March 31, 2005
Sandy Berger Pleads Guilty
Berger to Plead Guilty to Taking Classified Material
WASHINGTON — Former national security adviser Sandy Berger will plead guilty to taking classified material from the National Archives, a misdemeanor, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Berger is expected to appear in federal court in Washington on Friday, said Justice spokesman Bryan Sierra.
Yeah....
honest mistake when you jam multiple pages down your pants.
March 30, 2005
Medal of Honor Award
Boo-freakin-yah!
Medal of Honor to Be Awarded to Soldier Killed in Iraq
WASHINGTON, March 29 - Sgt. First Class Paul R. Smith, killed nearly two years ago defending his vastly outnumbered Army unit in a fierce battle with elite Iraqi troops for control of Baghdad's airport, will receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, administration officials said Tuesday.
[...]
Sergeant Smith led a defense of a compound next to the airport against a much larger force of Special Republican Guard troops, manning a heavy machine gun, repeatedly firing and reloading three times before he was mortally wounded. Fellow soldiers said his actions killed 20 to 50 Iraqis, allowed wounded American soldiers to be evacuated, and saved an aid station and perhaps 100 lives.
Sergeant Smith's "extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor without regard to his own life in order to save others are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service," a draft of the medal citation says.
President Bush will present the award to Sergeant Smith's widow and children at a White House ceremony on Monday, the second anniversary of the airport battle and the soldier's death.
March 29, 2005
RIP Johnnie Cochran
Smack your head, Johnnie is dead:
Famed Atty Johnnie Cochran Dies
(CBS/AP) Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., who became a legal superstar after helping clear O.J. Simpson during a sensational murder trial in which he uttered the famous quote "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," died Tuesday. He was 67.
Cochran died of a brain tumor at his home in Los Angeles, his family said.
Rest in Peace Johnnie.
March 28, 2005
Pablo *patooey!* Charged
It would seem that Pablo *patooey!* Paredes, the sailor that decided to leave the Navy before his contract was up, has now been formally charged by the Navy:
Charges filed against anti-war sailor
Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo E. Paredes decided to protest the Iraq war by not sailing with his ship when it left San Diego Harbor on Dec. 6.
Yesterday, the Navy decided to charge Paredes, 23, with being absent without leave and missing movement, charges that could send him to military prison for as long as a year and limit his employment options.
The action by the Navy surprised Paredes, who made headlines and drew supporters and critics with his stance.
"I showed up at the base expecting to hear whether the local Navy command had approved my conscientious objector status. Instead I was read the charges against," said Paredes, who is on temporary duty at Naval Base San Diego.
Surprised!? You are such a
freakin MORON if you thought they'd just forget about your Pablo. Here is where the payback comes into play: brig time, loss of most of your pay while you're in the brig, and a
Big
Conduct
Discharge.
Smash has a lot more to say about Pablo *patooey!* being 'surprised' and has relevant thoughts on your bleak future.
Here's hoping that you get the living crap crushed out of you at court martial....
March 25, 2005
Um, Deal with it!!
After reading about President Bush's response to a question about *cough* vigalantes, I decided to send my thoughts on this to the president.
Here's what I sent to the White House this afternoon:
Dear President Bush,
You're a busy guy so I'll make this short & sweet: START PAYING ATTENTION TO THE U.S./MEXICO BORDER! Sorry for the CAPS, but I wanted to emphasize my meaning.
Mr. President, follow-through on your campaign promises and get MORE U.S. Border Patrol agents on the border - not 200, but the 2000 you said last fall.
I think you're a smart guy but I'll say this anyway: if you don't follow through on your promises to strengthen the borders of the United States and some incident - big or small - happens due to negligence in this matter, the Republican Party will be feeling the after-effects for years. Short-term gains in cheap labor will seem paltry when compared to the long-term consequences of allowing the border to be practically open.
Please - beef up the border. Put the National Guard of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas on the border immediately. Or put more police there. Or dig a DEEP trench and fill it with gasoline - SOMETHING!
You're probably aware of the growing discontent many Americans have with illegal immigration, but I thought I'd make my voice heard.
Do not ignore the border situation.
Sincerely,
"Mad Mikey"
Will I make a difference? I don't know, but I won't be silent about this.
Drop the White House a line: president@whitehouse.gov.
Yeah, it might only be read by some intern way down on the food chain, but it's still doing something.
UPDATE: After I sent the message, I found this grammar boo-boo:
START PAYING ATTENTION TO THE U.S./MEXICO BOARDER! Sorry...
I feel sheepish...
Terri Schiavo
I've resisted the urge to blog about Terri Schiavo for the simple reason that I don't know which way to feel about her situation.
On one hand, I completely understand the notion to honor her wishes (as related by her husband) to not be maintained on life support. I've told my wife in the past that I too do not wish to be maintained on a machine (or other means) if I was 'gone' mentally. Now I have to get it in writing soon so as not to burdern her with this type of grief.
On the other hand, the full weight of the law concerning this is all based on what the husband is reported to have heard from Terri and it would seem that to 'convict' someone of a crime simply based on hearsay is putting the entire will-to-live versus right-to-die argument on very shaky grounds.
All I can really say about Terri and her situation is this: my hopes and prays are with her and her family that this will end soon and that all will find some sort of peace in their hearts.
One additional hope: please - for the love of God - do NOT make this a plank in some political argument, left OR right. It serves no purpose to use this woman's life as ammunition. Doing so only makes this entire situation seem cheap and tawdry and it makes the one using it appear to be the type of person that would hide behind anyone.
A New Direction
The Anti-War movement here in San Diego is facing a new challenge: they cannot seem to make a dent in public opinion about how they're right and anyone who supports the troops is wrong, so they're changing direction.
Now, instead of trying to make an argument that the War on Terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom are bad, they're not targetting military recruiters.
Recruitment Centers Defaced
The San Diego National City Military Recruitment Center was defaced on March 19th with anti-war graffiti and posters. Defaced, Improved, Neutralized, Revealed - I guess it's all just semantics.
That's right - since they know that the personnel manning those offices aren't going to openly/publicly fight back.
And did they accomplish much?? It's hard to tell if they actually detered someone from enlisting, but they did cost the government money to clean up this crap.
Needless to say, I am really impressed with these children and their childish antics.
CLAP - CLAP - CLAP - CLAP - CLAP
I bet their mommas are really PROUD of them and someday soon, they'll be the night-shift manager at Wendy's!!
Binary to Decimal
Something I came across today that peeked the 'inner geek' in me.
Test your knowledge on binary:
100,0002 - 102 = ?10
Continue to be enlightened while reading "Binary to Decimal"
Down Yet Up?
You would think that this would have made a bigger 'spalsh' on the news wires:
US Death Rate Down in Iraq Since January Elections
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The rate of U.S. deaths in the Iraq war has fallen sharply since the historic January elections as American military leaders tout progress against the insurgency but warn of a long road ahead.
March is on pace for the lowest monthly U.S. military death toll in 13 months, and the rate of American fatalities has fallen by about 50 percent since the parliamentary elections in which millions of Iraqis defied insurgents to cast ballots.
Defense analysts noted that while violence aimed at U.S. forces has declined in the 7 1/2 weeks since the election, insurgent attacks on Iraqis have escalated. They added that previous lulls in attacks on U.S. forces in the two-year war have been followed by intense periods of violence.
The number of attacks on U.S. troops has decreased while attacks on Iraqis has
increased.
Hmmm....they can't take down the big man on the block so they're going after the weaker targets, the Iraqi civilians? It's either that or they're exacting some revenge for Iraqis excercising some free will and voting.
Man, what brave *cough* 'freedom fighters' they are....time to blow up another mosque boys!
Yeah....?
Anyone wanna take a crack at this....?
(Glommed from Chris Muir's ever-lasting 'Day by Day' cartoon)
March 23, 2005
Media Snapshot
Mariah Carrey, Glitter condemed by
United Nations, Amnesty International.
SJP spotted over Newfoundland trailing smoke
from engines, denies 'in-flight incident'.
Kutch knocked up Demi,
stuck with her and Bruce Willis now.
Ashlee banging out silly show on MTV,
no one notices.
Nicole shopping for a new husband,
Tom still going after Penelope Cruz.
Newton Wins Again
Newton's Third Law of Motion meets small-town politics...
ACTION: Not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and making a stink over it.
REACTION: Getting your butt voted out of office.
Colo. Town Official Who Refused Pledge Recalled
ESTES PARK, Colo. — A town trustee who refused to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance during board meetings was voted out of office.
David Habecker lost the recall election Tuesday by a 3-2 margin, with 903 votes in favor of removing him from office to 605 in favor of keeping him.
Habecker is a 12-year member of the Estes Park governing board. The mountain community, located about 60 miles northwest of Denver, has about 5,500 residents.
Well duh.
This clown says he's a free thinker and that the phrase "under God" violates his religious beliefs. Well, that's okay David - the voters have removed that bothersom obstacle to your free thinking.
Why do people think that if they make a stink that it won't stick to them?? Newton wins again dork.
Revisionist History, Revisionist Fact
There's always the element of sheer stupidity that pops up in American culture every so often and here's something that meets that criteria:
School to vote on renaming Jefferson Elementary
President's slave holdings perturb families, teachers
Parents, students and teachers at Berkeley's Thomas Jefferson Elementary School will soon vote on whether to rename their school because the nation's third president was a slave owner.
The question of whether to rename the school has been debated for more than two years -- since several teachers, including an African American mother of three former Jefferson students, said Jefferson's moniker offended them and suggested a name change.
On Monday, Principal Betty Delaney released a list of potential new names -- one nominated by a student, the rest by adults. Parents, students and teachers must first vote on a new name, then take a second vote on whether to replace Jefferson with the new name.
The school board must officially approve any name change.
Contenders for the new name included Ralph Bunche, the African American diplomat at the United Nations who was the first person of color to win the Nobel Peace Prize; farmworker organizer Cesar Chavez; and Florence McDonald, the late Berkeley city councilwoman, leftist political leader and mother of singer Country Joe McDonald.
Other names suggested were Sojourner Truth, a woman who fled slavery in New York in 1828 and became one of the best-known abolitionist orators; Ohlone -- for the indigenous people who lived in Berkeley before European settlers arrived; Peace; Rose; and Sequoia.
Marguerite Talley-Hughes, a kindergarten teacher at Jefferson who is African American, said she thinks it is reasonable to want a name that is not offensive to some in the school community.
"It's very clear that the name is offensive to a significant part of the population,'' said Hughes, who lives in the neighborhood and sent her own three children to Jefferson.
"There's no reason we can't have a name that everyone likes and can feel good about,'' she said.
Continue to be enlightened while reading "Revisionist History, Revisionist Fact"
I came across this early this morning over at Michael King's site (another Munuvian) where he had this to say about it:
So they figure that naming the school after a former US President is offensive.
And people wonder why I refer to the place as "Berserkley."
Just damn.
The 'dipstick' factor here is that if you went through all of America's schools, libraries, parks, bridges, buildings, etc, and renamed them because of some nasty aspect of their historical prescence is
offensive by today's standards, well....it would be a multi-generational undertaking.
For example: if we were to follow this trend of renaming public institutions because the namesake was B-A-D, then I guess we'd have to re-name all of the high schools that are named after Robert E. Lee - GENERAL Robert E. Lee, Confederate States of America.
(Ironically, the first one on the list is in Fairfax County Public Schools where I went to high school. Not Lee, but George C. Marshall High School)
And you know what? Most of the kids going to any of the Robert E. Lee high schools wouldn't give a fig for the fact that Lee was fighting for the Confederate States. They'd probably just say "It's part of our history" and leave it at that. At least, that's what I'd do.
To those num-nums that think they're doing people and society a service by trying to eradicate all traces of B-A-D stuff from our history: don't. You're just making a fool out of yourselves and of our history.
YES, slavery in American history was a deplorable institution and it took way too long to eradicate both it and it's legacies from modern America, but it IS part of what makes America the nation today that it is. Accept history for what it is - something that happened in the PAST - learn from history, and work to prevent it from happening again if there was some part that was indeed B-A-D.
And if you insist upon revamping history cause you're 'offended', you'd better roll up your sleeves for all the stuff in West Virginia that's named after Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)....former Grand Kleagle of the Ku Kluz Klan. (Yeah - him).
Going back and (pardon the pun) 'whiting-out' all the nasty stuff just makes you look...well, stupid.
All done with "Revisionist History, Revisionist Fact"?
A Question of Ethics
Hey all you engineering types - I have a question concerning work-place ethics that I need to bounce off you.
Drop me an e-mail and I'll mass-mail it to everyone => madmikey1-IN THE DIRECTION OF-hotmail-PERIOD TYPE UNIT-com.
(Hopefully, you'll all 'get it' with that)
The Numbers Please?
I've said this before and I guess I'll say it again: what numbers are the real thing?
Social Security Said to Go Broke in 2041
WASHINGTON (AP) - The trust fund for Social Security will go broke in 2041 - a year earlier than previously estimated - the trustees reported Wednesday. Trustees also said that Medicare, the giant health care program for the elderly and disabled, faces insolvency in 2020.
The new projections made in the trustees annual report were certain to be cited by both sides in the massive battle to overhaul Social Security, which President Bush has made the top domestic priority of his second term.
The go-broke date for Medicare was delayed by one year, compared to the estimate that trustees gave a year ago.
The insolvency dates represent when both trust funds will have exhausted the government bonds that have been building up to take care of the pending retirement of 78 million baby boomers.
So once again - which numbers or sets of numbers should you look at to get a 'decent' picture of the situation?
I will admit that I'm a little troubled that I cannot get anyone to say what is a good indicator of the social security solvency problem(s); I'm even a little doubtful of the numbers that the pro-privitization folks utilize. (Ummm, even I know that some cases are slanted to favor those that utilize them).
So, anyone wanna take a crack at it? I've purposefully stayed away from chatting about this cause quite frankly no one has proposed anything concrete as far as serious changes - all it's been has been 'theories'.....
Preventative Bifurcation
Suspect worked at Jessica's school
HOMOSASSA - For five months, convicted sex offender John Evander Couey worked as a mason's helper at Homosassa Elementary School, where 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford attended class.
A mason on the job said Couey had direct contact with students and teachers during the project, though it was unknown whether he had contact with Jessica.
Before that, Couey, who was formally arrested Monday in connection with Jessica's death, worked on the Crystal River Middle School remodeling project.
"Oh, my God," said School Board member Ginger Bryant. "I can't believe he ever set foot on any of our school sites. I feel yucky. I'm ready to throw up."
Yet another reason to just deal with these vermin as soon as they're found guilty: 9mm excavation of the cranium.
Harsh? Maybe, but these scumbags did something to merit such a severe punishment; Jessica didn't.
March 20, 2005
Say What - Control the Movement?
U.S. needs to watch extremists, Fox says
MEXICO CITY - Anti-immigrant sentiment appears to be growing in the United States, Mexican President Vicente Fox said Wednesday, and he urged U.S. officials to act quickly to control movements such as the 950-member-strong Minuteman Project on the Mexico-Arizona border.
Fox said he plans to push for U.S. immigration reform during a meeting with President Bush in Texas next week.
To quote my wife who just read this:
Kiss my ass!!
Vicente, we don't 'control movements' here in the United States. While you may think that this is some sort of vigelante movement, the federal governemnt won't 'control' this any more than they can control the moon's orbit.
It's what we like to call 'freedom to assemble' here in America.
And bear in mind that this is just a reaction to the illegal immigration that you seem to have no problem ignoring, just as much as our government seems to ignore it. But this won't last forever; sooner or later the federal government will see this for what is really is - a national emergency - and will take step(s) to combat it. Personally, I'm in favor of putting the National Guard on the US-Mexico border armed with M-1 Abrhams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles and possibly digging a trench and filling it with gasoline.
Fourth of July in March
Been wondering what San Diego Protesr Warrior would be doing to mark the 2nd anniversary of the Operation Iraqi Freedom? Well, wonder no more:
Patriot's Picnic in Balboa Park happened yesterday.
Da Goddess and Citizen Smash have the beginnings of the after-action reports. They also have links to others that are blogging about this event.
Go give them a look.
March 18, 2005
You Scumbag!
Damn - just finished my last exam for the quarter and was looking forward to posting about it until I read this story on FoxNews. If this isn't a good enough reason to just outright execute all sex-offenders, I don't know what is:
Cops: Couey Admits to Killing Girl
A registered sex offender has confessed to killing Jessica Lunsford, the 9-year-old Florida girl who has been missing since February, police said Friday.
"I've got my man," Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy told a news conference.
Authorities said that John Evander Couey admitted that he abducted Jessica from her bedroom more than three weeks ago. He also told them the general area where the young girl's body could be found, according to police.
You freakin scumbag!!
Yet another reason to come down on these scumbags like a freakin anvil and eliminate a threat to society....just blow their brains out and then there's no reason to worry if these piles of filth can possibly be a threat to children.
This clown had better pray to the pedophile god that he isn't left alone for a minute in prison.....Damn it - this hits a little too close to home for me.
Short Straw
Damn - I'm wondering if they had to draw straws to determine which model would drastically shorten her career by strutting the runway wearing this concoction.
It reminds me of some of the funky costumes I saw at the San Diego Comic Con a few years back.
Perspective
I'm sitting here in the library listening to songs that I've downloaded from iTunes when I should be preparing for my last final exam and I'm hit with a perspective that makes me feel old: music form 25 years ago is so much better than the crap that's being pumped out today.
Case in point: I'm listening to I Know There's Something Going On by Frida - I've had the song going through my head for weeks - well, the opening drums anyway - and I finally thought to get it. So I'm listening to it and I think about the technology utilized to put this album together.
I thought about the level of recording technology that's available today and I'm still amazed that recordings sounded so good for that 'primitive' ability.
I listen to Tina Turner/Bryan Adams singing It's Only Love and again I'm hit with a warm & fuzzy feeling of hearing an era of music that won't be heard again.
Then I listen to Joe Satriani on One Big Rush and yet again, there is a style of music that's faded from view: the Guitar Hero.
Ugh - maybe I'm just nostalgic and missing those days of getting an actual vinyl record and slapping it on a turntable. Cause when I listen to stuff from the 80s, I get that over-whelming feeling of trying to teach these kids here at school what it's like to rock....old school cause practically all of the crap coming out today is IMO only so much white noise. (And no, that wasn't a racist comment.)
I guess it's all just a matter of perspective and how that perspective is utilized.
March 17, 2005
Death Machine
(Nicely glommed from Right Wing News who glommed it from SondraK)
March 16, 2005
Adios Scott
Justice is served:
Judge Imposes Death Penalty for Peterson
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — A California judge Wednesday finalized the death sentence for Scott Peterson, telling the convicted double-murderer his actions were "callous and cruel."
Earlier, Judge Alfred A. Delucchi denied a defense request for a new trial.
Wearing a black suit and waist shackles, Peterson entered the courtroom around 9 a.m. PST. His parents and the family of his wife Laci Peterson were present for the hearing.
Laci Peterson's father said Judge Delucchi's decision gave him a sense of closure.
"Our family is going to make it. We are stronger because of this and Scott got what he deserved," Ron Grantski told the press after the hearing.
Now, with the exception of several appeal attempts, he's a goner.
Adios Scott - hope you enjoy an eternity of being sodomized by angry goats in Hell......
March 14, 2005
Ring-Ring!?
Poll: Public Cell Phone Use Annoys Most
WASHINGTON - A majority of cell phone users acknowledge they get irritated at other people for using cell phones in a public place.
No, not them
talking on their phones - just those fracking
annoying and idiotic ringtones. Especially with those clowns in my classes that forget to silence their phones
AND can't seem to understand that it's
their freaking phone that's ringing....
Union of Forrest Gump
Sometimes the capacity for some person or organization to just baffle me with their actions is limitless:
Marines driven out of UAW lot
DETROIT -- The United Auto Workers says Marine reservists should show a little more semper fi if they want to use the union's parking lot.
The Marine Corps motto means "always faithful," but the union says some reservists working out of a base on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit have been decidedly unfaithful to their fellow Americans by driving import cars and trucks.
So the UAW International will no longer allow members of the 1st Battalion 24th Marines to park at Solidarity House if they are driving foreign cars or displaying pro-President Bush bumper stickers
"While reservists certainly have the right to drive nonunion made vehicles and display bumper stickers touting the most anti-worker, anti-union president since the 1920s, that doesn't mean they have the right to park in a lot owned by the members of the UAW," the union said in a statement released Friday.
Shocked and disappointed, the Marines are pulling out.
And the UAW is correct: they
do have the right to show their dissatisfaction with how members of the United States Marine Corps choose whom to vote for and for what type of vehicle they choose to drive by pulling a childish stunt such as this one.
If they want to shoot themselves in the foot - repeatedly - that's their prerogative.
Of course, Marines (and everyone else in the nation for that matter) also have the right to show their dissatisfaction with how the UAW acts like a spoiled child, especially when considering their next vehicle purchase. You see - free will works for everyone, especially when a sizable chunk of change is involved.
Hey, nobody said life had to be fair and equitable and if you proceed to alienate your consumer-base with psuedo-Forrest Gump maneuvers, be prepared to pay the bill when it's placed on the table.
UPDATE: The Marines have secured another parking lot and have told the UAW to go pound sand after they try to 'make nice' at damage control:
The United Auto Workers union waved a white flag Monday in its parking skirmish with neighboring reservists, but the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines are not accepting surrender.
Facing intense criticism, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger reversed his decision to ban Marine Corps reservists driving foreign cars or displaying pro-President Bush bumper stickers from parking at the union's Solidarity House headquarters in Detroit.
"I made the wrong call on the parking issue, and I have notified the Marine Corps that all reservists are welcome to park at Solidarity House as they have for the past 10 years," Gettelfinger said in a statement.
Wounded by what they consider an unpatriotic ambush, the Marines rejected the union's olive branch and secured an alternative parking lot.
"I talked to Ron; I let him know that I understand he has rescinded his decision," said Lt. Col. Joe Rutledge, a top-ranking officer at the reserve infantry rifle battalion. "However, I've made my decision -- either you support the Marines or you don't."
Too late UAW - you pissed off the Marines and a lot of Americans who will give their next car purchase some serious thought.
March 11, 2005
Say What? Bonehead Manuever
Um.....yeah - here's a monumentally bad idea:
Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Just over the United States northwest border, addicts will soon be able to get their fix from the Canadian government in the form of free heroin administered by nurses and doctors on the taxpayer's dime.
"They're using heroin. They'll continue to use heroin. What we're trying to do is prevent them from getting something irreversible like HIV, hep [hepatitis] C and overdose death,” said Dr. Martin Schechter, the director of the heroin program.
Vancouver is the first city to take part in the North American Opiate Medication Initiative, which plans to enroll 470 participants at three sites in Canada. The Toronto and Montreal sites are expected to begin recruiting candidates this spring.
Vancouver Police Chief Jamie Graham is among supporters who say the heroin giveaway will let junkies shoot up without having to resort to theft or prostitution to buy their drugs. Breaking that cycle of crime, they argue, is the first step toward turning an addict's life around.
This is a bad move on so many different levels.
New Goal
Dispite all that's happening to me these days, I've got yet another goal to aim for when I finish UCSD - going back to playing my bass guitar and eventually getting one of these bad boys:
This is the Billy Sheehan Signature Model Attitude LTDII bass guitar and it will be mine. And I'll get one of these to rattle the plaster.
If you don't know who Billy Sheehan is, go here and get a clue or two. The man is almost God-like in his playing and his technique. His is a style that I strive to attain in my playing.
The Road to Geekiness
I was just out in the outer lobby of the building I work in getting a soda. While I was sorting through the change in my hand to pay for the soda, I dropped a penny.
The Road to Geekiness is paved with this first stone: I started computing the cost of bending over to retrieve the penny versus the actual value of that penny and was it really worth it....
That Time Again...
It's that time again and no matter how much I try to squeeze my eyes shut and wish them away, those dreaded Final Exams just won't disappear.
Sigh.....I guess I'll just study for them and attempt to slay them in the arena of combat.
Luckily (and maybe not) I have my exams at the end of the week - two on Thursday and one on Friday; that'll give me a few extra days to prepare for them. And I'm lucky in the fact that a friend of mine has three on Thrusday.
I just have to figure out a way to work dialysis into it all on Thursday between those two exams....I'll either do it one day early or just skip it entirely.
March 10, 2005
A Pest to Many
Another sad case of Post Election Stress Trauma (PEST)
Police: Bush/Cheney bumper sticker sent man into road rage
TAMPA - A Tampa man is out of jail after a possible road rage incident that gives new meaning to the term "driving left of center."
Nathan Winkler, 31, was arrested overnight and charged with aggravated stalking for allegedly terrorizing a mother and her two children.
According to police, Winkler pulled up alongside Michelle Fernandez as she was headed south on Armenia and began beeping his horn and flailing his arms, pointing at her. Fernandez, meanwhile, could not see Winkler's face because of a handmade sign in his window that read, "Never forget Bush's illegal oil war murdered thousands in Iraq."
"Apparently, this starts over political views or bumper stickers. She had a Bush/Cheney sticker on the back of her car. There's just no excuse for it to escalate to what it did," observed Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin.
Winkler apparently grew more agitated as they continued to drive along, allegedly trying to run Fernandez's car off the road several times over the next few miles.
Will this get much attention? I bet if it was some psycho-Republican chasing down a mother and her child cause she has a Kerry/Edwards sticker it sure as hell would.
UPDATE: Michelle Malking refers to this as Democrats Gone Wild!....
March 09, 2005
Pondering...
Things to ponder while waiting at the dentist's office:
- If you spin an Oriental around several times, does he become disoriented?
- If people from Poland are called "Poles", why aren't people from Holland called "Holes"?
- Why do we say something 'is out of whack'? What's a whack?
- Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
- If a pig loses its cool, is it disgruntled?
- Why do women wear evening gowns to nightclubs? Shouldn't they be wearing night gowns?
- If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
- When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?
Continue to be enlightened while reading "Pondering..."
- Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
- Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with.
- When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?
- Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person drives a race car not called a racist?
- Why isn't 11 pronounced onety one?
- Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as "4's"?
- Why is it that if someone tells you there are 1 billion stars in the universe you will believe them. But if they tell you a wall has wet paint, you have to touch it to be sure?
- Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
- What hair color do they put on the drivers licenses of bald men?
- I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older, then it dawned on me - they're cramming for their final exam.
- I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks so I wondered, what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?
- Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mail men could look for them while they delivered the mail?
- How much deeper would oceans be if sponges didn't live there?
- If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
- You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
- No one ever says "It's only a game," when their team is winning.
- Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
- Last night I played a blank tape at full blast. The mime next door went nuts.
- If a person with multiple personalities threatens suicide, is that considered a hostage situation?
- If a cow laughed, would milk come out her nose?
- If olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil come from?
Animals
Hey, let's hear it for those *cough* brave insurgents fighting against American agression[/BS]:
Iraqi Cops Find Victims of Mass Killings
BAGHDAD, Iraq — At least 41 bodies — among them women, children and some believed to be Iraqi soldiers — were discovered at two sites in Iraq and officials said Wednesday they believe militants kidnapped and executed the victims.
Iraqi authorities said the corpses were found Tuesday. Twenty-six bodies were found in a field near Rumana, a village about 10 miles east of the western city of Qaim, near the Syrian border. South of Baghdad in Latifiya, 15 headless bodies were found in a building inside an abandoned former army base.
Someone want to tell me again who's slaugtering whom?
This makes cluster bombs look like firecrackers. Killing kids.....freaking animals.
It's Not A Tumor!
Bill Clinton to Have Scar Tissue Removed
NEW YORK (AP) - Six months after undergoing heart bypass surgery, former President Clinton will return to the hospital this week to have a rare buildup of fluid and scar tissue removed from his chest.
"I feel fine," Clinton said Tuesday in Washington, adding that he plans to play golf in Florida a day before the operation.
Doctors at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, where Clinton is scheduled to have the procedure on Thursday, said the surgery is low-risk.
During the procedure, known as a decortication, doctors will remove scar tissue that is pressing down on his left lung. The surgery will be done either through a small incision or with a video-assisted thorascope inserted between his ribs.
The former president said doctors discovered the condition during a recent X-ray, and he called the surgery a "routine sort of deal."
Your *cough* legacy leaves much to be desired Mr. President, but here's hoping you'll do okay with this procedure.
March 08, 2005
Say What? Illegal Thin Mints
Oh My God - let's give this cop a medal:
Man Ticketed For Selling Girl Scout Cookies With Daughter
NEW YORK -- A Long Island man was ticketed in Brooklyn for selling Girl Scout cookies with his 13-year-old daughter.
Hoi Louis was in Williamsburg delivering the cookies with his daughter over the weekend. Louis said it was his old neighborhood, before he moved to Bethpage, and he and his daughter have been selling Girl Scout cookies there since his daughter was in first grade.
At 4:50 p.m. Saturday a police captain and a uniformed officer pulled up to their van as they were unloading cookies. Louis said the captain from the 94th Precinct ticketed him for selling cookies without a license.
The NYPD said the man and his daughter were not delivering the cookies, but instead were selling the cookies from a table they had set up on the street.
The child's grandmother, who was in the van, said her granddaughter was frightened by the police and the girl's father was flabbergasted.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap. Brilliant - just brilliant. This cop deserves a medal or a commendation for thwarting this heinous crime.....I mean, we all know how addictive those Dos-si-dos are.
(Reminder to Self: Get more Dos-si-dos from munchkin before going out to sell cookies....)
Nobody Is Home
There are only seven people sitting in the lecture hall at the beginning of my Materials class. And the prof is lecturing like it's packed.
It reminds me of that scene sequence from 'Real Genius' where a professor is lecturing to a class that is decreasing in students and increasing in tape recorders...
March 07, 2005
Ann-Margret is a Class Act
I've always thought of Ann-Margret as a classy lady and this story proves it once-and-for-all. It freaking rocks....
Richard, my husband, never really talked a lot about his time in Viet Nam other than he had been shot by a sniper.
He had a rather grainy, 8X10 black & white photo he had taken at a USO show of Ann-Margaret with Bob Hope in the background that one of his treasures.
A few years ago, Ann-Margret was doing a book signing at a local bookstore.
Richard wanted to see if he could get her to sign the treasured photo so he arrived at the book store at 12 o'clock for the 7:30 signing. When I got there after work, the line went all the way around the bookstore, circled the parking lot, and disappeared behind a parking garage.
Before her appearance, bookstore employees announced that she would sign only her book, and no memorabilia would be permitted. Richard was disappointed, but wanted to show her the photo and let her know how much those shows meant to lonely GI's so far from home.
Ann Margaret came out looking as beautiful as ever and, as 2nd in line, it was soon Richard's turn. He presented the book for her signature and then took out the photo with many shouts from employees that she would not sign it.
Richard said, "I understand. I just wanted her to see it". She took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "This is one of my gentlemen from Viet Nam and I most certainly will sign his photo. I know what these men did for their country and I always have time for "my gentlemen".
Later, at dinner, Richard was very quiet. When I asked if he'd like to talk about it, my big strong husband broke down in tears. "That's the first time anyone ever thanked me for my time in the Army", he said.
Richard, like many others, came home to people who spit on him and shouted ugly things at him. That night was a turning point for him. He walked a little straighter and, for the first time in years, was proud to have been a Vet.
I'll never forget Ann-Margaret for her graciousness and how much that small act of kindness meant to my husband. I now make it a point to say 'Thank You' to every person I come across who served in our Armed Forces. Freedom does not come cheap and I am grateful for all those who have served their country.
If you'd like to pass on this story, feel free to do so. Perhaps it will help others to become aware of how important it is to acknowledge the contribution our service people make.
God Bless Our Armed Forces!
The Rules
Dear Civilians,
We know that the current state of affairs in our great nation have many civilians up in arms and excited to join the military. For those of you who can't join, you can still lend a hand. Here are a few of the areas we would like your assistance with:
- The next time you see an adult talking during the playing of the National Anthem .... kick their ass.
- When you witness first hand someone burning the American Flag in protest .... kick their ass.
- Regardless of the rank they held while they served, pay the highest amount of respect to all veterans. If you see someone doing otherwise quietly pull them aside and explain how these Veterans fought for the very freedom they bask in every second. Enlighten them on the many sacrifices these veterans made to make this Nation great. Then hold them down while a Disabled Veteran kicks their ass.
- If you were never in the military, DO NOT pretend that you were. Wearing battle dress uniforms (BDU's), telling others that you used to be Special Forces and collecting GI Joe memorabilia, might have been okay if you were still seven. Now, it will only make you look stupid and get your ass kicked.
- If you witness someone calling an enlisted Marine "Sir", stand back .... a Marine will kick their ass.
- Next time you come across an Air Force member, do not ask them, "Do you fly a jet?". Not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot. Such ignorance deserves an ass kicking (children are exempt).
- Roseanne Barr's singing the National Anthem is not a blooper .... it is a disgrace and disrespectful. Laugh, and sooner or later your ass will be kicked.
- Next time Old Glory prances by during a parade, get on your damn feet and pay homage to her by placing your hand over your heart. Quietly thank the military member or veteran lucky enough to be carrying her .... of course, failure to do either of these could earn you a severe ass kicking.
- What Jane Fonda did during the Vietnam War makes her the enemy. The proper word to describe her is traitor. Just mention her nomination for Woman of the Year, and get your ass kicked.
- Do not try to discuss politics with a military member or a veteran. We are Americans and we all bleed the same regardless of our part of affiliation. Our Chain of Command, is to include our Commander-in-Chief. The President (for those who didn't know) is our CIC regardless of political party. We have no inside track on what happens inside those big important buildings where all those representatives meet. All we know is that when those civilian representatives screw up the situation, they call on the military to go straighten it out. The military member might direct you to Oliver North. (I can see him kicking your ass already.)
- "Your Mama wears combat boots" never made sense to me .... stop saying it! If she did, she would most likely be a vet and probably kick your ass!
- Bin Laden and the Taliban are not Communists, so stop saying "Let's go kill those Commies!!! And stop asking us where he is!!!! Crystal balls are not standard issue in the military. That reminds me .... if you see anyone calling those damn psychic phone numbers; let me know, so I can go kick their ass.
- Bus Driver, Jar Head, Grunt, Swabbie, Squid, etc., are terms of endearment we use describing each other. Unless you are a service member or vet, you have not earned the right to use them and could get your ass kicked.
- Last but not least, whether or not you become a member of the military, support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with your family and friends please remember that there are literally thousands of troops overseas wishing they could be with their families.
- Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day. Without them, our country would get its ass kicked.
And if you're in doubt as to whether some sorry POS is violating any of these rules, err on the side of caution and kick their ass.
Show Me the Numbers!
Okay, does anyone have a source for raw numbers concerning the Social Security sovency issue??
I've looked around and found a couple of sites: one for the Economic Policy Institute that says one thing and then there's the Social Security Administration's Trustee Report that says another and quite frankly, they both put me to sleep.
I'm trying to get a handle on this issue and it's hard to know what numbers to refer to....
March 04, 2005
You Were Saying....?
Huh.
Gas prices might increase 24 cents
Gasoline prices could rocket 24 cents a gallon the next few days, as stations across the USA scramble to keep up with big jumps in the prices of oil and wholesale gas, a veteran energy-price analyst forecast Thursday.
"It's going to be brutal, horrendous," says Peter Beutel, president of energy-price tracker Cameron Hanover. He has followed energy markets for nearly three decades.
Thursday, light, sweet crude oil for April delivery traded as high as $55.20 a barrel in New York before closing at $53.57.
A 24-cent jump in the price of gas would bump unleaded regular to a nationwide average of about $2.16 a gallon, blowing through last May's record of about $2.06. It could go higher as increased warm-weather driving in another two months pushes up demand, and therefore prices, forecasters say.
Anyone want to take another crack at that '
It's about O-I-L!!' mantra.....?
Ahem
I bet you didn't notice this over on the left-hand side, huh?
Just thought I'd make mention of it....in case you've got money burning a hole in your wallet....[/grovelling]
Slow News Day?
Why is this even a news item....?
Damn, I've heard of being hard up for something to put out as 'current', but this is about as stupid as FoxNews putting up a 'News Alert' last night.....
Changes
My wife went out for a movie with a friend of hers last night. When they came home, my wife's friend commented that I looked 'skinny'.
Huh?
At first, I thought she was being nice but then realized that she hadn't seen me since last summer before all this kidney crap started getting worse. To me - I look about the same, but then again I see my face in the mirror every day and subtle changes won't jump out at me.
Now that I've thought about it, I'm gonna have to put up a new photo since that one shows me about 25 lbs heavier than I am right now.
Photo Blog
Came across a link over at Random Nuclear Strikes about Mardi Gras in Iraq which lead me to this photo site of Lainey.
She is stationed in Iraq with her National Guard unit out of Louisiana. Go check it out!
Not Enough
Finally found some 'source' for this story I heard about a few days ago:
Camp Intern Fired After Discussing Lesbianism With Students
SAN DIEGO -- A 22-year-old camp intern was fired after it was discovered she discussed her lesbian experiences with about 60 sixth-grade girls, 10News reported. While some parents say that's enough, others are thinking twice about sending their kids to camp.
Alpine Unified School District administrators confirmed that at a sixth-grade camp last month, some of the students were using the word lesbian in a derogatory way. Officials said the camp intern who talked to them about it, went too far.
The intern discussed her lesbian experiences with about 60 sixth-grade girls.
Katy Woodward, the principal at Joan MacQueen Middle School, immediately sent home a letter that told the parents of those girls that a camp intern had "an inappropriate conversation with your child." She said the topic of the conversation was "lesbianism" and "we encourage you to talk to your child."
What
isnt' reported is that this intern threatened to bar the girls from showering or that she'd 'turn off the hot water' if they resisted these *cough* lessons.
The thing about this isn't that this intern decided to teach these kids about lesbians, girls liking girls, etc. but rather that when some of the kids objected to it they were 'slapped down' and threatened; this intern had a captive audience.
Additionally, it's not this interns job to educate my kid in the art of lesbianism - the intern is there to help the kid camp - PERIOD.
This intern being fired isn't enough IMHO - she should have been launched over the U.S./Mexico border utilizing the latest in trebuchet technology....
March 03, 2005
Operation THANK YOU, Part IV
I had another quiz/midterm this afternoon so I wasn't able to participate in San Diego Protest Warrior's latest event.
By the way, SDPW.org is up and running...
Kiss My Ass
When I initially saw this bit that Michelle Malkin was blogging about, I didn't really pay much attention; my mind was on a midterm that I just finished this afternoon.
When I went back and started reading some of it, my thought was you can kiss my white ass. This bit from Right-Wing Nuthouse:
What kind of regulations?
A link to a candidates website could be considered a political contribution. That’s right. The Federal Election Commission is trying to determine the best way to quantify the monetary value of a link for purposes of determining how much of a contribution should be charged against a blogger’s $2000 personal campaign contribution limit.
Can you say nightmare?
It may become illegal to link back to a candidate’s web site unless it’s counted as a campaign contribution.
It's a bit convoluted and I'd daresay that it might be everyone 'over-reacting' like some people do when the subject of the Patriot Act comes up, but I'd recommend going through some of the links at Michelle's and see what it's all about.
And if you think that this isn't something localized to right-of-center bloggers - think again.....yeah, kiss my white ass....repeatedly.
March 02, 2005
It's a Good Day
You know it's a good day when you're called 'Fascist!!' on Library Walk at school cause you said you support the Patriot Act....
Internet Hog
China charges U.S. monopolizes the Internet,
seeks global control
China's ambassador to the United Nations last week called for international controls on the Internet.
Chinese Ambassador Sha Zukang told a UN conference that controls should be multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and international organizations.
"It should ensure an equitable distribution of resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure functioning," he said at the conference on Internet governance.
Sha said China opposes the "monopolization" of the Internet by one state, a reference to the [United] States, which ultimately controls the digital medium.
Just so long as you're able to censor what goes over the Internet, right?
Or worse - the United Nations in charge of something like the Internet?? It would collapse within two weeks.
Say What? Legal Action?
I had to read this twice to fully understand that it wasn't a joke:
Mexico Vows to Fight Migrant Patrol Project in U.S.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico will pursue legal action against plans by a U.S. citizens' group to patrol the U.S.-Mexican border in search of illegal immigrants, the country's foreign minister said on Monday.
Luis Ernesto Derbez said he asked lawyers in Los Angeles to draw up a legal strategy to fight the Arizona-based initiative called "the MinuteMan Project" that has signed up hundreds of volunteers for border patrols.
"We are going to attack by all legal means," Derbez told a news conference. "We are presenting the reasons why we consider this action to be incorrect and illegal from the point of view not only of our government but also under U.S. law."
I think someone needs to inform this gentlemen that what these volunteers are doing isn't against the law while
instructing people on how to evade immigration authorities is...
Are we gonna have armed Mexican irregulars crossing the border to ensure the safety of illegals? I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if it happened.
(Hat tip to Dog Snot Diaries)
'Outer Limits' Babe
Okay, here is something that has been bugging me for years:
When 'The Outer Limits' premiered on cable back in 1999, one of the opening sequences featured a woman:
Does anyone know who she is? She looks very familar and I cannot find any sort of production notes on this sequence.
(I found these pictures here.)
Indignation Only Opens the Door
CNN flops in February as Fox News surges
FNC only cable news network to see gains in primetime
CNN posted steep viewer losses during the month of February, slipping 21% in primetime and 16% overall, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Fox News was the only cable news network to see gains in primetime during February and beat all other cable news outlets combined for the sixth straight month.
FNC averaged 1.57 million viewers in primetime, up 18% from the same period last year, while CNN fell 21% to 637,000 viewers from the same time period.
February marked what has been a rocky three months for new CNN U.S. prexyprexy Jonathan Klein, who came to the network hoping to improve CNN's primetime performance, where it has been most hurt by a strong FNC lineup built around tentpole "The O'Reilly Factor."
Well yeah - of course they're gonna do a face-plant: you cannot market
indignation as the corner-stone of your programming. I'm no television news expert, but I do know what I like: facts instead of whining all the time and quite possibly another side to the story to give me perspective on what is what.
With this winning programming strategey, I'm surprised that Air America is still around...
UPDATE: Consider this after you read this post.....it'll make sense.
Organ Donation
I'd back this if I got a kidney out of it......
BTW, does anyone know what has happened to John Bergstrom and his hilarious cartoons? I've looked all around but cannot find anything 'new'.
Cruel?
High Court Ends Death Penalty for Youths
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the Constitution forbids the execution of killers who were under 18 when they committed their crimes, ending a practice used in 19 states.
The 5-4 decision throws out the death sentences of about 70 juvenile murderers and bars states from seeking to execute minors for future crimes.
The executions, the court said, were unconstitutionally cruel.
Cruel? Cruel is when a teenager
knows that they can kill people and not be expected to be executed.
No, this decision is cruel - cruel to those that were murdered for mere pleasure and cruel to those family members that survive hoping for ultimate justice to be metted out.
I have an alternative to executing these *cough* children: life in prison at hard labor with absolutely no possibility of parole. And it should be publicized.
March 01, 2005
Read the Fine Print
Be careful when reaching into your bag for a Jolly Rancher cause 'Fire' flavor looks almost the same as 'Watermelon'....
March 31, 2005
Sandy Berger Pleads Guilty
Berger to Plead Guilty to Taking Classified Material
WASHINGTON — Former national security adviser Sandy Berger will plead guilty to taking classified material from the National Archives, a misdemeanor, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Berger is expected to appear in federal court in Washington on Friday, said Justice spokesman Bryan Sierra.
Yeah....
honest mistake when you jam multiple pages down your pants.
March 30, 2005
Medal of Honor Award
Boo-freakin-yah!
Medal of Honor to Be Awarded to Soldier Killed in Iraq
WASHINGTON, March 29 - Sgt. First Class Paul R. Smith, killed nearly two years ago defending his vastly outnumbered Army unit in a fierce battle with elite Iraqi troops for control of Baghdad's airport, will receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, administration officials said Tuesday.
[...]
Sergeant Smith led a defense of a compound next to the airport against a much larger force of Special Republican Guard troops, manning a heavy machine gun, repeatedly firing and reloading three times before he was mortally wounded. Fellow soldiers said his actions killed 20 to 50 Iraqis, allowed wounded American soldiers to be evacuated, and saved an aid station and perhaps 100 lives.
Sergeant Smith's "extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor without regard to his own life in order to save others are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service," a draft of the medal citation says.
President Bush will present the award to Sergeant Smith's widow and children at a White House ceremony on Monday, the second anniversary of the airport battle and the soldier's death.
March 29, 2005
RIP Johnnie Cochran
Smack your head, Johnnie is dead:
Famed Atty Johnnie Cochran Dies
(CBS/AP) Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., who became a legal superstar after helping clear O.J. Simpson during a sensational murder trial in which he uttered the famous quote "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," died Tuesday. He was 67.
Cochran died of a brain tumor at his home in Los Angeles, his family said.
Rest in Peace Johnnie.
March 28, 2005
Pablo *patooey!* Charged
It would seem that Pablo *patooey!* Paredes, the sailor that decided to leave the Navy before his contract was up, has now been formally charged by the Navy:
Charges filed against anti-war sailor
Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo E. Paredes decided to protest the Iraq war by not sailing with his ship when it left San Diego Harbor on Dec. 6.
Yesterday, the Navy decided to charge Paredes, 23, with being absent without leave and missing movement, charges that could send him to military prison for as long as a year and limit his employment options.
The action by the Navy surprised Paredes, who made headlines and drew supporters and critics with his stance.
"I showed up at the base expecting to hear whether the local Navy command had approved my conscientious objector status. Instead I was read the charges against," said Paredes, who is on temporary duty at Naval Base San Diego.
Surprised!? You are such a
freakin MORON if you thought they'd just forget about your Pablo. Here is where the payback comes into play: brig time, loss of most of your pay while you're in the brig, and a
Big
Conduct
Discharge.
Smash has a lot more to say about Pablo *patooey!* being 'surprised' and has relevant thoughts on your bleak future.
Here's hoping that you get the living crap crushed out of you at court martial....
March 25, 2005
Um, Deal with it!!
After reading about President Bush's response to a question about *cough* vigalantes, I decided to send my thoughts on this to the president.
Here's what I sent to the White House this afternoon:
Dear President Bush,
You're a busy guy so I'll make this short & sweet: START PAYING ATTENTION TO THE U.S./MEXICO BORDER! Sorry for the CAPS, but I wanted to emphasize my meaning.
Mr. President, follow-through on your campaign promises and get MORE U.S. Border Patrol agents on the border - not 200, but the 2000 you said last fall.
I think you're a smart guy but I'll say this anyway: if you don't follow through on your promises to strengthen the borders of the United States and some incident - big or small - happens due to negligence in this matter, the Republican Party will be feeling the after-effects for years. Short-term gains in cheap labor will seem paltry when compared to the long-term consequences of allowing the border to be practically open.
Please - beef up the border. Put the National Guard of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas on the border immediately. Or put more police there. Or dig a DEEP trench and fill it with gasoline - SOMETHING!
You're probably aware of the growing discontent many Americans have with illegal immigration, but I thought I'd make my voice heard.
Do not ignore the border situation.
Sincerely,
"Mad Mikey"
Will I make a difference? I don't know, but I won't be silent about this.
Drop the White House a line: president@whitehouse.gov.
Yeah, it might only be read by some intern way down on the food chain, but it's still doing something.
UPDATE: After I sent the message, I found this grammar boo-boo:
START PAYING ATTENTION TO THE U.S./MEXICO BOARDER! Sorry...
I feel sheepish...
Terri Schiavo
I've resisted the urge to blog about Terri Schiavo for the simple reason that I don't know which way to feel about her situation.
On one hand, I completely understand the notion to honor her wishes (as related by her husband) to not be maintained on life support. I've told my wife in the past that I too do not wish to be maintained on a machine (or other means) if I was 'gone' mentally. Now I have to get it in writing soon so as not to burdern her with this type of grief.
On the other hand, the full weight of the law concerning this is all based on what the husband is reported to have heard from Terri and it would seem that to 'convict' someone of a crime simply based on hearsay is putting the entire will-to-live versus right-to-die argument on very shaky grounds.
All I can really say about Terri and her situation is this: my hopes and prays are with her and her family that this will end soon and that all will find some sort of peace in their hearts.
One additional hope: please - for the love of God - do NOT make this a plank in some political argument, left OR right. It serves no purpose to use this woman's life as ammunition. Doing so only makes this entire situation seem cheap and tawdry and it makes the one using it appear to be the type of person that would hide behind anyone.
A New Direction
The Anti-War movement here in San Diego is facing a new challenge: they cannot seem to make a dent in public opinion about how they're right and anyone who supports the troops is wrong, so they're changing direction.
Now, instead of trying to make an argument that the War on Terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom are bad, they're not targetting military recruiters.
Recruitment Centers Defaced
The San Diego National City Military Recruitment Center was defaced on March 19th with anti-war graffiti and posters. Defaced, Improved, Neutralized, Revealed - I guess it's all just semantics.
That's right - since they know that the personnel manning those offices aren't going to openly/publicly fight back.
And did they accomplish much?? It's hard to tell if they actually detered someone from enlisting, but they did cost the government money to clean up this crap.
Needless to say, I am really impressed with these children and their childish antics.
CLAP - CLAP - CLAP - CLAP - CLAP
I bet their mommas are really PROUD of them and someday soon, they'll be the night-shift manager at Wendy's!!
Binary to Decimal
Something I came across today that peeked the 'inner geek' in me.
Test your knowledge on binary:
100,0002 - 102 = ?10
Continue to be enlightened while reading "Binary to Decimal"
Down Yet Up?
You would think that this would have made a bigger 'spalsh' on the news wires:
US Death Rate Down in Iraq Since January Elections
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The rate of U.S. deaths in the Iraq war has fallen sharply since the historic January elections as American military leaders tout progress against the insurgency but warn of a long road ahead.
March is on pace for the lowest monthly U.S. military death toll in 13 months, and the rate of American fatalities has fallen by about 50 percent since the parliamentary elections in which millions of Iraqis defied insurgents to cast ballots.
Defense analysts noted that while violence aimed at U.S. forces has declined in the 7 1/2 weeks since the election, insurgent attacks on Iraqis have escalated. They added that previous lulls in attacks on U.S. forces in the two-year war have been followed by intense periods of violence.
The number of attacks on U.S. troops has decreased while attacks on Iraqis has
increased.
Hmmm....they can't take down the big man on the block so they're going after the weaker targets, the Iraqi civilians? It's either that or they're exacting some revenge for Iraqis excercising some free will and voting.
Man, what brave *cough* 'freedom fighters' they are....time to blow up another mosque boys!
Yeah....?
Anyone wanna take a crack at this....?
(Glommed from Chris Muir's ever-lasting 'Day by Day' cartoon)
March 23, 2005
Media Snapshot
Mariah Carrey, Glitter condemed by
United Nations, Amnesty International.
SJP spotted over Newfoundland trailing smoke
from engines, denies 'in-flight incident'.
Kutch knocked up Demi,
stuck with her and Bruce Willis now.
Ashlee banging out silly show on MTV,
no one notices.
Nicole shopping for a new husband,
Tom still going after Penelope Cruz.
Newton Wins Again
Newton's Third Law of Motion meets small-town politics...
ACTION: Not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and making a stink over it.
REACTION: Getting your butt voted out of office.
Colo. Town Official Who Refused Pledge Recalled
ESTES PARK, Colo. — A town trustee who refused to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance during board meetings was voted out of office.
David Habecker lost the recall election Tuesday by a 3-2 margin, with 903 votes in favor of removing him from office to 605 in favor of keeping him.
Habecker is a 12-year member of the Estes Park governing board. The mountain community, located about 60 miles northwest of Denver, has about 5,500 residents.
Well duh.
This clown says he's a free thinker and that the phrase "under God" violates his religious beliefs. Well, that's okay David - the voters have removed that bothersom obstacle to your free thinking.
Why do people think that if they make a stink that it won't stick to them?? Newton wins again dork.
Revisionist History, Revisionist Fact
There's always the element of sheer stupidity that pops up in American culture every so often and here's something that meets that criteria:
School to vote on renaming Jefferson Elementary
President's slave holdings perturb families, teachers
Parents, students and teachers at Berkeley's Thomas Jefferson Elementary School will soon vote on whether to rename their school because the nation's third president was a slave owner.
The question of whether to rename the school has been debated for more than two years -- since several teachers, including an African American mother of three former Jefferson students, said Jefferson's moniker offended them and suggested a name change.
On Monday, Principal Betty Delaney released a list of potential new names -- one nominated by a student, the rest by adults. Parents, students and teachers must first vote on a new name, then take a second vote on whether to replace Jefferson with the new name.
The school board must officially approve any name change.
Contenders for the new name included Ralph Bunche, the African American diplomat at the United Nations who was the first person of color to win the Nobel Peace Prize; farmworker organizer Cesar Chavez; and Florence McDonald, the late Berkeley city councilwoman, leftist political leader and mother of singer Country Joe McDonald.
Other names suggested were Sojourner Truth, a woman who fled slavery in New York in 1828 and became one of the best-known abolitionist orators; Ohlone -- for the indigenous people who lived in Berkeley before European settlers arrived; Peace; Rose; and Sequoia.
Marguerite Talley-Hughes, a kindergarten teacher at Jefferson who is African American, said she thinks it is reasonable to want a name that is not offensive to some in the school community.
"It's very clear that the name is offensive to a significant part of the population,'' said Hughes, who lives in the neighborhood and sent her own three children to Jefferson.
"There's no reason we can't have a name that everyone likes and can feel good about,'' she said.
Continue to be enlightened while reading "Revisionist History, Revisionist Fact"
I came across this early this morning over at Michael King's site (another Munuvian) where he had this to say about it:
So they figure that naming the school after a former US President is offensive.
And people wonder why I refer to the place as "Berserkley."
Just damn.
The 'dipstick' factor here is that if you went through all of America's schools, libraries, parks, bridges, buildings, etc, and renamed them because of some nasty aspect of their historical prescence is
offensive by today's standards, well....it would be a multi-generational undertaking.
For example: if we were to follow this trend of renaming public institutions because the namesake was B-A-D, then I guess we'd have to re-name all of the high schools that are named after Robert E. Lee - GENERAL Robert E. Lee, Confederate States of America.
(Ironically, the first one on the list is in Fairfax County Public Schools where I went to high school. Not Lee, but George C. Marshall High School)
And you know what? Most of the kids going to any of the Robert E. Lee high schools wouldn't give a fig for the fact that Lee was fighting for the Confederate States. They'd probably just say "It's part of our history" and leave it at that. At least, that's what I'd do.
To those num-nums that think they're doing people and society a service by trying to eradicate all traces of B-A-D stuff from our history: don't. You're just making a fool out of yourselves and of our history.
YES, slavery in American history was a deplorable institution and it took way too long to eradicate both it and it's legacies from modern America, but it IS part of what makes America the nation today that it is. Accept history for what it is - something that happened in the PAST - learn from history, and work to prevent it from happening again if there was some part that was indeed B-A-D.
And if you insist upon revamping history cause you're 'offended', you'd better roll up your sleeves for all the stuff in West Virginia that's named after Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)....former Grand Kleagle of the Ku Kluz Klan. (Yeah - him).
Going back and (pardon the pun) 'whiting-out' all the nasty stuff just makes you look...well, stupid.
All done with "Revisionist History, Revisionist Fact"?
A Question of Ethics
Hey all you engineering types - I have a question concerning work-place ethics that I need to bounce off you.
Drop me an e-mail and I'll mass-mail it to everyone => madmikey1-IN THE DIRECTION OF-hotmail-PERIOD TYPE UNIT-com.
(Hopefully, you'll all 'get it' with that)
The Numbers Please?
I've said this before and I guess I'll say it again: what numbers are the real thing?
Social Security Said to Go Broke in 2041
WASHINGTON (AP) - The trust fund for Social Security will go broke in 2041 - a year earlier than previously estimated - the trustees reported Wednesday. Trustees also said that Medicare, the giant health care program for the elderly and disabled, faces insolvency in 2020.
The new projections made in the trustees annual report were certain to be cited by both sides in the massive battle to overhaul Social Security, which President Bush has made the top domestic priority of his second term.
The go-broke date for Medicare was delayed by one year, compared to the estimate that trustees gave a year ago.
The insolvency dates represent when both trust funds will have exhausted the government bonds that have been building up to take care of the pending retirement of 78 million baby boomers.
So once again - which numbers or sets of numbers should you look at to get a 'decent' picture of the situation?
I will admit that I'm a little troubled that I cannot get anyone to say what is a good indicator of the social security solvency problem(s); I'm even a little doubtful of the numbers that the pro-privitization folks utilize. (Ummm, even I know that some cases are slanted to favor those that utilize them).
So, anyone wanna take a crack at it? I've purposefully stayed away from chatting about this cause quite frankly no one has proposed anything concrete as far as serious changes - all it's been has been 'theories'.....
Preventative Bifurcation
Suspect worked at Jessica's school
HOMOSASSA - For five months, convicted sex offender John Evander Couey worked as a mason's helper at Homosassa Elementary School, where 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford attended class.
A mason on the job said Couey had direct contact with students and teachers during the project, though it was unknown whether he had contact with Jessica.
Before that, Couey, who was formally arrested Monday in connection with Jessica's death, worked on the Crystal River Middle School remodeling project.
"Oh, my God," said School Board member Ginger Bryant. "I can't believe he ever set foot on any of our school sites. I feel yucky. I'm ready to throw up."
Yet another reason to just deal with these vermin as soon as they're found guilty: 9mm excavation of the cranium.
Harsh? Maybe, but these scumbags did something to merit such a severe punishment; Jessica didn't.
March 20, 2005
Say What - Control the Movement?
U.S. needs to watch extremists, Fox says
MEXICO CITY - Anti-immigrant sentiment appears to be growing in the United States, Mexican President Vicente Fox said Wednesday, and he urged U.S. officials to act quickly to control movements such as the 950-member-strong Minuteman Project on the Mexico-Arizona border.
Fox said he plans to push for U.S. immigration reform during a meeting with President Bush in Texas next week.
To quote my wife who just read this:
Kiss my ass!!
Vicente, we don't 'control movements' here in the United States. While you may think that this is some sort of vigelante movement, the federal governemnt won't 'control' this any more than they can control the moon's orbit.
It's what we like to call 'freedom to assemble' here in America.
And bear in mind that this is just a reaction to the illegal immigration that you seem to have no problem ignoring, just as much as our government seems to ignore it. But this won't last forever; sooner or later the federal government will see this for what is really is - a national emergency - and will take step(s) to combat it. Personally, I'm in favor of putting the National Guard on the US-Mexico border armed with M-1 Abrhams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles and possibly digging a trench and filling it with gasoline.
Fourth of July in March
Been wondering what San Diego Protesr Warrior would be doing to mark the 2nd anniversary of the Operation Iraqi Freedom? Well, wonder no more:
Patriot's Picnic in Balboa Park happened yesterday.
Da Goddess and Citizen Smash have the beginnings of the after-action reports. They also have links to others that are blogging about this event.
Go give them a look.
March 18, 2005
You Scumbag!
Damn - just finished my last exam for the quarter and was looking forward to posting about it until I read this story on FoxNews. If this isn't a good enough reason to just outright execute all sex-offenders, I don't know what is:
Cops: Couey Admits to Killing Girl
A registered sex offender has confessed to killing Jessica Lunsford, the 9-year-old Florida girl who has been missing since February, police said Friday.
"I've got my man," Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy told a news conference.
Authorities said that John Evander Couey admitted that he abducted Jessica from her bedroom more than three weeks ago. He also told them the general area where the young girl's body could be found, according to police.
You freakin scumbag!!
Yet another reason to come down on these scumbags like a freakin anvil and eliminate a threat to society....just blow their brains out and then there's no reason to worry if these piles of filth can possibly be a threat to children.
This clown had better pray to the pedophile god that he isn't left alone for a minute in prison.....Damn it - this hits a little too close to home for me.
Short Straw
Damn - I'm wondering if they had to draw straws to determine which model would drastically shorten her career by strutting the runway wearing this concoction.
It reminds me of some of the funky costumes I saw at the San Diego Comic Con a few years back.
Perspective
I'm sitting here in the library listening to songs that I've downloaded from iTunes when I should be preparing for my last final exam and I'm hit with a perspective that makes me feel old: music form 25 years ago is so much better than the crap that's being pumped out today.
Case in point: I'm listening to I Know There's Something Going On by Frida - I've had the song going through my head for weeks - well, the opening drums anyway - and I finally thought to get it. So I'm listening to it and I think about the technology utilized to put this album together.
I thought about the level of recording technology that's available today and I'm still amazed that recordings sounded so good for that 'primitive' ability.
I listen to Tina Turner/Bryan Adams singing It's Only Love and again I'm hit with a warm & fuzzy feeling of hearing an era of music that won't be heard again.
Then I listen to Joe Satriani on One Big Rush and yet again, there is a style of music that's faded from view: the Guitar Hero.
Ugh - maybe I'm just nostalgic and missing those days of getting an actual vinyl record and slapping it on a turntable. Cause when I listen to stuff from the 80s, I get that over-whelming feeling of trying to teach these kids here at school what it's like to rock....old school cause practically all of the crap coming out today is IMO only so much white noise. (And no, that wasn't a racist comment.)
I guess it's all just a matter of perspective and how that perspective is utilized.
March 17, 2005
Death Machine
(Nicely glommed from Right Wing News who glommed it from SondraK)
March 16, 2005
Adios Scott
Justice is served:
Judge Imposes Death Penalty for Peterson
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — A California judge Wednesday finalized the death sentence for Scott Peterson, telling the convicted double-murderer his actions were "callous and cruel."
Earlier, Judge Alfred A. Delucchi denied a defense request for a new trial.
Wearing a black suit and waist shackles, Peterson entered the courtroom around 9 a.m. PST. His parents and the family of his wife Laci Peterson were present for the hearing.
Laci Peterson's father said Judge Delucchi's decision gave him a sense of closure.
"Our family is going to make it. We are stronger because of this and Scott got what he deserved," Ron Grantski told the press after the hearing.
Now, with the exception of several appeal attempts, he's a goner.
Adios Scott - hope you enjoy an eternity of being sodomized by angry goats in Hell......
March 14, 2005
Ring-Ring!?
Poll: Public Cell Phone Use Annoys Most
WASHINGTON - A majority of cell phone users acknowledge they get irritated at other people for using cell phones in a public place.
No, not them
talking on their phones - just those fracking
annoying and idiotic ringtones. Especially with those clowns in my classes that forget to silence their phones
AND can't seem to understand that it's
their freaking phone that's ringing....
Union of Forrest Gump
Sometimes the capacity for some person or organization to just baffle me with their actions is limitless:
Marines driven out of UAW lot
DETROIT -- The United Auto Workers says Marine reservists should show a little more semper fi if they want to use the union's parking lot.
The Marine Corps motto means "always faithful," but the union says some reservists working out of a base on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit have been decidedly unfaithful to their fellow Americans by driving import cars and trucks.
So the UAW International will no longer allow members of the 1st Battalion 24th Marines to park at Solidarity House if they are driving foreign cars or displaying pro-President Bush bumper stickers
"While reservists certainly have the right to drive nonunion made vehicles and display bumper stickers touting the most anti-worker, anti-union president since the 1920s, that doesn't mean they have the right to park in a lot owned by the members of the UAW," the union said in a statement released Friday.
Shocked and disappointed, the Marines are pulling out.
And the UAW is correct: they
do have the right to show their dissatisfaction with how members of the United States Marine Corps choose whom to vote for and for what type of vehicle they choose to drive by pulling a childish stunt such as this one.
If they want to shoot themselves in the foot - repeatedly - that's their prerogative.
Of course, Marines (and everyone else in the nation for that matter) also have the right to show their dissatisfaction with how the UAW acts like a spoiled child, especially when considering their next vehicle purchase. You see - free will works for everyone, especially when a sizable chunk of change is involved.
Hey, nobody said life had to be fair and equitable and if you proceed to alienate your consumer-base with psuedo-Forrest Gump maneuvers, be prepared to pay the bill when it's placed on the table.
UPDATE: The Marines have secured another parking lot and have told the UAW to go pound sand after they try to 'make nice' at damage control:
The United Auto Workers union waved a white flag Monday in its parking skirmish with neighboring reservists, but the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines are not accepting surrender.
Facing intense criticism, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger reversed his decision to ban Marine Corps reservists driving foreign cars or displaying pro-President Bush bumper stickers from parking at the union's Solidarity House headquarters in Detroit.
"I made the wrong call on the parking issue, and I have notified the Marine Corps that all reservists are welcome to park at Solidarity House as they have for the past 10 years," Gettelfinger said in a statement.
Wounded by what they consider an unpatriotic ambush, the Marines rejected the union's olive branch and secured an alternative parking lot.
"I talked to Ron; I let him know that I understand he has rescinded his decision," said Lt. Col. Joe Rutledge, a top-ranking officer at the reserve infantry rifle battalion. "However, I've made my decision -- either you support the Marines or you don't."
Too late UAW - you pissed off the Marines and a lot of Americans who will give their next car purchase some serious thought.
March 11, 2005
Say What? Bonehead Manuever
Um.....yeah - here's a monumentally bad idea:
Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Just over the United States northwest border, addicts will soon be able to get their fix from the Canadian government in the form of free heroin administered by nurses and doctors on the taxpayer's dime.
"They're using heroin. They'll continue to use heroin. What we're trying to do is prevent them from getting something irreversible like HIV, hep [hepatitis] C and overdose death,” said Dr. Martin Schechter, the director of the heroin program.
Vancouver is the first city to take part in the North American Opiate Medication Initiative, which plans to enroll 470 participants at three sites in Canada. The Toronto and Montreal sites are expected to begin recruiting candidates this spring.
Vancouver Police Chief Jamie Graham is among supporters who say the heroin giveaway will let junkies shoot up without having to resort to theft or prostitution to buy their drugs. Breaking that cycle of crime, they argue, is the first step toward turning an addict's life around.
This is a bad move on so many different levels.
New Goal
Dispite all that's happening to me these days, I've got yet another goal to aim for when I finish UCSD - going back to playing my bass guitar and eventually getting one of these bad boys:
This is the Billy Sheehan Signature Model Attitude LTDII bass guitar and it will be mine. And I'll get one of these to rattle the plaster.
If you don't know who Billy Sheehan is, go here and get a clue or two. The man is almost God-like in his playing and his technique. His is a style that I strive to attain in my playing.
The Road to Geekiness
I was just out in the outer lobby of the building I work in getting a soda. While I was sorting through the change in my hand to pay for the soda, I dropped a penny.
The Road to Geekiness is paved with this first stone: I started computing the cost of bending over to retrieve the penny versus the actual value of that penny and was it really worth it....
That Time Again...
It's that time again and no matter how much I try to squeeze my eyes shut and wish them away, those dreaded Final Exams just won't disappear.
Sigh.....I guess I'll just study for them and attempt to slay them in the arena of combat.
Luckily (and maybe not) I have my exams at the end of the week - two on Thursday and one on Friday; that'll give me a few extra days to prepare for them. And I'm lucky in the fact that a friend of mine has three on Thrusday.
I just have to figure out a way to work dialysis into it all on Thursday between those two exams....I'll either do it one day early or just skip it entirely.
March 10, 2005
A Pest to Many
Another sad case of Post Election Stress Trauma (PEST)
Police: Bush/Cheney bumper sticker sent man into road rage
TAMPA - A Tampa man is out of jail after a possible road rage incident that gives new meaning to the term "driving left of center."
Nathan Winkler, 31, was arrested overnight and charged with aggravated stalking for allegedly terrorizing a mother and her two children.
According to police, Winkler pulled up alongside Michelle Fernandez as she was headed south on Armenia and began beeping his horn and flailing his arms, pointing at her. Fernandez, meanwhile, could not see Winkler's face because of a handmade sign in his window that read, "Never forget Bush's illegal oil war murdered thousands in Iraq."
"Apparently, this starts over political views or bumper stickers. She had a Bush/Cheney sticker on the back of her car. There's just no excuse for it to escalate to what it did," observed Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin.
Winkler apparently grew more agitated as they continued to drive along, allegedly trying to run Fernandez's car off the road several times over the next few miles.
Will this get much attention? I bet if it was some psycho-Republican chasing down a mother and her child cause she has a Kerry/Edwards sticker it sure as hell would.
UPDATE: Michelle Malking refers to this as Democrats Gone Wild!....
March 09, 2005
Pondering...
Things to ponder while waiting at the dentist's office:
- If you spin an Oriental around several times, does he become disoriented?
- If people from Poland are called "Poles", why aren't people from Holland called "Holes"?
- Why do we say something 'is out of whack'? What's a whack?
- Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
- If a pig loses its cool, is it disgruntled?
- Why do women wear evening gowns to nightclubs? Shouldn't they be wearing night gowns?
- If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
- When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?
Continue to be enlightened while reading "Pondering..."
- Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
- Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with.
- When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?
- Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person drives a race car not called a racist?
- Why isn't 11 pronounced onety one?
- Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as "4's"?
- Why is it that if someone tells you there are 1 billion stars in the universe you will believe them. But if they tell you a wall has wet paint, you have to touch it to be sure?
- Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
- What hair color do they put on the drivers licenses of bald men?
- I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older, then it dawned on me - they're cramming for their final exam.
- I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks so I wondered, what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?
- Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mail men could look for them while they delivered the mail?
- How much deeper would oceans be if sponges didn't live there?
- If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
- You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
- No one ever says "It's only a game," when their team is winning.
- Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
- Last night I played a blank tape at full blast. The mime next door went nuts.
- If a person with multiple personalities threatens suicide, is that considered a hostage situation?
- If a cow laughed, would milk come out her nose?
- If olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil come from?
Animals
Hey, let's hear it for those *cough* brave insurgents fighting against American agression[/BS]:
Iraqi Cops Find Victims of Mass Killings
BAGHDAD, Iraq — At least 41 bodies — among them women, children and some believed to be Iraqi soldiers — were discovered at two sites in Iraq and officials said Wednesday they believe militants kidnapped and executed the victims.
Iraqi authorities said the corpses were found Tuesday. Twenty-six bodies were found in a field near Rumana, a village about 10 miles east of the western city of Qaim, near the Syrian border. South of Baghdad in Latifiya, 15 headless bodies were found in a building inside an abandoned former army base.
Someone want to tell me again who's slaugtering whom?
This makes cluster bombs look like firecrackers. Killing kids.....freaking animals.
It's Not A Tumor!
Bill Clinton to Have Scar Tissue Removed
NEW YORK (AP) - Six months after undergoing heart bypass surgery, former President Clinton will return to the hospital this week to have a rare buildup of fluid and scar tissue removed from his chest.
"I feel fine," Clinton said Tuesday in Washington, adding that he plans to play golf in Florida a day before the operation.
Doctors at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, where Clinton is scheduled to have the procedure on Thursday, said the surgery is low-risk.
During the procedure, known as a decortication, doctors will remove scar tissue that is pressing down on his left lung. The surgery will be done either through a small incision or with a video-assisted thorascope inserted between his ribs.
The former president said doctors discovered the condition during a recent X-ray, and he called the surgery a "routine sort of deal."
Your *cough* legacy leaves much to be desired Mr. President, but here's hoping you'll do okay with this procedure.
March 08, 2005
Say What? Illegal Thin Mints
Oh My God - let's give this cop a medal:
Man Ticketed For Selling Girl Scout Cookies With Daughter
NEW YORK -- A Long Island man was ticketed in Brooklyn for selling Girl Scout cookies with his 13-year-old daughter.
Hoi Louis was in Williamsburg delivering the cookies with his daughter over the weekend. Louis said it was his old neighborhood, before he moved to Bethpage, and he and his daughter have been selling Girl Scout cookies there since his daughter was in first grade.
At 4:50 p.m. Saturday a police captain and a uniformed officer pulled up to their van as they were unloading cookies. Louis said the captain from the 94th Precinct ticketed him for selling cookies without a license.
The NYPD said the man and his daughter were not delivering the cookies, but instead were selling the cookies from a table they had set up on the street.
The child's grandmother, who was in the van, said her granddaughter was frightened by the police and the girl's father was flabbergasted.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap. Brilliant - just brilliant. This cop deserves a medal or a commendation for thwarting this heinous crime.....I mean, we all know how addictive those Dos-si-dos are.
(Reminder to Self: Get more Dos-si-dos from munchkin before going out to sell cookies....)
Nobody Is Home
There are only seven people sitting in the lecture hall at the beginning of my Materials class. And the prof is lecturing like it's packed.
It reminds me of that scene sequence from 'Real Genius' where a professor is lecturing to a class that is decreasing in students and increasing in tape recorders...
March 07, 2005
Ann-Margret is a Class Act
I've always thought of Ann-Margret as a classy lady and this story proves it once-and-for-all. It freaking rocks....
Richard, my husband, never really talked a lot about his time in Viet Nam other than he had been shot by a sniper.
He had a rather grainy, 8X10 black & white photo he had taken at a USO show of Ann-Margaret with Bob Hope in the background that one of his treasures.
A few years ago, Ann-Margret was doing a book signing at a local bookstore.
Richard wanted to see if he could get her to sign the treasured photo so he arrived at the book store at 12 o'clock for the 7:30 signing. When I got there after work, the line went all the way around the bookstore, circled the parking lot, and disappeared behind a parking garage.
Before her appearance, bookstore employees announced that she would sign only her book, and no memorabilia would be permitted. Richard was disappointed, but wanted to show her the photo and let her know how much those shows meant to lonely GI's so far from home.
Ann Margaret came out looking as beautiful as ever and, as 2nd in line, it was soon Richard's turn. He presented the book for her signature and then took out the photo with many shouts from employees that she would not sign it.
Richard said, "I understand. I just wanted her to see it". She took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "This is one of my gentlemen from Viet Nam and I most certainly will sign his photo. I know what these men did for their country and I always have time for "my gentlemen".
Later, at dinner, Richard was very quiet. When I asked if he'd like to talk about it, my big strong husband broke down in tears. "That's the first time anyone ever thanked me for my time in the Army", he said.
Richard, like many others, came home to people who spit on him and shouted ugly things at him. That night was a turning point for him. He walked a little straighter and, for the first time in years, was proud to have been a Vet.
I'll never forget Ann-Margaret for her graciousness and how much that small act of kindness meant to my husband. I now make it a point to say 'Thank You' to every person I come across who served in our Armed Forces. Freedom does not come cheap and I am grateful for all those who have served their country.
If you'd like to pass on this story, feel free to do so. Perhaps it will help others to become aware of how important it is to acknowledge the contribution our service people make.
God Bless Our Armed Forces!
The Rules
Dear Civilians,
We know that the current state of affairs in our great nation have many civilians up in arms and excited to join the military. For those of you who can't join, you can still lend a hand. Here are a few of the areas we would like your assistance with:
- The next time you see an adult talking during the playing of the National Anthem .... kick their ass.
- When you witness first hand someone burning the American Flag in protest .... kick their ass.
- Regardless of the rank they held while they served, pay the highest amount of respect to all veterans. If you see someone doing otherwise quietly pull them aside and explain how these Veterans fought for the very freedom they bask in every second. Enlighten them on the many sacrifices these veterans made to make this Nation great. Then hold them down while a Disabled Veteran kicks their ass.
- If you were never in the military, DO NOT pretend that you were. Wearing battle dress uniforms (BDU's), telling others that you used to be Special Forces and collecting GI Joe memorabilia, might have been okay if you were still seven. Now, it will only make you look stupid and get your ass kicked.
- If you witness someone calling an enlisted Marine "Sir", stand back .... a Marine will kick their ass.
- Next time you come across an Air Force member, do not ask them, "Do you fly a jet?". Not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot. Such ignorance deserves an ass kicking (children are exempt).
- Roseanne Barr's singing the National Anthem is not a blooper .... it is a disgrace and disrespectful. Laugh, and sooner or later your ass will be kicked.
- Next time Old Glory prances by during a parade, get on your damn feet and pay homage to her by placing your hand over your heart. Quietly thank the military member or veteran lucky enough to be carrying her .... of course, failure to do either of these could earn you a severe ass kicking.
- What Jane Fonda did during the Vietnam War makes her the enemy. The proper word to describe her is traitor. Just mention her nomination for Woman of the Year, and get your ass kicked.
- Do not try to discuss politics with a military member or a veteran. We are Americans and we all bleed the same regardless of our part of affiliation. Our Chain of Command, is to include our Commander-in-Chief. The President (for those who didn't know) is our CIC regardless of political party. We have no inside track on what happens inside those big important buildings where all those representatives meet. All we know is that when those civilian representatives screw up the situation, they call on the military to go straighten it out. The military member might direct you to Oliver North. (I can see him kicking your ass already.)
- "Your Mama wears combat boots" never made sense to me .... stop saying it! If she did, she would most likely be a vet and probably kick your ass!
- Bin Laden and the Taliban are not Communists, so stop saying "Let's go kill those Commies!!! And stop asking us where he is!!!! Crystal balls are not standard issue in the military. That reminds me .... if you see anyone calling those damn psychic phone numbers; let me know, so I can go kick their ass.
- Bus Driver, Jar Head, Grunt, Swabbie, Squid, etc., are terms of endearment we use describing each other. Unless you are a service member or vet, you have not earned the right to use them and could get your ass kicked.
- Last but not least, whether or not you become a member of the military, support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with your family and friends please remember that there are literally thousands of troops overseas wishing they could be with their families.
- Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day. Without them, our country would get its ass kicked.
And if you're in doubt as to whether some sorry POS is violating any of these rules, err on the side of caution and kick their ass.
Show Me the Numbers!
Okay, does anyone have a source for raw numbers concerning the Social Security sovency issue??
I've looked around and found a couple of sites: one for the Economic Policy Institute that says one thing and then there's the Social Security Administration's Trustee Report that says another and quite frankly, they both put me to sleep.
I'm trying to get a handle on this issue and it's hard to know what numbers to refer to....
March 04, 2005
You Were Saying....?
Huh.
Gas prices might increase 24 cents
Gasoline prices could rocket 24 cents a gallon the next few days, as stations across the USA scramble to keep up with big jumps in the prices of oil and wholesale gas, a veteran energy-price analyst forecast Thursday.
"It's going to be brutal, horrendous," says Peter Beutel, president of energy-price tracker Cameron Hanover. He has followed energy markets for nearly three decades.
Thursday, light, sweet crude oil for April delivery traded as high as $55.20 a barrel in New York before closing at $53.57.
A 24-cent jump in the price of gas would bump unleaded regular to a nationwide average of about $2.16 a gallon, blowing through last May's record of about $2.06. It could go higher as increased warm-weather driving in another two months pushes up demand, and therefore prices, forecasters say.
Anyone want to take another crack at that '
It's about O-I-L!!' mantra.....?
Ahem
I bet you didn't notice this over on the left-hand side, huh?
Just thought I'd make mention of it....in case you've got money burning a hole in your wallet....[/grovelling]
Slow News Day?
Why is this even a news item....?
Damn, I've heard of being hard up for something to put out as 'current', but this is about as stupid as FoxNews putting up a 'News Alert' last night.....
Changes
My wife went out for a movie with a friend of hers last night. When they came home, my wife's friend commented that I looked 'skinny'.
Huh?
At first, I thought she was being nice but then realized that she hadn't seen me since last summer before all this kidney crap started getting worse. To me - I look about the same, but then again I see my face in the mirror every day and subtle changes won't jump out at me.
Now that I've thought about it, I'm gonna have to put up a new photo since that one shows me about 25 lbs heavier than I am right now.
Photo Blog
Came across a link over at Random Nuclear Strikes about Mardi Gras in Iraq which lead me to this photo site of Lainey.
She is stationed in Iraq with her National Guard unit out of Louisiana. Go check it out!
Not Enough
Finally found some 'source' for this story I heard about a few days ago:
Camp Intern Fired After Discussing Lesbianism With Students
SAN DIEGO -- A 22-year-old camp intern was fired after it was discovered she discussed her lesbian experiences with about 60 sixth-grade girls, 10News reported. While some parents say that's enough, others are thinking twice about sending their kids to camp.
Alpine Unified School District administrators confirmed that at a sixth-grade camp last month, some of the students were using the word lesbian in a derogatory way. Officials said the camp intern who talked to them about it, went too far.
The intern discussed her lesbian experiences with about 60 sixth-grade girls.
Katy Woodward, the principal at Joan MacQueen Middle School, immediately sent home a letter that told the parents of those girls that a camp intern had "an inappropriate conversation with your child." She said the topic of the conversation was "lesbianism" and "we encourage you to talk to your child."
What
isnt' reported is that this intern threatened to bar the girls from showering or that she'd 'turn off the hot water' if they resisted these *cough* lessons.
The thing about this isn't that this intern decided to teach these kids about lesbians, girls liking girls, etc. but rather that when some of the kids objected to it they were 'slapped down' and threatened; this intern had a captive audience.
Additionally, it's not this interns job to educate my kid in the art of lesbianism - the intern is there to help the kid camp - PERIOD.
This intern being fired isn't enough IMHO - she should have been launched over the U.S./Mexico border utilizing the latest in trebuchet technology....
March 03, 2005
Operation THANK YOU, Part IV
I had another quiz/midterm this afternoon so I wasn't able to participate in San Diego Protest Warrior's latest event.
By the way, SDPW.org is up and running...
Kiss My Ass
When I initially saw this bit that Michelle Malkin was blogging about, I didn't really pay much attention; my mind was on a midterm that I just finished this afternoon.
When I went back and started reading some of it, my thought was you can kiss my white ass. This bit from Right-Wing Nuthouse:
What kind of regulations?
A link to a candidates website could be considered a political contribution. That’s right. The Federal Election Commission is trying to determine the best way to quantify the monetary value of a link for purposes of determining how much of a contribution should be charged against a blogger’s $2000 personal campaign contribution limit.
Can you say nightmare?
It may become illegal to link back to a candidate’s web site unless it’s counted as a campaign contribution.
It's a bit convoluted and I'd daresay that it might be everyone 'over-reacting' like some people do when the subject of the Patriot Act comes up, but I'd recommend going through some of the links at Michelle's and see what it's all about.
And if you think that this isn't something localized to right-of-center bloggers - think again.....yeah, kiss my white ass....repeatedly.
March 02, 2005
It's a Good Day
You know it's a good day when you're called 'Fascist!!' on Library Walk at school cause you said you support the Patriot Act....
Internet Hog
China charges U.S. monopolizes the Internet,
seeks global control
China's ambassador to the United Nations last week called for international controls on the Internet.
Chinese Ambassador Sha Zukang told a UN conference that controls should be multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and international organizations.
"It should ensure an equitable distribution of resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure functioning," he said at the conference on Internet governance.
Sha said China opposes the "monopolization" of the Internet by one state, a reference to the [United] States, which ultimately controls the digital medium.
Just so long as you're able to censor what goes over the Internet, right?
Or worse - the United Nations in charge of something like the Internet?? It would collapse within two weeks.
Say What? Legal Action?
I had to read this twice to fully understand that it wasn't a joke:
Mexico Vows to Fight Migrant Patrol Project in U.S.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico will pursue legal action against plans by a U.S. citizens' group to patrol the U.S.-Mexican border in search of illegal immigrants, the country's foreign minister said on Monday.
Luis Ernesto Derbez said he asked lawyers in Los Angeles to draw up a legal strategy to fight the Arizona-based initiative called "the MinuteMan Project" that has signed up hundreds of volunteers for border patrols.
"We are going to attack by all legal means," Derbez told a news conference. "We are presenting the reasons why we consider this action to be incorrect and illegal from the point of view not only of our government but also under U.S. law."
I think someone needs to inform this gentlemen that what these volunteers are doing isn't against the law while
instructing people on how to evade immigration authorities is...
Are we gonna have armed Mexican irregulars crossing the border to ensure the safety of illegals? I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if it happened.
(Hat tip to Dog Snot Diaries)
'Outer Limits' Babe
Okay, here is something that has been bugging me for years:
When 'The Outer Limits' premiered on cable back in 1999, one of the opening sequences featured a woman:
Does anyone know who she is? She looks very familar and I cannot find any sort of production notes on this sequence.
(I found these pictures here.)
Indignation Only Opens the Door
CNN flops in February as Fox News surges
FNC only cable news network to see gains in primetime
CNN posted steep viewer losses during the month of February, slipping 21% in primetime and 16% overall, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Fox News was the only cable news network to see gains in primetime during February and beat all other cable news outlets combined for the sixth straight month.
FNC averaged 1.57 million viewers in primetime, up 18% from the same period last year, while CNN fell 21% to 637,000 viewers from the same time period.
February marked what has been a rocky three months for new CNN U.S. prexyprexy Jonathan Klein, who came to the network hoping to improve CNN's primetime performance, where it has been most hurt by a strong FNC lineup built around tentpole "The O'Reilly Factor."
Well yeah - of course they're gonna do a face-plant: you cannot market
indignation as the corner-stone of your programming. I'm no television news expert, but I do know what I like: facts instead of whining all the time and quite possibly another side to the story to give me perspective on what is what.
With this winning programming strategey, I'm surprised that Air America is still around...
UPDATE: Consider this after you read this post.....it'll make sense.
Organ Donation
I'd back this if I got a kidney out of it......
BTW, does anyone know what has happened to John Bergstrom and his hilarious cartoons? I've looked all around but cannot find anything 'new'.
Cruel?
High Court Ends Death Penalty for Youths
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the Constitution forbids the execution of killers who were under 18 when they committed their crimes, ending a practice used in 19 states.
The 5-4 decision throws out the death sentences of about 70 juvenile murderers and bars states from seeking to execute minors for future crimes.
The executions, the court said, were unconstitutionally cruel.
Cruel? Cruel is when a teenager
knows that they can kill people and not be expected to be executed.
No, this decision is cruel - cruel to those that were murdered for mere pleasure and cruel to those family members that survive hoping for ultimate justice to be metted out.
I have an alternative to executing these *cough* children: life in prison at hard labor with absolutely no possibility of parole. And it should be publicized.
March 01, 2005
Read the Fine Print
Be careful when reaching into your bag for a Jolly Rancher cause 'Fire' flavor looks almost the same as 'Watermelon'....
Comments on Sandy Berger Pleads Guilty
Your blog refuses to cookie me and "Remember [my] personal info."
|| Posted by The Liberal Avenger, April 1, 2005 01:57 PM ||You have to swear a loyalty oath to the VRWC or the Space Monkey Overlord, whichever you prefer, before it'll do that.
* caveat emptor
Both oppress everything that leans to the left, except drunk kittens
|| Posted by scroff, April 1, 2005 11:24 PM ||Well, of COURSE he's guilty. He would look pretty stupid pleading temporary insanity.
|| Posted by Davey, April 2, 2005 01:07 AM |||| , 03:40 PM || Permalink || Hide Comments || Add your comment