John Roberts is going to be the next Chief Justice of the United States, and according to his relatively youthful age, he is going to be there for awhile, maybe as long as thirty years or more. It's only natural that a good many politicians, especially the Democratic members of the "loyal oppossition" would want to know as much about him as they can possibly gleen. But Judge Roberts has not exactly been forthcoming. On the other hand, he has given us some telling glimpses into his psyche and his temperament, and in fact his judical philosophy as a whole is crystal clear. He is a conservative. He will rule the bench of the highest court of the land, as a conservative. Still, he has given some Democrats reason to breathe sighs of relief. He has even gone so far as to say he considers Roe v. Wade to be settled law, and in the same breathe goes further by suggesting that he has a respect for legal precedent, and that it is not to be lightly thrown out. He further expounded his acceptance of the belief in an implied constitutional right to privacy, more good news.
But no matter what especially the Democrats on the committee says or does, he is simply not going to give his personal opinions on any kind of subject matter that might at any time stand a chance of coming up before the court. His reasoning is that he wants any future litigant to feel that his case is being fairly considered. He further went on to assure the committee that he would never let personal opinion of a matter influence his decision as a judge on a case. Of course, this is so much bull shit. There are widely divergent views on the Constitution, to the point you cannot engage in any matter that requires it's oversight without having an opinion on how it should be viewed. You either see the Constitution as a living document, whose founders meant for it to grow and evolve over time and circumstances, or you view it with the mind of a strict construtionist. It means exactly what it says, and nothing else, in other words. Any variance would therefore require an amendment, if necessary, but certainly not an adaptive interpretation of what might be all ready there. Unfortunately, not all strict constructionists have that view on all matters, nor do all "living document" adherents have that view in every single case. It seems to come down to a matter of, yes, personal opinion, of the issue involved that is, as to which view applies, in all too many cases.
And this is precisely what has certain members of the committee practically besides themselves with Roberts obstinence, or what they obviously view as such. He feels evidently that he should be take at his word as regarding his promises of impartiality, but politicians are a suspicous bunch by nature, rightly so in most cases.
On the other hand, Joe Biden of Delaware is obviousy trying to score early points in his soon to probably be Quixotic bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination for 2008, with his accussations of purposely avoiding answering direct questions Biden just can't understand what his problem is in answering.
The same goes for Russell Feingold, who made me want to throw up yesterday when he suggested that Roberts should not have held back certain members of the Reagan administration from reassurring the public as to the true nature of the HIV virus and AIDS. It was widely feared at one time to be as easily caught as the common cold, and Roberts warned Reagan against issuing any information to the contrary, until the facts were known for certain. This seemed like a common sense approach to me, but Feingold is evidently the kind of prick who would rather feed people what might turn out to be in the long run misinformation (so far as was known at the time in question) just in order to avoid panic. The hell with the facts, in other words, we will worry about them later and hope for the best. Well, this is the kind of person I precisely do not want to see leading the country, so if you are running for president, Russell, guess what, you just lost my vote (in the primaries, at least) .
It is easy to see why Roberts is so impressive to so many people as to his nature, his intelligence, his capacity for thoughtfulness, and his judicial temperament. It would take a hell of a lot of patience to keep me from pouncing on this crew. But Roberts is a jouster, and I bet he's a bit of a chess player. I can spot them a mile away, but most people seem surprisingly to have missed his little verbal joust, which happenned the very first day of the Senate confirmation hearings. But it was a telling blow, and may say quite a bit about the true nature of his temperament.
A judge, he said, has to look at the law and apply it as written. A judge, he continued, is not a politician, who can promise people things in return for their votes. Ouch!
Thursday, September 15, 2005
The Buck Stops With Me And You, Damnmit
When Harry Truman first introduced the term, "The Buck Stops Here", it was a perfect illustration of the simplicity and common sense of the President from Missouri, who was incredibly unpopular at the end of his presidency when viewed against the general respect and admiration he engenders now in most quarters. The term was sincere in it's scope and intent, and quickly became a part of the American politcal lexicon. In fact, almost every politician has used this as a sort of mantra, at one time or another, almost to the point that it has almost become pointless and meaningless.
Tonight, you will almost certainly hear George W. Bush mouth this refrain for the first time in his presidency, which is really the only thing special about it. Other than that, it means nothing. When Harry Truman said it, it meant, "okay, come on ahead and give me my lumps, I got it coming, I deserve it."
When Bush (and to be fair everyone else) uses it it means simply, "see what a good guy I am? So now let's just forget the whole thing, okay?"
And a lot of people may well forget the whole thing. They might forget how badly and sorrowfuly things are going now in Iraq. They might forget the horrible border situation, that he bears some if not most of the responsibility for the burgeoning price of gasoline, and soon heating fuel and electricity, and all the after-effects of this. And they might even forget in time the horrible way he personally mishandled, and continued to allow to be mishandled, the worse natural disaster in American history, The New Orleans and Gulf Coast destruction by Hurricane Katrina.
On the other hand, maybe they won't so easily forget it. Bush's poll numbers are at their lowest point, more so than at any other time of his presidency, and most Americans now even believe we are not ready for another major terrorist attack. Most Americans have lost all confidence in him as Commander-In-Chief, in his ability to lead the war on terror and protect the nation, and even in his general honesty. Frankly, I believe that he is one of America's all time worse presidents, along with Buchanan, Hoover, and Harding. That's saying something. If any president truly deserved to be impeached, it is this one.
So when he talks tonight before the American people, when he attempts the part of sincerity in his assignment of his part of the blame squarely where it belongs, in a speech I am sure he will spend all this day practising before a select group of advisors, a crew of speech writers at the ready in case a rewrite or additional catch phrase is suggested and agreed upon-I for one will take it with a grain of salt. If I were there in person, I might well wait for the wedgie from ol' George, that Yale Skull and Bones prankster. Everybody should be leery of this guy by now, regadless of their political leanings.
Because, in the long run, the buck doesn't stop with Bush, or any president or politican, it stops with us, the voters who put them in the positions of power all too many of them will say and do anything to attain, and to keep.
Tonight, you will almost certainly hear George W. Bush mouth this refrain for the first time in his presidency, which is really the only thing special about it. Other than that, it means nothing. When Harry Truman said it, it meant, "okay, come on ahead and give me my lumps, I got it coming, I deserve it."
When Bush (and to be fair everyone else) uses it it means simply, "see what a good guy I am? So now let's just forget the whole thing, okay?"
And a lot of people may well forget the whole thing. They might forget how badly and sorrowfuly things are going now in Iraq. They might forget the horrible border situation, that he bears some if not most of the responsibility for the burgeoning price of gasoline, and soon heating fuel and electricity, and all the after-effects of this. And they might even forget in time the horrible way he personally mishandled, and continued to allow to be mishandled, the worse natural disaster in American history, The New Orleans and Gulf Coast destruction by Hurricane Katrina.
On the other hand, maybe they won't so easily forget it. Bush's poll numbers are at their lowest point, more so than at any other time of his presidency, and most Americans now even believe we are not ready for another major terrorist attack. Most Americans have lost all confidence in him as Commander-In-Chief, in his ability to lead the war on terror and protect the nation, and even in his general honesty. Frankly, I believe that he is one of America's all time worse presidents, along with Buchanan, Hoover, and Harding. That's saying something. If any president truly deserved to be impeached, it is this one.
So when he talks tonight before the American people, when he attempts the part of sincerity in his assignment of his part of the blame squarely where it belongs, in a speech I am sure he will spend all this day practising before a select group of advisors, a crew of speech writers at the ready in case a rewrite or additional catch phrase is suggested and agreed upon-I for one will take it with a grain of salt. If I were there in person, I might well wait for the wedgie from ol' George, that Yale Skull and Bones prankster. Everybody should be leery of this guy by now, regadless of their political leanings.
Because, in the long run, the buck doesn't stop with Bush, or any president or politican, it stops with us, the voters who put them in the positions of power all too many of them will say and do anything to attain, and to keep.
Big Easy Lawsuits
It's good to know Mayor Negin is bound and determined to rebuild New Orleans better than ever, while keeping the city true to it's unique cultural heritage. It's good that he seems to have plenty of support from the business and the poltical community as regards to this. But a lot of work remains to be done. There is still an appreciable amount of dead to be identified and buried, for example. There are still numerous children to be reunited with their parents, and pets with their owners. And yes, there is blame yet to be assigned, and dealt with. Not just the political leaders such as Negin and the Governor, but the entire local and state bureaucracy has a lot of accounting to do. Take for example the New Orleans Levi Board, who wasted appreciable amounts of funds meant for levee protections, on such matters as a fountain, and a walkway leading to casinos, and other wasteful expenditures. 45,000 dollars, it has been said, went toward digging up dirt meant to discredit a radio station disc jockey who had been vocaly critical of the Board. An equal amount of money went toward settling a lawsuit with the same disc jockey once he threatend legal action once he learned about this. And of course everybody knows by now about the St. Rita's Nursing Home scandal, where 35 patients were left to fend for themselves as the husband and wife owners, who had turned down various offers of aid beforehand, scurried to safety. Probably all ready been paid in full for their patients care, I would suspect, but that would be mean. Then again, so is leaving elderly people on the bottom floor of a facility, not even taking the time to take them to an upper floor.
Yes, there is a lot to be accounted for. And I'm sure it will. Unfortunately, the drawback to all this is that this is likely to become, in the long run, the big story behind the New Orleans disaster. Oh sure, peple will sing the praises of the heroes from all across the coutnry, the firefighters and police who voluntarily went to New Orleans, the generous churches, organizations, and individuals across the nation who donated money and time. And of course, the next Mardi Gras, whenever that turns out to be, will become a national media event unlike any Mardi Gras before it. But these are all stories that, important though they might be, are stories which will be of relatively temporary duration in the public conscousness.
The lawsuits, which are certainly coming, will be a long drawn out story for months, nay years to come. Most rightly so, in all probability. They will be numerous I am sure, diected at all the state, local, federal agencies and companies and individuals all of whom share some part of the burden of blame. Unfortunately, the real burden will be on the city of New Orleans itself, which is to say the people. Criminal neglect of this magnitude has to be dealt with, and severely. I just hope it doesn't in the meantime interfere in the progress of the city and it's people toward recovery and revitalization. This of course will be one of the mantras you will hear expoused in order to keep these legal actions to a bare minimum, in fact, a whole lot of the passing of the blame is more geared towards just this, in my opinion.
But it doesn't make sense to pass the blame when everybody shares in it to such a considerable extent.
Yes, there is a lot to be accounted for. And I'm sure it will. Unfortunately, the drawback to all this is that this is likely to become, in the long run, the big story behind the New Orleans disaster. Oh sure, peple will sing the praises of the heroes from all across the coutnry, the firefighters and police who voluntarily went to New Orleans, the generous churches, organizations, and individuals across the nation who donated money and time. And of course, the next Mardi Gras, whenever that turns out to be, will become a national media event unlike any Mardi Gras before it. But these are all stories that, important though they might be, are stories which will be of relatively temporary duration in the public conscousness.
The lawsuits, which are certainly coming, will be a long drawn out story for months, nay years to come. Most rightly so, in all probability. They will be numerous I am sure, diected at all the state, local, federal agencies and companies and individuals all of whom share some part of the burden of blame. Unfortunately, the real burden will be on the city of New Orleans itself, which is to say the people. Criminal neglect of this magnitude has to be dealt with, and severely. I just hope it doesn't in the meantime interfere in the progress of the city and it's people toward recovery and revitalization. This of course will be one of the mantras you will hear expoused in order to keep these legal actions to a bare minimum, in fact, a whole lot of the passing of the blame is more geared towards just this, in my opinion.
But it doesn't make sense to pass the blame when everybody shares in it to such a considerable extent.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
The Fly On The Wall
Another update completed in just one days time, I'm kinda proud of myself, but I'm fucking wore out, lemme tell ya. Last week was hell. I don't know how many of you my regular readers have caught on to this, but I like to seque from one post into another. There will more often than not be a slight if tenous connection with one post to the one that came before it, and the one that came after it, and so on and so forth. It doesnt' always work out so good, and last week was a real mess. Everything that happenned in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast was just so serious and tragic I couldn't let it go by with just one or two casual comments, and ended up devoting most of last weeks updates to it, and most of this one as well. I've included here an idea for a National Mardi Gras Week to aid in relief efforts, in addition to some helpful links that those who are concerned about New Orleans and Gulf Coast area pets and pet owners might hopefully find will be of help. Look for this under Remember These Links
Of course, I've included more than a few rants such as You Know It's Coming about religous fanatics views on the disaster, and Political Correctness Always Rears It's Ugly Head, which should be self-explanatory. The Work Cut Out and Trent, Mary, Carlos, and Silver Dollar Sam ae kind of rants too (what the hell here ain't) but deals more withthe technical aspets of the problems New orleans might face on an environmental level on the one hand, and for an historical analysis as to the reasons this may have been allowed to happen on the other.
Then, we gravitate away from the disaster for awhile, after all, there are other things going on and it's good to clear your mind from tragedy ever once in a while in order to avoid total burn out, a sad but real predicament of human nature. And so I deal a little in Two Supremes with the prospect of John Roberts being named as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. I then manage to find it in my heart to let Saddam off the hook in Saddams True Confessions (Okay, I just found out this site ain't worth a fuck so no more Italics-ever! ).
Then, I go into a Missing Persons mode with link to an e-mail Yahoo Profile of a person who has mysteriously vanished in "Hey I Am So Crazy"(Yeah, quotation marks work fine-fuck Italics). Then I go into the case of the murdered and formerly missing "Julie Popovich And The Lido Shuffle". And of course no missing persons portfolio is complete without yet another installment of "Vacation Aruba", this one called "Paradise Lost".
Then, finally, I have a special treat for my beloved little Meowcat, a little something I call "Balls". Enjoy, Meow. And don't be mad about my removing your comment from an earlier post. I can't be having you telling all my secrets, can I now?
By the way, in closing, you all may notice a change in the links section, well, that is because I didn't really know what the fuck i was doing the first time out, but I got it all straightened out now. I may add some more links later on, but by almeans avail yourelves of them, I try to add ones that I think are unusual and of interest, yet ones that you might not think about, or know about, otherwise.
Well, later, as they say.
Of course, I've included more than a few rants such as You Know It's Coming about religous fanatics views on the disaster, and Political Correctness Always Rears It's Ugly Head, which should be self-explanatory. The Work Cut Out and Trent, Mary, Carlos, and Silver Dollar Sam ae kind of rants too (what the hell here ain't) but deals more withthe technical aspets of the problems New orleans might face on an environmental level on the one hand, and for an historical analysis as to the reasons this may have been allowed to happen on the other.
Then, we gravitate away from the disaster for awhile, after all, there are other things going on and it's good to clear your mind from tragedy ever once in a while in order to avoid total burn out, a sad but real predicament of human nature. And so I deal a little in Two Supremes with the prospect of John Roberts being named as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. I then manage to find it in my heart to let Saddam off the hook in Saddams True Confessions (Okay, I just found out this site ain't worth a fuck so no more Italics-ever! ).
Then, I go into a Missing Persons mode with link to an e-mail Yahoo Profile of a person who has mysteriously vanished in "Hey I Am So Crazy"(Yeah, quotation marks work fine-fuck Italics). Then I go into the case of the murdered and formerly missing "Julie Popovich And The Lido Shuffle". And of course no missing persons portfolio is complete without yet another installment of "Vacation Aruba", this one called "Paradise Lost".
Then, finally, I have a special treat for my beloved little Meowcat, a little something I call "Balls". Enjoy, Meow. And don't be mad about my removing your comment from an earlier post. I can't be having you telling all my secrets, can I now?
By the way, in closing, you all may notice a change in the links section, well, that is because I didn't really know what the fuck i was doing the first time out, but I got it all straightened out now. I may add some more links later on, but by almeans avail yourelves of them, I try to add ones that I think are unusual and of interest, yet ones that you might not think about, or know about, otherwise.
Well, later, as they say.
National Mardi Gras Week
I have had one hell of an idea, and I'm sure as hell certain that somebody will get the credit for it besides myself if it is ever implemented. On the other hand, these posts are dated, so there.
So here is the plan. Why do we not as a nation have one week in February for National Mardi Gras week. Think about it, what would be a better way of showing solidarity with the beleaguered city of New Orleans? And more importantly, what would be a better way of raising much needed money for the resotration of the area in all it's glory.
Of course, I know it's cold in a lot of places during February, but so what? A Mardi Gras in every major American city, and others besides. We could set a goal of fifty Mardi Gras in fifty major cities. And we get the vendors and business people to donate one half of their profits for New Orleans recovery, with the assurrance that they don't have to pay any taxes on their profits from the event. We talk the local, state, and federal governments to agree as well to the no tax on profits for Mardi Gras scheme.
Then, we have at least fifty Mardi Gras that ain't no way in hell could be as good as the original, but some might come close, and after the cities rake in the dough, the profits can be forwarded to an organization that can be trusted, with oversight, to distribute the monies that are made in the way that would be the most effetive, however that might be.
I have an idea that it is unlikely there will be a Mardi Gras this year. It might be ready by then, but there is a good chance it will not be. What better way of making up for this, and showing solidarity with city in the midst of it's travails, than in this manner? Even if there is a Mardi Gras in new orleans thios year, it would still be an appropriate expression of unity in the face of tragedy.
Hell, I think this is an idea even the french could love.
So here is the plan. Why do we not as a nation have one week in February for National Mardi Gras week. Think about it, what would be a better way of showing solidarity with the beleaguered city of New Orleans? And more importantly, what would be a better way of raising much needed money for the resotration of the area in all it's glory.
Of course, I know it's cold in a lot of places during February, but so what? A Mardi Gras in every major American city, and others besides. We could set a goal of fifty Mardi Gras in fifty major cities. And we get the vendors and business people to donate one half of their profits for New Orleans recovery, with the assurrance that they don't have to pay any taxes on their profits from the event. We talk the local, state, and federal governments to agree as well to the no tax on profits for Mardi Gras scheme.
Then, we have at least fifty Mardi Gras that ain't no way in hell could be as good as the original, but some might come close, and after the cities rake in the dough, the profits can be forwarded to an organization that can be trusted, with oversight, to distribute the monies that are made in the way that would be the most effetive, however that might be.
I have an idea that it is unlikely there will be a Mardi Gras this year. It might be ready by then, but there is a good chance it will not be. What better way of making up for this, and showing solidarity with city in the midst of it's travails, than in this manner? Even if there is a Mardi Gras in new orleans thios year, it would still be an appropriate expression of unity in the face of tragedy.
Hell, I think this is an idea even the french could love.
You Know It's Coming
Now the Islamic terrorists are calling Hurricane Katrina "Private katrina", implying that somehow this monstrosity was sent by God to punsih the Americans because, of course, he ison their side. It's all about them, the motherfuckers. Give it time, and you'll hear how Bin Laden planned for this hurricane, and it came along as an answer to the carefully and respectfully worded prayers of him and his cohorts.
But it's not just them. Christians here in our own country have jumped into the fray, claiming that Hurricane Katrina is indeed God's judgement on the city of New Orleans because of their hedonistic ways, not just because of Mardi Gras, but because evidently there were plans in the works for a gay parade and celebration of the gay lifestyle.
I started to e-mail one of these despicable ass wipes to ask them if God didn't think the area might be worthy of reconsideration since they voted for that motherfucker Bush in the last election. But then, I forgot, oh no, Mississippi now has, guess what, legalized riverboat casino gambling. Well, I guess that more than trumps voting Republican all right. Of course, I guess God's little plan of vengeance may have backfired on him after all. Seems that plans are in the works now in Mississippi to change the laws that have previously required casinos to be on riverboats in the Gulf of Mexico or similarly somewhere off shore. Seems now they will be allowed on shore, maybe even farther up land. So God will just have to try a little harder next time to get his point across.
And people wonder why I hate these motherfuckers so much.
But it's not just them. Christians here in our own country have jumped into the fray, claiming that Hurricane Katrina is indeed God's judgement on the city of New Orleans because of their hedonistic ways, not just because of Mardi Gras, but because evidently there were plans in the works for a gay parade and celebration of the gay lifestyle.
I started to e-mail one of these despicable ass wipes to ask them if God didn't think the area might be worthy of reconsideration since they voted for that motherfucker Bush in the last election. But then, I forgot, oh no, Mississippi now has, guess what, legalized riverboat casino gambling. Well, I guess that more than trumps voting Republican all right. Of course, I guess God's little plan of vengeance may have backfired on him after all. Seems that plans are in the works now in Mississippi to change the laws that have previously required casinos to be on riverboats in the Gulf of Mexico or similarly somewhere off shore. Seems now they will be allowed on shore, maybe even farther up land. So God will just have to try a little harder next time to get his point across.
And people wonder why I hate these motherfuckers so much.
Remember These Links-For New Orleans Pets
http://www.pagan.com/blackwater
http://www.pagan.com/REST
E-Mail at OutoftheDark.com
The first link especially is for New Orleans and Gulf Coast REFUGEES OR EVACUEES who do not have a palce to take their pets becaise the stupid motherfuckers that run the federal and state government rescue operations stubbornly refuse to allow people to take their pets with them. Hopefully, there can be a way made to enablethese folks to go to these shelters, which allow pets, as long as they are socialized to the pint they won't be a danger to any of the other animals or humans. These are pagans, but they allow anybody witht he need to go there, they have facilities including busses and tent facilities. So check them out and forward them to anybody that mght be interested in lending a helping hand.
A lot of victims in the New Orleans area especially are refusing to leave withouttheir beloved pets, and if I was there frankly I would be one of them. I would sit and die with her before I would go off and leave my cat to die in misery while I lived and she sat and meowed in terror and pain wondering where I had gone and faithfully waiting for me to come back to save her. I would never be able to sleep another night if I did that, and I just wouldn't do that. A perfect example ofyour government in action. A bunch of unfeeling, uncaring motherfuckers who like to hold press conferences after they allowed this shit to happen and still just don't get it, that people have things in their lives that they actually care about and love and don't want to just leave behind to die a miserable death. Fuck the sons-of-bitches.
And where the fuck are those useless no good cocksuckers PETA when you need them?
http://www.pagan.com/REST
E-Mail at OutoftheDark.com
The first link especially is for New Orleans and Gulf Coast REFUGEES OR EVACUEES who do not have a palce to take their pets becaise the stupid motherfuckers that run the federal and state government rescue operations stubbornly refuse to allow people to take their pets with them. Hopefully, there can be a way made to enablethese folks to go to these shelters, which allow pets, as long as they are socialized to the pint they won't be a danger to any of the other animals or humans. These are pagans, but they allow anybody witht he need to go there, they have facilities including busses and tent facilities. So check them out and forward them to anybody that mght be interested in lending a helping hand.
A lot of victims in the New Orleans area especially are refusing to leave withouttheir beloved pets, and if I was there frankly I would be one of them. I would sit and die with her before I would go off and leave my cat to die in misery while I lived and she sat and meowed in terror and pain wondering where I had gone and faithfully waiting for me to come back to save her. I would never be able to sleep another night if I did that, and I just wouldn't do that. A perfect example ofyour government in action. A bunch of unfeeling, uncaring motherfuckers who like to hold press conferences after they allowed this shit to happen and still just don't get it, that people have things in their lives that they actually care about and love and don't want to just leave behind to die a miserable death. Fuck the sons-of-bitches.
And where the fuck are those useless no good cocksuckers PETA when you need them?
The Work Cut Out
Now Vice-President Cheney has been called to assess the Gulf Coast area, well, I'm feling better all ready. And I'm not being sarcastc. This motherfucker don't give a shit about anybody but his fat cat partners and maybe on a good day his family, and that is exactly what is needed to get control of this situation. So think about it, yeah, he'll make sure Haliburton cleans up on this contract while their cleaning up the area, and frankly, I don't give a shit, as long as they do the job and do it right, and I'm sure they can. I admit, I'm a little worried over the prospect that this might set the kind of precedent where future disasters will be allowed to occur so they can take advantage of it again, but right now, first things first. I watched Elaine Chiao the other night on something, I think it was Hardball, and she said that they were going to make sure that those who wanted to and were able could contribute to the clean-up of their areas. Now that's a good idea, as is the 2000 dollars that FEMA is giving each family in the form of a debit card for ready cash for whatever they need. Of course, all this came way too late, but at least it's something. First things first.
But the thing that really worries me more than anything, as far as future consequences go, is the environmental impact of this motherfucking mess. All that raw sewage and garbage and medical waste and oil and gas and industrial waste and chemicals and human corpses, maybe 10,000 of them, and animal corpses, and the disease and bacteria and insects and snakes and rats and alligators. Yeah, let's just pump it out of the city into good old Lake Ponchartrain, hell, it won't be there for long, it will eventually just flow into the Gulf of Mexico, so what, first things first.
See why I feel good about Cheney being there? If anybody knows pollution, it's Dick Cheney.
But the thing that really worries me more than anything, as far as future consequences go, is the environmental impact of this motherfucking mess. All that raw sewage and garbage and medical waste and oil and gas and industrial waste and chemicals and human corpses, maybe 10,000 of them, and animal corpses, and the disease and bacteria and insects and snakes and rats and alligators. Yeah, let's just pump it out of the city into good old Lake Ponchartrain, hell, it won't be there for long, it will eventually just flow into the Gulf of Mexico, so what, first things first.
See why I feel good about Cheney being there? If anybody knows pollution, it's Dick Cheney.
Political Correctness ALways Rears It's Ugly Fucking Head
I hate political correctness, in fact, if I had my way it would be fucking outlawed, only I'm just not sure how to go about doing it in a way that would be constitutional. But you would think that in a situation like the New Orleans disaster these stupid motherfuckers would give it a rest. Would that be asking too much, in a situation like this, in such a heart wrenching tragedy that could end up costing more than ten thousand lives? Yes, I guess it is. But this has got to be te ultimate in insanity, so maybe it might in effect be a good thing. After all, if no one can see from this stupidity how ignorant and wrong politcal correctness is then they'll just never see it.
But I can always hope, and the more I think about it, it would be like the clock turning around full circle. Think about it, one of the first times political correctness won the day was, believe it or not, over the process of naming hurricanes. Feminists were incensed over the process by which all hurricanes were named after women. They were enraged and inisted that it was onlyright that some of them also be name after men. And so it came to pass that it was decided that hurricanes would be named alternately after a man, then a woman, etc. Okay, fine, no problem.A few wags had some fun with the hurricane thing, suggesting that instead of calling all such storms hurricanes, every oter one should be called a "himmicane". Of course, some people heard this and took it as a serious suggestion, so yet more controversy, and fun, ensued.
Frankly, I wold have just as soon that hurricanes had never been named, in a way. After all, why trivialize something as potentially detructive as such an awesome force of nature as this by giving it a little cutesy moniker to remember it by. But I'm rambling. back to the point. Yeah, political correctness, and how it has once again reared it's ugly fucking head. Okay.
WHO GIVES A FRIED FUCK WHETHER THEY ARE CALLED REFUGEES OR EVACUEES? WHY IN THE HELL WOULD ANYBODY GIVE A SHIT ABOUT SOME KIND OF CRAP LIKE THAT? THESE MOTHERFUCKERS ACTUALLY SPEND MAN HOURS AND TAX PAYER MONEY SITTING AROUND AND AGONIZING-AGONIZING-OVER WHETHER TO CALL DISASTER VICTIMS REFUGEES OR EVACUEES!
Okay, I'll stop shouting now. But it's obvious to me that this is the sign of politicans and journalists and analysts who don't know what the fuck to do, so they come up with some kind of crap to make people think that they care. Well, here's what I and I'm sure the majority of people actually care about. And I damned sure know this is what the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast care about.
Rebuild the area, and after ensuring the health of the survivors bring them back if they want to return to an area that is safe and clean and repaired and ready to thrive, secure in the knowledge that steps have been taken to ensure their future safety and, if necessary, their swift and sure evacuation to places of relative safety and comfort
Finally, get rid of the incompetent motherfuckers who allowed this to happen,whoever they are, and let the chips fall where they may, whether federal or state, republican or democrat. Get rid of the people that allowed this to happen, and implement policies and procedures that can be enacted swiftly and concisely and in such ways that if this ever happens again-this will never happen again.
But I can always hope, and the more I think about it, it would be like the clock turning around full circle. Think about it, one of the first times political correctness won the day was, believe it or not, over the process of naming hurricanes. Feminists were incensed over the process by which all hurricanes were named after women. They were enraged and inisted that it was onlyright that some of them also be name after men. And so it came to pass that it was decided that hurricanes would be named alternately after a man, then a woman, etc. Okay, fine, no problem.A few wags had some fun with the hurricane thing, suggesting that instead of calling all such storms hurricanes, every oter one should be called a "himmicane". Of course, some people heard this and took it as a serious suggestion, so yet more controversy, and fun, ensued.
Frankly, I wold have just as soon that hurricanes had never been named, in a way. After all, why trivialize something as potentially detructive as such an awesome force of nature as this by giving it a little cutesy moniker to remember it by. But I'm rambling. back to the point. Yeah, political correctness, and how it has once again reared it's ugly fucking head. Okay.
WHO GIVES A FRIED FUCK WHETHER THEY ARE CALLED REFUGEES OR EVACUEES? WHY IN THE HELL WOULD ANYBODY GIVE A SHIT ABOUT SOME KIND OF CRAP LIKE THAT? THESE MOTHERFUCKERS ACTUALLY SPEND MAN HOURS AND TAX PAYER MONEY SITTING AROUND AND AGONIZING-AGONIZING-OVER WHETHER TO CALL DISASTER VICTIMS REFUGEES OR EVACUEES!
Okay, I'll stop shouting now. But it's obvious to me that this is the sign of politicans and journalists and analysts who don't know what the fuck to do, so they come up with some kind of crap to make people think that they care. Well, here's what I and I'm sure the majority of people actually care about. And I damned sure know this is what the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast care about.
Rebuild the area, and after ensuring the health of the survivors bring them back if they want to return to an area that is safe and clean and repaired and ready to thrive, secure in the knowledge that steps have been taken to ensure their future safety and, if necessary, their swift and sure evacuation to places of relative safety and comfort
Finally, get rid of the incompetent motherfuckers who allowed this to happen,whoever they are, and let the chips fall where they may, whether federal or state, republican or democrat. Get rid of the people that allowed this to happen, and implement policies and procedures that can be enacted swiftly and concisely and in such ways that if this ever happens again-this will never happen again.
Trent, Mary, Carlos, And SIlver Dollar Sam
Trent Lott is hopping mad, but as usual he doesn't show anger that well, if he did, I would imagine a lot of people would have gotten an earful by now. For a bigoted racist, he certainly knows how to put the Bush boys through their paces though. After all, look at Mississippi. To hear most people, you would think it was paradise on earth compared to New Orleans, when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. Actually, Mississippi was initialy hit much harder than most places in Louisiana, with the possible exception of Slidell, Louisiana, which is where the eye of the hurricane actually went through. But Biloxi and Gulfsport Mississippi are practically no-man's lands. Hardly a building is still standing and most of the ante-bellum homes have been destroyed along with the modern convenience stations and greasy spoons. The death toll was initially higher as well, and contagions due to contaminated flood waters have run rampant, causing a number of illnesses and a few deaths. Hand it to Trent, he got the Feds off their lazy sorry asses and demanded action. And remember, a large percentage of his constituents are black, and I for one don't think he gave that the least bit of consideration.
Contrast this and the actions of Mississippi governor Haley Barbour with the relatively incompetent responses of the Louisiana Governor and New Orleans mayor. These people were lost from the beginning and are still in conflict, the mayor teling everyone they have to evacuate, the governor telling them they can not be forced to leave, and nobody else really knowing what to make of the situation. And the shame of their incompetence is remarkably demonstrated by the scores of yellow school busses and other public transportation vehicles which now stand in yet two or three feet at least of flood water, left to sit idle when they could have been used to evacuate citizens who otherwise may have not had a way to get out of the city. Disgusting.
Then there's our poor little lost lamb Mary, Senator Landrieu, who at one time I had fond hopes for in terms of a potential Vice-Presidential nomination in 2008, provided of course Hillary somehow were to fail to get the nomination (two female running mates would just not be practical, even in this supposedly enlightened age), in addition to certain other secret fantasies I have entertaied at various times concerning Mary. Alas, now one fantasy is no more or less likely than the other.
Poor Mary, she just seemed lost, and finally, after all was said and done, she decided she wanted to hit somebody. Well, so do I Mary, but let's not get carried away. Let's face it, the Louisiana folks are just in over their heads. It's just as much their fault as it is the Feds. In fact, initially, it can be legitimately said to be more their fault, but of course the Feds and Bush just seem to have decided they would show they could be just every bit as incompetent as the Louisiana State officials could be, and they proved their point handsomely.
And the reason is historical in nature. The plain facts are, the elected leaders and public officials of Louisiana have just been corrupt and incompetent from the days of Huey Long, who was the last truly effective elected official, both Govrnor and Senator, the state has produced. And Huey of course was assassinated. Since then, the people elected to run the state have seldom done so. The state has in fact been the domain of the Mafia. The elected officials have historically just done what they are told, and therefore have no real experience or tradition of actual leadership.
The true leaders and power brokers of Louisiana have been the "Silver Dollar Sam" Corollas, the Carlos Marcellos. In other words, the oldest continually existing mafia family in the United States, up until Marcello was finally brought down by a Federal sting operation in the 1980's. The Mafia pretty much fell apart after him, though I'm certain they still exist in factions that are relatively powerless in comparison to the glory days of the Louisiana Mafia. Which is the irony in that if a Carlos Marcello or a Silver Dollar Sam were still in active control of Louisiana today the state would have probably reacted faster and more effectively to the coming disaster than what has turned out to be the case.
On the other hand, they are the ones respnsible for Louisiana having such a heritage of corruption and inefficiency and incompetence. That is just the political culture of the state. As such, you can't expect it to be an enclave of statemanship. That is just the sad, hard facts.
Contrast this and the actions of Mississippi governor Haley Barbour with the relatively incompetent responses of the Louisiana Governor and New Orleans mayor. These people were lost from the beginning and are still in conflict, the mayor teling everyone they have to evacuate, the governor telling them they can not be forced to leave, and nobody else really knowing what to make of the situation. And the shame of their incompetence is remarkably demonstrated by the scores of yellow school busses and other public transportation vehicles which now stand in yet two or three feet at least of flood water, left to sit idle when they could have been used to evacuate citizens who otherwise may have not had a way to get out of the city. Disgusting.
Then there's our poor little lost lamb Mary, Senator Landrieu, who at one time I had fond hopes for in terms of a potential Vice-Presidential nomination in 2008, provided of course Hillary somehow were to fail to get the nomination (two female running mates would just not be practical, even in this supposedly enlightened age), in addition to certain other secret fantasies I have entertaied at various times concerning Mary. Alas, now one fantasy is no more or less likely than the other.
Poor Mary, she just seemed lost, and finally, after all was said and done, she decided she wanted to hit somebody. Well, so do I Mary, but let's not get carried away. Let's face it, the Louisiana folks are just in over their heads. It's just as much their fault as it is the Feds. In fact, initially, it can be legitimately said to be more their fault, but of course the Feds and Bush just seem to have decided they would show they could be just every bit as incompetent as the Louisiana State officials could be, and they proved their point handsomely.
And the reason is historical in nature. The plain facts are, the elected leaders and public officials of Louisiana have just been corrupt and incompetent from the days of Huey Long, who was the last truly effective elected official, both Govrnor and Senator, the state has produced. And Huey of course was assassinated. Since then, the people elected to run the state have seldom done so. The state has in fact been the domain of the Mafia. The elected officials have historically just done what they are told, and therefore have no real experience or tradition of actual leadership.
The true leaders and power brokers of Louisiana have been the "Silver Dollar Sam" Corollas, the Carlos Marcellos. In other words, the oldest continually existing mafia family in the United States, up until Marcello was finally brought down by a Federal sting operation in the 1980's. The Mafia pretty much fell apart after him, though I'm certain they still exist in factions that are relatively powerless in comparison to the glory days of the Louisiana Mafia. Which is the irony in that if a Carlos Marcello or a Silver Dollar Sam were still in active control of Louisiana today the state would have probably reacted faster and more effectively to the coming disaster than what has turned out to be the case.
On the other hand, they are the ones respnsible for Louisiana having such a heritage of corruption and inefficiency and incompetence. That is just the political culture of the state. As such, you can't expect it to be an enclave of statemanship. That is just the sad, hard facts.
Two Supremes
George W. Bush has been put in the position where he can now assurredly make a lasting impact on the make-up of the Supreme Court, and thus on the direction the country takes over the next possibly two decades or more. Chief Justice William Rehnquist has died, so now Bush has two appointments to make, not just one, in fact, he has three appointments to make. He has hoped that he can hit a double with the nomination of John Roberts to replace Rehnquist as Chief Justice. But Bush is so obvious in his timing of the announcement, he may well have hit into a double play. In an effort to misdirect attention away from the New Orleans and Gulf Coast tragedy, he may have revealed himself to be the insensitive lout that many of us have long suspected him to be.
As for his second appointment, I have a feeling he may have decided by now to reach out to the New Orleans area, and to women, by appointing a female circuit federal judge from the New Orleans Fifth District, who will be likely to appeal to neither citizens of New Orleans or to women in general.
As for Roberts, Bush knows a lot more about him, I suspect, than he is letting on. He seems to be telling his conservative base, hey, look, I'm appointing him to replace Rehnquist as Chief Justice, would I do that if he werent' a conservative? And to his opponents he seems to be saying, hey, if you prefer I could appoint Scalia. Or Thomas.
Roberts is a strange man in a lot of ways. Everytime you look at him, he looks like he is about to break down and just start bawling and crying. On the other hand, I remember a character on an old tv show called Twin Peaks. In it, a bereaved father and lawyer turned out to be the mysterious murderer possessed by the demonic spirit named "Bob". He always looked like he was on the edge and at any time might be about to just break down and cry over the murder of his beloved daughter Laura Palmer.
But then, the truth was revealed, and he broke down into uncontrollable laughter.
As for his second appointment, I have a feeling he may have decided by now to reach out to the New Orleans area, and to women, by appointing a female circuit federal judge from the New Orleans Fifth District, who will be likely to appeal to neither citizens of New Orleans or to women in general.
As for Roberts, Bush knows a lot more about him, I suspect, than he is letting on. He seems to be telling his conservative base, hey, look, I'm appointing him to replace Rehnquist as Chief Justice, would I do that if he werent' a conservative? And to his opponents he seems to be saying, hey, if you prefer I could appoint Scalia. Or Thomas.
Roberts is a strange man in a lot of ways. Everytime you look at him, he looks like he is about to break down and just start bawling and crying. On the other hand, I remember a character on an old tv show called Twin Peaks. In it, a bereaved father and lawyer turned out to be the mysterious murderer possessed by the demonic spirit named "Bob". He always looked like he was on the edge and at any time might be about to just break down and cry over the murder of his beloved daughter Laura Palmer.
But then, the truth was revealed, and he broke down into uncontrollable laughter.
Saddam's True Confessions
According to reports out of Iraq by way of the Iraqi Courts, Saddam Hussein has confessed to crimes agaisnt humanity. No one is more surprised than Saddams lawyers, but evidently the big man just couldn't keep his mouth shut. Or maybe somebody opened it wide for him and, just like a magician reaching into a hat for a rabbit, pulled those words right out of there. Still, Saddam doesn't seem to be the worse for wear, so those words had to have been coaxed out with more honey than vinegar. Of course there's also the possibility that this is a big lie, you know.
Whatever the case, it puts me in mind of what I used to read about the old Soviet era show trials, where former communist officials were accussed of disloyalty or espionage or other forms of treason and were tried in public. A great many of times these defendants were coaxed into signing documents that purported to be a confession of their alleged crimes. Of course there are a great many stories as to how these confessions were coerced. Some people were suppossedly beaten, some brutally. At other times their families were threatened with imprisonment and confiscation of all properties, and even death.
Whatever the case, you can be sure you would be spending a lot of fruitless time if you devoted it to combing through those old Soviet era archives in search of someone who was found not guilty at one of these trials. They were show trials for a reason, not only to justify Soviet justice in the face of alleged crimes against the people, but perhaps more importantly they were meant to illustrate the power of the state and the futility and even the stupidity of daring to oppose it's power in any way, shape, form, or fashion.
Of course, I am sure that Saddam wasn't brutalized or threatened in any way. However, the fact that this so-called confession has been produced without the advice and consent of Saddam's lawyer, does not bode well in my view as to the prospects for the fairness and legitimacy of the fledgling Iraqi justice system. Close to 2000 American soldiers have given their lives ostensibly for the establishemnt of an Iraqi nation that is democratic and is run by the rule of law.
I don't think the establishment of a kangaroo court is exactly what anybody had in mind.
Whatever the case, it puts me in mind of what I used to read about the old Soviet era show trials, where former communist officials were accussed of disloyalty or espionage or other forms of treason and were tried in public. A great many of times these defendants were coaxed into signing documents that purported to be a confession of their alleged crimes. Of course there are a great many stories as to how these confessions were coerced. Some people were suppossedly beaten, some brutally. At other times their families were threatened with imprisonment and confiscation of all properties, and even death.
Whatever the case, you can be sure you would be spending a lot of fruitless time if you devoted it to combing through those old Soviet era archives in search of someone who was found not guilty at one of these trials. They were show trials for a reason, not only to justify Soviet justice in the face of alleged crimes against the people, but perhaps more importantly they were meant to illustrate the power of the state and the futility and even the stupidity of daring to oppose it's power in any way, shape, form, or fashion.
Of course, I am sure that Saddam wasn't brutalized or threatened in any way. However, the fact that this so-called confession has been produced without the advice and consent of Saddam's lawyer, does not bode well in my view as to the prospects for the fairness and legitimacy of the fledgling Iraqi justice system. Close to 2000 American soldiers have given their lives ostensibly for the establishemnt of an Iraqi nation that is democratic and is run by the rule of law.
I don't think the establishment of a kangaroo court is exactly what anybody had in mind.
Hey I Am So Crazy
On my Yahoo Group Paganbitchslap, to which I have a link on the links section, there has been for some time a group member who goes by the Yahoo ID and e-mail address of Hey I Am So Crazy. In fact, I will put the proper address on later so you can see her Yahoo Profile Page. Then you will probably see immediately just exactly what I am worried about.
The girl is from Iran, or that is what it says on her Profile page. Assumming that is actually the truth, I had to wonder immediately at her sanity, or at least her common sense, in putting a picture of two lesbian lovers laying side-by-side, one of whom I have always assumed to be her. She is a very pretty girl, in fact they both are. Beautiful, in fact. She lists as her interests on her Profile Page as being Pharsi (the lanuage of Iran), Paganism, and a few other things.
She has had her e-mails, from the start of her joining the group, set for e-mails, which means that every e-mail that is sent out over to the group as a whole she will receive in her in-box. Again, I had to wonder at least at the sheer audacity of this.
But that is because I know more than a little bit about Iran. I have followed developments there more or less closely ever since just before the fall of the late Shah, whom most in Iran felt to be a puppet of the U.S. It has since been taken over by a group of Islamic Shi'ite fundamentalist mullahs, clerics who rule totally by the koran as they interpret it, which seems to be in the harshest terms imaginable-strictly.
Their laws repressing the rights of women are not actualy as bad as they are in a number of other third world countries, especialy in some Islamic ones. But it's not exactly something to be proud of to suggest you aren't quite as bad as the Taliban, in my opinion.
Hey I Am So Crazy has been bouncing on the group for quite some time lately. This means simply that her in-box has been filled up to the point that she can no longer receive e-mails, because she has not been answering her e-mails for quite some time. Thus, any subsequent e-mails sent to her will be "bounced". She can no longer receive. I have sent her a couple of private e-mails, all to no avail.
Yes, you may have figured out by now that I am attaching some sinister connotations to this. I feel repsonsible for this girl, especially since I wonder whether she might have gotten into trouble with the Iranian authorities due to the discovery of what she was doing on the Internet, and thus the subsequent discovery of certain aspects of her lifestyle that may not have set too well with those same repressive authorities. Paganbitchsap was at one time a wild, wild, wild, group, and I am certain that if they read some of those e-mails they wouldn't have got much of a laugh out of them. And there's a good chance that this in part may have inadverdantly led to this poor girls being incarcerated, or possibly even being executed. I hope I am wrong, and I hope that eventually I can establish contact with her. Or with someone that can possibly enlighten me on her situation.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/hey_iam_so_crazy is her e-mail. I might have to edit that link later, as I'm sure it's not exactly correct. But in the meantime I am hopeful that if this turns up on a Yahoo or Google Search engine it will attract her attention and she will enlighten me on her current situation. After all, who can't resist googling themselves from time to time.
The girl is from Iran, or that is what it says on her Profile page. Assumming that is actually the truth, I had to wonder immediately at her sanity, or at least her common sense, in putting a picture of two lesbian lovers laying side-by-side, one of whom I have always assumed to be her. She is a very pretty girl, in fact they both are. Beautiful, in fact. She lists as her interests on her Profile Page as being Pharsi (the lanuage of Iran), Paganism, and a few other things.
She has had her e-mails, from the start of her joining the group, set for e-mails, which means that every e-mail that is sent out over to the group as a whole she will receive in her in-box. Again, I had to wonder at least at the sheer audacity of this.
But that is because I know more than a little bit about Iran. I have followed developments there more or less closely ever since just before the fall of the late Shah, whom most in Iran felt to be a puppet of the U.S. It has since been taken over by a group of Islamic Shi'ite fundamentalist mullahs, clerics who rule totally by the koran as they interpret it, which seems to be in the harshest terms imaginable-strictly.
Their laws repressing the rights of women are not actualy as bad as they are in a number of other third world countries, especialy in some Islamic ones. But it's not exactly something to be proud of to suggest you aren't quite as bad as the Taliban, in my opinion.
Hey I Am So Crazy has been bouncing on the group for quite some time lately. This means simply that her in-box has been filled up to the point that she can no longer receive e-mails, because she has not been answering her e-mails for quite some time. Thus, any subsequent e-mails sent to her will be "bounced". She can no longer receive. I have sent her a couple of private e-mails, all to no avail.
Yes, you may have figured out by now that I am attaching some sinister connotations to this. I feel repsonsible for this girl, especially since I wonder whether she might have gotten into trouble with the Iranian authorities due to the discovery of what she was doing on the Internet, and thus the subsequent discovery of certain aspects of her lifestyle that may not have set too well with those same repressive authorities. Paganbitchsap was at one time a wild, wild, wild, group, and I am certain that if they read some of those e-mails they wouldn't have got much of a laugh out of them. And there's a good chance that this in part may have inadverdantly led to this poor girls being incarcerated, or possibly even being executed. I hope I am wrong, and I hope that eventually I can establish contact with her. Or with someone that can possibly enlighten me on her situation.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/hey_iam_so_crazy is her e-mail. I might have to edit that link later, as I'm sure it's not exactly correct. But in the meantime I am hopeful that if this turns up on a Yahoo or Google Search engine it will attract her attention and she will enlighten me on her current situation. After all, who can't resist googling themselves from time to time.
Julie Popovich And The Lido Shuffle
Another dissappearing act that occurred happenned not too long ago in Columbus Ohio when a young Ohio University student and aspiring model named Julie Popovich dissappeearred after having last been seen with a group of friends from Lido's Lounge.
Accordding to these friends, all females, Ms. Popovich had been seen in a semi-intoxicated astate dancing and carousing with a man they did not know, though they gave a vaque description of him as beig a tall, slim, dark-skinned white man. She danced with the man, and at one point she fell and hit her head on the edge ofthe bar. Accordding to one reported version, she was actually dancing on top of the bar.
What I find questionable about this report is that, again avcorrdign toone report, there was no one else at the bar thatcould verify the authenticity of this. Nor did anyone seem to know who the man was. The young Ms. Popovich was just recently discovered, after having been missing for close to a month, at the edge of a levee. Interesting.
The friends who were with her that night were interviewed on camera, and they seemed calm enough, and didn'tseemto be hiding anything, but there is something very strange about this. Forone thing, there is no record actually that she was ever at Lido's, to my knowledge. Finally, as was the case of the Natalie Holloway dissappearrance, the story of the head injury incurred while dancing could easily be interpreted as a cover story in the event the dscovery of the body revealed an injury to the head.
Whoever reported the mishap at the bar, the head injury, should be questioned thoroughly. Something about this story just don't smell right. Ms. Popovich was reported to have been dismayed over the recent end of a relationship, and was suppossedly yet very chummy witht he mysterious man she allegedly spent the majority of her time at Lido's with. Who is he?
Perhaps a better question to ask might be, is he at all?
Accordding to these friends, all females, Ms. Popovich had been seen in a semi-intoxicated astate dancing and carousing with a man they did not know, though they gave a vaque description of him as beig a tall, slim, dark-skinned white man. She danced with the man, and at one point she fell and hit her head on the edge ofthe bar. Accordding to one reported version, she was actually dancing on top of the bar.
What I find questionable about this report is that, again avcorrdign toone report, there was no one else at the bar thatcould verify the authenticity of this. Nor did anyone seem to know who the man was. The young Ms. Popovich was just recently discovered, after having been missing for close to a month, at the edge of a levee. Interesting.
The friends who were with her that night were interviewed on camera, and they seemed calm enough, and didn'tseemto be hiding anything, but there is something very strange about this. Forone thing, there is no record actually that she was ever at Lido's, to my knowledge. Finally, as was the case of the Natalie Holloway dissappearrance, the story of the head injury incurred while dancing could easily be interpreted as a cover story in the event the dscovery of the body revealed an injury to the head.
Whoever reported the mishap at the bar, the head injury, should be questioned thoroughly. Something about this story just don't smell right. Ms. Popovich was reported to have been dismayed over the recent end of a relationship, and was suppossedly yet very chummy witht he mysterious man she allegedly spent the majority of her time at Lido's with. Who is he?
Perhaps a better question to ask might be, is he at all?
Vacation Aruba: Paradise Lost
Well, not only have the Kalpoe Brothers not been reincarcerated for the dissappearrance of missing Alabama high school vacationer Natalie Holloway, but main suspect Joran Van Der Sloot has finally been released from prison where he has been held for the last three months. As if this were not enough, both Joran and his father, Paulus, have reportedly fled theisland. They have taken what they no doubt feel is a much needed trip to he Netherlands, which is Paulus's home country of origin. I do not expect them to return shortly.
I have this strange idea that it will turn out there is no legal grounds for bringing them back, the way things stand now. Nothing would, I would suspect, short of a confession from another suspect, or the inadverdant discovery of Ms. Holloway's remains. By now, of course, the unfortunate Ms. Holloways remains have probably been deposited in a wide spread area in the form of animal feces, so she is unlikely to turn up in any kind of a recognizable or traceable format. A skull however is always a slight, repeat slight, possibility.
This brings up the question as to why the Van Der Sloots would arouse such suspicion by this flight to the Netherlands. I would submit that even were Ms. Holloways remains to turn up whole with Joran's blood evident from defensive wounds in addition to his semen deposited in every natural opening and a few invented ones, it is unlikely that this then juvenile at the time the crime was committed would ever serve time, or certainly not more than five years or so. And of course all this is highly unlikely.
But, of course, there was a bit of back-stabbing between Joran and the Kalpoe Brothers, so it could well be that Joran's life is slightly endangered. He was running with a bad crowd, after all. Turns out him and the Kalpoe's were involved in gang activities, members of a gang called "The Pimps". I have an idea Joran might have been blackballed by this time, however high up in te hierarchy he mayhave at one time been. There is even some speculation that Natalie was the victim of a gang rape due to the machinations of this crew of no good punks.
Whatever. It is obvious to me that nothing will likely ever be done about it, nor are Ms. Holloways remains ever likely to be discovered. It's a sad situation, and outrageous, and sometimes, the bad guys really do win. But then they have to live with it.
I have this strange idea that it will turn out there is no legal grounds for bringing them back, the way things stand now. Nothing would, I would suspect, short of a confession from another suspect, or the inadverdant discovery of Ms. Holloway's remains. By now, of course, the unfortunate Ms. Holloways remains have probably been deposited in a wide spread area in the form of animal feces, so she is unlikely to turn up in any kind of a recognizable or traceable format. A skull however is always a slight, repeat slight, possibility.
This brings up the question as to why the Van Der Sloots would arouse such suspicion by this flight to the Netherlands. I would submit that even were Ms. Holloways remains to turn up whole with Joran's blood evident from defensive wounds in addition to his semen deposited in every natural opening and a few invented ones, it is unlikely that this then juvenile at the time the crime was committed would ever serve time, or certainly not more than five years or so. And of course all this is highly unlikely.
But, of course, there was a bit of back-stabbing between Joran and the Kalpoe Brothers, so it could well be that Joran's life is slightly endangered. He was running with a bad crowd, after all. Turns out him and the Kalpoe's were involved in gang activities, members of a gang called "The Pimps". I have an idea Joran might have been blackballed by this time, however high up in te hierarchy he mayhave at one time been. There is even some speculation that Natalie was the victim of a gang rape due to the machinations of this crew of no good punks.
Whatever. It is obvious to me that nothing will likely ever be done about it, nor are Ms. Holloways remains ever likely to be discovered. It's a sad situation, and outrageous, and sometimes, the bad guys really do win. But then they have to live with it.
Balls
Well, looks like Andre Agassi has advanced in the U.S. Open, not the American Open as I erroneously referred to it earlier (I'm new to tennis, cut me some slack)so I'm hoping to see a great match between him and Fedderer(not sure of spelling and don't want to take the time to look it up-what do you think I am, a journalist or something?)for the men's finals. In other related good news Venus Williams has been eliminated from the Women's Finals of the U.S. Open. Yeah, by I think sister Serena again. Well, at least we don't have to concern ourselves now with having to suffer through anotehr boring and predictable finals championship match between the two sisters. I don't know why I'm that interested, I really haven't been that engrossd in the championhips this year, but I am. I guess I just love the game. When I do settle down to watch, I find myself transfixed.
I'm also transfixed by the latest new about Lance Armstrong. One, he is going to marry soon to Sheryl Crow (I'm almost sure I spelled that right), and more importantly, he may decide to come back for an eight race. Groovy. Only if I was him I wouldn't do it, why bother? But it would serve the French right. He could probably win with all the cots the French volunteered for the New Orleans disaster relief effort tied to his back.
On a final note, I think I've figured out why the French dislike him so much. It's not so much that he's an American, and he always wins at their beloved national sport. It's that he has been through so much sufferring and trials, and still manages to win so seemingly effortlessly. This plus, yes, he's an American who always wins at their beloved national sport. Lance Armstrong, the American bicvycle racing Tour De France champion and cancer survivor who needs no help or sympathy from anybody.
Historically, the French need all the help and sympathy they can get.
I'm also transfixed by the latest new about Lance Armstrong. One, he is going to marry soon to Sheryl Crow (I'm almost sure I spelled that right), and more importantly, he may decide to come back for an eight race. Groovy. Only if I was him I wouldn't do it, why bother? But it would serve the French right. He could probably win with all the cots the French volunteered for the New Orleans disaster relief effort tied to his back.
On a final note, I think I've figured out why the French dislike him so much. It's not so much that he's an American, and he always wins at their beloved national sport. It's that he has been through so much sufferring and trials, and still manages to win so seemingly effortlessly. This plus, yes, he's an American who always wins at their beloved national sport. Lance Armstrong, the American bicvycle racing Tour De France champion and cancer survivor who needs no help or sympathy from anybody.
Historically, the French need all the help and sympathy they can get.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Learning Links
I didn't think I could do it, but I surprised even myself. I actually added some links to the Blog, though some I might take out. They seem kind of messed up, and I just couldn't get them all lined out consistently, the way I wanted. But there they are. A word about a few of them might be in order.
Aladdinslad. What can I say? He's an Arab, and I don't really know him. Buthis girlfriend os a friend of a friend of mine, and I met her through my friend, and made the mistake once of sending her an invitation to my Yahoo Group, Paganbitchslap. Muhammed, who though a Muslim is also a practitioner of magic (his late mother was a Syrian witch) decided he would join. He then proceeded to track my movements to other groups, where he succeeded in embarrassing the hell out of me, like he did on my own group. But Amanda talked me into helping him out when he decided he, too, wanted a Blog of his own, and I agreed. I should have known better. Despite Amanda's assurrances, he still consistently butchers the English language, and I have no intention of editing this shit, there's just not enough time.
You can see what I mean if you click on the link to his blog, which is also on Blogger. Fair warning though, he is, shall we say, an acquired taste. He doesn't know it, he thinks he is normal, or let's just say he thinks he's what normal should be, put it that way. You've been warned.
I also added a permanent link to my Yahoo Group, the aforementioned paganbitchslap, so if anyone wants to join it, feel free at any time. It's anything goes there, a site for the free flow and expression of ideas.
Another interesting site is the khaldea Ephemeris, an astrological site by which you can look up planetary aspects for any year, even going back thousands of years if you want. It's a very good research tool for astrologers, or anybody that might be interested in learning astrology. I strongly recommend you check it out.
I even have a vampire site, it's called sanguinarius. For people interested in the Gothic or the vampire lifestyle.
For people who might be interested in first rate publications, I have the on-line version of The New Yorker, one of the finest magazines ever published. The entire magazine isn't availiable on- line yet, but a good lot of their articles and other features are, including their world class fiction. And it's free. Not only that, but what is availiable, you can e-mail to a friend if you want. And they even have a forums section. So broaden your horizons and check them out.
If you like Native American music, a very good site is gathering of nations, which is actually an internet radio station. Enjoy.
Of course, there's Witchvox, where I've had some articles published (under the pseudonym DancingCrow3), in addition to some other sites by authors Isaac Bonewitz and Gavin and Yvonne Frost.
Finally, for the activist minded among you, I've included links to Ameircans United For The Seperation of Church and State, and The Sierra Club. There's more links, but I can't seem to remember them all right now, or maybe I have included them all. It's been a long, hard day.
Anyway, there will probably be more added from time to time, and some might be replaced. Hell, the best thing about this shit is just the fact that I fucking learned to do it to begin with. Now if I can jsut learn to walk and chew gum. Well, later.
Aladdinslad. What can I say? He's an Arab, and I don't really know him. Buthis girlfriend os a friend of a friend of mine, and I met her through my friend, and made the mistake once of sending her an invitation to my Yahoo Group, Paganbitchslap. Muhammed, who though a Muslim is also a practitioner of magic (his late mother was a Syrian witch) decided he would join. He then proceeded to track my movements to other groups, where he succeeded in embarrassing the hell out of me, like he did on my own group. But Amanda talked me into helping him out when he decided he, too, wanted a Blog of his own, and I agreed. I should have known better. Despite Amanda's assurrances, he still consistently butchers the English language, and I have no intention of editing this shit, there's just not enough time.
You can see what I mean if you click on the link to his blog, which is also on Blogger. Fair warning though, he is, shall we say, an acquired taste. He doesn't know it, he thinks he is normal, or let's just say he thinks he's what normal should be, put it that way. You've been warned.
I also added a permanent link to my Yahoo Group, the aforementioned paganbitchslap, so if anyone wants to join it, feel free at any time. It's anything goes there, a site for the free flow and expression of ideas.
Another interesting site is the khaldea Ephemeris, an astrological site by which you can look up planetary aspects for any year, even going back thousands of years if you want. It's a very good research tool for astrologers, or anybody that might be interested in learning astrology. I strongly recommend you check it out.
I even have a vampire site, it's called sanguinarius. For people interested in the Gothic or the vampire lifestyle.
For people who might be interested in first rate publications, I have the on-line version of The New Yorker, one of the finest magazines ever published. The entire magazine isn't availiable on- line yet, but a good lot of their articles and other features are, including their world class fiction. And it's free. Not only that, but what is availiable, you can e-mail to a friend if you want. And they even have a forums section. So broaden your horizons and check them out.
If you like Native American music, a very good site is gathering of nations, which is actually an internet radio station. Enjoy.
Of course, there's Witchvox, where I've had some articles published (under the pseudonym DancingCrow3), in addition to some other sites by authors Isaac Bonewitz and Gavin and Yvonne Frost.
Finally, for the activist minded among you, I've included links to Ameircans United For The Seperation of Church and State, and The Sierra Club. There's more links, but I can't seem to remember them all right now, or maybe I have included them all. It's been a long, hard day.
Anyway, there will probably be more added from time to time, and some might be replaced. Hell, the best thing about this shit is just the fact that I fucking learned to do it to begin with. Now if I can jsut learn to walk and chew gum. Well, later.
The American Open
Reddick is out. And I couldn't be happier. I mean, the guy never wins against his worse nightmare on the cour,t Fedderer, so now maybe there will be a chance for some suspense this time around. Now, if only the same could be said for the womens title. I haven' t followed it that much the last few days, but hopefully, when I get around to checking up on it, it will turn out that Venus Williams has sufferred the similar fate as Reddick. Of course, I'm probably wrong, in which case you can set your watch by it. Venus will play sister Serena for the championship and, again, Serena will win handily.
I've come to the conclusion that Serena has for some reason a strange psychological edge over her sister, and it is almost impossible for Venus to overcome this. She has beat Serena a couple of times, actually, but this has been so long ago, and Serena has won so often since in matches between the two, you have to wonder if Serena wasnt' really under the weather those two games.
Of course, things could change. Shit, the Boston Red Sox did win the world's series, remember.
I've come to the conclusion that Serena has for some reason a strange psychological edge over her sister, and it is almost impossible for Venus to overcome this. She has beat Serena a couple of times, actually, but this has been so long ago, and Serena has won so often since in matches between the two, you have to wonder if Serena wasnt' really under the weather those two games.
Of course, things could change. Shit, the Boston Red Sox did win the world's series, remember.
Wildcat Football
This Sunday, the UK Wildcats will play their old rivals The Louisville Cardinals, and I will be watching with baited breath to see, probably, the Wildcats get their asses kicked soundly. The reason I'm expecting this is because the Cardinals have rightly placed a lot of emphasis on their offensive line, which any competitive team will do. I have always been of the opinion that in order to have a consistently winning football team, be it in college, high school, or professional football, you have to have a good enough offensive line to protect the quarterback, otherwise, it doesn't matter how good your quarterback is, or how good your running backs and/or wide receivers are, or your tight ends. Joe Montana and Rice themselves wouldn't be worth a damn without a good offensive line to back them up.
And, of course, the Wildcats never placed that much of an emphasis on their offensive lines, like the Bengals and, of course, neither of those teams have a consistently winning record. So what can you say? The Wildcats never had a good football team in any kind of consistent way, since the great Paul "Bear" Bryant was let go after the champuionship team of 1951, in which he sufferred only one loss the entire season.
The UK alumni association just don't want a winning football team, as they seem to have the opinion that this would detract somehow from their reputation as a world class basketball school. Go figure. It seems to me that if the school is that much of a first rate institution, which it obviously is, they could easily field a winning team in both sports, and do so consistently. But this does not seem to be the case. Kentucky is a basketball state, and they just aren't going to risk that standing by diverting any resources away from the favored sport. After all, what the hell else does Kentucky have? Bourbon? Horses? Tobacco? Coal mines?
Whatever the case, Kentucky's Rich Brooks, the new beleagered head coach of the football Wildcats, migth as well count on another loosing season, but he should take heart. Maybe he will have a 50-50 season, which would almost be a winning one for Kentucky. Their biggest gripe so far is that it seems that the powers that be have decided that there should no longer be a tradition of opening game for kentucky being with the University of Louisville Cardinals. Well, that's just so sad, isn't it? Actually, maybe it is just the shot in the arm the Wildcats need. After all, it has to be hard to be beaten by your number one rivals on opening day. Of course, the Wildcats have a better record with the Cardinals than they do with most other teams in the SEC. Which all but further points out the dilemna.
To the UK Alumni Association- BUILD UP A WINNING FOOTBALL TEAM, YOU JERKS!!!!
And, of course, the Wildcats never placed that much of an emphasis on their offensive lines, like the Bengals and, of course, neither of those teams have a consistently winning record. So what can you say? The Wildcats never had a good football team in any kind of consistent way, since the great Paul "Bear" Bryant was let go after the champuionship team of 1951, in which he sufferred only one loss the entire season.
The UK alumni association just don't want a winning football team, as they seem to have the opinion that this would detract somehow from their reputation as a world class basketball school. Go figure. It seems to me that if the school is that much of a first rate institution, which it obviously is, they could easily field a winning team in both sports, and do so consistently. But this does not seem to be the case. Kentucky is a basketball state, and they just aren't going to risk that standing by diverting any resources away from the favored sport. After all, what the hell else does Kentucky have? Bourbon? Horses? Tobacco? Coal mines?
Whatever the case, Kentucky's Rich Brooks, the new beleagered head coach of the football Wildcats, migth as well count on another loosing season, but he should take heart. Maybe he will have a 50-50 season, which would almost be a winning one for Kentucky. Their biggest gripe so far is that it seems that the powers that be have decided that there should no longer be a tradition of opening game for kentucky being with the University of Louisville Cardinals. Well, that's just so sad, isn't it? Actually, maybe it is just the shot in the arm the Wildcats need. After all, it has to be hard to be beaten by your number one rivals on opening day. Of course, the Wildcats have a better record with the Cardinals than they do with most other teams in the SEC. Which all but further points out the dilemna.
To the UK Alumni Association- BUILD UP A WINNING FOOTBALL TEAM, YOU JERKS!!!!
O'Reilly's Plan Destined For The Trash Can
Bill O'Reilly of Fox News's "The O'Reilly Factor" sometimes has some good ideas. Sometimes. I have to say, I disagree with this guy more often than not. It seems that on those issues where he is a liberal, which are few, I am conservative, and on those majority of issues where he seems to be conservative, I am liberal. However, there are a few issues where we are in agreement, and his idea concerning the energy companies is one good example.
The idea? That American oil companies should voluntarily take a 20% reduction in profits, for the good of the country, by keeping gas prices low, or as low as possible. Of course, this will never happen. And when the idea was broached to President Bush recently by Dianne Sawyer, he actually cut her off, saying that he had faith in the generosity of the American people to contribute and see the country through this crisis.
Yeah, the motherfucker wants the average citizen to fork over a few dollars here and there and thinks that this is going to make up for the lack of planning and accountability of his administration, and Congress. He thinks getting his dad and Bill Clinton to encourage people to donate is going to pull us throgh this? Outrageous. The oil companies make billions of dollars in profits, and this bastard can't even begin to think to consider the possibility of just asking his oil company cronies to voluntarily, mind you, take a reduction in their sacred proifits-for the good of the country, presumably as much their country as everyone elses. Actually, I guess it is their country, sold, brought, and paid for, that's just the fucking problem.
One of O'Reillys guests last night said this would be wrong, it would be price controls, which wouldn't work, at which point O'Reilly reminded him that he was talking about a voluntary reduction, but no-the guest insisted that this wouldn't work, the proper thing to do would be to let the market work. O'Reilly held his temper with difficulty. But he should have known better. Of course the oil company bosses aren't going to take a reduction in profits, for the good of the country or of anyone else. They also aren't going to agree to pay higher taxes, for the good of the country. Why should O'Reilly be surprised at this. One would hope that he would see now that those tax cuts he himself supported are good for one thing only-the ever deepening pockets of the recipients of the tax cuts, who seldom trickle anything down to the rest of us, unless they happen to be pissing out a window at the time we're passing by.
The idea? That American oil companies should voluntarily take a 20% reduction in profits, for the good of the country, by keeping gas prices low, or as low as possible. Of course, this will never happen. And when the idea was broached to President Bush recently by Dianne Sawyer, he actually cut her off, saying that he had faith in the generosity of the American people to contribute and see the country through this crisis.
Yeah, the motherfucker wants the average citizen to fork over a few dollars here and there and thinks that this is going to make up for the lack of planning and accountability of his administration, and Congress. He thinks getting his dad and Bill Clinton to encourage people to donate is going to pull us throgh this? Outrageous. The oil companies make billions of dollars in profits, and this bastard can't even begin to think to consider the possibility of just asking his oil company cronies to voluntarily, mind you, take a reduction in their sacred proifits-for the good of the country, presumably as much their country as everyone elses. Actually, I guess it is their country, sold, brought, and paid for, that's just the fucking problem.
One of O'Reillys guests last night said this would be wrong, it would be price controls, which wouldn't work, at which point O'Reilly reminded him that he was talking about a voluntary reduction, but no-the guest insisted that this wouldn't work, the proper thing to do would be to let the market work. O'Reilly held his temper with difficulty. But he should have known better. Of course the oil company bosses aren't going to take a reduction in profits, for the good of the country or of anyone else. They also aren't going to agree to pay higher taxes, for the good of the country. Why should O'Reilly be surprised at this. One would hope that he would see now that those tax cuts he himself supported are good for one thing only-the ever deepening pockets of the recipients of the tax cuts, who seldom trickle anything down to the rest of us, unless they happen to be pissing out a window at the time we're passing by.
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