What is he saying?

Unbelievably, during his "suprise" trip to Iraq on Christmas Eve, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld CONTRADICTED the official 9/11 story about the plane that went down in Pennsylvania: WorldNetDaily: Rumsfeld says 9-11 plane 'shot down' in Pennsylvania

Read the story. Then ask yourself, what the heck is going on? How many "versions" of this story exist? The "official" version is apparently different from the "Rumsfeld '04" version. Which one is the truth, or is that ANOTHER version?

More later...
Paul

US bankruptcy law has worldwide jurisdiction

I didn't know that; did you? Actually the full quote, taken from this amazing story (BBC NEWS | Business | Q&A: The battle for Yukos) is this: "US bankruptcy law has worldwide jurisdiction in terms of safeguarding the assets of companies in financial difficulties. "

Oh, by the way, Yukos is merely the largest oil-producing company in Russia. And it was auctioned off today and purchased by a mysterious company no one knows much about. And the Bush Administration is upset about this turn of events and has registered their unhappiness with the Russian government.

"We had hoped for a solution that would allow for the legitimate enforcement of tax laws but avoid harming investors, especially American investors," White House spokesperson Scott McClellan said today.

I'm just curious as to who those American investors might be.

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Paul

This Isn't News

Once again, the mainstream media take common knowledge and tout it as "news": Poll: Most Americans Think Iraq War Not Worth Fighting (washingtonpost.com)

This is old, OLD news. It may not be the result of an old poll, but most Americans were against going to war in Iraq BEFORE the damn thing started...and then the President and his boys lied about the WMD's and imminent danger and all of that claptrap.

So here we are. American people dying for nothing. When will we bring them home?

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Paul

They Still Let Him Speak In Public?

Fresh off his election win, with his "mandate" tucked securely in his breast pocket, it's still unfortunate that President Bush has the public speaking skills of a fourth grader: Yahoo! News - Bush won't "negotiate with himself"

What the heck is he talking about? Did he mean to say "negate" himself? Or is he just using amusing language to cover up the fact that he HAS no facts to state?

That lil' electric earpiece thingy isn't working...

More later...
Paul

RIP Gary Webb

Suicide? Right, and beginner pilots hijacked modern jetliners and flew them into buildings...we'll believe ANYTHING.

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Paul

Oh Yeah, I Feel Safer Now

I spent a good part of 2004 in airport "security" screening lines...you know, the ones where they make you take off your shoes "just in case". I have also opened my luggage to find inside a letter stating that my bags were searched after they were checked in by airline personnel. Well, according to this story, these screening people aren't doing such a good job: Yahoo! News - N.J. Airport Security Spot & Lose Fake Bomb

So they planted a fake bomb on a flight to Amsterdam, and the "security" personnel couldn't find it. The fake bomb made it all the way to Amsterdam, where I suppose airport officials were notified that the bomb was fake. This was a test...and the Transporation Security Administration (TSA) failed miserably. The spokeswoman says the result of the test "really underscores the importance of TSA's ongoing training". Well, duh. Great spin.

In the meantime, millions of passengers are standing in line as I write this, many of them barefoot, waiting to be "screened" and allowed to proceed to their flights. And while they wait, someone could be secreting a not-so-fake bomb into the luggage compartment.

Look, if the system is not working, FIX IT. Or get someone who CAN fix it.

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Paul

"Serious Setback"

Hey, these were THEIR words, not mine: Yahoo! News - U.S. Missile Defense Test Fails

Read the story. In this $85 million test (!), the interceptor missile failed to fly. It didn't even take off. My concerns about the viability of this program didn't include basic rocketry problems. I'm still unconvinced that, in the case of a multiple missile attack, we would not be able to successfully intercept enough missiles to avoid lasting damage to our country.

There are those that insist that intercepting "some" nuclear warheads is better than "none", but Wednesday's test puts even THAT theory to question.

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Paul

What Does This Mean To You?

Another big merger deal in the business world, this time in the technology sector: Yahoo! News - Oracle Buys PeopleSoft for $10.3 Billion

Now, how will this affect you? Most people are dimly aware of the Oracle databases that make their electronic world turn smoothly. And many have no idea exactly what type of software PeopleSoft produces. No matter. By teaming the two up, the owners have created either a juggernaut or a monster; time will tell. It's hard to bet against Oracle head honco Larry Ellison, though.

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Paul

More about Rumsfeld

Jon Stewart is officially my hero, at least in my personal Pantheon of media dragon-slayers. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the media jumped all over the "news" that a specialist in the Army dared to ask Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld some tough questions at an all-too-rare gripe session in Iraq. Well, Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" nailed that story to the wall in this must-see clip.

Enjoy. I wish more television were like this.

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Paul

15 Minutes of Unwanted Fame

So the day after the Secretary of Defense holds a tense question-and-answer session with the U.S. troops in Iraq, the story spins out of control: Yahoo! News - Bush, Rumsfeld Try to Soothe Angry U.S. Troops

What's most interesting about this story is how the press has focused on one particular exchange, in which a lowly enlisted man dared to complain to Rumsfeld that they the soldiers have been reduced to digging in scrap heaps to find armor for their vehicles. Rumsfeld's initial response? "Can you repeat the question?"

Well, that was enough for the press. They have identified the soldier as Specialist Thomas Wilson, and ABC's "Good Morning America" show went so far as to look up the poor man's wife, Regina, and put her on the show this morning, only to grill her about the nerve of her husband. Or something like that, I didn't really watch the show...

Which really begs the question: which part of all this hoopla is NEWS? We already knew the troops were underprotected...that story came out months ago. We pretty much knew Rumsfeld would hem and haw about the reason the Pentagon sends unprepared troops to do battle ("You go to war with the Army you have"), so that's not news.

I guess the newsworthy element was watching a private question a superior officer...the Secretary of Defense! I wonder if he'll face a court martial for insubordination? Check out Rummy's quote about how he was going to handle the soldier's temerity: "I don't know what the facts are but somebody's certainly going to sit down with him and find out what he knows that they may not know, and make sure he knows what they know that he may not know, and that's a good thing."

Good for who?

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Paul

I think the Senators are Speed Readers

Well, now the U.S. Senate has tossed it's collective hat in the ring, voting 89-2 to pass the so-called "Intelligence Overhaul" bill: Yahoo! News - Congress Passes Historic Spy Agencies Bill

Already I'm hearing nightmare stories about this boondoggle. One story says this bill clears the way for a national identity card. Now, why the hell do we need something like that? I KNOW who I am. I don't need no steenkin' card to identify ME...oh! The authorities want it so THEY can identify me...what, my California driver's license is no good? What about my overused VISA card?

Seriously, what could possibly go wrong with a national identity card program? Well, I'm willing to bet it includes a fingerprint component as well, just in case some of those blue-state liberals decides to turn felon all of a sudden. Oh sure, we can joke about it NOW, but just wait...this bill has got more surprises than, uh, [insert metaphor here].

Sorry about that. Ran out of brainpower...must be something going around, because the same ailment apparently affected 89 U.S. Senators today, too.

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Paul

Did They Read The Damn Thing This Time?

Here we go again. Yahoo! News - House Approves U.S. Intelligence Overhaul

Our wonderful elected Congress is giving the okay to this so-called "Intelligence Overhaul" bill. I took a look at parts of it yesterday and, of course, it was so complex and confusing that I would need a week to get a handle on it. I just hope our elected representatives did their jobs and READ the thing BEFORE they approved it...especially those wishy-washy Democrats (yes, that means YOU, Senator Kerry).

75 Congressmen voted no. Check out this comment: "I believe creating a national intelligence director is a huge mistake," said Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill). "It's another bureaucracy, it's another layer of government. It would not have prevented 9/11 and it will not prevent another 9/11." Spoken like a true Republican, not a neo-conservative imperialist.

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Paul

Welcome to the New Cold War

It makes sense that the first deployment of our missile defense system be on the West Coast. After all, big bad China has had nuclear-tipped Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles for a while now. In fact, the Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that China's current nuclear stockpile includes about 450 nuclear weapons (info from the Nuclear Threat Initiative website: www.nti.org). Not all of these are missiles...some are merely bombs...but you get the point. But are we worried about China lobbing nukes during this era of unprecedented business partnership with the West? Or is it some other Pacific Rim country? North Korea, perhaps?

Do you have any idea of N. Korea's nuclear capability? Well, NTI does. They say that N. Korea has been developing ballistic missiles and "it could deliver a small payload to the western part of the continental United States, although with low confidence in its accuracy."

Exactly how accurate does a nuclear missile have to be? And what do they mean by "small" payload? On this vital detail, the NTI is suspiciously silent.

One would like to hope that the bally-hooed "Intelligence Reform" bill will result in more answers to questions like these. Yeah, right.

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Paul

What? No 'Orgy of Self-Congratulation'?

Quietly, with very little fanfare, the first installment of the so-called "Star Wars" missile defense system (formerly known as SDI - Strategice Defense Initiative) will be unveiled at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc Valley, California: The First missile interceptor to be installed at VAFB

The "interceptor" missiles will become operational at a "later date", according to the Missile Defense Agency.

My question about this questionable program has always been a simple one: what are the ramifications of filling the heavens with exploded bits of nuclear warheads? Hopefully, we'll never find out.

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Paul

Just In Time For Christmas

For those of us old enough to remember browsing the old "Big Book" catalog, this story comes as quite a surprise: Yahoo! News - Kmart Buying Sears in $11 Billion Deal

This would have been completely unheard of 30 to 35 years ago, when Sears Roebuck was the undisputed KING of department stores. Sears practically invented "catalog shopping" with their famous "Big Book", whereas Kmart is known for inventing the deep discount store.

What's even more interesting is that Kmart was seeking bankruptcy protection in 2002. Quite a turnaround.

Now, let's see how Wal-Mart and Target respond.

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Paul

The Story Got Bigger

It looks like yesterday's story about the human torch has legs:My Way News

According to the Washington Post, the poor guy was a federal informant on terrorism, and he was so upset by how the FBI mismanaged his case that he decided to burn himself to death in protest. Turns out he believed the FBI reneged on a deal to pay him over $100,000 and grant him permanent residency for his information.

I guess the normal course of legal action was closed to him.

Well, it looks like the story is getting out. Let's see how far it goes.

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Paul

This Story Will Disappear Quickly

Check this story out: Yahoo! News - Man Sets Himself on Fire Near White House

Certainly a rather extreme way of protesting, but note how the only videotape of the even was confiscated by the Secret Service. Why? Seems like they're depriving not only the tourists that did the taping from earning a fat monetary reward from the news services, but they also keep the protester from reaching his intended "audience".

Interesting how the Associated Press was able to obtain still photos...why did the SS fail to confiscate these?

So, the SS doused the flames with a fire extinguisher and sent the man to the hospital. Wonder what crime he'll be charged with...and will he do time in a regular jail or a mental institution? Your tax dollars are work...

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Paul

Let the Battle Begin

CBS News, once known for its uncompromising journalism, is now reduced to taking potshots at bloggers: CBS News | Blogging As Typing, Not Journalism | November 8, 2004

This is not surprising...the old line will always denigrate the "new kids on the block" until the very last minute, at which point they will act like they were down with it all along. It was just a couple of years ago that the old media giants were dismissing Matt Drudge's "Drudge Report" as some type of worthless scandal ezine...now it's just as mainstream as Fox News (and just as sensational).

What the old guys don't get is that the "blogosphere" is much more than a few bloggers writing about the news. This is a very difficult concept for them to wrap their minds around. The attached article uses very derogatory language, comparing bloggers to "parasites" and blogs to high school newspapers. Well, the truth is that many bloggers ARE high school age...what of it? I've yet to come across a blog that claims to be a site of journalistic integrity (not that they don't exist), but that has never been the point of "blogging". These are, at base, personal journals, FULL of unapologetic subjectivity. If we didn't provide our point of view, there would be no point at all.

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Paul

The War in My Bathroom.

The semi-annual invasion of my bathroom by ants has begun, and I was absent-mindedly squashing them with my thumb while shaving this morning and musing over the fact that many people feel that the solution to violence is more violence…and here I was killing ants!

I started to think about my battle with the ants. They seem to show up in the middle of the summer, and then again sometime in the winter. In the summer, they seem to be thirsty, as they make a beeline for a leaky faucet. But my faucets were recently replaced, so I’m not quite sure what they’re after now.

I have learned that they always send out scouts, and they tend to travel in pairs. If I kill one, the other will appear out of nowhere, frantically looking for his partner. If I kill both of them, another pair of scouts will show up almost immediately. So far, they’ve only arrived in small numbers. If they find whatever it is they’re looking for, then they’ll bring in the inf-ant-ry to carry away the loot. And that’s usually when I escalate from “conventional” weaponry (squishing them) to chemical warfare (RAID!).

I also have an ally in the insect world…spiders…and me and the spiders have a spoken agreement that as long as they stay out of sight, I won’t kill them too. And they can have all the ants and other insects they can catch. This deal usually works out well, and my place at least appears to be insect-free. But occasionally the spiders get lazy and we’ll surprise each other…I’ll pull back the curtain for my morning spider and catch one napping in the tub, and it will surprise ME by how disgustingly big it is. They must get pretty fat on ants.

I killed a spider in my bathroom a couple of weeks ago, a damn big one. Before I delivered the death blow (conventional weapon), I reminded the scoundrel that it violated the terms of our deal. Now, I know that I’m making a big assumption in assuming that the spiders have agreed to our truce. For all I know, they may be ignoring me completely, just like the ants do (when I talk to the ants, they don’t even act like they hear me…obviously we have a language difficulty). But the spiders do a pretty good job of staying out of sight, so as far as I’m concerned, the treaty is working.

But what to do about the ants? If I see many more than I saw this morning, I will be moved to unleash the chemicals. But what really puzzles me is why they are there in the first place. Granted, my bathroom could be cleaner, but it’s not like I’m leaving food crumbs in my bathtub. What is attracting them? I feel like if I can understand their motivation, I can be more successful in keeping them out of my house…without resorting to killing them all.

By now, dear reader, I am quite sure you see the similarities between my bathroom battle and that of the current “War on Terror”. The Western world is justifiably annoyed and concerned by the ant-like extremists that periodically make grand nuisances of themselves by way of suicide bombings and the like. We (the West) can continue to use our arsenals to kill more and more of the extremists (even though they have shown great propensity to kill THEMSELVES), but at some point in the very near future, we will HAVE to identify the motivating force that is animating these vermin. Maybe it’s as simple as cleaning the tub with bleach….or something like that.

In my case, if the entire ant colony were to attack my bathroom, it would be a horrible sight…millions of ants pouring out of the wall, converging on…what? Whatever, I would be forced to bring in the heavy artillery: commercial pest control. Chemical warfare on a large scale. We might even have to tent the house and literally soak it in poison…which, of course, means death to the spiders and other non-combatants…”collateral damage” so to speak. This will be costly, but it won’t require that I “understand” the ants and work to remove their motivation.

Can’t we all just get along?

More later…
Paul

Sure, NOW he takes credit...

So here's the latest news on the War on Terror, just in time for the presidential election: Yahoo! News - Bin Laden Says He Ordered 9/11 Attacks

Isn't this, like, November 2004? So it took Osama THREE YEARS to make up his mind and say "Yeah, I did it?" Doesn't he read the newspapers or watch Fox News? We blamed this on ya a long time ago, babe, pay attention!

Is it me, or does this actually make it seem even more unlikely that he was behind the attack? And is it me, or does it seem strange that this videotape would surface at this time?

I encourage all Americans to ignore this particular videotape. It's clearly a sham, whether it's perpetrated by the actual Bin Laden or not. It's certainly meant to play head games with the American voting public. Forget it. It means nothing.

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Paul

What Would You Do?

Say you were a major American television news network, and you somehow obtained EXCLUSIVE footage of a terrorist threatening to implement a viscious act of violence that would make 9/11 seem like a minor event. But on the tape the terrorist claims that the cause of the violence is the actions of the current American President...and you received the tape just days before a hotly contested presidential election. What would you do? Would you air the tape?

According to Matt Drudge, ABC News is in this very same predicament at this very moment:DRUDGE REPORT 2004? What will they do? What SHOULD they do? Should the safety of the American people override the concern that it might influence the election?

I think so. If the threat is legitimate, I think it would be a CRIMINAL ACT to withhold the information for political expediency. But that's just me.

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Paul

This is just Unfair

It's 2004 and abortion is legal...unless you're in the military. Our man in the White House, George Bush, reinstated a ban on abortions in military hospitals: Abortion Becomes Issue for Military Now, if a young female soldier were to be raped (um, that wouldn't happen in the U.S. military, would it?) and impregnated, she could get a legal abortion...BUT SHE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT HERSELF. Similarly, if the pregnancy were life-threatening, a pay-for-service abortion would be available. But that's it.

Now, tell me how that's fair. A soldier NEVER stops being an American citizen, and American citizen's have the right to abortions. So it must be the issue of who pays for it, eh? So a citizen volunteers to serve their country, is sent to a war overseas and is raped and impregnated...what type of society would not pay for her abortion? How cheap and cheesy can we be?

This election is about a lot of things, and how we treat our young men and women in uniform is definitely one of the issues. Don't let them down by continuing the madness.

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Paul

I Support Jon Stewart

In this poor election year, the mainstream media has finally come to grips with a shocking truth: more people trust Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" for their news than they trust "real" news outlets. And now this:DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2004?

I applaud Stewart for doing what most of us would do if given the opportunity...to tell these overblown stuffed shirts that they've been sitting down on the job and that they need to get their respective asses in gear! I really wish I could have seen the show, but I stopped watching the crap on CNN a long time ago...

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Paul

Not Good News

Alongside mysterious black helicopters and Area 57, implantable identity chips are commonly mentioned by "conspiracy" buffs as proof of the Apocalypse. Well, here they come: FDA approves use of implantable chip in patients to pass medical information to doctors

According to the article, "It's the first time the FDA has approved medical use of the device, though in Mexico, more than 1,000 scannable chips have been implanted in patients. The chip's serial number pulls up the patients' blood type and other medical information." Soooo, what OTHER types of uses have been approved?

Well, how about shopping? Even NEWSWEEK picked up on this: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5093197/site/newsweek/. And there's more like that to come.

Many will undoubtedly say "So what? The government tracks my every movement with my ATM/Debit card anyway. And I don't have anything to hide." Well, bully for you. But keep this one little thing in mind: once we give in to implanted id chips, we open the door for other implantables, some of which will serve to control us in a more proactive manner. Just watch.

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Paul

WTF?

Okay, now what the hell is going on in the Nation's Capital NOW? A democratic senator, of all things, is now fearing for the lives of his staff: CBS News | Terror-Fearing Sen. Shuts Office | October 12, 2004?18:17:13

What's really interesting (and aggravating for those of us with loved ones in the city) is that NO ONE AT HOMELAND SECURITY is saying anything about it. Sure, the senator is referring to a top-secret report, but the Homeland Security people aren't even admitting a threat exists. So who's lying?

And what should my parents do? They live only a few miles away from the Capitol.

More later (I hope)...
Paul

A Brave Statement from a Peace Prize Winner

This remarkable article was just brought to my attention. The very first African woman to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize has used her "bully pulpit" to declare her belief that the AIDS virus was deliberately created by man:HIV virus deliberately created: Wangari Maathai - The Times of India

It takes a very courageous person to stand up before the world a make such a claim. She goes as far as to say the virus was created "for the purpose of mass extermination." Already people are lining up to ridicule her.

I happen to share her belief. I have always found it very difficult to believe the concept of a deadly virus that just sprung up from out of nowhere to devastate certain populations. The article notes that of the 38 million worldwide that are afflicted with the virus, 25 million are African.

Long known as a land with tremendous natural resources, the continent of Africa has been a target for centuries. Conquered and colonized, exploited for financial gain, it's no wonder that depopulation would eventually become an accepted business tactic. Is it a surprise that the "cure" for HIV is too expensive to widely distribute in Africa?

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Paul

Fear This

This election cycle is based on sustaining a climate of fear, specifically, fear of dying at the hands of a terrorist. This is a total unknown, of course, yet it is still a palpable fear in the minds of too many Americans. Yet we already know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that over 500,000 Americans will die next year because of cancer: Salon.com Technology | Ignoring the big C

Maybe we should focus our attention on preventing these senseless deaths?

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Paul

Will Wonders Never Cease?

I reported on the first phase of this story about a year ago, when Boeing announced the award of this multi-billion dollar contract...that was negotiated by a former employee of theirs. Now, some sense has apparently been found in our government: Yahoo! News - Conferees Ban Lease of Boeing Tankers

It's hard to believe, but it looks like the guilty party, Darleen Druyun, is actually going to jail over her conduct! Wow!

Now if we could only get some indictments against those fools responsible for the mortally slow air defense response on 9/11/01.

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Paul

How long will we let them lie?

Do a lot of traveling and the USA Today newspaper attaches itself to your life. Given away free by most hotel chains, the often reviled “News McNuggets” is a surprisingly bi-partisan publication. Go figure. I have a new found respect for this paper because they seem to be solidly middle of the road.

USA Today’s coverage of the Vice Presidential Debate seemed fairly solid. They were willing to call the debate a basic draw, as did many other credible news organizations. But they went a bit further with an analysis of the many lies told by the Vice President. That’s right, lies. Intentional fallacies used in an attempt to both discredit his opponent and cover up his administration’s shameful record.

Once such lie was the bit about Edward’s Senate attendance record. Cheney puffed himself up about how he spends most Tuesday’s in the Senate Chamber in his role as president of the Senate…and then claimed that the debate was the first time that he has actually ever met John Edwards…clearly implying that Edwards never shows up for work. Cheney even went so far as to say that Edwards’ hometown newspaper had taken to calling him “Senator Gone”.

All untrue. All lies, according to USA Today. Yet Cheney delivered these untruths with such unwavering conviction that even John Edwards was stunned. I thought “geez, those were some pretty solid body shots” and I’m sure that Cheney’s supporters were beside themselves with glee. But USA Today checked the Congressional Record. They checked the “hometown” paper, they checked the facts. And the facts show that Cheney flat-out lied.

But the facts didn’t stop certain idiot/asshole TV talking heads from harping on it (http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/archive.html?blog=/politics/war_room/2004/10/07/hardball/index.html), just as they won’t stop a grip of blind Bush supporters from doing their best to re-elect the fool. But as some point, the American people are going to have to demand full accountability from their elected officials, especially from the Executive Branch. As it stands now, we can’t believe a word they say. How shameful is that?

More later…
Paul

On this bogus ‘War on Terror’

Last night during the Vice Presidential Posturing Session (aka the Vice Presidential Debate), flyweight contender John Edwards continued the Democratic strategy of playing into the Republicans’ hands by asserting that he and Kerry intended to win the War on Terror by tracking down terrorists and killing them before they have the opportunity to harm us. Lil’ John spoke with such conviction one could get the impression that he actually believed what he was saying. Vice President Cheney just sat there stone-faced.

Why are the Democrats playing the Republican war-mongering game? Surely they know that this so-called ‘War’ is a total neo-conservative fabrication? Terrorists did NOT declare ‘war’ on the U.S. on 9/11; they did not declare ‘war’ on us when they bombed the U.S.S. Cole, the Beirut barracks, those African embassies or at any other time in the recent or distant past. Historically, ‘terrorist’ actions have been REACTIVE events, undertaken by people who feel their backs are against the wall and that extreme retributive violence is their only remaining option. I mean, how desperate does one have to be to actually plan and execute a SUICIDE mission?

And how blind does one have to be to miss the fact that the current administration is using their so-called ‘War on Terror’ to conduct neo-imperialist military actions in the Middle East? In the same vein, does anyone believe that the Democrats are blissfully unaware of what’s really going on? Kerry and Edwards totally support the ‘War’ because they totally support the aims of the neo-imperialist movement: controlling the oil supply of the Middle East through U.S. installed puppet regimes. Folks, this is no conspiracy theory, it’s straight up historical fact. For those that have trouble believing, I have three words: Shah of Iran.

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Paul

YIKES

Ted Rall has quickly become one of my favorite editorial cartoonists, mostly because he has a hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners sense of humor. But even I had to wince at his latest: Ted Rall online

I mean, he's talking about reality, but it is VERY UNCOMFORTABLE...but why should we be comfortable with sending American men and women to their deaths in questionable military actions?

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Paul

Freedom Reigns...just not in the Nation's Capital

Here's an interesting story, but not for the obvious reasons: Yahoo! News - House Votes to Repeal D.C. Gun Limits

And here's the quiz: For what other U.S. city can the U.S. House of Representatives enact local legislation? Answer: none.

Here's the second part of the quiz: How many voting representatives from the District of Columbia sit in the U.S. Congress? Answer: same as above - none.

So if D.C. has NO congressional representation, how does the House have jurisdiction? Answer: slavery. Or something like that. As a former resident of the District, I STILL think it's an international travesty that the residents of that city live in what is basically a dictatorship, run not by their mayor or city council, but by people who don't even live there.

'The D.C. handgun ban . . . has failed miserably. This bill is demanded by the people of the United States,' the key sponsor of the bill said.

Of course, no one asked the people of the District of Columbia what THEIR demands were...

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Paul

I support THESE troops...

Check this story out:A strident minority: anti-Bush US troops in Iraq | csmonitor.com Apparently, they've been able to show "Fahrenheit 911" to our men and women in uniform over in Iraq. I've got to give the DoD credit for having the balls to do that. Unsurprisingly, it's not making a whole lot of soldiers feel better about George Bush.

From the article: "We shouldn't be here," said one Marine infantryman bluntly. "There was no reason for invading this country in the first place. We just came here and [angered people] and killed a lot of innocent people," said the marine, who has seen regular combat in Ramadi. "I don't enjoy killing women and children, it's not my thing."

It's LONG past time to get out...

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Paul

Out of Control?

Yesterday in the Nation's Capital, a pregnant woman was arrested by a transit officer for "socially unacceptable behavior" - talking too loudly on her cellphone:Between Metro and Cell User, a Disconnect (washingtonpost.com)

Now, if all you read was my first sentence, then you might be inclined to agree with the actions of the subway cop. We've all witnessed rude cellphone users and were forced to endure their bothersome conversations. But according to the story, the Metro transit police officer arrested the woman AFTER her phone conversation...and AFTER he pushed her to the ground.

Say what? A police officer pushed a pregnant woman to the ground? Sometimes when I read the news I forget which country this is...but then I remember, this happened in the same city that CONTINUES to re-elect a proven criminal politician, Marion Barry.

Police Officer: "You have to lower your voice, ma'am"
Pregnant woman: "You can't tell me how loud I can talk."
Police Officer: "I can arrest you"
And a scuffle ensues. The officer forced her to the ground, called for backup, and detained the woman for three hours. I guess the officer was in fear for his life. NOT...

All of this happened, mind you, NOT on a subway car and NOT in a subway station, but OUTSIDE a subway station. And according to the article, the 23-year-old woman was charged with two misdemeanors: "disorderly manner that disturbed the public peace" and resisting arrest.

Response from Metro officials: "We need better enforcement to allow people to know we are serious and want to maintain the high-quality level of the system," said Robert J. Smith, chairman of the Metro board, adding that "ranting youth" have become a plague on the subway.

A plague of "ranting youth"? That's a mass transit problem? Sounds like a social problem to me.

Police state, here we come.

More later...
Paul

Poll Dancing

Read this article and then tell me if your faith in American politics has been restored...or destroyed: Yahoo! News - Campaign Puts Polling Methods Under Microscope

The very sad truth of the matter is that political opinion polls are almost never used to gauge opinion, but to INFLUENCE opinion. If you were able to audit the two major parties' campaign budgets, you'd find that an almost obscene amount of money is spent on polling. And the number of polling "styles" and methods is about as varied as the number of polling organizations. Truth be told, each organization makes up its own rules...and to a very troubling extent, the American media reports those results as the gospel truth, without EVER questioning the accuracy.

From a hard number standpoint, most polls are wildly inaccurate. To explain what I mean by this, I'll use the Presidential approval poll, the poll used to judge whether the American people feel the current President is doing a good job. Setting aside the subjective nature of the question (what, exactly, is a 'good job'?), there is NO WAY for any polling organization to question enough Americans to get an accurate read on this. Statistical experts, of course, beg to differ. And that's their job, so they have to protect their turf. But how can a poll of 20,000 people accurately reflect the thoughts of 250 million?

It cannot.

That's why I choose NOT to pay any attention to these wild-assed pre-election polls about who's "leading" who....they have no way of knowing or predicting what's actually going to happen at the REAL polls in November. And as we all learned last election, even THOSE polls can be compromised.

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Paul

Would You?

Virgin's head madman Richard Branson is at it again, as always, in a big way:Telegraph | News | Branson promises to send tourists into space by 2007

The funny thing is, he sort of has the credibility to pull this off, even though the three-year timetable seems awfully short. Branson has proven to be the kind of man that does what he says he's going to do. And if anyone has the pulse of the ultra-rich adventurer market, it would be Sir Branson. I can't wait to see if he can make this happen. In the meantime, I'll just settle for one of those posh Virgin Atlantic flights...

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Paul

The TSA is Idiotic

Hot on the heels of the Yusef Islam (formerly known as "Cat Stevens") story is this sober news about airline security...or the lack thereof: USATODAY.com - Airport screeners missed weapons

As someone who flies on a weekly basis, and has to endure the whole "empty your pockets, take out your laptop, remove your shoes, is that a belt?" ordeal at least twice a week, it finally hits me that this is all an elaborate ruse to coddle the American public. The entire TSA sham has nothing to do with actually improving airline safety...it's all about giving the APPEARANCE of improved safety...that's all.

Think about it. What is needed to hijack a plane? A bomb? A gun? A box cutter? A nail file? I have to put my nail file in my checked luggage, because they will definitely confiscate it (six inches of stainless, nail-filing steel!) should I be so bold as to carry it in my carry-on. The point is, the only thing that's needed to hijack a plane is INTENT...and a good poker face. One could crumple up a airline-supplied coffee cup with a couple bags of airline-supplied peanuts, stuff it into an airline-supplied vomit bag, then hold it up and yell "I'VE GOT A BOMB! EVERYBODY DO AS I SAY!" and successfully bluff a hijack. You don't need to have real explosives or weapons with you to do that.

The alleged 9/11 hijackers didn't have guns or explosives (so we're told), and look how much damage they did. Why on earth would you bring explosives on board what is already a flying bomb full of explosive jet fuel? That's like bringing sand to the beach.

The truth of the matter is this: if someone is determined to commandeer an airliner, NO amount of luggage pre-screening will stop them. The TSA already knows this, and they will even admit it if you back them into a rhetorical corner. No, the TSA is in existence for two very specific reasons: 1) to project a veneer of increased security and 2) to make someone a lot of money. Guess who?

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Paul

And it just keeps getting worse

Our borders are like sieves, and we let all types of nasty people in this country. But every once in a while, we prevent REALLY dangerous people from entering: Yahoo! News - Ex-Pop Star Cat Stevens Deported from U.S.

Of course, I'm being facetious. There are a lot of strange and unsettling things about this story, not the least of which is the fact that the U.S. news media continue to identify Mr. Islam by a name he left behind DECADES ago...

But even worse is the fact that because he was simply on the airplane, U.S. authorities diverted the flight from it's original destination of Northern Virginia and forced it to land in MAINE. Why Maine? Ostensibly to protect the Northeast corridor, but when did Maine stop being in the Northeast?

Then after being illegally held and questioned - oops, my bad: under the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act they can detain and question at will WITHOUT proof - U.S. authorities transported Mr. Islam to Boston, where he was put on a plane back to London (from whence he originally came).

Isn't Boston in the Northeast, too? So much for "protecting" the Northeast...

As to the issue of WHY the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens was treated like a terrorist, well, read the article. But also note this quote that I pulled out of said article: "United Airlines spokesman Jeff Green said airline staff in London had cross-checked all the information on Islam and found nothing to stop him getting on the U.S.-bound flight. 'All I can say is that we followed all of our procedures and we came up with nothing. To suggest that the blame lies on a United employee is incorrect and unfair,' said Green. "

Well hell, if the airline didn't find anything objectionable about the presence of Mr. Islam, what did U.S. authorities find? Well, they're not saying exactly, but just mumbling something about something that might be something that has something to do with possible terrorist activities.

It's a slippery slope we traverse...

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Paul

What Year is This Again?

I read this article and had to re-read the dates involved: Yahoo! News - Millions Blocked from Voting in U.S. Election. I have trouble believing that these types of activities are still occurring in the United States of America.

What's next, the return of Jim Crow?

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Paul

You Tell 'Em, Ralph

Ralph Nader called the Democrats "gutless, spineless, clueless and hapless" today. Get down, Ralph! Ain't it a pity that neither of the Johns has the courage to speak out as strongly as Ralph Nader does. And it's a REAL pity that the DNC chooses to subvert our democracy out of fear of losing votes to a viable, third party candidate: Yahoo! News - Nader Blames Kerry for Ballot Access Fight.

The "Anybody but Bush" strategy was ill-advised in the first place. For me, it's getting to be "Anybody but Kerry"...

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Paul

The Brown Bunny.

So I was falling asleep in the middle of Vincent Gallo’s new movie “The Brown Bunny”, when all of a sudden Cheryl Tiegs appeared on the screen. It was actually kind of a shock, because just as my mind began to recognize her famous features, her damaged goods, alcoholic, highway rest-stop whore character became visible as well. Wearing cheesy clothes and little to no makeup, Tiegs bravely tossed away her glamour girl past in order to wordlessly make out on a picnic table with Gallo. This is a woman who sold more pinup posters than Farrah Fawcett. She once had her own signature clothing line at Sears! Of course, the big question is why did she agree to it? That’s an even bigger mystery than the rationale behind Chloe Sevigny’s fateful decision to participate in this production.

This movie is kind of like a Jackson Pollack splatter painting: at first glance it just looks like a random mess, but then real art starts to peek out at you, leaving you to wonder if the artist deliberately arranged the aesthetic, or just got lucky. To be sure, there are moments in “Bunny” when most people would give serious consideration to walking out, but most people are sexual voyeurs, and so we sit and impatiently endure the questionable parts of the film in order to see what we all came for: Chloe Sevigny giving head to Gallo.

Now, blow jobs in the cinema are not all that remarkable. If you have watched ANY porn at all, you’ve seen at least one workable dick-sucking. Way back in the less-obvious ‘70’s, Marilyn Chambers became notorious for the movie “Deep Throat”. Imagine that: a whole movie devoted to head. So the early buzz around “The Brown Bunny” was that a semi-famous actress allows herself to be filmed sucking off the lead character (who also happens to be the writer/producer/director/DP). As a way to sell tickets, apparently fellatio has few peers.

But what’s truly interesting is what happens AFTER the act. That’s when the movie shifts into another gear and in fact, makes the whole thing worthwhile. Gallo almost comes off as some sort of low-end M. Night Shyamalan, with a little Gaspar Noe tossed in for flavor. He certainly gives you something to talk about when the lights come up.

There are a few things to like in this movie besides the end. Gallo’s character Bud is the motorcycle racer as cowboy, and he even treats his race bike like a mechanical steed. You never see him working on it or preparing for his next big race, not even to fill it with fuel, but he does take it out of his black van to exercise it. Even when he finally arrives at his mechanic’s shop in L.A., instead of performing any type of maintenance or prep, they just strap the machine to a stationary roller (actually, a dynamometer), and ride the bike on THAT for a few minutes. Then they herd it back into the van. I guess all his bike needs is a little attention.

And there are moments of, perhaps not exactly cinematic beauty, but interesting mixes of sound and picture as the road winds ever westward. But it really is the ending that makes the whole exercise worthwhile, and leads to further thought. At least for me. Don’t just go for the sex scene, go for the surprise. You’ll feel better about yourself when it’s over.

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Paul

I Don't Care

I'm still voting for Nader, even though this story pretty much seals the deal against him:Yahoo! News - Democrats Score Win in Fight Over Nader in Florida.

Call me a fool; many have already. But I am still not satisfied with the words and so-called "ideas" that have been issuing forth from the Democratic camp. At this late date, the Dems are still acting as if the election is all about Bush losing, instead of their team WINNING. If the Democrats were serious about winning this damn thing, they would have never picked the two incredibly unexciting men that are John Kerry and John Edwards.

I mean, it's mid-September already: when are the debates going to start? When are the issues going to be discussed? Kerry's bullshit about providing "incentives" for health care is weak. I'd really like to see him debate Ralph on health care. Hell, Al Sharpton could smoke John Kerry in a debate on health care! Because Kerry is in the industry's pocket already, just like lil' Bush.

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Paul

They must do a lot of drugs there...

Once again, the residents of Washington, D.C. have spoken...and once again, they have chosen the notorious B.A.R.R.Y., also known as "Mayor for Life" Marion Berry, for City Council: Yahoo! News - Barry In, 3 D.C. Council Incumbents Out.

Running and winning a council seat for the city's poorest (and blackest) Ward, Barry, at the grand old age of 68 (!) is once again on the City Payroll. Which prompts me to ask:

Where are all of the young leaders? It's the city council of the Nation's Capital, but it's also probably the most impotent city government in the Nation. Where are the men and women of the future? Who will answer the call to defeat the dinosaurs and take back the city? And who the heck is voting for Barry?

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Paul

You Go, Girl!

Okay, I gotta give Oprah MAD PROPS for pulling off the television stunt of all time yesterday (PONTIAC | WILDEST DREAMS). Pontiac deserves kudos for going along with it, too, but wow! What a GREAT IDEA! Giving brand new cars to every single person in the studio audience!

Now, the cynic in me immediately thought about the fact that all of those winners will have to pay sales tax and registration and insurance and all of that other stuff, so the cars are not entirely free. But the rest of me has to yell SO WHAT!? Not only did Oprah make a TON of people (276, to be exact) ecstatically happy, but she virtually guaranteed her show will remain atop the daytime ratings for at least another season. And if you thought it was hard to get Oprah tickets BEFORE...

Seriously, this was not only an extremely cunning promotional move, it was also the kind of thing that only a big-hearted person would even think about doing. Just when you think she can't get any more impressive, Oprah knocks it outta the park. I am very, very impressed.

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Paul

Terror takes on a New Face: White

This is truly a sad day in Russia, and the rest of the world: Yahoo! News - Russians Storm School; 100 Bodies Found.

Sad because innocent people have died, once again for political reasons. Yesterday, the media labeled the instigators "rebels"; today, they are called "terrorists". In any case, they were willing to kidnap and kill supposedly for their nation's independence. Should we call them freedom fighters? Or murderers?

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Paul

Is that with a capital "T"?

Remember those two Russian airliners that crashed the other day, almost simultaneously? According to this article (NEWS.com.au Plane crash a terror attack: authorities (August 27, 2004), Russian "authorities" are saying that at least one of the tragedies "came as the result of a terror attack".

Now, this might seem like I'm making light of a horrific accident that killed nearly 100 people, but the wording of this article begs the question: terror attack? Is that like a panic attack? Was it a case of the heebie jeebies that brought the plane down? Was the pilot startled by something?

Okay, it might seem like I'm just playing around, but seriously, WHEN are we (the Western world) going to stop using this overused boondoggle of a word "terrorism" and start saying what we actually mean: "murderous acts by fanatical Muslims"? Because that's what we mean over here in the United States.

Face it, everytime you hear the word "Terrorist" in the American media, a picture of someone who looks a lot like Osama bin laden automatically pops up in your mind's eye. You can't help it, we've all been programmed to believe that a terrorist is a suicide bomber from a Middle-Eastern country. Sure, there are one or two people in Great Britain who have a different mental image of a terrorist, but their minds are changing with every minute they watch another show on one of Rupert Murdoch's many satellite channels.

When President Bush declared the "War on Terror", EVERYONE knew he meant we were gonna start bombing in the Middle East. Even the Middle Easterners knew it. Our so-called "War" is a blatant attempt to rid the world of Muslims. Not all of them, of course, but enough so that the rest step in line and stop complaining about Israel. It's that simple.

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Paul

My problems with John Kerry.

Direct from the John Kerry for President website, his position on National Security:
“Today, we face three great challenges above all others - First, to win the global war against terror; Second, to stop the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons; Third, to promote democracy, freedom, and opportunity around the world, starting by winning the peace in Iraq.”

First off, this “war on terror” is Bush’s made-up war, not a real war. Why take it on? Why not tell the truth: we have to address the fact that there are people out there that hate us, and killing them all is not an option.

Second, stopping n/b/c weapons begins at home, where they were invented for the most part, and then sold to other nations by our fantastically profitable military industries. Is he promoting a shutdown of the weapons manufacturers? Of course not, he is promoting pre-emptive military strikes against non-aligned countries that have these weapons. World police, just like Bush. JUST LIKE BUSH.

Third, what the heck is he talking about? “Winning the peace” in Iraq? And that will promote “democracy and freedom” around the world? This is Republican jingoism, but it was found on Kerry’s website! And notice the namby-pamby words used: “promote”…what, is he gonna put up posters? Maybe do some radio ads? Or…is he gonna use the military…JUST LIKE BUSH?? I could be wrong, but it seems to me the best way to promote a form of governance is to actually EXERCISE IT….yet we continue to be a republic and not an actual democracy. Do as we say, not as we do…

Again, from his website, his position on healthcare: “Kerry and Edwards will allow reimportation (sic) of safe, FDA-approved prescription drugs to give Americans access to the substantial discounts for prescription drugs in Canada…” And again, what the heck?
Why not just attack the problem where it lives, here at home….and get those greedy pharms to drop their U.S. prices to more reasonable levels. That old “price of R&D” argument is getting stale and moldy, and they know it.

Or how about this statement on energy: “The Kerry-Edwards plan will increase energy conservation and create clean, renewable sources of energy that no terrorist can sabotage and no foreign government can seize. Their plan will also save billions by cutting waste and pork-barrel spending in Washington.” Again with the terrorist line. The DNC is getting really good at this fear-monger business. Please explain what type of clean, renewable source of energy hasn’t already been created, and cannot be sabotaged. Why is he reluctant to spell things out? Are we talking legalizing hemp or what? If so, excellent! Just say so and you have my vote.

But what does clean, renewable energy have to do with waste and “pork-barrel spending in Washington”? Once again, WHAT THE HECK IS HE TALKING ABOUT?? Digging deeper in the website, I found this: “They will create an “Energy Security Trust Fund,” which will encourage the development of new clean fuels and technologies of the future, and their plan will promote the diversification of energy sources like natural gas, coal, renewable and nuclear energy.” Oh, I see now…it’s all so clear to me….NOT.

You’ve got a website; why not use it to tell people WHY THEY SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU? Instead, we get the usual vapor-policies that will go up in smoke as soon as the pledge is finished at the inauguration. Kerry represents politics as usual, and I for one am not going to accept it any longer. Either put up or shut up, Mr. Kerry.

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Paul

NADER
 
Yesterday I got a call from by buddy Lliam, telling me that Ralph Nader was going to speak at our local Vroman’s bookstore (the same store, incidentally, that hosted Hilary Clinton for her book signing last year) in a few minutes.  Coincidentally, I was headed into the area of that particular book store at the time, and for some reason, I decided to go hear what Mr. Nader had to say.
 
First off, let me tell you that I am extremely unhappy with the current set of so-called “candidates” we have to choose from for the upcoming Presidential election.  As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Kerry is no better than Mr. Bush, seeing how they are both members of the same secret society (Yale’s Skull and Bones).  Regardless of what their “platforms” say, these guys both answer to the same corporate interests, and I am convinced that even if Kerry were elected, the changes to this country would be minimal.
 
Yet at the same time, I was wary of the potential “spoiler” role that some say Nader is determined to play.  I have a lot of intelligent friends who sing the “Anybody but Bush” song loud and clear, and they are truly concerned that a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush, in that it takes away another much needed vote for their man John Kerry.  They may have a point.
 
But I decided to see for myself what Ralph had to say.  I arrived to see a fairly large crowd (not Clinton-esque by any standard, but still large), and I immediately scanned the room for free food and drinks.  No deal.  Just as I was about to complain to my friend, a hush settled over the room as four tall men walked through the crowd to the podium.  Dang, Ralph Nader is taller than me!  I don’t know why this matters, but it was pleasant surprise number one.  Warm, sustained applause greeted Ralph Nader’s Pasadena appearance.
 
After quickly thanking the crowd, Ralph got right down to business, making a very moving and eloquent case for a third party candidate.  He correctly pointed out that growing apathy among progressive voters is leading to their acceptance of substandard presidential candidates, the whole “lesser of two evils” mindset that many of my pro-Kerry friends have firmly adopted.  Nader focused on the fact that the duopoly that currently governs the country is fully funded and controlled by big business interests, and that’s why important issues like health care and a decent living wage for all Americans has been totally ignored by the Democrat and Republican rivals.
 
Pleasant surprise number two: Ralph Nader made me think.  And that’s a whole hell of a lot more than what Kerry/Bush make me do, with their clever speech snippets and carefully orchestrated campaign stops.  As I mentioned earlier, I am already unhappy with what we have to choose from in November.  In fact, I was seriously considering beginning a write-in campaign, urging other similarly-frustrated voters to write-in “I demand a better choice” on their ballots.  Yes, I realize that is in essence throwing away my vote, but my conscience will not allow me to just pick one because he’s not as bad as the other.  Say you were traveling across country, and during a particularly long stretch across the wilderness you stop in the only diner for miles, and the choice for dinner is rat or maggot soup.  What would you do?  Would you really try to convince yourself that there are appetizing qualities when none actually exist?  Or would you choose to leave without eating, and let your stomach growl and boil for the rest of the night?
 
I won’t vote for Bush.  I can’t vote for Kerry.  I am independent of either party, and I support an alternative choice.  I will vote for Ralph Nader in November, because I think he’ll make a better President than either Kerry or Bush.
 
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Paul

Beating up on 6 year olds?

Former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, in a PUBLIC APPEARANCE, called a six-year-old student a "stupid, dirty girl": sacbee.com -- Politics -- Furor grows over Riordan's remark to girl.

Hey, I'm trying to stay positive here, but these guys keep throwing softballs!

Read that crazy article. It goes on to state that a black assemblyman gets so up in arms about it, he schedules some type of NAACP press conference...only to cancel it when he learns that the little girl is white! Naturally, all outrage is now focused on the assemblyman, while Riordan stumbles along, with Arnold's full support and confidence. Unbelievable.

Shouldn't the man just apologize to the kid?

Hold the phone! I've just seen the video of the entire event, and while it was an ill-advised comment (to say the least), it was reasonably clear to the little girl and her classmates that Riordan was just teasing her. According the The Smoking Gun website, he even apologized later on...so I guess I got caught up in the media hoopla, passing judgement before I understood the whole deal.

Dick, I'm sorry...

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Paul

The Rocket’s Red Glare

It was the second of July in Altadena, California (year of the lord 2004, etc, etc), one hour after sunset, when I was rousted from watching motocross DVD by the sounds of cannons going off a few blocks away.

Well, not really cannons…I know, after four decades of experience, what recreational artillery sounds like. Some of my fondest memories of growing up in the Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C., involved a yearly visit to the fireworks street vendors.

The vendors always seemed like mysterious gypsies to me, a semi-organized cult that would suddenly appear to spread cheap fireworks across the city, pawning boxes of explosives to kids young and old, out of rickety, hastily-thrown-together plywood shacks.

But the Fourth of July in D.C., as far as fireworks were concerned, was all about seeing (and hearing and FEELING) the Nation’s Fireworks Extravaganza on the Mall (I’m not sure if that’s trademarked)….40 years of that and one gains the ability to discern the subtle differences in the audio signatures between a Glorious Golden Shower Sparkler shell and a howitzer (or maybe not).

My point, though, was that there were fireworks going off in my neighborhood. REAL recreational artillery. At first I thought it was just some crazy neighbors a few blocks away, blasting off a few consumer grade shells. After a particularly extended fusillade, though, I reconsidered: either I had more crazy neighbors than I first thought, or perhaps something else was going on.

I stepped out on my porch just as another barrage began. Coming from what was probably the Altadena Country Club’s golf course was the real deal. Fireworks. The show continued, the “whumps” occasionally becoming “WHUMPS” and even a few “WHUMPS!!!”, the night skies lighting up in luminous colors as the gunpowder ignited and spread burning remnants through the atmosphere. And I began to think about the fact that it was the start of the Fourth of July weekend in American, again…and here I was, watching a fireworks display, again. And here we go, again, as all over this fine country, Americans will celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence…by shooting off a whole hell of a lot of rockets.

We love rockets. Americans love rockets. And explosions. But we especially love rockets that explode. We even wrote a song about a rocket and made it our National Anthem. Okay, “The Star Spangled Banner” is really a song about a flag…a flag that the songwriter could see only because it was illuminated by an exploding rocket, accompanied by a violent soundtrack of “bombs bursting in air.” During a war, of course. Americans love war, too, and it’s fitting that we do so, because of our love of exploding rockets. However, we prefer shooting these rockets AWAY from us, sometimes just up in the air, sometimes just at people we don’t like. The latter usually meaning during a war.

How many displays of artfully burning powdered chemicals will exist as the centerpiece and/or climax of the Nation’s 2004 Independence Day festivities? The count has to be in the thousands, maybe even hundred thousands. It looks like my annual renewal of retina-tracing by fire streaking across the sky occurred two days early…and it had the added “benefit” of having a large red “Jack In The Box” sign (I’m pretty sure that IS trademarked) in my direct field of view during the entire display. At one point in the bombardment, the fiery bursts created a sort of “halo” effect around the huge advertisement, further strengthening, I’m sure, a subliminal argument in favor of that particular brand of fast fried food (I ate there the following afternoon. Coincidence?).

I gotta tell you, it all came together for me as I watched this scene. I recalled some of the more vividly gruesome scenes from our country’s current war (scenes that I had to pay to see in a commercial movie theater because the Nation’s “free” media refuse to air them), and I wondered if Iraqi people have the same view of recreational artillery that we Americans do? I wondered if they respond to the sound of cannons in their neighborhoods the way we Americans respond? Of course, this was all rhetorical wondering; I knew the answer. We all know the answer.

I count myself lucky to have been born in a country where I was able to grow to middle age without ever having the experience of being on the receiving end of military grade bombs and rockets. In fact, I am quite proud that I live in a country that lets us choose for ourselves if we want to experience such things. This country goes so far as to give us the opportunity to feel what it’s like to be targeted by bullets, grenades, mortars, rockets and missiles among other things, while we give people who live in other countries the very same opportunity. That, I’m not so proud of.

So this Fourth of July, as the news readers and newspapers and talking heads continually remind us to give thanks and warm thoughts to our troops as they put themselves in harm’s way in order to preserve our exploding-rocket-loving way of life, do not let yourself lose sight of the FACT that our wonderful fellow citizen-soldiers do NOT have to be at war. This proud Nation NEVER need be at war, with any country, cult, tribe or substance. We CHOOSE to be at war, because we love our rockets and what they do for us.

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Paul

Get Down, Bill!

I can't vouch for CNN's sense of fairness or balance, but I did like this particular article:CNN.com - Bill Cosby has more harsh words for black community - Jul 2, 2004.

I think it's very interesting, not that Bill Cosby has something to say and is not afraid to say it, but that the mainstream press considers it "news". Here is a guy who is NOT an elected official, nor is even considered to be a so-called "black leader" (e.g. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton), but just a normal black person who happens to be a well-liked international celebrity. And when asked to speak, he speaks the truth as he sees it. Why is it "news"? It's more like gossip: "oooh, didja hear what Cosby said the other day? He said black people are stupid!"

On the face of things, as far as I'm concerned, Mr. Cosby was telling it like it is. I love hip hop, but despise rap songs that insist on using the "n" word, or tell degrading stories of women, or glorify immoral behavior...unfortunately, that describes most rap that's heard on the radio these days. I am also concerned by the illiteracy rate in the black community, and the social problems that are caused by poverty, joblessness and ill health. I also agree that it all comes down to personal choice...which is a matter of personal responsibility. And I think that's what Cosby is getting at. However, this article, and the ones that will surely follow, are signaling much more.

Look at the first sentence of the article: "Bill Cosby went off on another tirade against the black community..." Note the words chosen by unnamed Associated Press reporter (if I had written that, I wouldn't want my name on it, either). "Went off" is an implied negative; bombs "go off". "Another", implying that he's done it many times before, even though the article admits that he's done it only once before. "Tirade" means "a speech of violent denunciation". The subliminal message of this line: well-known black man violently denunciates his own community, again and again. The supporting quotes that follow strengthen and verify Cosby's statements.

So what's wrong with that? On the face of it, nothing at all. It's no secret that there are problems in the black community. Heck, there are problems in every ethnic community. Gangsterism, illiteracy, alcohol-, drug- and spousal-abuse are problems not limited to the black community. But the subliminal message in this news story is the suggestion that many if not most blacks are inferior, and they do it to themselves and then try to blame it on others. Since it's subliminal, it secretly reinforces a mistaken societal impression...a prejudice, if you will. The opposite, of course, is true.

That explains why the Associated Press/CNN/and all the other mainstream news outlets that will run with this "ball" display it as "news": to use subliminal messaging to reinforce negative impressions.

What? You don't think they would do something like that? Please, wake up.

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Paul

I Know, I Know...

I said I would be positive from here on out, but then I read this today:Greenspan sworn in to fifth term as Fed chief.

I mean, c'mon! The man is 78 years old! You mean to tell me that after four long terms, the Fed has STILL failed to come up with a succession plan for their chairman?

And why was he sworn in on a Saturday at the home of Gerald Ford in Colorado of all places?

I wonder if Greenspan is a Bonesman?

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Paul

Here We Go: Good Job, Pistons!

Those of you that know me, know that I'm a fair-weather Lakers fan. And I'm on record (so to speak) for predicting a runaway championship for Los Angeles. Well, with results like these (Yahoo! Sports - NBA - Pistons 88, Lakers 68), it appears that I could be mistaken.

But in the spirit of staying positive, instead of pointing out the Laker's inconsistencies, I want to give credit where credit is due: the Pistons are playing as if they really want to win this championship. Who would have guessed that Rasheed Wallace would calm down enough to be effective? Who knew that Chauncey Billups (who?) would be a scoring machine? Who, other than his father, expected Richard Hamilton to be so...Kobe-esque?

Perhaps the credit should really go to Larry Brown, who was defeated in the finals by the Lakers a couple of years ago, even though he had the magical Allen Iverson in his toolbox. Looks like Larry has figured out the triangle.

And how about that Detroit defense holding L.A. to 68 points? The Lakers are used to scoring 68 points in a half!

Here's the problem for L.A.: they HAVE to win this championship, or their entire season, what with the Malone/Payton experiment, will be deemed an abject failure. Karl, at least, has an injury to blame for his poor performance. Gary "The Glove" has yet to appear in this series...c'mon Payton, put it in place!

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Paul

Time to turn a New Leaf.

I've been thinking, and I know that may alarm some of you, but I've been thinking that my posts have been too negative. I mean, I'm just responding to the wackiness in the world, and a lot of this so-called wackiness is just bad stuff. So it would seem that a negative comment or two would be called for. But I don't think it helps the world to continue to put negative energy out there. So I have decided it's time for a change.

From this date forward, I am going to focus on positive events, people and places. Instead of a scathing review of a P.O.S. moview, I'll try to write about whatever good I can find in the film, and if I can't find any good, then I'll forego the review entirely.

From now on, if I can't say something good about President Bush, then I won't say anything at all. You can count on not reading much about Bush here, then.

This change in approach started when I was feeling inundated with the Reagan funeral coverage. I am not, and have never been, a fan of Ronald Reagan, so you can imagine that I have plenty of negative things to say about the man. But I will leave that to others. The best thing that I can say about the former President is "a lot of people seemed to like him." I'll just leave it at that.

Let's see where this new philosophy takes us.

More later...
Paul

Pope: "I'll give ya 15 minutes, tops"

The headlines are blowing up about Bush meeting the Pope (Yahoo! News - Pope Calls for Free Iraq, Deplores Prisoner Abuse), but hidden in the middle of these stories is the fact that the two guys only talked for 15 minutes!

Wonder how much of that was small talk?

Pontiff: "Make it snappy, Bush. I'm a busy man."
Prez: "Me? YOU asked for this meeting?"
Pontiff: "Geez, I SAID I'll make it snappy. What, are you both deaf and dumb?"
Prez: "Wha...?"
Pontiff: "Whaddya got cameras in prisons for? What the heck are you guys thinking? Leave that amateur porn to the Mormons..."

(My apologies to the Mormons, the Catholics and everybody else. I got carried away!)

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Paul

What the heck...?

This article was brought to my attention today, but note that this happened twenty days ago. Did you hear about it? Bush Cites Racism in Remarks On Iraq (washingtonpost.com)

Bush said, "There's a lot of people in the world who don't believe that people whose skin color may not be the same as ours can be free and self-govern."

Same as "ours"? Who the heck is he talking about? America or just white people?

Well it becomes quite clear later in the article that he meant white people. And here I was thinking that the President of the United States of America represented all Americans, not just the caucasians. Silly me.

And why won't he identify those "people in the world", especially since there's a "lot" of them? Maybe the War on Terrorism needs to be expanded?

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Paul

What he said.

One of my favorite comic strips has weighed in on this Iraqi prison nonsense: Yahoo! News - Boondocks.

Bush should reconsider his refusal to read newspapers...

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Paul

My bad: Bush finally comes clean.
Or does he?

Per the following story, our President said "I can't tell you how sorry I am to them and their families for the humiliation".

Is that really an apology? If I said "I can't tell you how much I want to pay you back this loan" does that mean I am actually going to pay the money back? How about "I can't tell you how much I love you"...is it "CAN'T" or "WON'T".

I guess if the President had better control of the English language, this particular "apology" wouldn't seem so vague. But obviously that's just asking too much of the Nation's top leader.

Even stranger is that Bush went on to say that times are tough for the United States in the Middle East because "people don't really understand our intentions."

Well then, please explain our intentions Mr. President. You have the microphone in your face, USE IT!

Read it for yourself:Yahoo! News - Bush Again Apologizes for Abuse of Iraqis

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Paul

Bush needs to take lessons from Rumsfeld.

Whether he's being sincere or not, no one will ever know. But at least he's apologizing, AND he's doing it to the right people:Yahoo! News - Rumsfeld Apologizes to Iraqi Prisoners.

Rumsfeld even goes on to say he takes "full responsibility". Wow, and here I was, thinking that the buck stopped with the Commander in Chief. I guess if you have enough lieutenants willing to fall on their own swords for you, you never have to get dirty with blame, eh Mr. President?

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Paul

Tell me this doesn't sound fishy...

I think a lot of strange things happened on September 11, 2001, and the strangest events were the ones that involved the air traffic controllers, the FAA and NORAD (NORth American Air Defense). Supposedly indestructible "black boxes" were destroyed, bodies and huge sections of planes "disappeared"...and now this:Newsday.com: Tape of 9/11 Controllers Was Destroyed.

I believe that when the TRUTH of this story finally comes to light, it will be a dark, dark day in American History.

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Paul

Crocodile Tears.

Big news today: The President said "I was sorry" Bush Sorry for Abuse of Iraqi Prisoners.

I haven't even read this entire article, and already I wanted to share it with the world. Why? Because no matter how ridiculous he seems when he does something, no matter how bad it gets, it can still get worse. President Bush has the uncanny ability to fall to the bottom of the barrel...and keep on falling. It's like he dug a hole in the barrel and is now burrowing underground. Lower than low.

He apologized to King Abdullah II of Jordan. Why? Did we torture some of his relatives or something? Seems like he should be apologizing to the prisoners that suffered the abuse, don't you think? You dent the car of the man across the street, and then you go apologize to his neighbor? HOW STUPID IS THAT?

HOW MUCH MORE INSINCERE CAN ONE MAN BE?

Bush speaks of being "sick to his stomach" from seeing the images. My god, what happens to his stomach when he sees the recon photos after we've dropped several hundred tons of bombs on a village?

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Paul

This is Chickenshit, plain and simple.

First, the president doesn't want a commission investigating what happened on 9/11. Then he begrudgingly accepts it, but underfunds it. Then he approves decent funds, but doesn't agree to appear before the commission, nor let his National Security Adviser testify. Then he agrees to give them ONE HOUR of his time, and let's the NSA testify. Then he says he'll only testify in concert with his Vice President.

NOW, they're saying that the testimony will be 1) private 2) not recorded (!), no transcriptions will be taken and finally 3) the President and Vice President will NOT BE UNDER OATH! Yahoo! News - Bush, Cheney Coached for 9/11 Questioning

This is the Sham of all Shams. Mr. President, you should truly be ashamed of yourself. What are you hiding? Why do you need to be "coached"? Why does your Vice President need to be there with you? WHY WON'T YOU GO ON RECORD? WHY WON'T YOU TESTIFY IN PUBLIC?

This is an outrage.

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Paul

Military 'R' Us.

These are very strange days, indeed. A mysterious war in Iraq, famous athlete-turned-soldier killed in military action in Afghanistan, Israel assassinating opposition leaders, bombs going off in other countries, and the U.S. election mud-slinging in full swing.

With all that, Godspeed Pat Tillman. I didn't know you or anything about you until you were killed in action and the media decided to make you a hero. Thank you for your service; I'm only sorry your life and talent were wasted in what I think are fairly meaningless actions in Afghanistan; I hope you disagree with me.

As we get swept up in the inevitable media whirlwind about this young man's unfortunate demise, let us not forget those soldiers who were NOT professional athletes, but still volunteered to leave their families and communities to serve...and die. War is, without a doubt, hell.

My more conservative friends and others on the extreme right want to constantly remind us of the "fact" that we owe everything we have in America to the brave men and women who serve in the armed forces. I find that idea very sad. If it were true, it means that the sole reason America exists, and continues to exist, is because we have a strong successful army that protects us from a world of people who would otherwise control us and deny us our current lifestyles.

People want to "take" our freedom? Do we still believe this? Who are these people?

People want to "take" our land, our belongings, our "things"'; are we still equating material goods with freedom?

Yes, there are crazy, murderous people out there who want to kill Americans and westerners. They want to deprive us of life, remove us from this world...but not necessarily contain our right to pollute our own country...or curtail our right to hunt animals...or many, many other rights. They don't want us to exist at all. Lucky for us, they are a microscopically small minority, and they only matter because the media is coerced into (or is willingly) blowing them out of proportion.

As far as those "superpowers" that actually have armies....which of them wants to deprive Americans of their rights? China, our trillion-dollar trading partner? Crazy North Korea, the pimple on the butt of Southeast Asia? Of course not.

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Paul

Some folks have guts.

Got to give it up to Gary Trudeau for bringing the War in Iraq home to the comics page in a realistic way: Yahoo! News - Doonesbury

Currently, the strip is showing how long time character BD, a college football coach and the strip's classic right-wing warhawk, has been ambushed in Iraq and had lost his leg. Not your normal funny papers storyline. Yet there's still humor and empathy to be found...this story is gonna get bigger.

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Paul

Yeah, but...

So the big news today is the release of some of the testimony made by senior administration officials to the so-called 9/11 Panel. Yahoo! News - Rumsfeld Counters 9/11 Panel Findings

What I'm reading so far is a bunch of hoohah about Afghanistan and Al Quaida. What about New York City? It seems that the panel is digging into the lapse in critical intelligence that led up to the tragedy. I wonder if they're ever going to address the issue of the slow response to the attacks while they were actually happening? Like, why NORAD was unprepared to intercept relatively slow-moving airliners? Why did it take so long to scramble fighter jets, and why did they send them from bases far from the target areas? And why did Bush insist on staying in the elementary school classroom AFTER he was notified of the attacks, instead of acting like the Commander in Chief that he is and taking responsibility for our Nation's immediate response?

Yeah, like they'll ever answer THOSE questions...

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Paul

A Tale of Two Films.

First, “The Passion of the Christ.”

I finally went to see this one, and it has taken me a few days to gather some coherent thoughts to write about it. I assume that if you’re reading this, you’ve probably already seen the film, or by this time you’ve decided that you’re NOT going to see it. So please forgive me, as I intend to give a few plot points away in this essay.

Of course, even if you are only remotely religious, you already KNOW the story of Jesus’ crucifixion, so it’s not like I’m blowing any “surprise” endings. But this film, like many other films based on true events, is built on the filmmaker’s interpretation of the events, and it’s the little details that make the story come to life, so to speak. Unfortunately, it is Mel Gibson’s interpretation that I have the most problems with.

Actually, truth be told, the biggest problem for me is the limited scope of the film. It is literally the last day of the life of Jesus the Christ, and by focusing on that one fateful day, Mel and his co-writer give very short shrift to the rest of Jesus’ rather significant life. If you are Christian, you know that Jesus did a lot of very amazing things in his short 33-year life, but Mel has seen fit to leave that part of the story to other filmmakers. So “The Passion” is basically two hours of watching a man get brutally beaten and murdered, and we’re barely shown WHY Jesus is hated so much by his captors. Because of that, this is a deeply flawed film.

In an attempt to bring the gospels to life, Mel and his co-writer felt the need to exercise a little artistic license and add even more drama to the proceedings. However, I was repulsed by their attempts to make “sense” of the story. For example, some of the gospels note that after betraying Jesus, the apostle Judas committed suicide. What the gospels DON’T do is describe the suicide, or Judas’ descent into suicidal depression. So Mel took a shot at it, and instead of showing a man racked with guilt and remorse for cowardly and greedily betraying his close friend, they showed Judas as a man tormented and tortured by demonic children (!), who chase him out of town and cause him to…what? Go crazy?

This was part of a disturbing trend that the filmmakers chose to follow. It was apparently not enough to depict the brutal last day of Jesus’ life, but they also wanted to show that Satan exists and was a part of the entire proceedings, always broodily watching from the sidelines. Satan (or the devil, if you prefer) was depicted as a hooded, eyebrow-less albino. For shock value, Mel showed a maggot slowly crawl in and out of Satan’s nose. Whoa, now THAT’S evil!

Strangely enough, when Jesus finally died, Satan was shown to be mourning…or at least he was very, very disappointed. But there were no overt explanations of what that was all about…only “true believers” need apply.

Another strange “artistic license” taking was one of the too-few flashbacks to Jesus’ life. In this particular flashback, Jesus was shown “inventing” the normal-height table…! Beg pardon? When he demonstrates this new-fangled thing to his mother, Mary even quips, “It’ll never catch on…” See, God has a sense of humor…or is that Mel? It was such a jolting bit that I never could really catch on to what the filmmaker was trying to say with it. One of the frustrating things about the Bible, at least to me, is that the gospels of Christ have nothing to say about Jesus’ life as a young adult. The Good Book tells the story of his birth, a few stories of him as a pre-teen, and then there’s NOTHING until he’s in his thirties. So I guess Mel thought there would be no harm in portraying the Christ as the inventor of the modern table. Who knew?

Then there’s the controversy: Does this movie portray Jews as the murderers of Jesus? Oh yeah it does. Sure, it was the sadistic Roman guards that beat the shit out of our man, and it was the Roman guards who nailed him to the cross, and it was even the Roman ruler Pontious Pilate who, albeit reluctantly, condemned Jesus to death. But the film clearly placed the blame on the shoulders of the high Jewish priests and their Klingon-like henchmen. But isn’t that the way it’s written in the Bible? Mel’s defense has always been that his film is true to the word. Personally, I don’t see how this particular issue is controversial…but then, I was raised Catholic.

However, if truth was what the filmmakers were really after, how did they end up casting very-Anglo-looking Jim Caviezel as Jesus? Why didn’t they go with an actor that actually looked like he might have grown up in Galilee, as opposed to Western Europe? I wasn’t surprised that Mel made the decision to have a Western, instead of Middle Eastern, Jesus. But Mel, you can’t have it both ways, bro. You can’t claim historical accuracy on one hand, then willfully distort the facts on the other.

Ultimately, there have been better movies made about the life of the Christ. “The Passion” was just a voyeuristic exercise in cinematic evangelism. And a damn bloody one at that.

Then yesterday I returned to the cinema and took in a truly enjoyable little film, “Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind”, Jim Carrey’s latest movie. This movie is a huge departure from the normal Carrey goofiness, and it was co-written by the fantastically inventive screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (“Adaptation”, “Being John Malkovich”).

This film is a treat for both the eyes and the mind. It is actually a romantic comedy, and a pretty funny one too, but it’s not like “When Harry met Sally”. It’s more like “Punch Drunk Love”, another great film that takes a normally goofy guy (that time Adam Sandler), and makes him ACT. Carrey did a great job anchoring a very challenging script, and making us care about his relationship with Clementine, a firebrand of a free spirit, wonderfully played by Kate Winslet.

Basically what happens in this film is that Joel (Carrey) discovers that there’s an obscure Doctor in New York City (well, somewhere on Long Island, actually) that is able to erase specific people and events from one’s memories. How Carrey makes this discovery, and what it means to his relationship with Clementine (among other people) is what makes this movie so much fun. And for me to describe any part of it is to give too much away. This is definitely one of those “oh, you just GOTTA see it!” type of movies, similar to “Memento” and “American Beauty”. There are plenty of plot twists and turns, and since the movie is dealing with memory (actually, memory LOSS), there are a lot of flashbacks (or what look like flashbacks…I can’t tell you any more than that)!

Accordingly, the visuals in this movie are extremely surreal and nothing short of fantastic. The special effects never seem gratuitous, and rarely intrude. They just do their not-so-easy job of depicting a life that is slowly losing some of it’s most cherished memories.

One of the best lines in this movie is an exchange between the Doctor and Joel, just before they begin the procedure. Joel asks if it’s a dangerous procedure and if there’s any chance that it will cause brain damage. The Doctor calmly replies, “Well, it actually IS brain damage…”!

“Eternal Sunshine” is a great movie, one that demands repeated viewing and will definitely be one to occupy a place in my growing DVD collection. I think it demands too much thinking for it to ever become a popular blockbuster, but for those who like to think before they laugh (and cry), this is the movie for you. And it was really nice to see a good movie again, especially after sitting through the (literal) torture that was “The Passion of the Christ”.

More later…
Paul

I swear I'm not inherently anti-Bush, but...

...the more he talks, it seems, the worse it gets. And this President has some of the finest speechwriters money can buy. Remember his address to the Nation after the attacks on 9/11? If they gave out Academy Awards for Presidential speeches, that one would have been sure to bring George the Oscar.

In stunning contrast, look at some of his words from his speech given today(Yahoo! News - Bush Marks First Anniversary of Iraq War), on the one-year anniversary of the start of the Iraq War:

"It is the interest of every country and the duty of every government to fight and destroy this threat to our people," the president said.

Now, is he REALLY saying that every other country has a duty to protect the American people? Isn't that what he means by "our people"? Or do his speechwriters not care about proper grammar? Damn, put the period after "threat" and call it a sentence.

Or how about this obfuscating gem:

"There is no neutral ground...no neutral ground...in the fight between civilization and terror, because there is no neutral ground between good and evil, freedom and slavery, and life and death," Bush said.

Since when was the so-called "war on terror" a "fight between civilization and terror"? Since when is warfare "civil"? And since it's apparently such an important term, what the heck does he mean by "neutral ground" anyway? Isn't he basically saying "if you ain't with us, you're against us?" Hell, he already said THAT a year ago...back when he was insisting that we were in imminent danger from Hussein's WMDs.

I guess he's saying "you're either civilized, or a terrorist"; "you're either good or evil"; one can only be free or enslaved. One can only be either alive or dead. Well that last one I can agree with, but there are certainly shades of gray for the other examples. Let's take a Boeing 757 for instance; it can be both good and evil, depending on who's doing the flying, right?

It may seem that I'm nitpicking the President's figures of speech, but hey, my original point is that he has the best screenwriters in the world on his payroll, and THIS is the best they can do?

Finally, how about this conundrum:

"The war on terror is not a figure of speech," he said. "It is an inescapable calling of our generation."

What the hell...? You mean this is an actual War? Well then, what are the objectives of this "War"? About a year ago, Bush said his intention was to rid the world of evil. No one in their right mind would set, and expect to achieve, such an absurd objective. If the presence of evil is good enough for God, who are we to try to eliminate it? He couldn't possibly be serious, could he?

In this "War", who and where are the combatants? How will we know if we are, in fact, achieving our objectives? These major questions have NEVER been addressed in any meaningful public forum or document. Someone must know the answers to these questions, right?

Look, as long as this administration continues to sell us an unwinnable war, they will also continue to resort to rhetoric like that sentence. And now he asserts that this "war" is "inescapable". Bush and his speechwriters must take their lines from the George Orwell guidebook to mass hypnotism. They believe that if they say it long enough, it will eventually be believed by the masses.

If we don't bounce this clown in November, we deserve him.

More later...
Paul