Thursday, November 09, 2006
At Least He Didn't Try To Marry The Guy
If your soul is feeling a little lost this morning and in need of a spiritual pick-me-up, here's an inspirational hymn (link sent in by BJ). It's based on the experiences of Ted Haggard, the widely respected evangelist religious leader from Colorado who recently decided to expand his ministry through the miracle of methamphetamine fueled gay sex with a male prostitute.
Not that there's anything wrong with that....
Not that there's anything wrong with that....
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Don't Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out, Rummy
For much of the last three years, critics of the Iraq war have singled out Donald Rumsfeld for criticism. They have accused him of not using enough troops, of ignoring his generals, of shutting the State Department out of the occupation, and of being an all around colossal arrogant prick. Yet through it all, President Bush has stood by his Secretary of Defense, saying he has every confidence in the job he's doing. Even as late as last week, the President reaffirmed his faith in Rumsfeld.
Well, that was BEFORE the fiasco that befell the Republicans in yesterday's voting. With the House going Democrat, the Senate on the verge of doing so, and the majority of governorships lost by Republicans, it suddenly dawned on Bush that maybe there are some Americans out there who have gotten tired of the constant bullshit being shoveled out of the White House. Consequently it became necessary to find a scapegoat to take responsibility for the electoral losses, and guess who turned out to be the fall guy: Donald Rumsfeld.
The President announced today that a fresh perspective is needed at the Pentagon, and that Rumsfeld will be stepping down.
Huh? All of a sudden NOW is the time for a "fresh perspective!?!?" That's like Captain Smith deciding to replace the guys up in the crow's nest AFTER the Titanic hit the iceberg.
Too bad Bush didn't see the need for this change two years ago. Maybe then our troops' body count wouldn't be pushing 3,000, America's international prestige wouldn't be in the toilet, and thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens wouldn't have died in the crossfire of a civil war.
Well, that was BEFORE the fiasco that befell the Republicans in yesterday's voting. With the House going Democrat, the Senate on the verge of doing so, and the majority of governorships lost by Republicans, it suddenly dawned on Bush that maybe there are some Americans out there who have gotten tired of the constant bullshit being shoveled out of the White House. Consequently it became necessary to find a scapegoat to take responsibility for the electoral losses, and guess who turned out to be the fall guy: Donald Rumsfeld.
The President announced today that a fresh perspective is needed at the Pentagon, and that Rumsfeld will be stepping down.
Huh? All of a sudden NOW is the time for a "fresh perspective!?!?" That's like Captain Smith deciding to replace the guys up in the crow's nest AFTER the Titanic hit the iceberg.
Too bad Bush didn't see the need for this change two years ago. Maybe then our troops' body count wouldn't be pushing 3,000, America's international prestige wouldn't be in the toilet, and thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens wouldn't have died in the crossfire of a civil war.
A Photo Finish In Virginia
In 2004 Republicans relied on the dual themes of family values and fear mongering to maintain their hold on power, and it worked.
They tried to do the same again this year, but weighed down by numerous charges of corruption and questionable sexual practices, the family values thing only made people burst out laughing. And with serious questions about the Iraq war, the fear factor failed to win over voters this time around. As a result, Democrats have comfortably retaken the House of Representatives and appear poised to capture the Senate as well.
One of the key Senate races has been the Virginia contest between incumbent Republican George Allen, who has been one of George W. Bush's most loyal allies, and challenger James Webb. Webb relied on Allen's fierce loyalty to the President, along with serious questions about the Republican's thinking on matters of race, to launch a serious challenge.
In fact, until last spring, very few people in Virginia had a clue who Webb was. Even I had never heard of him until a friend (Yes, you started me on the Webb path, Mike K.) emailed me an article about his likely run for office. And even going into the Democratic primary last June, Webb was considered something of an underdog. The point was moot, however, since Allen was an immensely popular Senator and former Virginia governor, and appeared unbeatable. Some in the national Republican party had even crowned Allen as Bush's heir apparent and were touting him as a presidential candidate in 2008.
Whether Webb has succeeded in pulling off a major upset remains to be seen. Out of over 2.25 million votes cast, the Democrat held a lead of less than 2,000 as of 12:30 A.M. this morning. Whether he is able to maintain that lead remains to be seen, since an estimated 130,000 absentee ballots remain to be counted. Even after those numbers are in, recounts are certain to follow.
They tried to do the same again this year, but weighed down by numerous charges of corruption and questionable sexual practices, the family values thing only made people burst out laughing. And with serious questions about the Iraq war, the fear factor failed to win over voters this time around. As a result, Democrats have comfortably retaken the House of Representatives and appear poised to capture the Senate as well.
One of the key Senate races has been the Virginia contest between incumbent Republican George Allen, who has been one of George W. Bush's most loyal allies, and challenger James Webb. Webb relied on Allen's fierce loyalty to the President, along with serious questions about the Republican's thinking on matters of race, to launch a serious challenge.
In fact, until last spring, very few people in Virginia had a clue who Webb was. Even I had never heard of him until a friend (Yes, you started me on the Webb path, Mike K.) emailed me an article about his likely run for office. And even going into the Democratic primary last June, Webb was considered something of an underdog. The point was moot, however, since Allen was an immensely popular Senator and former Virginia governor, and appeared unbeatable. Some in the national Republican party had even crowned Allen as Bush's heir apparent and were touting him as a presidential candidate in 2008.
Whether Webb has succeeded in pulling off a major upset remains to be seen. Out of over 2.25 million votes cast, the Democrat held a lead of less than 2,000 as of 12:30 A.M. this morning. Whether he is able to maintain that lead remains to be seen, since an estimated 130,000 absentee ballots remain to be counted. Even after those numbers are in, recounts are certain to follow.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Monday, November 06, 2006
Election Eve
The picture below (didn't turn out nearly as well as I had hoped) was the scene outside the Vienna, Virginia Metro station this morning. There was a super-sized mob outside the entrance sporting signs of various sizes for Jim Webb, the Democrat Senatorial candidate running against incumbent Republican George "Macaca Head" Allen.
Shortly after I took that photo, I recognized my own Congressman, Frank Wolf, emerge from the crowd and head for the parking lot. Wolf is a Republican, so I'm guessing he was there campaigning for himself rather than on behalf of Webb. As he walked by, I said something along the lines of "I'm surprised to see you in this crowd." Wolf just smiled, jotted down my license plate number, and said the IRS would be in touch with me.
Wolf was first elected in 1980, the same year as Ronald Reagan. He's been pretty popular in the state of Northern Virginia and usually gets re-elected with well over 60% of the vote. Democrats rarely succeed in running a significant opponent against him.
But in keeping with the anti-Republican tide sweeping the nation this year, recent polls show Wolf leading by only five percentage points. His challenger is Judy Feder, who is a Dean of something or another at Georgetown University. If Feder manages to pull out a victory, it would be a major upset.
Personally I've routinely voted for Wolf in the past, but not this time. He lost my vote during the Terry Schiavo circus last year. Although the congressman was out of the country and didn't vote to continue her life support, he later said that if he had been present, he would have. If only he had kept his mouth shut, Wolf would still have my vote.
The two signs on the right are for Tom Davis, also a Republican. Davis is a shoe-in to be re-elected. His district and Wolf's border on one another in the Vienna area, which explains why one often sees signs for both in the same area.
Later in the morning I was at the metro station again when a guy with Allen literature approached me. I told him I wasn't interested, and that I considered Allen to be an embarrassment for Virginia. The guy replied, "Webb is the one you should be embarrassed by. He's a pornographer." I asked if this was in reference to Webb's books, and he said yes, that the books were pornography.
All of a sudden I wished I were Darth Vader, and that I could just use The Force to make this guy's head explode like a melon.
I pointed out that the books were NOT pornography, that they merely contained a couple of sex scenes. Then I asked the guy how he "got here." He hesitated and said he drove. I said, no, that's not what I meant. Then I went in for the kill and told him that the reason he was here, on Earth, was because his parents had sex at least once. The guy then mumbled something about that being different and walked away.
Incidentally, earlier I made reference to the "state of Northern Virginia." The Washington Post recently had a good article about the differences between the state's northern counties and the rest of Virginia. Basically, it says those of us up here identify much more closely with DC than with Richmond, the state capital. It goes on to say that given the profound differences in politics, values and priorities, there are essentially two Virginias.
And as far I'm concerned, George Allen can stay down in HIS Virginia.
Shortly after I took that photo, I recognized my own Congressman, Frank Wolf, emerge from the crowd and head for the parking lot. Wolf is a Republican, so I'm guessing he was there campaigning for himself rather than on behalf of Webb. As he walked by, I said something along the lines of "I'm surprised to see you in this crowd." Wolf just smiled, jotted down my license plate number, and said the IRS would be in touch with me.
Wolf was first elected in 1980, the same year as Ronald Reagan. He's been pretty popular in the state of Northern Virginia and usually gets re-elected with well over 60% of the vote. Democrats rarely succeed in running a significant opponent against him.
But in keeping with the anti-Republican tide sweeping the nation this year, recent polls show Wolf leading by only five percentage points. His challenger is Judy Feder, who is a Dean of something or another at Georgetown University. If Feder manages to pull out a victory, it would be a major upset.
Personally I've routinely voted for Wolf in the past, but not this time. He lost my vote during the Terry Schiavo circus last year. Although the congressman was out of the country and didn't vote to continue her life support, he later said that if he had been present, he would have. If only he had kept his mouth shut, Wolf would still have my vote.
The two signs on the right are for Tom Davis, also a Republican. Davis is a shoe-in to be re-elected. His district and Wolf's border on one another in the Vienna area, which explains why one often sees signs for both in the same area.
Later in the morning I was at the metro station again when a guy with Allen literature approached me. I told him I wasn't interested, and that I considered Allen to be an embarrassment for Virginia. The guy replied, "Webb is the one you should be embarrassed by. He's a pornographer." I asked if this was in reference to Webb's books, and he said yes, that the books were pornography.
All of a sudden I wished I were Darth Vader, and that I could just use The Force to make this guy's head explode like a melon.
I pointed out that the books were NOT pornography, that they merely contained a couple of sex scenes. Then I asked the guy how he "got here." He hesitated and said he drove. I said, no, that's not what I meant. Then I went in for the kill and told him that the reason he was here, on Earth, was because his parents had sex at least once. The guy then mumbled something about that being different and walked away.
Incidentally, earlier I made reference to the "state of Northern Virginia." The Washington Post recently had a good article about the differences between the state's northern counties and the rest of Virginia. Basically, it says those of us up here identify much more closely with DC than with Richmond, the state capital. It goes on to say that given the profound differences in politics, values and priorities, there are essentially two Virginias.
And as far I'm concerned, George Allen can stay down in HIS Virginia.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Maybe We Can Offer Him Bananas As A Reward
In a major discovery, scientists have determined that elephants can recognize themselves in mirrors. Moreover, they can use mirrors to explore parts of themselves that they otherwise can't see.
Other animals are known to recognize images in mirrors, but they don't associate the reflection to themselves. For example, birds will look in a mirror and think they're seeing another bird, which is why they will often attack the reflection.
Scientists say this is a profound evidence of the evolution of intelligence. Elephants are the first animal to pass the mirror test, though others have shown various degrees of some self-awareness. For example, monkeys seem to do well on tests that measure gaps in their knowledge. As one scientist said of chimps, "they're good at knowing what they don't know."
Monkeys are capable of knowing what they don't know!?!? Is it too late to teach President Bush that trick?
Other animals are known to recognize images in mirrors, but they don't associate the reflection to themselves. For example, birds will look in a mirror and think they're seeing another bird, which is why they will often attack the reflection.
Scientists say this is a profound evidence of the evolution of intelligence. Elephants are the first animal to pass the mirror test, though others have shown various degrees of some self-awareness. For example, monkeys seem to do well on tests that measure gaps in their knowledge. As one scientist said of chimps, "they're good at knowing what they don't know."
Monkeys are capable of knowing what they don't know!?!? Is it too late to teach President Bush that trick?
Didn't Kramer Once Do This On Seinfeld?
A 15 year old boy in Florida stole a transit bus and drove a route, picking up passengers and pocketing the money for himself. He was eventually arrested and charged with grand larceny.
No word on whether he was more punctual than the regular drivers.
No word on whether he was more punctual than the regular drivers.
Friday, November 03, 2006
The Significance Of Insignificance
I came across this amazing video on another site. More than anything else I have ever watched, heard, or read, this 6:38 clip has given me new perspective on how utterly meaningless and insignificant George W. Bush is in the overall scheme of things.
Bring Them Home
How much longer well we continue to sacrifice our young men and women in Iraq? The October death toll for American military personnel in Iraq was 105, the highest since January of 2005, bringing the war's total to over 2,800. And that figure doesn't include the thousands who have been wounded, many of whom return comatose, severely brain damaged, or with missing limbs. For those individuals and their families, there is only a lifetime of pain and suffering still ahead.
And why? Iraq was not a threat. Our no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq had Saddam contained. And under intense U.S. pressure U.N. inspection teams looking for WMD's had free reign to move around throughout Iraq. They were doing their job until we told them to get out of the country mere days before we launched the invasion. Nor did Saddam have any ties to Al Qaida, and there were no Iraqis among the hijackers. Indeed, there weren't even any terrorists there until we showed up.
It's time to face facts and end this folly. Iraq is lost.
It was lost after the first 100 days of the occupation when we suddenly realized we had no plan. There was no plan for restoring order, securing the borders, or getting the electricity turned back on.
The administration has been telling us for the last three years that we're about to turn the corner. First it was the deaths of Saddam's sons and the capture of Saddam. After that it was always "things will improve after" the return of power to the Iraqis, or parliamentary elections, or the referendum on the new constitution, or the new Prime Minister. Most recently the death of terror leader Zarqawi was supposed to take the wind out of the insurgency. Instead violence has spiked since June, and continues to accelerate. Now we're being told that the insurgents have picked up their efforts because they know the United States is having elections and they want to embarrass the Bush administration.
It's always something, isn't it?
We currently have 140,000 American soldiers in Iraq. There have been well over 100,000 troops there since March of 2003. If after three and a half years we still haven't gotten the situation under control, we NEVER will. Indeed, it only continues to get worse. There is nothing we can do at this point to change that. Our young men and women will only continue to spill their blood and sacrifice their lives in a meaningless conflict built on a web of lies.
During the 2004 presidential campaign John Kerry asked, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" It won't be easy, but that time is upon us.
And why? Iraq was not a threat. Our no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq had Saddam contained. And under intense U.S. pressure U.N. inspection teams looking for WMD's had free reign to move around throughout Iraq. They were doing their job until we told them to get out of the country mere days before we launched the invasion. Nor did Saddam have any ties to Al Qaida, and there were no Iraqis among the hijackers. Indeed, there weren't even any terrorists there until we showed up.
It's time to face facts and end this folly. Iraq is lost.
It was lost after the first 100 days of the occupation when we suddenly realized we had no plan. There was no plan for restoring order, securing the borders, or getting the electricity turned back on.
The administration has been telling us for the last three years that we're about to turn the corner. First it was the deaths of Saddam's sons and the capture of Saddam. After that it was always "things will improve after" the return of power to the Iraqis, or parliamentary elections, or the referendum on the new constitution, or the new Prime Minister. Most recently the death of terror leader Zarqawi was supposed to take the wind out of the insurgency. Instead violence has spiked since June, and continues to accelerate. Now we're being told that the insurgents have picked up their efforts because they know the United States is having elections and they want to embarrass the Bush administration.
It's always something, isn't it?
We currently have 140,000 American soldiers in Iraq. There have been well over 100,000 troops there since March of 2003. If after three and a half years we still haven't gotten the situation under control, we NEVER will. Indeed, it only continues to get worse. There is nothing we can do at this point to change that. Our young men and women will only continue to spill their blood and sacrifice their lives in a meaningless conflict built on a web of lies.
During the 2004 presidential campaign John Kerry asked, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" It won't be easy, but that time is upon us.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Hypocrisy Alert
Congratulations are in order for the Reverend Ted Haggard. In case you're a godless heathen who votes Democratic and haven't heard of him, the good Reverend is head of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals. He is also head of the New Life Church, which has a congregation of 14,000. Haggard and his followers are leading opponents of same sex marriage, and what could be more noble than that?
Oh, and Mr. Haggard is also accused of carrying on a three year affair with another man.
Nothing wrong with that. After all, it's not like he tried to marry the guy.
Oh, and Mr. Haggard is also accused of carrying on a three year affair with another man.
Nothing wrong with that. After all, it's not like he tried to marry the guy.
A Shining Example
One of the reasons given for the invasion of Iraq--AFTER the weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al Qaeda things didn't work out--was to transform the nation into some sort of inspirational example of democracy and freedom. As it turns out, that seems to finally be succeeding.... Well, sort of.
For example, the public in Syria is so appalled by the chaos and carnage that has enveloped Iraq that they have stopped pushing for democratic reforms. In fact, human rights advocates in Syria are now branded as "traitors," and citizens have come to appreciate the stability provided by living in a dictatorship.
Well, at least President Bush has accomplished something in the middle east!
For example, the public in Syria is so appalled by the chaos and carnage that has enveloped Iraq that they have stopped pushing for democratic reforms. In fact, human rights advocates in Syria are now branded as "traitors," and citizens have come to appreciate the stability provided by living in a dictatorship.
Well, at least President Bush has accomplished something in the middle east!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Identity Crisis
Why do people think I'm some sort of liberal left wing nut job? Now someone else has referred to this blog as being "Democrat."
Does favoring a less intrusive federal government make me a Democrat? Is hoping for a balanced budget somehow un-Republican? How about wishing for leaders who don't pander to fringe groups that seek to impose the Bible on the entire country? Hoping for a government that leaves life & death medical decisions to trained medical professionals? Yearning for a President who is mentally capable of understanding the vast bodies of scientific evidence supporting evolution? Expecting that our nation's leaders will defend this country and not lead us into unnecessary wars based on falsehoods, fabrications and ignored intelligence?
If that's what it means to be a Democrat, then so be it.
Does favoring a less intrusive federal government make me a Democrat? Is hoping for a balanced budget somehow un-Republican? How about wishing for leaders who don't pander to fringe groups that seek to impose the Bible on the entire country? Hoping for a government that leaves life & death medical decisions to trained medical professionals? Yearning for a President who is mentally capable of understanding the vast bodies of scientific evidence supporting evolution? Expecting that our nation's leaders will defend this country and not lead us into unnecessary wars based on falsehoods, fabrications and ignored intelligence?
If that's what it means to be a Democrat, then so be it.
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