Thursday, September 07, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
It's as simple as ABC....1.2.3
Think Progress and plenty of others out there have spoken.
How does a major network affiliate get hijacked and who is behind it? The time has come for a torrent of outrage to be unleashed.
Senate Says Screw Innocent Civilians
The Senate on Wednesday rejected a proposal by Democrats to stop the Pentagon from using cluster bombs near civilian targets and to cut off sales unless purchasers abide by the same rules.
Nice. We can expect more of the same respect for innocent life we've come to expect from the Pentagon and "commander in chief."
I guess this was just more bullshit. The vote was 70-30 to defeat the measure. Not even close.
"For too long, innocent civilians, not enemy combatants, have suffered the majority of casualties from cluster munitions," Leahy said. "The recent experience in Lebanon is only the latest example of the appalling human toll of injury and death. Strict rules of engagement are long overdue."
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said, "The rules of engagement properly belong with the Department of Defense and the commander in chief."
Nice. We can expect more of the same respect for innocent life we've come to expect from the Pentagon and "commander in chief."
I guess this was just more bullshit. The vote was 70-30 to defeat the measure. Not even close.
The Transportation Dept. Nominee
The Washington Post had an article today about Mary Peters, the Bush nominee for transportation secretary.
Bush had this to say:
As a remedy for the aging infrastructure of our nation's highways, railways, airports and seaports, Peters said:
A similar piece in the New York Times provided some additional sneak previews into her agenda:
OK, class. Repeat after me, and let's say it all together: TOLL ROADS. Can you say it?
Keep an eye on this one. The idea of turning our highway system over to corporate entities for profit is not a comforting thought. I wonder if we'd have corporate sponsorships as well. Imagine the new and improved driving directions from point A to point B:
Take the GM Expressway north for 7 miles, exit right onto the eastbound Intel Expressway for 3 miles, then take the exit onto the northbound AT&T for 4 miles. Toll: $7.00.
That's one way to reduce traffic congestion.
Bush had this to say:
"Mary Peters is the right person for the job," the president said. "Mary led efforts to improve safety and security, reduce traffic congestion, and modernize America's roads and bridges. . . . Mary has a reputation for character and common sense. She's an innovative thinker."
Photo credit: Evan Vucci/Associated Press
As a remedy for the aging infrastructure of our nation's highways, railways, airports and seaports, Peters said:
The federal highway program could run out of money by the end of the decade. "You just can't depend on the federal government to bring the money in that was around when the interstate system was first built."
A similar piece in the New York Times provided some additional sneak previews into her agenda:
Ms. Peters is a member of an advisory board created by the Reason Foundation, a conservative research and policy group. Robert Poole, the foundation’s director of transportation, said Ms. Peters had been “outspoken” in advocating public-private partnerships for new roads, and getting away from the traditional model of using gasoline taxes. Revenue from those taxes has not kept up with the inflation in building costs, Mr. Poole said.
OK, class. Repeat after me, and let's say it all together: TOLL ROADS. Can you say it?
As federal highway administrator, Ms. Peters helped push through a highway authorization bill that allows public highways to be turned over to private companies for maintenance and toll collection. She has also advocated time-of-day pricing at tollbooths and construction of roads by private firms.
Keep an eye on this one. The idea of turning our highway system over to corporate entities for profit is not a comforting thought. I wonder if we'd have corporate sponsorships as well. Imagine the new and improved driving directions from point A to point B:
Take the GM Expressway north for 7 miles, exit right onto the eastbound Intel Expressway for 3 miles, then take the exit onto the northbound AT&T for 4 miles. Toll: $7.00.
That's one way to reduce traffic congestion.
The Liberal Purge
The President called Tuesday for liberals and secular professors to be purged from universities.
The familiarities continue:
Back in the US, it's quite clear by now the first decade of the 21st century will be defined by terrorism and very little else. Here's some Bushspeak excerpts from the link:
Wesley Clark had this to say:
Clark's is a refreshingly honest and sane voice in the absurd cacophony of political election year dick-wagging.
Oh, I'm talking about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. But it does sound like familiar rhetoric doesn't it?
“Our educational system has been affected by 150 years of secular thought and has raised thousands of people who hold Ph.D.’s,” he said. “Changing this system is not easy and we have to do it together.”
Mr. Ahmadinejad’s comments appeared to be part of a continuing crackdown on social and political freedoms that began with his election last year.
As part of the crackdown, about 110,000 illegal satellite dishes have been confiscated in the past five months, one senior official, Ahmad Roozbehani, was quoted in the news media as saying. Opposition channels that broadcast mostly out of the United States have a large audience in Iran.
The familiarities continue:
Some Iranians believe that Mr. Ahmadinejad’s hard line at home is an attempt to divert attention from his failure to deliver on campaign pledges.
“He promised to improve the economy and bring about more equality, but he has not been able to realize any of those pledges,” said Abbas Abdi, a political analyst in Tehran.
“He has failed to solve the economic problem and Iran’s nuclear case, and now he does not want people to accuse him of lying,’’ Mr. Abdi said. “He is bringing up other issues now to distract people from those failures.”
Back in the US, it's quite clear by now the first decade of the 21st century will be defined by terrorism and very little else. Here's some Bushspeak excerpts from the link:
As part of a series of speeches that coincide with the fifth anniversary of the attacks, the president again linked the war on terror with the war in Iraq - even in the face of escalating deaths of Iraqis in sectarian violence and fresh evidence of a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan. The administration also released a new national strategy for combating terrorism, with Cabinet secretaries and congressional Republicans echoing Bush's message.
"Five years after our nation was attacked, the terrorist danger remains," Bush said in an address to the Military Officers Association of America in Washington. "We're on the offense against the terrorists on every battlefront, and we'll accept nothing less than complete victory."
In a tactical and rhetorical shift, the president invoked the name of bin Laden 17 times to make his argument more vivid.
Wesley Clark had this to say:
"The majority party in power fails to understand the basic concept of fighting terror: We can't dry up the wellspring of hatred which is driving terrorist recruiting by making more enemies than friends," said retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, a former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO forces who ran for president as a Democrat in 2004.
Clark's is a refreshingly honest and sane voice in the absurd cacophony of political election year dick-wagging.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
That was how many years B.C.?
And a mere 6000 years ago, it only took the Good Lord God Almighty 6 days to whip it all up like a big batch of muffins.
The Greening Gaying of Wal-Mart
The Family Research Council vitriol was spraying again last week regarding Wal-Mart's partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).
From the FRC:
While the NGLCC professes to promote the "interests of the LGBT business community," this is not all they have done. Recently, they described efforts to defend traditional marriage as an attempt to "write discrimination into the Constitution..." The NGLCC also advocated attaching a pro-homosexual "hate crimes" amendment to legislation intended to protect children from violent sex offenders. Their advocacy delayed the legislation for several months. It is unfortunate that Wal-Mart has joined forces with an organization whose mission opposes many of the values shared by rural and small-town America. It is precisely the interests of average Americans that Wal-Mart has prided itself in promoting. Now, by surrendering to the radical homosexual lobby, Wal-Mart has entered the political arena with no economic benefit to their company or their customers.
Why is the homosexual lobby always "radical" as opposed to the efforts of the religious lobby to clearly write discrimination into the Constitution? What could be more radical? Traditional marriage doesn't need defending and has never been under attack.
Wal-Mart is simply doing what any corporation eventually has to do: make an effort to be inclusive and expand their customer base. As for the interests of "average Americans," apparently the FRC can't seem to grasp the concept that us queerfolk are part of the "average" America -- whatever the hell that is. (I can tell you if they were to look at a snapshot of "average America" they probably wouldn't like what they see -- but that's another blog post on the topic of immigration.)
I'm gay. I was born in the rural small-town America they have conquered. I spent several years in college about a half-hour drive from Wal-Mart's corporate headquarters. I also remember having a vibrant downtown area in my small hometown. There were clothing stores, "dime" stores, hardware stores, and a couple of nice supermarkets including a Safeway. I remember my sense of civic pride when a Gibson's Discount Center opened on the outskirts of town. Then Otasco closed their small downtown store and opened a much larger and nicer store next to Gibson's. My little town seemed to be booming when I was in my mid-teens.
Then came Wal-Mart. It wasn't long before both Gibson's and Otasco shut down. And the downtown area is virtually vacant today. Over the years, various vacant buildings also burned to the ground, never to be replaced. Downtown now has ample parking but there's no reason to park there. So much for those "values."
Wal-Mart is well aware of the negative publicity they have received over the years regarding any number of issues from the hundreds of job-losses in American small-towns, to low wages paid to employees, poor benefits, reports of forced overtime without pay, etc. They have essentially been fighting negative publicity for years. They are aware that some of us are vehement about not shopping in their stores, myself included.
As their older "average" clientele begins to die off, they know they must adapt in order to continue growing. This is why they moved in the direction of offering more organic products. (See my prior post: The Greening of Wal-Mart)
What exactly did Wal-Mart do to "surrender" to the "radical homosexual lobby?"
NGLCC excerpt:
Wal-Mart is the latest company that has heard our message about completing the circle of corporate diversity. No longer is just marketing to the LGBT segment enough. No longer is having a corporate non discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation enough. If a company is as truly committed to being a good corporate citizen in the LGBT space as they are with other diverse communities, then they need to buy back and invest in LGBT community-owned businesses like they do with other diverse segments. Their supplier base, those from whom they purchase goods and services, must look like the customer and employee base they have or are trying to attract.
OK. Which side seems more rational here?
Wal-Mart profits recently fell off 26% after their decision to withdraw from Germany. They are aware of the need to reach out to more Americans than they have in the past. Those small-town older rural shoppers are not only going to get older, shop less and eventally die off, but it's obvious the LGBT and LGBT-friendly market in general has more income to spend than the previously targeted rural "family-values" shoppers.
I'm not ready to shop there yet. But I'm a step closer. It's what they want, and eventually, will need.
hat tip: BlueGal for prodding me on this piece.
How long is... forever?
Bush has said on many occasions that the country must be prepared for a drawn-out battle against a new kind of enemy, and the new counterterrorism strategy released Tuesday says flatly that "the war on terror will be a long war."
This was just a friendly reminder that the war machine is in overdrive until the November elections. Expect much more of this in the days and weeks to come. And don't forget to shit yourselves with fear as we approach the 5th anniversary of 9/11.
The updated White House strategy came in the wake of the release of a new al-Qaida video over the weekend that raised concerns about the possibility of another attack as the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11 approaches. The tape featured an American — believed by the FBI to have attended al-Qaida training camps — calling for his countrymen to convert to Islam.
Documentary Recommendations
We are totally mesmerized by The Documentary Channel. Last night we saw two exquisite documentaries I highly recommend:
Speaking in Strings is about the life of Italian violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. Whether you are a big fan of classical music or not, this is amazing stuff. The violin has already been one of my absolute favorite instruments -- see this documentary and you'll know why.
Afterwards, we watched another doc titled Beatrice Wood : Mama of Dada.
Both of these documentaries are a blessing on the soul. See them.
Speaking in Strings is about the life of Italian violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. Whether you are a big fan of classical music or not, this is amazing stuff. The violin has already been one of my absolute favorite instruments -- see this documentary and you'll know why.
Afterwards, we watched another doc titled Beatrice Wood : Mama of Dada.
Beatrice Wood was an important contemporary artist, craftperson and writer. Her life ran the course of the 20th century and included many of the figures that shaped it. Ultimately, her genius was in the marriage of wide-ranging influences in her work. The spirit of Dadaism, impact of Modernism, embrace of Eastern philosophy, influence of folk art and even the ornament of ethnic jewelry were all combined in her ceramics. Her work reveals a mastery of form, combined with a preference for the naïveté of folk art. Ultimately, it is impossible to separate her life experiences from the work she created, as she truly mastered the art of a life.
Both of these documentaries are a blessing on the soul. See them.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Feeling a financial pinch?
From the Detroit Free Press , the map shows the percentage change in median household incomes from six years ago:
There are some rather startling statistics in the Detroit Free Press article including:
It's an economic Katrina.
But you'd never guess from listening to The Walking Soundbite in Search of a Purpose pretending to care for the working people.
There are some rather startling statistics in the Detroit Free Press article including:
Almost a third of the state's African Americans lived below the poverty level.
Detroit remained one of the poorest big cities in the country with almost a third of its residents living below the poverty line.
It's an economic Katrina.
But you'd never guess from listening to The Walking Soundbite in Search of a Purpose pretending to care for the working people.
Will Work For Food
The Labor Day holiday is always fun when it's a struggle to do the most basic of things... like going out for lunch.
The problem actually began last night when this bottle you see pictured was full. Heed my advice. I'm sure there are plenty of tasty flavored vodkas and other drinks out there but I'm of the opinion tequila should be au natural.
My favorite tequila is having distribution problems for a few weeks and while there are other tequilas I enjoy, most of them are at least $10 more per bottle than my favorite. I should have stuck with my gut instinct last night and had white wine. But I saw this $23 bottle and thought, "Oh why not? I like limes and many people like salt and lime with their shots."
This shite is so limey I had to CHUG 4 or 5 gulps of dark beer after each shot just to help clear the lime from my palate. I won't bore you with details on how many beers I drank during the palate-cleansing exercise. We'll just say.... more than usual.
This morning I awoke feeling a little worn around the edges and I smelled like I'd had a lime bath. I also had a nasty headache -- something I very rarely have with my favorite tequila. As 12:00 neared I quizzed Txrad on our lunch plans which is quite silly since he never coughs up an idea without major prolonged prodding. Finally he suggested Burger Tex which is just a short 4 miles from our house. That was fine with me.
Veggie burgers and fries are good hangover food and I was primed for it. Most of this restaurant's clientele works weekdays in the area so their business is light on Saturdays, and they close on Sundays. Not surprisingly, they were closed for Labor Day.
I decided to go to Hut's Hamburgers downtown -- their burgers are better anyway, and the ambience is more "old Austin" also. But, they tend to be very busy. I was hoping we'd luck out on Labor Day but the gods seem to be stingy in dishing out the luck today. I opened the door to go in, and couldn't. The line waiting was pressed up against the entrance door.
At this point your God of Kona began behaving rather ungodly. I tossed the car keys to Txrad and said, "YOU take us someplace and I don't give a shit where."
After standing around in the parking lot for about 5 minutes unable to decide where to go next, I told Txrad, "If you can deal with getting us a table, I don't mind waiting." So back we went. Only this time people were waiting outside. I threw another hissy fit and back to the car we went.
Txrad suggested Veggie Heaven which is just north of downtown near the UT campus. Unfortunately there was no place to park. I was also moving far beyond cranky and the fact that I wasn't driving was complicating things. With nothing to take my mind off my hangover, I realized just how horrible I felt and I insisted Txrad pull over and let me drive.
As we headed north I now had my heart set on a burger & fries again. We ended up in far north Austin at the Waterloo Ice House. They had ample parking, no wait and a decent meal. What sucks is that an 8-mile roundtrip for an American staple turned into a 50-mile drive. And the fact that my long-awaited 3 day weekend is drawing to a close -- and quickly, after wasting 2 hours "doing lunch" and then trying to sleep off my nasty lime-flavored tequila hangover.
After I finish off that disgusting bottle of crap tonight, it's back to white wine tomorrow night.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Our Culture of Death
As if there hasn't been enough killing already....
I had no intention of doing any posting this weekend about anything hardcore, but this just cuts me to the core.
An Army investigator has recommended that four soldiers accused of murder in a raid in Iraq should face the death penalty if convicted, according to a report obtained Saturday by The Associated Press.
The U.S. military has not executed a soldier since the 1960 hanging of a soldier convicted rape and attempted murder.
I had no intention of doing any posting this weekend about anything hardcore, but this just cuts me to the core.
Conservative Gear
It's always fun to check out what conservatives are peddling:
"Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose."
Ahh yes. What a classic. Pretend the resulting nuclear waste doesn't exist.
The hazardous life of a radioactive element (the length of time that must elapse before the material is considered safe) is at least 10 half-lives. Therefore, Plutonium-239 will remain hazardous for at least 240,000 years.
Oh, but wait. The "conservatives" have thought that through as well. Forget Yucca Mountain:
Smart! And then we can:
Asshats!
Friday, September 01, 2006
A Tart Rant
Tart is away for the Labor Day weekend and I wasn't sure I'd survive the long weekend without seeing any new ranting posts on her blog.... so, I'll just do one of my own. I hope she doesn't mind if I do it, and take her name in vain as well.
Why did I think moving into a house in a neighborhood of one-acre lots would be quieter than living in an apartment? Beats the hell out of me.
Actually it was pretty quiet until a neighbor behind us began to live his life outside. Sitting on our back patio is not unlike being in a loud bar with a crappy-ass cover band playing. The guy's yard alone is the biggest eyesore you can possibly imagine. He appears to have moved the entire contents of his house into his yard -- and I do mean everything. All the knick-knacks that people tend to accumulate over the years, plus some assorted furniture, are on proud display. And there's a couple of junked cars as well. I figure he's done about $200,000 in damage to neighboring property values. Who the fuck wants to live next to an obnoxious LOUD PIG?
He is learning to play drums. Yes... outside. He cranks the music up to play along -- everything from Aerosmith & Black Sabbath to Eminem. The fact that it might be 102 outside is no deterrent. (Factoid: it was 103 today.)
Lately, he seems to have teamed up with a guitar player. And sadly, it's not an acoustic set. What I wouldn't give for a spontaneous & extremely violent electrical storm.
Why did I think moving into a house in a neighborhood of one-acre lots would be quieter than living in an apartment? Beats the hell out of me.
Actually it was pretty quiet until a neighbor behind us began to live his life outside. Sitting on our back patio is not unlike being in a loud bar with a crappy-ass cover band playing. The guy's yard alone is the biggest eyesore you can possibly imagine. He appears to have moved the entire contents of his house into his yard -- and I do mean everything. All the knick-knacks that people tend to accumulate over the years, plus some assorted furniture, are on proud display. And there's a couple of junked cars as well. I figure he's done about $200,000 in damage to neighboring property values. Who the fuck wants to live next to an obnoxious LOUD PIG?
He is learning to play drums. Yes... outside. He cranks the music up to play along -- everything from Aerosmith & Black Sabbath to Eminem. The fact that it might be 102 outside is no deterrent. (Factoid: it was 103 today.)
Lately, he seems to have teamed up with a guitar player. And sadly, it's not an acoustic set. What I wouldn't give for a spontaneous & extremely violent electrical storm.
My First Award
The month of August brought a lot of firsts for my young blog:
Konagod surpassed 2,000 visitors in a month for the first time (and hopefully not the last time)
Konagod evolved in the TTLB ecosystem from an insignificant microbe to a slimy mollusc (barely hanging on to that one)
Konagod surpassed 100 visits in a single day for the first time
Konagod experienced the first flamewar in a thread (not saying that's anything to be proud of)
None of this is of any importance outside of my own statistically-starved brain, but now there's one more to add to the list:
Konagod surpassed 2,000 visitors in a month for the first time (and hopefully not the last time)
Konagod evolved in the TTLB ecosystem from an insignificant microbe to a slimy mollusc (barely hanging on to that one)
Konagod surpassed 100 visits in a single day for the first time
Konagod experienced the first flamewar in a thread (not saying that's anything to be proud of)
None of this is of any importance outside of my own statistically-starved brain, but now there's one more to add to the list:
My first award
for the 4-part Gender Identity series. A big hug to Miss Cellania for the
Perfect Post Award. Other winners can be seen here also.
Perfect Post Award. Other winners can be seen here also.
Not a bad month I guess for a 3-month-old blog whose author had never visited a blog until about 6 or 8 months ago! (Toot, toot! That's my horn and I'm blowing it.)
Links to the series:
The 5-Year American Coma
The last day of the week before a holiday weekend is as good a time as any to do this little exercise.
Imagine you just awoke from a coma after 5 years. You are aware of nothing since 9/1/01. You have a hazy recollection of a pretty uneventful 7 1/2 months of the Bush presidency.
What would go through your mind upon reading news like this?
What would you think of images such as this?
Would you be outraged and want to know who was ultimately responsible?
Would you be shocked and appalled at the answer?
Sadly, too many Americans are in a coma and have been for 5 years and counting.
We are in year #6 of the Bush presidency and what exactly do we have to show for it?
Have Americans forgotten how to read? Or do we simply have more important things to think about?
Are you curious to know what’s the most e-mailed Yahoo news story?
Pardon me for disturbing America during her slumber.
Imagine you just awoke from a coma after 5 years. You are aware of nothing since 9/1/01. You have a hazy recollection of a pretty uneventful 7 1/2 months of the Bush presidency.
What would go through your mind upon reading news like this?
Rescue crews pulled bodies from the wreckage of bombed buildings Friday after a barrage of coordinated attacks across eastern Baghdad killed at least 64 people and wounded more than 286 within half an hour, police said.
What would you think of images such as this?
Would you be outraged and want to know who was ultimately responsible?
Would you be shocked and appalled at the answer?
Sadly, too many Americans are in a coma and have been for 5 years and counting.
We are in year #6 of the Bush presidency and what exactly do we have to show for it?
Have Americans forgotten how to read? Or do we simply have more important things to think about?
Are you curious to know what’s the most e-mailed Yahoo news story?
Pardon me for disturbing America during her slumber.
Friday Pussy Blog
It's always a feline circus in the morning when I go to the kitchen to make coffee. Usually there's 3 lurking in the hallway outside the bedroom, and they race me to the kitchen for the feeding frenzy. While I'm making coffee they calm down somewhat. Sissy likes to sit in her Daddy's chair while Tater Tot prefers to sprawl across the table. He had a nice big yawn this morning.
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