McCain starting his run for President
Topic: Politics

Now that President Bush has begun his long walk into the night and into the unending ridicule that he has undoubtedly earned and  history will judge him as guilty of, the crown is up in the air and a couple of contenders have already stepped forth with their first salvo's. Senator McCain is the 900 pound gorilla in the room and is the front runner and by merely forming a presidential exploratory committee he has hit the front page of the network news. Network news and cable news cannot report or examine these issues beyond the soundbite level but they do know that when the 900 pound gorilla moves then people notice.

The other person who made a bit of news in the Republican nomination hunt is Newt Gingrich. Newt threw his first gauntlet down by attacking the President for announcing the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld after the election. He said, and I agree, that by waiting until after the election he effectively made sure that the Republican majority would be lost. This analysis is based on the judgment that the democratic victory was made by a segment of the Republican voter group changing their votes to Democrats because of the administration's tone deaf response to everyone screaming that the policy in Iraq is unacceptable. Iraq, the Iraq War, is the issue that drove people to reject the Republican Party. All other issues that Republicans and conservatives care about took a secondary role to the Iraq War and the high handed, arrogant and unconstitutional actions of the Bush administration. If you listen to Republican talking heads this last day you will hear a denial of this and instead the delusional talkings points about corruption. Liberal commentators also have their reasons for denying this fact because of course they want to promote the idea of a liberal mandate where one does not exist. The mandate, if one exists is to get the United States out of Iraq. Both sides are perfectly willing to assume that voters could not intellectually divorce one issue from another or decide that one issue was important enough to otherwise vote against their various issues that they care about. 

Rutgers undefeated?
Topic: Mysteries of Life
I wasn't really watching the game but was vaguely aware of it. I flipped over near half time, they were suitably behind as you would expect on the basis of oh, all of recorded history of the school and said to myself, well the bubble has popped and that's the end of that magic. Flipping through the news sites after the game was long over it said they had won. Won? Louisville didnt' score another point in the game. Very odd. Well, as a long suffering east coast team there will be talk until they get beat. Everyone loves the Gonzaga, tiny unexpected winner where before there was only a loser. It's always cool. And a welcome change from the politics which will of course keep bubbling up the next two years at full force. 

Kicking a Rumsfeld when he's arrogant

I heard this quote from Rumsfeld when Bush was introducing the CIA fellow gates.

 These past years, six years, it's been quite a time. It recalls to mind the statement by Winston Churchill, something to the effect that: I have benefited greatly from criticism, and at no time have I suffered a lack thereof.

The great respect that I have for your leadership, Mr. President, in this little-understood, unfamiliar war, the first war of the 21st century -- it is not well-known, it was not well-understood; it is complex for people to comprehend.

Well well, see you Americans are simply too stupid to understand the Iraq War. See Mr. Rumsfeld doesn't have to sugarcoat his opinion of everyone now. It's much the same way that Rumsfeld is too stupid to consider that anyone but him has any clue that it's not going well and that anyone who had any knowledge of history or military warfare would have been more than happy to mention the difficulties that we would run into. At no time in the number of years since the Iraq War has been engaged has the Secretary of Defense stopped to consider that he is in error in what he is doing. It's a fact, he can't see it, he couldn't see it, he will never ever see the truth of what he has done. He has pushed the military to the breaking point and kept on pushing. He has shrunk the military while extending the operations that the military has had to perform. Arrogant, asinine and history will not be kind in any fashion. It will say that Rumsfeld is someone who locked into the idea of a type of military that is a response to the fluid of nature of war in some circumstances and he attempted to apply that type of military to every military situation. The military situation in Iraq and Afghanistan isn't the future-high tech war he envisions but rather the pedestrian 'boots on the ground' kind of war that requires those types of solutions. More soldiers, military instead of political decision making in order to win the war. We're talking 4 to 5 hundred thousand soldiers, actual bombing, blowing enemies up and all the rough horrible parts of war that Rumsfeld has avoided and thereby avoiding any sort of victory. Instead thinking that the people would stand for the slow, continual drip drip of casualties to no apparent purpose other than to simply 'hold' a center hoping that political and economic circumstances chance and magically dry up the supply of young Iraq and muslim men who want to fight against the American goliath. The only problem is that the American Goliath is individual young men and women who do not deserve to be pawns in an incorrectly assesed geopolitical chess like battle.

Cheney rumors
Topic: Politics

Alright, I just heard a fellow on MSNBC mouth my theory for the future of Cheney. It made poor ol Pat Buchannan sputter in disbelief. Well, it is far fetched but not out of the realm of possibility. Pat said and it's true enough that the Vice President can't be fired by the President since it's a Constitutional position. Well, you know, there is the possibility that he can be persuaded to move on, in a mix of what's in his own interest and what's in the interest of the Republican Party. He might be reminded that the position of Vice President is not sacred and (I'm looking at you Spiro Agnew) is vulnerable to attack and conviction. 

It is interesting to think that the younger Bush has messed up and looking to the older Bush to save his arse. Specifically the old guard people like the new potential Secretary of Defense  Robert Gates. A big time, long time, government person who has ominiously enough been  with the CIA for 26 years.  What does this mean for policy though? What does this mean for the pressing and stressing of the military in general? Rummy was busy cutting the military while increasing it's workload and nevermind that he was stretching the military to the breaking point. It's two issues, the strategy and policy toward Iraq and the simultaneous drawdown of the military.  I can hear McCain right now calling for a change in the Iraq policy and an increase in the numbers of the military. Exactly what I was just saying the problems are. Now the issue, and McCain is putting some of his cards down on the table, now the issue is enjoined. McCain is positioning himself and should be listened to. I'm liking what I'm hearing from McCain. He's saying we also need to get that bastard al Sadr- the fat little bearded cleric who is busy killing americans. McCain is strengthened in all of this, his word has great meaning and he's signaling the President what he needs to do to keep his support. 

And now the clock is ticking on Dick Cheney - tick tock
Topic: Politics
If you'll recall the full vote of confidence went out to Rummy and to Cheney. I'm looking for Cheney to also resign before too long. A number of reasons for this thought. First of all, Dick Cheney isn't going to be running for President and it does him no good to be there as a punching bag for the Dems to whack at. He might escape the coming investigations into his behind closed doors energy policy discussions and other things if he's gone to Wyoming. Possible but unlikely. It would also be one less lightning rod in the White House. Also, and less likely, is the idea of giving a chosen one a head start in the run for the White House. Whoever might be brought up as Vice President would have a chance to start running for President almost immediately. Humm, almost too complicated. 

Boom Goes the Dynamite - Rummy Gone
Topic: Politics
Wow, I had just written that I think Rummy is gone and see how fast he really is gone. The little bees over at FOX News are buzzing away. Surprised. I don't know why. President, on advice from his people has thrown the red meat out for the folks. The speed of it means that the Pres is going on the offense. He's not waiting for Pelosi to come and dictate to him, which of course, makes it all the cooler to watch. 

Say Goodbye Rummy?
Topic: Politics
Humm, I'm thinking as I watch Nancy Pelosi give her press conference that they think they own the stage and the President will have to follow their lead. I love this part of politics, it's no longer so boring as it was, it's a fight on and we get a front row seat to it. Will Bush pull back his horns? Will the Dems charge forward with hearings and investigations? Will they work together? The answer is yes, all of the above. It's a serious possibility that the most unpopular man in Washington other than President Bush - Rumsfeld will face the axe in short order. It's a sign of good character that you stand up for your friends and for a President to not fire someone when the lynch mob is at the castle gate is fine up to a point. Rumsfeld should look at the scene before him and offer up his resignation. The President should regretfully accept it. The crowd wants blood, the crowd wants to hang someone and they want to see something done. The least that the President can do in that regard is to give them someone to hang. That gives them some time to do nothing much while appearing to do something. It would be sad if that is what happens - the not doing anything other than accepting Rumsfeld's resignation.  Otherwise it could be an opportunity, and making a retreat look like a victory would be standard procedure; it would be an opportunity to actually change things. To win in Iraq they need nearly 500 thousand troops. The chance of them actually doing what it takes to win is slim, so it's some variation of retreat. Call it what you want, that's the only decision that 'The Decider' would be willing to make. As  important a fight as he speaks of to others, if he does anything less, and less is what  he has been doing from the beginning to include the war plan in Afghanistan, then he doesn't really think it's that important. Actions speak louder than words after all and the actions of the Bush administration with regard to the war in Iraq is that we don't want to win the conflict but are willing until now to stand there and bleed to no end. And of course, the people of America will not stand for that as a policy. They didn't stand for that as a policy in Vietnam and they have demonstrated at the voting box that they will not stand for it in Iraq. Win or get out. 

Allen of Virginia goes to bed

Well, it looks like George Allen of Virginia has gone to bed defeated. Defeated as in they'll go through the process of recounting and spending two weeks with lawyers and spokesmen trying to get the results changed. Once a probable candidate for the Republican nomination for President in the upcoming 08 election cycle, now he's a wounded and exposed beast whose further asparations have been clipped.  Harold Ford Jr, in Tennessee has lost his bid for the Senate but has earned the sympathy and admiration of every liberal leaning news anchor and  commentator I've seen who has anything to say about the matter. His future is looking bright. The House has gone big for the Dems, and the Senate is still in play and even if it doesn't pass under control of the Democrats it's still a new game in town. The laws of unintended consequences will spread their tendrals out and touch the political landscape in ways that we might not be able to imagine right now. Perhaps the control of the House by the Democrats makes things more difficult for the Democratic contenders for the Presidency. It's easier to run against something than to have to enbrace and explain something and Democrats will have two years of control to defend and explain. Consequently, Republicans running will be able to talk about a 'do nothing' Congress whether or not they do nothing or a lot. But one thing we can count on, it'll be interesting. How will the President, a President who has shown himself to be incapable of adaptation, adapt. The 'Decider' will have to sit down and listen to other folks now. And they aren't happy, and they want things done that he doesn't want to do. Perhaps they might demand he give back the Constitution. Perhaps the President will continue to rule by executive order and ultimately by fiat. 

Personally I think we are in for the most dangerous time of our Republic coming up in the next two years. I know the slippery slope is already being slid down, the erosion of the Constitution in the name of safety continues and with minds that can excuse the end of the Geneva Conventions and which allow torture of prisoners who have had their judicial rights stripped away at the whim of the 'law' which decides if you are a enemy combatant or not and if you are so decided you have no rights other than to sit in a cell without a trial, a lawyer, a hope of defending yourself. That slippery slope, passed I wonder how many more slippery slopes will fall in the name of keeping us safe for our own goods.  How will the laws of unintended consequences roll? 

Who else seems to be happier? Well, Iran can be found dancing in the streets and continuing to build their missiles and nukes. Israel can be grimly gassing up the jets and getting ready to take care of keeping nukes away from Iran by themselves. The nations in the Middle East and the nations in Asia are seriously considering building their own nukes.  How long before this possible proliferation gets out of control? How long before someone or some group that hates us explodes a nuclear bomb or three in our cities? 

You can't begin to blame the Democratic win for the future. That won't stop Shaun Hannity or Rush Limbaugh from doing it of course. They will predict the dire future and pull those predictions out when they come true. The real blame will be with an inept President who attacked a country without such weapons and without any likelihood of getting them while leaving the real evil empire nations out there now immune from any actions from us. It's a big mess and our government has made it worse and it will get worse and in short order at that.  

Early Returns
Ah, it's starting slow. But at least we can say goodbye to a couple of weasels. Bye Bye Santorum, bye bye traitor DeWine. I'm especially happy to see DeWine bite it since he helped pull the rug out from under the Republicans in the Judges fight. With his stupidly conceived gang of twelve who effectively stopped the Republicans from making a stand on putting Judges on the bench. Well well, the worm did turn for that out of work ex Senator. Ah, but of course, can't miss House. :-)

Election Day - Judgment Day
Now Playing: Outlaw Country
Topic: Politics

Election day. That day of the election cycle, the day when the talking ends and the people decide. Usually I would be completely tired of listening and watching all of the political commercials which blanket the airwaves but these days I don't spend much time with the radio or tv on where those sorts of things could invade my space. Naw, not even a bother these days. But I am curious as to how things will finally play out, I'm expecting that the Republicans will lose the House of Representatives and possibly lose the Senate.  And to my Republican way of thinking, this would be a good thing. Republican ideals and conservatism are ideals that have been coopted by the fat wallet types, they, who  have become adept at waving flags and citing patriotism and all the while selling out the ideals of conservatism to the business interests. The Rockafeller Republicans have become the evil empire and it's time to run them out of town and give the Constitution a rest from their backroom rape party. My state has a Amendment to deal with the Eminent Domain issue that was ripped from the Constitution by the Supremes, democracy turns it's slow eyes to problems that come up like this but only when given a chance, when the steamroller of what was becomes the fond recollections of those who long for the good old days when rules and laws could be successfully ignored. The good old days when that small group 'knew' better than anyone else and were able, flags a waving, to lead us over the cliff of fear and self loathing. That's where those people belong, off to the side moaning for the good old days. Because of course there are no real, actual 'good old days' to be had. Only foggy memories that conveniently ignor the parts of the reality they don't want to see or remember. 

Yes indeed, time to throw the bums out. But of course, the bums are everywhere so there is no real throwing out of the bums. The new marching line of bums are there, locked shoulder to shoulder, and ready, flags awaving, to lead us over another cliff.  Because we repress homosexuals and tell them they are evil for what they are born as, they often times become self loathing, gay preachers with lots of power and the ability to lead others out to rail against gays and other abominations of nature (forgetting or refusing to see that nature is what has brought us forth in our multitude and in our variety) and they prod voters to go out and legislate against partner rights and such. Or they become hidden Congressmen who never find their way to a mature age relationship and instead go after young men over whom they have power and advantage over. All needless mental illness because they were never allowed to be what they were in the first place. 

 Bums everywhere, smiling at us, often times two faced and with their own problems seething and bubbling underneath. I see the hypocrite preacher and I'm reminded of how everyone, really everyone, finally gets what's coming to them. Karma, whatever you might want to call it is there in play and it's blindingly obvious that a great swing of the bat is coming their way if you've been a monsterous hypocrite or if you've hurt other people in your life. Like the preacher, like the politician, you can be sitting there smug in your opinion of yourself and telling yourself that you've done well but be aware that someone somewhere or a lot of someone's somewhere who don't share your opinion will direct their wrath at you and eventually the worm will turn on you. Be surprised, be shocked, but know it'll eventually come your way. 

There is that show I've never watched, some fellow named Earl who wins a lottery and goes about trying to make amends for every person he's wronged in his life. A good concept, like one idea we've all had in your lives, about making amends for things we've done wrong. Few actually get around to it, they are busy one day after another, living their lives, thinking about it, when they think about it at all, in passing. Perhaps for a brief moment in church listening about forgiveness and reaching out but then dismissing the thought as the collection plate came your way. After all, like Mark Foley, or the Rev Haggard, nobody knows and nobody will know, the future seems much like the days before and there is no real reason to actually do anything. Until that last moment when all other possibilities are gone and there is only that Karma debt to be paid. Like most everybody, the moment will come, realization will come, but it will be too late to do anything to make your amends, to come clean, to follow a path of the better person you wish you were. Ah indeed.  

Here Comes the Election
Topic: Politics

Politics is completely interesting. Important issues are in the balance, the direction that the country will take is at stake and to highlight how important it all is you can see the election machines gear up and scream and fight over a nonexistent insult to the troops by John Kerry. Incredible, and so many folks fall for it so close to such an important election. Over a hundred American soldiers die in the month of October in Iraq, there is no strategy to win the fight, there aren't enough troops there to do the task at hand, the fat bastard in Sadar City who is responsible for killing US soldiers is allowed to continue his fight against the US. All that and the President gets up and hits the Kerry Pinata over a deliberately misinterpreted statement to try to rile up the conservative base. Despicable. 

 The hope of actually getting some insight into the closeness or direction of the various races is now impossible. Thanks to the smoke machines and coordinated misinformation being spread out there the races will 'seem' to get closer as the election comes closer, more surprises will emerge as both sides try to distract and smear each other. Heck, the Republicans and their minions in the professional pundit corps will even make it seem like Santorum is closing the gap in Pennsylvania. Bush will scream that without a Republican majority in both houses the terrorists will win and horrible things will happen. Activist judges will spontaneously arise and make all god fearing people have abortions and they'll allow gay marriage. The world will come to an end. Everyone conveniently forgets that President Reagan managed to get legislation and cooperation with a Democratically controlled House and Senate. Of course that would mean an end to the rule by dictate, compromise and consensus would be needed to get things advanced. The American people are out there right now with the knowledge that President Bush has no real plan to win in Iraq and indeed has completely lost control of the situation. They realize that Iraq was not the enemy that needed to be harnessed, indeed Saddam was no threat whatsoever, he had a vested interest in keeping the Muslim fundamentalists at bay because like Tito in Yugoslavia, he was holding a bunch of disparate groups together and without him they would implode. And without him it has imploded into civil war.  Bush's foreign policy team is ineffective and inept, they are thankful that North Korea has decided to come back to talks, after having tested their nukes and missiles and having to face no consequences despite warnings and threats that they would pay for playing with nukes. Nothing happened because the foreign policy team has no earthly idea what they are doing or even how to do anything at all. Rumsfeld has failed as Secretary of Defense, he has presided over the rape and destruction of the armed forces and despite pressures and needs in all aspects of the various branches of the armed services he has cut personel and troop levels across the board. With a smaller and decimated force he has stretched that force to breaking and there is no end in sight to his wrongheaded and inept work to destroy the armed forces. 

 It's all a giant horrible mess. If it was you or I who failed so completely in any job or position that we've held we would have been fired or asked to leave a long time ago. On Tuesday it's our chance to ask as many of them to leave as is possible. Hopefully it will happen but who can say, the one thing that the Republican Party has become good at is winning elections with fear and trickery, it isn't over yet I'm afraid. 

Halloween























You know, my first memory of Halloween was walking around wearing a mask, a bag in hand and frantically looking for more doors to knock on. I remember my face being sweaty and hearing my breath and having a narrow field of vision. Can't tell you what the mask was or the candy or what anybody said or any of that. Just that labored breathing, narrow vision and sweaty face. Bag full of candy, inventoried, collated and put away. I remember the candy. Such are the ways of memories. I've not been much for this holiday, I've hardly ever celebrated it but I do have a number of vivid and lasting memories of these few days through the years. One other Halloween wearing white face paint, some dark face paint 
around the eyes and uncomfortable contacts. A party in a bar, another day that 
sort of is remembered through a tunnel. It's funny how much of your life is
directed through the desires and wishes of other people. Tunnel vision and the candy. Happy Birthday. 

Revenge against the innocents
Topic: Mysteries of Life

It's been such an unbelievably sad and tragic couple of weeks in the news. The complete evilness of some people and their ability to inflict their twisted sickness on others staggers the mind and the ability to cope with it. The sick person who chose girls out of a school in Colorado, with his plan to torture, assault and kill them who managed to kill one before the  police came in. The sick creature who took out his rage against the most helpless people he could find in a one room Amish schoolhouse. A rambling, mentally ill creature who somehow rationalized his unspeakably evil plans by apparently saying he'd been tortured by things in his past.  Both of these beasts had sent suicide notes to family members which boggles the mind, that they on one level cared about other people but still could plot and plan such evil. But the madness doesn't stop there, the so called church that pickets the funerals of young dead soldiers with their signs saying 'thank god for ied's' and 'god hates fags' and the like, unspeakably evil in their lack of care or concern for others and the feelings of others. Those beasts were going to picket the funerals of the young dead Amish girls and who have been seen on tv smiling and saying that those little girls are in hell and it's a good thing they died young because it saved them a longer stay in hell. It's as if madness  has finally descended. 

Not even considering the madness and evil violence that is islam. The suicide bombers in service of their vision of a coming apocalypse.  The madness of  violence against people who  say only the truth when they say the 'religion of peace' is anything but. Madness, madness everywhere. 

I think about the people who have a desire for revenge against the world in general and who take their madness to innocents. You know, many of the movies and a lot of the popular culture that is promoted and viewed as entertainment contains a lot of themes of violence and horror. Madmen killing terrorized teens and women are made into cult heros and are the stars of their own series of movies.  The purveyors of this blood and death porn hide behind misinterpreted versions of freedom of expression and their manufactured and celebratory movies of violence provide the mastubatory release and how to tutorials for those who aspire to Columbine/Bailey or Lancaster Pennsylvania activities of their own. The violence doesn't only manifest in such large and visable displays of course. Less prominant news flies across the airwaves and newspapers every single day. Someone who kills their family, kills their wife who tries to leave them, kills their girlfriends who try to leave them. It's every single day in every single area of the country.  Violence as an answer to grievances, violence and death and guns and death.

I see and the world sees the way that the Amish react to this senseless death and violence. Amazed news people interview an Amish grandfather who was there to see two of his family members die and he has no hate and says he has forgiveness for the shooter and the Amish themselves, who have received some 500 thousand dollars from around the country have insisted in putting part of that money for the family of the man who committed this violence. Such compassion and unwavering forgiveness frankly stuns and amazes everyone who hears it. The reporter asked the grandfather how it was possible for him to forgive, and he said without hesitation at all that he forgives with the help of God.

 My eyes welled up and the tears flowed from me. Seeing the funeral procession of Amish in their buggies made me cry and I still am emotional every time I see or think about all of this. Wherever the Amish live in our country they are treated like treasures, and indeed they are all the goodness and faith and steadfastness that we all wish we possessed. You could see it in the police who shut off the public roads and protected the Amish in their privacy and in their grief. The media circus was for once greatly curtailed and a people who carry all the good we aspire to be were spared from us for a moment. 

Mel Gibson, Hizbullah, Syria, Iran and Gaza
Now Playing: Johannes Linstead - Sol Luna Tierra
Topic: Politics

Once again the blogger thing doesn't quite work in firefox. What a shame.
I'm watching the war in Israel and all of the flack that Israel is getting from the world for fighting back and it's surreal. Terrorists spend years hiding rockets in homes and hospitals and fire those rockets into civilian areas from civilian areas and Kofi Annan doesn't say a damn thing. Suicide bomb vest wearing cowards go into civilian areas and blow up people and Annan doesn't say a damn thing, - for years. The Israelis bomb someplace where rockets are being fired from, amid civilians and hits some civilians and the reaction is like someone hit a wasp nest with a stick. It's a war, bad things happen during wars and in this war where the
 Hizbullah hides and fights behind babies and women the Israelis are fighting 
to protect babies and women. It's a crazy world. Everyone is jumping on Mel Gibson for saying crazy things when he was drunk and stopped for a DUI, Mel apologized. In Gaza, Lebannon,Syria and Iran you have people dressing their kids up as suicide bombers, who openly say they want to kill all the jews and actively do everything they can to see jews killed. Where's the outrage? None, again, it's certifiably crazy. Insane in an insane world where right and wrong are moral constructs that don't mean anything and where someone who says something when he is drunk is held to a higher standard than whole countries who not only say crazy, insane things but who actively go about fulfilling the hate filled promise of their words. 

Say It Isn't So - Tour de France and Doping
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Mysteries of Life
http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/5524189   A discussion about the news of a Tour de France rider who tested positive for elevated testosterone or some such thing. As with these new news items a lot of things are unclear. Is it Landis, is it Kloden, is it Perriro, they don't say. They are being cryptic and apparently awaiting the 'b' test to be done and someone with the Tour said it was 'the worst possible scenario'  which means it Landis or someone on the podium. Who knows, they are keeping it close to the vest and the various clues include the fact that Landis pulled out of a number of races in Europe suddenly and apparently he can't be contacted at the moment, Kloden pulled out of another race as well. Damn it. This is upsetting and it remains to be seen how bad this is going to get. It's definitely going to be a bad day for at least one rider and his team. We've already been denied a chance to see Ullrich and Basso and a number of others who were bounced from the Tour on suspicion. This will put the capper on the whole thing.