The Scientist

Good grief.

I love this quote:

"The food industry also supports programs to promote physical activity among children. This report emphasizes the importance of including physical activity in any effort to address obesity at school, at home, and in communities."

Of course they could quit advertising PURE SUGAR during the kids programming blocks, but you know "we support programs to promote physical activity". I don't really blame those people. I do blame the parents for allowing their kids to become slaves to television.

Oh and when did it become wrong for me to just say "Hey, you are fat - get off your ass and go outside and run for a while. Ride a bike, skateboard - do something!" Instead I have to provide "Positive reinforcement". Sure. Why not. This attitude has worked so well for us over the last couple of decades.

What I really like is that we have to have a panel of "experts" recommend common sense remedies like these:

the panel suggested that parents limit kids' TV hours, that schools provide healthier food, that restaurants offer nutrition information and that communities provide more recreation opportunities

Shocking and radical those recommendations.

Maybe I should go for a walk or something. I seem to be a bit on edge today.

Sorry kids, my funny has taken a vacation to grumpy land.

more in a bit.

Your attention

Alright, so I'm not the only asshole out there.

I was reading on Livejournal (I know, but it is like an addiction) and I came across this little piece of writing. The author makes a good point. I consider myself neither Democrat nor Republican, and yet I feel like I have to justify myself every time I say ANYTHING that could be taken in the slightest way conservative. (why I do this, I have no idea)

A good example:

This morning an old friend calls my wife and eventually, as they are wont to do, the subject turned to politics. The friend is so pro Kerry it hurts and was telling me that this year I could not afford to vote my conscience this year because it was more important to get Bush out of office.

She is a smart woman, but she makes some really dumb mistakes occasionally. She has the same liberal failing that most liberal I meet/ have met - she thinks that all conservatives (and specifically republican conservatives) are evil. There is no other way to put it. She (and they) might grudgingly agree that conservatives can be smart, but they assume that conservatives hate people (and are evil).

I had a doctor’s appointment to get to, so I did not get the chance to argue the point with her. I am more than a bit irked that she feels that she can tell me that I HAVE TO VOTE FOR KERRY BECAUSE WE MUST GET BUSH OUT OF OFFICE.

Thanks, but no. My vote (as worthless as it is) is just that - My Vote. I will spend it any way I want. I didn't tell her that she was voting for a man that cannot make up his mind about any one issue for longer than it takes for the next poll to come out. I didn't tell her that she was voting for a man that could not make unpopular, but necessary, decisions because the polls were against them.

I almost do not have it in me anymore. I lost all my indy cred when I said I do not support Kerry. At that moment, all the "cool" kids stopped being my friend. Good Christ, unless I am a sheep, I am marginalized. I am tired of it.

It is not really a different place for me, not really, anyway. I think, look at the consequences of my actions, and take responsibility for them.

How unusual [/sarcasm]

I should stop now, Maybe write something funny or (god forbid) actually work.

More in a bit.

The Killing Words

Maybe I'm the asshole here, but I doubt it.

In this article, Tom Delay openly admits that the ban on gay marriage will fail. But he is going to push ahead with the vote anyway because "The American people need to know where their representatives stand".

I suppose he has a point. As gay marriage seems to still be a hot button issue, the people can use this as a gauge to see how their representatives measure up against their standards. What I don't get is why they feel so threatened by this (non) issue. I suppose all change is opposed by someone, somewhere.

It is hard to make an accurate call on how Americans feel about this. Things around here are so skewed by the spin machine that is DC; even small things get blown out of proportion.

Ah well.

In other news, I am reading an interesting book named Suspect Identities. It is a history of fingerprinting and criminal identification. It is a good read if you go in for that sort of thing.

More in a bit. I need coffee.

before the dawn

Sometimes I find myself having the dumbest/ most interesting thoughts.

For instance, today I was wondering if I could walk across the USA.

I figured out the things I would want with me (PDA, solar charger for PDA battery, GPS unit, 3 or 4 changes of clothing, a .45 & ammo, Rain poncho, good shoes. oh and a stack of cash or equivalent)

I'm sure there are one or two more things I might like (corporate sponsorship for instance) but aside from that, it would be an interesting journey.

Why the PDA? Well, then I could write about it (with the right one I could stop by a starbucks or a panera and upload it.) The PDA would work best for this (lighter and the right ones have wireless and you can get a GPS module for them - also easier to charge from the solar contraption). It also has a weight advantage over a computer. The GPS is pretty self explanatory. A cell phone might be nice, but might also defeat the point of the exercise. Everything else is pretty self explanatory.

Like I said, just too much time on my hands.

More in a bit.

The dream

I don't get it. No really.

When it rains around here, people forget how to drive. They stop their normal beatingoffinthecareatinganeggmcmuffin routine and stomp on the gas over wet roads in, what the only reason I can deduce is, an attempt to hydroplane their nice new sixty thousand dollar vehicles into the hapless soul that had the misfortune of being in front of them.

Christ. And I thought people in Richmond could not drive (well, they can't.), but when it rains (and not even heavy rain!) people around here immediately short circuit their brains and lose touch with reality.

Of course, I say this now and the instant the sun comes out; there will be a spate of accidents, further proving my point that the best weather is 72 degrees, partly cloudy, with a breeze. In short, normal fall weather for Northern Virginia.

In other news,

I read somewhere that the Birthday Massacre was worth checking out. I had not gotten to around to it when one of my singers tells me I NEED to check out this band she found. Guess who? Yup, you guessed it - The Birthday Massacre. The clips I have heard were pretty good, now I just need to find time to get and then listen to the album.

Do yourself a favor check out The Cruxshadows. it is fun and danceable rock music with literary references. It is perfect music for geeks like us.

I still need coffee. Maybe I should do something about that.

This is the moment

Yesterday I referred to this article in the Washington post (Bug me not is your friend).

As I said then, I think this article nails the problems facing the American voter today. Both Major party candidates suck, no one is informed enough about the third party candidates (like Nader or Badnarik)for them to be a viable force on the national level.

I heard on the radio this morning that according to polls conducted by both the Washington post and USA Today that Bush leads with over 51% of the vote (to Kerry's 41 or 43% the polls had a margin of error +/- 3 or 4 points respectively).

51%. That is it. And that is considered a mandate from the American people. My ass.

Of course the last statistic I read said only something like 35-45 percent of Americans actually vote, so, I suppose we get what we deserve. If we cannot be bothered to actually get involved and pay attention to the people we elect to run the country, we do not have room to complain.

More in a bit,

I need coffee.

Title holder

This article seems to nail the issues facing voters this election.

The best quote is this:

Some swing voters who disagree with his policies nonetheless see him as a confident leader and express reluctance to vote him out of office in the middle of the struggle against terrorism, unless Kerry convinces them that he can do a better job.

Aye, that's the rub.

More on this tomorrow. I need sleep.

sundown motel

Why am I not surprised that the US government claims to have no idea as to why Yusef Islam (nee. Cat Stevens) was denied entrance to the US. Someone is not a fan?

When I look at incidents like this one and this one and this one it makes me want to laugh (or cry).

Some days are better than others.

More in a bit.

The Becoming

Oh really Mr. Putin?

It is possible that he is not just telling the world what they want to hear, but really this reminds me of the revolutionary Russian history I read a while back. If I am recalling my history correctly, the seats for the duma were first elected, then nominated from the party.

It is possible (heck, it is even likely) that I am wrong and Putin is dedicated to democracy in Russia. However I think it would be a mistake to mark these actions as as a simple consolidation of power.

Just like you imagined

I have this theory that how we drive is a reflection of our true nature, that is, that the act of driving strips away all pretense, exposing our basest selves. I came to this conclusion while driving to class yesterday, and watching the people around me (and in particular, the woman behind me freaking out about me not pulling out in front of a speeding car).

What does this say about me? I am defensive driver – that yells a lot (with the windows closed). How does this translate? My self perception says that I am sort of a shy guy with a propensity for yelling in private. I write on the internet. Do we really need to explore this further?

So what is it about cars that make us feel so invincible? Why do we loose that veneer of civility that we claim to have when we get behind the wheel? Why does it seem that spending 60 plus thousand dollars on a car (or being a teenager) makes you invincible? Stupidity? Arrogance? I suppose.

It makes me laugh a bit that we feel so safe in our cars that we will do things there we would not consider doing in in most other situations. For instance, I would rarely yell at a person face to face the way I yell in the car.

We have sex in cars, we eat in our cars, watch movies, and any number of other actions. Our car is much like our sanctuary, a part of our home that we take with us. Are we ever more honest than when we are at home?

Well, it is either this theory, or I spend too much time in the car.

More in a bit, I need coffee.

I only dream in infrared

Miss me? I'm back.


Anyways, I was reading through the news this morning and this article caught my eye.

It is a follow-up on the Dan Rather/ Bush memo affair that so recently rocked our world. It is an interesting take to be sure. I'm still a bit winded by the last few days, so my analysis is probably a bit off. The most telling quote is this:

Blogs have the unknown reliability of "a tipster calling a reporter on the phone," South said. Some tips pan out, others fizzle. But someone, somewhere, will always know."

It is true that somewhere out there, someone is an expert in whatever field you might be discussing that day.

A related story (on a much smaller scale) might be the article I read in one of the GMU papers on the recently expired (so-called) Assault Weapons Ban. The article was pure spin and incorrect facts the whole way through. This is another fine example of the next generation of American journalists preparing for their careers of "making a difference" as opposed to reporting the news. I would link to it, but the webpage seems to be down.

I know, some of you are saying “But depressoboy, It is only a college news paper, why get so worked up over it?”

I wonder that myself (as I pen the rebuttal to be sent later today). It is only a college newspaper. But, the article is blatantly wrong and reconfirms the popularly held misconception on the AWB. It has the potential to be read by every one of GMU’s students. It has to start somewhere. What better place than here? What better time than now? (To quote Rage Against the Machine)

More in a bit, I need to finish my coffee.

offline

I have been offline for a few days. I'll be back tonight or tomorrow with all the commentary you have come to know and love.

(haha)

More in a bit.

Us and Them

CBS Admits the memos are fake.

Shocking, I know.

Even though it looks like the major media outlets are ignoring the bloggers that contributed to the truth finally being shown the light, it is a score for alternative media community.

The new

To: George Lucas
1 Jedi Way
Skywalker Ranch, Ca

From: Everyone in their right mind.

Contents: LARGE AMOUNTS OF ROTTING MEAT

Enclosed note.

Dear Mr. Lucas,

Haven't you done enough? First Ewoks, then Greedo shoots first, Then Episode One, and now this. Where does the pain end?

Just stop. Please, for the sake of the children. Please stop.

Sincerely,
depressoboy





(in case you missed the link in the above rant - http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/20/star.changes/index.html)

Own Little World

What I love about politics is that there never ceases to be something for me to talk about. Over here USA Today reported that Kerry attacked bush for "Colossal Failures in Judgment" about Iraq.

I'll quote my favorite section here:

In a lengthy, detailed address, Kerry laid out a point-by-point criticism of Bush's Iraq policy and the president's rationale for going to war. Kerry said the United States should:

• Get more help from other nations.

• Provide better training for Iraqi security forces.

• Provide benefits to the Iraqi people.

• Ensure that democratic elections can be held next year as promised.

Wow. What a brain trust. [/sarcasm]

Point one: Get more help from other nations.

We tried that. It failed. What makes Kerry think that he can do it better? Is it his winning personality that takes a strong stance on an issue?

Point two: Provide better training for Iraqi security forces.

How much better can training get? I will admit that I know very little on this issue. But given our own training woes (I covered this a day or so ago here)

Point three: Provide benefits to the Iraqi people.

What? I am sorry, that was my bad ear. Could you speak to the right next time?
What benefits do you want? I dislike blanket statements like this one, makes me think of a welfare state and I am not fond of that idea.

Point four: Ensure that democratic elections can be held next year as promised.

As far as I know, we are endeavoring to do this across the board. Is that not one of the points of this entire exercise?


More in a bit.

Blackmail the Universe

So I'm a bit behind today. I started out feeling a bit odd. I got that out of my system and am back to my usual tricks.

I saw this over at Michael Duff's Blog and decided that it was time to add my two cents.

I think the article nails the topic in a way that American media has been willfully ignoring. Maybe it is because of liberal bias; maybe it is that for Europeans, it is as Bernard Lewis put it "Europe will be Islamic by the end of the century". I imagine this is of some consternation to atheistic Europe.

The article draws some interesting comparisons to the political state of the UK, which my American readers may or may not be aware of in anyway more that peripherally.

I recommend that you read the article. A point of interest, in the article it seems that it is a foregone conclusion that G.W. Bush will remain president for the next four years and that Kerry will do little to upset the current order.

Hmm. Need coffee.

Song for all time

I want to rant about politics. I want to rail against inequity. I want to jump up and down with righteous indignation about some perceived slight on our national conscience, but not this morning. Instead it seems I will be introspective and maudlin.

I was driving to work and after listening to the SR. Fellow on ethics from Blah Blah talk about CBS and Dan Rather, I turned on the some music I had stuck in and got to thinking. I was listening to the new Joy Electric album and one of the tracks sparked a feeling of loss/nostalgia/something in me.

I know it is mundane "I was listening to a song and - man - I miss you guys" How much more pathetic can you get?

I remember HS as being one of the most intense periods of my life and I hated it. Absolutely fucking hated it. The only good thing I have from high school (other than my wife) was a few friendships that have managed to stand up over time and distance. There were a few that didn't survive due to some cruelty on my part (which believe it or not - is probably for the best). I can think of a couple of people I would like to talk to again. Pete, for instance. We were friends from middle school and all through high school. After HS he joined a traveling praise band and toured the country as a guitarist. He was (and is) one of the nicest people I have ever had the privilege to know. He lives in Vegas (at last I knew) and seemed to be surviving well. I hope he is still doing well. I miss him.

I saw one of the friends I missed (and another old friend, Sister of the guy whose wedding it was) at a wedding. It was like nothing had ever changed. For all my apprehension at seeing them, we were still just friends as good as we could be. We talked about our kids and life and just everything.

Maybe it is a commentary on me as a person, or just the nature of our times. I have talked to other people and they have friends that they have known from elementary school. It seems that no matter what I do, I always come back to these thoughts. Most of the other people I was friends with, we just drifted apart as friendships are wont to do. I wish them well.

Maybe it is nostalgia that makes me long for that time. Life seemed so open and on the brink of exploding into something new. It still holds some of that wonder, but mostly, at this point, I know what my day is going to consist of, I know how I want my life to go. My hopes and dreams are for my children, my own ambitions and dreams, while important to me, are a means to make life better for them.

I worry more about the boy growing up healthy than I do about when I will graduate from college or how long it will be before I can start work on my graduate degrees, or even how long it will take me to finish the album(s) I am working on. I do those things because they are part of me, but the most important work I do is raising my children.

It all seems so meaningless in that context. I am sure it seems odd to many of you, that it seems that I am sublimating my own desires to achieve something else for someone else. I disagree. My priorities are just a bit different.

How very odd. I never thought I would quite end up in this place.

This whole entry seems fragmentary, a reflection of my mind on this subject. It feels like fractions of memory, images, and random moments in time that I cannot quite capture in any meaningful way (on paper or what have you).

I suppose that life is like that. The experiences that shape us are so personal that we cannot adequately share them with another person. We can relate, on some level anyway, to a shared experience but words seem to not convey the gravity of the moment.

All of this brings another point to mind. My brother is getting married next year. I am his best man (as he was mine). He gave a fantastic toast. For all that I love him, and all that I write, I fear that I will not be adequate to the job.

Time will tell.

Wolf in the Bend

Wow. The people at CBS admit they abandoned all pretense at objective journalism document authentication.

By the end of the article they are back to spin control. Rather is quoted saying "...if the memos were indeed faked, "I'd like to break that story." But whatever the verdict on the memos, he said, critics "can't deny the story."

What The Fuck?

You abandon all pretenses at objective journalism, go after a story you cannot backup, and release faked documents to try and bolster your fucking ratings? Sure. Why not? If you cannot vote the man out legitimately, spread some crap in the waters, see if you can get the bottom feeders out to support your version of the events.

Sorry guys, the historian in me just will not let this go. They do not have primary sources, or really even secondary sources. The best they can come up with is a "recollection" by a former secretary. No offence meant, but not a chance. Human witnesses are the absolute worse source you can find. The way I was taught, if you cannot back up the events recounted by an eyewitness with other documented sources, you might as well be writing fiction.

Which, as this little scandal goes on, seems to be what happened.

If you really want the man out of office, report on his inadequacies as a president, report on his missteps, and then get out and vote against him. I am tired of this.


More in a bit, I need coffee.

Who are friends?

This is a good way to get a bunch of American soldiers killed. (Washington post link - Bugmetnot is your friend)

I can see why these guys are pissed. I can see why they went AWOL. Rush me through a training cycle to ship me off half trained just in time to get killed? Yeah, I would be pissed off too.

This is just stupid. I am hearing rumbles of draft reinstatement, seeing reports like this, and hearing more and more building resentment on the part of the soldiers and the civilian populations.

Always a good idea.

I come from a military family, my father is retired air force, and my brother is Green to Gold in the Army. I am used to some of this. But the reactions I am seeing in this article, speak volumes about the amount of pressure that is being put on the military from above.

It has to stop or there will likely be a catastrophic failure. Politics have no place in running the military. They only serve to get us killed.

I'm Afraid of Americans

Oh Anonymous, my dear Anonymous,

I have visited Badnarik.org. I am versed in the ways of the Libertarian Party. I have argued on his behalf amongst my peers. I will most likely vote for Badnarik.


BUT,

As the electoral college actually elects the president - my vote (and yours) only count for so much.

I love the propaganda that tells me I must vote and that my vote will make a difference, when historically, it has not mattered much at all. Do not get me wrong. I am going to vote. I can and do research the issues, and cast my vote based on that research.

I like Anonymous comments. I do. But I like it even more when people do not just graffiti their opinions with out signing them. It is just a personal preference.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

War! What is it Good For?

This morning (917/04) I read that the AP is apparently suing for the release of John Kerry and George W. Bush's military records. I wonder why they just will not release these themselves. It would look better (even if there is some problem).

What I wonder is this, Why are we focused on a time 3o+ years ago? Haven't we had enough? Scratch the surface of America, and you find an open wound.

Vietnam remains to be almost as volatile as it was then.

Are there parallels to the Iraq conflict? The comparison has been brought up over and over again, in the media and among conversations I have had. I don't know if there is a strong comparison to the Vietnam. (Other than in the small fact that the president declared the "war" as opposed to congress. But then, We, the people were dumb enough to grant that power to the executive branch when it should have remained with the legislative. Checks and balances and all that rot.)

I need coffee, and then maybe I can set about making sense of the last few days.

More in a bit.

I am I

Reality television. Why do we watch it? Is it (as was proposed) a Panopicon? Is it a reflection of our true nature, or just vulgar entertainment? Do we watch reality TV and think that is the mirror by which we judge civilization? Or is reality TV another way of keeping us docile? Is it just another tool designed to make us comfortable with the idea of being watched? Or is it that we are just so involved is the cult of celebrity and "grabbing our 15 minutes of fame" that we are willing to make total asses of ourselves?

We were discussing this in class the other day.

There were no good answers, but lots of good questions.

One point brought up was about Bentham's Panopticon. With the ability we have now to track an individual and how much smaller privacy becomes, the argument said that reality shows are (as stated earlier) a tool to make us more comfortable with the idea of being under surveillance all the time.

The argument for constant surveillance (as I am sure all of you know) is that it will help reduce crime. I say look at places like England where they are under constant surveillance and the crime rate is not noticeably lower.

I'm sure more will come of this, as the argument for constant surveillance continues to be brought up and the people seem to be more and more willing to let their privacy go for the illusion of security.

Scarecrow

So according to CNN, the FDA has come out and said that they "generally agree" that anti-depressants might be bad for kids.

Shocking.

This might explain half of my friends in High School.

Did we ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe we might not be helping these kids by pumping them full of strange chemicals? Maybe it is just me, but I see this as another example of us (as a culture) avoiding responsibility.

Do not feel good? Take this pill.
Want to lose weight? Have a pill.
Little Johnny will not behave. Give him this pill.
Cannot get it up? Have a pill.

A nation of addicts.

I know that medications can (and do) help people, and I know that they help people with severe mental illness. Absolutely. I am not anti-medication, but rather, I feel like we (as a culture & society) do not want to take responsibility for or actions and anything we can blame it on, we do.

It seems like Ritalin has become the most pervasive drug in the country. I am consistently hearing stories about parents that stick their kids on Ritalin. Do they have any idea what Ritalin does? Or of its long-term effects? I do not know.

I single this out because, I see Ritalin being used to replace parenting and discipline. Kids are rambunctious. They are less so when they have a routine and a set of rules they have to follow. Drugging them to their eyeballs so they are easier for you to handle is ridiculous. It does not help parent or child in any meaningful way.

As I stated, I am not anti-meds. I just feel like we hand them out like candy,

It is thoughts like this one that keep me up at night.

Well this, and why people like reality television.


EDIT:::: Note to self - do not write when falling asleep. BAD spelling mistakes are the result.

I want to be sedated

Bye Johnny.

The Russians

I saw this earlier, and found it interesting. (Link is NYTimes - www.bugmenot.com is your friend)

The article states that Putin stripped the governors of the 89 regions in Russia of essentially all power and (more or less) gave it back to him self. This is a return to the previous central government that the Russians "enjoyed" under the communist regime. I am curious how many of those governors that rolled over to this command are old hard line communists and how many are younger people? The situation bears watching. (bears! See, I made a joke.)

Putin is an interesting character; he worked for the KGB, and later ran the Federal Security Bureau. Currently Russia is too bogged down in trying to stay afloat to be a major player in the world stage, but this could be a step toward regaining that sort of power.

I wonder if this means the iron curtian will be coming down again.

We shall see.

Perfect Day

So, this week I have heard two really good albums from very different ends of the spectrum.

Megadeth came back from breaking up a few years back (Dave Mustaine damaged a nerve and was not sure he was ever going to be able to play guitar again) and released The System has Failed. I don't listen to much metal anymore, some queensryche, a little dream theater and a few others, I guess stavesacre counts as metal, but none of that Nu-metal crap. This album, however, rocks. I do not know if I can say more than that about it.

The other is from Michael Pritzel of The Violet Burning. It is called Hollow Songs. It is mostly reworkings of Violet Burning tunes but in a stripped down sort of way that is amazing.

The album is very different from the megadeth album, but very very good.

I recommend that you listen to both.

A page of life

I was listening to the local news radio station on my way to work this morning when an opinion piece by Cal Thomas came on. He talked about the giveaways on the Oprah show earlier this week.

Whereas some in the media are decrying it as media and corporate integration the nth degree, he said that it was a good gesture. A good gesture because it was not welfare, but rather a chance at a second chance.

He said it inspired hope in people.

The cynic in me says that the only hope that it inspires in people is that maybe Oprah will come along and give them a car (or what have you). The other part of me wishes that more people in her position would follow her example.

Even if she didn't spend a dime, and all the products that she "gave" away were donated in exchange for airtime, it is moments like this that begin to make good corporate citizens.

It seems to me that this is a throwback to good citizenship and the idea of civic responsibility. If nothing else it is excellent publicity and in this spin doctored culture we live in, that seems to be all we get.

A group of prophets predict the pickers’ future without them

I read on Michael Duff's blog that CBS is trying to claim "Yes, the memos are fake, but we believe they are accurate."

Please.

Do not treat me like an idiot. You got caught. You allowed your bias to overrule your journalistic integrity (Ha!). Do not compound your mistake now by refusing to own up to it. (Anyone notice a theme here? Take responsibility for your actions? I have never mentioned that before have I?)

Their own article points out that different document examiners have gone on record as saying the articles could not be authenticated. Even the guy they are relying is paraphrased in the article. (And I quote)

However, Matley has told CNN, The Washington Post and other media organizations that his work was limited to verifying that the signatures on the memos came from the same source. He did not, he says, claim that the documents themselves were authentic

Come on guys, spin it all you want, but it looks to me like you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar. All I see is spin, lies, and more spin. As an organization you have abused the public trust and have called into question the veracity of all reporting coming out of your network news organization.

Each refusal to own up to the problem/mistake/blatant lie hammers another nail into the coffin that contains your credibility.

Cassandra

I'm not sure what to make of this yet. It echoes the perspective put forth by my Middle Eastern relations professor last semester and the Bush Policy wonk that came into speak to us on the (at that time) current conflict in Iraq.

I'm sure that I will digest it at some point; I just do not know that I like the implications that the article alludes to. Maybe I am just being paranoid.

More in a bit.

One little victory

Because, you know, stealing 22 years of his life was not enough.

Still need coffee.

Back soon.

Of Mice and Men

I was watching the world news with Dan Rather last night and they reported on the bomb strikes in Fallujah. Specifically, they were talking about a Bradley Fighting Vehicle that was disabled and then we destroyed to make sure the weapons did not fall into the hands of insurgents. When the vehicle was destroyed, apparently an Arab journalist and people waving the flag of the insurgent terror organization were killed.

The report was written like we were at fault. From what I have gathered from the military I have talked to - IF a vehicle is abandoned with weapons intact, it is S.O.P. to destroy it. What that means is that WE HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE. If you live in a war zone, why would you expect that we were not going to destroy that vehicle? If nothing else the reporter should have known better. Professional stupidity caused his death. It is sad and tragic, but it begins to be understandable.

Has it always been like this in war, or just since the end of the Vietnam War? War is disgusting, violent and never pretty. People die. It is tragic, but we do our best to not kill civilians. In this case, it is not a standing army, dressed with uniforms that we can target, but rather a series of people that hide among civilians and use them as excuses to further their own ends.

I sound like a neo-con hawk. There is something wrong with this picture.

More later, I need coffee.

Truth be told

I saw this and was a bit suprised. It took two years to pass a bill concerning necrophilia? Two Years?

What the hell? Is this not one of those things that we all agree is just BAD?

I never cease to be amazed.

A Touch of Upheaval

This cracked me up. Because Batman and father’s rights are obviously related.

I am for father's rights. Unequivocally. In this country, we seem to be trying to legislate men out of the parenting process. But, come on - dressing as Batman?

Way to have people take you seriously.

Politik

In the last two weeks Orson Scott Card has written two interesting articles for the The Ornery American.

I do find myself arguing with his viewpoints, if for no other reason than it forces me to actually dig out the information that either proves or disproves my viewpoints.

I do not always agree with him, but I like his writing (sci-fi & commentary) enough to point it out. He is probably best known as the author of Ender's Game, but his political commentary is as well written as any fiction he has done.

Locusts (redux)

So according to that bastion of journalistic integrity - CNN, that funny little two mile wide mushroom cloud in North Korea was the result of a mountain being demolished for a power plant.

Ok.

Sure.

I will buy that for a dollar. Do we trust them? Who knows?

More in a bit. It is early yet and I have not had my coffee.

Prophet of ...

I saw this somewhere and after reading it I remembered that I do not like Randroids. While I can agree with the sentiment expressed that "money" is not evil, the saying is "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1st Timothy 6:10 KJV)

And even that verse should be taken in context with the preceding and following verses.

And I quote,

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

(1st Timothy 6:9-11 KJV)

It is a grand and wonderful thought to tell me that money is not evil. That money is just a tool, a means of exchange. That money is the result of those that produce some sort of goods.

Wow. And for this she is supposed to have the second most influential book in the whole of recorded human history? Color me blasé.

Fantastic. You are correct. Money is not evil. No argument. Money is an inanimate object and cannot be attributed to good or evil (at least in my understanding). It is the love of (or addiction to) money, just as the love of (or addiction to) a particular drug can be attributed to evil. It is the choice that a person makes that is evil. YOU can choose to love money above all else, just as you can choose to not snort a gram of coke a week.

Understand the quote in context before you bastardize it. (This goes for both sides).


EDIT 23:37 EST - I had the urge to add this verse

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:24 KJV

I had to get it out of my head, or I knew I would never fall asleep.

Misfortune's Apprentice

All of a sudden, an issue I didn't want to care about seems to be the only thing dominating the news. Michael Duff, The New York Post, Ace of Spades and seemingly everyone else in the free world is focused on this issue. I am a latecomer to the table. Mr. Duff (whom if you don't already read, you should) wrapped up the issue rather nicely (in my opinion) when he said:

This is the worst kind of nonsense. Journalists don't know shit about shit. All they can do is write. What they're good at, what they're supposed to be good at, is finding people who know what they're talking about and translating their expertise into language that makes sense to normal people. That is the essence of journalism, and once you stop doing that, you're not really a journalist at all.

(I feel like a stalker for the amount of times I have quoted Michael Duff. Sorry man, I won't let it happen again.)

For a while now, in my personal conversations and other writings, I have stated the media has no regard for the truth. Truth, to them is what can be edited or created to fit the facts as they (or their editors and moneymen) see them. It seems only recently has this bias and disregard fully come to light. Reporters that make up their facts and (apparently) a news organization so greedy for a possible scoop that fact checking is disregarded, seem to be the most visible symptoms of this infection.

Was it not in grade school that I learned to double and triple check my sources? Was that not the same time that I learned that journalism once had a hand in exposing the abuses of business to the common man? That there was a tradition of bringing the actual truth to light?

How the mighty have fallen.

locusts

I read an article on CNN this morning that said that according to satellite images the 2 MILE WIDE MUSHROOM CLOUD was not the result of a nuclear explosion. Joy of joys. Of course the North Korean Government has not responded to requests for information, and we know how trustworthy they have seemed to be in the past.

I do not know. I used to wonder why, if we were going after Saddam for having WMD, why we did not do more than minor saber rattling toward North Korea. Oh wait. I know why, because the man in charge over there would not hesitate to push the button. It is always fun to live in a world populated by people so power drunk they don't really understand the consequences of their actions.

In other news, it seems that Kerry in engendering further discontent with his refusal to actually address an issue. (Shocking, I know.) It seemed to me that his entire platform was "Hey!! Vote for me!! I am not G.W. Bush!!!" and he thought that he might actually win the presidency with that strategy. I was never a fan of Kerry. He just seems to not have any real opinions on anything other than "My wife will make a great first lady!"

I am tired of it. I am tired of the dueling image machine, I am tired of the Kerry being unable to form an opinion without checking the polls, and I am tired of G.W. Bush and his cowboy review on world politics and policy. (Whoops, it seems I slipped in a little personal opinion there.) I have stated elsewhere my discontent with the two major party candidates. I am still seriously considering voting for Badnarik on principle alone.

more in a bit.

RockandRoll Star

You know, if you try hard enough, you can forget that you live 20 miles south of the power center of the free world (and one of the dirtiest cities I have been in). It is a beautiful day outside. It is cool and sunny with a light breeze. The smog that seems to becoming more and more prevalent has blown off and the air just feels clean. It is the kind of weather I love. I should be outside with a cup of coffee and a book watching my son play. So where am I you ask?

I am inside on my laptop in a room with all the windows shut and the shades drawn typing this and waiting for my singer to show. When she arrives (any moment now) I will log off, and set about the process of recording vocals. I could bore you (and it would, I assure you) with the minutia of recording, but I will not.

Instead, I am going to get off the computer, finish up the recording, go outside and read a book and watch my son play (once he wakes up from his nap).

More news from the front later.

Halo

So today is the day.

I can still see it. I know where I was, what I was doing, and where my family members were. However, I don't want to talk about that right now. I wrote about it then, and have probably written about it since.

I agree with Michael Duff's post today.

Let us honor the dead by being alive.

So, I'm going to do one singularly uncool thing and post part of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs.

A halo upon you
to carry you homewards
to reach out and bless you
and light you forever
and I
stared at the sight for a while

- Halo
The Gravity Show

Grylliade

You know, I want to care about this story. Really, I do. At this point it is fairly irrelevant. Bush's character has been established in the public forum for the last four years (for good or ill). Even if the documents are true, it does not matter at this point.

If CBS really wants to prove they are true, take the damn things to a couple of independent typographic analysts and let them bang it out.

(Here is a hint - it will not happen.)

If Kerry has any hope of gaining the White House, he needs to quit living in the past and start focusing on the future. More specifically, he needs to clarify the future relating to his domestic policy, his foreign policy, and the future of the country with him as leader. As it stands, he comes off like a snotty child screaming "Teacher! Teacher! Look at what George did!”

T.V. II

Wil Wheaton might be one of favorite people. Not because I've met him - but rather his blog and subsequent books are so damn good that everyone should read them.

Being the vindictive bitch that Hollywood is - that rag of a magazine Entertainment Weekly just assraped Wil over his book Just a Geek. Read Wil's post and their review here. It would be one thing if I had not read the book, but I have. Take it from me kids, Star Trek is not a major part of the book. Sure it's in there, it has to be. But the reality of the book is that it really does show Wil's evolution as an adult. Maybe it is me as a father and artist, but I dug it and related to what he was saying. If EW's reporter had actually bothered to read the book their review might actually carry some weight.

Hero

How Interesting.

Whether or not you are pro-life or pro-choice, you should be pro free-speech. Freedom of speech and expression are by their very definition, among the most important issues facing Americans (at least at this juncture).

More information on the case can be found at http://www.befair.org/.

I particularly liked the quote on the front page of befair.org.

“ . . . McCain-Feingold’s message to such Americans is: Speak less, and speak not at all when it matters most—when people are paying attention because elections are near.”
- George F. Will, Newsweek

More later.

N.W.O.

Politics.

Sometimes I wonder if it is possible to talk of anything else. Living in the DC Metro area, one tends to get the rather skewed perception that we are the center of the known universe (I’ll leave out the Dune references for those of you that are not total geeks). The News (print and media) are saturated with the smallest goings on of government, both local and federal (although they might as well be the same thing around here). I don’t even work on the hill and I feel dirty from it.

So what do I do? What every blogger does about it, of course – I write about it. After all isn’t that what blogging is for? To bitch about politics and vicariously live someone else’s sex life? (Unless of course you are on Live Journal, then of course you do it with bad grammar and all the drama of a High School lunchroom.)

Jesus Christ. It is like that bastard child of entertainment we call “reality” television without the little talking pictures. We want this garbage. We must, after all there is so much of it. Well, it is either that or the “entertainment” industry has completely run out of ideas. Oh who am I kidding? They HAVE run completely out of ideas. (There is a point here. Really, there is.) We (as a society) get the celebrities we deserve. We elevate these people and give them their 15 minutes of fame, thus holding true to the American ideal that you can be anything you want. That class/ race/ what have you are not a barrier to celebrity. Indeed, sometimes it is those very things that make celebrity (think Paris Hilton).

The Jeffersonian in me is screaming at the decline, it is crying in fact. Celebrity has become our drug of choice. Any one can be a celebrity; it doesn’t take talent to be one. God knows you can look at the current bumper crop of pop “divas” to see that. So talent is no prerequisite. Then what is it? Why do we idolize these people? Are they inherently better than us? More talented? Prettier? Cooler? It is like grade school all over again.

Is this really the decline of western civilization as we know it? Was Jefferson right? That we lost honor and began the decline when we stopped holding up the working man/woman as an ideal and began the cult of celebrity? I can (and occasionally do) point to what could be considered concrete examples of the decline and why we are going to fail (or, to put it in biblical terms – why we have become Babylon the Great, Babylon the Fallen, or Babylon the Harlot.) We look for excuses and refuse to take responsibility for our actions (trying to define the word “is” – come on guys).

We have to be better than this. Look at what we accomplished in a few short (hundred) years. I read somewhere once that we are creating two Americas or at least two kinds of Americans. Maybe they were right. Maybe we are making two Americas, one that harkens back to the Jeffersonian ideal of hard work and responsibility and one that tries to parse the word “is” and ends up furthering the decline.

I’m sure I could relate this back to the current presidential race, thus making a neat segue back to my original point, but I will not. Instead I choose to treat you, the reader, with some modicum of respect. I assume you have some modicum of intelligence, that you can make up your mind on the “issues” (read "issues" as “Whose image is better suited to hastening the decline”).

Part of me is like:

“Fuck it – bring on the decline. The sooner it falls – the sooner we can rebuild.”

Weird thoughts for weird times.

More news from the front later.

PS - I know I jump around a lot. Too much coffee and too many stream of thought novels will do this to you. Take note kids.

Just One Fix

Politics is a lot like boning the head cheerleader in the ass – someone has been there before you, but it feels so damn good you just don’t care.”

-Me.