Savage Distortion

FLEET WEEK

I watched as much of the convention coverage as I could, and will do the same for the RNC (hopefully I'll be doing so from somewhere outside NYC).  I think it's important to hear the nominees explain their positions and detail their plans.  Mostly, though, I want to see them as they speak, look in their eyes, note their body languge.  That's my bullshit detector and it works well.  Last night I believed John Kerry, and in him I see a man who can lead effectively.  His rhetoric was not new, he borrowed it from Reagan.  He wants to make us proud again.  Some will say they are proud and don't need Kerry to win the affection of the world, but you can't smell the wind of change with your nose burried in Newsweek.  I wish that all americans were watching last night, because they would have seen what I saw, a man of conviction, promise, and hope for a better america.  I believe, and that's all I really want.

RIDING THE DONKEY

Watching Jonathan Edwards speak last night filled me with hope.  I feel we can win this for all the right reasons.  Up til then, I only needed one.  G.W.

I do, however, have a bone to pick with the official platform detailed for the first time last night.  When we ask for a health care plan, we mean a health care system, not a 1,000 dollar tax break.  I mean what's that?  The people in this country who live without health care do so because they can't afford it in the first place.  Telling me I can have a house in the Hamptons and that you'll shoot me some cash for it later doesn't help me front the cost of the house.  I can't afford 300 dollars a month now, in real time.  Do something about that.

I loved Al Sharpton, my girl and I would like to see a Clinton/Sharpton tour,  and Mellencamp...what was that line in "Smalltown"?  "My wife was thirteen when I wrote this song.."  Classic.  The original line being about his ex-wife, he changed it, refreshingly honest self examination John.  That's one great thing about being Democrat, you don't have to be ashamed of your sexuality, and we owe that to Jack and Bill.  Bring on the dancing girls......

Bottom line, a vote for Kerry is a vote for somebody who in real life didn't leave anyone behind.  I'm now leaning away from my previous lesser of two evils stance into believing that this guy might actually be a good choice.

BAD BLOGGING

Tony Alva is right, I did want to pick a fight, but not with him.  I posted rashly, and I apologise to everyone for my poor choice.  Tony Alva is right about America, we are a great nation, founded upon unprecidented moral standards.  It is these social standards by which we judge ourselves and the world around us.  Recently, many of us have come to fear that those ideals set forth in such clarity in the documents we hold dear, The Declaration Of Independance, and The United States Consitution, have been in danger of being trod upon by a dwarf.  It is indeed not enjoyable to be a part of the comedy upon this particular stage.  Spinal Tap references aside, these are truly scary times.  The US is dangerously close to being ALL alone.  I don't think Mr. Blair is going to stay afloat too much longer, and when we lose merry olde England.....how many troops did Pulau send?
Tony is also a wonderful father, and so that makes him a great american in my book.

HOUSTON, WE'VE LOST CONTACT

It seems at least 43 percent of the American population, and most of the rest of the planet disagrees with Tony Alva about the state of American greatness. It's you who has his head in the sand, wake up, look around, talk to people. There's an overwhelming feeling abound, and it ain't good. We can't just walk into countries willy nilly anymore, it upsets people. We are now violating more human rights than we are protecting. It's time to change things.

EARLY X-MAS FOR JETS FANS

Ricky Williams quit football. Yay! Now for those pesky Patriots.

THE DAVID ST. HUBBINS AWARD FOR READING COMPREHENSION

Bush earlier this month accused Castro of welcoming sex tourism to bolster his failing economy and contributing to a global problem of human trafficking. Speaking to Florida law enforcement officials on July 16, Bush claimed the Cuban leader shamelessly promotes sex tourism. "The dictator welcomes sex tourism. Here's how he bragged about the industry," said Bush. "This is his quote --'Cuba has the cleanest and most educated prostitutes in the world' and 'sex tourism is a vital source of hard currency.'" Three days after Bush's remarks, the Los Angeles Times reported that the White House found the comments in a Dartmouth undergraduate paper posted on the Internet and lifted them out of context. "It shows they didn't read much of the article," commented Charlie Trumbull, the author. --MSNBC

I imagine it's hard to keep track of what's fact and what isn't when you spend so much time twisting the truth. The fact that Castro never said anything even remotely close to what Bush said is irrelevant to me. I think having the cleanest and most educated prostitutes in the world is indeed something to brag about. Maybe the issue is that Texas has the dirtiest and most ignorant prostitutes in the world.

JUNKIEDOM U.S.A.

A friend of mine is kicking the habit. He's been on it for over five years, and it's real tough. I'm not talking about herion or cocaine or any street drug, I'm talking about a mood stabilizing prescription. Withdrwal is a nightmare, and these drugs we're being put on to combat depression are as addictive as anything coming out of south-east asia, if not more so. Prozac, not the specific drug in this case, has been with us for about fifteen years, and many others have followed. It scares me. I'm sure that these drugs have helped countless people, and certainly dependancy on one of these drugs is preferable to taking one's own life, but watch what you take america, you might never get off it.

I, SHITBOT

What's on the menu for next summer? Will Smith starring in the action packed thriller Of Mice And Men. This time the bunny rabbits are bunny robots, and they're pissed off.

Hollywood: Here's some crap.
Ted: No thanks.
Hollywood: It's real loud crap, lot's of exploding crap.
Ted: No thanks.
Hollywood: Stunning visual crap, computer generated crap, you'll love it!
Ted: Got any weed?

HAIL EUROPA

I'm excited about the way things are developing with the E.U. Who'd a thunk it? Just juggling all those languages must be a task in itself. (see Eddie Izzard-Dressed To Kill) I see this as a trend, and would like to see similar things happen in this hemisphere. Of course there's no way ANYBODY in Washington is going to be comfortable relegating specific power to an international body, but hey, it seems to be working over there. As information gets easier to manage, I don't see why more international centralization isn't a good thing. Personally I think war is a wasteful expenditure of time, money, and life. Any alternative is a good one. Remember, nationalism is right up there with religion in the body count department.

THE FOREST FOR THE TREES

Our foriegn policy has been focused on the arab world (oil) for some time, and I'm not arguing the impotance of stability in that theater, but let's not forget about what's on the horizon. The U.S. needs to take a more active look at what's developing a little farther east. India, China, and Korea specifically. Something big is coming down the pike from these guys, and we better be prepared.
Now back to your regularly scheduled Bush-bashing.

ADDING INJURY TO INSULT

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) -- Filmmaker Michael Moore is bringing his blockbuster documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" to President Bush's adopted hometown -- and has invited the film's star to attend.
"And let's face it," added Moore, "you've got some of the funniest lines in the film!" --CNN

Michael, I'm a fan, and I love the film, but I think you're taking it too far and making it too personal. Let's get on with the election now. You have provided us with insight, now it's time to count your box office reciepts and let us take it from here.

A CLASSIC

"Today, our dominant international challenge is to restore the greatness of America, based on telling the truth, a commitment to peace, and respect for civil liberties at home and basic human rights around the world." -- Jimmy Carter

It was hard to pick an excerpt from such a fine speech, but I fought the temptation to blog the whole thing and spare myself the comments about links and whatnot. You can find the speech in it's entirety at any news service. I got it from CNN.

"Ultimately, the basic issue is whether America will provide global leadership that springs from the unity and the integrity of the American people, or whether extremist doctrines, the manipulation of the truth, will define America's role in the world."--Jimmy Carter

Tony Alva says that Jimmy was not a very good President, that he failed in both economics and foriegn policy. I remeber the economy sucking eggs prior to his inauguration, and I also remember Reagan making deals with Iran, so....I don't know. Anyway you slice it, Jimmy's been around the block many more times than George.

DIGGING

So Teresa H. K. called Ted Kennedy a bastard (out of context) in 1975. Really, this is a stretch even for the desperate GOP. I mean, jeez, who hasn't called Ted a bastard? I'm quite sure he is. And this stupid thing about the space suit photo, hell, J.K. looks like he's having a good time at least. In fact it's actually a flattering shot for Kerry, not an easy trick. Well, keep digging boys, and while you do that, we'll keep talking about the stuff that does matter. Foriegn relations, health care, education, the economy, y'know, the issues, remember them?
"There ain't no Coup De Ville lying at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box" --M. Loaf

SHOW DICK SOME RESPECT

As much as I hurl venom, spleen, bile, and vitrol at the current administration, I am concerned about violence at the RNC. I was walking past MSG last night and there are signs posted with Ed Koch saying: "The republicans are coming, make nice." I laughed out loud, but then I agreed with Ed. Protest and demonstrate all you want, but when it comes to blowing stuff up, well that makes you no better than the bastards that attacked us three years ago. I draw the line at violence, and so should anyone who cares about this country. I am not out for anybody's head, just their job.

THE NON VOTE

July 24, 2004 -- Consumer advocate Ralph Nader's quixotic presidential campaign says it submitted about 5,400 signatures to get on the Michigan ballot, far short of the required number of 30,000. Luckily for him, approximately 43,000 signatures were filed by Michigan Republicans on his behalf, more than meeting the requirement. --ABC News

But we're not going to fall into that trap are we? If Ralph has to rely on republicans to get him on the ballot, he's going to have to rely on them for actual votes as well. I'm fine with that. Let all the republicans vote for Nader, hell I don't care if you get Canadians to vote for him, so long as nobody's voting Bush/Cheney.

HEINZ IN A PICKLE? CAN SHE CUT THE MUSTARD? OR IS IT A LOAD OF BEANS.

You go girl! Shove it, indeed. This is the type of rhetoric we need more of, "broken down in a language we can easily understand". Well I understand "shove it" very clearly. Apparently she had been misquoted by this particular journalist, and gave him what for. Can't find fault with that. By the way Teresa, I love the pickles, but the mustard ain't all that.

REAGAN VS. CARTER

As long as were travelling down nostalgia lane, it was twenty five years ago that Ronnie beat out Jimmy for the nation's top spot. Looking back history judges them differently. One by what he supposedly did while in office, the other by what he has done since. I hated Reagan then, and I still feel his policy (policy, what policy) on AIDS was criminal, his position on Aparthied less than commendable, and the Iran-Contra thing; well I still don't know how he (or Bush) survived that. He left us deep in debt, but everybody hails him as the man who brought down communism. Yeah, he out-spent the Russians with our money. I still believe that the demise of communism was an inevitability, nature abhorrs a vacuum, and the Soviets tried to live in one. This summer, however, everybody and their brother was slavering over him and how great he was. I remember the fear, I won't cave. Mr. Carter, however, is a horse of a different political ideology. A great humanitarian, founder of The Carter Center, a human rights organization, Jimmy has spent the past years since his Presidency tirelessly championing the underdog on an international level. This man deserves the praise wasted on Reagan. I can't wait to hear his speech at the DNC in Boston tonight. If you want drama, hire an actor. If you want compassion and intelligence, get Jimmy on the line.

SONG OF THE WEEK

I'm doing this a bit early in anticipation of a short work week. My song of the week, as might be expected, is not a new release. In fact I'm going to go on record now; I'll leave new music to Fred. He's much more hip. I'm here to remind you of great songs that might have dropped off your radar. This week's pick is "Spread Your Wings" from the Queen 1977 release "News Of The World". Great song, great melody, great lyric, great performance. The "News Of The World" record is packed with gems beyond the obvious We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions couplet, and this is my fave of the lot. Freddie was the best, ever. Dammit, now I'm gonna cry.

Sammy was low
Just watching the show
Over and over again
Knew it was time
He'd made up his mind
To leave his dead life behind
His boss said to him
"Boy you'd better begin,
To get those crazy notions right out of your head
Sammy who do you think that you are?
You should've been sweeping up the Emerald Bar"
Spread your wings and fly away
Fly away, far away
Spread your little wings and fly away
Fly away, far away
Pull yourself together 'Cos you know you should do better
That's because you're free man
He spends his evenings alone in his hotel room
Keeping his thoughts to himself, he'd be leaving soon
Wishing he was miles and miles away
Nothing in this world, nothing would make him stay
Since he was small
Had no luck at all
Nothing came easy to him
Now it was time
He'd made up his mind
"This could be my last chance"
His boss said to him,"Now listen boy!
You're always dreaming
You've got no real ambition, you won't get very far
Sammy boy, don't you know who you are?
Why can't you be happy at the Emerald Bar?"
So honey,
Spread your wings and fly away
Fly away, far away
Spread your little wings and fly away
Fly away, far away
Pull yourself together 'Cos you know you should do better
That's because you're free man

TOO MUCH TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

Tony Alva wants to read the 9/11 commision report, and I applaud him for the effort. I hope he digs up some interesting stuff. I personally think that too many people are using it as an excuse to grind some axes. I don't blame anyone other than the terrorists who committed the heinous act. Hindsight is after all 20/20. It's easy for people to point and blame, but where were they on September 10th 2001? I live, and thrive, in New York. This is my home, and it was attacked, I got a right to bitch. My fellow New Yorkers got a right to bitch. With the exception of those unfortunate souls who lost somebody in the attack on the Pentagon, and those on the flight that went down in Pennsylvania, the rest of the country can shut the fuck up now, we're moving on, so should you. Now as far as events after that fateful morning...
Ladies and gentlemen I give you George W. Bush, apply blame at will.

A NATION BEHIND BARS, THE NEW APARTHEID

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A record 6.9 million adults were incarcerated or on probation or parole last year, nearly 131,000 more than in 2002, according to a Justice Department study. About 3.2 percent of the adult U.S. population, or 1 in 32 adults, were incarcerated or on probation or parole at the end of last year. --CNN

Apparently one in thirty two adults is a black male as well.

In Florida:
http://www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/FL_incrates2001.shtml

In California:
http://www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/CA_incrates2001.shtml

In Texas:
http://www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/TX_incrates2001.shtml

The policy is clear. Keep a healthy supply of guns and drugs in the poor neighborhoods. Felons can't vote.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOCKUMENTARY

It was twenty years ago today (not exactly, but near enough to warrant the paraphrasing of The Beatles) that "This Is Spinal Tap" was released in theaters. I went to see it with some friends, not knowing exactly what we we're about to see. About two minutes into the film ("the little wagon that ran under the sink, that was mine") I realized it was a joke, but man did they nail it. We were Metal fans (see previous blog) and we instantly got the joke. At the time, it was the funniest film I've ever seen. It is fitting that the recent Chris Guest directed mockumentaries (Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show, and A Mighty Wind) round out my list of funniest ever films. I love the improv oriented ethic that Chris Guest employs. Of course it wouldn't work without the team he assembles to portray these slice of life characters; Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, and of course Michael McKean, among many talented others. It makes me happy to see the guys from Spinal Tap make good. Mr. McKean is currently starring as Edna in Hairspray, a gutsy move considering Harvey's formidable footwear, and Harry Shearer, when not working with Chris and Michael, can be found giving voice to a number of the inhabitants of Springfeild, the home of Homer Simpson. Rob Reiner, who directed Spinal Tap, went on to do some good work (Princess Bride) and some not so good work (North), we haven't heard much from him lately, maybe he should give Chris a call.

1979

"Where were you in '79, when the dam began to burst" --Saxon (Denim and Leather)

Twenty-five years ago, my brothers went off to college, and I got on a plane to Germany. My father took his sabbaticle in Heidelberg, and I got a education, though not an acedemic one. With me on that plane, I had a cassette tape that I had made from my brother's record collection. On one side was Judas Priest's "Hell Bent For Leather" and on the other was UFO's "Obsession". Armed with this tape I entered a world now referred to as The New Wave Of Brittish Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). In Gemany I made friends with the Heavy Metal kids, but at the time we didn't have such nomenclature. Heavy Metal was a dead term used to descibe Blue Cheer and Vanilla Fudge. We liked hard rock, and the harder the better. It was there that I would get turned onto the bands that laid the groundwork for the resurgence of Heavy Metal. In my house growing up we had Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Ted Nugent, Blue Oyster Cult, but we never called it Metal. My freinds in Germany turned me onto Deep Purple, Raibow, Rush, AC/DC, Scorpions, and Motorhead. I remember seeing The Clash's "London Calling" album in the stores that year, and I remember thinking how cool the album cover was. The Clash, however, wasn't on my playlist at the time. Somebody at the time called them "the only band that matters", but to me the music that mattered was this new (not really) heavy music. That year was a banner year for Metal. Judas Priest released their opus "Brittish Steel" which set the standard. The Scorpions "Lovedrive", their best effort, came out. Motorhead's "Ace Of Spades" landed with a massive thud heard round the world. Debut's by Def Leppard, Iron Maiden and Saxon cemented the deal. It was a new age, and I was sitting right in the lap of it. On the plane home in the summer of '80, I was reading Cream magazine, and somebody referred to Def Leppard as being Heavy Metal. It seems we now had a moniker. Over the years (by 1984 to be exact) heavy metal became a joke. The movie "This Is Spinal Tap" was released, and Metal had split into camps; hair metal (not metal at all) and thrash (far too metal). I started to buy Stones and Pink Floyd records. I still love my Priest and UFO, just as I still love the old Kiss records I came up with. In recent years I have come to the conclusion that though The Clash may have not been the ONLY band that mattered, "London Calling" is the second greatest double album (studio, not live) ever (Number one is "Exile", "The White Album" being my least favorite Beatles record). I'm very excited that Rob Halford is back with Priest and on tour (Ozzfest), and doubly pleased that Metal fans are not as homophobic as one might have thought. Rob, I knew, I just didn't care, because after all is said and done "I just want my rock forever!"

GET YOUR RED HOT LINKS HERE!

As per Anonymous and Rightbacktoyou, I have seen the light. Links it is! My problem being, I am what is termed in this day and age of information, a moron, and for some reason I can't figure this link thing out. For a guy who thought html had something to do with hotmail I think I'm doing reasonably well. I promise that by the end of the summer I'll be linking so gratuitously that the whole blog will be blue.

POINT - COUNTERPOINT

In order to present a fair depiction of events, fictional or real, a rebuttal to my post about Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski has been presented to me by the esteemed Tony Alva.

http://www.nationalreview.com/script/printpage.asp?ref=/rubin/rubin200405180836.asp

I read it, and though the LaRouche affiliation is enough to cause me to pause, it sounds like a bunch of he said she said crap to me. It's a stop gap measure, standard method of discredidt and deny.

"Nobody can prove anything, of course, but the usual names were mentioned...." Mr. Deltiod

PROUD SPUD BOY HERE

I saw DEVO at the Central Park Summer Stage last night. It was a sold out event, so I thank The Benefactors, whithout whom it would not have happened. For me this show was twenty five years in the making, and according to Mark Mothersbaugh (Lead Vocalist) it had been as long for them since they played in Central Park, and he added "you are a much better audience that your parents." Devo was way ahead of the curve, and now they seem less like wierdo's and more like sage philisophers.
The show opened with Stellastar, who we missed. I heard their last song as we approached, and it sounded good. I wish I could say the same for the Yeah Yeah Yeah's. Both that I missed it, and that it was good. Unfortunately it was the opposite. Sorry, but c'mon; get a freakin' bass player. I send that out to Jack White as well with the added comment; and a drummer too! Sequencing isn't very punk. I 'd rather see a live band that sucks, than see mediocrity synched up with machines. I've seen your act before, they were called the Stooges and they killed motherfuckers like you.
Okay back to DEVO. First of all, it stopped raining just as they took the stage. They played completely live. No sequencing from this lot. It's hard to imagine what I'm about to say, but DEVO swung cock on stage last night. The band was on and rocking. Simply put, I was blown away by middle aged guys with flower pots on their heads. They played all the favorites, getting "Whip It" out of the way early. "Satisfaction" was brilliant. Josh Freese, the drummer, was phenomenal. The whole thing was brilliant. And timely too. The minute they walked off the stage the rain came down in torrents.
Some DEVO lyrics dedicated to G.W.

In ancient rome there was a poem
About a dog who found two bones
He picked at one
He licked the other
He went in circles
He dropped dead
Freedom of choice
Is what you got
Freedom from choice
Is what you want--(Fredom of Choice)

Crack that whip
Give the past the slip
Step on a crack
Break your momma's back
When a problem comes along
You must whip it
Before the cream sits out too long
You must whip it
When something's going wrong
You must whip it
Now whip it
Into shape
Shape it up
Get straight
Go forward
Move ahead
Try to detect it
It's not too late
To whip it
Whip it good --(Whip It)

Everybody it's a good thing
Everybody wants a good thing
Everybody ain't it true that
Everybody's looking for the same thing
Ain't it true there�s just no doubt
There's some things that you can't do without
And that's good
Ain't it true as the sun that shines
You got yours and you got mine
And that's good
Everybody's just like you it's true
Everybody wants a good thing too
Everybody it's a good thing
Ain't it true it's a monumental good thing --(That's Good)

Oh yeah, and......

God made man
But he used the monkey to do it -- (Jocko Homo)

I'M GEORGE BUSH, AND I APPROVED THIS CRAP

George's TV ads are a masterpiece of spin. He accuses Kerry of not voting to support our troops, but what the ad fails to state is that the bill in question provided no information as to how the money would be spent. Kerry voted for accountability, not against our troops as the ad infers. George also accuses Kerry of voting against protecting pregnant women via the Laci Peterson Bill. Again what is not clear is that the Laci peterson Bill would in effect set a precedent that an unborn fetus is a second victim, and therefor a person, and by proxy make the argument that abortion is murder, and make it easier to take choice away from women.
I'm Ted Wilson, and I read between the lines.

CATWOMAN

I can think of 12.5 million reasons why Halle Berry should'nt worry about the critics. So Hollywood drops a 90 million dollar turd, it's not Halle's fault. Every summer we see the studios release a movie that somehow got made without a script. I figure at least 45 quality independent movies could have been made with that 90 million.

FATHER TO SON

In ages past when Kings ruled and everybody was in need of a bath, everything, including power, was hereditary. The typical story goes; feirce Noble gains support and dethrones weak tyrant, usually his brother or cousin, and then becomes King. He then has children, one of which is chosen to succeed the King and is raised within an enviroment that completely alienates him from the real world. Invariably this King-to-be is ill equiped to rule, having been pampered and never having had to work for his position. In turn this progeny becomes the weak tyrant who is overthrown by his brother or cousin.

Think about it.

30 YEARS OF PURE CANADIAN POWER

Happy belated birthday (yesterday, July 29) to Rush bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee. On his 21st birthday (1974), a gentleman by the name of Neil Peart (drums) joined the band and the classic lineup of Rush (rounded by guitarist Alex Liefson) was born. Rush have been together without a lineup change for thirty years, yesterday; a feat only topped (to the best of my knowledge) by ZZ Top (1969). Known for high pitch vocals, intricate chord changes, odd time signatures, and fantastical/mystical lyrics, Rush have been a fave with the pocket protector crowd, a very dedicated fan base, for decades. When I got wind of Rush back in 1980, they were known simply as a hard rock band with severe chops. Albums like 2112 and Farewell To Kings were examples of what you could aspire to as a musician, writer, performer, engineer, or producer. Over the years I have taken some crap from friends who just couldn't get it. Their loss. Rush is great. One need only check out their live DVD from last year "Rush In Rio" to see not only how amazing they are, but the effect they have had world wide. Music has no language barrier, and Rush are a prime example of that fact.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Fame can take interesting men and thrust mediocrity upon them. --David Bowie

WILD HORSES

I just got introduced to a great blog, Allan Karl's Digital Tavern:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0108247/

On there I found a blog about the recent tribute concert for Gram Parsons. I am simply devestated by envy. Nora Jones, Dwight Yoakum, Emmy-Lou, and of course, you couldn't do it without him, Kieth. Keith's songs included Wild Horses and Love Hurts. Two of the most impossibly hard songs to sing in the annals of modern music, and Keith get's 'em. Apparently Keith was wise enough to get the rest of the bill to help out with the vocals. Either way I would have made a mess of my undergarments had I been there.
Said Keith: "If only the good die young, where does that leave me?" If you can get a translator, Keith is as eloquent as they come.

HERE WE GO 'ROUND THE MULLBERRY BUSH

"Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have recently centered around a controversial barrier that Israel is building in and around the West Bank. The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a Palestinian-backed resolution calling on Israel to dismantle the barrier. Israel says the barrier is needed to prevent terrorist attacks on Israelis. Palestinians charge that it is a land grab."
--CNN

I once lived in a nice house, in a great location, and I was very happy. Events in my life forced me to leave. I don't think that I have the right, no matter who backs me, to move back in. Somebeody else lives there now.

Mistakes were made a half century ago. Nobody cared what the inhabitants of Palastine thought of their land being given away, and we have seen a half century of violence. Wasn't it the Germans who hosted the holocaust? So why didn't the U/N give away Bavaira, or Swabia? Less travel time, more arable land, seems a no brainer. So then why Palestine?

Religion.

Hell, Jesus, who I've been told is my savior, was born there, but do I want to live there? Hell no, it's a fucking desert. Jews have been mercilessly persecuted for at least the past two thousand years, and in 1945-50 it seemed time to do something for them. Certainly, by all means, but look at this mess we've made.

When two children argue over a toy, you take the toy away, right?
Two choices:
Level Jerusalem once and for all.
Make it a theme park.

MANDLER'S/SHAKE SHACK

In this age of carb counting sausage is king. Mandler's (The Original Sausage Co.), located on 17th between B'way and 5th, is the perfect cure for the Atkins blues. It's great for anybody though, offering carb infested sides like their awesome corn fritters, but you can get the sausage (theirs are 9 and 1/2 inches) without the bun complete with saurkraut or sauteed onions.
A few blocks north, in Madison Square Park, is The Shake Shack. A bit of a hassle during the week at lunchtime, but well worth the trip. I went there with my brother yesterday. We had to wait on two lines; one to order, one for pick up. But the hot dogs were great. We both had one New York style (called the Taxi Driver, comes with saurkraut and onion) and a Chicago style (sliced pickle, hot peppers, raw onion) and fresh lemonade (the tartest I've ever experienced). Their shakes are suposed to be fabulous, but I saved that treat for another time.
C'mon New York, get your weiners workin'!

5th AVE PARADE

Every summer God curses New Yorkers with horrible weather, but he blesses us with THE PARADE. I'm a smoker, so every couple hours or so I descend to street level and join my smoking buddies for the cascade of beautiful women passing by. I commend the women of New York, it truly is the Lord's work you are doing.

"Some like 'em short
Some like 'em tall
Some like 'em thin
Skinny legs and all
I like 'em bold
I like 'em proud
And when they walk
You know they draw a crowd" --James Brown (Mother Popcorn)

Indeed James, variety is the spice of life. And no place is as diverse as New York.

PITY PARTY PART DEUX

"I didn't realize Washington was going to be so bitter," the president says in the August issue of Ladies Home Journal. "Austin was not a bitter place. Washington turns out to be a lot different town than I envisioned it to be."

I guess in Austin lies and bully tactics are par for the course. Apparently he didn't realize that as our chief executive we would expect him to at least lie a little better than he has.

COALITION OF THE WILLING SUDDENLY UNWILLING

First we lose the Phillipines, now Kenya. What's a tyrant to do? If Palua pulls out we're done for.

TOUR DE FREEDOM; HERE'S A TOWEL, NOW WIPE

I know that this is going to get Tony Alva's dander up, and I'm sure that the phrase "apologist crap" will arise, but this issue hits me on a personal level. Lance Armstrong gets spit upon and taunted by German cycle fans, not because he's winning, but because he's an American. Granted these guys are dickheads of the highest order, but it points to the fact that world opinion of Americans is at an all time low. How can the entire planet be misguided? I'm a travel nut, and Europe is my destination of choice. I love history, and that's where it comes from (Eddie again). Now, along with my passport I need to bring a Edmonton Oilers jersey to wear wherever I go. I know I've already blogged about claiming Canadian, but I'm serious, this is getting out of hand. Goerge Bush claims we're safer, is Lance safer? Exactly who is safer? You, George, will be safer when you come to New York for the RNC because demonstrators have been relegated to the West Side Highway, and I suppose that's good, because some of these cats are out for blood George.

SUN CITY

I just saw Little Steven Van Zandt on the street, I see him alot, I think he lives nearby, it's hard to miss him. Anyway, it got me thinking about the Sun City/Artists United Against Apartheid record he did back in the late eighties. The single was the usual USA For Africa/Band Aid type thing with a mess of stars each taking a line, with Bono and Bruce always getting the real good ones. I remember Joey Ramone's line; "Constructive engagement is Ronald Reagan's plan ( pla-an)". But what's best about the record is the other tracks. "No More Aparthied" features an amazing scat vocal by Peter Gabriel. On "Let Me See Your I.D." we're treated to the talents of Gil Scott-Heron along with the popular Rappers of the day, and all over the record we get to hear the coolest human ever; Miles Davis. The list of participants is as long as it is imprerssive. Weather or not the theme is relative today ( I would argue that it always will be), it's great listening. And don't forget:

Constructive Engagement is Ronald Reagan's plan

BORED AT WORK?

Here's a fun thing to do. Using Alta Vista's Babel Fish translator, take some text (in this case Warren Zevon's "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" ) and translate into any language. Then translate that text into a third language, then back to english. See what you get.

Well, I went home with the waitress
The way I always do
How was I to know
She was with the Russians, too
I was gambling in Havana
I took a little risk
Send lawyers, guns and money
Dad, get me out of this
I'm the innocent bystander
Somehow I got stuck
Between the rock and the hard place
And I'm down on my luck
And I'm down on my luck
And I'm down on my luck
Now I'm hiding in Honduras
I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns and money
The shit has hit the fan
Send lawyers, guns and money...

In Spanish:

Bien, fui a casa con la camarera la manera que lo hago siempre c�mo era I a saber que ella estaba con los rusos, yo jugaba tambi�n en La Habana tom� un peque�o riesgo env�o a abogados, los armas y pap� del dinero, me consigo de este I'm la persona presente inocente consegu� de alguna manera pegado entre la roca y el lugar y el I'm abajo en mi suerte y el I'm abajo en mi suerte y el I'm duros abajo en mi suerte ahora I'm que oculta en Honduras I'm un hombre desesperado env�a a abogados, armas y el dinero la mierda ha golpeado el ventilador env�a abogados, los armas y el dinero...

In French:

Bien, je suis all� � la maison avec la femme de chambre la mani�re qui le fais toujours comment il �tait I � savoir qu'elle �tait avec ce qui est russes, je jouais aussi � La Havane ai pris un petit risque envoie � des avocats, les armes et pape de l'argent, mo'avec lui de cet I'm la personne pr�sente innocente j'ai obtenu d'une certaine mani�re coll� entre la roche et le lieu et l'I'm vers le bas dans ma chance et l'I'm vers le bas dans ma chance et l'I'm douros vers le bas dans ma chance maintenant I'm qu'il dissimule au Honduras I'm un homme d�sesp�r� envoie � des avocats, armes et l'argent l'excr�ment a frapp� le ventilateur envoie des avocats, les armes et l'argent

And back:

Well, I went to the house with the chambermaid the manner which always do it how it was I with knowing qu'elle was with what is Russian, I also played Havana took a small risk sends to lawyers, the weapons and pope of l'argent, mo'avec him of this I'm the person present innocent j'ai obtained d'une certain manner stuck between the rock and the place and l'I'm downwards in my chance and l'I'm downwards in my chance and l'I'm douros downwards in my chance now I'm qu'il dissimulate in Honduras I'm a desperate man sends to lawyers, weapons and l'argent l'excr�ment the ventilator struck sends lawyers, the weapons and l'argent

MAC, THE NEW BEETLE

When I was coming of age back in the late seventies VW Beetles were the coolest thing on wheels. Not only were they hip image-wise, but if they broke down on you, you could get them running without too much trouble, and make it to wherever you were headed. (This does not apply to the VW Campervan, ask my dad.) But when VW brought the new Beetle out, it was a different type of car. The new Beetle is a performance car like all new VW's. A hassle to fix, you need to take it into the shop, lose time and money. Well that's how I feel about Mac OS X. In 9.2 if you had a problem, there were ways to get into the system and toss out the problem, and get to where you needed to go. Yes, OSX is better stronger, faster, and all the Linux geeks love it, but I'm not a tech nerd. I just want to make some music. I have made the leap, though, and I'll see where this new system takes me, but man do I miss my Beetle.

HAS ANYONE SEEN OLLIE NORTH

Jonathan K. Idema, Brett Bennett and Edward Caraballo were arrested when Afghan security forces raided a house in Kabul on July 5. American and Afghan officials say they were vigilantes posing as U.S. special forces and had no official backing. Speaking to reporters crowding round the dock, Idema named a Pentagon official who allegedly asked the group to go "under contract" -- an offer they refused.
"The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did, they absolutely supported what we did," he said. --MSNBC

Sound familliar? Funny how your freinds disappear after you get busted. This is what happens when you sub contract jobs to civilians that should be done by trained military personnel. Maybe we're stretched a little too thin.

NONSENSE

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- "Alarmed by reports that marijuana is becoming more potent than ever and that children are trying it at younger and younger ages, U.S. officials are changing their drug policies. Pot is no longer the gentle weed of the 1960s and may pose a greater threat than cocaine or even heroin because so many more people use it. So officials at the National Institutes of Health and at the White House are hoping to shift some of the focus in research and enforcement from "hard" drugs such as cocaine and heroin to marijuana."

I'd be really upset about this, except that this ganj I just smoked is so good. Too bad a criminal made a huge profit off the sale (no tax) instead of a legitimate businessman. Good thing I got his cell number though, I'm going to run out soon and put more money into the pockets of criminals. It's also a good thing that we have our government looking out for our kids, God knows we can't be expected to be involved in the lives of our children. Who needs parenting when we got good old Uncle Sam? Oh yeah, and TV.

AND FOR MY NEXT TRICK

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (CNN) -- "President Bush told a cheering Iowa audience Tuesday that he had made America and the world safer and that the country would be even safer if he is given four more years in office."

Careful George, you sound like you might be starting to believe that. Safer from what? Martha Stewart? Having soldiers in the subway makes me feel real safe. M-16's lull me into a state of peace and serenity. Well, the 1000 soldiers who died in Iraq are at peace at least. They are safer now.

THAT'S THE SOUND OF THE MEN WORKIN' ON A CASE OF BUD

There's just so many levels to this, I don't know where to start.

"Four inmates escape to go on a beer run. The men were charged Monday with escape and bringing alcohol into a jail. Two of the inmates walked out through a fire exit, leaving the door propped open with a Bible, and made a hole in the exercise yard fence. They walked to a market, bought some beer and returned to the jail to share it with other prisoners. When the booze ran out, the other two inmates made another beer run to a different store." --CNN

FLYING HIGH AGAIN

"Two crew members on a domestic Aeroflot flight beat up a passenger who had complained that the flight attendants were drunk, airline spokeswoman Irina Dannenberg said. Seeing that the crew were intoxicated and were not fulfilling their duties, Chernopup [the passenger] asked to be served by a sober and competent flight attendant, Dannenberg said. He was then beaten up by crew members."-CNN

It's my policy to be at least more intoxicated than my flight crew, it just works for me better that way.

SIN CITY
(Young/Scott/Young)

In an effort to lighten up a little, and to brighten up a friend's otherwise dreary day, I thought I'd share my second SONG OF THE WEEK. Like the first, it's an oldie but goodie. I recently had the pleasure of watching a DVD of a live AC/DC show from 1978, it was called "Rock Goes To College", this unfortunately titled Australian TV show featured about forty minutes of the most mind blowing rock ever pumped through a PA system. The DVD was of extreme high audio and video fidelity to boot, so if you're a fan, find it. This song, "Sin City" is the American Dream as seen by a drunken Scot (in both nationality and name) and two dwarvish Australian guitar players. As an aside, if anyone cares, Phil Rudd is the third greatest rock drummer ever.

Diamonds and dust
Poor man last, rich man first
Lambourginis, caviar
Dry martinis, Shangri-la
I got a burning feeling
Deep inside of me
It's yearning
And I'm going to set it free

I'm going in to sin city
I'm gonna win in sin city
Where the lights are bright
Do the town tonight
I'm gonna win in sin city

Ladders and snakes
Ladders give, snakes take
Rich man, poor man, beggarman, thief
Ain't got a hope in hell, that's my belief

Fingers Freddy, Diamond Jim
Better get ready,
look out I'm coming in
So spin that wheel, cut that pack
And roll those loaded dice
Bring on the dancing girls
And put the champaigne on ice

I'm going in to sin city
I'm gonna win in sin city
Where the lights are bright
Do the town tonight
I'm gonna win in sin city

The song is from the "Powerage" record which is my personal favorite and Jeff "Mutt" Lange's debut as producer for AC/DC.

M-M-M MY SHARON-A

Chirac and Sharon
Sitting in a tree
D.I.S.S.I.N.G
First comes hate
Then comes war
What the hell are we fighting for?

C'mon guys, this pissing match is unbecoming of your respective positions. We all want the same thing, right? Peace in our time, right? Of course Sharon wants to get all the Jewish folk he can get to move to Isreal. Safety in numbers. It makes it easier to continue the squeeze-play on the Palestinians. And Chirac? Well he's got a problem, largest Muslim population in western Europe, and largest Jewish poulation in western Europe. That's like having the Yankees and the Braves share a stadium.
Educate
Eliminate the hate.

HON. ROBERT W. SWEET

There's an old saying, it might be Greek, that states; the very young and the very old can say whatever they like. Well Justice Sweet is no spring chicken, but at leat he's got common sense. I'll leave it to him:

"WHY does a sitting judge, constitutionally charged with enforcing the laws of the United States, seek the abolition of the criminal penal ties attached to drug use and distribution? The answer in my case stems from personal experience, leading to the conviction that our present policy debases the rule of law and that its fundamental premise is flawed.

In college in the Forties, while experimenting with the drug of choice-alcohol-I cheerfully sang the lyrics of "Cocaine Bill and Morphine Sue," without any understanding of the reality behind the words. As an Assistant United States Attorney in the Fifties, I accepted the enforcement of the drug laws without question. In the Sixties, as Deputy Mayor of the City of New York, I supported methadone and various modalities of treatment and rehabilitation. After becoming a federal trial judge in 1978, I presided over drug trials and sought to impose just sentences ranging from probation to twenty years.

Then Congress enacted mandatory minimum sentences, and judicial discretion was radically restricted. The day in the fall of 1988 that I was mandated to sentence Luis Quinones, an 18-year-old with no prior record, to ten years of real time because he was a bouncer in an apartment where drugs were being sold, I faced our national drug policy and the need to reexamine it. Assisted by the writings of Professor Ethan Nadelmann I concluded that our present policy of criminal prohibition was a monumental error. A number of other judges have reached the same conclusion. Judge Weinstein has characterized our present policy as "utter futility," and Judge Knapp has likened it to "taking minnows out of the pond."
As Chief McNamara writes, the realities of criminal prohibition are becoming recognized. The first and foremost effect is the creation of a pervasive and unbelievably powerful underground economy.
The Economist estimates that the markup on cocaine and heroin is not 5,000 per cent, as Messrs. Buckley and Duke suggest, but 20,000 per cent. The drug market in the United States is estimated at $150 billion a year. At least one group of distributors in a case before me sold 37,500 kilos of cocaine a month for gross sales of almost $20 mil lion a month, and this group was but one of a number operating here.
While this economic engine drives forward, so have our efforts to punish those who operate it. Today we have the highest incarceration rate for any Western nation, almost 1 million [There are higher estimates. -ED.] in jails or prisons at a cost of $20 billion a year. Federal drug cases have trebled in ten years, up 25 per cent in 1993 alone, with marijuana cases up 17 per cent. The total federal expenditure on the drug war this year under the proposed budget will exceed $17 billion. Ten years ago the annual expenditure on the drug war was $5 billion for all governments, federal, state, and local.
�
While our expenditures have increased tenfold, the number of Americans using drugs has remained relatively constant at 40 million. Steady users are estimated to be 6 million, with 1 to 2 million of those seriously disordered. Our present prohibition policy has failed, flatly and without serious question.
Secondly, the rule of law has been debased by the use of criminal sanctions to alter personal conduct. Of course, the same effort was made in the Twenties and Thirties with respect to alcohol, with the same results. AI Capone and Nicky Barnes are interchangeable. Drive-by shootings, turf wars, mugging, and random violence are all the direct result of criminal prohibition. Courts are clogged with drug cases to such an extent that in some jurisdictions (the Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of Florida, for example) it is difficult to find the resources to try civil cases; yet, the street-corner availability of drugs is known to every citizen.
�
The rights of the individual have been curtailed in the name of the War on Drugs. We have seen the elimination of an accused's right to pretrial release for most charges under the drug laws; heightened restrictions on post-conviction bail; and invasions into the attorney-client relationship through criminal forfeiture.
�
The criteria for securing a search warrant have been relaxed. In drug cases, the Supreme Court has permitted the issuance of search warrants based on anonymous tips and tips from informants known to be corrupt and unreliable; permitted warrantless searches of fields, barns, and private property near a residence; and upheld evidence obtained under defective search warrants if the officers executing the warrant acted in "good faith." Taken together, these holdings have been characterized as "the drug exception to the Fourth Amendment."

Police corruption and the unwholesome practice of using confidential informants (one of whom made over $100,000 in a case before me) have been noted by Chief McNamara.

Finally, the fundamental flaw, which will ultimately destroy this prohibition as it did the last one, is that criminal sanctions cannot, and should not attempt to, prohibit personal conduct which does no harm to others. Personal liberty surely must extend to what, when, and how much a citizen can ingest.

The Framers of our Constitution explicitly acknowledged that the individual possesses certain rights not enumerated in the text of the Constitution and not contingent upon the relationship between the individual and the Federal Government. When a right has been narrowly defined as, for example, the right to possess marijuana or cocaine, the courts have refused to recognize it as one that is fundamental in nature. However, when the right to ingest substances is considered in more general terms as the right to self-determination, that right has a constitutional foundation as yet undeclared.

To overturn the present policy will not be easy, given the established bureaucracy, but President Kennedy at the Berlin Wall was correct: "Change is the law of life." We must recognize that drug use is first and foremost a health problem, and that, as Professor Nadelmann has established, mind-altering substances are a part of modern life to be understood and their effects ameliorated, rather than grounds for prosecution.

Alcohol and tobacco have a social cost when abused, and society has properly concluded that abuse of these drugs is a health problem, not a criminal issue. Indeed, our experience with the reduction of 50 per cent in the use of tobacco-the most addicting of drugs, which results in 400,000 deaths a year-confirms the wisdom of that policy. To distinguish between these substances and heroin or cocaine is mere tautology.
While the medicalization of the issue is going forward, Congress should accept the recommendations of President Nixon's commission on the drug laws and of the National Academy of Sciences in 1982 and end the criminalization of marijuana, which is now widely acknowledged to be without deleterious effect. That reform alone would take 450,000 arrests out of the system.
�
The latest crime bill proposed a study of violence and crime encompassing drug policy but failed to fund it. The Surgeon General proposed such a study and got fired. Such a study, if fairly conducted, would compel the abolition of criminal prohibition of drugs by the Federal Government, permitting all drugs to be treated much the same as alcohol: restricted by the individual states as to time and place of sale, barred from minors, subject to truth in advertising, and made the source of tax revenue. As with alcohol, those who harm or pose a threat to others while under the influence of drugs would face criminal sanctions.

The effect of the underworld drug economy, the debasement of the rule of law, and the undermining of fundamental fairness and individual rights under the war on drugs all combine to require that the criminal prohibition against drug use and distribution be ended."

Makes sense to me. As for his ruling on police searching of demonstrators at the RNC, again, he's right on the money. The best way to eliminate a terror threat in NYC during the RNC is to not have the RNC in NYC. Try Montana, not many folks up there. When they blow you up, we'll be spared. Truly.

ON WOODY G.

He carried a guitar labeled "This Machine Kills Fascists." The more I learn about Woody Guthrie, the more in awe I am. We all knew his song "This Land Is Your Land", we sang it in school, but did we mean it? Did we understand how radical it was? No, nobody did, or else it would have been banned. It wouldn't hit me until I heard Mojo Nixon's cover of it ("This peice of dirt right here under our feet doesn't belong to just one of us, the guy with the most lawyers doesn't own all of it, it belongs to everybody."). It's no wonder he was labelled a communist during the big "Red Threat" days. No, Woody was no communist, about the only thing you could have labelled him was an American artist. I want my guitar to kill fascists too.

I LIKE BILL

Sorry, I like the guy. Say what you will about his predeliction for booty, when it counts, the guy is as magnanimous as the day is long.

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- "Former President Bill Clinton asked to meet privately with Columbine High School families before speaking Tuesday at a fund-raiser for a memorial to victims of the 1999 massacre. It will be Clinton's third visit to Denver to talk about Columbine. He agreed to waive his $100,000 speaking fee for the fund-raiser."

I must admit, I haven't read his book, or Hillary's, although I do love historical fiction.

LIVIN' IN THE USA

I was so hot for Linda Ronstadt in 1978. That album cover with the rollerskates really did it for me. She lost me over the years, traversing musical genres like hair do's, but I never doubted her talent, and I never forgot those rollerskates. Now she's in the news for being booted out of the Aladdin Casino for dedicating "Desperado" to Micheal Moore. (Don Henly wrote that one, and I bet he'd dedicate it to Mike as well) Good for you Linda, now if you went back to singing covers of Buddy Holly, Warren Zevon, and the Stones, I'll start buying your records again.

HOW TO STEAL AN ELECTION

1) Get a swing state in your pocket

Re: Jeb Bush (What kind of name is Jeb anyway? Who would vote for a Jeb? Jeb is a tow truck operator, not a Govenor)

2) Litigate

"Rather than attempting to resolve the actual vote count in the most equitable way possible, the Supreme Court litigation, and many of the numerous cases pending in other courts, is not calculated to produce a comprehensive and accurate count of the votes. Instead, this litigation constitutes the legal equivalent of musical chairs, in which one party may win by a technicality when the music of court proceedings finally stops."

-- Professor William G. Ross, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University

3) Let's let the court (we bought ) decide:

"The Court's authority, possessed of neither the purse nor the sword, ultimately rests on sustained public confidence in its moral sanction. Such feeling must be nourished by the Court's complete detachment, in fact and appearance, from political entanglements and by abstention from injecting itself into the clash of political forces in political settlements."

� Felix Frankfurter, dissenting in Baker v. Carr, 1962.

In other words, it should never have been decided by a court.
A re-count happens in a booth, not a court.

Disclaimer:
George is not the first to rig an election. See JFK/ W. Virginia/ Sam Giancana/ Teamsters

ATTENTION PLEASE

It is important to read, it's also important to understand what you read. In my previous blog I did not once say that I disagreed with Bill Cosby (And I did read Mr. Cosby's speech). In fact, I made it a point to disclaim that very notion. All I said (in a nutshell) was remember who you are, where you are from, and how you got to where you are if you want people to listen and take you seriously. I do remember how cool Rudy was, and that's exactly my point. By the way, I don't think anybody is in danger of having their appendix referred to as an appedazizzle.

COSBY'S ALZHEIMERS

First off, I can't directly comment upon Mr. Cosby's recent comments about African American youth, but I feel compelled to remind him that no matter how right he might be, maybe, just maybe, Mushmouth and the some of the other members of Fat Albert's gang had some undue influence on what might be construed as urban ethnic dialect. Something to think about Bill. You can collect all the degrees and college sweaters you like, but you can't escape your own complicity in this matter. What a boring world this would be if every ounce of culture got homogenized. Educate, certainly, but don't forget to celebrate diversity.

FREEDOM ROCK

The last place one might expect to find a meaningful dialog about the current political situation in America would be OZZFEST, but apparently there's room at the Metal fest for both sides to have their say. As Sabbath takes the stage and they launch into "WAR PIGS" the video screen compares our (illegally elected) President to Adolph Hitler. But, during Black Label Society's set, Guitarist/singer Zack Wylde (who's also in Ozzy's solo band) incites the crowd to support the war in Iraq. Can the Metal community, famous for it's over indulgence in drugs, sex, and satan, be the shining example as to how to have differing views without personal animosity? Granted much of the debate may be lost on the likes of the Beavises and Buttheads in attendance, but if you can get one mullet to vote his conscience, instead of ....well whatever said mullet might have been voting, we're that much better off.

GUN/BIRTH CONTROL

"SHEFFIELD, England - A man who shot himself in the groin after drinking 15 pints of beer and stuffing a sawed-off shotgun down his trousers was jailed for five years Tuesday for illegal possession of a firearm. Prosecuting lawyer Andrew Hatton told the court Walker had gone home to get the shotgun after arguing in the pub with lifelong friend Stuart Simpson about whose turn it was to buy a beer."

As funny as this is, and it is, it does point out how Europe's less tolerant gun laws seem to work. If the guy had a pistol (hard to get in Sheffield) somebody could be dead, instead of incarcerated and extremely embarrased. It's your round, innit?

CHICKEN LITTLE

"I would argue that the future of our country hangs in the balance because the future of marriage hangs in the balance," said Sen. Rick Santorum.

The sky is falling according to Sen. Santorum of Pennsylvania;

511 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
202 224 6324

Drop him a line. Try to cheer up the guy, he's obviously very down. The very fabric of our society is in the balance.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - "The U.S. has gone from the most marrying society in the world to one with the most divorces and unwed mothers, damaging the welfare of children in the process, a study on marriage released Friday said.

"If we're concerned about teen pregnancies, Illegitimacy, deadbeat dads and children in poverty, then we can no longer ignore the common denominator behind these problems -- the steady weakening of marriage as the primary institution for raising children," the authors of "Marriage in America: A Report to the Nation'" said of their two-year study.

The authors include Rutgers University Sociology Prof. David Popenoe, and Jean Bethke Elshtain, Professor of Social and Political Ethics at the University of Chicago Divinity School. They conclude that the decline of marriage is mainly responsible for the deteriorating well-being of children. "

It seems the very fabric of society is falling apart very nicely on it's own without the help of homosexuals. The state of marriage in this country already is a joke, so why not let everybody in on it.

THE LAST RESORT

Because my brother and his wife are in Aspen I got to thinking about this Eagles song from Hotel California. Now, Don Henly is the type of liberal that gives liberals a bad name, but he makes his point well here (excerpted) in a song about Aspen. It's because of basic human nature that nothing good can last.

"She heard about a place people were smilin',
they spoke about the red man's way, how they loved the land.
And they came from everywhere to the Great Divide
seeking a place to stand or a place to hide.

And they called it paradise, I don't know why.
Somebody laid the mountains low while the town got high.

Some rich man came and raped the land, nobody caught 'em,
put up a bunch of ugly boxes and, Jesus, people bought 'em.
And they called it paradise, the place to be,
they watched the hazy sun sinking in the sea.

And you can see them there on Sunday morning
stand up and sing about what it's like up there.
They called it paradise, I don't know why.
You call some place paradise - kiss it goodbye."

-D. Henly, G.Frey

SONG OF THE WEEK

Wild Is The Wind

Love me, love me, love me, say you do
Let me fly away with you
For my love is like the wind, and wild is the wind
(Words and music by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington)

I've always loved this classic song. It never crossed my mind that it wasn't originally a David Bowie song until I heard it in a bar on 9th ave sung by Nina Simone (at the time I didn't know who it was). I shushed my drinking partner so I could hear it better, and sure enough it was Wild Is The Wind. David's version will always be, to me, the definitive one, because, well, he's David inn'e? I'd like to dedicate this post to a special someone who's very busy right now, but maybe she has a minute to break out her Nina record and spend a moment with me in song.

WHOOPI LOSES CUSHION

The diet giant (Slim-Fast) dropped the comedy queen from its advertising campaign because the company's executives were unhappy with anti-Bush remarks Goldberg made at a recent political rally.
"While I can appreciate what the Slim-Fast people need to do in order to protect their business, I must also do what I need to do as an artist, as a writer and as an American � not to mention as a comic," Goldberg said in a statement Thursday. "It's unfortunate that, in this country, the two cannot mesh."
- AP Los Angeles, via MSNBC

I'm not worried for Whoopi. I'm sure she's got some Hollywood Squares money left. It just goes to show how polarized this country is over the upcoming election. Besides, Slim-Fast is old hat, everybody's on TrimSpa now, right Anna Nichole? Slim-Fast has bigger issues than this to sort out.

WHY BOTHER

Bobby Fischer is a wacko. Let me qualify that. Bobby Fischer is a racist arrogant nut job. But, why spend the time and money brining him back here to stand trial. A trail that will drag out for years as he spends his millions staying out of jail, and the government spends millions of our tax dollars trying to put him there. He's old people. He'll die before he sees the inside of a cell. So he went to Yugoslavia in 92 to play chess when we asked him not to. So what. We seem to be okay with Roman Polanski escaping justice, and he screwed a fourteen year old. What's worse?

TO BE FAIR

Though I'm uncertain why I should...

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5443142

As with everything, there's another side to the Bush/NAACP flap. Apparently they haven't been too nice to him. Then again, why should they.

READ BETWEEN THE LINES

I can't help myself, this is too good. I lifted this from JIVETURKEY, via BLOGPULSE
http://www.livejournal.com/users/jiveturky/185733.html
http://www.blogpulse.com/

After waiting around for about 45 minutes, the motorcade passed by us again. A few police cars, followed by a van or two, drove by. Then, a Bush/Cheney bus passed, followed by a second one going slower. At the front of this second bus was The W himself, waving cheerily at his supporters on the other side of the highway. Adam, Brendan, and I rose our banner (the More Trees, Less Bush one) and he turned to wave to our side of the road. His smile faded, and he raised his left arm in our direction. And then, George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States of America, extended his middle finger.
Read that last sentence again.
I got flipped off by George W. Bush.
A ponytailed man standing next to us confirmed the event, saying, "I do believe the President of the U.S. just gave you boys the finger."

I think this is the first gesture the President has made that I can respect him for.

BOND, JULIAN BOND

The following is an excerpt from the speech made by Julian Bond at the NAACP Convention in Philadelphia. The whole thing is a must read (http://www.naacp.org/news/releases/Bond04speech.pdf), but this is my favorite bit. He's referring to the early 1960's and the Civil rights movement.

"Those were the days when women and men of all races and
creeds worked together in the cause of civil rights.
Those were the days when good music was popular and
popular music was good.
Those were the days when the President picked the
Supreme Court and not the other way around.
Those were the days when we had a war on poverty, not a
war on the poor. Those were the days when patriotism
was a reason for open-eyed disobedience, not an excuse
for blind allegiance."

But, he goes on to say, those were NOT the "good old days". We haven't had them yet. But like me, Julian has hope:

"I believe in an integrated America - integrated jobs,
homes and schools. I believe in it enough to have spent
most of my life in its elusive pursuit. I think it is a
legal, moral and political imperative for America - a
matter of elemental justice, simple right waged against
historical wrong."

I urge those seven poeple who read my blogg to let their government know how disapointed we are in G.W. for ignoring this extremely important convention, and those who hosted it.

W DOUBLESPEAK

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush says he is "disappointed" that a move to effectively ban same-sex marriage was "temporarily blocked" in the Senate, and he is urging the House to take up the matter. "It is important for our country to continue the debate on this important issue, and I urge the House of Representatives to pass this amendment."

Okay, how is the country supposed to debate an issue if the proposed amendment effectively ends the debate? George and uber nazi Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado don't want to debate this issue, they want to tell us how to live. Their whole position rests on excerpts from a book so old nobody knows who wrote it. The Bible isn't a very good source of factual information, specially considering how many times it's been translated, and the bias of those who did the translating. A better guidline would be The United States Constitution. And then there was something in The Declaration of Independence about life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness. You will never amend The Constitution to force 10% of the populace to live as second class citizens. That's right George, 10%. One out of every ten. That means that one out of ten Bush family members is a homosexual. Is it Jeb? Maybe one of the Twins. Or maybe it's you George, and that's what the fuss is all about. Latent homosexuality is the leading cause of homophobia. I'd shut up if I were you George.

WHAT IF......

What if George get's re-elected? That's one of the questions posed by Tony Alva. Well I ceratinly won't leave the country. It's my country too, and believe it or not, I'm willing to fight for it. That's what I'm doing here. "Why get so wrapped up and emotionally invested when so little will actually change." (you forgot your punctuation Tony). Because, and you should know this, you lose your right to complain if you sit out on the process. Well here I am participating. This is my right as an American. I use the language that suits me. I call 'em as I see 'em, and I call 'em alot of names in the process. I will leave the more credible commentary to the journalists. ( I'm aware of the oxymoron) That's not what I do. I rant. And I will continue to rant until the last vote is counted, and if my side loses, and I don't think that's the case, I will just have to raise my voice. I feel that the current administration doesn't represent me. I choose to support one that I feel will represent me better. Now, I'm not stupid, as you have said, and I know that very little will change, but you gotta be in it to win it, right? As long as we have democracy, we have hope, and we can TRY to change things. I will call these jerks on every little jerky thing they do. And if Kerry turns out to be a jerk, I'll see to it that the shoe fits. But he's gotta be less of a jerk than G.W. As for Tony's Band of Brothers quote, it's a good one and I agree with it's setiment. But who's cause are you talking about Tony? Yours? Bush's? Sorry, I got my own. It's called freedom. Someday we might have it.

A REAL McCAIN IN THE ASS

I'm afraid that I was over zelous in my appreciative comment about Sen. John McCain earlier today (Our System Works, Sometimes). I was commenting on how this particular republican has a clear view of what is constitutional, and what ammendments are really for, not on his foriegn policy. All republicans are warmongering hawks with a bloodlust that seems endless. That being said, I agree that all terrorists should be wiped out, it's that old Iraq=terrorism problem again. It seems clear that the real threat is somewhere on the Afghani/Pakistani border. I guess there's just no money in hunting down terrorists. Meanwhile......

BEAT UP POET

I woke up, and I found
Chuck Bukowski gone
No more hookers and hooch hounds
Howling their old drunkard songs
Chuck is gone

I wrote those words for my song "Chuck" back in 94 the day after he passed. It's been 10 years, and now he's getting his due. Modest Mouse has a song on thier new record called Bukowski (See Fred's mp3 of the week for june 28), and now a feature film documentary on the man. I can't wait. Charles Bukowski has been a huge influence on me over the years, and if you've never read him, I suggest the novel "Hollywood" or the collection "The Most Beautiful Woman In Town".

With a stiff drink
A stiff dick
And a hard knuckle rap upside the head
Chuck is dead

Chuck may be dead, but Hank Chinaski lives on...

SOMEBODY GET PAUL ON THE PHONE

"A vacationer who purchased a suitcase at an Australian flea market found a trove of Beatles memorabilia inside, including photos, concert programs and unreleased recordings, The Times newspaper reported Tuesday. The tapes, labeled "Abbey Road... not for release," will be evaluated by the Beatles' record label, Apple, and examined by experts to determine their origin and authenticity." -CNN

Maybe, just maybe, Paul McCartney might be able to authenticate. Anybody think he might be interested? I'm sure he'd like to have a look see at least. What, we a need a team of white coats with instruments to verify? Are they gonna carbon date the tapes? They're not all dead yet people.

TIME FOR A PITY PARTY, ONE, TWO, THREE......AWWWWWW

MARQUETTE, Michigan (CNN) -- President Bush criticized Democrats on Tuesday over a fund-raiser last week where celebrities used off-color language and called him a "thug" and a "liar."

Seems somebody can't take the heat. What's the matter George? Can't get any celebs to attend your fundraisers? Maybe it's because you're a thug and a liar.

OUR SYSTEM WORKS (SOMETIMES)

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A proposed constitutional amendment that would effectively prohibit gay or lesbian couples from legally marrying is expected to die in a procedural Senate vote Wednesday."

I don't think I can take full resposibility for this, but I did do my part, and am now patting myself on the back as I toot my own horn. I don't know if anybody actually called Chuck or Hillary (telepohone numbers provided in QUEER EYES ON THE PRIZE post), but somehow the message got through. I think the real reason the bill won't pass was because it is just plain stupid. Power to the people, right on!

"On Tuesday night, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, called the amendment unnecessary and un-Republican and said he would side with opponents of the amendment on the procedural vote in order to make clear to his constituents that he is against the amendment itself."

We need more Republicans like this guy.

A MORE SELECTIVE INDIVIDUAL

LONDON, England (CNN) -- An official inquiry into the quality of British intelligence used to justify the Iraq war has found that some of the sources were "seriously flawed."

Is Tony Blair somehow related to Spinal Tap guitarist David St. Hubbins? Apparently they both believe everything they read.

KERRY'S OTHER WAR RECORD

Tony Alva sent me an e-mail with a number of quotes from veterans opposed to Kerry based on his actions during, and after the Vietnam War. Apparently some were offended. But, it seems others were not.

"Scorned, spat upon and ignored when they returned home from battle, Vietnam veterans are finding vindication and a voice in Sen. John Kerry three decades later, several veterans said yesterday. In Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War Navy veteran turned anti-war activist, Hassett and several other Vietnam veterans said they have found an almost redemptive voice." - Manchester Union Leader

"Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry Friday rallied fellow veterans in Minneapolis to kick off a nationwide effort to organize 1 million veterans behind his campaign for the White House. With state Veterans for Kerry coordinators now in place in all 50 states, today�s rally marked the beginning of a grassroots push by veterans across the country to elect John Kerry President. To give something back, Kerry also announced at the rally that he is asking all his supporters to demonstrate their support for military families by contributing to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund � a fund that supports military families who have lost their loved ones in battles since the attacks on US soil. Supporters can show their support by donating through the Intrepid link on Johnkerry.com. Kerry�s distinguished group of state coordinators is made up of veterans who served in peacetime and combat, from World War II to Iraq. Between them, they have received 17 Purple Hearts, 13 Bronze Stars, 7 Silver Stars and a Congressional Medal of Honor. From all branches of military service, the state coordinators have worked tirelessly over the past months to set up grassroots organizations in their respective states to mobilize veterans for Kerry." -Veterans for John Kerry

And at the Dem's convention in Boston....

(07-13) 12:10 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
"The convention theme is "Stronger at Home, Respected in the World." It will highlight rising stars in the party like Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Steve Brozak, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel running for Congress in New Jersey. Brozak, who served in Iraq in 2003, has said he changed his party registration after displeasure with Republicans' treatment of Arizona Sen. John McCain in the South Carolina primary in 2000 and the GOP's attacks on former Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia, a triple amputee Vietnam veteran whose patriotism was challenged during a bruising Senate campaign."

Who supports the vets, the guy who lied to send soldiers to war, or the guy who came back from one and had the balls to tell the truth?

THE RELIGIOUS WRONG

Gil Scott Heron once said: "Seperation of church and state, but which church and which state?" I think I finally understand what he meant. When we talk about the religious right, we're talking about a coalition of non-catholic christian organizations. They do not represent all the religions practiced in America, yet they weild incredible power. Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Shinto, Catholicism are all practised in America, but are they represented by these puritanical nazis? Nope. Although I have many gripes with the Catholic Church (another blog at another time) their influence in Washington is not among them. Nowhere in America is the Catholic Church stronger than in Massachusetts, but which state is leading the country in same sex marriages; Massachusetts. It is ironic that Massachusetts should be the front line of this battle, becuase it is there that the Puritans settled and bred the intolerance into our nation. One thing I know for sure; nothing, not alchohol, disease, famine, or motor vehicles has killed more people than religion. God - Our Number One Killer.

QUEER EYES ON THE PRIZE

This arrived in my inbox today, and I thought this was the best way to get it out to the people. I signed the petition of course, and added a little note saying that somebody in Washington should actually read The Bill of Rights.

"Dear friend,

Congress is about to vote on amending the U.S. Constitution to deny marriage equality to same-sex couples.

Never before has our Constitution been amended to take away anyone's rights. Yet our Senators will vote on this amendment in the next 48 hours.

It's urgent that we speak up now. This hateful divisiveness has no place in America. Please join me in saying so, at:

http://www.moveon.org/unitednotdivided/

Equality in marriage is the civil rights issue of our generation. We can't let anyone, or any group, be singled out for discrimination based on who they are or who they love.

Thank you. "

Watch out America, soon the only right we'll have is to sit quietly at our desks with our hands folded in our laps. So here's some phone numbers in case you want to jog some memories about how we live in a democracy, and the whole by the people, for the people thing.

Senator Charles E. Schumer
Direct: (202) 224-6542

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Direct: (202) 224-4451

BACK TO THE FUTURE

In a summit meeting of Smoke and Mirrors Inc. last night a decision was made that the future of digital recording lies in the past. In an effort to restore the glory of analog to today's digital ease, we've decided to buy a half inch tape machine, and start mastering to tape. In the best of worlds, we would like to do all tracking to tape as well, and only use the computer for editing and the odd plug-in. That would entail a cash windfall of about 50,000 dollars that we don't have, so in the meantime we'll do what we can afford to do. I believe, and hope, that the recording industry will follow this trend of going back to where we came in with this digital thing. Tape sounds better. Always has. Digital is great for editing. What is needed is a reasonably priced platform that marries the two. Any takers?

FLOGGING A DEAD BUSH

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- NAACP chairman Julian Bond urged members of the nation's oldest civil rights organization to increase voter turnout to oust President Bush, and condemned the administration's policies on education, the economy and the war in Iraq.(CNN)

Mr. Bush, I'm sorry to inform you that Jim Crow is a thing of the past. Niggas be votin' yo.

HATE

PARIS, France (Reuters) -- French politicians have condemned an apparently anti-Semitic attack on a woman in which a knife-wielding gang on a suburban train cut her hair, ripped her clothes and drew swastikas on her body. (CNN)

"Hate and war - the only things we got today

An' if I close my eyes
They will not go away
You have to deal with it
It is the currency

Hate...hate...hate..."(Mick Jones/Joe Strummer)

There's so much hate out there. What exactly is so funny about peace, love, and understanding?

AUTOTUNE, USE AND ABUSE

In response to My brother's blog about the Dave Mathews cover of Peter Gabriels classic, Solsbury Hill, I believe the vocal effect that you're talking about is AutoTune. AutoTune has been around quite a while. Developed in the seventies to help vocalists in a live setting, it does what it implies, it tunes your vocal to the key of the song. In recent years the digital application of AutoTune has become prevelent in music, not only as a correction device, but as an effect as well. You may recall Cher believing in life after love; the vocal effect on that song (see also Kid Rock, Madonna, ect..) is actually AutoTune cranked up to a point where it over corrects the vocal causing a neat electronic robot type voice. Once you tune in (sorry bad pun) to this effect, unfortunately, you begin to hear it in it's other application (as correction) everywhere. Avril Lavigne's new single wreaks of AutoTune, and if you listen closely, so does every major pop record. It's depressing to think that they are all a bunch of fakers, but it's not their fault. It's done to them, not by them. Avril can sing. It's her producers that would rather fix her first take than work the track until she hits all the notes right. Time is, after all, money; specially in a large expensive state of the art recording studio. I use it myself because I'm a horrible singer. What I try to do is work the track until I'm very close, as close as I can be reasonably expected to get, and then a dash of AutoTune, not so it's noticable, not even so it's completely correcting me. You need deviation and imperfection to make music interesting to the ear. But you also want to sing relatively in key. I say the best method is the old way, do take after take till you get it. There is no AutoTune on "Exile On Main Street", "Dark Side Of The Moon", or "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars".

STILL THIN, STILL WHITE, STILL DUKE

One last thought before the weekend. A big get well soon to my personal deity, David Bowie. I saw him at Jones Beach last month (3rd time), and man the guy still has it. Awesome show (he played Ziggy for chrsssakes!), blew me away. Who can claim the staying power that David has? Niel Young, the Stones, that's about it. God bless David Bowie (can one bless himself) because he's already blessed us with his presence.

A MIGHTY WIND (cont.)

I just found this quote from Peter Gabriel:
..."We have always looked to political ideology to bring about change in our society. It may well be that technology does this job much more effectively. Power to the people right on"

Indeed.

SHAKESPEARE AND YOU

I hope nobody minds my blogging about blogs, but today I'm finding inspiration everytime I read one. Gotham Gal mentioned her trouble accessing the language of the Bard. Well she's certainly not alone. It's a major concern; how can we get people to spend three hours watching something they barely understand? You can tell them that it's good for them, but that doesn't work with vegetables, so why would it work in the theater? I suggest passive listening. Let the langauge flow over you, and let Jimmy Smits (or whomever) do the work. The actor is the only one who truly has to understand every word, it's their job to convey that to you using all their tools; body language, inflection, ect. That being said, the plays are still too long. Hamlet in it's entirety should last a cozy four hours. Directors have to trim. Purists will squirm, but screw them, we're not worried about their attendance. It's strictly a necessity these days. As a culture were tuned in to a different pace, it's gotta move. The movie of Richard III that Ian Mcellan starred in a few years back is a prime example. They cut nearly a third of the script, and it worked well. Ken Brannnaugghghgh's Hamlet, though a visual masterpiece was simply a valium on celluloid, whereas Franco Zeffirelli's version (Glen Close, Mel Gibson) kept me riveted. Again, Zeffirelli made cuts. "You better start swimming, or you'll sink like a stone, for the times they are a changin'"

STREETS - THE DOGS BOLLOCKS

I'm listening to "A Grand Don't Come For Free" right now, and I feel advantaged in that I'm well versed in Brittish slang. Being an anglophile definitely helps out here. I suppose for some it might be like Shakespeare, alot of it might go right past you. My brother is right, however, this album takes you somewhere. I'm sorry I missed the show last week at Irving Plaza. I do hope Mike get's his grand, but with the buzz about this record, I think he's looking at a few 'undred grand at least.

WHY ARE YOU COMING HERE

Fred is really prompting my blogs today. His RNC Preview blog set me to wondering why in the name of sweet Jesus would those yahoos pick NYC to have their little pep rally. Don't they know we hate them here? I'll bet the bodegas have a run on eggs for that week. I guess I should take my vacation for that week, becuase if I don't get out of town, I'll probably land in jail. I hope I share a cell with Martin Sheen and Woody Harrelson. Woody will probably find a way to smuggle in some bud.

DONE WITH THE POST

You may wonder why I would read the New York Post in any case, and the answer is that they give it away on my commuter bus, but I'm done with it after today. The front page offended me beyond reason. Why do I care about Gwyneth Paltrow's kooky homeopathic treatments. This is news? A hollywood bred actress acts nutty? I'm so sick of seeing her on the front page everytime she steps out in public. This is New York, we have celebrities here, and they are a bunch of freaks. We know that already. Is it news that Whoopi used off color humour to degrade the republicans at a Kerry/Edwards fundraiser? It would be news if she didn't. Don't tell me it's a slow news day. 1,000 soldiers dead in Iraq as of today. Al-Queda is supposedly gearing up again. David Bowie had heart surgery. Now that's news.

A MIGHTY WIND

In response to my brother' blogg (The Graying of Democracy), something needs to change. It may be scary, but what's not these days. The Electoral College I find particularly archaic, and the two party system, which is no system at all in the strictest of definitions, does nothing but polarize the nation. Sorry Mr. Nader, but you're a non-entity accomplishing nothing but taking the radical vote away from the democrats. I want a no party system, or failing that I support the formation of a new party, the wild party. (thanks Alice) Any way you slice it, it now takes at least two terms in office in order to get a bill through congress. Nothing gets done, at least nothing good. We got that Homeland Security fiasco through overnight, but that was because nobody read it. Everybody was in such a state of panic that they pushed it through despite what nightmarish affronts to our personal freedoms it contained. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for my health care.

THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

"A report released Thursday by the National Endowment for the Arts says the number of non-reading adults increased by more than 17 million between 1992 and 2002. Only 47 percent of American adults read "literature" (poems, plays, narrative fiction) in 2002, a drop of 7 points from a decade earlier. Those reading any book at all in 2002 fell to 57 percent, down from 61 percent." (CNN)

Dumb people elect dumb people. Whatever happened to RIF? Remember that, Reading Is Fundamental? I wonder if the 53 percent who don't read are the same people who watch "reality" progarmming, or the Jerry Springer show. Knowledge is power, and Americans seem not to want any. I say to America; turn off the t.v., put down the Big Mac, read a book, and talk to your kids. Remember them, your kids? They are the future, and if you don't read, they won't read. They'll grow up ignorant, and then they'll be susceptible to conservative doctrine. They'll elect an idiot who will make us all look like idiots....wait a second...it's too late! It already happened. Well almost, he wasn't really elected was he?

SORRY BOY, GOT NO TIME

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- President Bush declined an invitation to speak at the NAACP's annual convention, the group said. NAACP spokesman John White said Wednesday that Bush has declined invitations in each year of his presidency -- becoming the first president since Herbert Hoover not to attend an NAACP convention. (CNN)

The hits keep on comin'. You couldn't make up worse press for this guy, he's his own worst enemy. Do you want to insult the Jews next, George? What about the ever growing asian community? I'm sure you can come up with something to piss them off too. Call them slanty-eyed, apparently they love that. Jerk.

WHAT YOUR NEIGHBOR THINKS

Canadian Free Press reports: ( via BlogPulse )

"In one telephone poll of teens between the ages of 14 and 18, over 40 per cent of the respondents described the United States as being "evil". That number rose to 64 per cent for French Canadian youth."

I guess the French Canadians took the Bush administration's "F U Frenchie" campaign to heart. Gee, I wonder why. It's indicative of the republican nature to result to name calling when they don't get what they want. The reaction to France's passing up our invitation to invade Iraq was the international equivalent of calling them doo-doo heads. I guess France preferred not to send their children off to die in a desert war based on a lie. Cowards! And what about the Germans? I haven't seen "freedom potato salad" in the deli case at Safeway. How come we let them off so easy? Let's call them some names too; "presice mother f*cker", "sausage face", "warm beer drinking, lederhosen wearing, really good car maker!" It's hard to mock the Germans, the French, however, are so....French. (thanks Eddie)

WE LOVE YOU MIKE

My vote for man of the year goes to Mike Krzyewski. I'm having trouble with this blogg because Mike is too cool for words. At last somebody in the sports world with some sense. I don't think you could pay Mike enough to leave Duke for LA. He certainly doesn't need a headache like Kobe. Considering the 3 mill plus change per year he's getting at Duke, and the fact that he's worshipped as GOD there, why would he leave. No, Mike's the real deal. We get one once in a while.

SEAFOOD ENCHILADAS

As promised, and because I'm too tired to argue with Tony Alva today.

First of all, I just love enchiladas. The enchilada is as versitile as the taco or the burrito, you can put anything you want in them. Try to get fresh tortillas, but if you can't the supermarket will have them in the refrigerated section. Typically, and traditionally enchiladas contain cheese. This recipe omits the cheese because, well, I'm fishy about fish and cheese. It just doesn't seem right.
Anyway, let's begin with the plum sauce. I have no idea how to make plum sauce, this is what I came up with. Roast a couple plums in the oven. I'm not afraid of the broiler here, but you gotta keep an eye on them if you go that route. When their skins have cracked and peeled pull them out and let them cool. In a sauce pan melt a cup of sugar, as it melts add about a quarter cup of red wine. Dice the plums, trash the pits, and add the diced plums to the sauce. Bring it to a slow boil, then let it simmer while you get the enchiladas working.

In a sautee pan, heat some olive oil. When it is hot add shredded cabbage. Wilt the cabbage. Here you can add onions, chilles, garlic or anything else you might want. When the vegetables are cooked well through, add the seafood. I like shrimp and scallops for this, but again you can use whatever suits your purposes. When the fish is just about done.....

Take a small flat pan (skillet) and heat a good (4 tbsp) amont of olive oil. When it is hot take a tortilla and soften it in the oil. Now you need a baking dish. I like the brownie sized ones. Take the softened tortilla and lie it in the dish. With a laddle scoop some of the cabbage/fish concoction and place it on the tortilla.. Roll the stuff up inside the tortilla, trying to keep the seam on the bottom and pushing the enchilada to a side so it doesn't unroll. Repeat the process untill you fill the dish with enchiladas.

By this time the sauce should have condensed a bit, and the plums bits should have broken down some. Using a laddle or spoon drizzle the sauce on the enchiladas. Bake them for about fifteen minutes somewhere around 375 or so. Serve and enjoy.

Other suggestions....potato and sausage, chicken mole, pulled pork and chilles.

METHINKS THE LADY DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH

It seems to me that the length and depth of Tony Alva's comments speak to a deep rooted insecurity in his own belief system. It must be difficult to blindly accept conservative doctrine in the face of it's inheirant immorality, and then have to search for a factual basis to support your position. That's too much work for me. Fortunately I don't have that problem. I have 70% of the world population in my corner. It's also very telling that I should have to reach all the way to Georgia to find somebody to take the counter point in this discourse.

CORRECTION

This just in, apparently I was wrong in my statements about U.S. involvment in Iraq and Afghanistan. I've been informed that the rumors of U.S. backing for Saddam against Iran in the Iran/Iraq conflict of the early eighties are apologist crap, along with U.S. funding of Al Queda during the Afghani-Soviet conflict. All lies I guess. I suppose Iran-Contra affair never happened either. I am so sorry. I will check my facts in the future. What source to use? The Christian Science Monitor?

FIT TO RULE

A freind recently defended Mr. Bush by saying that he (my friend) had a DWI on his record, and did that make him (my friend) unfit to be president? Hell yes! It shows poor judgement. I have a DWI, among other items, on my record as well, and I know that I show poor judgement. I would make a horrible president. I'd be willing to bet that I could throw an inaugural bash that would put Andrew Jackson's to shame. Mr. Bush has displayed numerous examples of poor judgement prior to and during his time in the White House. It's a matter of public record for chrissakes. The majoritry of people who did vote for this joke (500,000 less than his opponent), did so because they felt he was the kind of guy they could relate to, go and get a beer with. The question is, would these same people want George to give them a lift home after. It's a choice, call a cab now, or call your dad later. George calls his dad alot.

CAPITOL HILL- THE NEW WITTENBURG

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the Wittenburg Cathedral, basically saying to the Catholic Church; "Eine minuten, bitte!" (thanks Eddie). Our nation is about to do the same on Nov. 2nd 2004. When, and I do mean when, Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards are elected, a new administration of reform will take office. It's time to send the fat cats packing. If they can manage to hold on for eight years, I see alot of good coming out of this administration. I only hope Kerry let's Edwards loose on the Enrons and Haliburtons. To me, that's the first order of business, theses #1. To end the "nation by the large conglomerate, for the large conglomerate" system that has taken over this country. Theses #2, leveling the lobby feild. When NORML gets as much congressional access as the NRA, then I'll feel better represented. Those are my two theses. We need ninety-three more.

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Disputing anew an assertion by the Bush administration, the independent commission investigating the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, released a statement Tuesday indicating that it stands by its conclusion that al Qaeda and Iraq had only limited connections. The commission has said it has seen no evidence to suggest that then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's government was involved in the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people."


Meanwhile off the coast of Florida, George W. Bush's Presidency has been spotted floating dead in the water.