doesn't always prevent ovulation. As often as 30% of the time, ovulation may occur and if that happens, fertilisation may occur," Dr Jones-Nosacek says. "Then there are other mechanisms that can prevent that being from surviving. It's called a chemical abortion."

'Caught off-guard'

That definition is suddenly gaining support and some pharmacists now refuse to dispense the Pill.

Julee Lacey, a mother of two, had used the Pill for nine years when a pharmacist at her local chemist in Texas refused her prescription.

"She [the pharmacist] began to tell me she personally does not believe in birth control," says Ms Lacey. "I was a little caught off-guard and shocked... I asked her again. She said: 'No, ma'am, I don't believe in birth control. I can't help you'...

"I really couldn't believe she had the right to withhold my medication from me," she adds.

At first these were just isolated cases, mostly in the Midwest. But recently they have increased dramatically.

Pro-choice groups now call it a significant and growing trend. Lisa Boyce of Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin says it is a conscious extension of the abortion debate. "They've done so much with outlawing and restricting access to abortion that they've set their sights on birth control because there's nothing else really they can do to further restrict abortion here in Wisconsin," Ms Boyce says.

"Which is counter-intuitive because if you're against abortion in the least you'd think you would see the value in enhancing access birth control, the very means women look to preventing pregnancy and the need for abortion."

Conscience clauses

And in the run-up to the election, it is a hot political topic too.

This year 12 states took steps to try to introduce so-called conscience clauses. They allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense drugs, including the Pill, on moral grounds, without losing their jobs.

In Wisconsin, the mostly-Republican assembly passed the bill, only to have it vetoed by the Democratic governor.

Representative Curt Gielow says pharmacists should be protected.

"There was an incident where a pharmacist who worked in a retail drug store refused on conscience to fill a prescription and that individual was terminated from employment," Mr Gielow says.

"That, I believe, set the stage for concern there might be employment discrimination opportunity here if in fact you listened to your conscience instead of doing what the boss told you to do."

At the moment, the Pill is hugely popular in the US. But calling it a type of abortion opens up a whole new front in the pro-life, pro-choice debate.

This moral condemnation is a fresh challenge to one of the most used, most reliable methods of family planning.

Story from BBC NEWS
Published: 2004/09/13 16:28:25 GMT

Are these people fucking nuts??? There are people who would like to take us back to the dark ages if they had the chance. This is just one more step in that direction. The thing that really amazes me about pro-lifers is that these are the same people who support war and capitol punishment!!!

I can't think of a single other group in America that gets under my skin like hardcore anti-abortion activists. They really need to find a better hobby. Something that doesn't involve spewing hatred, meddling and interfering with the personal lives and bodies of other individuals.

Tooting My Own Horn

Tomorrow is my birthday. I turn 26 years old.

I am taking Thursday and Friday off from work to recover from the massive hangover that I will no doubt be suffering.

Tomorrow night Robert and I have reservations at Spice Market and then we have a drink date with Kat and Chas. After that, we will probably just head home. He says he has some surprise planned for Thurs. so I'm antsy about that.

Finally, on Saturday, Kathleen is throwing a party. It should be fun!

All this activity is surely just a way to avoid contemplating the fact that I'm getting older. It really feels like this last ten years has just flown by. I'm no spring chicken anymore, people!!! But I guess I still feel like one because while so many people seem to have kids and be married by my age, I'm still miss independent. (I'm holding onto it for a couple more years before I break down and succumb to baby-mania.)

Anyway, here's to another 26 years!!! (At least!)

Style Biter

I normally do not blog about co-workers or friends when they are causing me distress or irritation, but I'm going to have to make an exception to the rule today because I really need to vent about something that is driving me up the wall.

A co-worker is on my very last nerve. She is somewhat of a friend. Though I hesitate ever to categorize co-workers as friends, because there is that clear distinction that, except in rare circumstances, I usually do not socialize with co-workers outside of the workplace.

This "friend/co-worker" that I'm speaking of, we don't have a lot in common really. I don't even really know how we befriended eachother, because I remember thinking she was a real bitch the first time I ever came into contact with her. We were raised in very different environments and have very different ways of looking at the world. Sometimes she is extremely negative to the point that I try to avoid contact because just a short conversation with her can put me in a bad mood. Occasionally, she is in a good mood and can potentially be interesting to talk to, but honestly, it's not her usual demeanor. Nonetheless, for some reason we somehow ended up taking cigarette breaks together everyday, eating lunch together frequently and sometimes going shopping together. This is where the problems come in.

First of all, the cigarette breaks. Depressing. (No, not the impending cancer - the conversation!) Sometimes I just want to go on a cigarette break and enjoy the silence or have a pleasant conversation. With her, it's never silent and it's rarely pleasant. She is just one of those people who has a negative response for everything. She has a trademark snear that she uses regularly. She makes faces at complete strangers because she doesn't like the looks of them, what they're wearing or feels that they are in her way. If the guy who sweeps the ground outside of our building removes the cigarette butts from the ashtray that she is hovering over, she gives him a dirty look for being in her way. If a guy at the sandwich shop puts her sandwich on the wrong bread, instead of saying "I asked for wheat" she says "you just don't listen do you!!!" If a homeless person walks by or scavenges a trashcan, she can barely repress her expression of contempt. The attitude can be a bit of a downer. Forgive me for going on about it, but she has very little compassion or kindness for strangers at all. I guess, she's a stereotypical New Yorker in a lot of ways. Jaded, negative, impatient. She assumes a sour face and finds the worst possible angle from which to view almost everything. And then she acts like she's miss honey-sunshine and doesn't understand why she encounters so much conflict. (She asked me one day when the employee of the month results came out "how come I don't ever fuckin get employee of the month?" I just laughed. Could have something to do with the fact that you roll your eyes or get surly with everyone you come into contact with!) The whole thing is tiresome. But I would never want to hurt her feelings by refusing to have lunch with her or stop going on cig breaks with her. When it all comes down to it, it's not her bad attitude that really bothers me the most, though there have been times I've made excuses to get out of "obligatory" contact. But it may be time to quit smoking and start eating lunch at my desk.

Like I said, the bad attitude isn't the thing that's really bothering me. (You thought that was it??? You wished that was it??? Oh no.)

She bites my style.

No, I'm not being conceited. No, I am not imagining things. It started happening about a year ago. I went to the Gap across the street and bought two hooded zip-up sweaters. One red, one black. She wasted no time in going and buying the two exact same sweaters. No problem. Then there were the basic Gap shirts. I bought them. Shortly after, so did she. Of course, these are very standard, non-distinct items and it didn't bother me. Then there was the sweater sale at Ann Taylor. I went. I bought a couple sweaters. When I got back, she saw what I'd bought, went to Ann Taylor, and out of all the sweaters on sale, she bought the same ones. Same colors and everything. Okaaaaay. Not that big of a deal, right? Several other instances occurred where it was not that big of a deal, but it started to wear on me a little. Without fail, when we went shopping, if she saw me buying something she would ask "oh where did you find that?" and then she would go and pick up the same thing and buy it too.

We have such different personalities, completely different body types....why would we want to dress alike? It really bothered me when I would come to work only to see that she was wearing the same sweater as me. I tried to shrug it off. I tried not to feel like a little girl whose friend won't stop copying. Then, recently, it hit new heights.

We went to a place down the street and I bought a couple of crinkly printed t-shirts, a black silk sweater set and a pair of grey pinstripe slacks. She bought the same grey slacks, the same silk sweater set (I got the last black one so she was stuck with the hot pink), but not the crinkly t-shirts. But lo and behold, when she saw me wearing one of the t-shirts, that had a print of Marilyn Monroe on it, she decided she wanted one too and went back to the store, but they were fresh out. Phew. Close call.

A couple weeks later we went back to the same store. I told her I'd meet her there because she had to go to the bank. They had restocked and I saw one of the crinkly Marilyn t-shirts like the one I had. I grabbed the last one and shoved it behind a rack of black blazers so she wouldn't see it when she got there. I know, it's terrible, but I had reached a point of desperation. This time I found two pairs of corduroys and a pair of jeans that I liked. I should have cased the joint, taken note of the things I liked and come back later without her. But I didn't think she would do it again! Never underestimate a style biter. The corduroys were super soft, one in a brilliant olive green and one in brick red with cute buttons and thick tab-waistbands. I was really excited about them. The jeans were perfect too.

When I came out of the dressing room she saw the cords and jeans in my hands and immediately went and picked up the same two pairs of cords and the identical jeans for herself. My blood began to boil. I didn't show it. I made my purchases and she put her stuff on hold until she could come back the next day with the cash.

I prayed that she would change her mind or decide she couldn't afford to buy any new clothes. No such luck. The next day she went back. I stayed behind. She put the cords on layaway and purchased the jeans. At the same time, she discovered the t-shirt I'd hidden behind the rack of blazers. (She told me "guess what I found?" I knew, but I played dumb. She said "that Marilyn Monroe t-shirt! Someone tried to hide it, but I found it." You don't say?) She also found the black silk sweater set that I thought I'd gotten the last one of and bought that too. That was the point at which I felt my face getting hot and my jaw getting tight and I just had to walk away. I didn't convey my anger to her and she clearly didn't pick up on it, but I went back to my desk and stewed.

I kept telling myself I was overreacting. That it's not a big deal. But everytime I think of the many items that she has gone out and bought directly after I've bought them, I get tight all over again. Meanwhile, I've never done the same to her. Last winter we tried on beautiful coats at Kenneth Cole. But when she decided to purchase one, I decided against it, as I had no intention of wearing the same coat as her. Same with the nice leather boots she bought. I liked them, but I went somewhere else and found a different pair that I liked just as much, so that we wouldn't come to work looking like fucking twins everyday.

I guess the part about it that gets to me the most is that we are such different people. If it was an item here and there, okay. If it was shampoo or makeup, okay. But it's out of control and I have seriously resolved never, ever to go shopping with her again for as long as I live. That's the only thing I can do, right? If she asks me where I got something that I'm wearing, I'll just say "I don't remember" or "it was a gift."

Am I crazy, or is this really as fucked up as I think it is??? I have never had a friend do this to me. Even friends who have a really similar style! And the weirdest part is that she doesn't even seem to think it's strange in the least. Doesn't she have an identity of her own? Why is she biting mine?

This morning I wore my new red corduroys and a black chiffon top that she doesn't have. She immediately started talking about how she can't wait to go and pick up her cords from layaway. I thought to myself "is she so oblivious? Why would she want to have the same pair of red cords as me? Why would she want to come to work in them one day only to find that I'm wearing the same ones?" Well that's it, if she buys them, I'll never wear them on a weekday again. Furthermore, I am never wearing my crinkly Marilyn t-shirt to work again either. The bitch can have it. I'm shopping in Brooklyn from now on.

Another Day

It was weird not coming to work on Sept. 11. It was the first anniversary of the attacks that fell on a Saturday.

Last year and the year before were very emotional. Traveling to work, all the reminders in the newspapers, crossing the bridge from Brooklyn and taking the time to remember that we are all looking at an empty piece of sky where the towers once stood. Remembering that Sept. 11 was the day that our hearts were broken and that our city witnessed, endured and experienced profound death and destruction beyond our wildest nightmares.

This time was different. It was Saturday morning. I didn't watch the news when I woke up. I went to the beach with a couple friends and enjoyed the day like any other day, while families and friends of those lost three years ago mourned all over again. It was easier for me this time. Last year, as I rode the train to work, some people openly sobbed. There is no way to describe what that feels like. Wrestling with your own emotions and memories and looking around to see others doing the same thing. I remember the woman across from me, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face as her mind took her back to that day. It's hard, when the reminders are everywhere. It felt less difficult this time, as I avoided the television and the papers and the commute to work.

Just a few days ago, Kathleen's mom was here visiting. I went over to Kat's and made traditional Mexican mole and we drank margaritas. After dinner as we sat around the table, Kat's mom asked me about 9/11. Where I was. What I was doing.

I told her my story. I was on the bus, I lived in NJ at the time and I traveled through the Lincoln Tunnel everyday to Manhattan. One minute the towers were there, the next moment one of the towers was burning. No one knew what was happening. Everyone thought it was a terrible accident. Then the second tower was hit and we were prevented from entering the tunnel. Still, no one knew what was happening. We were all in shock as we looked across the Hudson at the inconceivable sight of the tallest buildings in our city being consumed in an inferno. The busdriver turned the bus around and drove us back from the direction we'd just come. When I got off the bus near my house I began to make phone calls. I didn't even know what to say. "Uh, the World Trade Center is burning...."

By the time I got home, the first tower had fallen. I crawled in my bed and watched the television and the tears began to come and they didn't stop for a long, long time. When the second tower fell it was just one crushing blow on top of another. I felt so overwhelmed by the horrible reality of what was happening. So stunned at the images I had seen and would continue to see.

I stayed home for the next two days, watching and waiting and crying and struggling to understand. I had only been working in NYC for less than a year. I was thousands of miles away from my family. The only comfort I had was in a person whom I despised under almost any other circumstances. I entered my own world of grief. After returning to work, I would come home every night and pour over photographs and stories and cry until I thought I couldn't cry anymore. But I was wrong. There are always more tears. I wrote many entries in my journal. I was borderline obssessed. I couldn't stop looking at the pictures. I couldn't stop the horrible pain in my chest. I couldn't stop thinking about all those people. Those poor, poor people.

The thing that has always haunted me the most is the fear that so many of the victims of that tragedy must have faced. The horror of being in your office and seeing a plane coming for your window and knowing that it's over... or sitting there quietly, going about your business, not even knowing what is hitting you as the walls of your safe world are torn open and engulfed in a nightmare. Being aboard one of those planes, terrified, fearing the worst, surrendering to fate...being confronted with the dilemma to stay on a burning floor or to jump from the window to your ultimate demise. Even now, these thoughts and memories seem so tangible and vivid.

While I was telling Kat's mom this last week, we all cried right there at the dinner table. It was an emotional moment that we shared with one another that night. Remembering, and allowing ourselves to feel sad and overwhelmed all over again.

The Media! The Media!

I watched that movie "Outfoxed" last night. It was stomach turning. A must-see, without a doubt. There wasn't anything that really surprised me as much as appalled me and reinforced my feeling that Fox News should not be allowed to represent itself as a news channel. It should be forced to call itself a "political editorial outlet" or a "conservative talk show" but never "news." News is objective. Fact based. Here's the facts, do with them what you like. That kind of thing.

I don't mind that Fox is as blatantly conservative and non-objective as it is. I don't mind that Bill O'Reilly routinely tells guests who disagree with him to "shut up" or that he has stated that it is the duty of all dissenting Americans in a time of war to "shut up." I don't mind that they routinely present information and events from a heavily slanted perspective. I mind that the premise itself is deceptive. I mind that it is the highest form of propaganda parading around as journalism. I mind that they call themselves "Fair and Balanced" when there couldn't possibly be a more innaccurate categorization or a more shameless misrepresentation. I mind that unsuspecting citizens watch with the perfectly natural presupposition that they are going to see something that truly is fair and balanced, at which point many are manipulated and brainwashed as a direct consequence of that trusting attitude. Because they believe that it is fair and balanced, they believe that it is the truth. But it's not necessarily the truth. It's a point of view. Which is why Fox News should no longer be allowed to represent itself as a news entity and instead should be identified as a news commentary entity.

Another thing that appalled me was the way that liberal guests were treated by many of the hosts. Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly really get the prize for the world's biggest assholes. They are both very abusive people. I feel bad for any wives or families that they may have. I truly believe that Bill O'Reilly should be sent to therapy and anger management. He has a serious problem, not only with telling the truth, but with the severe verbal mistreatment of other human beings. He accosts guest with a venom that is so inappropriate and unprofessional that it scares me that he is allowed to behave that way on television and get paid. Any person at my job would be fired for speaking to ANYONE the way that he speaks to guests. I found this hilarious thing. A satire of what it would be like if Bill O'Reilly interviewed Jesus. I have to say, I believe it is a frighteningly accurate projection of what could take place. Hahaa. I don't know if it's totally accurate as to what Jesus would say, that's a little hard to call. But Bill O'Reilly's imaginary dialogue seems pretty believable based on what I've seen of him. It's also pretty clear that he is both heavily dillusional and pathologically untruthful. On that note, I love this blog.

Finally, another thing that struck me was the kind of tactics that are used in debates on the Fox News channel. Similar to the kinds of tactics that are often used by conservatives that I have observed and interacted with in blogtown. Derailing the subject with accusations, baiting for defensiveness, vehemently denying or dismissing even the hardest of facts and repeating unsubstantiated retoric ad nauseum.

Then there are the memos. Aaaah, the memos. That's just the proverbial icing on the Fox News cake.

Rupert Murdoch must be stopped.

Not a Joke

Another frighteningly accurate tidbit from the Onion:

Bush Campaign More Thought Out Than Iraq War

WASHINGTON, DC—Military and political strategists agreed Monday that President Bush's re-election campaign has been executed with greater precision than the war in Iraq. "Judging from the initial misrepresentation of intelligence data and the ongoing crisis in Najaf, I assumed the president didn't know his ass from his elbow," said Col. Dale Henderson, a military advisor during the Reagan Administration. "But on the campaign trail, he's proven himself a master of long-term planning and unflinching determination. How else can you explain his strength in the polls given this economy?" Henderson said he regrets having characterized Bush's handling of the war as "incompetent," now that he knows the president's mind was simply otherwise occupied.

Inspired Reporting

The Onion got it right this week with this hilarious bit of satire:

Hundreds of Republicans Injured In Rush To Discredit Kerry

Above: Republicans race to disgrace Kerry on Capitol Hill.

WASHINGTON, DC—George Washington Memorial Hospital is struggling to deal with an influx of Republicans with concussions, broken bones, and internal injuries suffered during the recent stampede to discredit Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, emergency-room personnel reported Monday.

"Triage is in utter chaos," paramedic Gerald Polder said. "This guy in a suit came in with multiple contusions, a subdural hematoma, and a broken nose. I asked how badly it hurt to bend his knee, on a scale of 1 to 10, and he said, 'I'm hurt worse than Kerry was when he got his Purple Hearts.' That's not helpful."

Polder said he has not seen so many right-wing injuries since the late '90s, when hundreds of Republicans were hurt climbing on and off the Newt Gingrich bandwagon.

While squashed toes have been the most common injury, the more dramatic include the skull and spine fractures suffered by an elderly senator who was trampled in the mad dash to smear, bash, and cast aspersions on Kerry. Many of those bearing sound bites also have dislocated joints in those places where their fingers were pried from microphones.

"I was in the crowd on the National Archive steps," conservative Washington Times columnist Paul Greenberg said, holding his head as he awaited treatment for deep shock and moral outrage. "When I realized everyone else there also wanted abstracts of Kerry's congressional voting records, I started to run. I guess we all had the same idea at the same time. It feels like I got rolled over by a 10-ton think tank."

"I was lucky, though," Greenberg said, wrapping himself in the flag. "Worst thing hurt was my pride."

Washington has reported the largest number of casualties, but across the nation, reports are still coming in from politically "red" states made redder by the spilled blood of conservatives caught in the maelstrom of accusations and flailing bodies.

"It's bad down here," Savannah (GA) General Hospital director Lloyd Sautner said. "We were still treating hurricane victims when all these politicians were hurt in the whirlwind of manufactured controversy. Anywhere there were reporters and TV cameras, Republicans were climbing all over each other in an effort to be heard."

Los Angeles producer Margaret Oakes said the set of the TV show Roundtable was overrun with frantic conservatives.

"I tried telling them to stop, that they were only hurting themselves, but they didn't seem to fear for their credibility one bit," Oakes said. "One woman tried to get to the front of the crowd, slipped, and fell face-first into a forest of microphone stands. When I asked her where she was hurt, she said, 'the cheek... of that man to misrepresent his voting record on gay marriage.'"

Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) called for an end to the zealotry that has already resulted in the hospitalization of 86 GOP members.

"Let us not rush to judgment and inadvertently hurt our own image," Shays said Sunday. "This Republican-on-Republican violence must end."

Shays added that his prayers are with Rush Limbaugh's family. The conservative radio personality died Tuesday when a busload of pro-Bush Vietnam veterans, in their rush to lambast Kerry on the air, ran a red light, swerved to avoid a carload of National Review reporters, and smashed through the wall of the Excellence In Broadcasting studio, killing Limbaugh and three sound technicians.

Newsance

There is so much in the news today, I don't know what to focus on.

There's Cheney's crazy speech from the other day that I still haven't mentioned out of fear that I may explode if I let out the smallest peep about how revolting his statements were. I guess I can only hold it in so long. And what is there to say anyhow? The whole thing speaks for itself. The Bush campaign has reached a crescendo in the ferocity and ruthlessness of their attacks. The whole presidential race has become an ugly web of accusations, lies, finger pointing, denials, heated bickering and manipulative tactics. The deliberate divisiveness of rightwing machinations have reached an astounding level. Cheney really laid the icing on the cake with his insinuations - which bordered on outright threats - at his speech in Iowa on Tuesday. I'm going to have to agree with Nancy Pelosi:

"It is completely inappropriate, and dangerous, for the vice president to in effect threaten the American people, to be part of instilling fear into our country," Pelosi said. "If the United States is attacked by terrorists before the next president is inaugurated, it will be because this president was so focused on Iraq that he was distracted from getting the job done in dealing with the clear and present danger that al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden pose to our country."

There's also the latest records released with respect to Bush's National Guard service, which were supplemented on 60 Minutes with notes from his commander, one dated May 19, 1972, which stated, "Phone call from Bush...discussed options of how Bush can get out of coming to drill from now through November."

Also from the linked article:

According to "60 Minutes," Killian's personal files show that he ordered Bush "suspended from flight status" on Aug. 1, 1972. National Guard documents already released by the White House and the Pentagon show that Bush was suspended from flight status on that day for "failure to accomplish annual medical examination" but do not mention his alleged failure to comply with National Guard and Air Force standards.

In another "memo to file," dated Aug. 18, 1973, Killian complained that he was under pressure from his superior, Col. Walter B. "Buck" Staudt, to "sugar coat" Bush's officer evaluations. "I'm having trouble running interference and doing my job," he wrote in a memo titled "CYA." "I will not rate."

Meanwhile, Bush administration lies about everything from the president's National Guard service to how many people attend their rallies.

• Lee's Summit: Actual attendance, 8,500. Bush count, 14,000.

• Sedalia: Actual attendance, 2,200. Bush count, 3,200.

• Columbia: Actual attendance, 8,000 to 9,000. Bush count, 14,000. - taken from Washington Post

I keep seeing quotes from republican representatives that astound me with their blatant hypocricy.

Here are a couple from today that gave me a good laugh:

The Quote: Republican National Committee issued a statement from Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.) saying, "Someone needs to tell John Kerry that this is not the way we do things in the American heartland." (on bumper stickers from www.changetheregime.us which state "Bush/Cheney -- Most hated world leaders since Hitler")

The Irony: At the RNC people were wearing bandaids with purple hearts on them to publicly degrade Kerry's military service (simultaneously degrading the service of every single person who has ever earned a purple heart).

The Quote: Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign, charged that Texans for Truth "is a front group for MoveOn.org that has spent tens of millions of dollars attacking the president. . . . This is a smear group launching baseless attacks on behalf of John Kerry's campaign that will be rejected by the American people." (in response to ads highlighting Bush's military records).

The Irony: Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. (Only difference? Texans for Truth actually ARE telling the truth.)

Where do these hypocrites get off? I mean it, really. Where? And when?

It's good to hear that Kerry is trying to pump up the volume of his campaign. Rather than an elephant and an ass proudly presenting their positions with integrity and composure, this election has looked more like a duel, with the Bush administration and supporters looking like a 9 headed Hydra. Kerry needs to work on emulating Hercules and start some slicing and dicing. I would hate to see another perfectly good democratic candidate fall victim to the treacherous spinning and smearing that the republican party is so well known for.

RNC Fashion Police

I know it's slightly behind the times, but I had to post this funny article from the Washington Post about the abominable fashion sense exhibited at the RNC. It reminded me of a post I made awhile back and gave me a good laugh. Deep down, I really think that NY is way snobby when it comes to fashion, and these peoples' fashion sense is really the least of their problems as long as they intend on voting for Bush. But the article was good for a chuckle anyway.

The Look Is Red, White and Blah

By Robin Givhan, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, September 3, 2004

NEW YORK

On the floor of Madison Square Garden, Republican men in dark suits and navy blazers swagger and stroll, greeting each other with a combination handshake and shoulder grab. Their hair is clipped barbershop short, but without the fresh-from-the-salon sharpness favored by men who describe their morning shave as part of a "grooming routine."

The delegates from Oklahoma -- both the men and women -- are wearing navy blazers with the state seal prominently positioned on the left breast pocket. And the folks from Texas are all wearing navy shirts and white cowboy hats because "we think we all look better if we look the same, dress the same," says Scott Sexton, a delegate from east Texas.

Standing out in this sea of homogeneity is a man in a violet blazer. He strides so briskly across a narrow passageway, weaving in and out of the crowd, that one briefly wonders: Is he a mirage? In fact, he is Alex Carroll from Carmel, Ind., and he is here with his wife, Dana. And he is pleased that his ensemble is being complimented because he is a man who appreciates what the fashion industry has to offer. "I really like Versace and Thierry Mugler, and this jacket is Mugler. I got this one in Las Vegas," he says.

Carroll has paired his sharply cut jacket, which is as audaciously purple as a grape Jolly Rancher, with black pinstripe trousers and a dove-gray crewneck sweater. Dana Carroll wears black trousers, black shoes with gold trim and a tailored taupe jacket with tiny hand stitches along the lapel. She has accessorized her ensemble with a "Republicans for Choice" button. "I'm trying to be a little more conservative," she says. "I'm trying not to offend anyone."

Dana Carroll typically favors short skirts and Manolo Blahnik heels, but for the Republican National Convention she brought trousers and flats because too much attention to personal style in this crowd, she says, is likely to draw tongue-wagging double takes.

"Most Republicans are not known for fashion," her husband says.

One hates to make sweeping generalizations about an entire political party and its fashion sense. So it is best to restrict comment to those Republicans who have come here to hold their convention on the doorsteps of the nation's fashion industry. The Republicans in the hall this week did not do themselves proud. With only a few exceptions, they looked neither crisp nor stylish. And that was just fine with them. Unremarkable seemed to be their highest aspiration. And dressing like a flag, a state symbol or an elephant was the surest way to get a little attention.

"All my friends at home said this is your chance for 15 seconds of fame," says delegate Kay Hutchinson of Delavan, Kan. He was wearing a straw hat with a half-dozen sunflowers rising above its crown.

Delegates were not particularly worried about making a positive visual impression on the five undecided voters watching from home. If they were, someone surely would have suggested that the delegate from New Hampshire remove the moose from atop her head. Someone would have confiscated the brooch worn by the West Virginia delegate because it appeared to be a stuffed mouse head surrounded by organza ruffles. And someone would have warned the Alaska delegate that while her red Open ANWR cotton vest effectively delivered a political message on oil drilling, it made her look as though her follow-up phrase would be: "Would you like fries with that?"

Republican convention fashion generally falls into one of three categories: conservative, symbolic and I-adamantly-and-consciously-refuse-to-be-a-stiff. There is the familiar, exceedingly conservative fashion wing of the party that believes in the sanctity of a no-wrinkle St. John Knits suit or a reasonable facsimile of one. It typically is accessorized with a pair of sensible heels, a good handbag and the famed Ann Hand brooch with a golden eagle perched atop an oversize pearl in the manner of a chicken laying an enormous egg. Debbie Clair of Parker, Colo., considers herself in this category even though she has a Statue of Liberty crown on her head because "I've waited so long to come here," and she's having such a splendid time. Clair is wearing her eagle brooch with a taupe trouser suit.

Included in this group of conservative dressers are those who see nothing impolitic about being a guest in the nation's fashion capital -- with a wholesale business of $40 billion -- and declaring themselves far too "focused" for a discussion of attire. Pardon, but is one of those North Carolina delegates rolling her eyes at the mere mention of fashion?

"I just don't even want to discuss it. I'm so focused," says delegate Linda Daves of Charlotte. It was unclear what had captured Daves's laserlike attention. The only thing on the stage at the moment was a group of stagehands. But as is so often the case with people who loudly proclaim a topic off-limits, she pressed on.

"To compare how people dress is the epitome of snobbery. It doesn't matter if the person is dressed in the highest fashion that Fifth Avenue has to offer," she says. In New York, she says, "I see the crossroads of America. People can dress the way they want to dress. It just makes you feel so at home. It's so indicative of America." Did the RNC issue talking points on fashion after all?

Another North Carolina delegate chimes in. "I don't see any difference between the way they dress here and at home," says Shirley Babson, who comes from the town of Bolivia, pop. 148. She styles her hair in a side-parted bouffant and is dressed in a red blazer with significant shoulder pads. "Everybody just does their own thing."

An enormous number of delegates believe in the persuasive power of clothes: If they cover their bodies with enough references to George W. Bush, the colors of the American flag, the flag itself and the phrase "Four More Years," they will be able to influence the course of world events.

MaryAnn Spicer of Des Moines is dressed in a searing red pantsuit, white cowboy half-boots, a baseball cap emblazoned with the letters "GOP," and a necklace composed of gumball-size red and blue beads interspersed with flags. She explains: "Red signifies a party. It signifies our party, the Republican Party, and it signifies power."

The necklace? "I think of homeland security and our flag around the world keeping us safe."

The cap? "Many minorities would not wear it," says Spicer, who is African American. "But we're out of the Dark Ages."

At this political pep rally, one half-expects to find delegates with their faces painted like the Star-Spangled Banner. Instead, up in the cheap seats, their flashing lights visible from 75 yards away, are Alex and Kay Fox from Clanton, Ala. They have left no five-and-dime, no dollar store, no souvenir stand unbrowsed. She wears a white cotton jacket printed with elephants and flag pins that flash red. Her hat is covered with rah-rah stickers. "I got the stickers at Wal-Mart, yes ma'am," says Kay Fox. Her husband is wearing a chef's hat in red, white and blue. A Statue of Liberty pin flashes red from his black blazer lapel.

Back on the floor, over in the California section, there's a fellow in dark pants and ivory shirt. No navy blazer. No elephant tie. No silly hat. He is purposely avoiding every cliche, clinging to West Coast cool.

"I haven't worn a suit or a tie yet," says delegate John Cruz of San Clemente. "And my sunglasses are in my pocket."

Standing by the delegation from Tennessee, one glances to the right and spots a young woman in a strapless white dress with black flowers. She has a dusty rose cardigan tossed over her shoulders. On her feet are low-heeled black mules. There are no flags in sight. Nothing is lighting up. She is not wearing a single primary color. How did she get in here?

Yucky!

Bush: OB-GYNs Kept from 'Practicing Their Love'

Tue Sep 7, 2004 POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (Reuters) - President Bush offered an unexpected reason on Monday for cracking down on frivolous medical lawsuits: "Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." The Republican president, long known for verbal and grammatical lapses, included the anecdote about obstetrician gynecologists in his stump speech attacking Democratic presidential rival Sen. John Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards, a former trial lawyer.

At a rally of cheering supporters in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Bush made his usual pitch for limiting "frivolous lawsuits" that he said drive up the cost of health care and run doctors out of business.

But then he added, "We've got an issue in America. Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."

Unfazed, Bush went on to deride his rivals as "pro-trial lawyer," and concluded, "I think you've got to make a choice. My opponent made his choice, and he put him on the ticket. I made my choice. I'm for medical liability reform now."

Thanks again for the entertainment, Bush. I don't want my OB-GYN practicing any kind of "love" with me, thank you very much. I guess that means I'm against medical liability reform. Hahaaa. What an idiot.

On a more serious note, I have very strong feelings about this whole medical liability reform issue. Most specifically that it is patients and lawsuits -- which are systematically categorized as "frivolous" regardless of the individual nature of each suit -- that are painted as the problem, while ignoring other obvious causes of rising costs of medical insurance. They also wholeheartedly blame personal injury attorneys. It's not just frivolous lawsuits that drive up the cost of insurance for doctors!!! It is also the fact that doctors frequently malpractice and the most obvious fact of all: GREEDY INSURANCE COMPANIES!!! Did anyone ever think of that? Has anyone in the republican party recently contemplated the fact that insurance costs are not only being driven up out of "necessity" but out of pure, unadulterated greed on the part of these parasitic insurance companies? We all know how much insurance costs have risen over the past few years. It's insane. I blame the insurance companies first and foremost. How bout we put pressure on insurance companies to lower the cost of coverage? Oh no. We couldn't do that. They need the money. But the poor folks who are irreversably harmed by medical malpractice don't need anything more than a measly $250,000.

Who does this medical liability reform protect?

Here is an excerpt of a previous comment that I made on the subject in Nunya's guest post awhile back:

...If you think that when a judgment is rendered against a doctor for medical malpractice, they shouldn't be punished in accordance with punitive damages guidelines or in proportion to the harm caused, then I don't know who you would be trying to help, the patient or the doctor? But the reality is that pain and suffering is so important, an issue of humanity. It is so important that when a person is injured, they receive compensation for the agony that they have had to suffer in proportion to the magnitude of that suffering. And to minimize or "put a cap" on the significance of human suffering, is lower than low. I find it revolting, personally.

So let me get this straight, if you were to send this "pop-up letter" to your congressman [supporting Bush's medical liability reform], you would be saying "I think there should be a cap on pain and suffering verdicts so that my health insurance can be cheaper and there will be more doctors in my area, but if I get a royal screwing from a doctor who malpractices on me, I think I (or my family) shouldn't get more than $250,000 for my pain and suffering, no matter how severe, even in the case of my death." It might just be me, but that seems like it would be a dumb thing to send to your congressman.

That pretty much sums up my feelings about medical liability reform.

Sad World

I'm in some sort of daze about blogging. There is so much shit going on. Hurricane Frances ripping through the already weather torn state of Florida... and that horrible massacre at the school in Russia...some of the more heavily publicized nightmares currently taking place on planet earth. (Though unfortunately not the only ones...)

The only thing I can really think to say right now is that my heart really goes out to all of these people who are suffering through hellish scenarios that come to life. There has been so much heavy, widespread violence in the past few years. There will always be violence in the world, but this terrorism and these wars and genocides and kidnappings...it's all too much to bear. It almost gives you the feeling the world might collapse beneath the weight of all this hatred, killing, sadness, endless turmoil. It makes you want to count your blessings if you are lucky enough to avoid meeting with violence and catastrophe and pray for those who couldn't be nearly as fortunate.

Imposter

Look! It's Bush wearing an Airforce award he never earned! Well how bout that? Not only is he a pathological liar, he's a blatant imposter!!!

Thanks Darcie.

Boo-Yah Biatch.

Take that Gordon. I think it's about time you start eating your hat:

Judge Orders 470 GOP Protesters Released

SARA KUGLER

Associated Press

NEW YORK - A judge ordered the immediate release of nearly 500 protesters just hours before President Bush's speech at the Republican convention, then fined the city for refusing to comply with his order.

State Supreme Court Justice John Cataldo fined the city $1,000 for every protester held past a 5 p.m. deadline that he had set for their release. It was unclear how many detainees were still in custody, but Cataldo had ordered the release of 470 people.

"These people have already been the victims of a process," Cataldo told the city's top lawyer. "I can no longer accept your statement that you are trying to comply."

There were accusations that the city was deliberately holding the protesters longer so they would not be in the streets during President Bush's speech Thursday evening. Police have been preparing for heavy protests in the city directed at Bush, and hundreds of demonstrators were already gathered at Union Square Park, about 15 blocks south of the convention site, Madison Square Garden.

"The evidence shows that the city told defendants that they would not be released until George Bush went home," said Dan Alterman of the National Lawyers Guild.

The New York Police Department denied the charge.

"The allegations that the NYPD was purposely holding demonstrators until after the president of the United States left New York City was part of a deliberate misinformation campaign," police spokesman Paul Browne said.

City Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo earlier tried in vain to convince the judge that the city was trying desperately to comply with his wishes.

"We can't just open the jails of the city of New York and let everybody out," Cardozo said. "We're not trying to flout your honor's order. ... We're doing everything humanly possible."

More than 1,700 convention protesters have been arrested since last week - nearly 1,200 of them on Tuesday during a long-planned day of mass civil disobedience.

The judge's decision was hailed by attorneys for the demonstrators.

"They have to release them right now," said veteran civil rights attorney Norman Siegel. "The judge, to his credit, said, `Enough.'"

About 50 of the detainees had launched a hunger strike Thursday to protest their extended time behind bars while awaiting arraignment. They were turning down the sandwiches and milk served three times a day until everyone was freed.

On Thursday, New York commuters were greeted at Grand Central Station by about 100 demonstrators unfurling banners and releasing colorful balloons urging President Bush to do more in the fight against AIDS. There were 26 arrests.

Is It Over Yet?

Is it just me, or is there a lot more "entertainment" at the RNC than substantive speeches? What's with all the bullshit musical acts? Trying to fill up the space I guess. Obviously, they're desperate if they would let Jenna and Barbara speak!

The most effective speaker that I've seen so far was Michael Steele. He was also the scariest in his rigid conservatism! His whole message was "Republicans don't believe in helping anyone. You help your damn self!"

It really reminded me of this post at Cul's awhile back, a partial analysis of the essence of each political party's belief systems. I thought it was an excellent article at the time that I read it and I felt that Michael Steele's speech really confirmed the truth in that analysis. He seemed to be the most straightforward and honest person when it came down to just coming out and saying what it is. Not trying to be a sheep in wolf's clothing like so many of these politicians.

Case in point: I saw Rudy G. being interviewed last night on CNN and he was asked something like "What advice would you give to President Bush to win over those voters who don't really like him?" Giuliani responded with: "I mean, every time I ran, I had to win over voters who largely didn't agree with me, since I was running in a city that was five to one Democratic. So I tried very hard to appeal to them on not being a Republican, you know, being a mayor..." In other words, "I just put on sheep's clothing and no one could even tell I was a wolf!"

So I have to hand it to Michael Steele for having the integrity to not sugar coat his beliefs. They're what they are. I strongly disagree, but I admire his honesty.

I read transcripts of some of the other speeches. I missed Schwarznegger and Laura because I was too busy focusing in on the chaos and mayhem that was occurring on our city streets last night, but the internet saves the day again. All the transcripts and audio are available at the RNC website. Laura Bush reminds me of my grandmother. It's weird. Arnold is a big palooka. No big surprises in their speeches. Personally, I find the RNC far more boring and laborious than the DNC. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my bias. ;o)

Tonight should be interesting. Another full lineup of musical guests. All of which I could live without except for Brooks and Dunn!!! I love Brooks and Dunn. Well, okay, I love that song "My Maria." Other than that, they're just another republican country music sensation. Hahaa. I'm pretty interested to see what the Cheneys have to say or if Dick can repress that hideous smirk for long enough to seem sincere.

Excerpt from Cul's 7/26/04 post quoting George Lakoff:

The Strict Father Family

In this view, the world is a dangerous and difficult place, there is tangible evil in the world and children have to be made good. To stand up to evil, one must be morally strong -- disciplined.

The father's job is to protect and support the family. His moral duty is to teach his children right from wrong. Physical discipline in childhood will develop the internal discipline adults need to be moral people and to succeed. The child's duty is to obey. Punishment is required to balance the moral books. If you do wrong, there must be a consequence.

The strict father, as moral authority, is responsible for controlling the women of the family, especially in matters of sexuality and reproduction.

Children are to become self-reliant through discipline and the pursuit of self-interest. Pursuit of self-interest is moral: If everybody pursues his own self-interest, the self-interest of all will be maximized.

Without competition, people would not have to develop discipline and so would not become moral beings. Worldly success is an indicator of sufficient moral strength; lack of success suggests lack of sufficient discipline. Those who are not successful should not be coddled; they should be forced to acquire self-discipline.

When this view is translated into politics, the government becomes the strict father whose job for the country is to support (maximize overall wealth) and protect (maximize military and political strength). The citizens are children of two kinds: the mature, disciplined, self-reliant ones who should not be meddled with and the whining, undisciplined, dependent ones who should never be coddled.

This means (among other things) favoring those who control corporate wealth and power (those seen as the best people) over those who are victims (those seen as morally weak). It means removing government regulations, which get in the way of those who are disciplined. Nature is seen as a resource to be exploited. One-way communication translates into government secrecy. The highest moral value is to preserve and extend the domain of strict morality itself, which translates into bringing the values of strict father morality into every aspect of life, both public and private, domestic and foreign.

America is seen as more moral than other nations and hence more deserving of power; it has earned the right to be hegemonic and must never yield its sovereignty or its overwhelming military and economic power. The role of government, then, is to protect the country and its interests, to promote maximally unimpeded economic activity, and maintain order and discipline.

From this perspective, conservative policies cohere and make sense as instances of strict father morality. Social programs give people things they haven't earned, promoting dependency and lack of discipline, and are therefore immoral. The good people -- those who have become self-reliant through discipline and pursuit of self-interest -- deserve their wealth as a reward. Rewarding people who are doing the right thing is moral. Taxing them is punishment, an affliction, and is therefore immoral. Girls who get pregnant through illicit sex must face the consequences of their actions and bear the child. They become responsible for the child, and social programs for pre- and postnatal care just make them dependent. Guns are how the strict father protects his family from the dangers in the world. Environmental regulations get in the way of the good people, the disciplined ones pursuing their own self-interest. Nature, being lower on the moral hierarchy, is there to serve man as a resource. The Endangered Species Act gets in the way of people fulfilling their interests and is therefore immoral; people making money are more important than owls surviving as a species. And just as a strict father would never give up his authority, so a strong moral nation such as the United States should never give up its sovereignty to lesser authorities. It's a neatly tied-up package.

Conservative think tanks have done their job, working out such details and articulating them effectively. Many liberals are still largely unaware of their own moral system. Yet progressives have one.

The Nurturant Parent Family

It is assumed that the world should be a nurturant place. The job of parents is to nurture their children and raise their children to be nurturers. To be a nurturer you have to be empathic and responsible (for yourself and others). Empathy and responsibility have many implications: Responsibility implies protection, competence, education, hard work and social connectedness; empathy requires freedom, fairness and honesty, two-way communication, a fulfilled life (unhappy, unfulfilled people are less likely to want others to be happy) and restitution rather than retribution to balance the moral books. Social responsibility requires cooperation and community building over competition. In the place of specific strict rules, there is a general "ethics of care" that says, "Help, don't harm." To be of good character is to be empathic and responsible, in all of the above ways. Empathy and responsibility are the central values, implying other values: freedom, protection, fairness, cooperation, open communication, competence, happiness, mutual respect and restitution as opposed to retribution.

In this view, the job of government is to care for, serve and protect the population (especially those who are helpless), to guarantee democracy (the equal sharing of political power), to promote the well-being of all and to ensure fairness for all. The economy should be a means to these moral ends. There should be openness in government. Nature is seen as a source of nurture to be respected and preserved. Empathy and responsibility are to be promoted in every area of life, public and private. Art and education are parts of self-fulfillment and therefore moral necessities.

Progressive policies grow from progressive morality. Unfortunately, much of Democratic policy making has been issue by issue and program oriented, and thus doesn't show an overall picture with a moral vision. But, intuitively, progressive policy making is organized into five implicit categories that define both a progressive culture and a progressive form of government, and encompass all progressive policies. Those categories are:

Safety. Post-September 11, it includes secure harbors, industrial facilities and cities. It also includes safe neighborhoods (community policing) and schools (gun control); safe water, air and food (a poison-free environment); safety on the job; and products safe to use. Safety implies health -- health care for all, pre- and post-natal care for children, a focus on wellness and preventive care, and care for the elderly (Medicare, Social Security and so on).

Freedom. Civil liberties must be both protected and extended. The individual issues include gay rights, affirmative action, women's rights and so on, but the moral issue is freedom. That includes freedom of motherhood -- the freedom of a woman to decide whether, when and with whom. It excludes state control of pregnancy. For there to be freedom, the media must be open to all. The airwaves must be kept public, and media monopolies (Murdoch, Clear Channel) broken up.

A Moral Economy. Prosperity is for everybody. Government makes investments, and those investments should reflect the overall public good. Corporate reform is necessary for a more ethical business environment. That means honest bookkeeping (e.g., no free environmental dumping), no poisoning of people and the environment and no exploitation of labor (living wages, safe workplaces, no intimidation). Corporations are chartered by and accountable to the public. Instead of maximizing only shareholder profits, corporations should be chartered to maximize stakeholder well-being, where shareholders, employees, communities and the environment are all recognized and represented on corporate boards.

The bottom quarter of our workforce does absolutely essential work for the economy (caring for children, cleaning houses, producing agriculture, cooking, day laboring and so on). Its members have earned the right to living wages and health care. But the economy is so structured that they cannot be fairly compensated all the time by those who pay their salaries. The economy as a whole should decently compensate those who hold it up. Bill Clinton captured this idea when he declared that people who work hard and play by the rules shouldn't be poor. That validated an ethic of work, but also of community and nurturance.

Global Cooperation. The United States should function as a good world citizen, maximizing cooperation with other governments, not just seeking to maximize its wealth and military power. That means recognizing the same moral values internationally as domestically. An ethical foreign policy means the inclusion of issues previously left out: women's rights and education, children's rights, labor issues, poverty and hunger, the global environment and global health. Many of these concerns are now addressed through global civil society -- international organizations dedicated to peacekeeping and nation building. As the Iraq debacle shows, this worldview is not naive; it is a more effective brand of realism.

The Future. Progressive values center on our children's future -- their education, their health, their prosperity, the environment they will inherit and The issues include everything from education (teacher salaries, class size, divethe global situation they will find themselves in. That is the moral perspective. rsity) to the federal deficit (will they be burdened with our debt?) to global warming and the extinction of species (will there still be elephants and bananas?) to health (will their bodies be poisoned as a result of our policies, and will there be health care for them?). Securing that future is central to our values.

These are the central themes of a progressive politics that comes out of progressive values. That is an important point. A progressive vision must cut across the usual program and interest-group categories. What we need are strategic initiatives that change many things at once. For example, the New Apollo Program -- an investment of hundreds of billions over 10 years in alternative energy development (solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen) is also a jobs program, a foreign-policy issue (freedom from dependence on Middle East oil), a health issue (clean air and water, many fewer poisons in our bodies) and an ecology issue (cleans up pollution, addresses global warming). Corporate reform is another such strategic initiative.

To read the rest of this great article, visit this page.

Embarassing

The Bush twins may be the "cuter ones" by America's shallow standards, but they are definitely not the "smarter ones!"

Bush daughters make awkward stab at stand-up comedy

NEW YORK (AFP) - President George W. Bush's twin daughters drew as many nervous twitters as laughs with an awkward stab at stand-up comedy before the Republican convention nominating their father for re-election.

Jenna and Barbara Bush raised eyebrows with lines such as a jab at their grandmother, former first lady Barbara Bush, for thinking the television series "Sex in the City" was "something married people do, but never talk about."

The 23-year-old college graduates were relentlessly irreverent as they took the podium on the second night of the convention after Hollywood-hunk-turned-California-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites), whose wife is a Democrat.

"Isn't he awesome?" gushed Jenna. "Thanks to him, if one of us ever decides to marry a Democrat, nobody can complain."

Some of the jokes in their prime-time appearance ahead of mother Laura Bush drew laughs, but others fell flat. Television cameras caught Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) stoney-faced.

But the twins ploughed on.

"Jenna and I are really not very political, but we love our Dad too much to stand back and watch from the sidelines. We realized that this would be his last campaign, and we wanted to be a part of it," Barbara said.

"Besides, since we've graduated from college, we're looking around for something to do for the next few years ... kind of like Dad."

Jenna said they were eager to work in the White House but found all the good jobs taken. When at one point she offered political advice "I got an angry call from some guy named Karl," a reference to electoral guru Karl Rove,

Just a few months after getting into hot water for pulling her tongue at journalists while riding in her father's motorcade, Jenna had no qualms about dishing out barbs on national television.

"You know all those times when you were growing up and your parents embarrassed you? Well, this is payback time ... on LIVE TV!!!" she squealed.

President Bush, who spoke to the convention by video from Pennsylvania where he was campaigning, had no reaction to his daughters' crack at humor, telling them only "you make me so very proud.

"I have really enjoyed being on the campaign trail with both of you, it's kind of like the camping trip I promised to take you on," he said, standing stiffly in front of the camera.

Yah right. I'm sure he's real proud to have these two bimbos spouting off at the podium. I'll bet he was contemplating shipping them off to Iraq just then. I'm sure he's real proud that the world gets to see what vapid kids he raised. In comparison to the Heinz-Kerry clan, these people look ridiculous.

Oh, I almost forgot, for more from Jenna and Babs, check out "Ask the Whitehouse" L-O-L ;o)