Take a Stand Town Hall Meeting - End the Iraq War!

Last night I attended the Take a Stand Town Hall Meeting to end the Iraq War over in Oakley. Over 300 people showed up! Rep. Jean Schmidt and members of the press were not in attendance. Here's some pictures and information about the event and the speakers.

Get active! Get involved! (My letter to the media is at the end.)


Town Hall Meeting in Oakley - Iraq Forum


Some remained outside to raise awareness


This woman's sign is, sadly, different today


An overview of the event


Lining up and signing up: getting involved


Prominent message of the rally


(indoor lighting was poor, camera not up to task)
Connie Pillich was the MC and is a veteran


Councilman David Crowley, veteran, is a strong supporter of our troops and strong dissenter of the war - yes, you can be both - representing the political side from the point of view of City Council


Marty Webster put the fire of protest and outrage in our bellies, representing Vietnam Veterans Against the War as a founding member


Thor Jacobs came with enough political science to pull every troop out of Iraq for the betterment of the U.S. and the world - now we must spread that word


Sister Alice Gerderman, with Catholics against the war, added a realistic, humanistic, spiritual end to the speakers last night, speaking of what is in our hearts and how our leaders have strayed from the truth


Over 300 people attended


That's right, over 300 people

It was amazing to have so many people united in one place to support our troops and to end the war. It showed me the evolving face of concern that the Iraq war is taking on, and the humanism behind the eyes of the movement. And then there's that spirit, that fire that's beginning to smolder. Again, I say: get active. Get involved.

There were no members of the media present and Rep. Jean Schmidt was MIA, to turn a phrase. For that reason, this is my letter to The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Cincinnati Post, Local 12 WKRC, ABC-9 WCPO, FOX-19 WXIX, 5-NBC WLWT, and (slightly edited for) Rep. Jean Schmidt:

Yesterday evening, August 28, 2007, I attended the Take a Stand Town Hall Meeting to Stop the Iraq War. I - and over 300 other people - felt it important enough to give up an evening to discuss and become inspired about how our country, the United States of America, is wasting millions of dollars daily in a war that will not be won by force, but has cost over 3,700 American and countless Iraqi civilian lives. We gathered to discuss options on further protest, political and diplomatic perspectives, the lessons of the past, and to voice our disapproval about how a not-so-newly elected Democratic congress has failed to act on the one issue that mattered most when Americans made their decision in that ballot box last November: ending the Iraq War.

While the media and our elected officials were alerted to this Town Hall Meeting, Rep. Jean Schmidt and members of the Cincinnati media were conspicuously absent. My question to you is: when will it matter; when will it become news? At the last event I attended, only a dozen or so others were able to commit time during the day to show up, and I was disappointed then to see no media there. Last night there were over 300 people gathered to discuss the most important issue facing our country today, and the media took a pass. When will it become news? We are growing, becoming impassioned, drawing our friends and family into this circle of concern about the Bush administration's bumbling record and the congressional rubber stamp that is leading America down a road of ruin. We will continue to gather; we will continue to write letters; we will continue make phone calls until we can be ignored no longer. But when will it become news? When we're 3,000 strong in Cincinnati? When our government has allowed 5,000 American soldiers to perish overseas? When will you decide our country is important enough to simply show up?

Again With the Gay Republican Bathroom Sex!

mwm iso nsa m4m airport bathroom sex


The Senator's Website: NOT Brokeback Mountain, ID

In a recent post entitled More Gay Republican Blowjobs, I said "Will the joy of Republicans, gay sex, and bigotry ever end? My Magic 8 Ball definitively proclaims 'No.'" Less than three weeks have passed and I am pleased to proclaim the fidelity of my Magic 8 Ball. From, amongst others, WaPo:

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), a three-term senator, "pleaded guilty earlier this month to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges stemming from his June arrest by an undercover police officer in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport."

Sen. Craig was apparently aware of the highly-complicated mating ritual of the homosexual bathroom deviant to tap their right foot under the stall, alerting other like-minded toilet trawlers that it is, in fact, "go time." Then he pleaded guilty - although he says he did nothing wrong - to handle it "quickly and expeditiously." Durr. Ooh, and did I mention he's outspoken about being part of the "gay people are dirty cause Jesus says so" gang?

Our American leadership has gone into absurdity overdrive.

You may also recall in my last post on this topic I captioned Bob Allen (R-FL)'s impressive ham-fisted ham radio pic with "no, I'm not Photoshopping a dildo into his hand." This second appalling incident has inspired me to reconsider that position.

(Not Safe for Work)
Bob Allen Photoshop

Enjoy!

UPDATE: 4:30pm EST Sen. Larry Craig Press Conference. Will he cry? Beg forgiveness? Pull a R. Budd Dwyer? Come out of the closet? Resign? Elect not to run again?

I can't wait!

UPDATE: Sen. Larry Craig has unsuccessfully dodged the issue, admitting to nothing, calling his choice to plead guilty "regrettable" and claiming "I am not gay; I never have been gay." He may as well have continued, "Glory holes are a hobby, not a lifestyle." The only truth in his press conference was that this issue is certainly not over. With the police report, anonymous sources, and the logic behind his line of reasoning, this'll get another post later today, and I'm adding a tag for him.

Miss Teen USA 2007 - No Maps, South Africa, Iraq

Some people are blowing this out, talking about the "ditzy chick" or the "blond moment." What struck me was the irony inherent in a question posed to express concern about the state of education in America, answered in a way that really showcased the poor state of education in America; that in order to gain recognition and worth to stand out and speak out against the ills plaguing society, they all believe this is the path, and they all must reinforce a stereotypical false ideal of beauty that will affect millions of little girls.

If you haven't seen it, you know you want to watch:


[Alternate YouTube Link]

It's painful to watch like the bad American Idol auditions, like that kid at the choir concert who - why? why? - got the music teacher to give him a solo. Ugh.

Glenn Beck's take? They tell us pedophilia is a bad thing and then parade 15-year olds around in bikinis. How confusing.

Actually, Glenn, there was only one fifteen year old in the pageant, and the only person who would make that statement would be a grown man who is personally struggling with justifying why they needed half a box of Kleenex on the end table during his viewing.

Ron Paul Dirty Tatctics

Ron Paul's followers are pulling some dirty politics. Kucinich Press Release.

The person who posted this was tricky enough to place a Ron Paul supporter group photo on the main page. Since the original posting, it has been altered to include many Kucinich photos. But the Ron Paul folks are still there (photo 4 of 7 as of this publishing).

Let's keep dirty politics out of it. The leaders are heavy enough in it.

Peter Cetera at Taste of Blue Ash

Some local loving of Peter Cetera for you. I was at the Taste of Blue Ash last night with Mrs. Shambles and some friends, specifically to see Peter.

He's still got it. Because I didn't have professional video equipment with me (the cell video is weak as hell and punked out at 30sec). Enjoy this logged YouTube as I enjoyed it live.

Hard to say I'm sorry.


[Alternate YouTube Link]

Muhammad had a Unibrow

From the BBC:

The authorities say the barbers were encouraging un-Islamic behaviour by offering Western hairstyles, tattooing and also eyebrow-plucking for men.

On the world stage, for as many problems as different religions - and in many cases different sects of the same religion - have relating to each other and/or starting wars and/or committing atrocities and/or genocide, should anyone be getting fucking tweaked over whether or not someone plucks as not to look like Jo-Jo the Dog-Boy and maybe get some under-the-burqa action?

Just to be clear: I'm not targeting Muslims. I have no tolerance for any of the organized religion accouterments that serve to veil the prime, raw truths that almost all religions have in common, the walls of money and power and death that encircle the same base concepts. These concepts, true throughout humanity, are accessible to everyone at any time in the entire history of our existence; because if you could see through the labyrinths of sacraments, past the stone towers of regalia, and into the heart of every religion's sanctum sanctorum, you would see something shockingly familiar, something you had always felt in the middle of your chest, an inner truth, a hope, an understanding of something greater than yourself.

You would be in a room. By yourself. With a mirror.

But in a world where the ultimate understanding is truly knowing and literally reflecting upon yourself, where you are not told what parts of what book are more important than the other parts and what books should and should not be burned, where you are not told who is wrong and who is right, where you are not given a dance of orbiting pomp and circumstance to jump the planned planets of submission, then there is no profit. There is no profit of cash or power for those who control religion; there is no profit for those who control the war industry, those that rely on intolerance; there is no profit for the religious politicians who drive those war machines.

Organized religion is important for many people all over the world, internally, as a guide, as a reference for Hey, maybe I shouldn't sleep with the boss's wife or Hey, maybe I shouldn't beat the hell out of that guy with a lisp. But from the the perspective of those that lord over the bureaucracies that pull the strings of extraneous, "sanctioned" apocryphal rules and laws, it's a form of control. And it is that line between reference and control that we all need to be aware of because on one side is the betterment of humanity; on the other: you'll end up spreading your belief at the expense of detriment to others and, perhaps, retaining that god-awful unibrow.

Sucker-Free Me

Buddha wept.

Yesterday's post Wingnut Blog Bounce: an Anti-Semite Adventure began with the site Blogs 4 Brownbeck.

In the last 24 hours, I have learned that it is a brilliant satire site. So well done, in fact, that I must give myself this award:



Thank you. And a thanks to Blue Gal on the tip.

Stop the Iraq War Activism - Aug. 28th, Sept. 15th

August 28, 2007 - National Take a Stand Day - Stand Up in September Vigil
From MoveOn.org and Americans Against Escalation in Iraq

This September, after hearing the White House‘s report on the "surge," Congress will decide whether we bring our troops home or spend another year fighting an unwinnable religious civil war. As Congress heads back to DC, we're here to tell them that it's time to take a stand.

We're holding candlelight vigils and Town Hall meetings in cities all over the nation on August 28--National Take a Stand Day--to remember the human cost of the war and urge our members of Congress to stand up in September and end this endless war.

How? Go to MoveOn.org's page to find your local event. Then go.


September 15, 2007 - March on Washington, D.C. - END THE WAR NOW!

From No Cure for That:

[Alternative YouTube Link]

Now do something.

Couples for Christ Splits Up

In a move of irony and symbolism beyond my wildest dreams of a Google search result, the Catholic organization Couples for Christ has split into two distinct entities: one will retain the group's name, the other will be known as Restoration Movement.

There is nothing I can say that could add more humor or insight than the reality of the situation.

Wingnut Blog Bounce: an Anti-Semite Adventure!

There's this guy at Blogs 4 Brownback to which Blue Gal alerted me.

Holy Crap. I want to believe it's a ruse, a gimmick, but sadly I think it's true: this guy's retarded for Brownback like fat kids love cake. But that's not the crazy, of course. He believes Homosexuals are trying to kill him, 70's Comics about bible adventures are the height of comic art, and isn't quite sure Mitt Romney - in all his sophistication and panache - is actually human. (Scroll down further for the argument for the "right kind of Christian" as president. [NOTE: B4B is not part of this Anti-Semite Adventure; his arguments against the offenders begins the journey...now.])

A little farther? Sure: he's got beef with the Politically Correct Apostate who is pulling for - rut roh! - Ron Paul. This anti-Semite mouth-of-foul says that because Ron Paul was not invited to Republican Jewish Coalition Presidential Forum, that makes him the only "authentic" candidate. What happened to the PC part of PCApostate? Be careful should you click on the main site: links to David Duke's official page, "Zionist Watch," and blog posts with "nigger" in the title. Yay!

I went from there through the blogroll to News From the West. More anti-Semitic rhetoric, links to places like Jewwatch, Pat Buchanan, more David Duke.

Blogroll over to The Ugly Truth and...more of the same, including a grand treatise on how Sarah Silverman is the devil for making an absurd joke about the Jews killing Jesus.

I'm done. The childish banter of a seemingly mentally crippled Limbaugh that was so tantalizing in the first two stops became racist and ignorant and tired. Quickly. And that's because of the sad truth to much of the far right wingnut blogging: it's a big ol' circle jerk recycling itself within the bounds of the talking points, whether it be the Jew Hating points or the Reach-around Ron Paul points; tight orbits of shallow planets encircling a sun of misdirected male aggression.

I was, however, surprised to see that they all posted "Fox Attacks: Iran," just like me. Unfortunately, it's because they think the war is a plot for the Jews to rule the world. I, on the other hand, believe FOX, the fourth branch of this particular government, is pandering to the fear-filled fathoms, all of them feeding on our blood in tens and twenties.

Shady Health Care Strikes Again

This was supposed to be the first post of the day. It was a busy day.

You may remember the story I posted about my friend Dave, the veteran, and how he was in dire straits with his lack of health insurance and diabetes management. I guess lack of health insurance and diabetes go together like, well, like Daves.

Dave over at CrackpotPress has been dumped by his health insurance.

We try and stay away from self-indulgent weepy, bloggy crap here… BUT ….

Here's the deal, I've been working freelance for the last year and been paying Cobra.

Well, the jackasses at the COBRA SERVE NATION (from Florida) upped my policy by $15 and changed my due date UP two weeks. I received no notification of this.

When they got the regular payment I had been electronically transferring every month, they said "Whoa! You're late! You're short! You're CANCELLED! Effective immediately." I’m not quoting but that was the feel.

Here's the rub, as many of you know, I am a type-one diabetic. This means I am uninsurable across the board. I have about a month’s worth of insulin left. I am truly lucky to have the cash today to pay uninsured premiums. Today.

Amazingly, after a vitriolic conversation I had with COBRA SERVE NATION on Monday, they did not see things my way. Usuall, my gift of calm, caustic language works wonders. I once got a health insurance company to cough up some of my teeth after threatening to burn down their office. It was a bit “Studio Exec” but it worked. I even threw in the Michael Moore line, to no avail.

In essence, I think I'm fucked.

Sure, I can get an office or barista job or marry someone who has bennies, but all of these things will take at least three months. If I won the lottery today, I still couldn't get healthcare. I need to get it now.

If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Thanks.

Dave
Dave AT crackpotpress Dot com

I post because I care, and it's the only help I can offer as of now. Ah, would that Kucinich were in office!

If you have any suggestions, leave comments over there.

UPDATE:
There's always CobraServ's Member Services line.
1-800-877-7994

And if you go to Cobra Insurance - Ask Us a Question, click the "General Cobra Questions" link, then click the "Ask Us a Question" link near the top, you can send Cobra an email about why Dave was ripped off.

Democratic Party Thins to Three on Lobbyist Opinions?

Ruth Marcus over at WaPo makes a very good point in her article Democrats' Purity Primary: Edwards is all "not a cotton-pickin' penny from a lobbyist (get off my lawn!)" but makes no clarification that would stop him from taking money directly from the industries by which lobbyists are employed.

Unfortunately for Ruth Marcus, she is wearing blinders with the rest of the sheep; she only mentions Clinton, Obama and Edwards. I'm not saying that a political writer doesn't have the right to whittle down the story to a battle amongst the leaders, but when you decide to write about the Democratic field's views on finance and special interests, leaving out Dennis Kucinich and how he blows everyone else out of the water is like running an executive administration without the people's best interest in mind. Oh, I mean making Kool-Aid without sugar.

Email the Iraqi Government!

If you could email the Iraqi government, what would you say?

Think fast!

Bush says "We'll step down when they step up." Bush says he's "frustrated" with the progress in the government has made in Iraq. Iraq's Prime Minister, Nuri al-Malaki, chastises Bush for commenting that he was frustrated, reportedly stating that Iraq "can find friends elsewhere." Let's hold him to it!

We can hold press conferences, email our representatives, and blog away, but how many of you have actually emailed the Iraqi Interim Government?

I know! Me neither!

According to the official United States Embassy in Baghdad website, the official site of the Iraqi Interim Government is www.iraqigovernment.org (not as catchy as GoDaddy or eBay, but www.neverendingwar.org was taken).

Go to http://www.iraqigovernment.org


But Ricky, what's all them snakey-scribblin'? Don't Arabs speak teh English?
No. Bear with me.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the last link on the right side (I highlighted it in red).



Now you will see this relatively familiar form:


Holy crap! What do I do now?

Thanks to Google, I have the answer. The form fields and dropdown are translated in the following way:



And that final button? That's your Submit or Send button.

So now that you've got the Iraqi Interim Government on the horn, what do you say?

That, friends, is up to you. I would be polite but poignant; do your research, and no swears. I know, I know. But it's one more way we can be heard, and we should be heard as an intelligent and informed voice. So get active!

And then wait for the black whisper choppers. Or don't; you won't hear them anyway. Cheers!

Fox Attacks: Iran

Going down the same road we did four years ago...


[Alternative YouTube Link]

Now go to FOX Attacks and act.

Drudge Misquotes, Misleads Article for Anti-Science

Matt Drudge, everyone's favorite, lovable, not-gay wingnut has done it again. I've grown used to the anti-science on the site (Today: it's cold in NYC...and it's August! OMG!!11! [implied: global warming is bullshit]), but this pushes it a little far in my estimation. On the site today:



But in Norway's Moose Population in Trouble for Belching, the actual quote in the article is "Bacteria in a moose's stomach create methane gas which is considered even more destructive to the environment than carbon dioxide gas." The actual methane produced is the same as a car that travels 13,000 km (8077.8 mi) - this being a Dane study, I'm guessing they don't include many excessively-low mpg vehicles. The information I was able to scrape up was that the average person (American) drives about 15,000 miles per year, nearly double the impact of a single moose.

Am I seriously comparing a moose to a car?

Yes, I am. Because the moose/cow methane argument is commonly used to justify all the filth we're dumping into the atmosphere: "Well, if a cow's farts are hurting the environment, then my sweet Escalade's just fine." No sense of balance, of avoidable consequences vs. nature. These are the same people who see that it's cold in NYC today so global warming's a lie, and the same people who will take Drudge at his quote, not read the article, and poop the "moose worse than car" argument as fact over and over.

Thought I'd take the time to let everyone know it's bullshit so when you do run into that person, you're well prepared.

Kucinich campaign is awaiting ABC News explanations for its actions

As a follow-up to a previous post about how ABC/LA Times are unfairly biased, from Kucinich '08:

The Kucinich campaign is still awaiting an official response from ABC News about the unexplained – some have charged "inexplicable" - way in which the network has handled its post-debate online coverage of Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich over the past few days.

Among the "outrages" that have energized tens of thousands of Kucinich supporters - and even non-supporters - thousands of whom have flooded the ABC News website and other online news sites with comments of protest:

• Congressman Kucinich was apparently deliberately cropped out of a "Politics Page" photo of the candidates.


• Sometime Monday afternoon, after Congressman Kucinich took a commanding lead in ABC's own on-line "Who won the Democratic debate" survey, the survey was dropped from prominence on the website.


• ABC News has not officially reported the results of its online survey.


• After the results of that survey showed Congressman Kucinich winning handily, ABC News, sometime Monday afternoon, replaced the original survey with a second survey asking "Who is winning the Democratic debate?"


• During the early voting Monday afternoon and evening, U.S. Senator Barack Obama was in the lead. By sometime late Monday or early Tuesday morning, Congressman Kucinich regained the lead by a wide margin in this second survey.


• Sometime Tuesday morning, ABC News apparently dropped the second survey from prominence or killed it entirely.


• AND, as every viewer of the nationally televised Sunday Presidential forum is aware, Congressman Kucinich was not given an opportunity to answer a question from moderator George Stephanopoulos until 28 minutes into the program.

The campaign submitted objections and inquiries to ABC News representatives on Monday and Tuesday. ABC News representatives have failed to respond - or even acknowledge - those objections and inquiries.

Stayed tuned for further details.

Strength Through Peace,
Kucinich for President 2008

The Jesus & Mary Chain Forever

From NME Jesus And Mary Chain unveil fall dates:

The Jesus And Mary Chain have announced a short stint on the road in the US, kicking off October 20 in Las Vegas.

The band have also confirmed they are heading back to the studio for the first time in almost ten years to work on new material.

The band broke up in 1998, but reunited earlier this year for a select number of shows, debuting at Coachella in May. The band performed a memorable greatest hits set, and were joined by actress Scarlett Johansson for vocals on 'Just Like Honey'.

They will be joined on all dates by Evan Dando, who will perform solo acoustically, and on the LA and San Francisco dates by Soulsavers, featuring Mark Lanegan.

The dates are:

Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues (October 20)
Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues (22)
Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre (23)
San Francisco, CA @ the Fillmore (26, 27)

Amen.

Imagine Torture, and Kids ...and Smiling

Imagine a child wearing a backpack that held ten pounds of electrical equipment. The child - retarded, autistic, or behaviorally crippled - wears this backpack out of which five wires emerge and attach, as electrodes, to the legs, arms, and torso of this boy. He has someone to shadow or watch a recording of him 24 hours a day; they always carry a button, or "sled." If he does something as innocuous as swearing or nagging and up to biting or clawing, he gets a two-second long jolt of electricity.

Now read this article from Mother Jones: School of Shock. This is not an exercise in imagination.

This is Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (site's a whitewash, but note the slide show - every kid with a backpack is carrying their own electro-shock cross), located in Canton, Massachusetts. Dr. Matt Israel pioneered the "therapy," the creation of the Graduated Electronic Decelerator or GED (after noting spatula spanks, finger pinches, muscle squeezes, and whiffs of ammonia could be inconsistant), and the legacy of the school. The parents of the most severe cases rally behind him to keep the school alive. The school district or state pick up the $220,000 tab for each kid. Half of the 234 kids are wired for zapping and deaths have resulted in the "care" of the facility. Warning: this is an angering "curl up and cry" story.

So what can we do about it?

State of the Union: Truth in Mashup

Brilliantly edited - watch and learn.


[Alternate YouTube Link]


And as a bonus, Sunday, Bloody Sunday (same channel, but I saw this a while ago - way earlier than the August 1 posting).


[Alternate YouTube Link]

Dennis Kucinich Takes Poll at ABC, Ridicule at LA Times

Here is the poll as of 1:50 PM EST.



Here is the image ABC put up for the debate itself:


(note Kucinich's name is still in the caption even though he has been cropped out of the picture)

Here is the LA Times article about the debate.

Here is the only mention about Kucinich in that article:

Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio, often overlooked in such settings, drew a big laugh with his response. "George," he said, "I've been standing here for the last 45 minutes praying to God you were going to call on me."

When authors Mark Barabak and Peter Nicholas were called on it and sent the poll, here is what we got back:

Thanks for taking the time to read the article and share your thoughts. We don't base our political coverage on opinion polls--especially ones that are unscientific or so obviously manipulated by orchestrated campaigns.
With all best wishes
-mzb

So if what Mark says it true, then they must be basing their political coverage on the inordinate amount of time George S. delved out to the "two leading candidates;" if not polls, how else could you explain the typed dry humping of Clinton and Obama that filled the article?

I have a bias towards Dennis Kucinich, but that is clear to any of my readers. Any journalist covering the debates or primaries should try not to do so with such an obvious candidate bias; it shows a weak will and sad need to belong to the popular clique.

And herd mentality is no way to heal a desperately sick nation.

Should you feel the need to politely remind Mark Barabak and Peter Nicholas what is at stake in this election, you can reach them at mark.barabak@latimes.com and
peter.nicholas@latimes.com

You can also contact ABCNews.com about the clipped image at their support email.

Free Sex Changes in Brazil

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Following court ruling, Brazil provides free sex-change operations

August 19, 2007
BY MICHAEL ASTOR
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Brazil's public health system will start providing free sex-change operations in compliance with a court order, the Health Ministry said Friday.

Ministry spokesman Edmilson Oliveira da Silva said the government would not appeal Wednesday's ruling by a panel of federal judges giving the government 30 days to offer the procedure or face fines of $5,000 a day.

Federal prosecutors from Rio Grande do Sul state had argued that sexual reassignment surgery is covered under a constitutional clause guaranteeing medical care as a basic right.

Gay activists applauded the decision.

'A question of life and death'
''Transsexuals represent about 0.001 percent of the Brazilian population, but for this minority, sexual reassignment surgery is a question of life and death,'' said Luiz Mott, founder of the Bahia Gay Group.

''It is unjust and cruel to argue that the health system should concern itself with other priorities,'' he said.

While don't share Mr. Mott's vim and vigor over the issue, I say good for Brazilian transsexuals. First the wax and now this.

I don't think there is any benefit to playing the "what if" for America; too many people in politics - thanks to Jesus and their mommies - are scared by and ashamed of regular, missionary-position, heterosexual relations. And "aw, shucks" to anyone who would deviate from that pale vanilla picture of reality.

The wonder of this article: "a constitutional clause guaranteeing medical care as a basic right." What? Why didn't we think of that?

I am Egypt

You're Egypt!

Curator of ancient mystical secrets, your life on the surface is fairly typical these days.  Though you are in denial about more things than most people.  Nevertheless, you're trying to convince people that you're safe despite your more volatile and unstable times that seem to be behind you.  You like cats a whole lot. You'd probably really appreciate The Blue Pyramid.

Take the Country Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid

Really?

Russia, China, Iran Solidifying, Threaten U.S.

I've long had my eye out on the Russia-China-Iran meetings and deals with each other and with their close buddies North Korea and Venezuela (More on China, Big 5 is 6 and Growing..., Jesus Built my Hotrod but Muhammad Pumps the Gas, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Leaf Blower, to name a few).

This came through today from the International Herald Tribune:

The leaders of Russia, China and Iran have warned the outside world to leave Central Asia alone to look after its own stability and security, in a veiled message to the United States issued on the eve of major war games between Russia and China.
...
Some 6,000 Russian and Chinese troops, dozens of aircraft and hundreds of armored vehicles and other heavy weapons will be participating the games — the first such joint drills on Russia's territory.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: WTF?

I'm useless without a terror warning. Should I be nervous? Eh, it's not part of the War on Terror, so who gives a shit?

...besides Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela...

Cheney in 1994: WTF?

Watch this:


[Alternative YouTube Link]

Ready...Fight!

Yes, this has been posted to death in many different places. And honestly, I don't have anything new to say about it. I'm angry. I question even more deeply (if that's possible) the moral base of an administration who can clearly state Iraq is a "quagmire" and not worth American lives and then turn around a few years later and - because it serves the fix to suckle the crack-teat of war profiteering - do exactly the opposite, exploding the already-fragile stability of the Middle East, and killing thousands of Americans.

Way beyond the WTF Award to Cheney on this one.

My interview with Dick Cheney would go something like this: "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Cincinnati's Part of the Iraq War - MoveOn.org Event

Yay! I participated! I just got back from the MoveOn.org local Cincinnati (CincinnatiMoveOn.org) press release gathering concerning the local cost of the Iraq War. I even got some pictures.


We gathered near the Brent Spence Bridge - Covington, KY exit - for infrastructure relevancy and quality visibility.


The group wasn't huge: about a dozen or so in attendance. The media never showed.


A particularly clever sign had a quick-flip answer to the occasional middle finger.


This was the point...


...that our MoveOn.org organizer (Dick Manoukian) read about, sans cameras.

How about some of that Iraq War information? By the numbers, of course:

• $456 billion - monies appropriated for the war so far (that's $4,100 for every household in the U.S.)
• $15.99 billion - cost to Ohio taxpayers
• $806 million - cost to Ohio's 1st District (over $2.5 billion adding Ohio's 2nd district and Kentucky's 4th, encompassing the local metro area)

What could Ohio's 1st District citizens have gotten instead?

• Health care coverage for 270,399 people - or 458,768 kids, or
• Head Start for 124,560 additional kids, or
• 13,708 new elementary school teachers, or
• 99,814 scholarships to make college more affordable, or
• Renewable electricity for 903,450 homes, or
• 7,524 affordable housing units, or
• 19,351 public safety officers to keep the streets safe

In late 2002, Bush's Budget Director estimated the cost of the Iraq War at $50 to $60 billion. When Bush's Chief Economic Adviser, Lawrence Lindsey, publicly estimated that the war in Iraq might cost $100 billion to $200 billion, he was fired. Now we're at $450 billion and shuttling towards $1 trillion.

What is the tipping point for the American people? What will get 100 or 200 or a thousand local people so pissed off about how our country is being mismanaged that they, too, will appear in a park by a highway exit to gain more visibility and more visibility until we cannot be ignored? Is it $1 trillion spent? Is it 5,000 or 10,000 Americans dead?

Is it seeing Dick Cheney say that invading Baghdad and deposing Saddam would be a horrible idea...back in 1994?

One thing is for certain: we will change nothing by sitting on our asses and whining about it. Get active. Get involved.

Twat's Wrong with America? I'll Finger It Out.

I ran into some perplexing sex news yesterday: there's sex on Craigslist. And it's dirty, deviant gay sex.

Does the madness ever stop?

So idiot man (John J. Lake, 58, of Boston), maybe not too easy on the eyes, is looking to get some action - real action, not like the sweaty, quiet dry-humps over furry pr0n sites. He knows he's not a hottie, so he hints that there may be a monetary incentive. The cops bite and he's nailed for offering money for a blowjob.

For all things fair and comparative, I did some minor research on Craigslist locally as a source of entertainment and commentary on our society in light of the oldest of arguments against the illegality of sex for money.

In our American society, this is okay:

Lookin' to get my wang mouthified. - m4w

Ladies, I got a wang what needs mouthified. Holla.

This is okay:

NSA BJ for young dudes - m4m - 21

Lookin to suck a young 20s guy's dick. Be clean and disease free, VERY discreet, masc and in shape. Send pics :) You host, I come in, I strip you, I suck you, we part.

And even this is okay:

$1200 deal! - m4w

I am seeking a female to strip in front of me, give me a lapdance, motorboat her boobs and let me feel her whole body. I will give you 1200 dolllars for your time. Let me know and please send me a nude pic of yourself with your response i dont want to be disappointed. I might pay more.

This is America: ask, beg, and plead for sex and that is okay. Ask, beg, plead, and pay for anything short of what our antiquated legal system considers sex and that is okay. Ask, beg, and plead for sex with some monetary incentive: you get fucked. By the law.

I do realize that legalized prostitution has the potential to hurt and subjugate men and especially women, but illegal prostitution already does that, sometimes in the most vile ways. But, like the legalization of drugs would do to the dealers, legalization of prostitution could do to the same to the pimps: put them out of business. Publicity, centralized standards, and workers' rights would come into play.

I'm not saying I agree with John Lake's choice of sexual procurement, but we're putting people in jail for something that is actually legal in another state and - without the "cash-and-cum" - is legal everywhere else.

I do believe we need to get the government and the church out of our bedrooms. If you don't think they're still there, peeping in our windows and waiting to break down the door, check out the sodomy laws in the US, and understand that "sodomy," depending on the state, can refer to any sex that is not male/female vaginal intercourse.

What would Jesus do? To start with, he'd emerge from the wood paneling and forgive John Lake.

Holla.

35 Percenters: Peaceman vs. The Chenguin

I had no hand in this, but am proud to support it. Brilliant!

If anyone is confused by the "35 Percenters," there was a poll taken that showed only 35% of registered voters who plan to vote for a Democrat in 2008 have ever heard of Dennis Kucinich. I'm hoping we've helped to shift that number; I know his presence alone has pushed the awareness.

54% of American adults are in favor of impeaching Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a recent American Research Group poll. Amongst Democrats specifically, 76% favor impeachment, yet for some reason Dennis Kucinich is the only Democratic presidential candidate willing to represent this overwhelming majority. The great disparity between public support and political support is also evident with regards to universal not-for-profit healthcare, of which Dennis is again the only candidate to stand for the vast majority of Americans who favor such a system.

Visit ImpeachCheney.org to show your support for HR Res 333, Dennis Kucinich's resolution to impeach Vice President Cheney on three charges. Congressman Kucinich's clear case for impeachment can be found at The Kucinich Website - Spotlight Issues.

Director: Ev Boyle
Narration: Edan Bryant
Voice Direction: Monte Jernigan
Art Direction: John Harrison
Animation: Bill Wesley

The 35 Percenters is comprised of the following bloggers:

The Largest Minority
Blue Gal
Blue Man
Monkey Muck
Dandelion Salad
Peace Garden
Quaker Dave
Phydeaux Speaks
The Hermit with Davis Fleetwood
Dennis Kucinich for Prez in 08
Modern Musings
Freida Bee
Cause for Concern
Unofficial Kucinich Youtube Channel
Unofficial Kucinich MySpace Page

Please also visit:
Dennis Kucinich's Official Youtube Channel

Local Activism: Cost of Iraq War for Cincinnati

I've joined up with MoveOn.org's Thursday Cincinnati press conference to support the end of the war by constant reminders to the public about what this war is costing America - in dollars and lives. Nationally, we've just crossed the $450,000,000,000 dollar mark. Yes, that's billions of dollars, billions of dollars that the Bush administration is just sorta not counting when we get the official budget numbers. Billions of dollars that we, our children, and our grandchildren will be responsible for.

I don't know if I have any local Cincinnati readers, but if you're interested, shoot me an email before Thursday morning and I can provide directions.

Stop Iran before it starts; Stop Iraq now.

Half Hour News Hour: Fin

It is not with great frequency that we can see something ill-conceived and poorly executed fall on its face to receive the humiliation it deserves. It did take some time, but Fox's Half-Hour News Hour has stepped on the banana peel to the most triumphant biff.



The Memo from TVNewser:

August 14, 2007

TO: Senior Producers

FR: Bill Shine

RE: Half Hour News Hour/Weekend Programming

I'd like to share some news with you about weekend programming.

Joel Surnow and I have mutually decided that we will not continue the Half Hour News Hour beyond its current 15 episode run. The last show will be presented on September 16th.

While HHNH performed admirably in the ratings and Kurt Long and Jennifer Robertson did a wonderful job, we are considering ways to retool the show for future scheduling needs. There is still a chance you will see the program at some point in the future.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Joel and his team. He is a visionary in this business and he created a contrarian program that fulfilled an untapped niche in the comedy genre.

My first - and last - experience with the show was an accidental stumble through the cable box. The anchors were trying their hand at "politically correct" show titles, or something of the sort. They said the new "Hairspray" would be environmentally friendly with less CFCs. Queue canned laughter. Non-essential CFCs (like in hairspray) were banned in 1978. I changed the channel.

Why did this "answer to the Daily Show" fail? It wasn't funny. Conservative humor can be exemplified in the person of Ann Coulter; she blasts the left with comments meant to get a rise, meant to enrage and inflame, but when she's called on it, she calmly says "What, cantcha take a joke?" and is then backed by Hannity and Limbaugh simultaneously farting out "What, cantcha take a joke?"

That's not humor. That's ignorant and mean. I'm just glad to see a lack of taste for this kind of stupidity.

Downey Jr., Shalhoub, More on Sarkozy

After yesterday's blogging on the Bush-Sarkozy sucky-sucky, I wasn't quite done.

Is it me, or does French President Nikki Sarkozy look like a botched genetic collision between Robert Downey, Jr. and Tony Shalhoub?



And just a hint of Pauly Shore.

One Million Blogs for Peace

I was taking the Country Quiz (I'm apparently Egypt), and I caught this link to One Million Blogs for Peace.

The Concept
Between 20 March 2007 and 20 March 2008 (the fifth year of the war), we will attempt to sign up One Million Blogs for Peace. By signing up, a blogger is stating his or her agreement with The Pledge below. They will then be able to participate in various challenges launched by One Million Blogs for Peace. They will also be listed on this website with a link to their blog.

The Pledge
I believe in the immediate withdrawal of all foreign combat troops from the nation of Iraq. I believe in using my blog, in whole or in part, as a tool toward this end.

They're not quite up to 900 yet, but, hey, one more thing we can do.

Earthquakes are Scary Again!

We've got this story from KABC (via Drudge):

Top Seismologist: Southern California Due For Major Quake

August 10, 2007 - A top seismologist is warning that another major earthquake is in our future, a big one that could devastate Southern California, from the desert to the sea.

Lucy Jones, of the U.S. Geological Survey says it's not a question of where but when a big quake will strike the Coachella Valley, sandwiched between the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults.

Jones says that region is long overdue, and the seismic clock is ticking.

Jones says a magnitude 7.8 quake or more could collapse major freeways, knock down buildings in Downtown L.A., kill thousands of people and cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.

Officials in the Coachella Valley say they're taking her warning very seriously.

Yay! Wait. I mean: Scary!

The only difference between this article and one that was written 20 years ago is that the date slug would read 1987. The words "that region is long overdue, and the seismic clock is ticking" are as true today as they were then (and probably earlier - I'm putting this into a framework of a me at 9 or 10, when I became aware of California's earthquake issue). But how true is that? I'm not really sure; in twenty years, the words have remained the same, the predictions have remained vague, and damage has been adjusted for inflation.

Is this progress? Or just fear?

Bush, Sarkozy Get ...Kozy

On Saturday, Bush met with French President Nicolas "Nikki" Sarkozy in Kennebunkport where they shared a "heart-to-heart," a boat ride, chatted about invading Iran, and "totally slammed that wussy Chriac cause he loves terrorists and hates freedom." Bush then greeted reporters with the double-thumb-and-forefinger "W," violently sniggered, and skipped arm-in-arm with Sarkozy all the way to a shed, behind which they showed each other their privates and did a cross-tinkle.

How quickly we go from "Freedom Fries" to "Gay for France."

The internets agrees. Unaltered screenshot from Yahoo News's story Bush, Sarkozy hail strong US-France bond

Rush Limbaugh is a Trememdous Douchebag

I am certainly not trying to trump one of my posts from January, Glenn Beck is a Tremendous Douchebag, but there I was in that self-abusive mood, streaming Rush on the local 550AM. Some tidbits:

"You know what organic means? Feces. That's what it means."

"A market correction is defined as the market dropping 10%."

"You do know Bill Clinton and Al Gore were pro-lifers."

After listening a couple weeks ago to him tout his wasteful energy practices as keeping South Florida warmer than the cooler than average global-warming-hype rest of Florida on that day, I just couldn't take the arrogant, wasteful Jabba larva any longer.

Organic does not mean feces; he knows that, but resents it in the face of his fast food, ludes, and little dudes. Market correction happens when stocks - like Rush's head - are over-inflated and over-valued. And while Clinton and Gore at one point or another were against federal money paying for abortions under certain circumstances, they were never for the limitation of a woman's right to choose.

I think that somewhere in his brain he knows that these facts exist, but like any well-deluded neocon, never the twain shall meet; the reality and the bunk are strictly and efficiently segregated. When you sling shit for a living, you get very good at slinging shit, and protect your livelihood with any an all physical and psychological devices that will permit you to continue slinging shit.

Unfortunately it's disheartening to hear a shit slinger talk about his audience as the most educated in America, and then hear the enamored myrmidons panting, panting on the phone, mentally scrambling to tongue the cack off his cock.

More Gay Republican Blowjobs

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Bush's Press Conference - Money, Woah

Bush held a conference today touting his "American Competitiveness Doctrine." Reporters didn't give a crap. They were out for Pakistan, infrastructure, Iraq, Tillman, housing market.

On the market: "...liquidity in the market..." It's just fun to hear him struggle verbally with "liquidity" and mentally with the concept of what the hell he's saying.

On Guantanamo: "We don't torture." Of course we don't. We have foreign contractors who do that.

On Iran: "Put up yer dukes - heh - that's an old boxing expression." That's when the press erupted in laughter like a class with a teacher who's a total asshat, glancing around knowingly "Did you frickin' hear that? What a tard! Drinks later!"

On the tax code: "...a simplick - simplification of" the tax code.

But the one I really enjoyed was when Mr. POTUS was talking about raising a gas tax for bridge repairs; he was in favor of reallocation: "That's not the way to prioritize peoples' money."

But this is:

Cost of the War in Iraq

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To see more details, click here.

It's about time I had that in my margin.

A FOX in Green Clothing

For anyone not under the seductive spell cast by the bedroom eyes of John Gibson's bouffant, FOX News's record of "oh, it's cold today; global warming is debunked" is quite clear. For a synopsis of the outrage, I turn to the lovely folks at FOX Attacks:


[Alternative YouTube Link]

With that in mind, imagine my surprise when spying this headline on TV Week: Emmy Academy Vetoes Fox’s Green Carpet Plan. Thought process: I think I know what this could mean but it can't possibly because it's FOX.

In a move that would have parted with decades of broadcast tradition, Fox wanted to roll out a green carpet during its presentation of the 2007 Primetime Emmy Awards.
...
Changing the carpet color was an unannounced part of Fox's green-themed Emmy Awards presentation strategy, which includes employing hybrid vehicles for event transportation, using recycled materials and reducing carbon emissions from the production.

I read the article, I'm excerpting the article, and I still can't believe what I'm reading. FOX, the network in the video above, the network constantly spouting against the scientific reality of climate crisis, is whining that it can't be green enough.

Some days, my head, it hurts so badly....

Linktastica!, Analytics, LS Blogs, and Mashed Potatoes

What, are you new?
Just a lovely welcome to Balls and Walnuts now in Linktastica! I try to keep that list down to the blogs I visit on a regular basis and BnW has become one of my regular train stops in the past couple weeks.

Analytics
If anyone's wondering how cutting edge they are, I regularly reel in about 200 visits a week with normal, organic traffic (haven't toyed with paid ads yet). If I pimp myself to Crooks and Liars, I can peak a day at 500 or so. And this one time, someone pinned me on Digg, about marijuana, and I got 10,000 hits in one day.

But - hey! - that was just a fluke. I want that to be clear, because, you know, what you an me got, well, that's personal. And as soon as I'm pulling a K a day, you think I'll lose you in the traffic, that I'll forget about you. But it's not like that, baby. This is special. "Now" is special. Trust that.

LS Blogs
LS Blogs will give you multiple directory listings with no necessity of a reciprocal link. They're so nice, I put their little chicklet in my left column. See how that works?

Mashed Potatoes
I recently posted on the Democratic YouTube CNN debate and added one of the greatest quotes of all time. It deserves reposting:
[alt audio link]

Love you long time. See that thing on the left that wants your email? You, to, can have Ricky Shambles in your box. You know you want it.

PDB Blogswarm: George, Harriet, and a Legacy of Reactance

I love birthdays!



This is part of the PDB blogswarm going on today. For those of you unawares, on August 6, 2001, the president was officially warned, in a Presidential Daily Briefing, that Bin Laden was poised to attack, to bring the fight to America, and that it would "follow the example of the World Trade Center bomber." Seriously. GWB 8/6/01 PDB PDF!

The PDB speaks for itself; that the President of the United States was deaf to the alarm bells is - now near the end of this eight years of black comedy/reality show - no surprise.

As with any anniversary, it is a time of reflection, a time of looking back on an aspect of this failure of a leader. In my estimation, the most poignant aspect of our "Protecting America" Bush administration has been the systematic knee-jerk reaction of the policy-makers: Nothing happens to prevent something dangerous until that thing happens and is deemed dangerous.

September 11th? Stop all air traffic, and be more careful when you start it back up, sometimes including an Air Marshal on the flight. Ooh, and no more box cutters, except sometimes you might be able to find them in the airport store.

Shoe Bomber? Ground flights, eh, maybe not, and from now on everybody takes off their shoes. And absolutely no lighters or matches...okay, you can have matches and we'll even replace a lighter with matches if you're cute...okay, you can have lighters again. But take off those shoes!

Alleged Liquid Bomb Terrorists? Duh, no liquids! No water or juice or K-Y lovin for you. Detain and flagrantly threaten mothers - whatever you have to do. No, the explosively flammable liquid version of butane you find in lighters does not count.

And how would these foolish antics be carried out? By underqualified, underpaid, underappreciated employees, the LMSA: Little Man Syndrome Army. (Note: I know someone who was accepted as an Air Marshal. The words retard and potato gun could easily combined in a single sentence to describe his credentials.)

Summer Terrorist Chatter? There may or may not be any chatter that may or may not be directly or indirectly related to something that does or does not exist. Remain vigilant!

I remember hearing the horrors of Katrina and reliving the viewing of the Discovery Channel special entitled something like: "Holy Shit! What if a 3-4-5 Hurricane Hits New Orleans!?" It emerged from a pool of reports and specials that is slowly fading in my memory, one that contains the potential openings for terrorist attacks: Water supply, public aerosol chemical/bio weapons, nukes in shipping containers, chemical plant weaknesses, nuclear plant weaknesses, power grid, information infrastructure, public transportation, and the fucking Mall of America.

And then what happens? The PDB should be our warning: not a warning of a terrorist attack, but a warning of what our government is capable of and where their priorities lie.

Because one of those old Datelines will one day pop out of that pool of memory into a slot for a reality comparison to a terrorist attack. American flags will fly; patriotism will be questioned; fingers will be pointed; we will invade a country - the plan will already have existed; and should it be bad enough, the impetus will be clear, and we will be goose-stepped straight into honorable marshal law, dutiful suspension of the Bill of Rights and all the juicy bits of Dick Cheney's wettest dreams.

Sometimes I feel like all the people who are supposed to be looking out for our best interests are standing around a rooftop swimming pool at night, all dressed in suits, smoking cigars, and sipping Johnny Walker Black, quietly chuckling to each other with false pretenses. A meteor is falling out of the sky, and we - the bloggers - look back at the crowd, our necks craned, our voiced slightly raised "Um, guys?"

So Happy Birthday, PDB! May the lessons we learned be strong enough to unite us against tyranny and oppression, because the administration learned way different lessons.


Quick shout outs: Blue Gal, source of my info about the PDB blogswarm, Tengrain over at Mock, Paper, Scissors for the lovely image at the head of this diatribe.

ABC's of Republican Politics in Iowa

Honestly, I didn't do as good a job making notes or even watching the Iowa GOP Debate on ABC Sunday morning. I'm much more of an evening person. But a couple of things stuck out through the Bush 'n' Iraq hummers being passed out by the majority of the all-white-male AARP panel as they crowded out reason on that stage.

Goofy-lookin' bridesmaids, though.

Same-sex marriage hits DC: The Romney-Giuliani Union

• Mitt Romney's one tall bastard. Dag. (And that means lifts and apple boxes for McCain.)


• McCain: Hydra-headed? When related to radical Islam, McCain was obviously making a reference (which how many of the populace would get?) that when one head is cut off, two grow in its place and how it's almost completely unmanageable. The nuance I'm certain Mac's overlooked, however, is two-fold: 1) the Hydra was successfully "dealt with" by one man - Hercules - as he seared each beheaded neck (yes, his cousin Iolaus handed him the brand/torch), showing wisdom over brute force. 2) the Hydra could not be destroyed completely and its immortal head was literally buried under a very heavy rock.


• Rep. Tom Tancredo: As president, it's not his job to educate our youth or provide health care. Michael Moore couldn't have written it better - sick and dumb doesn't allow for much in the way of practicable democracy, and provides the perfect, unchallenging, work-force mentality to provide the cannon fodder for what Tom's focus is: WAR. What a douche.


• 
  Tommy Thompson: What did you hit on the way to the debate and for the love of God, why did you put it on your head?


• Tommy Thompson: Eradicate breast cancer by 2015? In 8 years? Yep. Right after he makes HIV drugs affordable in Africa. WTF?


• Cheney have too much power? Blub-ah-blub...credentials, preparedness...blubba.


• Giuliani: What 911 needs is 911 and if we can't 911 then what about 911? Then the terrorists win.


• Ron Paul: Traditional conservative, anti-neo-con, against a prolonged, illegal war in Iraq. Which debate am I watching? Obviously the Kucinich of the group (but Dennis in '02 or earlier, more lashing, less concise, but no less concerned or credible). I like him.

That's about it. The rest was "criticizing" the administration without actually criticizing the administration, case in point with the Cheney bit.

I've pined for and made goo-goo eyes at Dennis Kucinich for a couple different stances of his, but the most important is his support of not-for-profit universal health care. When I watched the Democratic YouTube Debate, I was surprised at how silent the other candidates were about America being financially raped by insurance companies; system's broken, needs some overhaul. This debate pushed it one step further: you can be assured that with a Republican president, there will be NO change in the "shortcomings" of the current health care system.

And we will focus on war, war, war.

I almost can't wait for 9/17 (Repub YouTube Debate).

Minnesota and Iraq

Today the fifth casualty was counted in the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

As of this posting, icasualties.org has confirmed 3652 deaths of American troops in Iraq, 5 in the first 3 days of August.

The Minneapolis count may slowly rise over the next few days.

The count in Iraq will certainly rise. But no one's talking about that today.

Jesus for Sale! Concrete Jesus for Sale!

Get your hot, fresh pareidolia here!



Yes, once again, someone has combined their personal faith, "white Jesus" iconography, and the human being's innate ability to recognize facial characteristics out of seemingly random images, and this time it has manifested in Concrete Jesus.

WSET has the Concrete Jesus Story: Deb Serio was blacktopping her driveway, left a bucket in the garage, and a day or so later, viola: instant idol worship. But Deb's had Concrete Jesus in her garage for over a year. Why is this making news now?

I kept thinking of that grilled cheese sandwich, remember the grilled cheese sandwich that sold for like $30,000 and I thought, well ya know, someone valued that, someone got something out of that, so maybe someone will get something out of this.

Deb means maybe she will get something out of this.

And you, too, have a chance to own Concrete Jesus: He's on ebay. And you have less than a week left. But as opposed to the Grilled Cheese Virgin Mary, we're only at $250 as of August 2nd. Then again, Concrete Jesus doesn't have a bite taken out of it. Deb may be in for a serious windfall.

In a completely unscientific move, I have inverted the image, like they did with the Shroud of Turin, to possibly reveal an even clearer image of the Savior of Cement:



Crap. That didn't work. Now Jesus looks like nothing more than classic CSI blacklight on the bedsheets. Seminal Jesus. Ewww.

So back to the original:



Squinty, stylized eye, low mouth, I'm going with Akira Toriyama, illustrator of Dragonball Z, or Bruce Timm's Batman.

At the very least, can we all agree that the Lord didn't have a neckbeard?


NOTE: While this and other stories do and will fall under the "Christ on a Bun!" label, I have refrained from placing that in the title. I tired of it. If you, fair reader, have any input or feeling about this change, leave it in the comments. I will probably make fun of you. And your neckbeard.

UPDATE: The bidding has ended! Going once, going twice, and Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior is SOLD in 29 bids for US $1,525.69. Sorry Deb, no $30K windfall this time around.

Fox Attacks: Bloggers

According to FOX News and the goons who fill in the slots with their own right-wing babble, left wing bloggers like myself are the scourge of our planet. From the lovelies over at FoxAttacks.com:


[Alternate YouTube Link]

Seriously. Do something.

Christ on a Bun! Bible Dolls!

I mean "action figures," of course, because you'd hate to imbue those pretty, pretty boys with the snake venom of female play culture; it's not about combing hair or tending sheep...unless you're talking about Samson or David.

Didn't I do this back in April?



BBC has shouted us out to the next Xmas favorite: Bible Dolls! Or, er, action figures. Yes, kids, you, too, could create your own anachronisms! Samson vs. Goliath! David vs. Jesus! Moses vs. Herod!

Your muscle-bound faith can battle against itself, or against the God-starved children of Hogwarts Castle (or, at least their action figures), to teach them the true way to Heaven. Only one way to let Harry know about the One, True Lord: with muscle.

What the hell?

Exactly.

Chopper Crash Blame Game: Driver or Media?

A nice one for the families, ABCNews.com, via AP Photo/La Voz-The Arizona Republic, AJ Alexander

On Friday, you have probably heard, there was a not-so-crazy car chase in Phoenix, Arizona. During the chase, two media choppers - each holding a pilot and cameraman - collided and dropped to the ground, leaving no survivors.

In examining the wreckage and maintenance logs for possible causes of the crash, police have come to one possible answer: blame it on Christopher J. Jones, the cause of the chase.

What-what?

Yes, the police are now looking at charging Chris Jones with four counts of murder on top of everything else. I am not a bleeding heart "the criminal is the victim" sort, especially when some jackass steals a car and runs from police. But the helicopter crash falls far from his lap.

I'm not going into a diatribe on media morality, but if it bleeds, it leads, and if those photogs had captured a spectacular pile-up, violent suicide, or hostage event, the footage would have led every news hour for a week and they might even have been up for a local Emmy. This means more viewers, more ratings, more money, etc.

If a police officer died in pursuit of Chris Jones, another charge is not out of the question; an officer's job is to serve the public good, and while an official chase is not without questions of necessity, better to get a criminal off the streets than not.

But that's not what happened; somebody fucked up while chasing the $USDs pinned to Chris Jones's ass, and now four people are dead.

I could reductio ad absurdum this into the ground or reduce it to the station's fault for having certain policies or equipment, the police's fault for giving chase, or even God's fault (because, in the end, doesn't He run the show?).

Adding criminal charges to Chris Jones because a couple peeping toms with media passes and helicopters killed each other is like blaming the malaria the National Geographic photog gets on the antelope that was taken down by the lion.

I'm still searching for words, but unless it's the simple, obvious, "everyone loves a patsy and we've already got one" angle, how does this even make sense?

Photoshop Love: Pope...Castelgandolfo

From the Vatican Information Services: POPE TO RETURN TO CASTELGANDOLFO THIS EVENING.

Pope? Castelgandolfo? Castle Gandalf? Anyone?


Pope Benedict gets pimped out for ComiCon '07

FDA Ignores Nanotechnology

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!

I can't say I know all the ins and outs of nanotechnology, but new products are emerging that use tiny versions of the chemicals that are considered "safe" by the FDA (which is questionable in the first place).

From the EurekAlert:

Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies science advisor Andrew Maynard underlined that “EPA’s approach ignores the scientific research evidence to date that different nanostructures with the same molecular identity present different hazards.” Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing sector of the economy that will represent an estimated $2.6 trillion in manufactured goods by 2014, or about 15 percent of global manufactured goods output.

What do we know about how the technology affects us? "Not much." Advanced tech used in products we use every day might end up being dangerous since the FDA is not testing them. But that doesn't stop the FDA from verbally ignoring the potential of danger. From New Scientist:

"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the rising number of cosmetics, drugs and other products made using nanotechnology do not require special regulations or labelling.

In the US, at least 300 consumer products, including sunscreen, toothpaste and shampoo are now made using nanotechnology...

Nano means more than just tiny. It means these materials can be fundamentally different, exhibiting chemical and physical properties that are drastically different," says George Kimbrell, staff attorney at the group. "The consumer is being made the guinea pig."

Business wins again, leaving the consumer to guess, despite a federal program "designed" to protect us.

FDA: WTF Award.

Saddest Thing I've Ever Seen

While driving down Plainville Road the other day, I spied an old man, slowly walking in the mid-day sun. The waning, muddled mass of hair on his head matched the white of the three days' stubble on his cheeks, his chin, his lip, all lightly glowing with sweat. The ragged, worn, beige button-down shirt and dusty, cuff-dragged, dark brown pants were draped on his emaciated frame, much like his thin, tired skin.

He moved up the sidewalk with unsteady ease, a look of vacant pain filling his face, which had been frightfully numbed by the miles and years spread out like so many disappointments in his wake; on these his eyes were fixed, a thousand yards away.

Supporting his shuffle, his hands were wrapped tightly around the handle bar of an old Wal Mart shopping cart, the wheels wobbling in fits and starts at the uneven walkway in front of him. The plastic cross-hatch side of the cart facing the street was almost entirely broken away, leaving the reveal to any passer-by: it was completely empty.

I saw this man, sad and broken, who by all visible accounts had nothing in this world, save a shopping cart. And even that didn't work.


I then put in The Cure's Disintegration, called my parents to tell them I was sorry, and cut myself - just to feel. Please excuse the emocity. The seven o'clock show is completely different. Try the veal.

Notes on the Democratic Debate

The CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate was, well, watchable. It spurred debate between myself and Mrs. Shambles, for sure. CNN's Headline News this morning has been pissing all over itself with joy of the wondrous success it was.

The following are notes I collected during the watching. For the most part, they're in chronological order. The first note is what made me realize I was going to have some serious feedback on the event:

• Obama: Did the only African-American candidate for president just come out in favor of "Separate but equal" for the treatment of homosexuals and marriage? I do believe he did. Irony hash mark so flaming it need not be commented upon. Shit. My first thought:
  [alt audio link]


• Edwards: Video: Hair? Not funny. While watching, drinking our Miller Lite, we'd like to forget how much you paid to have your ears lowered, and that song hearkens back to a time of revolution and innovation; you embody neither.


• Hillary: Video: Intermittently readable. Note to CNN and Hillary - not everyone has a 72" Plasma.


• Biden: I know you heard it from U.S. military officials in Europe, but do you really think 2500 U.S. troops could fix Darfur?


• Biden: 1 year most probable for actual pullout. NOW is nice, but that makes a lot of sense.


• Kucinich: "Text Peace" - You have a great message; stick to it. As Anderson said, "Yes, we'll see your video."


• Obama: Did troops in Viet Nam die in vein? Blub-u-blub-a-blubba


• Edwards: Should women register for Selective Service? Question dodged, Anderson skipped callout.


• Hillary: Women in Muslim countries. Of course leaders will listen; they already do. Good answer. Stupid question.


• Obama: General - get with the speech coach; the "ah"s are painful, like focusing on the breath intake of a news anchor, and you sound uncertain in everything you say.


• Richardson: Scrap NCLB! Yay!


• Dodd & Obama & Hillary: Elbow-whored their way into the public school question; we want to hear about public school kids (Yay Kucinich!), not why private school was necessary or unavoidable.


• Kucinich: Energy reformation - total revamping, good show.


• Richardson: Apparently supports "touchtone" voting. Those crazy newfangled kids and their touchtone voting. "Stop chewin' my shorts and let's go to the rave music fest," he quickly added.


• Biden: Video: Isn't the purpose of this format to not show traditional campaign videos? For shame.


• Kucinich: Video: Text PEACE. Okay. It happened a little quickly and maybe I should've had a do-over. I get the idea, it's innovative, but is that the best format for this? Um, universal health care?


• Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate for 2008 that supports universal not-for-profit health care for life, yet as the only candidate with a real, non-corporate, non-insurance stance, he was completely excluded from the health care discussion. More like Anderson Pooper. Sorry. That was poor.


• Gravel: At any point in the evening: Shut up! Okay, "follow the money," but the disheveled hair, the sometimes-spittle that fired past the mic, the man is like the infirm, drunk "you don't know me!" uncle at the family reunion. And we're all a little embarrassed.


• Biden: Gun control: Dude. I know we were all thinking that the guy who called his big-ass gun his "baby" was a little nutty, but you called him "mentally imbalanced" and then quipped "hope he doesn't come lookin' for me." There's a reason the phrase "gunnin' for 'em" exists. Faux pas, voter block alienation on insult, not principle.


• Richardson: Final comment: Any of these candidates would do great in the White House...as my VP. Snap!


• Edwards: Final comment: I liked Hillary's jacket. Dick.


• Biden: Final comment: "Dennis, the thing I like best about you is your wife." Did you actually just say that?


• Kucinich: Final comment: Used opportunity to lash at Anderson, missed opportunity at "right hand man/woman" quip.

That's about it, the stuff that stuck, anyway. I missed about 12 minutes in the middle because I hit the channel up instead of the volume up and killed the DVR cache from potty breaks, etc., but I think it went well.

Hillary's a strong candidate, and I didn't have much to say about her, but I was impressed overall. For as much speaking time as she got, it was all done professionally.

I had Obama on the back burner until last night; he's a little blubbery and the "separate but equal" really killed him in my mind.

Kucinich not enough, Gravel too much, and the rest: meh.

I support a drastic overhaul of the system. I support an uprooting of corruption. I support universal not-for-profit health care. I support Dennis Kucinich.

UPDATE: In slo-mo replay of the "Who came in a private jet" question I caught during the still-ongoing CNN circle jerk, we had some "Hell yeah"s, some "Um, I don't know, Sean Hannity might make fun of me"s, and a single, chuckling Kucinich in the foreground, his hand decidedly DOWN. Hell yeah.

HR 676 Universal Healthcare: Don’t Stop Believin’

35 Percenters have rolled out yet another bit of Kucinich '08 love with some Blue Gal appeal. Enjoy!



[Alternative YouTube Link]