There are many wedge issues you can count on the Republican Party exploiting yet again in the 2006 mid-term elections. One of these concerns the rights and responsibilities of gay parents, as recently laid out in a series of court cases, in particular in the state of California.
In one of these cases, involving the lesbian parents who had recently split up, the courts decided that both parents retained their parental rights and responsibilities, even though one parent had previously signed away these rights. The court reasoned that this parent had been the donor of the egg by which the child had been born to the other lesbian parent. She therefore had an inherent responsibility for the child's welfare, thus correspnding rights as well. If I understand the case correctly, I disagree with the decision, as I think it sets a horrible precedent for all parents, including heterosexual adoptive parents in regard to the rights and repsonsibilites of birth parents.
On the one hand, a birth parent could in effect make null and void any previously agreed upon contract with the adoptive agency and parents, if he or she so sees fit, on the grounds of having entered into the contract while in a state of duress, for one example, whether the claim was valid or not. On the other hand, a birth parent can also find themselves in the position of being faced with responsibilities he or she has in good faith attempted to extricate themselves from.
It is all ready to the point where if a woman retrieves semen from a discarded condon, and manages to impregnate herself with it, the unsuspecting biological "father" is legally bound, in at least some jurisdictions, with the same responsibilities as any other biological father or mother. Ther has actually been a court decision to this effect. It is unfair, of course, and a ridiculous travesty of justice. Such laws cry out, in fact, to be broken, even if extreme measures are necessary.
Unfortunately, such extreme judicial rulings may inadverdantly hand the Republican Party yet more cannon fodder, but the Democrats should not allow themselves to be sidetracked by yet another unreasonable push for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
Yes, it will cost some votes, but there are times you have to stand up for what is right when faced with the rising tide of extremism. Such a constitutional amendment would unfairly target a class of Americans for legal discrimination and serve to negate the spirit of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.
Yet, it is that same Equal ProtectionClause which is precisely a big part of the problem. If gay couples can marry, according to such an interpretation of the clause, then that same clause could easily be interpreted as giving them the same rights to legal adoption of children as any heterosexual couple. And that, more than anything, in my opinion, is what drives the far right bonkers over the prospect of gay marriage, which the recent California court rulings is seen by many as serving to advance.
A logical and rational compromise would be the institution of domestic partnerships for gay couples, one which would preclude such adoption rights. But the most progressive gay activists aren't going to accede to this, and it is a stop-gap measure anyway, as it would itself eventually come to be vieweed as being itself against the spitit of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.
Like the cum in the condom, it is a messy, sticky situation and the far right is not going to drop it, nor will the far left. And the country as a whole will be held hostage to it, or would be, except that it isn't really that serious an issue in the grand scheme of things. It is, again, a diversionary wedge issue, but it is one that has so far worked to the Republicans advantage. I have no doubt they will utilize it yet again, and with a fury.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Science Fact And Fiction
Another issue that will undoubtedly manifest itself as a wedge issue in the 2006 mid-term eections is the spectre of "Intelligent Design Theory" as regard the creation of the universe-in other words, "Creationism".
Bush recently fired this salvo by pontificating his view that the idea should be allowed to be preented to students in science classes. Some proponents insist this is not in oppossition to Darwinism, evolution, natural selection, etc., but as a way of postulating an original cause which science has heretofore been unable to devise to any noted degree.
The problem with this, of course, is that it solves nothing, and merely in fact raises another question. If an "Intelligent Designer" is the original cause behind creation, than what is the original cause of that intelligent designer? This of course is a problem even the most noted theologians have had trouble grappling with, and long ago gave up the struggle, proclaiming there are just some things beyond mortal comprehension.
As for the most conservative, literalist minded readers of the Bible, there is no question where they stand on the issue, if they had their way "Intelligent Design" would be advanced as the only theory of creation that makes any sense-which would of course be patent nonsense.
What it all boils down to is that the public schools of America have been turned into just another theatre in the so-caled "culture wars". And the stakes in this conflict are much higher than in any of the others. Why?
Because one day, perhaps not that far into the future, there exists the potential that scientists will finally unveil the ultimate mystery. What was the cause of the universe coming into being, and from thence evolving to it's present state? Such a discovery would, in effect, end for all time speculation as to the existence of an omnipotent, omnipresent, ever existing yet never changing, all-wise and all-loving Creator God.
That is what the Religous Right fears moe than anything else. Truth. Knowledge. Reality. But one day, the truth will be known and, though doubtless it will be very unsettling, it will nevertheless be catharthic. And the world will, in time, be a better place because of it.
Bush recently fired this salvo by pontificating his view that the idea should be allowed to be preented to students in science classes. Some proponents insist this is not in oppossition to Darwinism, evolution, natural selection, etc., but as a way of postulating an original cause which science has heretofore been unable to devise to any noted degree.
The problem with this, of course, is that it solves nothing, and merely in fact raises another question. If an "Intelligent Designer" is the original cause behind creation, than what is the original cause of that intelligent designer? This of course is a problem even the most noted theologians have had trouble grappling with, and long ago gave up the struggle, proclaiming there are just some things beyond mortal comprehension.
As for the most conservative, literalist minded readers of the Bible, there is no question where they stand on the issue, if they had their way "Intelligent Design" would be advanced as the only theory of creation that makes any sense-which would of course be patent nonsense.
What it all boils down to is that the public schools of America have been turned into just another theatre in the so-caled "culture wars". And the stakes in this conflict are much higher than in any of the others. Why?
Because one day, perhaps not that far into the future, there exists the potential that scientists will finally unveil the ultimate mystery. What was the cause of the universe coming into being, and from thence evolving to it's present state? Such a discovery would, in effect, end for all time speculation as to the existence of an omnipotent, omnipresent, ever existing yet never changing, all-wise and all-loving Creator God.
That is what the Religous Right fears moe than anything else. Truth. Knowledge. Reality. But one day, the truth will be known and, though doubtless it will be very unsettling, it will nevertheless be catharthic. And the world will, in time, be a better place because of it.
Caligula Draws Down The Moon
Benito Mussolin finally suceeded in accomplishing what had been considered the impossible. By lowering the waters of lake Nemi, by way of ancient drainage tunnels originally constructed to protect the nearby Temple of Diana from flooding, he was able to retrieve the two giant Imperial aRoman pleasure barges which had rested on the lakes bottom for just a decade shy of nineteen centuries.
In their time, they were lavish and spectacular, the Titanics of their day, and were far more advanced than even the Romans had been though capable of achieving. They had the unusual feature of being constructed to easily navigate the relatively shallow waters of the lake, though they were each the size of two modern day regulation size tennis courts. But what was their orignal purpose?
They were commissioned by Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known to history as the mad emperor Caligula. Some eight months into his reign he was struck by a mysterious illness and was for a time feared near death. When he miraculously revived, he had undergone a marked change. The previously gracous, overly generous, youthful emperor, who had spent the first eight months or so of his reign in a hedonistic drunken binge of orgies and lavish banquets, was now reportedly quite insane, according to most accounts, and declared himself a god. He also began to display a heretofore unknown, perhaps hidden but now overt, predilection for cruelty. Fueled by paranoia, he began a reign of the most cruel excesses and vices ever noted to that time.
There were widespread executions, tortures, and confiscations of properties. No one, in fact, was safe, and very few who engendered his all too easily inflamed suspicions, were spared. Nevertheless, to Caligula, evey day was a party, a celebration, an excuse for a banquet or a circus, as he merrily went about his way running through the nations treasury.
But there is no record of his time on Lake Nemi, other than some hint that it must have occurred shortly after, or possibly during, his recovery from his near fatal illness. I am quite certain this was decided by way of the process of elimination, as his presence is more or less well documented at other times during his reign. So we might assume from this that his purpose here was one of hastening his recovery.
But there may have been more to it than that. Caligula had been, or now became, quite obsessed with his sister Drusilla. He wanted her, in every way. And now, perhaps, he would have her. Remember, Lake Nemi was the site of the Temple Of Diana The Huntress, ancient even in those days. The lake itself was known as "Diana's Mirror". There is no doubt due to the reflection the full moon cast upon the waters, which made it attractive from the beginning to the Goddess's devotees. it would have been considered conducive to meditation, to communion witht he Goddess.
One of the ships, as I said, contained a temple. The other was plainly a luxury, pleasure barge. Side by side, the two of them dominated the lake. One night, perhaps when the full moon shone down upon the lake, upon the ships, Caligula may have invoked Diana, calling her into the form of his sister Drusilla. He then, let us say, "communed" with his Goddess.
No one knows for sure how Drusilla felt about her brother's affections. It may have been just another in a long series of childhood precocous games to her, which finally culminated in the events of Lake Nemi. She may have been a more or less willing participant. Or a horrified, unwilling one, yet helpless to forestal or to prevent it.
All that is known for sure is Drusilla eventually died, while pregnant by Caligula, some say by his hand, as he ripped the child from her womb, then devouring it. Others say her death was a mysterious one and Caligula was heartsick over her sudden demise. Whatever the case, Caligula further degenerated as a result of her death.
Some say it was after his assasination, early in 41 C.E., that the ships were sunk by his vengeful enemies. Possible. But I propose that it was Caligula himself that destroyed the ships, after his sister's demise. I believe he then went on to execute the worshippers of the Goddess herself, and decimated the temple. He wanted no reminders left of his overwhelming grief.
He was a god. Drusilla, he had also declared, was a goddess. And all those who had attempted, in his tortured mind if not in reality, to harm him, and who may have suceeded in killing her, would soon pay a heavy price. Much like his former co-heir Gemellus, who Caligula may have ordered beheaded while on that lake that long ago, winsome, magical time.
As for the ships, they did not long survive their brief salvage rom the bottom of Lake Nemi. As the Nazis retreated from Italy toward the end of World War II, they set fire to the museum that was specially constructed to house them. Almost everything was destroyed, though luckily a few relics and artifacts somehow survived the conflagration.
Luckily, the ships destruction did not prevent a good deal of prior study from discovering a great deal about the techniques of ancient Roman shipbuilding, and about the time and culture of Rome itself.
In their time, they were lavish and spectacular, the Titanics of their day, and were far more advanced than even the Romans had been though capable of achieving. They had the unusual feature of being constructed to easily navigate the relatively shallow waters of the lake, though they were each the size of two modern day regulation size tennis courts. But what was their orignal purpose?
They were commissioned by Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known to history as the mad emperor Caligula. Some eight months into his reign he was struck by a mysterious illness and was for a time feared near death. When he miraculously revived, he had undergone a marked change. The previously gracous, overly generous, youthful emperor, who had spent the first eight months or so of his reign in a hedonistic drunken binge of orgies and lavish banquets, was now reportedly quite insane, according to most accounts, and declared himself a god. He also began to display a heretofore unknown, perhaps hidden but now overt, predilection for cruelty. Fueled by paranoia, he began a reign of the most cruel excesses and vices ever noted to that time.
There were widespread executions, tortures, and confiscations of properties. No one, in fact, was safe, and very few who engendered his all too easily inflamed suspicions, were spared. Nevertheless, to Caligula, evey day was a party, a celebration, an excuse for a banquet or a circus, as he merrily went about his way running through the nations treasury.
But there is no record of his time on Lake Nemi, other than some hint that it must have occurred shortly after, or possibly during, his recovery from his near fatal illness. I am quite certain this was decided by way of the process of elimination, as his presence is more or less well documented at other times during his reign. So we might assume from this that his purpose here was one of hastening his recovery.
But there may have been more to it than that. Caligula had been, or now became, quite obsessed with his sister Drusilla. He wanted her, in every way. And now, perhaps, he would have her. Remember, Lake Nemi was the site of the Temple Of Diana The Huntress, ancient even in those days. The lake itself was known as "Diana's Mirror". There is no doubt due to the reflection the full moon cast upon the waters, which made it attractive from the beginning to the Goddess's devotees. it would have been considered conducive to meditation, to communion witht he Goddess.
One of the ships, as I said, contained a temple. The other was plainly a luxury, pleasure barge. Side by side, the two of them dominated the lake. One night, perhaps when the full moon shone down upon the lake, upon the ships, Caligula may have invoked Diana, calling her into the form of his sister Drusilla. He then, let us say, "communed" with his Goddess.
No one knows for sure how Drusilla felt about her brother's affections. It may have been just another in a long series of childhood precocous games to her, which finally culminated in the events of Lake Nemi. She may have been a more or less willing participant. Or a horrified, unwilling one, yet helpless to forestal or to prevent it.
All that is known for sure is Drusilla eventually died, while pregnant by Caligula, some say by his hand, as he ripped the child from her womb, then devouring it. Others say her death was a mysterious one and Caligula was heartsick over her sudden demise. Whatever the case, Caligula further degenerated as a result of her death.
Some say it was after his assasination, early in 41 C.E., that the ships were sunk by his vengeful enemies. Possible. But I propose that it was Caligula himself that destroyed the ships, after his sister's demise. I believe he then went on to execute the worshippers of the Goddess herself, and decimated the temple. He wanted no reminders left of his overwhelming grief.
He was a god. Drusilla, he had also declared, was a goddess. And all those who had attempted, in his tortured mind if not in reality, to harm him, and who may have suceeded in killing her, would soon pay a heavy price. Much like his former co-heir Gemellus, who Caligula may have ordered beheaded while on that lake that long ago, winsome, magical time.
As for the ships, they did not long survive their brief salvage rom the bottom of Lake Nemi. As the Nazis retreated from Italy toward the end of World War II, they set fire to the museum that was specially constructed to house them. Almost everything was destroyed, though luckily a few relics and artifacts somehow survived the conflagration.
Luckily, the ships destruction did not prevent a good deal of prior study from discovering a great deal about the techniques of ancient Roman shipbuilding, and about the time and culture of Rome itself.
Friday, August 19, 2005
The Fly On The Wall
Scene: The Crawford Ranch
G.W.- Hey Condi, we're all alone now, why don't we-
CONDI- No, George, you're not gettin up in this black ass of mine.
G.W.-Okay, who told you I said that? Colin? Dick?
CONDI-No, Laura. She overheard you telling Karl Rove. You've got a big mouth, George. So you ain't getting no pussy. And no, you're not getting no ass either. I'm here to work.
G.W.-But shucks, I am on vacation.
CONDI-A working vacation, George, while I'm here. And while Laura's here. Now let's get down to business.
G.W.-Okay, I get it. Shucks, I made you Secretary Of State. So what do you want now?
CONDI-George!
G.W.-Okay, okay, you win. We'll talk about work. So what's on the agenda.
CONDI- You tell me. What should we discuss.
G.W.-I think I ought to issue a statement about this affair Brad has been having with Angelina, and stepping out on poor Jen the way he's been doing. That sets a bad example for the youth of our country.
CONDI- George, really, I see your point, but don't you think there's really more important things the President of The United States should focus his attention on.
G.W.-Yeah, I guess you're right. Like terrorism. Big problem. I'm thinking of having those people all rounded up and arrested.
CONDI-What people are those, George?
G.W.-Those people that are making that bad movie putting down the Catholic Church, that one based on that book I just read, The DaVinci Code. That book is nothing but a pack of lies, and they're trying to pass it off as the truth. And now they're making a movie out of it. The next thing you know they'll be going around bombing convents and cathedrals, and-
CONDI-George, The DaVinci Code is a work of fiction-not a terrorist manifesto.
G.W.-Then why are the Catholics so upset about it? Hey, I know, I'll call the Pope. He should know the story.
CONDI-George, the Pope is in Cologne Germany, meeting with all those kids.
G.W.-Oh, no! They caught him?
CONDI- It's World's Youth Day, George. It's like a festival.
G.W.- Yeah, it's a festival all right-heh,heh,heh,heh
CONDI-Well, anyway, I-George, what's wrong? What are you looking out the window at?
G.W.-I'm looking to see if I can see that Sheehan bitch. You didn't see her on the way in here did you?
CONDI-No, George, in fact I heard that she left, her mother had a stroke so she's gone to be with her. She might not be back for awhile.
G.W.-Yeah, right, I bet. I bet she's hiding out there, trying to trick me into coming out, then she can jump out at me and say mean things to me in front of all those people.
CONDI-I don't think you have anything to worry about, George. Listen, we really should talk about serious issues. I am your Secretary Of State, you know. We should discuss foreign affairs.
G.W.-Yeah, you're right. I've been putting it off, to tell you the truth, but I figger I ain't got no choice. I just decided, after careful thought, I'm going to declare war on those bastards.
CONDI-What bastards are that, George? Iran? North Korea? Syria?
G.W.-No, those cotton pickin' Arubans.
CONDI-What?
G.W.-Yeah, I took an oath to protect the lives of Americans, so what do they do? They make this little girl dissappear, and won't do nothing to find her. They're terrorists, and I-
CONDI- George, you can't declare war on Aruba. They're a protectorate of the Netherlands. Our NATO allies. What are you thinking? This is a matter for law-enforcement, not international diplomacy, and certainly not for war.
G.W.-Yeah, right-heh,heh,heh-tell that to Scott Peterson, or to the BLT killer, look at what the media did to them?
CONDI-That's BTK killer, George-and you are not responsible for joining the media or helping them do their jobs, they can do it well enough. Just look at how they helped discover that one killer, you know, the one that used to be a Power Ranger.
G.W.-What did you say? You're accussing one of the Power Rangers of murder? You take that back, Condi, and I mean right now.
CONDI-I didn't say it George, it came out over the media.
G.W.-Oh yeah? Well, we'll see about that, by God. This is another blatant attempt by the liberal media to attack me, this time by attacking one of my all time favorite programs.
CONDI-Oh, George, just forget it. All I'm saying is, these kinds of issues are not your concern, it's innappropriate for you to involve yourself in matters that should strictly be left up to law-enforcement.
G.W.-Oh, yeah? Well, I guess then we shouldn't worry about Saddam no more. Maybe the left wing is right. Maybe we should have left Saddam alone. After all, ain't that a matter of law enforcement? Where would he be now if we thought like that? He wouldn't be in no prison cell, that's for sure.
CONDI-That's different, George. That was war, and Saddam is being charged with war crimes, by his own country.
G.W.-Oh, really? What country is that?
CONDI-Never mind, George. Look, I'm really concerned about this situation with the Israelis and The Palestinians, over the Gaza. It seems to be going good, but you never can tell when it might suddenly really blow up. We need to start gettin prepared to be of assistance, if need be. Those settlers really don't want to leave, but now that they've been evacuated, there could be some serious issues about-
G.W.-Ah, shucks, lets send them over some pizzas. That'll make 'em feel better. Ain't nothin' like a good pizza to cheer people up.
CONDI-You really think it would be that easy, George?
G.W.-Well, we could throw in some tacos, some good Texas chili, some hot wings. Hell, have them over for a good old fasdhioned Texas bar-b-que. Hell, it makes the Mexicans feel better.
CONDI-What Mexicans?
G.W.-Oh! I shouldn't have said nothing. I'm talking about the ones I got hidden out on the range acres. I put up some little shantys for them. Since they left their homes in Mexico, their kind of down in the dumps, so I figgerred it's the least I can do for 'em.
CONDI- Well-who are they?
G.W.- Oh, you know, different ones, they all come and go on their way here and there. A little rest and they're good as new. Since Elliott Richardson declared his state a disaster area, I figger I'll be gettin' more of 'em than usual, so I really should put up some extra shanties, and rustle up a few more head of cattle. Those fellers sure can eat and drink, let me tell ya.
CONDI-George, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear any of this shit. Really. What would Dick say?
G.W.- Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm hoping he'll say yes, to running for Prsident in 2008, that is. And I'm hoping you'll be his running mate.
CONDI-2008 is a long way off, George. I'll think about it. But-what's wrong, George?
G.W.-Do you think I'm a bad President, Condi? Serious, I've got people saying I don't care about the environment. I've heard this one feller even says I've polluted the Ohio River, and now that there's been such a bad drought down there, and the River is so low, there's more chemicals than there is water.
CONDI- Oh, George, of course I don't think you're a bad president.
G.W.-Then why won't you give me a piece of pussy. I've never had a piece of colored pussy. My daddy used to always say, "fuck a duck, screw a guinea, nigger pussy is as good as any"-heh, heh, heh, heh.
CONDI-Just between me and you George, I prefer "once you get black, you never go back"
G.W.-Then-you'll give me a piece of that ass? I swear, Laura won't ever know.
CONDI-Yes, George. Let's get it on, baby. I love you, my little Bushman.
G.W.-I love you too, my sweet little Condi-Pie.
G.W.- Hey Condi, we're all alone now, why don't we-
CONDI- No, George, you're not gettin up in this black ass of mine.
G.W.-Okay, who told you I said that? Colin? Dick?
CONDI-No, Laura. She overheard you telling Karl Rove. You've got a big mouth, George. So you ain't getting no pussy. And no, you're not getting no ass either. I'm here to work.
G.W.-But shucks, I am on vacation.
CONDI-A working vacation, George, while I'm here. And while Laura's here. Now let's get down to business.
G.W.-Okay, I get it. Shucks, I made you Secretary Of State. So what do you want now?
CONDI-George!
G.W.-Okay, okay, you win. We'll talk about work. So what's on the agenda.
CONDI- You tell me. What should we discuss.
G.W.-I think I ought to issue a statement about this affair Brad has been having with Angelina, and stepping out on poor Jen the way he's been doing. That sets a bad example for the youth of our country.
CONDI- George, really, I see your point, but don't you think there's really more important things the President of The United States should focus his attention on.
G.W.-Yeah, I guess you're right. Like terrorism. Big problem. I'm thinking of having those people all rounded up and arrested.
CONDI-What people are those, George?
G.W.-Those people that are making that bad movie putting down the Catholic Church, that one based on that book I just read, The DaVinci Code. That book is nothing but a pack of lies, and they're trying to pass it off as the truth. And now they're making a movie out of it. The next thing you know they'll be going around bombing convents and cathedrals, and-
CONDI-George, The DaVinci Code is a work of fiction-not a terrorist manifesto.
G.W.-Then why are the Catholics so upset about it? Hey, I know, I'll call the Pope. He should know the story.
CONDI-George, the Pope is in Cologne Germany, meeting with all those kids.
G.W.-Oh, no! They caught him?
CONDI- It's World's Youth Day, George. It's like a festival.
G.W.- Yeah, it's a festival all right-heh,heh,heh,heh
CONDI-Well, anyway, I-George, what's wrong? What are you looking out the window at?
G.W.-I'm looking to see if I can see that Sheehan bitch. You didn't see her on the way in here did you?
CONDI-No, George, in fact I heard that she left, her mother had a stroke so she's gone to be with her. She might not be back for awhile.
G.W.-Yeah, right, I bet. I bet she's hiding out there, trying to trick me into coming out, then she can jump out at me and say mean things to me in front of all those people.
CONDI-I don't think you have anything to worry about, George. Listen, we really should talk about serious issues. I am your Secretary Of State, you know. We should discuss foreign affairs.
G.W.-Yeah, you're right. I've been putting it off, to tell you the truth, but I figger I ain't got no choice. I just decided, after careful thought, I'm going to declare war on those bastards.
CONDI-What bastards are that, George? Iran? North Korea? Syria?
G.W.-No, those cotton pickin' Arubans.
CONDI-What?
G.W.-Yeah, I took an oath to protect the lives of Americans, so what do they do? They make this little girl dissappear, and won't do nothing to find her. They're terrorists, and I-
CONDI- George, you can't declare war on Aruba. They're a protectorate of the Netherlands. Our NATO allies. What are you thinking? This is a matter for law-enforcement, not international diplomacy, and certainly not for war.
G.W.-Yeah, right-heh,heh,heh-tell that to Scott Peterson, or to the BLT killer, look at what the media did to them?
CONDI-That's BTK killer, George-and you are not responsible for joining the media or helping them do their jobs, they can do it well enough. Just look at how they helped discover that one killer, you know, the one that used to be a Power Ranger.
G.W.-What did you say? You're accussing one of the Power Rangers of murder? You take that back, Condi, and I mean right now.
CONDI-I didn't say it George, it came out over the media.
G.W.-Oh yeah? Well, we'll see about that, by God. This is another blatant attempt by the liberal media to attack me, this time by attacking one of my all time favorite programs.
CONDI-Oh, George, just forget it. All I'm saying is, these kinds of issues are not your concern, it's innappropriate for you to involve yourself in matters that should strictly be left up to law-enforcement.
G.W.-Oh, yeah? Well, I guess then we shouldn't worry about Saddam no more. Maybe the left wing is right. Maybe we should have left Saddam alone. After all, ain't that a matter of law enforcement? Where would he be now if we thought like that? He wouldn't be in no prison cell, that's for sure.
CONDI-That's different, George. That was war, and Saddam is being charged with war crimes, by his own country.
G.W.-Oh, really? What country is that?
CONDI-Never mind, George. Look, I'm really concerned about this situation with the Israelis and The Palestinians, over the Gaza. It seems to be going good, but you never can tell when it might suddenly really blow up. We need to start gettin prepared to be of assistance, if need be. Those settlers really don't want to leave, but now that they've been evacuated, there could be some serious issues about-
G.W.-Ah, shucks, lets send them over some pizzas. That'll make 'em feel better. Ain't nothin' like a good pizza to cheer people up.
CONDI-You really think it would be that easy, George?
G.W.-Well, we could throw in some tacos, some good Texas chili, some hot wings. Hell, have them over for a good old fasdhioned Texas bar-b-que. Hell, it makes the Mexicans feel better.
CONDI-What Mexicans?
G.W.-Oh! I shouldn't have said nothing. I'm talking about the ones I got hidden out on the range acres. I put up some little shantys for them. Since they left their homes in Mexico, their kind of down in the dumps, so I figgerred it's the least I can do for 'em.
CONDI- Well-who are they?
G.W.- Oh, you know, different ones, they all come and go on their way here and there. A little rest and they're good as new. Since Elliott Richardson declared his state a disaster area, I figger I'll be gettin' more of 'em than usual, so I really should put up some extra shanties, and rustle up a few more head of cattle. Those fellers sure can eat and drink, let me tell ya.
CONDI-George, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear any of this shit. Really. What would Dick say?
G.W.- Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm hoping he'll say yes, to running for Prsident in 2008, that is. And I'm hoping you'll be his running mate.
CONDI-2008 is a long way off, George. I'll think about it. But-what's wrong, George?
G.W.-Do you think I'm a bad President, Condi? Serious, I've got people saying I don't care about the environment. I've heard this one feller even says I've polluted the Ohio River, and now that there's been such a bad drought down there, and the River is so low, there's more chemicals than there is water.
CONDI- Oh, George, of course I don't think you're a bad president.
G.W.-Then why won't you give me a piece of pussy. I've never had a piece of colored pussy. My daddy used to always say, "fuck a duck, screw a guinea, nigger pussy is as good as any"-heh, heh, heh, heh.
CONDI-Just between me and you George, I prefer "once you get black, you never go back"
G.W.-Then-you'll give me a piece of that ass? I swear, Laura won't ever know.
CONDI-Yes, George. Let's get it on, baby. I love you, my little Bushman.
G.W.-I love you too, my sweet little Condi-Pie.
A Fine Piece Of Ass
Confession time. Anytime I see a woman with a fine looking ass, I want to cram my fucking dick up in it. So much so that, when I say I want a piece of ass, I am not speaking euphemistically.
Case in point. I once had an in-law who seemed to go out of her way to exhibit one fine set of legs at a family gathering. As the day drew to a close, and the guests prepared to leave , I made sure I was the last one in line toward the door, directly behind her. I didn't just casually, "accidentally" grab that ass. I grabbed it, held it, massaged it, and practically juggled it, with one hand.
Some weeks later, we were at the same place, when suddenly, to my delight, she presented herself in a long, thin, light colored dress, in which she stood in front of the picture window, The sun shining through her dress revealed she was wearing nothing under it. No slip. no panties. I resisted approaching, with difficulty, as certain situations had somewhat changed, actually they had changed considerably.
No, I never go tthat piece of ass. In fact, I have never had a piece of ass. I have had pussy, mind you, plenty of times. But no ass. Now, I have no one, and frankly, were I given a choice between a great piece of pussy and a fine piece of ass, I think I would choose the ass. There's something about never having had something that makes you want it all the more.
Neverhteless, I must admit to some confusion. And it involvesd the use of vaseline. In my admittedly inexperienced opinion, I believe vaseline is not a good idea. All the more if you propose to stick your dick up a tight, fine ass which is unnacustommed to having a cock injected up inside of it.
Obviously, a hard dick could do considerable damage to the inner walls of the rectum. Membranes could easily be torn, causing great pain, long term soreness, and possibly a serious infection. As such, I would propose that some caution be advised. Why be so greedy, so selfish, that you insist on fulfilling your desires to quickly cram your dick all the way up her ass, regardless of the consequences.
This is the technique I would recommend. After considerable foreplay, begin by inserting the shaft of the penis lengthways snugly between the ass cheeks. Thrust slightly, while rotating in a circular and sideways motion. In my considerably experienced as egarding generally matters of sensuality, this tactic should get the woman considerably hot, and she will meet and match your physical entreaties. She wil in effect jack you off with her ass. You should get off nicely. And she should be ready for more.
Assumming you can achieve a second erection, you should have a resevoir of sperm eposited between the cheeks of her ass. This should make a fine natural lubricant, in addition to that of her own natural rectal juices.
This should allow you to gradually put your rehardened cock snugly, firmly, up the womans ass, but only so much as she can comfortably stand. When she exhibits discomfort, and if you are a true man, you should disengage imediately. Call it off for the day.
When next you resume, folow the same procedure. You should find yourself being able to go slightly further than before. After so many times, you will eventually be able to put your dick all the way up that fine, sultry, shapely ass. (unless you are overly endowed)
You may end up, of course, with shit all over your dick. naturally, you will want to clean this off without delay. Your partner may do this for you, sensually bathing your dick with warm, soapy water and a bath sponge. She may get you off yet again by this practice, and indeed this may prove a measure of her satisfaction with you. Just don't get crazy and ask her to suck your dick clean. On the other hand, she might well suck your dick afdter cleaning it. If so, you can certainly say-though I wouldn't advise it-"your ass is mine".
(By the way, if she does suck your dick clean, you are dealing with an obviously deranged woman, quite possibly one of your own creation).
Finally, I must confess here to the most sadistic and mean spirited of fantasies. I wouldlove to have an on-going affair with a married woman and carry on in this manner with her. It should, ideally,be a woman who is considered a good woman from a fine family, and married to a man of like reputation. He very naively loves her with all his heart, soul, and mind, and devotes his entire life to her.
He works hard to support her, putting in long, extra hours at the office in order to build the best possiblelife for him and for her, and their numerous children, ensuringthat she has al her needs, and wants.
I convince her that since I am not fucking her pussy, she is not truly, technically, "fucking over him". And so we continue, about once a week or so, for over a period of many months, I have known her for some time and have met him socially on a number of occassions. He's a real high and mighty, holier than thou prick, a genuine hypocrit, which in fact is what she hersaelf happens to be, as well as both their families. But I have gone out of my way to "fit in", so no one suspects anything. In fact, we arrange our meetings in areas away from our hometown, taking care to craft reasonable, believable alibis.
She does not suspect that gradually, over time, her asshole will noticeably grow to roughly the shape and size of a medium sized grapefruit. But eventually, someday, maybe by the time hubby's vacation times comes along, and they finallky get a chance to go off forthat long, extended, romantic getaway-he will know.
Yeah, I admit it-I've been all up in that ass!
Case in point. I once had an in-law who seemed to go out of her way to exhibit one fine set of legs at a family gathering. As the day drew to a close, and the guests prepared to leave , I made sure I was the last one in line toward the door, directly behind her. I didn't just casually, "accidentally" grab that ass. I grabbed it, held it, massaged it, and practically juggled it, with one hand.
Some weeks later, we were at the same place, when suddenly, to my delight, she presented herself in a long, thin, light colored dress, in which she stood in front of the picture window, The sun shining through her dress revealed she was wearing nothing under it. No slip. no panties. I resisted approaching, with difficulty, as certain situations had somewhat changed, actually they had changed considerably.
No, I never go tthat piece of ass. In fact, I have never had a piece of ass. I have had pussy, mind you, plenty of times. But no ass. Now, I have no one, and frankly, were I given a choice between a great piece of pussy and a fine piece of ass, I think I would choose the ass. There's something about never having had something that makes you want it all the more.
Neverhteless, I must admit to some confusion. And it involvesd the use of vaseline. In my admittedly inexperienced opinion, I believe vaseline is not a good idea. All the more if you propose to stick your dick up a tight, fine ass which is unnacustommed to having a cock injected up inside of it.
Obviously, a hard dick could do considerable damage to the inner walls of the rectum. Membranes could easily be torn, causing great pain, long term soreness, and possibly a serious infection. As such, I would propose that some caution be advised. Why be so greedy, so selfish, that you insist on fulfilling your desires to quickly cram your dick all the way up her ass, regardless of the consequences.
This is the technique I would recommend. After considerable foreplay, begin by inserting the shaft of the penis lengthways snugly between the ass cheeks. Thrust slightly, while rotating in a circular and sideways motion. In my considerably experienced as egarding generally matters of sensuality, this tactic should get the woman considerably hot, and she will meet and match your physical entreaties. She wil in effect jack you off with her ass. You should get off nicely. And she should be ready for more.
Assumming you can achieve a second erection, you should have a resevoir of sperm eposited between the cheeks of her ass. This should make a fine natural lubricant, in addition to that of her own natural rectal juices.
This should allow you to gradually put your rehardened cock snugly, firmly, up the womans ass, but only so much as she can comfortably stand. When she exhibits discomfort, and if you are a true man, you should disengage imediately. Call it off for the day.
When next you resume, folow the same procedure. You should find yourself being able to go slightly further than before. After so many times, you will eventually be able to put your dick all the way up that fine, sultry, shapely ass. (unless you are overly endowed)
You may end up, of course, with shit all over your dick. naturally, you will want to clean this off without delay. Your partner may do this for you, sensually bathing your dick with warm, soapy water and a bath sponge. She may get you off yet again by this practice, and indeed this may prove a measure of her satisfaction with you. Just don't get crazy and ask her to suck your dick clean. On the other hand, she might well suck your dick afdter cleaning it. If so, you can certainly say-though I wouldn't advise it-"your ass is mine".
(By the way, if she does suck your dick clean, you are dealing with an obviously deranged woman, quite possibly one of your own creation).
Finally, I must confess here to the most sadistic and mean spirited of fantasies. I wouldlove to have an on-going affair with a married woman and carry on in this manner with her. It should, ideally,be a woman who is considered a good woman from a fine family, and married to a man of like reputation. He very naively loves her with all his heart, soul, and mind, and devotes his entire life to her.
He works hard to support her, putting in long, extra hours at the office in order to build the best possiblelife for him and for her, and their numerous children, ensuringthat she has al her needs, and wants.
I convince her that since I am not fucking her pussy, she is not truly, technically, "fucking over him". And so we continue, about once a week or so, for over a period of many months, I have known her for some time and have met him socially on a number of occassions. He's a real high and mighty, holier than thou prick, a genuine hypocrit, which in fact is what she hersaelf happens to be, as well as both their families. But I have gone out of my way to "fit in", so no one suspects anything. In fact, we arrange our meetings in areas away from our hometown, taking care to craft reasonable, believable alibis.
She does not suspect that gradually, over time, her asshole will noticeably grow to roughly the shape and size of a medium sized grapefruit. But eventually, someday, maybe by the time hubby's vacation times comes along, and they finallky get a chance to go off forthat long, extended, romantic getaway-he will know.
Yeah, I admit it-I've been all up in that ass!
Brad, And Angelina, And-And-Oh Yeah, Jen
What in the hell do you think? And why do you care? Who the hell wouldn't? Why the fuck not? I'd fuck that in a heartbeat. Man, what a ride that would be! Damn, I'd swim through a mile of her shit just to make my way up to where it came from. Man, I'd just love to cum all over her. On her thighs. On her calves. On her breasts. In her hair. On her stomach. On the small of her back. On the large of her back. All over her face. In her mouth.
Man, I would sure love to get a piece of that pussy. Why, I'd fuck the living dog shit out of her. And then I'd call the dog back in. Then I'd just sit back and watch 'em. And jack off.
Why? Oh, shit, you're kidding. Wouldn't you? What? Oh, okay, you're gay. That's different. I guess. No, no, that's all right, you're-what? You're not? But you still wouldn't fuck that? And you tell me you're not gay? Bullshit!!! If you wouldn't fuck that, you're a fucking four alarm fire!!!
Come on, look at her. Just look at her. That's-that's-that's the modern day Sophia Loren, that's what she is. You have to want to fuck her. You can't not want to fuck her. Come on, look at her. Admit it, you're gettin' horny. You're getting a hard-on. Come on, admit it.
What? You're motherfucking right I'd fuck her in a heartbeat. Hell yes, it wouldn't matter if I was married to that other one. What do you mean, even if I was in love with her? Look, how do you know it ain't her fault anyway? It might be all her fault. Hell, I bet it is her fault. And even if it wasn't, fuck it, just look at her! Who needs a fucking reason anyway? Any fucking excuse would do it for me. Married or not.
Well, yeah, I'll grant you that, sure, I'd do my damndest to keep it a secret. Of course I wouldn't want her to find out about it. Hell no, I wouldn't just up and leave her for her-like he did.
Yeah, you're right. He's a stupid motherfucker.
Man, I would sure love to get a piece of that pussy. Why, I'd fuck the living dog shit out of her. And then I'd call the dog back in. Then I'd just sit back and watch 'em. And jack off.
Why? Oh, shit, you're kidding. Wouldn't you? What? Oh, okay, you're gay. That's different. I guess. No, no, that's all right, you're-what? You're not? But you still wouldn't fuck that? And you tell me you're not gay? Bullshit!!! If you wouldn't fuck that, you're a fucking four alarm fire!!!
Come on, look at her. Just look at her. That's-that's-that's the modern day Sophia Loren, that's what she is. You have to want to fuck her. You can't not want to fuck her. Come on, look at her. Admit it, you're gettin' horny. You're getting a hard-on. Come on, admit it.
What? You're motherfucking right I'd fuck her in a heartbeat. Hell yes, it wouldn't matter if I was married to that other one. What do you mean, even if I was in love with her? Look, how do you know it ain't her fault anyway? It might be all her fault. Hell, I bet it is her fault. And even if it wasn't, fuck it, just look at her! Who needs a fucking reason anyway? Any fucking excuse would do it for me. Married or not.
Well, yeah, I'll grant you that, sure, I'd do my damndest to keep it a secret. Of course I wouldn't want her to find out about it. Hell no, I wouldn't just up and leave her for her-like he did.
Yeah, you're right. He's a stupid motherfucker.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Fucking Nuns
So what do my wandering eyes behold but this nun, complete in habit, protesting the filming of the new movie starring Tom Hanks, "The DaVinci Code", based on the novel of the same name. Her reasons for protesting the flick? Because it is against the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Hey, Sister, I got a news flash for you. You should see some of my stuff. For example,though I've temporarily shelved it for the time being, I have this little project, a play tentatively titled, "Where's My Mommy". The main character is the Greek God Priapus, who has gone to this convent looking for his mother, the Goddess Aphrodite, who he claims has gone there disguised as a nun just to hang out for the purpose of purification. Of course, he doesn't reveal his true nature right away, he disguises himself as this little boy, claiming that the nun he is looking for is nothing more than his human mother. In the meantime, he uses his quite impressive powers to get into the nuns heads, in an effort to determine which one os the object of his search, and inso doing inadverdantly uncovers the reasons for their most peculiar affiliation, as well as a few well hidden tendencies. A grand time is had by all, as a result of his endeavors. In one scene, this evil priest fucks this one nun in the ass, then makes another suck her shit off his dick before he will give her the whiskey he has promised to bring her. Yeah, it's really cool.
Of course, when Priapus reveals his true identity, it is something of a surprise, to say the least. He is short, fat, bald, and ugly as all get out. But he has this, like, really HUGE dick. I mean, it's a whopper, the cock of all cocks. Yeah, I don't know for sure, but if I can ever get it published, I'm thinking of maybe Danny DeVito in the role of Priapus. Shit, he's cut out for it in every way, except probably for the huge dick part, but we can use some mechanical device for that. Well, we'd just about have to. As for the evil priest, he has a big dick too, and when the goddess reveals herself, she turns it into this really cool snake that wraps itself around the priest and strangles him, and bites him, and kills him with it's venom. I won't tell you which one of the nuns Aphrodite turns out to be, hell, why ruin the surprise. I'm thinking of getting Angelina Jolie to play the part of the Goddess. That's kind of a waste, though, since she's the only one of the nuns that doesn't get fucked, and I mean really fucked good, sister. Why, in between all the ass fucking, and cock sucking, and pussy eating, and-well, I guess you get the point.
In fact, another possible name for the paly is, "The Nunnery", as I've heard, though I haven't verified this, that "Nunnery" was actually an old English word for a whore house.
So what do you say, sister? Will you protest my play? Please? It could really use the publicity. I mean, it couldn't hurt, anyway.
Hey, Sister, I got a news flash for you. You should see some of my stuff. For example,though I've temporarily shelved it for the time being, I have this little project, a play tentatively titled, "Where's My Mommy". The main character is the Greek God Priapus, who has gone to this convent looking for his mother, the Goddess Aphrodite, who he claims has gone there disguised as a nun just to hang out for the purpose of purification. Of course, he doesn't reveal his true nature right away, he disguises himself as this little boy, claiming that the nun he is looking for is nothing more than his human mother. In the meantime, he uses his quite impressive powers to get into the nuns heads, in an effort to determine which one os the object of his search, and inso doing inadverdantly uncovers the reasons for their most peculiar affiliation, as well as a few well hidden tendencies. A grand time is had by all, as a result of his endeavors. In one scene, this evil priest fucks this one nun in the ass, then makes another suck her shit off his dick before he will give her the whiskey he has promised to bring her. Yeah, it's really cool.
Of course, when Priapus reveals his true identity, it is something of a surprise, to say the least. He is short, fat, bald, and ugly as all get out. But he has this, like, really HUGE dick. I mean, it's a whopper, the cock of all cocks. Yeah, I don't know for sure, but if I can ever get it published, I'm thinking of maybe Danny DeVito in the role of Priapus. Shit, he's cut out for it in every way, except probably for the huge dick part, but we can use some mechanical device for that. Well, we'd just about have to. As for the evil priest, he has a big dick too, and when the goddess reveals herself, she turns it into this really cool snake that wraps itself around the priest and strangles him, and bites him, and kills him with it's venom. I won't tell you which one of the nuns Aphrodite turns out to be, hell, why ruin the surprise. I'm thinking of getting Angelina Jolie to play the part of the Goddess. That's kind of a waste, though, since she's the only one of the nuns that doesn't get fucked, and I mean really fucked good, sister. Why, in between all the ass fucking, and cock sucking, and pussy eating, and-well, I guess you get the point.
In fact, another possible name for the paly is, "The Nunnery", as I've heard, though I haven't verified this, that "Nunnery" was actually an old English word for a whore house.
So what do you say, sister? Will you protest my play? Please? It could really use the publicity. I mean, it couldn't hurt, anyway.
Fresh Meat-Slim Pickin's
Have you ever wondered how many little Catholic boys have grapefruit sized assholes? Probably more than the church would want you to know about. Quite a lot, I'd bet, if you consider the ones who are by now adults. Still, I would also be willing to wager there will eventually be more.
Still, mordern day Catholic boys should count their blessings-pun intended. Having a preists cock up your ass, or in your mouth, as degrading as this might seem, would hardly be as bad as having your balls cut off in order for you to sing in a choir, and thus retain your angelic, childish voice way past the onset of what would ordinarily be termed "puberty".
Let's just hope the present day Pope, Benedict, is not your typical catholic clergyman, seeing as how it is now "Youth Day", in Cologne, Germany, at which the Pope is now in attendance. Being surrounded by potentially hundreds of thousands of bright eyed, cherub faced pre-pubescent boys might be otherwise too much for him.
After all, he should keep his mind on the important spiritual matter of refurbishing and replenishing the church. He has his work cut out for him. Especially in Europe, including his native Germany. The same in America. In both places, church attendance is down, and so are donations. Yet, donations from both places, especially America, is the only thing that is really keeping the church afloat. Yet, there are signs that the decline continues. There is also a serious shortage of priests and seminarians.
People are, believe it or not, more intelligent and sophisticated now than they were two thousand years ago, when the Church by way of the Roman Imperial Hierarchy, imposed itself on the western world-and ushered it straight into the Dark Ages. Now they want to romanticize that abominable era, claiming that they were in fact responsible for the preservation of knowledge, which they insist they safeguarded and protected.
Yeah, sure, right. They "guarded" it all right, and "protected" it from being utilized by anybody in Europe except for their sorry asses. Thankfuly, this sorry state of affairs could never have lasted. A watch pot never boils, but if you leave it untended for too long it will definitely boil over, and if by chance you leave the lid on,it might just blow up in your face. And thus it was that, eight centuries, one schism, a Protestant Reformation, and a Rennaissance and an Age of Reason later, the church found itself beseiged.
They reacted by persecuting and executing "heretics" everywhere. People were persecuted for the simple act of pondering hidden msteries of the universe-for example, the notion that the earth revolves around the sun, instead of the other way around. Just one example of a kind of thought that would be considered to be "of the devil". Yet, they saw their grip on power weakening. After all, people crave knowledge, and do so quite naturally. They crave freedom. They crave prosperity. They dare to want to actually live their lives to suit their desires, to follow their dreans, for themselves and their prosperity.
Of course, they retained their share of devoted adherents, who as well wanted their children to remain faithful to the "one true church", with it's glorification of poverty, sufferring, self-denial. Thus, it became a kind of fad for some families in the more devout areas to have their young sons castrated, and sent to monasteries. They would never then be inclined to follow their sinful desires, in fact would never develop them, and thus would stay devoted to the church. The more "fortunate" ones would be classically trained as singers, and would retain their angelic voices longer than is normally the case, and would thus devote their lives and their talents singing for the greater glory of God. They would never be lead astray by their carnal lusts.
Luckily, this state of affairs as well did not last,though truthfully there is no way of knowing exactly how long practices like this went on, or for how far back, for first one reason or another. Nor is there any way of knowing exactly how long children were sexually abused, and how manyof them were done so. Recent events could indeed be yet another example of a pot just now beginning to boil over. But then again the Chruch has a history of cleaning up it's messes with quickness and efficiency. Denial has also been an all too common tool over the centuries.
I almost feel sorry for Benedict as he goes about his appointed task of rebuilding the Church. He has his work cut out for him, all right. And he might be fighting a loosing battle. He has followed in the footsteps of a universally loved and admired predecessor who was himself nevertherless not quite up to the task, for all his much vaunted accomplishments. Now, as Benedict looks out over the sea of bright and eager youth, he must know that only a small percentage will in the long run measure up to church standards, out of the ones that become and/or remain catholic. Very few of these will become priests. Very few will be monks, or theologians, or nuns. Very few will even be what the church would consider good catholics.
The most he can really hope for in any sizeable percentage is future monetary donors to the church, and some degree of political allignment. And even this is becomming more and more tenous. Because this is the church's major problem. It is a rigid,authoritarian, top down structure that has no ability, or desire, to adjust or conform to a changing world. Now will the world adjust and conform to the church. It is all a part of the evolutionary process.
Mankind is growing, evolving. And as they do so, again, they want real freedom, security, prosperity, and to lives their lives for their dreams, for the benefit of themselves and their posterity-free of pain, and fear, and sickness, and poverty, and misery, and sufferring. Free to finally live their lives the way they want to live it, with or without the church or anyone else's permission.
And hopefully, this time, there is not a goddamned thing the church can do about it. But you can damn well bet they'll try.
Still, mordern day Catholic boys should count their blessings-pun intended. Having a preists cock up your ass, or in your mouth, as degrading as this might seem, would hardly be as bad as having your balls cut off in order for you to sing in a choir, and thus retain your angelic, childish voice way past the onset of what would ordinarily be termed "puberty".
Let's just hope the present day Pope, Benedict, is not your typical catholic clergyman, seeing as how it is now "Youth Day", in Cologne, Germany, at which the Pope is now in attendance. Being surrounded by potentially hundreds of thousands of bright eyed, cherub faced pre-pubescent boys might be otherwise too much for him.
After all, he should keep his mind on the important spiritual matter of refurbishing and replenishing the church. He has his work cut out for him. Especially in Europe, including his native Germany. The same in America. In both places, church attendance is down, and so are donations. Yet, donations from both places, especially America, is the only thing that is really keeping the church afloat. Yet, there are signs that the decline continues. There is also a serious shortage of priests and seminarians.
People are, believe it or not, more intelligent and sophisticated now than they were two thousand years ago, when the Church by way of the Roman Imperial Hierarchy, imposed itself on the western world-and ushered it straight into the Dark Ages. Now they want to romanticize that abominable era, claiming that they were in fact responsible for the preservation of knowledge, which they insist they safeguarded and protected.
Yeah, sure, right. They "guarded" it all right, and "protected" it from being utilized by anybody in Europe except for their sorry asses. Thankfuly, this sorry state of affairs could never have lasted. A watch pot never boils, but if you leave it untended for too long it will definitely boil over, and if by chance you leave the lid on,it might just blow up in your face. And thus it was that, eight centuries, one schism, a Protestant Reformation, and a Rennaissance and an Age of Reason later, the church found itself beseiged.
They reacted by persecuting and executing "heretics" everywhere. People were persecuted for the simple act of pondering hidden msteries of the universe-for example, the notion that the earth revolves around the sun, instead of the other way around. Just one example of a kind of thought that would be considered to be "of the devil". Yet, they saw their grip on power weakening. After all, people crave knowledge, and do so quite naturally. They crave freedom. They crave prosperity. They dare to want to actually live their lives to suit their desires, to follow their dreans, for themselves and their prosperity.
Of course, they retained their share of devoted adherents, who as well wanted their children to remain faithful to the "one true church", with it's glorification of poverty, sufferring, self-denial. Thus, it became a kind of fad for some families in the more devout areas to have their young sons castrated, and sent to monasteries. They would never then be inclined to follow their sinful desires, in fact would never develop them, and thus would stay devoted to the church. The more "fortunate" ones would be classically trained as singers, and would retain their angelic voices longer than is normally the case, and would thus devote their lives and their talents singing for the greater glory of God. They would never be lead astray by their carnal lusts.
Luckily, this state of affairs as well did not last,though truthfully there is no way of knowing exactly how long practices like this went on, or for how far back, for first one reason or another. Nor is there any way of knowing exactly how long children were sexually abused, and how manyof them were done so. Recent events could indeed be yet another example of a pot just now beginning to boil over. But then again the Chruch has a history of cleaning up it's messes with quickness and efficiency. Denial has also been an all too common tool over the centuries.
I almost feel sorry for Benedict as he goes about his appointed task of rebuilding the Church. He has his work cut out for him, all right. And he might be fighting a loosing battle. He has followed in the footsteps of a universally loved and admired predecessor who was himself nevertherless not quite up to the task, for all his much vaunted accomplishments. Now, as Benedict looks out over the sea of bright and eager youth, he must know that only a small percentage will in the long run measure up to church standards, out of the ones that become and/or remain catholic. Very few of these will become priests. Very few will be monks, or theologians, or nuns. Very few will even be what the church would consider good catholics.
The most he can really hope for in any sizeable percentage is future monetary donors to the church, and some degree of political allignment. And even this is becomming more and more tenous. Because this is the church's major problem. It is a rigid,authoritarian, top down structure that has no ability, or desire, to adjust or conform to a changing world. Now will the world adjust and conform to the church. It is all a part of the evolutionary process.
Mankind is growing, evolving. And as they do so, again, they want real freedom, security, prosperity, and to lives their lives for their dreams, for the benefit of themselves and their posterity-free of pain, and fear, and sickness, and poverty, and misery, and sufferring. Free to finally live their lives the way they want to live it, with or without the church or anyone else's permission.
And hopefully, this time, there is not a goddamned thing the church can do about it. But you can damn well bet they'll try.
Base Shehan
Mrs. Shehan was given every opportunity to clarify her position by Chris Matthews recently, when she stated to him on Hardball that the United States had no business invading-not Iraq, mind you, but, get this-Afghanistan. Well, she made her position all too clear. We should have gone after Bin Laden, she conceded, but we should not have madfe war on "the Afghan people". So there you have it, as plain as day. Now let me make it clear, as clear as is possible. I disagree strongly with people that say we should get out of Iraq, now. I disagree, but I respect their viewpoint. After all,I do agree that we were manipulated into the war. I also concede that the war has been terribly mismnanaged, and has turned into a travesty. I even go so far as to say that Bush should be impeached beaue ofthese two factors. Incidentally, I also beleive he shoud be impeached for explodfing the defict while stubbornly refusing to fund the war by taxing the wealthiest Americans at an appropriate rate. And forthat matter, I believe he should be impeached for allowing the border situation in our own country to get so dangerously out of control, which is a situatuion he could easily remedy. This is not about George W. Bush. I think he is a danger to his own country, and is probably crazy, with messianic notions of himself. But one fact does not justify or excuse others.
While I can repsect Mrs. Sheehans position on Iraq, while strongly disagreeing with her insistence we immediately withdraw, Afghanistan is a different matter. The Taliban who ruled Afghanistan had not only given sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden and Al-Queda, they gave them assistance and permission to conduct their heinous terrorist training camps. And after 9/11, they stubbornly refused to hand Bin Laden over. They were his friends, his sponsors, his allies. It was all too clear. We gave them a month to reconsider. They did not budge from their position. In this instance, Bush was right. In fact, he was not only right, he had an obligation to act in exactly the manner he did. Anything else would have been treasonous. Okay, he failed to capture Bin laden. True, he messed up, and now there are problems in Afghanistan that are a result mainly of our actions. But that is beside the point. We had no choice but to invade the country, and we have no choice now but to stay there until the government there, too, is secure. There are failures and set-backs in every war effort. But the consequences of not seeing it through would be considerably worse. Had we not gone into Afghanistan, and dislodged that evil, vicous regime in the manner we did, I shudder to think of the consequences. Now, the Taliban is out of power. Al-Aqueda is on the run. of course they are fighting back. This is to be expected.
But for Cindy Shehan, or anyone, to suggest America didn't have the right to invade Afghanistan, in the wake of 9/11, can mean only one of three things. They are either fools; or they are cowards; or they are, quite frankly, traitors. I'll leave it to Cindy Sheehan to decide which one of the three best apply to her.
I do find it possibly quite telling that she places no blame on the Iraqi terrorists for the death of her son, in Iraq. According to her,the people who killed her son were Shi'ite militia who simply wanted him, and all Americans, out of their country. Interesting. Especially when you consider that were we to pull out of Iraq, the entire country might quickly descend into the chaos of civil war, which would very likely result in a blood bath of massive proportions. Maybe on some subconscous level, this is what she would like to see transpire. Think about it.
While I can repsect Mrs. Sheehans position on Iraq, while strongly disagreeing with her insistence we immediately withdraw, Afghanistan is a different matter. The Taliban who ruled Afghanistan had not only given sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden and Al-Queda, they gave them assistance and permission to conduct their heinous terrorist training camps. And after 9/11, they stubbornly refused to hand Bin Laden over. They were his friends, his sponsors, his allies. It was all too clear. We gave them a month to reconsider. They did not budge from their position. In this instance, Bush was right. In fact, he was not only right, he had an obligation to act in exactly the manner he did. Anything else would have been treasonous. Okay, he failed to capture Bin laden. True, he messed up, and now there are problems in Afghanistan that are a result mainly of our actions. But that is beside the point. We had no choice but to invade the country, and we have no choice now but to stay there until the government there, too, is secure. There are failures and set-backs in every war effort. But the consequences of not seeing it through would be considerably worse. Had we not gone into Afghanistan, and dislodged that evil, vicous regime in the manner we did, I shudder to think of the consequences. Now, the Taliban is out of power. Al-Aqueda is on the run. of course they are fighting back. This is to be expected.
But for Cindy Shehan, or anyone, to suggest America didn't have the right to invade Afghanistan, in the wake of 9/11, can mean only one of three things. They are either fools; or they are cowards; or they are, quite frankly, traitors. I'll leave it to Cindy Sheehan to decide which one of the three best apply to her.
I do find it possibly quite telling that she places no blame on the Iraqi terrorists for the death of her son, in Iraq. According to her,the people who killed her son were Shi'ite militia who simply wanted him, and all Americans, out of their country. Interesting. Especially when you consider that were we to pull out of Iraq, the entire country might quickly descend into the chaos of civil war, which would very likely result in a blood bath of massive proportions. Maybe on some subconscous level, this is what she would like to see transpire. Think about it.
Vacation Aruba-Treausure Hunt
After two weeks of trudging through a local Aruban landfill, people engaged in the search for the remains of missing Alabama student Natalie Holloway have finally received a donation from an anonymous source that will enable them to continue their search for another week, with money and much needed equipment, but with evidently no help from the Aruban government. They were at least account awaiting permission to continue. They have also had no luck in receiving permission to search the property of Paulus Van Der Sloot (father of main suspect Joran van Der Sloot), in particular a well on his property.
What does this mean? I think, quite frankly, they are holding off in aiding or encouraging these searches, not because they are afraid the body is there, but precisely because they know it is not, and so want to encourage them to waste as much time as possible at these locations.
I will reitierate, Natalie Holloway was probably dumped right out in the open, in a heavily wooded area, possibly off a hillside road into a dense patch of woods, and left to rot, left to the ravages of the hot Aruban temperatures, the rains, the sun, the wind, and animal predation. By now I doubt there is anything whatsoever left of her, maybe a few scatterred bones, if that.
As for Joran and the Kalpoe Brothers,they can interrogate them from now on, the fact is, they probalby don't have the slightest idea where the body was disposed of, or possibly even how. This was probably intentional.
They were certainly respoinsible for the girls demise, however. And they will probably get away with it.
I feel sorry for the girls mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, who has recently been joined by her own mother, to keep her company during her long and valiant vigil. But I am very much afraid that, while this will certainly bolster her temporarily, it will prove to be of limited value. I am afraid it is very much over and done with. I think that, deep down, she knows it too.
I wish I could get in contact with somebody that I could be certain would listen to this theory. And consider it. There might be appropriate places to look that might fit my descriptions, and they should be considered. Not that I couldn't be wrong, nor would I advise to stop looking at those places now designated. I'm not one of these phoney psychics who might say,"she's near a body of water" (yeah, brilliant), in fact I don't consider myself psychic in the ordinarily accepted definition ofthe word. I do, however, consider myself skillful at reading Tarot Cards, and I stick by the reading that I described in an earlier post. The death was probably accidental. But that is cold comfort to a woman who has lost one of the few things she probably loved more than life itself.
What does this mean? I think, quite frankly, they are holding off in aiding or encouraging these searches, not because they are afraid the body is there, but precisely because they know it is not, and so want to encourage them to waste as much time as possible at these locations.
I will reitierate, Natalie Holloway was probably dumped right out in the open, in a heavily wooded area, possibly off a hillside road into a dense patch of woods, and left to rot, left to the ravages of the hot Aruban temperatures, the rains, the sun, the wind, and animal predation. By now I doubt there is anything whatsoever left of her, maybe a few scatterred bones, if that.
As for Joran and the Kalpoe Brothers,they can interrogate them from now on, the fact is, they probalby don't have the slightest idea where the body was disposed of, or possibly even how. This was probably intentional.
They were certainly respoinsible for the girls demise, however. And they will probably get away with it.
I feel sorry for the girls mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, who has recently been joined by her own mother, to keep her company during her long and valiant vigil. But I am very much afraid that, while this will certainly bolster her temporarily, it will prove to be of limited value. I am afraid it is very much over and done with. I think that, deep down, she knows it too.
I wish I could get in contact with somebody that I could be certain would listen to this theory. And consider it. There might be appropriate places to look that might fit my descriptions, and they should be considered. Not that I couldn't be wrong, nor would I advise to stop looking at those places now designated. I'm not one of these phoney psychics who might say,"she's near a body of water" (yeah, brilliant), in fact I don't consider myself psychic in the ordinarily accepted definition ofthe word. I do, however, consider myself skillful at reading Tarot Cards, and I stick by the reading that I described in an earlier post. The death was probably accidental. But that is cold comfort to a woman who has lost one of the few things she probably loved more than life itself.
Mighty Morphin' Murderers
A book to be on the look out for, one that might provide some provocative reading, is Inside The Mind Of Scott Peterson by Keith Ablow, M.D., in which the author speculates as to the genrrational events which culminated in Petersons becoming the culmination of three generations of rage, a "Perfect Storm" in the form of a murderous socio-path. An intriquing theory, though one not without it's flaws, certainly, and even more certainly destined to be controversial. Yet, it could possibly provide the basis for future examination of just what events come into play, on generational levels, that makes us the people that we are. In Peterson's case, the event in question revolves aroundthe murder of his maternal grandfather, who wasfouind beat to deat with an iron pipe, for the fifty dollars he carried in his wallet. This necessitated the break-up of the family, whose mother could no longer care for the children. Scott;s motehr was furhter seperated from her siblings in the orphanage she was sent to. years later, this rage was transferred, through some subconscous, unknwn, psychological process, to son Scott, whose pivotal life periods always seemed to revolve around Christmas-the approximate time of the year the grandfather met his death.
Like I said, intriquing, but cerainly not wihtout some flaws. And though it might provide one piece of a puzzle., there must yet be more than just this. Of course, the author admitted that certain individuals will react in different ways thanthe majority.
So what, I wonder, was the reasoning behind the mindset of Skyler DeLeon, a former child star of The Power Rangers, who conspired along with his wife Jennifer, in adition to two accomplises, Alonzo MaChain and John F. Kennedy, to murder a retired couple by the name of Hawkes, after holdingthem captive on their own yacht, and forcingthem to sign over to them the title to the Yacht they had pretended to be interested in purchasing. Okay, so it was a luxury yacht, and I think they got some money besides, but this to me has all the earmarks of a thrill kill in which profit was an important, though not necessarilly the primary, motive. After all, along with the substantial risk, the money is going to theoretically be divided up four ways, if Mr. MaChanes confession is to be believed. And for what? Who would even come up with such a convoluted scheme, let alone carry it out.
But there are problems with the criminal mind that preclude it from being judged as having the same proclivities for reason as the common person. A perfect example of this is Dennis Rader, the BTK killer, who these last couple of days has taken on the aspect of a University Professor of the macabre, as he coldly and mechanically delineates the past thrity years in which he devoted considerable time and energy to the pursuit of his "Projects"-that is, to say, the victims that he stalked, imprisoned, tortured,and murdered, while in the process of engaing in his deviant sexual fantasies at their expense. He first tageted a young girl by the name Arcarro. As he tortured and sexually molested her, her family lay bound and dead, or dying. She asked him what was going to happen to her. His answer: "Well, sweetheart, you will be in heaven with your family."
This guy went about these "Projects" with the same emotional detachment,and yet with the same coldly clinical efficency, as a medical laboratory specialist. Why? To what purpose? True, there was a sexual component. True, there was in additoion that need for acclaim and recognition that proved his ultimate undoing. But a lot of people approach things with a sexual component. A lot of people go about their day to day lives withthe deisre for acclaim, for recognition, for appreciation. This might be a secondary aspect of their personaility, but not necessarrilly the defining one.
For example, I am a writer. There is to be sure a sexual component to my writings. And of course, I have the hope and even the need for my writings to be appreciated, the desire to be recognized, a need for acclaim. However, this is not the reason I am a writer. And I am assumming the same is true with Dennis Rader. Something caused him to morph into the cold blooded murderer that he is, almost to the point where it's funny to watch the guy when you hear him speak about his exploits-it's that bizzarre, that surreal. It's almost good he won't be put to death, as you hope the guy could be a repository of research. And he should be studied, as coldly, as clinically, as callously, as he went about his insane hobby.True, he is in a sense getting all the more the recognition he desires if he has this degree of importance put on him. But he may indeed be that important.
The families of his victims are this day getting their opportunity to address him directly, to give vent publicly to their feelings over the anquish his actions have caused them. I am going to hazard a guess that as they do so, he will find it interesting.
Like I said, intriquing, but cerainly not wihtout some flaws. And though it might provide one piece of a puzzle., there must yet be more than just this. Of course, the author admitted that certain individuals will react in different ways thanthe majority.
So what, I wonder, was the reasoning behind the mindset of Skyler DeLeon, a former child star of The Power Rangers, who conspired along with his wife Jennifer, in adition to two accomplises, Alonzo MaChain and John F. Kennedy, to murder a retired couple by the name of Hawkes, after holdingthem captive on their own yacht, and forcingthem to sign over to them the title to the Yacht they had pretended to be interested in purchasing. Okay, so it was a luxury yacht, and I think they got some money besides, but this to me has all the earmarks of a thrill kill in which profit was an important, though not necessarilly the primary, motive. After all, along with the substantial risk, the money is going to theoretically be divided up four ways, if Mr. MaChanes confession is to be believed. And for what? Who would even come up with such a convoluted scheme, let alone carry it out.
But there are problems with the criminal mind that preclude it from being judged as having the same proclivities for reason as the common person. A perfect example of this is Dennis Rader, the BTK killer, who these last couple of days has taken on the aspect of a University Professor of the macabre, as he coldly and mechanically delineates the past thrity years in which he devoted considerable time and energy to the pursuit of his "Projects"-that is, to say, the victims that he stalked, imprisoned, tortured,and murdered, while in the process of engaing in his deviant sexual fantasies at their expense. He first tageted a young girl by the name Arcarro. As he tortured and sexually molested her, her family lay bound and dead, or dying. She asked him what was going to happen to her. His answer: "Well, sweetheart, you will be in heaven with your family."
This guy went about these "Projects" with the same emotional detachment,and yet with the same coldly clinical efficency, as a medical laboratory specialist. Why? To what purpose? True, there was a sexual component. True, there was in additoion that need for acclaim and recognition that proved his ultimate undoing. But a lot of people approach things with a sexual component. A lot of people go about their day to day lives withthe deisre for acclaim, for recognition, for appreciation. This might be a secondary aspect of their personaility, but not necessarrilly the defining one.
For example, I am a writer. There is to be sure a sexual component to my writings. And of course, I have the hope and even the need for my writings to be appreciated, the desire to be recognized, a need for acclaim. However, this is not the reason I am a writer. And I am assumming the same is true with Dennis Rader. Something caused him to morph into the cold blooded murderer that he is, almost to the point where it's funny to watch the guy when you hear him speak about his exploits-it's that bizzarre, that surreal. It's almost good he won't be put to death, as you hope the guy could be a repository of research. And he should be studied, as coldly, as clinically, as callously, as he went about his insane hobby.True, he is in a sense getting all the more the recognition he desires if he has this degree of importance put on him. But he may indeed be that important.
The families of his victims are this day getting their opportunity to address him directly, to give vent publicly to their feelings over the anquish his actions have caused them. I am going to hazard a guess that as they do so, he will find it interesting.
Begone, You Devil, Begone
Who would have thought that Saddam Hussein was-a romance novelist? Yet, this is exactly what he was, in his spare time, which was evidently considerable. After all, what is the point of being a dictator? When you want something done, you give the word, and it is so, without delay, without debate, with no excuses. And to this end, you have a cadre of advisors and cabinet ministers, who have their own legions of underlings who run the day to day minutaea of everyday affairs, while you content yourself with making a few public appearrances, for appearrances sakes. Or maybe you stage a few photo-ops, here and there, with foreign dignitaries you hope to shake down. You attend a few public festivals, a handful of ethnic events, you dance, you laugh, you wave, you shoot a shotgun up in the air. And of course you keep up on the day to day minutes of the labrynthine clandestine services you have fully augmented to ensure that everyone knows their place, and doesn't stray from it.
Of course, you might suffer writers block from time to time, but a nice little eight year war with Iran might help shake you out of the doldrums, after which you can invade a weak and defenseless neighbor. Of course, this is liable to bring down the ire of a formerly tolerant superpower-and the world-but you'll survive this, and even be strengthened by it. Don't worry about those nasty U.N. resolutions. After all, they are just like your public appearrances-just for appearrances sake. So, with a wink and a nod, you craft a few ingenious deals to the extent that you can actually profit to the tune of hundreds of millions, hell, why not billions of dollars, in illegal kickbacks and bribes from greedy and corrupt U.N. officials and bureaucrats and shady foreign business interests.
Okay, so you're going to trial now. Don't worry about it. That little altercation the other day, where you and a couple of those goons came to blows? Hell, that shit happens from time to time. Relax, eat some Doritos, and tell your lawyers what's what? You were right to retain them, even though your daughters tried to fire all two thousand or so of them on the grounds they are just using you to make a name for themselvers. Hell, even if that's true, you should take that as a compliment, that you are that important, just like you should have felt really good when your advisors told you all the time how well things were going, how well loved you were. After all, you won that silly election with 98% of the vote. That should have shown them. That should have shown them all.
Oh, and all this business about war crimes. About you conducting torture, with rape rooms, and murder of dissidents. And the mass murder of whole villages. The gassing of the Kurds, your brilliant tactical put down of those ungrateful Shi'ite rebels. Don't worry about it. International law? Human rights violations? Hell, you didn't break any laws. You were the law. Of course, I wouldn't necessarilly advise you to use this as a cornerstone of your defense. Some things are much more effective unsaid.
We miss you Saddam. Really, we do. You kept things nice and peaceful in your country-or else. Now just look at how things have gone to hell in a handbasket. So in closing, I would advise you to make this trial your public relations opportunity of a lifetime. Mug for the cameras from time to time. People will get a big kick out of that. Wink. Blow a few kisses. And, when accussed of specific crimes, blame them on somebody else. Ouday and Qusai, fo rexample, are no longer capable of contradicting you, and the beauty of this tactic would be, it's the truth-just not the whole truth, exactly.
And by all means, hurry up with the publication of "Get Out Of Here, You Devil". I think I have the name right, don't I? Whatever, if you time it's release for the start of the trial, it can only help by showing your human, sensitive, caring side, and will make you a ton of money to boot. I'm waiting with baited breathe for my first edition copy. A signed copy would be really cool. Saddam?
Of course, you might suffer writers block from time to time, but a nice little eight year war with Iran might help shake you out of the doldrums, after which you can invade a weak and defenseless neighbor. Of course, this is liable to bring down the ire of a formerly tolerant superpower-and the world-but you'll survive this, and even be strengthened by it. Don't worry about those nasty U.N. resolutions. After all, they are just like your public appearrances-just for appearrances sake. So, with a wink and a nod, you craft a few ingenious deals to the extent that you can actually profit to the tune of hundreds of millions, hell, why not billions of dollars, in illegal kickbacks and bribes from greedy and corrupt U.N. officials and bureaucrats and shady foreign business interests.
Okay, so you're going to trial now. Don't worry about it. That little altercation the other day, where you and a couple of those goons came to blows? Hell, that shit happens from time to time. Relax, eat some Doritos, and tell your lawyers what's what? You were right to retain them, even though your daughters tried to fire all two thousand or so of them on the grounds they are just using you to make a name for themselvers. Hell, even if that's true, you should take that as a compliment, that you are that important, just like you should have felt really good when your advisors told you all the time how well things were going, how well loved you were. After all, you won that silly election with 98% of the vote. That should have shown them. That should have shown them all.
Oh, and all this business about war crimes. About you conducting torture, with rape rooms, and murder of dissidents. And the mass murder of whole villages. The gassing of the Kurds, your brilliant tactical put down of those ungrateful Shi'ite rebels. Don't worry about it. International law? Human rights violations? Hell, you didn't break any laws. You were the law. Of course, I wouldn't necessarilly advise you to use this as a cornerstone of your defense. Some things are much more effective unsaid.
We miss you Saddam. Really, we do. You kept things nice and peaceful in your country-or else. Now just look at how things have gone to hell in a handbasket. So in closing, I would advise you to make this trial your public relations opportunity of a lifetime. Mug for the cameras from time to time. People will get a big kick out of that. Wink. Blow a few kisses. And, when accussed of specific crimes, blame them on somebody else. Ouday and Qusai, fo rexample, are no longer capable of contradicting you, and the beauty of this tactic would be, it's the truth-just not the whole truth, exactly.
And by all means, hurry up with the publication of "Get Out Of Here, You Devil". I think I have the name right, don't I? Whatever, if you time it's release for the start of the trial, it can only help by showing your human, sensitive, caring side, and will make you a ton of money to boot. I'm waiting with baited breathe for my first edition copy. A signed copy would be really cool. Saddam?
Let Bygone Days Be Bygones
I'm going to try something that would ordinarily make me pull my hair out, and rend my clothes. I'm going to interpret the Bible as literally as possible. Now, according to the Bible (sorry, though, not by Chapter and Verse-I no longer have one availiable) the area of the Gaza Strip, known in Old Testament days as Philistia (thus, Palestine), was once given, by "God", to the Hebrwew tribe of Dan. It was, in effect, to be their share of the "Promised Land". Unfortunately,they could not take the country-ever. Now, the tribe of Dan has dissappearred into the ash heap of history, having been taken into captivity long ago by the Assyrrians, along with the remainder of the "Lost Ten Tribes of Israel".
In other words, the tribe of Judah-the present day nation of Israel-has no legitimate claims to this country. So, quite frankly, going by their own religion, they should get the fuck out now, in fact, should never have been there in the first place. But why quibble? They can be excused, after the 1967 war, taking the place over for the purposes of their security concerns. But where they fucked up was by moving these religous fanatic settlers in there to begin with. This has opened up a can of worms which the U.S. is now paying to take care of. To the tune, in fact, of 1.5 billion dollars or so. fair enough, it is well worth it.
So let's forget the Bible, and go by the U.N. Charter that provided for two nations, Israel and Palestine. This land, Gaza, belongs to the Palestinians. True, they have fucked up royally themselves over the years, but the facts are on paper, traceable back to a reasonable date, agreed to by the Israelis, incidentally. But the Israelis felt they had to have the land in the wake of the massive immigration of Jewish Refuseniks who began migrating to Israel from the Soviet Union beginning in the 1970's, in droves. They needed the land for them, they felt, and they needed a security presence in Gaza, the West bank, and in East Jerusalem. It didn't work out so well.
You have to wonder about any person or perople that would even want to live in an area made up of fortified communities of roughly twenty thousand people or so, surrounded by 1.5 million or so people that despise them, would gladly and gleefully jump up and down on their entrails and carcasses given the opportunity to emaciate them. But these settlers are determined that "God" has given this land to the Jews, and to this day are praying for some kind of miracle, while Jewish soldiers patiently try to remove them, unarmed,without guns, sticks, shields, or even so much as helmets, prying the settlers, sitting on the floor of the synagogue of Neve Dekkallim, locked arm in arm, resisting, and praying, and shouting, and screaming.
In addition, there have been right wing Jewish protestors who have entered the area, in defiance of government orders, to join with the settlers in their efforts to remain on the land. I will admit to some degree of sympathy for the Jewish children of these settlers. What an example their parents are setting for them. How callously they disrespect their safety by insisting they remain in such a desolate place, in such an untenable position. But that is the spectre of religous fanaticism everywhere. "God" will make all things right, according to them.
If I could have a chance to advise the Israeli Governemnt, I doubt they would listen to me, but I know what I would tell them. Let them stay in their settlements. But make sure it is clear to them, you stay at your own peril. If you remain, you will be subject to Palestinian laws. You will have to abide by their rules and regulations. You will become, to all intents and purposes, citizens of their nation-and totally at their mercy.
I bet that would settle it for most of them. They would leav, and quickly. But not all of them, of course,not the most fanatical, the most determined. They would remain convinced that "God" will protect them from the evil that might befall them. "God" has given this land to them, it is not up to them to disobey him. They would remain. Whatever befalls them, or their children, would be the will of the Lord. It is their duty to endure. And so it would go, with doubtless the same result as the destruction this attitude brought upon the Jews in the 60's C.E., when Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Temple of Herod The Great became the Wailing Wall. Incredible how such blind religous fanaticism negates even the reasoned lessons of history.
As for the U.S., who is paying for the implementation of this latest policy, we can only hope these right wing fanatics don't immigrate here, as a good many of them might. They have all ready blamed Bush, as well as Sharon, for this event. Sharon's life will be in danger from this moment forward from these people, more so than it ever was before, when he had only Arab and Muslim terrorism to contend with. Butif they come here, they might not content themselvers with targeting Bush. They might, in fact, become as much of a security problem for the people of this country as any of the most fanatical Muslim fundamentalist.
In other words, the tribe of Judah-the present day nation of Israel-has no legitimate claims to this country. So, quite frankly, going by their own religion, they should get the fuck out now, in fact, should never have been there in the first place. But why quibble? They can be excused, after the 1967 war, taking the place over for the purposes of their security concerns. But where they fucked up was by moving these religous fanatic settlers in there to begin with. This has opened up a can of worms which the U.S. is now paying to take care of. To the tune, in fact, of 1.5 billion dollars or so. fair enough, it is well worth it.
So let's forget the Bible, and go by the U.N. Charter that provided for two nations, Israel and Palestine. This land, Gaza, belongs to the Palestinians. True, they have fucked up royally themselves over the years, but the facts are on paper, traceable back to a reasonable date, agreed to by the Israelis, incidentally. But the Israelis felt they had to have the land in the wake of the massive immigration of Jewish Refuseniks who began migrating to Israel from the Soviet Union beginning in the 1970's, in droves. They needed the land for them, they felt, and they needed a security presence in Gaza, the West bank, and in East Jerusalem. It didn't work out so well.
You have to wonder about any person or perople that would even want to live in an area made up of fortified communities of roughly twenty thousand people or so, surrounded by 1.5 million or so people that despise them, would gladly and gleefully jump up and down on their entrails and carcasses given the opportunity to emaciate them. But these settlers are determined that "God" has given this land to the Jews, and to this day are praying for some kind of miracle, while Jewish soldiers patiently try to remove them, unarmed,without guns, sticks, shields, or even so much as helmets, prying the settlers, sitting on the floor of the synagogue of Neve Dekkallim, locked arm in arm, resisting, and praying, and shouting, and screaming.
In addition, there have been right wing Jewish protestors who have entered the area, in defiance of government orders, to join with the settlers in their efforts to remain on the land. I will admit to some degree of sympathy for the Jewish children of these settlers. What an example their parents are setting for them. How callously they disrespect their safety by insisting they remain in such a desolate place, in such an untenable position. But that is the spectre of religous fanaticism everywhere. "God" will make all things right, according to them.
If I could have a chance to advise the Israeli Governemnt, I doubt they would listen to me, but I know what I would tell them. Let them stay in their settlements. But make sure it is clear to them, you stay at your own peril. If you remain, you will be subject to Palestinian laws. You will have to abide by their rules and regulations. You will become, to all intents and purposes, citizens of their nation-and totally at their mercy.
I bet that would settle it for most of them. They would leav, and quickly. But not all of them, of course,not the most fanatical, the most determined. They would remain convinced that "God" will protect them from the evil that might befall them. "God" has given this land to them, it is not up to them to disobey him. They would remain. Whatever befalls them, or their children, would be the will of the Lord. It is their duty to endure. And so it would go, with doubtless the same result as the destruction this attitude brought upon the Jews in the 60's C.E., when Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Temple of Herod The Great became the Wailing Wall. Incredible how such blind religous fanaticism negates even the reasoned lessons of history.
As for the U.S., who is paying for the implementation of this latest policy, we can only hope these right wing fanatics don't immigrate here, as a good many of them might. They have all ready blamed Bush, as well as Sharon, for this event. Sharon's life will be in danger from this moment forward from these people, more so than it ever was before, when he had only Arab and Muslim terrorism to contend with. Butif they come here, they might not content themselvers with targeting Bush. They might, in fact, become as much of a security problem for the people of this country as any of the most fanatical Muslim fundamentalist.
States of Emergency
Governors Elliot Richardson (d-New Mexico) and Jane Napolitano (d-Arizona) havve both recently declared their respective states to be in a state of enmergency due to the uncontrollable state of illegal immigration, and the waves of illegal aliens that flood into the states. Over a million have been caught attempting to cross so far this year into New Mexico alone, and Richardson has been making some noises about making some kind of a deal with the Mexican government of Vincente' Fox to bull doze an old abandoned town just across the border from his state, which is currently being used as a staging area for illegal trafficking of drugs and immigrants.
Unfortunately, he has stopped short of calling out his states National Guard to assist the Border Patrol, though he could easily do this. Neverhteless, he has taken an important first step, and will hopefully hold firm against the almost certain tide of protest that will come from the Far Left, and probably from the economic conservative base of the Republican Party as well. Some say, quite cynically, that this is a calculated move on his part in an attempt to run for the Democratic party nomination in 2008, or perhaps more likely to secure a spot on at least the short list of Vice Presidential running mates for Senator Hillary Clinton. Perhaps. But he is still doing the right thing, which, incidentally, the majority of Hispanic American citizens seem to agree with.
Now if only Arnold could find his courage, and issue the same State of Emergency, though this is unlikely, as Arnold would probably be accussed of using this in an attempt to detract from his other myriad problems, which in fact has all ready happenned. But he should still join with Richardson and Napolitano, and let the chips fall where they may. The same with Gilmore, of Texas. But I have a feeling this guy is just too corrupt, as bad in fact as Fox. I am not encouraged that he will do anything that might tend to go against the economic interests of the Republican economic conservatives.
This is quickly becomming a real hot potato issue. Americans are pissed that both Bush and the Congress is trying to sweep this issue under the rug and just hope it goes away, mainly for political, as well as economic, reasons. But the tide is quickly turning. A nephew of Barry Goldwater, of Arizona, has recently announced his up-and-coming run for the Senate, and the main issue seems to be immigration reform. I have to find out more about him before I can say much, but if he is running in Arizona, McCain could be in real trouble. McCain's insipid, watered down Immigration Reform Bill that he has co-sponsored in the Senate with Edward M. Kennedy, is just not good enough. It has more rules, but no teeth. In fact, teeth is all that is needed really to enforce the laws that are on the book.
But since the Federal Government, the Congress, and the President, seem fit to fondle a toothless tiger and hope the rest of us never catch on, it was only inevitable-and right-that Project Minuteman got started, depsite the accusations of vigilantism, and racism (of course). They showed that it could be done, and the Government has to be concerned, and probably humiliated.
Richardson recently said he didn't truly approve of the Minuteman Project, though he felt they were well meaning, sincere, and patriotic. He was just fearful of the potential for violence, that things could get out of hand. He stated that it is better for people that are well trained in dealing with these matters be put on the border to deal with the situation, as oppossed to untrained citizens, however well-meaning.
To which Mitch Geiger, the Chairman of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said he agreed totally. If the Border Patrol were given the manpower and other resources necessary to do the job, he said, he would be glad for the Minutemen to leave. They would much prefer to spend their time with their families, barbecuing over the weekends, rather than patrolling the Mexican Border on the look-out for illegal aliens (my term) .
Unfortunately, somebody has to do it.
Unfortunately, he has stopped short of calling out his states National Guard to assist the Border Patrol, though he could easily do this. Neverhteless, he has taken an important first step, and will hopefully hold firm against the almost certain tide of protest that will come from the Far Left, and probably from the economic conservative base of the Republican Party as well. Some say, quite cynically, that this is a calculated move on his part in an attempt to run for the Democratic party nomination in 2008, or perhaps more likely to secure a spot on at least the short list of Vice Presidential running mates for Senator Hillary Clinton. Perhaps. But he is still doing the right thing, which, incidentally, the majority of Hispanic American citizens seem to agree with.
Now if only Arnold could find his courage, and issue the same State of Emergency, though this is unlikely, as Arnold would probably be accussed of using this in an attempt to detract from his other myriad problems, which in fact has all ready happenned. But he should still join with Richardson and Napolitano, and let the chips fall where they may. The same with Gilmore, of Texas. But I have a feeling this guy is just too corrupt, as bad in fact as Fox. I am not encouraged that he will do anything that might tend to go against the economic interests of the Republican economic conservatives.
This is quickly becomming a real hot potato issue. Americans are pissed that both Bush and the Congress is trying to sweep this issue under the rug and just hope it goes away, mainly for political, as well as economic, reasons. But the tide is quickly turning. A nephew of Barry Goldwater, of Arizona, has recently announced his up-and-coming run for the Senate, and the main issue seems to be immigration reform. I have to find out more about him before I can say much, but if he is running in Arizona, McCain could be in real trouble. McCain's insipid, watered down Immigration Reform Bill that he has co-sponsored in the Senate with Edward M. Kennedy, is just not good enough. It has more rules, but no teeth. In fact, teeth is all that is needed really to enforce the laws that are on the book.
But since the Federal Government, the Congress, and the President, seem fit to fondle a toothless tiger and hope the rest of us never catch on, it was only inevitable-and right-that Project Minuteman got started, depsite the accusations of vigilantism, and racism (of course). They showed that it could be done, and the Government has to be concerned, and probably humiliated.
Richardson recently said he didn't truly approve of the Minuteman Project, though he felt they were well meaning, sincere, and patriotic. He was just fearful of the potential for violence, that things could get out of hand. He stated that it is better for people that are well trained in dealing with these matters be put on the border to deal with the situation, as oppossed to untrained citizens, however well-meaning.
To which Mitch Geiger, the Chairman of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said he agreed totally. If the Border Patrol were given the manpower and other resources necessary to do the job, he said, he would be glad for the Minutemen to leave. They would much prefer to spend their time with their families, barbecuing over the weekends, rather than patrolling the Mexican Border on the look-out for illegal aliens (my term) .
Unfortunately, somebody has to do it.
See Dick Run (Run, Dick, Run)
I have recently come to the conclusion, that Dick Cheney is going to run for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008, and will probably be nominated on the first ballot. His running mate-Sweet little Condi-Pie. What a combo. And I bet they win. Maybe by a landslide, depending on how things go. Of course, health is a factor, but I'm sure Dick will be good to go, for one term anyway. I can't see him going for a second, admittedly, but one term will be enough to pave the way certainly for Condi to stage a run of her own in 2012. Her running mate? Probably Jeb, who will probably in 2020-but you get the picture.
Naturally, all this depends on a bunch of factors, the war in Iraq, the general state of the economy, and at long last, the recent Energy Bill passed by President Bush. If it ends up bringing down the price of oil, or at least reigning it in to manageable levels, that would be one good plus. If the Bill results in more oil refineries being buildt, which it should, that will help as well. Then, of course, the prospect of more nuclear power plants being built might be just on the horizen.
That leaves the war in Iraq, and the all around war on terror. If it too is going well, especially if our troops are by this time out of Iraq, an the all around national security of thecountry is determined by the voters to be on solid ground, and substantially improved, yet another notch on the old Dick.
Finally, the economy. If both of the previously mentioned factors go as hoped for by the administration, the economy should be in fairly good shape. The deficit will still be high, resulting in an ever increasing national debt, but as long as unemployment is held down to reasonably low levels, who really pays the attention to the deficit that they should anyway. After all, thanks to the Housing Market, which will still be going strong probably for some time yet, and thanks in addition to the artificially low levels of interest rates, which should even now by all rights be at least twice as high as they are now, the economy should hum along, with help from cheap imported goods from all those Third World countries that are busy buying up our debt like old fags at an antique mall.
In other words, no, the economy is not in good shape, it just looks good. Whenthe economy is in good shape, you make more money, not less for putting in more hours, and then having to pay increased state and local taxes and insurance rates so that even if you do make more, you end up making less. You usually get to take a paid vacation ever so often as well,by the way, which more and more Americans are finding themselves able to do less and less.
But appearrances are all that matters at election time, and come election time, the economy will also be aided, to a great extent, by residual effects of this years Highway Bill, in addition to cetain aspects of the aforementioned Energy Bill. Not that this is bad, by the way, they probably will create jobs, improve the energy situation, etc. But the good effects will mask the bad omens that more people should learn to pay attention to, but do not, and will not.
And the democrats will, of course, give the republicans plenty of ammunition, demanding peace at any price, or at least not being able to convince the average voter they are trustworthy when it comes to matters of national security-which is the same difference.
And of course a good many democratic activists will bitch and fume about the nuclear power plants Bush wants to build, which would actually be good for the environment, but who cares-nuclear energy is bad, so they're going to be against it. And they will be against building new oil refineries, as well, or anything else that would help us to reduce our dependancy on foreign oil that doesn't involve windmills.
In other words, when the democratic activists are right about something-for example, the need to develop alternative energy sources- well and good, but they can't leave well enough alone. They have to be against everything else as well. They think everything ought to be done their way, right then, right there, and everybody else ought to have to fall into line, and if you don't like it, fuck you. As a result, they cause the Democratic party to lose election, after election, after election-and they still are just too fucking stupid to get it. They still run their mouths about gun control, about ending the death penalty, about peace at any price. And wonder why most Americans wouldn't vote for them for anything substantially higher than dog-cathcer.
Thus, the issues that they are right about, andthere are many of them, in fact, will never be acomplished. Because of their own unreasonableness. Because of their own stupidity. Because of their hatefulness, their arrogance, their unwillingness to compromise, even when it is obvious it would be actually to their advantage to do so.
Yeah, Cheney will run. After all, even though the smart money for the time being is on John McCain to get the 2008 Repoublican Preidential nomination, face it, the Republican Party owns the smart money, and they are the ones who will dole it out. And most Republicans don't really like John McCain. Not the ones in control of the party, at any rate. So Cheney will run. And Condi will be his running mate, I am sure, depending, again, on how circumstances evolve.
And if the Democratic Party doesn't reign in their activists-in fact, I am all for giving them a hearty recommendation to the Green Party if they don't get their shit together-it is irrelevant who the Democrats nominate. Probably Hillary Clinton and Elliot Richardson, but again, it's irrelevant, really, who the Republicans nominate. Anybody they choose is a shoe-in for election, as long as the Far Left is perceived as being the face and the voice of the Democratic Party.
Yes, I know the Far Right is just as bad. They're no worse, but they are as bad, I'll concede. So what difference does it make? Well, the American public has been sick of the Far Left for going on thirty years now. The Far Right has some catching up to do.
Naturally, all this depends on a bunch of factors, the war in Iraq, the general state of the economy, and at long last, the recent Energy Bill passed by President Bush. If it ends up bringing down the price of oil, or at least reigning it in to manageable levels, that would be one good plus. If the Bill results in more oil refineries being buildt, which it should, that will help as well. Then, of course, the prospect of more nuclear power plants being built might be just on the horizen.
That leaves the war in Iraq, and the all around war on terror. If it too is going well, especially if our troops are by this time out of Iraq, an the all around national security of thecountry is determined by the voters to be on solid ground, and substantially improved, yet another notch on the old Dick.
Finally, the economy. If both of the previously mentioned factors go as hoped for by the administration, the economy should be in fairly good shape. The deficit will still be high, resulting in an ever increasing national debt, but as long as unemployment is held down to reasonably low levels, who really pays the attention to the deficit that they should anyway. After all, thanks to the Housing Market, which will still be going strong probably for some time yet, and thanks in addition to the artificially low levels of interest rates, which should even now by all rights be at least twice as high as they are now, the economy should hum along, with help from cheap imported goods from all those Third World countries that are busy buying up our debt like old fags at an antique mall.
In other words, no, the economy is not in good shape, it just looks good. Whenthe economy is in good shape, you make more money, not less for putting in more hours, and then having to pay increased state and local taxes and insurance rates so that even if you do make more, you end up making less. You usually get to take a paid vacation ever so often as well,by the way, which more and more Americans are finding themselves able to do less and less.
But appearrances are all that matters at election time, and come election time, the economy will also be aided, to a great extent, by residual effects of this years Highway Bill, in addition to cetain aspects of the aforementioned Energy Bill. Not that this is bad, by the way, they probably will create jobs, improve the energy situation, etc. But the good effects will mask the bad omens that more people should learn to pay attention to, but do not, and will not.
And the democrats will, of course, give the republicans plenty of ammunition, demanding peace at any price, or at least not being able to convince the average voter they are trustworthy when it comes to matters of national security-which is the same difference.
And of course a good many democratic activists will bitch and fume about the nuclear power plants Bush wants to build, which would actually be good for the environment, but who cares-nuclear energy is bad, so they're going to be against it. And they will be against building new oil refineries, as well, or anything else that would help us to reduce our dependancy on foreign oil that doesn't involve windmills.
In other words, when the democratic activists are right about something-for example, the need to develop alternative energy sources- well and good, but they can't leave well enough alone. They have to be against everything else as well. They think everything ought to be done their way, right then, right there, and everybody else ought to have to fall into line, and if you don't like it, fuck you. As a result, they cause the Democratic party to lose election, after election, after election-and they still are just too fucking stupid to get it. They still run their mouths about gun control, about ending the death penalty, about peace at any price. And wonder why most Americans wouldn't vote for them for anything substantially higher than dog-cathcer.
Thus, the issues that they are right about, andthere are many of them, in fact, will never be acomplished. Because of their own unreasonableness. Because of their own stupidity. Because of their hatefulness, their arrogance, their unwillingness to compromise, even when it is obvious it would be actually to their advantage to do so.
Yeah, Cheney will run. After all, even though the smart money for the time being is on John McCain to get the 2008 Repoublican Preidential nomination, face it, the Republican Party owns the smart money, and they are the ones who will dole it out. And most Republicans don't really like John McCain. Not the ones in control of the party, at any rate. So Cheney will run. And Condi will be his running mate, I am sure, depending, again, on how circumstances evolve.
And if the Democratic Party doesn't reign in their activists-in fact, I am all for giving them a hearty recommendation to the Green Party if they don't get their shit together-it is irrelevant who the Democrats nominate. Probably Hillary Clinton and Elliot Richardson, but again, it's irrelevant, really, who the Republicans nominate. Anybody they choose is a shoe-in for election, as long as the Far Left is perceived as being the face and the voice of the Democratic Party.
Yes, I know the Far Right is just as bad. They're no worse, but they are as bad, I'll concede. So what difference does it make? Well, the American public has been sick of the Far Left for going on thirty years now. The Far Right has some catching up to do.
The Gods Must Be Sulking
In my own personal and private mythology, I have designated the area around Paducah, Kentucky, including Lynch and other areas in the immediate vicinity, as being sacred to the God Poseidon. This is where the Ohio and the Mississippi River happen to converge. There is also a fault line in this general area, and because of this it has been known to produce earthquakes. Nothing really major, yet, or at least not for quite some time-say, going on a couple of hundred years or so-but the potential is there. The really troubling thing about this is, kentucky is lined with an extensive network of caverns. Mammoth Cave, in fact, is so extensive it has as yet to be fully charted or explored.
A major earthquake, therefore, could conceivably cause an appreciable amount of danger, especially in the westernmost part of the state, which would doubtless be the dpicenter of any quake, major or minor. In fact, homeowners in this area would be well advised to purchase some kind of earthquake insurance, while it still may yet be affordable. As of yet, the only such quakes that have occurred in the last few years, have been very minor. Almost as though the God were simply rolling over while sleeping, or snoring.
On the other hand, the God seems to have deserted the sacred area I have designated for him. After so long a period of time with very little rain, conditions in the state are dire. In some areas, rsidents hacve been advised to limit their water usage to merely bathing and cooking. People are ceetainly being strongly discouraged from using inordinate amounts of water to water their lawns and plants, for example.
As for the river, what can you say? The Ohio River, the opart near Paducah, at any rate, is down now to eight feet. Because of this, barge traffic has recently been called to a halt. Thus, river commerce is affected adversely. In fact, the last few times the Ohio River was traversed by a barge, it hit ground. Thus, barge traffic will probably be halted until such time as a sizeable hurricane sends enough rain our way to enable the water to thus rise to more normal levels. This would take one hell of a hurricane, or a long series of moderate to strong ones. In fact, this had been predicted, but so far the predictions have not borne out. Which is probably good for thefolks in the Gulf States. But one person's poison, as the saying goes-
At any rate, Poseidon, it seems, has elected to snub his nose at the weather predictions, and has diverted the majority of hurricanes and tropical storms away from the Gulf Coast. Maybe he feels the folks down there have had enough. Or maybe he is simply pissed at us up here, for the levels of mercury and other contaminents that have been dumped in his sacred waterways, and is trying to tell us something. Like, for example,"STOP DUMPING YOUR SHIT IN MY RIVER, MOTHERFUCKERS!"
Yeah, sometimes it is far more effective to sulk than it is to throw a tantrum. After all, when a God throws a tantruym, you are too busy dodging flying glass, tree tops, and houses, to really think clearly. But when they sulk, you have time to think. And sometimes, it's not too pretty. It's kind of like being grounded for a month. Sometimes it can be more effective than a quick spanking which is over and done with relatively quickly, then at times just as quickly forgotten. You would almost prefer the spanking.
I can hear it all now, I know. You're thinking, are you fucking nuts? Do you really think the God is doing this, because he's pissed about the way we have abused the environment? You think he's responsible?
To which I would reply, "Well, no, not really. But we might be."
A major earthquake, therefore, could conceivably cause an appreciable amount of danger, especially in the westernmost part of the state, which would doubtless be the dpicenter of any quake, major or minor. In fact, homeowners in this area would be well advised to purchase some kind of earthquake insurance, while it still may yet be affordable. As of yet, the only such quakes that have occurred in the last few years, have been very minor. Almost as though the God were simply rolling over while sleeping, or snoring.
On the other hand, the God seems to have deserted the sacred area I have designated for him. After so long a period of time with very little rain, conditions in the state are dire. In some areas, rsidents hacve been advised to limit their water usage to merely bathing and cooking. People are ceetainly being strongly discouraged from using inordinate amounts of water to water their lawns and plants, for example.
As for the river, what can you say? The Ohio River, the opart near Paducah, at any rate, is down now to eight feet. Because of this, barge traffic has recently been called to a halt. Thus, river commerce is affected adversely. In fact, the last few times the Ohio River was traversed by a barge, it hit ground. Thus, barge traffic will probably be halted until such time as a sizeable hurricane sends enough rain our way to enable the water to thus rise to more normal levels. This would take one hell of a hurricane, or a long series of moderate to strong ones. In fact, this had been predicted, but so far the predictions have not borne out. Which is probably good for thefolks in the Gulf States. But one person's poison, as the saying goes-
At any rate, Poseidon, it seems, has elected to snub his nose at the weather predictions, and has diverted the majority of hurricanes and tropical storms away from the Gulf Coast. Maybe he feels the folks down there have had enough. Or maybe he is simply pissed at us up here, for the levels of mercury and other contaminents that have been dumped in his sacred waterways, and is trying to tell us something. Like, for example,"STOP DUMPING YOUR SHIT IN MY RIVER, MOTHERFUCKERS!"
Yeah, sometimes it is far more effective to sulk than it is to throw a tantrum. After all, when a God throws a tantruym, you are too busy dodging flying glass, tree tops, and houses, to really think clearly. But when they sulk, you have time to think. And sometimes, it's not too pretty. It's kind of like being grounded for a month. Sometimes it can be more effective than a quick spanking which is over and done with relatively quickly, then at times just as quickly forgotten. You would almost prefer the spanking.
I can hear it all now, I know. You're thinking, are you fucking nuts? Do you really think the God is doing this, because he's pissed about the way we have abused the environment? You think he's responsible?
To which I would reply, "Well, no, not really. But we might be."
Friday, August 12, 2005
Cindy Sheehan-Private Personnas And Public Spectacles
I just recently got off the Michael Moore web-site, where I read with interest about the exploits of Ms. Cindy Sheehan, who is currently camped outside the gates of the Bush ranch in Crawford Texas, where the President is currently in the midst of a five week working vacation. According to Bill O'Reilley, Ms. Sheehan is being used by Michael Moore and other elements of the Far Left, from MoveOn.Org, to a group called Code Pink. I tend to agree with him. Of course, she is incensed at the accussation, and has evidently acquiesced to the urgings of her new-found friends to not appear on the O'Reilly Factor. Of course, she as a right to make this decision, but if I could get the word to her, I would advise her to appear on the program. O'Reilly at least tries to put on the appearrance of fairness, and if he were to be stupid enough to rake her over the coals, or to demean her in the slightest way, he knows full well that there would be hell to pay in the way of public relations.
It's turned into a pathetic type of dance really. Some, like O'Reilly, claim she has changed her position as regarding Bush, she says she has not, and insists that her past remarks have been misinterpreted, and she really meant-but all this is unimportant. It would be easy enough to accept that this is a woman who is grieving over the loss of her son. That this is a woman who is in pain and who is sincere in her efforts to get a private meeting with the President in the way of an explanation, and that she is determined to do her part to hasten an end to the war.
As such, it would be more than easy to undertand how her position regarding Bush over the course of the last few months may have evolved. How she may, in effect, have come to change her mind, to see things in a different perspective. So what? Is it against the fucking law to change your mind? If it is I'm in a hell of a lot of trouble,as there are times when I have changed my mind in the middle of a fucking post.
It's also understandable if she is in fact being "used" by Michael Moore, Code Pink, etc. Birds of a feather.
But on the other hand, that's just the problem. Cindy Sheehan has by now become, not a bereaved mother who is in pain and turmoil while in the throes of a grieving process over a very real and personal loss. She has now become a public commodity. A celebrity, in a sense, a public personna. She is now, in effect, no longer a private citizen. She is in the public domain.
Some of the more cynical of her opponents-and believe me, they are her opponents, though they might refrain, for the moment, from open displays as such-would say that she has been bought and paid for, that she is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Far Left. And perhaps they would be correct. It has been pointed out, for example, that she has been against the war from the onset, before even her son was assigned to it. And, incidentally, you will begin to hear this trumpeted more and more. Gently, at first, and then the sounds will become louder, and ever more shrill. As of yet, she has not denied this charge. And of course, if it is the truth, it is an opinion which she had, and has, a right to hold.
All ready, certain members of her extended family have issued statements to the effect that she has chosen to dishonor the memory of her son, and that the remainder of the family does not feel as she does. So far, she has responded simply by stating, on Mr. Moore's web-site, that her husband and children are solidly behind her, and that is all that matters to her. Again, what is the point of her families statements? They have their opinions, and Ms. Sheehan has a right to hers. This simple basic fundamental civil liberty should not be the occassion for a family feud.
But the political elements involved in this matter, on both the Far Left and on the Far Right, will indeed use Ms. Sheehan, in the case of the former as a poster child, and in the case of the second as, unfortunately, target practice. It's coming. It's only a matter of time. And, in that second case, only two things have kept it from coming thus far. I would like to believe that simple human decency is one reason. The other reason is simple human cowardice and political calculation. But the feelers are all ready out, believe me, and the time will come when Ms. Sheehan will learn what I hope Mr. Moore has prepared her for, assumming he really has Ms. Sheehans all around best interests at heart. And that is, as soon as the politcal fall out is sufficiently calculated, Ms. Sheehan will become the target of perhaps as vicious a smear campaign as one could ever imagine. If there are any skeletons in her closet, they are due for a good public airing. If not, she certainly will at the least be faced with critics who will soon no longer refrain from taking off the kid gloves.
In effect, when you become a public person, and you involve yourself in controversial matters, you can expect to eventually become the object of a fair amount of criticism. And an unfair amount as well.
It's turned into a pathetic type of dance really. Some, like O'Reilly, claim she has changed her position as regarding Bush, she says she has not, and insists that her past remarks have been misinterpreted, and she really meant-but all this is unimportant. It would be easy enough to accept that this is a woman who is grieving over the loss of her son. That this is a woman who is in pain and who is sincere in her efforts to get a private meeting with the President in the way of an explanation, and that she is determined to do her part to hasten an end to the war.
As such, it would be more than easy to undertand how her position regarding Bush over the course of the last few months may have evolved. How she may, in effect, have come to change her mind, to see things in a different perspective. So what? Is it against the fucking law to change your mind? If it is I'm in a hell of a lot of trouble,as there are times when I have changed my mind in the middle of a fucking post.
It's also understandable if she is in fact being "used" by Michael Moore, Code Pink, etc. Birds of a feather.
But on the other hand, that's just the problem. Cindy Sheehan has by now become, not a bereaved mother who is in pain and turmoil while in the throes of a grieving process over a very real and personal loss. She has now become a public commodity. A celebrity, in a sense, a public personna. She is now, in effect, no longer a private citizen. She is in the public domain.
Some of the more cynical of her opponents-and believe me, they are her opponents, though they might refrain, for the moment, from open displays as such-would say that she has been bought and paid for, that she is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Far Left. And perhaps they would be correct. It has been pointed out, for example, that she has been against the war from the onset, before even her son was assigned to it. And, incidentally, you will begin to hear this trumpeted more and more. Gently, at first, and then the sounds will become louder, and ever more shrill. As of yet, she has not denied this charge. And of course, if it is the truth, it is an opinion which she had, and has, a right to hold.
All ready, certain members of her extended family have issued statements to the effect that she has chosen to dishonor the memory of her son, and that the remainder of the family does not feel as she does. So far, she has responded simply by stating, on Mr. Moore's web-site, that her husband and children are solidly behind her, and that is all that matters to her. Again, what is the point of her families statements? They have their opinions, and Ms. Sheehan has a right to hers. This simple basic fundamental civil liberty should not be the occassion for a family feud.
But the political elements involved in this matter, on both the Far Left and on the Far Right, will indeed use Ms. Sheehan, in the case of the former as a poster child, and in the case of the second as, unfortunately, target practice. It's coming. It's only a matter of time. And, in that second case, only two things have kept it from coming thus far. I would like to believe that simple human decency is one reason. The other reason is simple human cowardice and political calculation. But the feelers are all ready out, believe me, and the time will come when Ms. Sheehan will learn what I hope Mr. Moore has prepared her for, assumming he really has Ms. Sheehans all around best interests at heart. And that is, as soon as the politcal fall out is sufficiently calculated, Ms. Sheehan will become the target of perhaps as vicious a smear campaign as one could ever imagine. If there are any skeletons in her closet, they are due for a good public airing. If not, she certainly will at the least be faced with critics who will soon no longer refrain from taking off the kid gloves.
In effect, when you become a public person, and you involve yourself in controversial matters, you can expect to eventually become the object of a fair amount of criticism. And an unfair amount as well.
Delores Kesterson And The Bush Conscience
One war mother that is not so nearly well known as Ms. Sheehan is Delores Kesterson, who lost her son in a tragic accident. While piloting his Blackhawk, he was invlved in a mishap with another helicopter. Though he managed to bring his craft down on the roof of a nearby building, thus saving the lives of sme of his crew members, he himself was one of five that ultimately died.
Ms. Kesterson, like Ms. Sheehan, was also one of the grieving war mothers who were invited to the White House to meet with the President. She was told after the group meetig that the Prsident would give each one of the mothers three minutes in private. She expressed her agreement to this arrangement, whereupon she was throughly checked. She then showed a letter she wished to share with the President, though it is unclear what the cntents of that letter were.
She told Mr. Bush, that she felt the war was unnecessary, and thus her tragic loss. Bush listened to her in the private little cubicle that had been set up for their meeting. Then, he proceeded to remind her of, of course, that old canard about 9/11, when "the country was attacked". Of course, Ms. Kesterson was not impressed by this reasoning, as she in concert with a growing number of Americans-including myself-feel that 9/11 was not the proper justification for the Iraqi War. (though I do feel personally that there were plenty of other justifications which in fact pre-date 9/11).
Bush listened to her with an apparent air of sympathy, and then, to her surprise, asked her if he could hug her. Ms. Kesterson agreed to this request, as she felt that this was a "human" thing to do. But Bush's hug must have evidently left her cold. In fact, her assesment of Bush is perhaps the most important point of this story.
President Bush, she declared, has no conscience. Not for the now more than 1800 American soldiers who have thus far lost their lives, the innumerable others who have been wounded, some seriously, and permanently disabled, not for their grieving families, and not for the far greater number of Iraqi citizens whos elives have been likewise ended or afflicted.
When I heard her relate this account on Fox's The O'Reilley Factor, it resounded over and over again in my mind, and I knew there was a great deal of truth to it. George W. Bush, the President without a conscience. And I knew that there was more than a small chance that this bereaved mother, her life shatterrerd with grief over the loss of a well loved and heroic son, may have seen more perfectly into the soul of the President of The United States than even the most seasoned professional therapist could hope to. It was only a fleeting glimpse, of course, a mere snapshot in time. But such glimpses can indeed provide indelible etchings of a truth that can not be denied, excused, or even explained away.
Ms. Kesterson, like Ms. Sheehan, was also one of the grieving war mothers who were invited to the White House to meet with the President. She was told after the group meetig that the Prsident would give each one of the mothers three minutes in private. She expressed her agreement to this arrangement, whereupon she was throughly checked. She then showed a letter she wished to share with the President, though it is unclear what the cntents of that letter were.
She told Mr. Bush, that she felt the war was unnecessary, and thus her tragic loss. Bush listened to her in the private little cubicle that had been set up for their meeting. Then, he proceeded to remind her of, of course, that old canard about 9/11, when "the country was attacked". Of course, Ms. Kesterson was not impressed by this reasoning, as she in concert with a growing number of Americans-including myself-feel that 9/11 was not the proper justification for the Iraqi War. (though I do feel personally that there were plenty of other justifications which in fact pre-date 9/11).
Bush listened to her with an apparent air of sympathy, and then, to her surprise, asked her if he could hug her. Ms. Kesterson agreed to this request, as she felt that this was a "human" thing to do. But Bush's hug must have evidently left her cold. In fact, her assesment of Bush is perhaps the most important point of this story.
President Bush, she declared, has no conscience. Not for the now more than 1800 American soldiers who have thus far lost their lives, the innumerable others who have been wounded, some seriously, and permanently disabled, not for their grieving families, and not for the far greater number of Iraqi citizens whos elives have been likewise ended or afflicted.
When I heard her relate this account on Fox's The O'Reilley Factor, it resounded over and over again in my mind, and I knew there was a great deal of truth to it. George W. Bush, the President without a conscience. And I knew that there was more than a small chance that this bereaved mother, her life shatterrerd with grief over the loss of a well loved and heroic son, may have seen more perfectly into the soul of the President of The United States than even the most seasoned professional therapist could hope to. It was only a fleeting glimpse, of course, a mere snapshot in time. But such glimpses can indeed provide indelible etchings of a truth that can not be denied, excused, or even explained away.
Bear City-Bear, Bear City
There has been a disturbing trend recently in the national forrests of the country, involving an increasing number of bear attacks. In fact, just this past year, there have been seventy such attacks-in New Jersey alone. That in itself is enough to get my attention, as I didn't think there was anything in New Jersey but concrete and steel. No, that business about the "Garden State" didn't fool me one little bit. But evidently, there is more forrest land in New Jersey than is realized, or than I realized, at least. You know there has to be a hell of a lot of bears in an area for there to be seventy attacks by them.
And that is probably the problem, there are way too many bears, in way too condensed an area. I mean, New Jersey ranks as the 45th largest state of the Union in terms of size-snugly between New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Not a big state at all. You wouldn't think there would be seventy bears, let alone attacks by same.
It says more, however, about the hunger for land than it does about the bears. More and more, bears, and other forms of wildlife, are being forced out of their natural habitats, or further feel the ever increasing encroachment by human kind.
And then there are the tourists who stupidly persist in feeding bears, or leaving refuse which includes foods in areas where bears are sure to be attracted to it. You know most of them, the vast majority of them, know they are not suppossed to do this, but at the same time, you know they don't give a fuck, they are going to do it anyway, after all, they are human, that's a fucking bear, fuck it, I want a picture, besides, I think it's cool, hey, look, I think he likes me.
Of course, this over time causes the beat to lose it's natural fear of humans, and the next thing you know you have situations where a bear will go into the temporary camp-site of an unsuspecting tourist, and you have the potential for tragedy. Thus, it is really not safe to go out in the forrests by yourself anymore, thanks to a bunch of numbnuts, who by the way are probably the same fools who are responsible for most of the forrest fires you hear about year in and year out.
Thankfully, there is a point to this post, over than just an excuse to rant, yet again, about something that really pisses me the fuck off. I am a pagan, a worshipper of the forces of nature, and a witch, and as such I assume that a good lot of the people that might be drawn to read this Blog, if any, are of the same beliefs, and in the meantime there are others who, though they might not be so inclined, (though are still of course welcome here) may nevertheless be also lovers of the great outdoors, or know of someone who is. If so, read carefully, for the following advice might actually save your life, or that of someone you know and love.
For one thing, go to the mountains and forrests in groups. It just isn't safe to go out by yourself anymore, or even in small groups of twos and threes. There is strength and relative safety in numbers, for no other reason than to scare off potential natural predators.
If on the other hand you do find yourself in the position where you might be approached by a bear, bear in mind the following. Hopefully, you will have a gun with you, and readily availiable. Do not , however, shoot the bear. Even if he approaches you. If you shoot the bear, you will probably be dead within a matter of five minutes or less, because what you will accomplish by shooting him, (unless you have a certain kind of gun and really know what the fuck you are doing)is piss him off in a way you really don't want to be the cause of. Instead of shooting the bear, shoot up in the air. If he just stops and looks at you, shoot over his head. And then, at the ground close to him, hopefully not close enough to where it will ricochet. In the vast majority of cases, the noise will be enough to scare the beat into flight.
In the unfortunate event you don't have a gun, or are unable to retrieve it due to it's relative position as regards to you and the bear, by all means don't panic. Start shouting and screaming and stomping the ground, as loudly as you can. This as well should, in most cases, scare the bear away from you.
Unless it happens to be a grizzly bear, that is. In this case, he is probably going to advance towards you. You are now his lunch, as far as he is concerned. There is now only one thing you can do. Lay down on the ground, and roll up into a ball, making sure your head is burrowed under you chest so that it is not exposed. Lay as still as possible. Believe it or not, this will probably work, provided you can keep your head-no pun intended.
The last thing you should do, is run. Once you succumb to this temptation, you have identified yourself to the mind of any bear, as his prey. He will run after you. And he will catch you. And he will kill you. And he will eat you. Unless he is a she. In that case, she will share you with her cubs.
So there you have it. Now, don't you just love nature?
And that is probably the problem, there are way too many bears, in way too condensed an area. I mean, New Jersey ranks as the 45th largest state of the Union in terms of size-snugly between New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Not a big state at all. You wouldn't think there would be seventy bears, let alone attacks by same.
It says more, however, about the hunger for land than it does about the bears. More and more, bears, and other forms of wildlife, are being forced out of their natural habitats, or further feel the ever increasing encroachment by human kind.
And then there are the tourists who stupidly persist in feeding bears, or leaving refuse which includes foods in areas where bears are sure to be attracted to it. You know most of them, the vast majority of them, know they are not suppossed to do this, but at the same time, you know they don't give a fuck, they are going to do it anyway, after all, they are human, that's a fucking bear, fuck it, I want a picture, besides, I think it's cool, hey, look, I think he likes me.
Of course, this over time causes the beat to lose it's natural fear of humans, and the next thing you know you have situations where a bear will go into the temporary camp-site of an unsuspecting tourist, and you have the potential for tragedy. Thus, it is really not safe to go out in the forrests by yourself anymore, thanks to a bunch of numbnuts, who by the way are probably the same fools who are responsible for most of the forrest fires you hear about year in and year out.
Thankfully, there is a point to this post, over than just an excuse to rant, yet again, about something that really pisses me the fuck off. I am a pagan, a worshipper of the forces of nature, and a witch, and as such I assume that a good lot of the people that might be drawn to read this Blog, if any, are of the same beliefs, and in the meantime there are others who, though they might not be so inclined, (though are still of course welcome here) may nevertheless be also lovers of the great outdoors, or know of someone who is. If so, read carefully, for the following advice might actually save your life, or that of someone you know and love.
For one thing, go to the mountains and forrests in groups. It just isn't safe to go out by yourself anymore, or even in small groups of twos and threes. There is strength and relative safety in numbers, for no other reason than to scare off potential natural predators.
If on the other hand you do find yourself in the position where you might be approached by a bear, bear in mind the following. Hopefully, you will have a gun with you, and readily availiable. Do not , however, shoot the bear. Even if he approaches you. If you shoot the bear, you will probably be dead within a matter of five minutes or less, because what you will accomplish by shooting him, (unless you have a certain kind of gun and really know what the fuck you are doing)is piss him off in a way you really don't want to be the cause of. Instead of shooting the bear, shoot up in the air. If he just stops and looks at you, shoot over his head. And then, at the ground close to him, hopefully not close enough to where it will ricochet. In the vast majority of cases, the noise will be enough to scare the beat into flight.
In the unfortunate event you don't have a gun, or are unable to retrieve it due to it's relative position as regards to you and the bear, by all means don't panic. Start shouting and screaming and stomping the ground, as loudly as you can. This as well should, in most cases, scare the bear away from you.
Unless it happens to be a grizzly bear, that is. In this case, he is probably going to advance towards you. You are now his lunch, as far as he is concerned. There is now only one thing you can do. Lay down on the ground, and roll up into a ball, making sure your head is burrowed under you chest so that it is not exposed. Lay as still as possible. Believe it or not, this will probably work, provided you can keep your head-no pun intended.
The last thing you should do, is run. Once you succumb to this temptation, you have identified yourself to the mind of any bear, as his prey. He will run after you. And he will catch you. And he will kill you. And he will eat you. Unless he is a she. In that case, she will share you with her cubs.
So there you have it. Now, don't you just love nature?
David Owens- Military Historian
I know David Owens, have known him for quite some time. He is a Social Studies teacher at the North Laurel County Middle School, and in his spare time, he is either haunting old cemetaries, working on restoration of the grounds and/or providing new stones, or he is writing some aspect of Kentucky History, either books or articles (usually revolving around the Civil War) or he is trying to talk me into joining him on one of his jaunts to one of his beloved Civil War re-enactment events. As a resident of Rockcastle County, he is particularly interested in the little known, though strategically important, Battle of Wildcat Mountain.
It came as no great surprise to me, therefore, when I learned that he was recently appointed, by order of the Adjutant General of the Kentucky National Guard, the position of Kentucky National Guard Military Historian.
To be honest with you, I sometimes think David never got tired of playing Army when he was growing up. I am intertested in history, however, so one of these days I might join him on one of these events. On the other hand, I have to confess, I have to wonder how the long departed spirits of the Civil War veterans of both sides would feel at the prospect of grown men dressing up in authentic Union and/or Confederate regalia, and reenacting hard pitched battles that cost hundreds of thousands of lives, wrecked the health and morale of probably an equal number if not more, left soldiers and civilians embitterred, disabled, and/or disfigured for life, and for the most part at least was certainly a horrific experience to have to live through on a constant, daily basis.
And it has actually inspired an idea, a couple of them really. For one, why not turn this into an extreme sports event. I'm serious. You can have two sides, only instead of getting together for a two or three day re-enactment, replete with booths and concessions, actually set aside a month where both sides actually have to live the way the true soldier of that day had to live-and survive. Taking a minimal amount of provisions, the type that you would find in that day and time, you would have to make do for that period of time. You would in the meantime have to forage for the essentials. You would have to deal with the increment weather in the same way they did. No portable televisions or radios, no internet, no modern cooking or cleaning conveniences, and most importantly, no modern bathroom facilities. It would not be pretty, and it would certainly not be fun, I would wager, to any but the most fanatical enthusiast.
Of course, you could only take this so far. When the two sides eventually met in pitched battle, for example, they couldn't use real bullets or explosives, though by the time it was half-way over, they might feel more inclined to do so than they might imagine they would. And it goes without saying you couldn't-or you shouldn't-take over unsuspecting farmhouses and requisition their livestock and supplies.
Otherwise, such an event might make the Civil War enthusiast truly understand what the Civil War veteran of the past really had to endure-and why by the time it was over they may to a large degree not have felt quite so enthusiastic about it. It would, I am certain, deepen their appreciation for the struggles and sacrifices of the past all the more.
I said something about a couple of ideas. Well, the other idea is for a Reality TV series based on just such an event as I have described. Two teams, lead by two officers, with an equal number of soldiers, roughing it. When the time came for the ultimate conflict, which side would be the winner?
Okay, not such a great idea. Reality TV? Shit, I should be shot for that.
It came as no great surprise to me, therefore, when I learned that he was recently appointed, by order of the Adjutant General of the Kentucky National Guard, the position of Kentucky National Guard Military Historian.
To be honest with you, I sometimes think David never got tired of playing Army when he was growing up. I am intertested in history, however, so one of these days I might join him on one of these events. On the other hand, I have to confess, I have to wonder how the long departed spirits of the Civil War veterans of both sides would feel at the prospect of grown men dressing up in authentic Union and/or Confederate regalia, and reenacting hard pitched battles that cost hundreds of thousands of lives, wrecked the health and morale of probably an equal number if not more, left soldiers and civilians embitterred, disabled, and/or disfigured for life, and for the most part at least was certainly a horrific experience to have to live through on a constant, daily basis.
And it has actually inspired an idea, a couple of them really. For one, why not turn this into an extreme sports event. I'm serious. You can have two sides, only instead of getting together for a two or three day re-enactment, replete with booths and concessions, actually set aside a month where both sides actually have to live the way the true soldier of that day had to live-and survive. Taking a minimal amount of provisions, the type that you would find in that day and time, you would have to make do for that period of time. You would in the meantime have to forage for the essentials. You would have to deal with the increment weather in the same way they did. No portable televisions or radios, no internet, no modern cooking or cleaning conveniences, and most importantly, no modern bathroom facilities. It would not be pretty, and it would certainly not be fun, I would wager, to any but the most fanatical enthusiast.
Of course, you could only take this so far. When the two sides eventually met in pitched battle, for example, they couldn't use real bullets or explosives, though by the time it was half-way over, they might feel more inclined to do so than they might imagine they would. And it goes without saying you couldn't-or you shouldn't-take over unsuspecting farmhouses and requisition their livestock and supplies.
Otherwise, such an event might make the Civil War enthusiast truly understand what the Civil War veteran of the past really had to endure-and why by the time it was over they may to a large degree not have felt quite so enthusiastic about it. It would, I am certain, deepen their appreciation for the struggles and sacrifices of the past all the more.
I said something about a couple of ideas. Well, the other idea is for a Reality TV series based on just such an event as I have described. Two teams, lead by two officers, with an equal number of soldiers, roughing it. When the time came for the ultimate conflict, which side would be the winner?
Okay, not such a great idea. Reality TV? Shit, I should be shot for that.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Secretary Of Labor Caught Screwing Miners
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, it has been said, is obviously fucking the senior Senator from the State of Kentucky, Republican Mitch McConnell, who is also the Senate Whip. Ordinarily, this would raise eyebrows, and cause for alarm, with it's potential for conflict of interest, which would seem to be so apparrent. Of course, Ms. Chao and Mr. McConnel are married, so people tend to gloss over the apparrent potential.
But one person who has probably given it a great deal of thought recently is Ellen Smith, the owner and editor of Mine Safety and Health News. She would have a right to raise her concerns. In fact, Ms. Smith has been blackballed from press briefings and denied access to government officials. Elaine Chaos labor Department has in fact gone to great lengths to lock up public information pertaining to mine safety enforcement in general. It has, to be even more specific, locked out long sections of the Inspector Generals report on the recent Martin Conty coal waste spill.
Maybe Ms. Smith should file a lawsuit under the Freedom Of Information Act. Wait a minute, I think she has. Well, let's all wish her luck. The miners whose livelihoods are threatened should they blow the whistle, and whose health is threatened every day, would be well served by her dedicaton to mine the truth from the shafts of denial. For the good of the environment, in additon, which is threatened by the mine owners and operators who have been evidently given the green light under the Bush administraton as represented in this instance by Ms. Chaos-wife of Senator McConnell- and her tenure at the Labor Department for now a second Bush term.
The same old story. Greed and corruption at the expense of workers and their families , the environment, and the general public. All held hostage to the threat of lost jobs and increased energy costs. There ought to be a law.
But until such time, hey Mitch, do me a favor, bend that old lady of yours over, and stick the old cock-a-roo up the old poop chute for me, Goddess knows I would love to, but hey, you go ahead, be my guest, I bet that's a nice tight ass. While you're up there though, better put on that mining helmet, you know, the one that's got the little light on top that you need in case you get up there too far and end up getting lost. Shit, you would know then how a miner really feels.
And, uh, well, Elaine, so would you.
But one person who has probably given it a great deal of thought recently is Ellen Smith, the owner and editor of Mine Safety and Health News. She would have a right to raise her concerns. In fact, Ms. Smith has been blackballed from press briefings and denied access to government officials. Elaine Chaos labor Department has in fact gone to great lengths to lock up public information pertaining to mine safety enforcement in general. It has, to be even more specific, locked out long sections of the Inspector Generals report on the recent Martin Conty coal waste spill.
Maybe Ms. Smith should file a lawsuit under the Freedom Of Information Act. Wait a minute, I think she has. Well, let's all wish her luck. The miners whose livelihoods are threatened should they blow the whistle, and whose health is threatened every day, would be well served by her dedicaton to mine the truth from the shafts of denial. For the good of the environment, in additon, which is threatened by the mine owners and operators who have been evidently given the green light under the Bush administraton as represented in this instance by Ms. Chaos-wife of Senator McConnell- and her tenure at the Labor Department for now a second Bush term.
The same old story. Greed and corruption at the expense of workers and their families , the environment, and the general public. All held hostage to the threat of lost jobs and increased energy costs. There ought to be a law.
But until such time, hey Mitch, do me a favor, bend that old lady of yours over, and stick the old cock-a-roo up the old poop chute for me, Goddess knows I would love to, but hey, you go ahead, be my guest, I bet that's a nice tight ass. While you're up there though, better put on that mining helmet, you know, the one that's got the little light on top that you need in case you get up there too far and end up getting lost. Shit, you would know then how a miner really feels.
And, uh, well, Elaine, so would you.
Lexington Not So Good On Federal Test Standards
Well, the test results are all in. Out of 51 schools in the Fayette County Schol systems, 23 of them failed the federal testing standards as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act. Now you would think that things would get better instead of worse. Yet, last year only 15 schools failed the testing. Of course, one cold easily make the case that this is the kind of thing that happens when you are stuck with an unfunded mandate (which on the face of it you would think would make the act unconstitutional).
Lexington educators have pointed out that this year, 90% of Fayette schools met 80% of their targets. But of course, that is pretty much irrelevant, when it comes to issuing sanctions. Thankfully, these sanctions only apply to schools that receive Titlle I assistance. That is to say, schools that receive federal aid for needy students. These schools must offer their students the option to transfer to other schools.
Well, that is one good part of the policy, probbly the only good part of it. On the other hand, I'm a big believer in the proposition that parents should have the right to send their students to any school they damned well please, and these schools should be obliged to accept them, with exceptions being allowed only for students who have a habitual discipine or other such problem.
Otherwise, there is an inherent problem with a policy that forces students to spend an appreciable amount of their time studying for a standardized test, and having to spend more time of the year in school as a result of being federally mandated to pass that test, a mandate which the government somehow feels not obliged to fund. Thee are a lot of problems with America's schools system, especially in the inner city and other more urban areas. But No Child Left Behind is really piling on, and causing more problems than it is solving.
I believe No Child Left Behind shouldl quickly go the way of the dinosaur. On the other hand, the dinosaur, from all appearrances, was a tenacous beast, so it may not go so quickly. But it will certainly go. It's only a matter of time.
Lexington educators have pointed out that this year, 90% of Fayette schools met 80% of their targets. But of course, that is pretty much irrelevant, when it comes to issuing sanctions. Thankfully, these sanctions only apply to schools that receive Titlle I assistance. That is to say, schools that receive federal aid for needy students. These schools must offer their students the option to transfer to other schools.
Well, that is one good part of the policy, probbly the only good part of it. On the other hand, I'm a big believer in the proposition that parents should have the right to send their students to any school they damned well please, and these schools should be obliged to accept them, with exceptions being allowed only for students who have a habitual discipine or other such problem.
Otherwise, there is an inherent problem with a policy that forces students to spend an appreciable amount of their time studying for a standardized test, and having to spend more time of the year in school as a result of being federally mandated to pass that test, a mandate which the government somehow feels not obliged to fund. Thee are a lot of problems with America's schools system, especially in the inner city and other more urban areas. But No Child Left Behind is really piling on, and causing more problems than it is solving.
I believe No Child Left Behind shouldl quickly go the way of the dinosaur. On the other hand, the dinosaur, from all appearrances, was a tenacous beast, so it may not go so quickly. But it will certainly go. It's only a matter of time.
What Would You Do For Your Winter Vacation?
Parents across the country are bitching and moaning about the decrease in time their kids get for the summer vacations, which seem to shrink more every year, while many educators give a variety of reasons why it is so necessary. Of course, both sides are far off the mark. In fact, schools have never employed a sensible schedule, why should they start now, and when you get right down to it, why should parents fucking complain?
A common sense solution would be to give kids two weeks of vacation in the summer, two weeks in the autumn, and two weeks in the spring. Since most parents arrange for their work vacations in the summer, it seems, then the kids two weeks summer vacation can be doled out on a rotating basis.
And of course, two weeks during each of these seasons would hardly be enough, so therefore you provide the remainder of the much needed respite during the winter, for two months of it, in fact. What could possibly be more sensible? It would probably be cheaper, to say nothing of safer, to cool a hot school in the summer than it is to heat a cold school in the winter. And of course, as so many children are dependant of buses and public transportation to get to and from school, there are obvious travel hazards involved in winter travel in most areas of the country that wouldn't be a factor any other time of the year.
That leaves the problem of kids needing their summer time for purposes of recreation. But, in addition to giving them their two weeks allotment, you can have them go for three days a week during the summer-a further savings in those summer air conditioning bills-and have them make up the time during the spring and autumn months by going six days a week.
Besides, winter is a good time for recreational activities in it's own right. And on the especially cold days, what better time to gather around the living room with the family, sharing meals and stories. And oh yeah, engaging in nice, quiet reading and studying in preparation for the spring semester ahead.
Hell, thanks to the phenomenon of cabin fever, by the time that spring gets around, kids will probably all be ready, willing, and even eager to get back to school.
A common sense solution would be to give kids two weeks of vacation in the summer, two weeks in the autumn, and two weeks in the spring. Since most parents arrange for their work vacations in the summer, it seems, then the kids two weeks summer vacation can be doled out on a rotating basis.
And of course, two weeks during each of these seasons would hardly be enough, so therefore you provide the remainder of the much needed respite during the winter, for two months of it, in fact. What could possibly be more sensible? It would probably be cheaper, to say nothing of safer, to cool a hot school in the summer than it is to heat a cold school in the winter. And of course, as so many children are dependant of buses and public transportation to get to and from school, there are obvious travel hazards involved in winter travel in most areas of the country that wouldn't be a factor any other time of the year.
That leaves the problem of kids needing their summer time for purposes of recreation. But, in addition to giving them their two weeks allotment, you can have them go for three days a week during the summer-a further savings in those summer air conditioning bills-and have them make up the time during the spring and autumn months by going six days a week.
Besides, winter is a good time for recreational activities in it's own right. And on the especially cold days, what better time to gather around the living room with the family, sharing meals and stories. And oh yeah, engaging in nice, quiet reading and studying in preparation for the spring semester ahead.
Hell, thanks to the phenomenon of cabin fever, by the time that spring gets around, kids will probably all be ready, willing, and even eager to get back to school.
Heartwood Celebrates Forrest Decay
The Forrest Service has a big problem in the area of Morehead Kentucky, and that is what to do about trees in the northern part of the Daniel Bone National Forrest. A great many of these trees were earmarked for sale by logging interests, yet due to a 2003 ice storm, damage to a great lot of these trees has made them unusable. Richard WHite, one log exporter says the sapwood has completely rotted in the trees, most of the bark has falen off, and insects are getting into them. As a result, though to a great extent some of the trees are still marketeable, their value has dropped eighty per cent in the last year and a half.
The Forrest Service nevertheles says the trees should be removed. This, they claim, would prtect other trees from disease, and promote the growth of other trees. However, Kentucky Heartwood, an environmental group, and their leader, Ferrin de Jong (coordinator) wants the trees all left alone. By leving them standing, he claims, they will replenish and stabilize the forrest. The Forrest Service looks upon this claim as being ludicrous. Yet, Kentucky Heartwood, rather than exhibiting concern for the overall health of the forrest and the environment, seems to look upon these circumstances as a victory against the logging interests they so adamantly oppose.
I would tend to side with Kentucky Heartwood, ordinarily. I would have nothing, to be sure, of limited logging, so long as it was done in as unintrusive a way as possible. But unfortunately, the necessity of logging roads does in fact change the density of the forrest ground and endangers indigent species which are necessary for the continued health and vitality of forrest regions. Thus, logging should definitely be limited to the outer periphery of the forrestsd, as logging is a vital and useful component of the economies of many states, including Kentucky. Unfortunately, give some people a mile, and they will eventually take a thousand or so, every time. And as difficutl as it is to stand against their lobbying efforts from the outset, it is all the more so once they have become an established mainstay of the local landscape.
There should be some form of compromise, ideally stated. But things have gotten to the point now where ideology, as in most other things, has outstripped the boundaries of common sense. Anybody with an ounce of the latter would know it's not a good idea to let rotting trees stand unremoved. Obviously, tree blight, and other forms of disease, would easily take hold and quickly spread to healthier trees, if this were allowed to continue. In addition, once these trees dried, they would much easier catch fire than would ordinarily be the case. They would also be a danger to the genreral flora and fauna of the area. The Forrest Service has it right on this issue.
Kentucky Heartwood seriously needs to rethink its stance. If they don't, they run the danger of revealing themselves to be just another cog in the wheel of the looney left, and no sensible person will take them seriously.
The Forrest Service nevertheles says the trees should be removed. This, they claim, would prtect other trees from disease, and promote the growth of other trees. However, Kentucky Heartwood, an environmental group, and their leader, Ferrin de Jong (coordinator) wants the trees all left alone. By leving them standing, he claims, they will replenish and stabilize the forrest. The Forrest Service looks upon this claim as being ludicrous. Yet, Kentucky Heartwood, rather than exhibiting concern for the overall health of the forrest and the environment, seems to look upon these circumstances as a victory against the logging interests they so adamantly oppose.
I would tend to side with Kentucky Heartwood, ordinarily. I would have nothing, to be sure, of limited logging, so long as it was done in as unintrusive a way as possible. But unfortunately, the necessity of logging roads does in fact change the density of the forrest ground and endangers indigent species which are necessary for the continued health and vitality of forrest regions. Thus, logging should definitely be limited to the outer periphery of the forrestsd, as logging is a vital and useful component of the economies of many states, including Kentucky. Unfortunately, give some people a mile, and they will eventually take a thousand or so, every time. And as difficutl as it is to stand against their lobbying efforts from the outset, it is all the more so once they have become an established mainstay of the local landscape.
There should be some form of compromise, ideally stated. But things have gotten to the point now where ideology, as in most other things, has outstripped the boundaries of common sense. Anybody with an ounce of the latter would know it's not a good idea to let rotting trees stand unremoved. Obviously, tree blight, and other forms of disease, would easily take hold and quickly spread to healthier trees, if this were allowed to continue. In addition, once these trees dried, they would much easier catch fire than would ordinarily be the case. They would also be a danger to the genreral flora and fauna of the area. The Forrest Service has it right on this issue.
Kentucky Heartwood seriously needs to rethink its stance. If they don't, they run the danger of revealing themselves to be just another cog in the wheel of the looney left, and no sensible person will take them seriously.
The Ashland Police Sex Scandal-An Update
The Ashland Nine ought to start their own semi-pro baseball team. They not only have the right numbers to field a team, they are united and have consistently stuck to their game strategy, which they have down pat. Deny, deny, and deny.
And refuse. To take part in a polygraph examination, that is, requested by the Department. Nine denials, and nine refusals. Of course, as a consequence of this, the Ashland Nine have now been suspended without pay, on the grounds of insubordination.
I find this to be an abhorent reaction on the part of the Ahland Police Department. After all, in a court of law, you cannot force a crimninal defendant-nor a suspect-to take a polygraph examination. In the event they do agree to take one, it can be used as an investigative aid only, and regardless of the results is inadmissable in a court of law as evidence either of guilt or of innocence.
This is only in part because it is against the Constitutions guarantees against self-incrimination according to the Fifth Amendment. It is also, just as importantly perhaps, because poygraphs are notoriously unreliable.
I always considered it a travesty that businesses and government agencies were allowed to get away with polygraphing employees and applicants, precisely due to both reasons. It's intrusive. It's anti-American. It's just flat out wrong.
It's also worth noting that this subject of a polygraph came up mainly because the accusser in the case took her own polygraph examination, which reportedly showed her to ber truthful. Yet, this test was conducted by a former FBI agent, a professional polygrapher, who was hired by the woman's attorney. But would she garner the same results were she to be polygraphed by an independant agency?
The Ashland Police Department should be held to the same high standards prosecutors are suppossedly held to in criminal cases. If the Ashland Nine are guilty of the charges of sexual misconduct with which they have been charged by this one female complainant, while on duty, it shold be easy enough to prove it without resorting to this infringement on the civil liberties which these nine uniformed police officers have to an equal extent as their accusser, and anyone else.
On the other hand, if the charges can't be otherwise proven, there's more than a small chance it's because there's no "there" there.
And refuse. To take part in a polygraph examination, that is, requested by the Department. Nine denials, and nine refusals. Of course, as a consequence of this, the Ashland Nine have now been suspended without pay, on the grounds of insubordination.
I find this to be an abhorent reaction on the part of the Ahland Police Department. After all, in a court of law, you cannot force a crimninal defendant-nor a suspect-to take a polygraph examination. In the event they do agree to take one, it can be used as an investigative aid only, and regardless of the results is inadmissable in a court of law as evidence either of guilt or of innocence.
This is only in part because it is against the Constitutions guarantees against self-incrimination according to the Fifth Amendment. It is also, just as importantly perhaps, because poygraphs are notoriously unreliable.
I always considered it a travesty that businesses and government agencies were allowed to get away with polygraphing employees and applicants, precisely due to both reasons. It's intrusive. It's anti-American. It's just flat out wrong.
It's also worth noting that this subject of a polygraph came up mainly because the accusser in the case took her own polygraph examination, which reportedly showed her to ber truthful. Yet, this test was conducted by a former FBI agent, a professional polygrapher, who was hired by the woman's attorney. But would she garner the same results were she to be polygraphed by an independant agency?
The Ashland Police Department should be held to the same high standards prosecutors are suppossedly held to in criminal cases. If the Ashland Nine are guilty of the charges of sexual misconduct with which they have been charged by this one female complainant, while on duty, it shold be easy enough to prove it without resorting to this infringement on the civil liberties which these nine uniformed police officers have to an equal extent as their accusser, and anyone else.
On the other hand, if the charges can't be otherwise proven, there's more than a small chance it's because there's no "there" there.
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