Faneufy's Truth

Tighter Bankruptcy Laws Still Favor The Rich.

2005-02-11T21:02:00.000-05:00

Reality has once again invaded Faneufy's life, and I'm here to tell you, it sucks! Vacation is over, it's back to work and the hard facts of living paycheck to paycheck are here again. I do not whine because I know many Americans who are in the same boat or worse off. At least I had the money for the Super Bowl and vacation. When you combine that with your team winning the game, establishing the first NFL dynasty in many years, getting and staying drunk for a week, eating around forty varieties of chicken wings, (I did not know there were more then about five chicken wing recipes out there), hitting the end of Mardi gras, and then somehow finding your way home safely - priceless! Ah, such is life.

One of the first things I had to deal with today concerns my girlfriend. A few years back she had some medical problems which her insurance only paid a percentage of, and in the end left her with final expenses to the tune of around $28,562. That's a lot of donut money! There are many families and individuals that have run into the same financial situation with medical expenses. Medical expense is not the same as walking into JC Penny and maxing out your credit card, then heading to Boca for a week on the VISA, and so on, and so on until you wind up in bankruptcy court. Then, in seven to ten years you get to do it all over again. Why not? Every day I open the mailbox and there are at least three credit card applications, which by the way is one of the reasons contributing to the national debt and impending bankruptcy legislation.

Medical insurance just is not what it used to be. My girlfriend has Blue Cross through work and it is I believe the best program offered, but compared to what insurance used to be, still sucks. I remember a time years ago when I used to pay around $6.20 weekly for BC/BS and the insurance covered everything along with a prescription drug plan. Nowadays, I'm paying over $300.00/month for health insurance and it almost makes me want to go to the doctor just to feel I'm getting use out of the thing, and while I'm there, get some drugs to use the prescription plan which is adequate. Unfortunately, my girlfriend just couldn't pay off the bill fast enough. The bill was referred to a collections attorney who was a complete asshole and wouldn't cut her any slack as far as working out a reasonable payment plan. He wanted something like $500.00/month at least, plus he was charging interest on the unpaid balance. I tried to talk to him and almost threw him out his eight story office window. Jail was nice, it seems that they had just reopened the floor I was on after redecorating, however the food sucked. Our little one-on-one did accomplish something though in that it cut the phone calls to the house right down. The attorney wouldn't call our apartment after his introductory flying lesson so all was not wasted. The end result of all of this is she has no choice but to file Chapter 7 which I think is her only recourse.

So, today I'm reading the news and I come across this little news piece entitled, "Tighter Bankruptcy Law Favored." Bills Making It Harder to Erase Debt Set to Clear Congress. My first reaction is to think, you know it's always something. Then I read on and I come across something within the piece that really bugged the crap out of me. I fathomed from reading the article that Congress has been trying to pass some kind of bankruptcy legislation for some years now. Twice in the last seven years, bankruptcy bills have passed both the House and Senate, only to go down in defeat, once vetoed by Clinton and another time after originally backing the bill, House Republicans voted it down after an amendment was attached to it that they didn't like. Two more bills have been reintroduced within the last week that both the House and Senate like, and the President has said he will not veto.

Lobbyists for the credit card industries want the legislation in order they say to close loopholes that make it too easy for people to wipe out their debts when they could repay some of them. Really now! These are the same idiots that stuff at least three offers a day into my friggen mail box and want me to play god damned The Price is Right, but now they seem to think they have no responsibility or blame in why a whole bunch of American consumers have overspent themselves into bankruptcy? I don't get it. Consumer advocates say that the bills would still allow some rich debtors to continue to hide wealth through homeownership while bankruptcy relief would be denied to many people with low or moderate incomes who have fallen on hard times because of illness, job loss or divorce. Credit card companies must share the blame for increased bankruptcies because they aggressively market products and inadequately disclose how interest rates and penalty fees mount up. And that's just the consumer advocates gripe with the credit card companies, because think of it. If the credit card companies are crying that they need legislative reform, then you tell me why they are still offering credit cards to just about anybody and in record numbers?

Under the current law, individuals filing under Chapter 7 can wipe out their debts if they agree to give up most of their assets, excluding in most cases their house and other essentials, like an automobile. You do not have to prove insolvency, but a court can deny you bankruptcy status if a judge thinks the law is being abused. OK, seems simple enough, but you know rich people, even so-called bankrupt rich people can hide stuff. Here comes the good part. You see, this whole legislative thing boils down to a huge case of GREED! Greed on the part of, in this case, the credit card lobbyists, and greed on the part of the rich little bastards who got themselves in trouble by god only knows how. Maybe they shouldn't have bought that $3.5 million dollar yacht down in Boca while my girlfriend is driving around in a 98 fucking Neon! Here's the good part.

It just so happens that there are a couple of states in which you, (or I should say a rich person), can buy or shall we say hide assets during bankruptcy by buying expensive houses because these states provide broad exemptions for these expensive homes. Would anyone care to fathom a guess which two states they happen to be? If you pulled the brass rings for Florida and Texas, you would be correct sir! Seems to me that there is a familiar name associated with those two states, but I just can't think of it, Hhmm. This whole debacle is sad for my girlfriend because I don't think that anyone who has ever declared bankruptcy has ever done so lightly, unless of course you're loaded, but no poor person ever has. It screws up your credit and your life for 7 - 10 years, at least. This new legislation is supposed to be voted on next week, so now instead of giving my girlfriend and I a little time to think this through and talk about it, I have to tell her to basically buck up and do it now. Thank you Richie Rich and a special thank you to the Bushs'. I don't understand why a states legislature just can't fix laws at the state level instead of screwing it up for the little people that actually have no recourse, but to file Chapter 7. Wealthy people will always make due. Living paycheck to paycheck, well that is not so easy.

Dynasty!

2005-02-06T23:29:00.000-05:00

A Dynasty Is Born!
I'm not going to gloat. Yes, I am! I can't help myself. I can now truly die a happy man. The Red Sox and the Patriots in the same year. Who could ask for anything more. Well, maybe another beer! Congradulations to the New England Patriots!

I Wonder If We Could Learn Something From This?

2005-02-05T20:58:00.000-05:00

It seems a judge in Yemen may have come up with a rather unique way to combat terrorism within his country. He and four other Islamic scholars basically go into the prisons that house al Queda prisoners and challenge these prisoners to a "Koranic duel". Judge Hamoud al-Hitar and his four scholars walk into Sanaa prison in Sanaa, Yemen, armed only with the Koran and throw down the gauntlet, so to speak, to defiant al Queda prisoners. The challenge?

"If you can convince us that your ideas are justified by the Koran, then we will join you in your struggle," Hitar tells the militants. "But if we succeed in convincing you of our ideas, then you must agree to renounce violence."

The prisoners, driven by ideology and doctrine eagerly agree. When western antiterrorism experts first heard of al Hitars plan they warned that the plan would end in disaster. Now, two years later after the first five prisoners have renounced violence and been released from prison these same western terrorism experts who doubted the experiment are eager to hear how Hitar's "theological dialogues" with captured militants have helped to bring peace to a part of the world that was once considered a failed state like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hitar says, "That since 2002, when the first round of the dialogues ended, there have been no terrorist attacks here,even though many people thought that Yemen would become terror's capital." "Three hundred and sixty four young men have been released after going through the dialogues and none of these have left Yemen to fight anywhere else."

"Yemen's strategy has been unconventional certainly, but it has achieved results that we could never have hoped for," says one European diplomat, who did not want to be named. "Yemen has gone from being a potential enemy to becoming an indispensable ally in the war on terror."

The prisoner release program is not solely responsible for the absence of terror attacks in Yemen. For years Yemen was synonymous with violent Islamic extremism. It is the ancestral home of Usama bin Laden, has provided two-thirds of the recruits for the Afghan terror camps, was notorious as a center for the kidnapping of foreigners and famous for the bombing of the American warship USS Cole in 2000 that killed 17 sailors. Since then Yemen has undertaken a range of measures to combat terrorism from closing down extreme madrassahs, the militant Islamic schools, deporting foreign militants, and now, Hitar's experimental program. The only thing that Yemen hasn't done is met violence with violence despite pressure from the US. Yemen is quick to point out that the attackers of the USS Cole were tried and put to death, as were the terrorists who carried out attacks on the French oil tanker, the SS Limburg, all received death sentences. Yemen argues that holding and punishing all militants would create only further discontent. Yet despite the apparent success in Yemen, some US diplomats have criticized it for apparently letting Islamic militants off the hook with little guarantee that they won't revert to their old ways once released from prison.

No matter where you stand on this issue it does bring up an interesting point. That being that terrorism is an ideology and is taught. The ideas from the Koran are twisted and warped and retaught to disillusioned young men. If you can teach a warped ideology, then I say that with enough time, given an open mind, you can teach sound ideology. The key like anything else is time. The US diplomats are exactly right however in that there is no guarantee that upon release from prison these now supposed reformed militants won't revert right back to their old ways again. Just as there is no guarantee that a murderer released on parole will not kill again. I would only say that in the war on terror we could use all the tools we can get. A few things are true though. When you belittle or torture a prisoner they will do or tell you anything just to get you to stop! Humiliation will piss a prisoner off! Disrespecting a prisoner will get you disrespect and stubbornness back!

Believe it or not the old saying about catching more flies with honey works. Now ask me how I know this? If you want to change a persons ideology or thought process then the first thing you have to do is to understand his. Know your enemy. Secondly, you have to respect that person. I don't care if that person is a terrorist or not. You don't have to like the guy, but if the end result that you want is information or a change in behavior then you had better find some common ground for respect or remove yourself from the process. Then, if you can and the prisoner is open to it, you can attempt to change ideology by letting him see for himself that his ideology is wrong. How you go about doing that is the key. Judge Hitar uses the Koran as his weapon and his ideology, so does a terrorist. You always hear bin Laden or that wing nut Zawahiri spouting off verses from the Koran and twisting them trying to suit their own ideology and purpose. Hitar lets the prisoners see for themselves what the verses actually say and what they mean, the end result is that the prisoners change their own ideology by realizing that what they were originally taught is wrong.

The process is more complicated than the simplified version above. However like I said, I think the tactic or whatever you want to call the process that Judge Hitar has come up with is unique and deserves a look. I really don't think that it's all about bombing the shit out of everybody. In the end it's the ideology of hate that has to change.

What Happens If You're 54?

2005-02-03T11:15:00.000-05:00

Last nights "State of The Union" speech by Mr. Bush was at times, a real tear jerker. The purple stained index fingers, the applause, and the hug, which appeared to be spontaneous, between Safia Taleb al-Suahil, the leader of the Iraqi Women's Political Council and Janet Norwood, the mother of marine Sgt. Byron Norwood, who was killed fighting in Fallujah on November 13, 2004. But, the real tear-jerker for me was as you may well have guessed was Social Security. I heard crying, some screaming, and a great Biblical gnashing of teeth throughout my neighborhood last evening during this part of the presidents speech, most of the gruesome noises coming from my own living room! I had planned on listening intently to this part of the presidents speech because after all, the days are getting shorter, so to speak, and retirement isn't that many years away anymore.

I do remember listening, intently, and then I was told he said these words, "Today, more than 45 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, and millions more are nearing retirement. And for them, the system is strong and fiscally strong. I have a message for every American who is 55 or older: Do not let anyone mislead you. For you, the Social Security system will not change in any way." (Then there was a lot of noise after that statement which I was later told was applause.)

This is what I think I actually heard the President say, "Today, more than 45 million .... Nearing retirement. And for them, the system is strong and fiscally strong. I have a message for every American who is 55 or older: Do not let anyone mislead you. Blah, blah, blah .... Anyone 54 and younger should now shoot yourself in the head! Do yourself a favor. You haven't got a pot to piss in anyway, so just get it over with!" (Then there was a lot of noise after that statement which I think was the sound of my head exploding.)

All morning I have been searching the internet looking for some kind of clarification as to what it means if you are presently 54, which if you haven't guessed by now, this old guy is. Does that mean that you can turn 55 in 2005 and be safe? Do you have to be 55 as of the month of February 2005? Or does it mean that you have to be 55 as of 2004? I like 55 in 2005, sounds like a slogan doesn't it? - "55 in 05!" What the hell does it mean? The only thing I have been able to find so far is a tiny blurb that basically says if you are 54 and under, your social security benefits will have to be cut. There is no mention of how much benefits would be cut, or if and how this fix of the present system would at least have the illusion of some kind of equitableness. Is the cutoff of 54 in place now..., or 54 when and if the reform measures are passed. If the cutoff of 54 is in place now, the government has just "cut the throats" of the largest percentage of baby-boomers on the way to their retirement. Those born between 1951 and 1955.

I realize that Social Security was never meant to be a so-called "retirement plan" in and of itself, however; it has figured into how much money has gone into my main retirement accounts and now the government wants to screw with the formula, in effect, "my formula." Most people my age that have money in the stock market for retirement have taken a range of hits the last couple of years, some small and some large, depending on your diversity, knowledge, and involvement in your own accounts, i.e.: moving money around, etc. I have just more or less gotten comfortable again with the stock market after moving retirement money around. If the government wants to now cut Social Security benefits for 54 and younger, even to a small extent, it just throws another wrench into the mix. If it sounds like I am whining, you're damn right. If it was your money, your retirement, and your future, you would be whining also, just wait, their's plenty of time to mess with everyone's money.

Right now, I like everyone else, has to take a wait and see attitude until the political rhetoric stops and someone puts a solid plan on the table. Until then it's just a lot of bullshit, political bantering and maneuvering. The Democrats are already promising a "fight to the death", so to speak, to block anything to do with social security reform which goes right along with the view of some others who do not even think that the social security system is broken. Right now all I know is that I'm broken! Somebody or something better get this thing fixed so that maybe I can get myself fixed. I love camping per say, but have no desire to spend my waning years "living in a van down by the river". Help me!

Iraqi Vote: A Beginning I Hope

2005-02-01T13:17:00.000-05:00

"Who you voting for?" "Number 421 I think."
Sunday, January 30, 2005 will surely go down in both Iraqi history and American history as a great day for both countries. Considering that there were at least 8 suicide bomber attacks, mostly against polling sites, for all intents and purposes the elections were a resounding success. There was death however, with at least 40 people killed along with the 9 suicide bombers across the country. These incidents did nothing apparently to stem the tide of jubilant Iraqis who ventured to the polls on foot to exercise for the first time their legitimate, free right to vote. It was a great first step. Al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian leader of the insurgents in Iraq had promised to light up the country with 400 suicide bombers and failed miserably. I doubt that he will wallow in defeat for long however. He has vowed revenge on the purple fingered, ink stained Iraqis that took part in Sundays election and he unfortunately will find a way to kill again. But for now let the people of Iraq dance and celebrate. I hope they realize that the real work is only just beginning.

As I was sitting at the table reading accounts of the elections on Sunday I found myself thinking back to when I sat in high school many centuries ago studying American history. I vaguely remember accounts of the 1st Continental Congress, where in 1774 we first came to think of ourselves as Americans. Lexington and Concord in April of 1775, where those first shots fired opened our new American minds to the idea of independence from Britain and the reality of war to obtain it. When in January of 1776, Thomas Paine had written "Common Sense", it had offered Americans a powerful case for independence and showed that it was winable and that Americans deserved Independence. In May of 1776, the 2nd Continental Congress directed the old colonies to write new Constitutions to replace their original colonial charters; little by little Americans' new commitment to liberty and the idea of freedom were pushing them farther out of the grasp of the British Empire. In June of 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, introduced to the 2nd Continental Congress three resolutions, the 1st declaring that the colonies "are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states," the 2nd authorizing negotiations with such European powers as France and Spain, and the 3rd called for "articles of confederation and perpetual union." On July 2, 1776, Congress adopted those resolutions and two days later, on July 4, 1776, the 2nd Continental Congress adopted a declaration drafted by Thomas Jefferson, which set forth the Americans' case against King George III of England, and for Independence. As far as I'm concerned, the "Declaration of Independence" is a written masterpiece. To me, the preamble is an indictment against King George of his failure to deal with the Americans in a fair and reasonable manner although given many chances to do so. The preamble was the key to the colonies case against the king. The use of the terms "inalienable rights" and "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" was the basis for the Americans to go to war against the tyrannical king. The preamble also contains the principles on which Americans would build their own constitution, political system, and govern themselves.

In November of 1777, Congress sent the Articles of Confederation for ratification. It took almost 4 years for all 13 states to finally ratify the Articles. Finally, on June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the 9th state needed to ratify the Constitution of the United States of America, thus finally putting it into effect. From the initial meeting of the 1st Continental Congress in 1774 to the final ratification of the Constitution in 1788 it took 14 years to work out, hash out, experiment with, argue about, fight a war over, and fight a rebellion with,etc., before our form of government finally took hold. Even then we were not totally done with writing this document as most of us know or should know. On December 15, 1791, Virginia ratified 10 proposed constitutional amendments and the "Bill of Rights" was added to the US Constitution. We have been adding amendments, when necessary ever since. The last one, the 27th Amendment was ratified on May 7, 1992. So you see, government is always a work in progress which in a round about way brings me back to Iraq.

After reading the paper I went to my trusty newsreader and downloaded the news for the morning. An article from MSNBC, written by a Fareed Zakaria caught my attention. The article is entitled, "Elections Are Not Democracy." I found myself agreeing with some of the points that this guy was making, for instance one election does not a democracy make. As you can read from my little synopsis above on our own American struggle for Independence and Democracy it took us 14 years just to set up the basic ground work and to get working documents in place. Now, admittedly Iraq is a much smaller country than the US, however; the country has enough ethnic divide to keep the flow of arguments going for a good long time. Hopefully, if this election shows the Iraqi people anything, it will show them that taking charge of their future is possible. True there will be bloodshed until that is brought under control or eradicated. There was bloodshed during our war of independence also until we ousted the British.

There were three main points in the article by Mr. Zakaria that he says Iraq either must avoid or have in place are, 1.) avoiding major ethnic or religious strife. Elections where one group has the majority over another can lead to tensions unless things are worked out between the groups. We have already seen this in the elections in Iraq and the concern now is how will the Shite majority treat the Sunni minority. 2.) Iraq must create a non-oil-based economy and government. When a government has easy access to money, it doesn't need to create a real economy. In fact, it doesn't really need its citizens because it doesn't tax them. The result is something like a "royal court", distant and detached from it society. 3.) You must have the rule of law as a final and crucial condition. Without it, little else can work. There have been complaints lately of the same abuses suffered under Saddam inside the police forces.

These three points are already in place in Iraq, however maybe, just maybe after Sundays election the Iraqi people will find a new courage and direction that until now seems to have evaded them. I, like others I believe have the bad habit of trying to compare everyone else in the world with us and our fight for freedom. I cannot do that. I've come to the conclusion, right or wrong, bad or good, that we just love to fight in this country and we are damn good at it. From what I have witnessed in Iraq, they are not good fighters, nor do I think that they will ever be on par with us, so what. They don't have to be I suppose. They just have to be good enough to fight and win their own battles against their own enimies so that we can bring our young men and women home, and they can govern and live in their own country in whatever measure of freedom they can bring to it. I'm almost sure it will be nothing like ours, so what. I just hope that it doesn't take them 14 years!

The Only Rod Flying Around Here is Escamilla

2005-01-29T22:07:00.000-05:00

In yesterdays blog I introduced everyone to a man named Jose Escamilla who for the last ten years has had quite a time for himself supposedly investigating what he has described as some kind of flying alien life form which he named "Rods." He has studied these anomalies for over ten years and if you read yesterdays blog you will see that he has actually obtained little specific information on these creatures. That in itself in the scientific world may or may not be all that unusual depending on the circumstances such as availability of money, or grants, lack of research equipment, and so on. In Mr. Escamillas case there may be the lack of only a few things.

He has a research team, such as it is, although I would say that they lack what I would call real research oriented credentials. For a professional videographer he seems to have trouble with or the availability of equipment for his so-called expeditions to study these creatures. In general there are more disturbing questions surrounding this guy and his Rod research than answers, and I'm not the only one asking them. The one thing that Mr. Escamilla doesn't seem to have a problem with, until recently anyway, is obtaining money!

Jose may not be much closer in ten years to answering the question of what these creatures are, however; in that time he has shall we say expanded his interests into other areas. First of all, his "Roswell Rods" website has been up and running for a long while. Lately however there appears to be a few glitches with links, all except the donations link that is. His little donation speech is quite moving and there appears to be just a tad bit of anger involved in the writing of it, almost as if the funds are drying up? Now, I wonder why that could be happening? Let us delve a little further into the reputation and Rod research of Mr. Escamilla. Jose is by profession or was, an Entertainer, and a decent video editor. Now that should be worth something. Oh wait, that's right, I forgot about the three very well produced and packaged videos/DVD's that Jose has been selling on his site. They were made by collecting images of these so-called Rods. Some were shot by him as I understand it and some were sent to him and he used these images in his video. I also remember reading in my research about a few people not being too happy about the use of their images and not receiving at the least any credit and at the most any compensation. Hhmm.

Then, of course, there were questions. You would figure that after ten years of "research" that Mr. Escamilla would have something other than the amount of info on one pageof paper, but nope. The questions for Jose kept coming. Legitimate questions, especially questions from videographers, like himself and photographers. Rods, it seems were showing up accidentally on film anywhere and everywhere and not everybody was as amazed or as curious as Jose. There were actually people out there who seemed to know what Rods were. However, as we shall see, the more questions and inquiries sent to Jose's website, the more Jose seemed to be avoiding answering his critics.

Believe it or not there have been many serious and scientific studies done about what these objects are and as I said before they seem to show up quite a bit on video tape and on certain exposure and shutter speed settings on a still camera. I have gotten this effect on my Canon AE1 35mm SLR with shutter speeds around 1/60sec and 1/30sec when taking pictures of bees and other flying insects. I have provided links to a few of the studies, if you would like to read them. Once you get to a page there are other links on that page you can link to. These studies are much too detailed to even try and summarize in a blog. However, the conclusion of most of these studies, not all, but most seem to be that "Rods" are a videographic artifact that is caused by a flying insect. This photographic illusion is based on the frame capture rate of the video camera versus the wingbeat cycles of the insect on each frame of the video, thus creating the illusion of a "Rod."

You're A Bug, No you Are, No I'm A Rod! Is Jose Here?
Look at the photograph above. It is an example of this relationship between frame capture rate and wingbeat frequency which obtains the desired effect whether by accident or by design. In simple terms NTSC (National Television System Committee) video always runs at 30 frames/second regardless of the shutter speed. Without getting too technical, there are 2 fields/frame and these fields are interlaced, alternating odd and even numbered scan lines. The fields are captured consecutively which gives NTSC video an actual speed of 60 fields/second. The slowest exposure time for a NTSC camcorder is 1/60 second. When you put the relationship of 1/60sec of exposure so the shutter is open to capture the entire field and when viewing this on TV because of the way it scans, you get a continuous streak. If you shoot at 1/60 sec and capturing 60 fields/second, the exposure is continuous so that the flying bug will form the illusion of a continuous streak across the monitor and presto-chango, you've got a "Rod." Whew!

Anyway, the people doing this research have been sending their findings to Mr. Escamilla and he has sort of dropped off the map and ignores these people. He continues to insist that these images are of an alien life form and that "irrefutable proof is forthcoming." Meanwhile, Jose has been a busy little trooper trying to put together a cable television network called "The Borderlands Network" and has a nice looking website up looking for money and investors. From what I hear, he has no takers and the cable people won't touch him because they don't think his network has a chance in hell of success up against the sci-fi channel. He's still talking a blue streak and now he is trying to convince people or himself that they will launch their network when they get their satellite. Okey Dokey. Yeah, like this guy is going to raise enough money to build and launch a television satellite for his delusional shit. Look, if I was this guy I think that I would head for the Borderlands of Mexico or South America. I don't think his claims are worth a dam. He won't confront his critics and all he wants is money to produce and sell more videos about some imaginary life form in order for him to pursue his other delusional ideas.

There are rods, but they don't fly around the sky and they don't do whatever it is that ten years of research has shown they don't do either. There's this rod that lives in New Mexico who is trying to bilk people out of money for one delusional scheme after another. That's the true definition of a rod. Unfortunately, there are still people out there that rods can prey on. The people that "want to believe." You know, the Fox Muldars of the world. I don't know what it is that makes these people easy prey for these fast talking dreamers and schemers who always seem to be one step ahead with the right answers or just enough unsubstantiated silly-ass proof to keep the money coming and the interest peaked. But it is time to put this rod to rest.

There's Something Flying Around Up There!

2005-01-28T13:26:00.000-05:00

Look! Up in The Sky It's, What The Hell is It?
What the hell is this that FOX News caught on their Baghdad camera on April 3, 2004, at about 4:00pm EST during the early going of the Iraqi war? Is it some kind of Iraqi Bathist stealth technology our war planners were caught unaware of secretly sent out to scout the location of our troops? Is it one of the madman, jihadist, millionaire bin Laden's newly built flying bombs caught on its way to crash into and kill hundreds of our troops while they sleep? Or is it something more benign, such as some kind of Iraqi child's flying toy? Or is it some kind of unknown alien flying creature called "Rods" that have been showing up all over the world lately? If you happen to be a man named Jose Escamilla, you should have figured by now that these images are of what he claims to be, as yet an unknown life form called a Rod.

Jose has been shooting, editing, directing and producing video for over 20 years. Jose has done work about LA Gang Violence, and a cartoon series called "Donny - The Educational Dinosaur. Jose also performs, arranges and produces music as he has done for Tito Guizar, best known as the "Mexican Troubadour" in 1990. Apparently, all that changed on March 5, 1994 in the town of Midway, NM. On that day his sister had called him and told him to come to the house, and oh by the way, bring your camcorder because there is a UFO zipping around the skies out here. Not one to pass up a good UFO sighting as I have come to learn while researching this guy Jose gets his camera and he is off and running. Later, in his editing bay thinking he is going to edit a tape containing a few UFOs on it Jose is surprised to see that the video camera has picked up more than sixty objects of all shapes and sizes. Jose is amazed. Fourteen days later he witnesses the event that he claims will change his life. Since his first sighting and documentation of these Roswell Rods as they have become known he has appeared on numerous television shows such as The Learning Channel, Geraldo Rivera, Hard Copy, Sightings, and Encounters to name but a few. Jose has also appeared in many UFO related magazines and has his own web site called Roswell Rods.

On March 19, 1994 Jose Escamilla caught his first glimpse of what he claims to be a new life form on video at Midway, NM. According to Mr. Escamilla this encounter forever changed his life to the point of a passion to find out just what these flying creatures were. He assembled a team of researchers with various education and backgrounds, some with previous UFO experience, (I should say encounters), some without. Jose has spent ten years filming and studying these creatures while through the years gathering to himself quite a following of interested people, some freely financing his operations. For his ten years of research and filming Jose has produced and sold videos and DVDs containing footage of Rods of all shapes and sizes, some of the video shot by him while some shot by other people from around the globe. If you ask Mr. Escamilla just exactly what his research has discovered about these creatures in ten years he will tell you that:

Rods are cylindrical or cigar shaped objects that are not like the typical "cigar" shaped UFOs that have been reported throughout history.
They are from four inches to a hundred, (or more), feet in length.
Some are thin like spears.
Some Rods have what appear to be "appendages" along their torsos resembling Centipedes.
They travel at extremely high velocities barely visible with the naked eye.
They do exhibit some form of intelligence.
They are appearing everywhere.
They don't appear to be mechanical or made of metal.
They appear to be alive.
Recently his research team received footage from Rhode Island of a "Cigar shaped object" that has a Rod zipping through the same sequence.

Wow, that's a hell of a lot of information for ten years of research, wouldn't you say? One of his team, Dave Blackburn, who is the research teams resident Virtual Reality and Real-Time 3D character animation guy. Oh yes, he also has a BS degree in Industrial Engineering, but as I'm sure everybody is well aware of TV Animation and a BS in Industrial Engineering more than qualifies anyone in the 3 years that Dave has been with Jose to come up with a scientific notion that attempts to explain just what these anomalous flying creatures are. According to Dave, the resident Digital TV Animation scientist, Rods are specifically the phylogenetic descendants of the long thought-to-be-extinct (cookie monster), no sorry I mean Protopterygote, whose name is actually derived from the Latin word for "First Flying Organism." I think that they should have been named from the Latin word for "First Flying Orgasm." Ah, come on, it's funny. This would be the theoretical intermediate species or "missing flying link" if you will, that possibly evolved survival mechanisms through natural selection, that brought about the first biological capabilities of gliding, soaring, and eventually flying. Holy shit! Wasn't that a mouthful? And just think of the accomplishment. Dave thought this theory up in three years, that's it. Jose runs around with four people for ten years and gets what he gets, but it takes a TV guy to actually come up with a theory. Now if I only knew what the fuck this guy was talking about. I just want to know one thing. Are these little beasties getting ready to chow down on humanity or what? What are they really and why are they flying around in my neighborhood? Come to think of it why haven't I ever seen a dead one in the street or on my lawn? Why have I never hit one with my pickup or shot one out of the sky in one of my drunk-ass, redneck, gun-swinging, 600 round/minute bullet shootin' tirades out in the back forty? This is just a little bit disturbing come to think of it. I meant me drunk with a loaded gun.

The only thing disturbing to Jose Escamilla apparently is that for ten years of film and research he has very little in the way of positive proof as to what these creatures are except for what was laid out above. He also says that he needs more money in order to continue his research. I find his lack of proof for ten years of work disturbing especially since by his own admission Jose has practically grown up with UFOs. Oh crap, I should have known. In 1966, near Carlsbad, NM, Jose claims to have had a close encounter with a UFO while traveling with a fellow band member. This wasn't his first encounter with UFOs and would not be his last, only this one he hinted many years later ended with a possible alien abduction. These first hand experiences with UFO and rod phenomenas along with his background in the Entertainment Industry would give him a unique talent later on in presenting his ideas on UFOs, especially his somewhat disturbing view on Rods to the public.

Two Rods Using Video Technique of "Skyfishing"
This brings me to my position I reached while researching this guy. In my book at least there are many things about Mr. Escamilla, the self-proclaimed "ROD MAN", entrepreneur, producer, entertainer, and alleged alien abductee that I find disturbing and a whole lot suspect. As I said before Mr. Escamilla claims to have been researching Rods for over ten years now and in those ten years all he has amassed in knowledge about these creatures is stated above. However, the above few sentences is not all that Jose himself has gotten from his experiences. Over the years Jose has built up somewhat of a following among UFO enthusiasts, the paranormal investigators and generally people into weird phenomena. I'm sure we all know somebody into the weird stuff. He is always looking for donations to continue his so called work which has to include collecting film and pics from all over the world. Why? So far I believe that he has released a total of three DVDs on the subject of Rods, well done, narrated, the whole bit. These discs go for about $25.00 a pop. His primary web site is a pretty slick production yet when you log onto the site itself there is little information about Rods actually contained within it and a lot of the links don't seem to work. Of course, the links to the donation page, (check the donation page out, it's hysterical), and the DVD sales page work and he makes no bones about asking for money. My guess would be he needs the money for his other projects. What would they be. Well one is an attempt at launching a Television network called, "The Borderlands Network", which claims paranormal programming 24/7. The site is another slick operation with very little actual information. I could find nothing about the actual so-called corporation anywhere. If you click the link on the website to the investor information link, guess what? They want you to sign up, obtain a password, and apparently get checked out in order to see if you are a legitimate or verifiable investor. I've seen this crap before and it's usually associated with "bullshit" money bilking type schemes. It's also crap. Any legitimate company would be glad to send a prospective investor a company prospectus and a company plan without hesitation and without all of this sign up or sign in baloney. Jose talks a real good marketing pitch, but apparently what I did find out is that he has no takers as far as cable or satellite dish networks. They don't think that he has a viable commodity, in other words, nobody is going to subscribe to his network when there is already a scifi channel. Mr. Escamilla is still trying to sell the stupid thing and speaking of stupid, I'm beginning to think that maybe when Mr. Escamilla was allegedly abducted that maybe the little grey guys just may have sucked out a tad too much grey matter. He also has another web site called, "JEM Works" or "Jose Escamilla Music Works." Jose is a musician and I guess now he thinks he is some kind of producer also. Just off the top of my head I would say that Jose hasn't necessarily anything for ten years of Rod research. Sounds to me like he's come into some money lately or something?

As is too much the norm in life there usually comes a time when all good things must come to an end and it looks like for Jose that may be happening. A lot of his former following of believers are beginning to bail on him and his "just wait until the overwhelming evidence comes out," rhetoric. The evidence never does come out. Little by little as new opposing evidence comes to light on what these creatures probably really are Mr. Escamilla is losing friends and money. Mr. Escamilla still steadfastly proclaims that Rods are still an unknown alien life form in spite of growing evidence that may point the flying fickle money finger of contributors to another cause. Tomorrows blog will continue to look at the possible explanations for Rods and hopefully conclude the mystery of these creatures. However, nothing is a sure thing so it will have to be left up to the reader once all the evidence is presented to come to their own conclusions whether or not these creatures really exist. Meanwhile I hope everyone sleeps well tonight. Don't leave your windows open and watch out walking after dark. The Rods like it best at night. Ha, ha, ha.

The First Legitimate Iraqi Election, Huh?

2005-01-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

In two days Iraqis will go to the polls to freely elect another kind of interim government, hopefully. An election that will elect a 275 seat Iraqi National Assembly which will in turn choose a Presidency Council and then draft the country's first legitimate democratic constitution. Or will it?

That seems to be the big question on everybody's mind except for President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, our newly sworn in Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, General Abazaid, and a few more of the inner circle neocons that drafted and implemented the plan for Iraq to receive the precious gift of Democracy. In fact, the Washington crew and a majority of congressional republicans appear to be the only ones on God's green earth that seem to think that the outcome of the Iraqi poll on Sunday is in the bag, so to speak. I don't even think that Tony Blair shares the same enthusiasm as does Washington anymore. With elections coming up in England and with the comment made the other day by the British prime minister referring to America needing to get more onboard with the European agenda, it almost seems as if Mr. Blair might be trying to distance himself a little from the Bush neocon view of the world. I wonder if he is secretly hoping that after the elections in Iraq he can find a way to bring the British troops home. That would do well for his election chances. Even before the elections what I feared would happen seems to be happening.

The Arab League and the European Union have both come out and warned that if the Sunnis boycott the elections on Sunday that the credibility of the outcome of those elections would be suspect.

"The boycott will affect the credibility of the outcome and if the outcome is to be a national assembly that is to draft a constitution, there will be a major problem," Arab League spokesman Hossam Zaki told Reuters on Tuesday, January 25.

"You end up having an electoral process that is secretive because of the security situation and which is not comprehensive because of a boycott by a significant component of Iraqi society," Zaki added.

Some of the major Sunni groups which include the Association of Muslim Scholars and the Islamic Party are boycotting the election and have said it should be delayed as long as it will be held under an occupying power and in view of the prevailing insecurity. There has been a call by the Arab League for the US backed interim government to hold a conference to promote reconciliation with its opponents to ensure election participation. The US has said right along that this is just another attempt by the Sunnis to halt the election process. The Sunnis know that when the elections are held that the Shite majority will most likely win a majority of seats in the assembly and they will effectively be out of power. Some hope that the insurgents will cause the elections to either be postponed or called off all together for security reasons.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has warned that it would be a "catastrophe" if Sunnis do not vote in this month's landmark elections in Iraq.

"I don't think that Iraq could be stable if the Sunnis do not participate in the political process," Solana told the foreign affairs committee of the European Parliament.

"If there were no Sunni representative, it would be a catastrophe," Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted Solana as saying Monday.

Solana went on to say that at least the Sunnis should take part in drafting the new constitution and the new electoral process if they remained reluctant, saying, "Otherwise, I don't think we will have a stable Iraq if the Sunnis are not part of the process. Every sensitivity in Iraq has to participate in the electoral process."

What and who the fuck does this guy think he is! I will admit that I am not a big fan of the war in Iraq. I really don't see what it has to do with 9-11 or the hunt for terrorists. Now, before any of you junior terrorist hunters jump in my shit and try to explain the new world to me - don't! I was in the military for 28 years and for 22 of those years all I did was chase terrorists and bad guys, so please don't try and enlighten me as to how it is done, ok. But, this Solana guy is off his nut to suggest that no matter what the outcome of the election that we should give the Sunnis a place at the table. Fuck the Sunnis. If they don't want to vote, then fuck 'em! What's the point of having elections if that's how this guy feels? Fucking Europeans, trying to kiss everybody's ass. Go have a fucking donut, make it a French one. Kiss their ass for awhile. If you just let them be part of the government, no matter what, then you just might as well say that all of the coalition troops over in Iraq died and got their friggen asses blown to shit for nothing! Not going to happen even if I do not entirely agree with Bush and his plans.

OK, 'nough said. I took a pill and feel much better. People seem to be crawling out of the woodwork to sound off about the legitimacy of the Iraqi poll. The Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that this weekend's Iraqi election would not fully be democratic and was unlikely to stem violence or help stabilize the country. Erdogan characterized the elections as a transition to democratic elections, but not fully democratic, again because of the threatened boycott by the Sunni minority. Of course, Turkey as you probably know may have just a bit of a vested interest in how stable Iraq is or isn't which is due to the large population of Kurds in the northern part of Iraq. Turkey has a large population of Kurds.

The Kurds residing in Iraq have a good thing going. They were semi-autonomous under Saddam and have their own provisional constitution given to them in March of 2004. They have a good economy and want to stay hooked up with Iraq because of the profitability. On Sunday the Kurds will be electing their own autonomous parliament plus an Iraqi national assembly, the best of both worlds. However, the Kurds do have certain demands they feel the Iraqi government must meet and continue to meet even after the election regardless of who controls the government. Failure to abide by these demands would result in a Kurdish separation from Iraq. Iraq's Kurds are not actively seeking independence but will be unable to remain Iraqis if the Baghdad government fails to observe their key demands, a top Kurdish official has warned.

Noshirwan Mustafa, an aide of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Jalal Talabani, said in an interview that there were "three red lines for us," that if the Iraqis crossed, we would no longer be Iraqis. "If the Arabs do not accept the principle of federalism, we will no longer be Iraqis. If they insist on a theocratic regime, we will no longer be Iraqis. And Kurdish terrorists must be returned to Kurdistan," Mustafa said.

I just want to know who has been coaching these guys? My god, it sounds like the 1st continental congress. Federalism! Madison has got to be cracking up right now, somewhere.

All in all, it sounds like it's shaping up to be one hell of an election already. So far the election has all the makings of a great novel. It's got drama, plenty of drama. It's got intrigue, oh yeah, nobody knows from day to day who's going to be alive tomorrow, either to vote or to actually run in the election. Most people don't even know what the candidates look like because they are afraid to show their faces in the street or on television. They might as well be signing their own death warrant. That's freedom and democracy folks. Iraq's first virtual, invisible election, brought to you by the folks at Halliburton. Don't worry folks, just vote, honestly somebody is there behind the curtain, trust me! Our little novel has death, boy does it. Every damn day somebody is getting their ass blown up or shot. It's got spies. How else did the insurgents know what polling places to blow up when the list was supposed to be secret? Oh yeah, it's got spies. It's got good guys? And it's got bad guys? That, of course depends on whose side your on. And our novel will eventually have an ending. Just what that ending is remains to be seen. I, for one hope that it turns out well and we can get our people out of that god forsaken country. No offense to the Iraqi people intended, it's just that I think the price has been to high.

There are many endings that could flow across the pages of our novel, again I suppose depending on whose side your on. If you happen to be Linda Heard, who wrote an article for the American version of Aljazeerah, then the election is already in the bag according to her. Why, because an unnamed source, in this case an Iraqi diplomat, who swears that he is a close friend of Eyad Allawi told her, "The outcome of the elections is more or less a done deal. Allawi is set to continue." Of course, she says that she originally took this statement with a grain of salt until reading last Sunday's Times: "fears of a takeover by Shite clerics have prompted speculation that Washington might have been trying to strike a deal with Al Sistani to keep Allawi as prime minister after the election." Hhmm! I wonder how that is going to work?

Well, all of this drama and intrigue called the Iraqi elections will come to fruition on Sunday and then we may all be able to breathe a sigh of relief when everything goes as smooth as silk, and a new government is elected. The Shites will become the duly elected majority, and in a magnanimous showing of love and forgiveness will forget all about past abuses at the hands of their previous deposed Sunni masters, and in front of the whole world embrace each other. Iraq will stabilize because now, realizing the error of their ways, the insurgents will see the futility of more fighting in the face of such love and kindness. They will pack their weapons and go home. Oh glourius day. Mr. Bush, having bested the nay sayers and disbelievers of his plans for a democratic middle east will go in front of the cameras to gloat some and I say, hurrah! let him. Everything will be fine and all will be right with the world. Next stop Iran! Right? Yep, and if you believe all of that I've got some prime land in the Everglades that I'll sell you cheap. Well, maybe all except for the Iran part.

Was The Inauguration Worth The Cost?

2005-01-25T11:27:00.000-05:00

I talked to a friend today for the first time since he had been back from attending President Bush's inauguration festivities and after talking with him at length, to put it mildly, he said for the most part that he was quite disappointed with the whole experience. He had quite a story to tell, mostly about the tight security measures throughout the city of Washington D.C. His words were, "Security was tighter than a fleas ass." My friend was also disappointed that he actually never got to see the President during the parade. "That's really the only god damn reason that I made the trip down there," he said, "What a fuckin' joke, the whole fuckin' thing, a pain in the ass joke." "Every five friggen' minutes, every hundred friggen' feet, someone asking you for a fucking ID. It was ridiculous." To listen to him tell the story was hilarious, well because my friend is a funny guy to begin with and he tells a funny story. I also know that he hates being hassled. All I guess he really accomplished was a couple of days away from work and spending a lot of money for a lousy place to stay and some lousy food - his words.

I had another friend that had attended the festivities and not one to put all of my eggs into one basket I decided to give her a call and get her perspective on things. What she told me was much the same, only she said that because it was such a pain getting around that her and her friend had actually left to come back home even before the parade started. She said that it was doubtful that her and her friend would be able to get close enough to see anything. She laughed and said, "I guess that's the price we pay for 9-11 and all the security bullshit." "Yeah," I said, "All the bullshit is right."

I'm sure that everybody has a horror story about fending for themselves in order to try and participate in a historical event, a chance to see the president being sworn in from a half mile away or maybe even getting lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time when he walks by during the parade. Unless you happened to be one of the republican elite or the invited elite that's about all that you could have hoped for. Reading the news reports on Saturday, I remember phrases such as, "unprecedented security", the inauguration cost about $40 million, security costs were around $18 million, and Mayor Anthony Williams of D. C. wanted to know how the hell he was going to pay for it and why he had to pay for it when in previous inaugurations the government had picked up the tab for security. Ah, those were the days, huh? Those were the days come to think of it!

I hate to say this, but in some small way "terrorism" has accomplished part of what it has set out to do. It has got us all walking around like chickens with our collective heads cut off, looking over our shoulders and paranoid as all hell! Our Republic is an armed camp, with machine pistol toting cops on every corner of Manhattan and Patriot missile batteries setup in fields in our nations capital. Our Democratic ideals are now subject to constitutional debates on how far we can go before some forms of questioning are considered torture, exactly how long you can hold someone in custody without letting them make a phone call or speak to an attorney, what exactly constitutes illegal search and seizure, or do we really need probable cause to kick a door in or is I think I saw someone that looked 'Arabic' waving a copy of the Koran O.K. The American Eagle that Mr. Ashcroft sings, well shall we say waxes poetic, about wouldn't dare fly across America's skies for fear of being shot down by a patriot missile or a patrolling F-16.

Most law enforcement people, when asked their opinions of the unprecedented level of inaugural security responded with what you would expect, a typical response summed up by D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey who said that he felt security levels were appropriate and was happy with how the parade and other events turned out on Thursday. "The security was adequate," Ramsey said, "I have absolutely no regrets, I think everything was fine. The crime was low, and the event went off without a hitch. The cold weather had more to do with turnout than anything. Overall, I think the security was very, very good. I was very, very pleased." Good ole' Chief Ramsey. He only thought that $18 million in security was apparently only adequate. Oh well, maybe by the time the next event rolls around and with a little more planning he will be able to have the force get the portable "barbed wire" fence in place around the entire city, with just a little more time and planning. Maybe next time Chief Ramsey can get his buddy Chief Terrance W. Gainer of the U.S. Capitol Police Force to help him with the security projects. Chief Gainer agreed with Chief Ramsey about the security situation saying that the massive number of officers and federal agents were needed. At least Chief Gainer took a more philosophical stance on the issue stating, "I believe that regrettably we have to do it now," who had streets shut down and had taken other somewhat controversial steps to make the Capitol Hill more secure. "Because of the state of the world today, we have to take these precautions. It only seems like overkill when nothing happens." "After 9-11, we started finger-pointing, and everyone wanted to know why law enforcement didn't do something to prevent it," Gainer said. Gainer also said that the world, because of 9-11, will never be the same and that the world of law enforcement has had to change with it. The Secret Service, not to be outdone and not being so secret had this to say from spokesman Tom Mazur. Mazur said that the level of security was just right. (Now how did I just know that the Secret Service would say that?) "Overall we were pleased with the operation of our security plan," Mazur said. "The levels of security were appropriate in this post 9-11 environment, and current world events dictated some of the precautions and security enhancements that were taken. Of course, the Secret Service will have an after-action review, and hopefully we will be able to strengthen our plans in the future." (Yeah, maybe next time you could have the president drive around in an M1 tank).

I haven't quoted law enforcement just to take up space, nor to over-exaggerate the point that I am trying to make about how much this country has changed since the events of September 11, 2001. One day in the fall of 2001, one day, a day that started out warm and sunny in New York, most people on their way to work, maybe walking a little slower because of the great weather. Then, in a matter of a few hours, tragedy struck, and turned the nation, turned my nation, the one that I fought in an unpopular war for, fought voluntarily for, left a few pieces of me in some god-forsaken southeast Asian country for, from a fucking war we didn't even win, and then in the course of one day, I watched my country start to turn into something that I don't particularly care for! If you ask most law enforcement people about the level of inaugural security, like I said, you will get a positive response. The level was good or adequate because that's the way it has to be because of 9-11 and the world we live in. If you ask a regular person, a civilian, (although I sincerely believe that because of bin Laden's "fatwa" issued against all Americans, anywhere, anytime, that there are - no civilians anymore), security during the inauguration was, and I quote, "A pain in the ass." The biggest complaint from people that I have talked to was that you couldn't get close enough to really see anything. If you ask a Washington, D.C. business person about the security for the inauguration they will tell you that years ago they could expect to make some money generated from the foot traffic, but last Thursday, downtown was like a ghosttown. Imagine the capital of the nation deserted. It is almost unimaginable. If you ask a legislator, depending of course on their political affiliation, how many martinis they have had, if there is any press around, you get the drill. They will either say that security is just right, too much, or that maybe next time some sort of middle ground, or compromise could be worked out in order to make everyone happy. Yah right! It must be an election year for that guy. If you ask the Mayor of Washington, D.C., Anthony Williams, well I don't know if I would because he would probably ask you to help pay for the security costs that his city is now apparently stuck with. Mayor Williams is not a happy camper these days and I don't blame him.

Finally, if you ask me, which nobody did, and most likely nobody will or actually cares what I think, which is exactly why I am going to give my honest opinion. What I referred to before as having watched, and to this day I am still watching, as my country continues to turn into something that I personally do not think is the right path. I don't care about politics in the sense of political parties or whether the democrats or republicans run the country better. I will tell you this much. From what I have seen, both political parties can screw the country up without much of a problem. What I am referring to is more of what this country is and stands for in terms of its ideals, its values, its place in the world, that sort of thing. Since 9-11 there have been many changes brought about by that horrific attack, some good, some not-so-good, and some, I believe very bad for us, as people, and very bad for the country. It has been mostly sad to see my country turn into a country with very little freedoms anymore, concerned more with security than liberty, it's truly sad. What concerns me the most is precisely all of this security. I'm not saying that some security isn't necessary, of course it is, however; I just want to be responsible for myself, more than my government seems to want to allow me to be. There's talk of a national ID, computer chips under the skin, national databases. Holy shit, that kind of stuff scares me more than bin Laden does. It is impossible to protect everybody from everything and eventually we are going to be attacked again. I think that we had better get used to the idea. I am, and what I want is to be able to protect myself and my family from those attacks. I know the government cannot protect me, so help me protect myself instead. Instead of scaring everybody or trying to attack every non-democratic country in order to bring them democracy before the next attack I think the government should be in the business of helping people help themselves. People can help themselves also because the more they know the less fear they have. The less fear people have, the more people are apt to lead more normal type lives without fear and the terrorists do not win. Remember that is what terrorism is all about - fear. If the people are allowed to help themselves it also frees up the government to allow it to do what it should be doing and that is prosecuting the "war on terror."

Michael Moore is right about one thing, believe it or not. There is no such thing as the "war on terrorism", there cannot be a war on terrorism. "Terrorism" is a "tactic" used by "terrorists" to instill "terror" into people. In English, terrorism is a term used to describe the scare tactics, usually violent in nature, that are used by terrorists, not for political gain, (that's bullshit!), not for any cause, (that's also bullshit!), these tactics are used to instill "fear"/"terror" into people, to scare the shit out of them. Some groups will use "terrorism" as a means to an end, in other words, they will try to persuade or influence a certain outcome through the use of fear! In my book, this is not political, nor causal because even if the desired end or effect is achieved it is achieved by and through the use of "fear", not through the use of legitimate political campaign or influence. I feel that this distinction is important because I hear this phrase used a lot in the US, and it bugs the shit out of me. It achieves the very thing that terrorists want. Fear! We are involved in and will be involved for some time in a "war on terrorists" or a "war with terrorists". I suppose we could even say that we are involved in a "war on terror", because to a large extent we are involved in a "war on fear", or a "war against the fear of terror." This fear, above all things is what I see destroying the country I love and would, if necessary, give my life in order to protect it from enemies, foreign and domestic, as corny as that sounds, there are some of us left.

History will have the last say in the matter of George Bush's and the nations 55th presidential inauguration. How much was actually paid in dollars and cents for security, and who in the end paid for it will probably end up, at best a two sentence blurb beneath the lines listing the contributors for the actual inauguration events supposedly paid for with donations from the republican elite. Great, who cares? What I care about is this. In four years we get to do this all over again. I'm just wondering if maybe we could save the nation and its citizens a crapload of money if we just all plan now to stay home and watch the festivities on television like us normal poor people do now anyway? Think of it. The Secret Service would spend about 5 minutes planning security: Drive the president from point A to point B; and we're done. The D.C. Police, another 5 minutes: nothing; and we're done. Get the picture? I mean if we continue on this "path of paranoia" that the nation seems "hell bent" on remaining on, then we might as well surrender to al Queda now. Before someone out there without a sense of humor or who doesn't understand "sarcasm", most of this post has been, just that, except when, of course, I've been serious.

We must Remember that we are Americans, Citizens of the United States of America, Citizens who Reside in one of a Group of separate States that having Agreed to Join together as one Country in order to Form a more perfect Union, are Forever Banded, as Brothers and Sisters to a Higher Cause, that of Truth and as a Beacon for the Light of Freedom and Justice Wherever the Darkness of Oppression and the Inequality of Injustice Reside. This is still the Greatest Country on the face of the Earth. To have to defend it to European friends is insulting. I want my old country back, you know the one, where even if there was some dislikes involved, at least the country was still respected because of what it stood for - Freedom & Liberty.

Hook 'em Satan Followup

2005-01-23T20:30:00.000-05:00

"Hook 'em Satan, Oops, I mean horns!"
There was a little follow up published in that sacred pillar of literary truth, (I just love it when a good pun comes completely by accident), "The Truth Seeker", by a Rixon Stewart, who I believe is one of the editors, which is printed below. It is almost sad to note, that these people actually believe this stuff. Every time that someone, somewhere in the world flashes this horn sign, "hook 'em horns" sign, the Horned Hand, or The Mano Cornuto, they are in fact giving the "Satanic Salute" and in doing so signaling their allegiance to their "horned god", a sign of recognition and allegiance. OKey Dokey!

UPDATE
Hidden in Plain Sight
Rixon Stewart - Friday January 21, 2005

Some dispute the notion that the hand signals pictured here are really satanic gestures, claiming instead that they are flaunted as signals of support by University of Texas Longhorns fans. But so many prominent individuals have been pictured making the "hook 'em horns" sign that one really has to ask: is it a coincidence that George Bush, his wife and daughters, plus Bill Clinton and Al Gore to name but a few who have been photographed making the gesture, are all such big fans of the University of Texas Longhorns?

Not to mention the fact that Italys Berlusconi and Prince William of England have also been pictured making the same gesture. Are they also big fans of the University of Texas Longhorns? Or is something else going on?

Every criminal has an alibi, genuine or otherwise, and there is a cover story for every crime. Like the All Seeing Eye on the dollar bill that is an ancient Masonic symbol, the Satanic Salute has long documented association with the darker arts.

Like the 'All Seeing Eye', it's also hidden in plain sight, concealed behind mundane explanations so that only those few initiated into darker secrets understand its real significance. While the broad mass of the populace, the so-called useless eaters, continue to believe that it is really a Texas Longhorns "hook 'em horns" salute, not a signal of allegiance to satanic forces.

Now this is where I draw the line. Stewart Little and Spiderman, two American icons associated with Satanic Forces. The Horror! Where will it end? The Green Hornet? Batman? Superman? Oh My GOD! The Horror! I think these guys are in definite need of a screw tightening. I'm sorry, maybe I'm one of the "useless eaters" as they would have you believe, that everyone who doesn't believe their story is. This whole scenario just smacks of another wild offtake of another biblical "Revelation" story in a real twisted sense. The world is full of them and these guys are no different.

I think that I'll stick to what Jesus said in the Gospels, not what somebody's interpretation of signs might be or how many gods their are in heaven or whether or not flashing some sign is satanic or not. The Devil is real all right, but this sign is not used exclusively as a symbol as an allegiance to him. I'm sorry boys, but you're wrong. Stop being so paranoid. Sometimes it's just rock n' roll and I like it!

Whom Does Bush Serve? Mean God, Good God, or Satan?

2005-01-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Satan !
Not hi dad, Mr. Bush Sr., but apparently hi dad Mr. Satan Sr. is what Michael A. Hoffman II claims is taking place in this photo of President Bush during his inauguration ceremony on Thursday. I've always thought that this sign meant "hook em' horns", having to do with the University of Texas football team. Boy, was I wrong. I had no idea that anybody who flashes this sign, according to Hoffman, is embroiled in a satanic conspiracy so heinous that the rest of us so-called "useless eaters" are so ignorantly brainwashed that we refuse to see any meaning in the use of this symbol other than the Texas Longhorns, "hook em' horns" sign, and not what it really is, a signal of allegiance to satanic forces. Brazen Presidential Satanism like this is a clear indicator that the System believes it has the situation so locked down that it can reveal it's true nature, symbolically, from time to time, in public, again according to Hoffman, who associates the System with a shadowy and mysterious group of media and industrial tycoons, European royalty and banking dynasties referred to as the "Illuminati." According to Hoffman, our conservative, born-again Christian president does not serve the people of the country he took an oath to protect and defend. Bush may not even serve the same God that most Christians worship or may not worship any God at all, but an entirely different being, one usually depicted in folklore as having horns on his head. Hoffman states that Bush wasn't even elected by the people, but appointed by this group, like his counterpart across the pond, Tony Blair, in order to serve the interests of the Illuminati. The interests of this clandestine group of the mega rich are what else, the planet, which Hoffman claims they effectively own. The Illuminati are not united by any high ideals, or any ethnic bond, but simple self-interest, money, and that means that the individual members don't always see eye to eye. The one pre-eminent faction among the group is supposedly the Rothschild banking dynasty, (and I was hoping it was the wine guys), shit! The Rothschilds, aside from being closely connected to European royalty, are also rumored to be on intimate terms with Lucifer. Thus, the Illuminati are allegedly "diabolically" inspired with their power resting on the ignorance of the masses. Reinforced and enhanced with gifts given by Lucifer -- and in words derived from his name -- the group uses illusion and delusion through the media, to obfuscate and conceal their true agenda from the masses, which of course, leaves the masses incapable of independent thought. Thus, says Mr. Hoffman, the Illuminati owe their power to Lucifer and he in turn uses them to further his hold over humanity. Speaking of locked down, I wonder if this guy Hoffman needs to be locked up in a nice padded room somewhere, with a big window to look out of onto some nice shrubbery! I've known that Mr. Bush has a very diverse fan base, but this almost takes the cake so to speak.

Hi Uncle Satan, I See You!

As you can see from the above picture, like father, like daughter and according to Hoffman both Bush daughters, as well as the first lady, you know Bill Clinton is, Tony Blair, Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi, Prince William, why not, his brother's a Nazi, Al Gore, and even Dan Qayle are all serving the dark forces, and I might add, serving these forces willingly! That's it, I quit and I'm moving to Jamaica except that the whole island of Jamaica is supposedly in the devils front pocket. Is there no place safe on earth from this evil menace? I think I mean Mr. Hoffman in this case. I can't help it, something isn't right with this whole scenario or this guy. I've heard some pretty interesting and sometimes scary ideas, and conspiracy theories on a lot of subjects to do with the government. I've even heard that George Bush is the anti-Christ. That theory was presented with more clarity and better ideas than this guy's stuff. Mr. Hoffman runs a website called "The Truth Seeker." In and of itself it is not a bad site. Some of the ideas presented on his web site are like any other site that seems to specialize in the "conspiracy" genre, and as I usually find with most of these sites you have to pick and choose your way through what seems credible and what seems science fiction. At the very least most is good reading and entertainment, especially if you find yourself suffering from insomnia. I could not find out much about this guy in the way of a biography, however; I came across a little blurb that appears to sum up what most who deal with this man think about him and his credibility.

"The reign of Satan has officially commenced -- in the name of Jesus Christ."

(The obscure Michael A. Hoffman II is boycotted by Right and Left; revisionists and religious; New Agers and conservatives. He is seriously underfunded, militarily hounded, banned from the Establishment media, blacklisted in the publishing industry, exiled to Idaho and constantly threatened with death while teetering on the verge of insolvency, even as he manages to consistently disseminate the most accurate counter-intelligence on the epistemology of the Cryptocracy available anywhere. In July of 2001, two months prior to 9/11, Hoffman published the extended edition of his book, "Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare" (revised in April of 2001 and printed in July), warning of Arthur C. Clarke's prediction that 2001 would be the iron gateway to the Cryptocracy's new aeon of what Antonin Artaud had profiled decades before as open-air, "civic Satanism").

Holy crap, we are all doomed! Doomed I tell you! I don't know, if this guy is so underfunded, where is he getting the money for a web site that is quite sophisticated, or the money to publish books? He is right about one thing though and that's being exiled to Idaho - that's scary, I've been to Idaho! Mark Furman lives in Idaho, again scary! I have never heard the phrase, "epistemology of the Crytocracy" before either, although it's quite impressive, and I'm very afraid to even try and look it up.

As you can see from the above picture, it seems that the whole family is blatantly in on this Illuminati thing. I tell you, it's horrifying. If you believe anything that Mr. Hoffman claims then you must also believe that most anyone in power anywhere, and anyone having a bank roll anywhere is in on this thing, including I would imagine the Pope. Hoffman also claims that Bush worships the old testament God, you know the one, fire and brimstone, do what I ask and I will reward you, don't and you will surely fry. I have heard the two God theory and if it's presented by someone who doesn't sound like they are suffering from a case of paranoid schizophrenia, it's quite an interesting theory. In short, there seems to be a difference between the God of the old testament and the God of the new testament. Fire and brimstone vs. love and compassion, that sort of thing. Of course, then you have Satan and when you throw him into the mix, well all Hell breaks loose, get it, ha, ha, ok cheap shot.

The above picture is a drawing of the satanic symbol that Mr. Hoffman claims that whenever Mr. Bush or anyone else flashes this sign they are in reality pledging allegiance to Lucifer, and here I just thought that it was either a "hook em' horns" sign or a universal rock n' roll sign.

One of the claims Mr. Hoffman makes is that Prince William doesn't know who the University of Texas football team is. OK, I'll give him that one, but I'll bet you dollars to donuts young Prince Willie knows what rock n' roll is. I mean, come on, the kid has head phones on for crien' out loud Hoffie! Look, maybe he's listening to some old Black Sabbath. Would that satisfy you or are you just one of those people like my dad used to be when I was a kid and thinks that rock n' roll is the devils music, or do you honestly think that everyone who flashes that sign is saying hi to Uncle Satan? Jeez man, get a grip! You are going to have to come up with something better than what you got to convince me.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the Pres' might be flashing this sign to all of this nonsense. I don't think it's a love sign to daddy Satan and I don't even think the picture is real, but it's a cool picture. I'm going to have to find out more about this nutjob. He has peaked my interest. At the very least I want to know who it is that has supposedly been leading me around by the nose all of my life. I've got to do some more digging. Maybe I'll start a weekly thing with my blog. Like on Fridays or Saturdays I'll run with the wack job of the week or something like that. You know they're out there just waiting to be discovered. I feel that it would be a shame, no criminal to leave them in obscurity and mediocrity. In fact, I've got a good one for next week, anyone heard of Rods?

It is After All, The President's Day!

2005-01-20T15:51:00.000-05:00

Today, as we all know is the second inauguration of President George Walker Bush. It is a day of celebration, a day of solemn oath taking and reflection, a day of fashion - who's wearing what, a day of parades, a day of inaugural balls, parties and festivities, a day of protest, a day to stop for a moment and remember our military around the world, thanking them for their sacrifice, a day to thank our military families for their sacrifices, a day for spending $40 million (I could have got George a deal down at Barney's for $26.95 which includes the buffet plate), and for me, a day for work. It is also a day for Democrats to lock themselves in closets without any form of modern communication and to dream about the way things might have been. A day to get stinking drunk and later on under the depressing effects of alcohol meet up with other Democrats at your favorite watering holes to reminisce about just having a few more votes in Ohio, or if only this or if only that and the way that it could have been. Blah, blah, blah, pass the bullets.

Oh well, in four years everybody gets to do it all over again. I've really never understood the political passion machine that seems to overtake some involved in managing the campaigns of, or even getting out and passionately campaigning for a candidate. It all seems rather funny to me. I have friends that are still upset over John Kerry not winning the presidency, like it's some kind of megabucks lottery prize, in fact if they won the lottery my friends would most likely be happy, but not as happy as they would be if John Kerry was president. I say, I like you John, but show me the money!

I had a few minutes today to listen to some of Bush's speech he gave after taking the oath of office for the second time. From what I was told, the words "freedom" and "liberty" or derivations thereof were said something like fourty-nine times. That in itself isn't bad, however; I heard the same philosophy about spreading freedom, liberty and democracy around the world that I heard four years ago, and all through his first term in office. Oh crap, I immediately thought, it's going to be a long day. Mr. Bush made a pledge to spread freedom "to the darkest corners of the world" and "show the meaning and promise of liberty." He also said, "There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom." Oh crap, it is going to be a long day! On the surface, nice words, but I can't help wondering what he actually means by those words.

I have said before that I am freedoms biggest fan, however; I'm not sure how much of a right our country has of saying to a sovereign country, either change your ways or we will change your government and your ways for you. Mr. Bush did say that spreading freedom didn't necessarily entail the use of force all of the time. His exact words were, "We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed." Oh crap, it's going to be a really long day! Doesn't that really mean, "It's our way or the highway?"

I don't know,think about it, if I am a foreign dictator or the king of a Muslim country right now I'm thinking, here he goes again that cowboy, nutjob, and his Christian holier than though bullshit. I wonder exactly what and where Mr. Bush draws the line in terms of what his criteria is for say the king of some country being a good guy to his people, or what constitutes abuses of human rights? Exactly what countries is he talking about anyway?

Let's list some countries shall we:

Jordan - is Jordan on that list of countries set to receive the gift of Democracy? King Abdullah was appointed by his old man and hasn't done a bad job. He remains friends with Israel, he is a friend to the US, and has made real efforts to stop the human rights abuses in his country. He is still up against the different factions of Islam who don't like him, would like to see him dead, and institute sharia.
Syria - we all know about Mr. Assad. He's a jerk, but his people for the most part like him. The US suspects him of harboring terrorists, hiding nukes from Iraq, allowing fighters into Iraq without stopping them, trying to acquire nuclear and chemical weapons. Who would they use them against, guess who - Israel.
Lebanon - what about Lebanon? Israel thinks that southern Lebanon is hiding terrorists. Lebanon has the distinction of having the infamous Bekaa Valley, home of many terrorist strongholds, supposedly. For the most part though Lebanon tends to stay out of things. There is a large Christian influence in Lebanon.
Libya - I thought Ghadafi and GW were buds since Libya gave up her nukes.
Egypt - now there's a hotbed of Islamic rhetoric. I don't know how Mubarik has managed to stay in power with most of the Muslim groups thinking that he is an infidel. Oh yeah, he's got an army, but does that qualify Egypt for the gift of Democracy?
Saudi Arabia - here's my personal favorite. They've got a lot of oil, we know that. How is GW going to treat them? If GW lets the Saudi's slide in the human rights dept., then this whole democracy thing is a sham in my book. Saudi Arabia, because of its many Islamic factions, Wahabe's are notorious, are prime territory for abuse and the Saudi's don't even try to hide it.

I have tried to present just a little food for thought and have left a few of the more obvious countries off the list that are "no-brainers." . Even if the Bush administration has no intention of military intervention in half of these countries another thought comes to mind. Where are we going to get the money to pay for all of this? I really have doubts as to whether all of these countries are going to blindly and happily run into the arms of freedom, which brings up another question. What if the country we have chosen to receive this wonderful gift doesn't want it? How can this be you ask? Simple, I do not even remember the number of times I have tried to impress upon people that a lot of the common folk that live within these countries haven't a clue what Democracy is, how it works, or how to vote. They sure as hell have no concept of what a Constitution is. Another question I have is how long is this democracy building going to take? Years at least. Doesn't this great plan of Democracy for the world, at least assume that from now until whenever that this administration and every administration following will be on the same foreign policy page? Or does Mr. Bush never plan on leaving office?

Throughout my more than half-century life span I have spent more than a few years in the middle east, traveling all over. I have seen the good and the bad. I've been to some really nice places and some real scum holes. I've been shot at and well taken care of in the middle east. The Arab people are some of the most hospitable people on the face of the earth. I hope that some day I get a chance to repay some of the hospitality that I received while traveling throughout the middle east. A couple of things that I did come away with from my travels in the middle east were that generally speaking most of the people that I encountered like Americans, they like the people. Some have a different view of the government, for instance if you are a teenager growing up in the middle of Gaza you may not be particularly too fond of the USA because imagine your surprise upon looking up, seeing an Apache helicopter made in the US and watching it kill your brother. Go figure. The middle east is a wonderful and mysterious place. The people are magnificent. If we are going to bring or encourage democratic ideals and governments in and to the region, then I hope that we do not abandon these people. It will not be enough just to install or change a government to one of our choosing. The US will have to spend time there, maybe many years there, teaching and encouraging democracy, encouraging human rights and first of all, teaching the people there just exactly what "dignity" is before we teach the people how to apply those teachings. This whole venture is a very risky and could be a very dangerous proposition. It could backfire royally. If we do not follow through with these things, we will lose it. We will lose the region. We will lose the people, we will lose respect, we will lose any semblence of credibility anywhere from then on, and we will lose the future, and the greatest hope for the future, which are the children. If we lose the children we haven't seen anything yet in terms of what terrorism could become.

Civil War in Iraq? Could it Happen? At What Cost?

2005-01-19T19:55:00.000-05:00

Civil war in Iraq. Is it a possibility? Since day one of our countries little excursion into that country to look for weapons of mass destruction, no wait, to enforce the UN resolutions, no wait, to oust Saddam, no wait, to enforce the resolutions, oust Saddam, and kind of look for weapons, no wait to bring the Iraqis democracy, no wait, to inform the Iraqis that they are better off without Saddam, to enforce the UN resolutions, to oust Saddam, and to bring democracy, and if we find any weapons of mass destruction we can then say we told you so! Ya, that's the ticket. I suppose we could go on about this all day with the end result of somebody a little right of center leaving me a comment about me being some kind of "left-wing liberal, blue-state, God-hating, fag-loving jerkoff " and how I don't understand the world, or George Bush, and his vision for the world. I, after reading the comment and feigning indescribable mental anguish would write a comment back to that person most likely describing them as some kind of "narrow minded, right-wing conservative, red-state, gun-toting, anti-gay jerkoff." Blah, blah, blah! You get the picture. I've seen it and read it all over some of these blog sites. Some of the comment sections are pretty funny and are actually better written than the blogs. Unfortunately, that's not why I have called you all together today.

We could all argue until the world ends, I'm sure, about whether or not it was the right or the wrong thing to do sending troops into Iraq. I don't think there are too many people on earth that would argue the Iraqis are better off without Saddam. I am however, beginning to have doubts about the price we as a nation, and we as a people are paying now, and the price that we and our children will pay in the future. Please do not be so naive as to think that the country will not pay a price for the fight against terrorism. It may be financial, military, social, economic, or God forbid a disaster in the form of another horrendous attack, which would encompass all of the aforementioned, but we will pay a price.

As we have all seen on the television news, especially cable news, the closer we get to the elections in Iraq the more the frequency of insurgent attacks escalates and the stronger these attacks become. The attacks have also become more widespread of late, and instead of one or two per day, you now have up to five or six per day. This takes some planning. Recently, General John Abazaid, the commander of U.S. Central Command stated that he thought between actual fighters and active supporters of the insurgency that there were an estimated 20,000 of them. He said that a couple of days ago. That is quite a difference from last November when he thought the number was more like 5,000. General Muhammed Abdullah al-Shahwani, the director of Iraqis new Intelligence Service said that the number of insurgents was more likely near 30,000. We keep hearing that we have killed thousands of terrorists and insurgents. If you believe all of the numbers thrown around, al Queda should be hanging on by a thread and the number of insurgents in Iraq should be diminishing, not increasing. What I am sure of is that every day something in Iraq blows up, somebody else gets killed, another soldier, another insurgent, or another civilian, another coalition soldier gets killed, another wife becomes a widow, another child becomes fatherless or motherless, another Muslim martyr is created, and another job opening is created for a young, poor, out of work, under-educated, America hating Arab teenager or young man. There doesn't seem to be any shortage of them.

There has been some talk lately of some kind of time-table for the withdrawal of American troops to begin sometime after the Iraqi election at the end of January 2005. If I was Donald Rumsfeld, or "W" I think that I would consider getting started on one pronto. What I fear more than anything after the elections is the eruption of civil war. Nonsense you say. Maybe, but I will tell you why. Let's just say that there are 30,000 insurgents in the country hell-bent on creating a haven for terrorists, Saddam loyalists, al Queda, you pick something. Most, if not all of these insurgent types are probably Sunni or Wahabe Muslims. They don't like the Shia and they have no love lost for the Kurds. The Kurds, however; are tough sons of bitches and they've just about got a separate country and a well trained army. They also have a hole-card - Turkey. Let's say that the Sunnis boycott the elections and the Shia win every Iraqi seat from Fallujah to Bazra to Baghdad. The Shia who were so oppressed under Saddam are now thinking happy days are here finally. Wrong!

First of all, the international community led by you know who cries foul. The French scream bogus elections and do not recognize the newly elected government of Iraq. Now what? OK, the US cries foul, makes a big stink at the UN and screams back at France and anybody else on board with them that they can't do that. Meanwhile, back in Iraq you've got 30,000 screaming insurgent Sunni's who now start making life miserable for the Shia's again by attacking and murdering anything that moves drawing the whole country into war. Now, since the Shia's are duly elected they have no option but to fight now. But, don't kid yourself, the Shia's are tough sons of bitches also. They invented terrorism way back when. So now all hell is breaking loose! In the middle of all of this the Kurds who have a good thing going up north say screw this, basically secede their territory and ask Turkey if they can join up with them. Since there are a lot of Kurds in Turkey and this is just the excuse that Turkey has been waiting for, they say sure. What would we do? Invade Turkey. Don't think so. Don't friggen' laugh and don't kid yourself, it could happen. Unless there is some kind of tip-toe diplomacy in the next few weeks I'd almost bet that's what the insurgents want. The insurgents just want some kind of a terrorist playground back. No one said that they were the brightest bulbs on the billboard for not knowing that the world will never let that happen no matter what. So you see, Iraq could still turn into one hell of a bigger mess than it already is. I finally think that some of those gung-ho neocons in Washington are finally getting the point. Again, I am not taking sides here. Life, nor the world is that simple, but if you are going to become involved in the business of nation building, you had better hire the best people with the best resumes, and the best plans. What's the old saying? "The best layed plans of mice and men."

I'm sure that eventually all of this will be ironed out. We will eventually get fighting terrorism down to a fine science. We will get the UN to realize that fighting terrorism is in everybody's interest and all freedom loving countries of the world will eventually see the freedom light and eventually terrorism will be defeated. It'll most likely be long after I'm dead and a lot of other people are lost to this disease. That's just what it is, a malignant disease. I also hope that in 100 years, if we, the world community are all still here, that in some kids history class some teacher doesn't have to spend a week explaining to his or her class why the cost to defeat this enemy was so much. Why didn't people learn earlier? What was the cost in dollars and cents? What was the cost to our humanity? What was the cost in human life and why did it cost so much life?

Security: Up,Down,Around,Whad'ya Mean Pay For It?

2005-01-18T09:43:00.000-05:00

Tom Ridge, the countries outgoing Director of Homeland Security, announced last week at a news conference that there was no evidence of a plot to disrupt the upcoming inauguration of President George Bush. This is a slightly different tune than the one Homeland Security was singing beginning in March of 2004 and continuing throughout the summer, into the election in November. In April of 2004 Mr. Ridge announced that al Queda terrorists might be planning to strike during this week's presidential inauguration festivities with some festivities of their own. The inaugural warning was part of the same warning that was sounded throughout 2004 by U.S. officials that terrorists would seek to launch attacks both during and after the presidential election in November. These warnings which began shortly after the Madrid train bombings in Spain which were in March of 2004 stated that the threat was targeted at the entire election process, meaning from the political conventions, through the elections, the electoral college voting and into the inauguration.

Most in federal, state and local homeland security agencies focused on the actual "election day" as being the prime day and target for terrorist attacks. The intelligence for these warnings was based upon, what else, chatter! Besides, following the Madrid attacks, many thought that the next logical step would be to attack or somehow disrupt the elections in the U.S. Intelligence "chatter" comprises information from many sources, such as intercepted phone calls, computer and cell phone e-mail exchanges, informers, both new and old, radio and two-way communications, and tips that come into the various law enforcement agencies by phone, e-mail, and by letter. Putting all of this chatter together and piecing it together into some kind of actionable intelligence is not an exact science. There is no no mathematical algorithm that allows you to come to some kind of formulated plan. Most of the time when you are providing security for an event, and you have received some kind of chatter concerning that event, or even just an increase in the general flow of chatter leading up to the time of an event you have to err on the side of caution, spend the money, try and think of everything, and do your best to protect everybody and everything.

The increased security concerns over the summer of 2004 eventually led to raising the terror warning levels for financial institutions in New York, New Jersey, and Washington. The reasons for the increased security concerns and the raising of alert levels for these three key areas was based upon intelligence gleaned from computer files that were seized during anti-terrorist raids in Pakistan, and a suppossed key CIA informer. These files indicated that al Queda operatives were casing financial institutions in the cities of New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. The only problems with all of this intelligence is that it was mostly bogus. The casing files were all compiled before 2001, specifically the 2001 attacks, while other information contained on the computer disk had come straight off of the internet. Oh yeah, one other thing. The key CIA informer turned out to be lying through his teeth! You just can't trust any of those al Queda informers anymore. What the hell is the world coming too? As it turns out, the authorities investigated all of this fiasco and it wasn't a total bust. The investigation led to the arrests of some suspected terrorists in England and come to find out now analysts believe that some of the data on the disks actually pertained to an attack planned for London's Heathrow Airport rather than the financial districts of the above named U.S. cities. That's a few miles off, but as I said, it is not an exact science! Whether right or wrong, another by-product of shall we say, not hitting the nail squarely on the head is that everyone with a reason to criticize the administration or its policies will crawl out of the woodwork as did Howard Dean when he raised the question during the presidential campaign about possible political motives behind the recurring threat statements and terror alerts. Some government officials and even outside terrorism experts questioned the governments credibility when the sources of last summers recurring terror alerts proved to be debatable information at best. Little doubt remains however, that jihadists groups remain a strategic threat to the United States and even to President Bush, as all al Queda operatives are fully trained in both suicide attacks and assassinations.

Of course, analysis of the 2004 data continues to this day, and there are different opinions had by all. This kind of intuitive analysis is an unfortunate challenge that our nations security analysts are up against daily in the fight against terrorism. It is more like a "best guess scenario." As President Bush is so fond of saying, "We have to be right all of the time, while the terrorists only have to be right once." That's if he doesn't trip over his words, ha, ha. Oh come on, you gotta have a little humor in so serious a subject! The intelligence coming out of "Gitmo" is pretty much rung out and getting old. The prisoners there have been locked up too long to know anything of fresh value. I remember years ago when I was involved in a part of this business, intelligence changed daily, hell it changed hourly. If you didn't stay on top of it, you lost it. You also have the differences in the way the data is interpreted from person to person believe it or not. As an analyst it was always my understanding that politics was not a part of your analysis of a piece of data. I'm not sure that politics or personal feelings always stayed out of the so-called big picture. Again though, sometimes you are just stuck, like when all you have to work with is "chatter" and you have to make a best guess. If anything I think it demonstrates the need for more and better methods of intelligence gathering, and intelligence analysis.

This brings us back to last week and Tom Ridge's somewhat anticlimactic statement concerning the upcoming inauguration on Thursday and not only the lack of any specific plot, but the lack of any reason even to think about the prospect of raising the current threat level. OK, why now? Why come out now and tell the country? Mr. Ridge couldn't wait for another week until after the inauguration? Mr. Ridge didn't have a problem waiting all summer, right through November, through the elections and the electoral college process. I don't get it. I can only wonder what or if Mayor Anthony Williams of Washington, D.C. is thinking of or trying not to think of with all of his security concerns at the present time.

The presidential inauguration, as they say, is unprecedented. It is the first inauguration since the terrorist attacks of 9-11 and there will be more law enforcement and military personnel on security detail than fleas on a dogs ass!. Although it will take the President less than a minute to take the oath of office on Thursday the cost of the inaugural events before it is all said and done will be around $40 million. That's a lot of flea collars! $40 million is about what Bush spent on his first inauguration and there wasn't a war on. Clinton spent around $33 million on his first one. The fact that we are at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and with the recent tsunami disaster in south Asia has prompted some to cry foul. I've got to say that I think I'm one of them. I just don't think it's right. Although there are some events for military personnel I doubt like hell that they and their families will be chowing down for a 10 course dinner with "W" and Mrs. "W" at the White House. The inauguration events are being funded privately with some big money donations. Why don't these big spenders fix social security. Listen to this list: the $250,000 list: Home Depot, Bank of America, Bristol-Myers Squibb & Ford Motor Co. for some. These big donors even get goody bags just like the Golden Globe and the Academy Awards which contain: mettings with political VIP's, tickets to the swearing in ceremony, tickets to the parade, and choice tickets to the inaugural balls and dinners. God, I just love the republicans! So far they have only collected about $18 million towards the $40 million so somebody is going to have to belly up to the money belt here.

Security is unbelievable. More than 6,000 police and feds. 7,000 U.S. military personnel will be on call at mobile command posts, ready at a minutes notice, from any direction, from land, sea, and air. Hey Paw, Paw, get Hoss and Little Joe, circle the wagons Paw! Big intro, Virginia City, map starts burning, music starts playing, ah Bonanza! Fighter jets streaking by at Mach 2.3, the Coast Guard on patrol boats and skidoos up and down the Potomac, Navy Seals zipping around in their armor plated dune buggies blowing off MK-19 rounds. Yippie, cayeah!! Yeahah! OK, maybe not that exciting, but security is estimated to cost around $18 million and the US government wants the city of Washington to pay for it. This is causing quite a ruckus within the halls of city hall. In a letter last month to Tom Ridge, Mayor Williams stated that although he could use $5.4 million from a fund for special events to pay for some of the security costs, the other $11.9 million would have to come from the city's federal homeland security budget which was earmarked for increasing hospital capacity, equipping firefighters with more protective gear and for transit system command centers. Mr. Ridge had suggested that the city use some of the federal Homeland Security grant money that it had received over the last three years because of its place on the list of high priority terrorist targets, which according to the mayor is unacceptable. Inauguration Day is also a holiday for federal employees within the Washington area. Streets will be closed and cars will actually be banned on more than 100 city blocks. I would love to know where in the hell the people that normally have to park in the street are going to park? Maybe in New Jersey or across the river in lovely, scenic Virginia. Of course, all of this is necessary based upon absolutely nothing! No "chatter", no threat, no "actionable intelligence" as our hopeful Secretary of State, Condaleeza Rice would say. I just don't get it? I realize that you must have very high security for a presidential inauguration, however; what confuses me somewhat is why, since shortly after the Madrid bombings in March of 2004 we see the threat level start to creep up, through Memorial Day, the Sea Island G-8 summit, past the Democratic convention, then raised in three city financial areas specifically, continued all through the summer, through the Republican convention, on the illustrious campaign trails of all of the candidates, well I don't know about Nader? I think secretly somebody wanted that pain in the ass to fall off of a stage into a bucket somewhere. Oh look, it's garbage day, get the bucket Bif! Is someone in there? Nah, pay no attention to that man underneath the garbage can. Yeehaw! Meanwhile, back at the Bat Cave, the terror threat continues through November 11th and is suppossed to continue through to the end of the election season which as far as anyone knew meant through to the inauguration and maybe slightly beyond. All of a sudden last week, bing a' da, bang a' da, boom a' da, no more threat! We just apparently spent a crapload of money for what?

Look, at the very least this whole homeland security, warning threat system should be looked at very seriously and revamped. It is totally ridiculous at present the way it is. It needs to be standardized without room for obfuscation or whim! Recently, we have been hearing what I would call the emergency button being pushed on Social Security. Medicare is already in big financial trouble. The federal government has a real bad habit of borrowing money from programs like social security and then not paying them back or paying them back to slowly to compensate for the rate of participant withdrawal. Hell, the whole country is in deep trouble financially. You just cannot keep running with budget deficits like $412.3 billion at the end of fiscal 2004 and even worse, trade deficits like $79 billion in November of 2004 which runs the total to $737 billion through November of 2004. Estimating and adding December of 2004 you get a figure of $788 billion. I'm not blaming anybody for the figures. I'm just stating a fact of life! You cannot run a viable economy with those kinds of numbers, at least if I remember my Economics 101.

Every time we raise the alert level from yellow to orange it sucks the money out of our pockets, and the governments. I learned in the military that you cannot maintain a constant high level of alert. It burns everything up and out! If we are not careful Uncle Usama may just get his wish. Our country will spend itself into oblivion and he won't have to lift a finger. The United States is the light of the world. Every day that it burns though it is more and more expensive to maintain its brightness. We have got to find a place where we can keep the flame burning brightly, but at less cost. Less for us means less for the world. I'm sure that most people realize that if that light goes out, it goes out for the entire world.

Bye Bye Private Graner!

2005-01-16T15:11:00.000-05:00

I suppose one could say that Army Spc. Charles Graner had a bad weekend. As I'm sure we have all heard by now, "the ringleader" got popped for ten years on Saturday which has, of course, elicited mixed reactions from Iraqis and Americans. I'm not really sure from where I sit that a lot of Americans really care one way or the other. Some of course do and feel that justice has been served, and then you always have the few that say hang em'. This blog probably isn't for them. Most of my friends that have never been in the military just kind of shrug their shoulders, while my friends that have been in, or are presently in the military shake their heads and the usual thought is that the kid and his compatriots were all really some kind of dumbasses, because they got caught. They got caught doing something that, granted may have been over the line, but I'll bet you that they thought they had permission and justification for doing so. The Iraqis, or some of them anyway don't think that the punishment is enough. I can't say that I blame them. I have somewhat mixed emotions on the whole business. My reasons are simple enough. I don't think that the military punished the correct, or all of the correct people. How many have noticed the absence of officers in all of these court martial proceedings? If you answered, 1.) I did, 2.) Huh, 3.) Oh yeah, or 4.) What officers, and I'll even throw in scratching your head as No. 5, then you win.

One of the very first things that you come to understand about the military is the concept of "CYA", or Cover Your Ass, especially if you are of the enlisted ranks and on the lower end of that enlisted rank spectrum. You quickly learn that shit rolls down hill and when it's a bad day on the farm you do not want to be walking around looking like a poor excuse for a shit receptacle! First of all, the army wants us to believe that this little merry band of sadistic goofballs, all of who happened to be enlisted personnel, took it upon themselves, like it was an exercise for extra college credits or something, to torture Iraqi prisoners in the hopes of getting the big piece of missing intelligence information that would stop some towel wearing doo-dahs from driving a bus full of explosives into Starbucks in downtown L.A. Bullshit! Pardon my French. Look at these people! Really look at these people. I'm sorry to have to say this, but between them they would need directions to make a ham sandwich. How do I know this you may ask? Because anyone who takes pictures of themselves in the act of torturing or humiliating prisoners, Iraqi or otherwise, whether posted or not, for private viewing or not, has not a brain cell in their heads! Secondly, there isn't an enlisted person in the entire universe that is going to institute those kinds of prisoner tactics without at least thinking that his or her ass was covered by an officer and I mean probably above a captain. These guards made the mistake of actually believing anything that "military intelligence" told them, and secondly trusting the military intelligence officers word. I don't know too many officers that would screw up their career over being implicated in the beating of prisoners, regardless of whether they were hard-core al Queda or part of the first string, Iraqi Tasty Freeze, Ice Cream Company. It's just not going to happen, as I believe the course of events has played out and shown. Not one officer has come forward and three or four of the ones that were implicated have taken the military equivalent of the fifth.

Somewhere behind the scenes, quietly, a few of the lower ranking officers will be reprimanded and for all intents and purposes any thoughts of a career in the military are over, but I don't think we as a people, (love the Constitution), will hear anything too public mentioned about it. It's OK to hang an enlisted person out to dry, after all enlisted personnel are just idiots that need supervision by higher ranking, officer type idiots, but the military doesn't like to admit failure on the part of its officer corps. It's that whole "officer and a gentleman thing," or I guess the "officer and a ma'am thing." I don't know what the saying is for women, but I'm sure they have one. It's just too bad that the people higher up the food chain aren't held more publicly responsible for what happened at Abu Ghraib. But, this is the military way. Give em' the sacrificial lambs and maybe the Iraqis will accept it and maybe the American people will just let it all go away. I am not by any means insinuating that these people didn't deserve the sentences that they all received, however; we will probably never find out the whole truth behind the Abu Ghraib abuse, who actually issued the orders, who drew up the guidelines for where to start and where to end with the interrogation methods used. I personally don't think that we will find out much more then we already have, but I will bet you dollars to donuts that the orders or guidelines for interrogating those Iraqi prisoners came from someone or were approved by someone with at least one star on their shoulder, whether or not that military person was a command line general or military intelligence doesn't matter. We will never hear about it because it would go against the military concept of highly structured discipline and equality. Huh?

Teddy Bears, Emphasizing My Point, & Racist Comments

2005-01-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

Kudos to the Vermont Teddy Bear Company for not backing down from a few hurt feelings from mental health advocates. It's not an issue on par with Prince Harry, but I think again that it emphasizes my opinion that people are just too thin skinned and political correctness is getting out of hand. Link:

Now for something completely different. Before I start and somebody accuses me of being too sensitive, no I don't think I am. There is a marked difference in not agreeing with someone's opinion and intelligently saying so, it is quite another to cross the line. This kid has crossed that line.

I have learned in my relatively short time blogging that usually it is good policy not to respond to comments left by idiots. I'm not referring to comments left by people who disagree with your opinions as long as the comments left contain at least a modicum of intelligence and reasonableness. I refer more to, well "assholes" who hiding behind their PC or laptop leave stupid, unintelligent, and in the case I am writing about "racist" accusations. Some idiot who shall remain nameless left me a comment on a post that I wrote about Prince Harry wearing a German uniform to a party. My point and my opinion still remains that the press and I think most people are making too much out of this. Everybody has an opinion, but I know of no one that has actually asked Harry why he wore the uniform and I don't recall Harry saying anything to the press as to why he wore the uniform. Apparently, there are thousands of people out there with crystal balls that have somehow divined his reasons for wearing the costume, and have shared their opinions with the world. Now, living in a free country, I think, you are more than allowed to do that, however; to insinuate or pass judgment about something or on somebody because you happen to be a little more sensitive on an issue than someone else is just unacceptable. Being curious I checked out the comment senders blog and after perusing this kids website I now see why his brain works as it does. It still however, boggles my mind how anybody but an asshole could, from a few words typed on a computer blog, form an opinion, no make a judgment that is so revolting and disgusting that it just, well "pisses me the f... off!.' It takes a hell of a lot to piss me off, but insinuating that I am a racist without knowing me, never having met me, and knowing nothing about me is in itself racist. This person is damn lucky to be hiding behind a computer screen because this person would not say that to my face, at least not without getting knocked on his judgmental ass. And if and when this person tried to get up in a couple of days I'd be there to knock you on your ass again until you got the point. What's the point? You sir, are an asshole! Don't ever read my blog again because I swear if I ever see your IP come up on there..... Just don't!

To the rest of the blogging community I apologize if I have offended anyone by using my blog as my personal soapbox of retaliation, but I just could not let this go. This is just another, no a perfect example of one of the points I was attempting to make in the referenced blog. It's just an opinion, nothing more, nothing less. You don't have to agree with it, but don't be a moron about it either. Enough said.

Prince Harry Does it Again? So What!

2005-01-13T19:18:00.000-05:00

So, Prince Harry showed up at the 22nd birthday party of Harry Meade, who is the son of Richard Meade, the Olympic gold medal-winning horseman, wearing the uniform of a German wehmacht soldier. Young Mr. Meade you may or may not remember was one of the lads that interrupted Tony Blair while Blair gave a speech to the Labour Party conference. Harry decided to show up at his friends costume party in the uniform of Rommel's Desert Afrika Corp, famous from World War II. The Afrika Corp drove the allies nuts in the early going of WWII and most students of history and warfare would say that Rommel was at least a brilliant general if not a genius for the tank tactics that he deployed. So What! And I mean so what that Harry showed up at a costume party wearing what the press and most people are calling, "a Nazi uniform."

Actually, the uniform of Rommel's men was a standard issue desert uniform issued to the "Wehmacht", which was the standard German army. Most of the soldiers in the Wehmacht weren't even in the Nazi Party. They were regular people that either enlisted or were drafted. If the press is going to make an issue out of this, then I think they should keep the focus on the armband that Harry wore not the whole uniform. Wearing such an armband may have been in bad taste. I refer to the "swastika" armband that adorned Harry's left sleeve.

I am all for freedom of speech, I fought for it, however; to me anyway it seems that there is and has been a rather disturbing trend emanating throughout the press. This trend is called in my language, "passing judgment." I always thought that the press was supposed to, in theory anyway, report the facts of news and these facts should at least be backed up by at least one reputable source. Having reported these facts, it was then up to the reader or listener of the reported news to make up his or her mind on the reported issue or subject. Apparently, not anymore. Nowadays, it seems that anything goes. Unnamed sources, a friend of a friend, someone on the white house staff, some kind of pundit, anyone with an opinion as long as you don't actually have to name the source, even some guy with a camera at a birthday party. The press has this uncanny ability to make or break a persons reputation by how much of an issue they make out of something. This is how I feel about Harry's little "faux pas." Granted, Harry should probably have given his choice of costume a little more thought, but the way that the press is reporting it, and the way that people from Jewish groups, former Royal family workers, and just about anybody else with a reasonable or half-assed opinion is ridiculous! You would think this kid murdered somebody or worse, is a devout "skinhead."

Come on people, get a grip! Political correctness, which I might add, I think is asinine is getting way out of hand. I would really like to know what 'magic mirror' or 'crystal ball' all of these press people, royal pundits, and even Jewish human rights organizations are getting their insights from into what was in this kids head, as to why he wore this get up. He went to a costume party. That's all I think he did. I don't think that he was trying to offend anyone, or make a political statement - "hey queenie, look at me, I'm a bloody freakin' skinhead!." From what I have read, generally speaking it sounds to me like, 1.) his dad is never around much, 2.) Harry doesn't sound like he's the brightest bulb on the billboard, 3.) he likes to party and get drunk, 4.) he doesn't seem to give a shit who he is or how he is supposed to act - he's second fiddle anyway to his brother, which I might add was at the same party. What, no older brotherly advice on the choice of costume, or maybe they both just didn't think that people would make such a big deal out of it. If I had worn a German uniform to a costume party, there would be people there that probably wouldn't think it too cool, and people that would think it OK, so what! It certainly wouldn't have made the front page of the Northern Podunk News. I just do not get it.

Look, I certainly understand why Jewish groups would get somewhat offended, OK. What I don't understand is that whenever a spokesperson (I hate political correctness), for one of these groups comes out and speaks, for instance about Harry's choice of costume, I always hear about the holocaust and how bad that was. Granted, but Hitler and the Nazi's were also responsible for slaughtering 22,000,000 Russians, thousands of Poles, Checkoslovakians, Americans, French, English, Hungarian gypsies, etc. Jew and non-Jew, the list is staggering. Are not these atrocities bad enough to be counted? Do we need a certain number to be reached before the war crimes are considered heinous enough? I believe 22,000,000 million qualifies! I'm not downplaying or trying to offend the Jewish people by bringing this up, but millions died at the hands of the Nazis in WWII, many in concentration camps right next to their Jewish brothers and sisters. I sometimes wonder why a larger emphasis is not placed on Hitler's other victims. Also, should I ask if the slaughtering of children that were mentally ill, or retarded or somehow not German enough an atrocity? These children were Germans, and were slaughtered by the Nazis because they were outside the Aryan profile of Hitler's vision. Children, my God!

Prince Harry wearing a "swastika" to a costume birthday party probably was a somewhat insensitive thing to do, but how much of this press and public attention to him is because he is part of the royal family? I suppose that he has a part that he must learn to act out, or not. Maybe, Harry is just trying to be his own man. It doesn't sound like he has had all that much guidance. Where is Prince Charles in all of this? Doesn't he deserve some of the blame if that's what you people want to dish out? I wouldn't want to be this kid. He didn't ask to be born into a royal anything, but he was. Again, so what? I'd be dammed if anybody was going to tell me how to act, what to say, what to do. I'd run away and join the circus and change my name to Bob.

Get off of the kids ass. He made a mistake and he apologized. What, do you want him crucified? (Now see what all of this political correctness shit has gone and made me do.) I'll get some stupid comment about that last statement, but then again, maybe that's why I put it in there. Get a grip everyone. We have turned into a world of thin-skinned, whinny little babies who can't blow off an insult, who look for some kind of political justification to make an insult or stupid statement into something more than it is, who get hurt feelings for every weird or strange look, a bad word, or bad feeling that we perceive from some total stranger passing by on the street, and you can't even say hello to anybody at the office anymore without somebody taking it the wrong way. It's ridiculous and it's a bad direction to be headed in.

Earth, home of the wimpy humanoids. No wonder we aren't visited by UFO's that much anymore. Earth used to be an exciting place to take the wife and kids on that "wild alien vacation". Lot's of muders, people killing each other for nothing, and lots and lots of wars. Not anymore, sure there are a few wars here and there, but NYC just isn't the same. Humans are getting too wimpy and too damn polite.

"But honey, we could take the kids and take a side trip to earth to see that big circus, you know the one with the new trapeze artist in it."

"Do you mean that new kid named, Bob.?"

"Yeah, that one. You know what the rumors are on Mars about that kid."

"Yeah, that his name used to be Harry."

"Yeah, that one."

Everyone Jump on The Gloom and Doom Wagon!

2005-01-11T17:12:00.000-05:00

Most of the news coming out of south Asia over the last two and one-half weeks, since the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent devastating tsunami swept the area, destroying everything in its path, has been bad. The death toll has reached almost 154,000. There is some sign of recovery, however small and insignificant it may seem to some, to others it is a sign that life is beginning to return to a semblance of normalcy. However, even these signs and messages of recovery are punctuated by more scientific warnings of gloom and doom.

To start off, a little science brought to you by our friends at 'The Times of India.' Yes folks, the next time you're in Bangalore or New Dehli, and looking for that new car, remember "The Times of India." Sorry, a little humor, aarrrggghhhh!!!!! One word about linking to some of these foreign newspapers. I try whenever possible to link stories to newspapers in the area whenever possible, however I have no idea what kind of web setup or how much space that they have for links. Some of the smaller papers like the "Phuket Gazette" are a nightmare. As soon as you link to them, it seems that they change the link. Please bear with me. The news, science and information contained in this blog is accurate and true to the best of my ability to research it and write it. Thanks.

Where was I? According to the "Times of India" the energy released by the earthquake off the coast of Indonesia was 2 exajoules, or 2 x 1018 joules of energy. What's a joule? Besides being an extremely large number it so happens to be enough energy to boil 1,000 litres of water for each person on earth. That's a lot of 3 minute eggs! It's also the energy equivalent of the production of 940,000 barrels of oil every day for a whole year, or more then 5 times the electricity consumed in Norway in 1998. What would we do without "The Times of India"?

Scientists from the (CIS), Consortium of Indian Scientists are "cautioning" that the coasts of Mumbai and Orissa could be hit by another tsunami in the near future. They base this caution on a map which uses seismic data from "various sources including the World Meteorological Department. The Consortium is cautioning of a possible tsunami due to undersea earthquakes in the south Asia region. PD Bhatnagar, who is the Conveyor and Secretary General of the CIS stated, "We are not predicting, but cautioning the government as there are 200 inter-dependent factors involved in the construction of this map. This same map also shows a milder version of some kind of tsunami in the Arabian sea region. The CIS warned that proper disaster management should be in place to tackle the potential threat. The CIS also advocated that coastal areas of India could be protected from tsunami disasters by the proper use of "Rock Geometry and Tree Geometry". (*Writers note: What the hell are these people talking about? I think they have rocks and trees in their collective heads.)

Seemingly, we are a world of reactionaries. It usually takes a disaster of the magnitude seen in south Asia before full scale efforts begin in developing a system of warning, in this case a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean. For weeks and even months afterwards we, as a species try and come to some kind of an answer as to why this event has occurred. We blame God, aliens, the nuclear bombs tests done in the late forties and fifties, even ourselves as sinners, as if we are directly linked to a creator that destroys 150,000 innocent people because of a couple of thousand bikini wearing infidels! Get a grip! Besides, in the Bible that I read God was ready to make a deal with Lot if he could find just 10 good people in the city of Sodom. God would not destroy the city of Sodom for 10 good people. So out of 150,000 there weren't any good people? Yeah right! It's earthquakes and tsunamis folks, that's all. Maybe, just maybe we as a species should stop being so arrogant to believe that we can build anywhere, and tame anything, including nature, to bend the nonexistent "will" of a planet to our self-centered, existent "will".

Even though the last great disaster of epic proportion occurred more than one hundred years ago with the explosion of Krakatoa, since then there have been many smaller scale events. I would ask how much human life must be lost or displaced before something is done. As a species we always seem to fall headlong into this trap regardless of numerous disastrous events. We saw it with 9-11. We see it time and time again with hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and other natural disasters here in our country and around the world. We are always ready to deal with prevention and spend the necessary monies after an event of so-called biblical proportion to prevent another disaster of similar kind. Are we that arrogant, or that stupid that we do not possess the foresight to prevent a disaster before it happens? That is the very essence of the word prevention! To prevent something before it happens, not gee whiz, maybe next time.

Everybody listen up! Get off of the doom and gloom wagon! Put your damnable energies into something other then feeling sorry for your miserable, pathetic asses. We are not the rulers of the universe! Or the Solar System! We are not the rulers of our own earth, as if we own it! Most of us can't even rule ourselves. Let's try to have some foresight. Look it up if you don't know what it means. Think ahead and plan ahead. Until we as a species start to "think" as a collective world instead of the singular, what's in it for me mentality, and the me against the world crap, we will hear a lot of crying, and that biblical gnashing of teeth, followed up by a lot of "why's"? Why? Because of our own stupidity, that's why!

Tsunami Update From South Asia

2005-01-09T21:17:00.000-05:00

A us relief helicopter has crashed with ten people on board near the Banda Aceh airport on Monday, Indonesia time. The chopper was on a tsunami related relief operation when it went down. There are no reports yet of deaths or injuries.

More aftershocks struck Indonesia on Monday, including a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off the northern coast of Sumatra Island. The quake was centered about 40 miles southwest of Banda Aceh. No new injuries or damage was reported from the quake. I don't see how any more damage could be inflicted by anything. I'm not trying to be funny, I'm just stating a fact. Since Friday, at least fourteen aftershocks have rattled the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Two of the largest ones were felt in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh. Two weeks after the magnitude 9.0 struck the area, the Earth is still vibrating, like a bell. According to the Australian National University the reverberations were similar in form to the ringing of a bell, but without the sound. The reverberations, or oscillations are slowly fading, but are still above normal levels. Normal oscillation between 20 and 30 centimeters of motion is typically generated throughout the earth by the interaction of gravity between the Earth, Sun, and Moon. At the present time, the oscillation level is about a millimeter of vertical motion. The earthquake may also have permanently accelerated the Earth's rotation, thus shortening the days by a fraction of a second. U.S. Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California have theorized that the earthquake caused the mass of the earth to actually shift, or move towards the Earth's center, and this in turn caused the earth to spin faster, with the effect of shortening the days by about three microseconds. The quake also caused the Earth to tilt another 2.5 centimeters on its axis, and permanently alter the geography of Asia by moving some of the smaller islands near the epicenter of the quake as much as 20 meters.

Over the weekend some concern was being expressed by the major countries involved in the tsunami relief effort about the safety of aid workers, especially foreign military personnel. Australia, and Canada are expressing concern that their aid workers may get caught in a crossfire between the Indonesian army and the rebel movement (GAM), Free Aceh Movement. This group has been fighting the Indonesian government in a low-level type war, for an independent homeland in Aceh province, for more than twenty years. Banda Aceh is the provincial capital of Aceh and is presently the center for relief efforts in the northern part of Sumatra Island. Shortly after the earthquake, which also struck and affected some rebel strongholds, leaders of the GAM proclaimed a temporary cease-fire, stating that no harm would come to any foreign military, foreign aid workers, or Christians as long as they were in the country providing relief to the victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami. The extremist group, Laskar Mujahidin, which has ties to al Queda also operates in the area and has set up an aid camp of their own in the province. They have also said that they are in the province to help and will not target foreigners, although safety concerns are still running high. The governments of Australia and Canada expressed concern amid reports over the weekend from the Indonesian military that separatist rebels were infiltrating refugee camps is Aceh province. The governments of both countries are concerned about their aid workers getting inadvertently caught in between exchanges of gunfire between Indonesian troops and rebel forces. On Sunday shots were fired at Indonesian police officers that were guarding the home of the Aceh provincial deputy police chief. His home is located only 100 meters from the United Nations building in Aceh. The UN was not believed to be the target, but there is an underlying fear that as the relief situation stretches longer that violence will break out between the Indonesian army forces and the GAM, and spillover to attacks on foreign military and aid workers. The Indonesian army has so far guaranteed the safety of all foreigners involved in the relief effort. In the short term, I believe that it would be political suicide for the GAM to attack relief workers, but as the relief effort continues and stretches into weeks and months this feeling of decency may be left by the wayside.

The Indonesian government has urged Indonesians not to be suspicious of or fear foreign militaries. "We need their assistance, and the Indonesian government has coordinated their presence since their arrival. I am sure they come not for war, but a humanitarian operation," stated Theo Sambuaga, the chairman of Indonesia's House of Representatives defense and information committee. Since the Iraq war, anger has run high in predominately Muslim Indonesia, but most Indonesians seem to be genuinely appreciative of the US aid since the earthquake and tsunami devastated their homeland. The idea of American troops in Indonesia would have been unthinkable before the Dec. 26 disaster, which has killed more than 100,000 people in Aceh, but Indonesians have expressed thanks for their presence, according to the Associated Press.

In aid related news, according to doctor Jose Rizal, a doctor with the Jakarta based Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, the province of Aceh needs more volunteers, and additional supplies of clean water and medicine. Outbreaks of pneumonia, some typhoid and diarrhea are rising among refugees, and cases of skin diseases and upper respiratory infections are increasing. Many of the volunteers are exhausted after two weeks of non-stop work and fatigue is beginning to catch up with them. More volunteers are needed to relieve the present volunteers.

Elsewhere in the region, some violence has broken out in Sri Lanka and in southern Thailand. Clashes between Hindus and Christians in the eastern part of Sri Lanka has killed three and injured thirty seven. No relief workers were involved in any of the incidents. Hindus and Christians do not usually mix it up because both groups belong to the Tamil minority and both groups believe they are oppressed by the country's Buddhist Sinhalese majority. About 400 Sri Lankans had a peaceful protest on Sunday across from the UN High Commissioner fro Refugees office in the Tamil city of Jaffna. They were protesting the governments inability or refusal to provide protection to Kofi Annan to visit the northern region of Sri Lanka in order to inspect the tsunami damage there. The northern territory is controlled by the "Tamil Tigers", whom the government has labeled a rebel group. The Tigers have been fighting the government for twenty years for a Tamil homeland.

In southern Thailand two people were shot on Saturday. The violence is believed to be related to extremist groups tied to the separatist movement in Indonesia, but have their own movement in southern Thailand. The Thai authorities were hoping that the violence would subside somewhat due to the tsunami because the GAM who provides most of the training for the separatist groups in the region were themselves victims of the heavy waves on Dec. 26th. Thai police believe that Muslim militants are still meeting, most likely in northern Malaysia to plan major incidents in the south despite the tsunami. Police say that they are not concerned about the violence spilling over to relief workers at the present time.

Finally, in all so far world governments, led by Australia and Germany have pledged nearly $4 billion in aid which is the biggest relief package in history. The World Bank has said that it will consider boosting its aid to as much as $1.5 billion which is significant. It has already pledged $175 million in assistance.
It's the middle of the rainy season in south Asia and the rain is hampering relief efforts. The infrastructure in northern Indonesia is severely damaged already, with roads and bridges washed away from the tsunami. More rain is not going to make it any easier and complicate things even more. To add a twist from nature, Tropical Cyclone 01B is in the Indian Ocean, 200nm east of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It has Maximum sustained winds of 25kts and has been moving northward at around 3mph. It is expected to remain at strength for the next 24hrs, but then start to weaken as it gets caught up in steering currents aloft.

And that as they say is about it.

From The Other Side of The World.

2005-01-06T13:32:00.000-05:00

What is it that they say? Don't change horses in midstream, or something like that. So, I will not. I've been writing a lot of posts about the south Asian tsunami. The information is not that hard to come by. For the most part I have been lucky enough to have traveled extensively in that part of the world, so it's familiar. I have links to a lot of the newspapers in the region, and I have friends there who I stayed in contact with. I also have a background in geology which helps in understanding earthquakes and tsunamis, although I do not claim to be an expert on the subjects by any stretch of the imagination. But, as someone once told me, "When you've got something, go with it." I have and I will continue. I'll stay with the story because it's of great interest to me, and I do not believe that any of us, including myself, have yet to fully grasp the destruction wrought by the confluence of these back to back natural events.

Firstly, despite all of the wonderful reporting by the cable news stations, all is not well. Not for our and other countries lack or want of trying. As I'm sure by now we all know, we in America are "angels of mercy", "wonderful people", "generous to a fault", and every other descriptive adjective and sentence that the news writers can sling together and still make sense. I realize that we, our nation, are generally not looked favorably upon in many parts of the world, including south Asia. Indonesia is the largest Muslim majority populated country in the world, and the 9-11 terrorists had a meeting there before they attacked our country. However, one gripe that I do have, with one cable news station in particular that shall go unnamed, FOX News, is driving me up a wall. With almost every single interview they go out of their way to tell the guest that we are a great and generous country or ask the guest in some way their opinion of how our country is so generous, not the great Satan as portrayed by many around the world, but the saving angel of the world. Please, get a grip and cut it. What, did you people get a memo or something telling you to push America. My God, do your charity quietly and in silence! Nothing that any cable news station says is going to change any Muslim nation or any individual Muslims opinion about us. In the Muslim world actions speak louder than words. Maybe, you would do better to read the Koran. Just as an example of what we are up against, this is a link to a piece from the Asia Times Online, which I believe was written by one of us, an American. On the other hand there is also good press. Enough ranting about cable news.

While we are getting mostly good reports that relief efforts are progressing, and for the most part going smoothly, they are occasionally dotted with the horrors of, and the evils that always accompany this type of regional disaster. I thought that taking a look at what the other side of the world is saying might be good for perspective. I know the American media means well, but I really do believe that they are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to reporting items that are too bleak or might not put the ole' American happy face on things.

I thought that some people might first find this extensive picture gallery interesting. Brought to you courtesy of our friends at the Phuket Gazette. It has a pile of pictures, both before and after the tsunami. The following link is to the front page of today's Phuket Gazette containing a slew of articles concerning the tsunami, and what items are still needed. Thailand seems to be pretty well coordinated with many web sites now set up for official tsunami information, general information and victim searches. Here's a short list. For victims searches: Victims from Tsunami in Thailand, The Official Thai Tsunami Info website, Phuketcity.com, where they are actually looking for language volunteers, and the Narenthorn Center, which has a lot of links to a lot of agencies and the like including my favorite, The Thailand Meteorological Department, who are still on the hotseat for not issuing a tsunami warning on the 26th of Dec. They've certainly read the, "I've got an excuse book." Of course, there are always supplies that disaster victims never seem to have enough of. One of them is blood. Princess Maha Chakri Sirinthorn, the executive vice president of Thailand's Red Cross, has stated the need for more of the blood types A, B, O and blood with Rh negative factor.

Indonesia has its own problems with aid groups blasting the government there for hampering tsunami relief efforts. Despite the scale of the tsunami disaster, apparently it is business as usual for the government, which means lots of red tape. This red tape, according to Faisal Basri, the National Coordinator of the Humanitarian Emergency Commission, is slowing down relief efforts, and if it weren't for personal contacts within the government his work would be seriously hampered.

If that's not enough, a regional human rights group is alleging that the Indonesian military is incompetent, abusing some tsunami survivors, and even denying assistance to some without the proper ID, from people who have lost everything! The Bangkok based Asia Forum has listed a plethora of abuses and general incompetence in the management of aid distribution, and that some of these aid items were even being sold. The military is also accused of diverting resources to its ongoing campaign against the separatist guerilla movement, the (GAM) Free Aceh Movement. Martial law has also been declared in Aceh hampering relief efforts even more.

Speaking of guerrillas and rebels, it seems that even a tsunami won't stop the intended bloodshed. Soldiers and tsunamis victims claim to have been fired upon by rebels on the western coast of Aceh province. The rebels are part of an insurgent force that have been fighting for an independent homeland since 1976. 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Even the waters off of western Sumatra are not safe. Piracy, which had been an ongoing occurrence near the island, ceased immediately after the tsunami on Dec. 26th, but the threat remains high. Before the tsunami hit pirates had been attacking during the whole month of December. Aid groups have been given fair warning to be prepared. Indonesia is the world's most pirate plagued nation in the world.

Sri Lanka has apparently decided to bring back the hangman, although government officials say he never really went away. This in response to the escalating crime wave that was climbing long before the tsunami hit. Trafficking in children has been a long time ongoing problem in the country. On a good note however, the government of Sri Lanka has finally said that it will take over responsibility for the care and welfare of its tsunami orphaned children. International pressure is sometimes a good thing.

Now, with all of the above said I bet you're thinking either this guy is boring as hell or there couldn't possibly be more. There's always room for jello (politics). In the Asia Times today there was a wonderful little enlightening little piece entitled 'Tsunamis won't stop jihadis', as if we need that spelled out for us. It is a sad, but all true article, that states the facts that this region is a terrorists paradise, and just because there was a devastating tsunami do not think for an instant with the US military presenting such inviting targets of opportunity that terrorists will not strike, because they are feeling in some way humanistic. My last political offering has to do with the time honored tradition that you do not get anything for nothing. Most of the governmental aid money being offered in the tsunami relief packages comes with 'little tiny strings' appropriately attached to trade deals, preferential treatment, medicines, agriculture, and contracts. Ah, the life of a state department employee. Have no fear though, private donations are just that. The grubby little 'string gluers' down in Washington can't get their hands on them.

Finally, on a lighter note, a couple of idiotic examples of just plain idiocy. Idiot Item One and Idiot Item Two.

No Mercy For These Slugs of Humanity

2005-01-05T18:32:00.000-05:00

It is inevitable when disaster strikes that along with the good and generous giving people come the scammers, rip-off artists, and the worst of what humanity has to offer. This slime of life I refer to are those that prey on the helpless, the homeless, and the familyless children of the world or in this case the children of the south Asian tsunami disaster. I'm sure that we have all heard or read the reports of children being kidnapped to be sold into forced labor or sexual slavery. The reports of heightened abuse against women, as well as the rape and gang-rapes that have happened within the refugee camps themselves. There is no excuse for this. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior! There is no excuse for allowing this kind of behavior to happen or allowing an atmosphere for this type of behavior to exist!

I realize that governments and government agencies are taxed, beyond measure in some cases, however; children being kidnapped and sold into slavery is not a new problem in countries like Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. Even Thailand has had this problem in the past. This is something that should have been looked into at the beginning as they were setting up food and medical help. Children account for about a third of the dead and displaced. Agencies such as UNICEF and the UN have said they have been aware of the problem since the tsunami happened, and just today there have been reports of guards being put in and around the refugee centers. I'm sorry, but this should have been anticipated a week ago. At first, the Indonesian government didn't even want outside help. This is not a time for pride. It is always the helpless that get preyed upon, and unfortunately in this case the most vulnerable are the children. In some of these countries orphans aren't even looked at as being important in the society anymore and are left to fend for themselves. It is a very different way of life than ours.

I believe that if the governments of the affected countries need help to protect these little ones that they should swallow their pride and ask for the help. I'm positive that there would be no shortage of volunteers, military or otherwise. As far as the people that are committing these crimes are concerned I tend to follow what Jesus told his disciples, "Whoa, to anyone that would hurt any such as these little ones in my name, for it would be better for them to tie a millstone around their neck and throw themselves into the sea." I, personally would have no trouble killing any of these bastards where they stand!

I certainly hope that the unfortunate children of this disaster are protected to the fullest, and quickly! I also hope that the perpetrators that prey on these children are hunted down and jailed or if they even put up a squeal, kill them. They won't live to hurt any other children. I do not say this lightly, but where children are concerned it pisses me off no end that someone would hurt one. I used to see that shit in Vietnam, after the medics would inoculate the kids in a village, the NVA would come in and cut their arms off and throw them in a pile as a message to all the other villages for them not to have their kids inoculated by the Americans. And they wondered why I would want to hunt those fuckers down and kill every last one of them! Ridiculous! It isn't the same, but it is. It's the same kind of evil, and the only way to stop it is to kill it, or protect the children from it, or both. Just do something! This is like the one time that I wish someone, somewhere, in Thailand or Sri Lanka or anybody on that side of the world would actually read this blog, and do something! I just don't think enough people care strongly enough about it. I hope, I pray, I scream that I'm wrong.

Thailand Fires Top Forecaster Over Tsunami

2005-01-04T17:51:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, December 31, 2004, I wrote a piece on the south Asian tsunami, and in that piece I hinted that there were many rumors floating around why, the Thai government especially did not issue a tsunami warning for the country's southwestern coast. The major rumor was because of the tourist industry. Back in 1998 the Thai government had issued a possible tsunami warning because of an earthquake off the coast of Papua, New Guinea, but one never materialized. There were complaints from the Thai tourist board that this had hurt the tourist industry somehow. That in itself amazes me, because I would think that a huge pile of people being swept away by a tidal wave would tend to hurt tourism more! The whole situation sounded to me like what we used to call in the military, a giant "cluster fuck", and you just knew that heads were going to roll, especially since the grandson of the Thai King Bhumibol Adulyade was killed during the onslaught of the waves.

On Monday, Jan 3, 2005, Asian officials finally admitted that they had failed to issue a "broad public warning" immediately following the huge undersea earthquake. If they had, the warning, no doubt could have saved countless lives throughout the region affected by tsunamis. Of course whenever governments admit any kind of culpability in anything they usually follow it up with a but, and these same Asian governments insisted that they did not know the true nature of the threat because there was no international system, (when in doubt blame it on the international community), in place to track tidal waves in the Indian Ocean, that these systems are very expensive, and they can't afford to buy the sophisticated equipment necessary to build one. Well, I wonder how much value they put on human life now? Apparently, it must be cheaper to clean up all of the dead bodies. A couple of dump trucks and a couple of bulldozers, yeah, that's the ticket! I think common sense would've dictated with a 9.0 magnitude quake in that region, especially to a geologist, that there was about a 95% chance of a tsunami developing after this earthquake. There's your sophisticated equipment, one person at about $55,000 a year.

There was nothing anyone could do about Indonesia. The were swamped within minutes, but the rest of the region would have benefited from a warning. Thailand had about an hour, and every place else had sufficient time. Budi Waluyo, who is an official with the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency was taking the government position by saying, "Unfortunately, we have no equipment here that can warn about tsunamis." "The instruments are very expensive and we don't have money to buy them."

However, Thammasarote Smith, who is a former senior forecaster at Thailand's Meteorological Department apparently disagrees. He said that governments could have done much more to warn people about the danger. Thammasarote told the Bangkok Post newspaper that the government had up to an hour to warn people, but failed to do so saying, "It is true that an earthquake is unpredictable, but a tsunami, which occurs after an earthquake, is predictable."

The Thai Meteorological Department said that it had sent out warnings through radio and television from 9am on Sunday about a possible undertow along the southwest coast of Thailand, but the first waves had already hit by the time those ineffective warnings were given. Three hours later, a web site warning went up, but by then it was all over and people were already dead. The department blamed the inability to give a real time warning on the lack of the satellite technology to do it. Happy vacationing!

Finally, today the top forecaster at the Thai Meteorological Department was fired from his job for failing to issue a warning, this according to the prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. The department has said that it knew about the large earthquake that struck off the coast of Sumatra on Dec. 26, and that it might produce what they have called, "a dangerous surge of water along the country's southwest coast." Apparently, they knew this before the waves hit. Officials said that they had no way of determining the size of the waves, therefore the threat that they posed. This is the biggest crock of bullshit that I have ever heard. Any Geology 101 student knows that tsunami waves in the open ocean are almost too small to detect. The wave would be about the size of a speed bump. Most of the wave form and energy is carried beneath the wave, and it's not until the wave reaches the continental shelf that it starts to build in height. They should have issued a warning based on the probability alone, for crying out loud! What school did these idiots go to? On top of their lying crap the Meteorological Department said that it was reluctant to issue a warning without sufficient information because it could harm the tourism industry, an action that could anger the government! Sure, blame everybody for your own ineptness! Those people are directly responsible for getting a bunch of people killed and I hope that someday, somehow, somebody finds a way to hold whoever is responsible accountable for these inactions! Because of this inaction the Thai government removes one guy, Suparerk Thantiratanawong, who was the director general of the Meteorological Department. The prime minister has stated that, "If he had warned of the tsunami, the death toll would definitely have been minimized."

Thammasarote Smith has been appointed to head a new committee to set up a national tsunami warning system in conjunction with other Asian countries. At least this guy sounds like he knows what he's doing, but guess who's assigned to work with him for the next six months - Suparerk Thantiratanawong. What a country! You screw up, and it sounds to me like you get a promotion!

12/26/2004: Some Science and Facts

2005-01-03T18:30:00.000-05:00

I have been coming across some interesting facts about the Dec. 26, 2004 earthquake and tsunami in and around Indonesia. I saw the President today standing with his father and Bill Clinton, and he made a statement about the damage being almost unimaginable. He's right. Everyone knows the numbers of dead and missing. We are reminded and updated at least every half hour on the cable news stations. Just thinking of this tragedy in terms of those numbers is bad enough, however I have also been interested in the science underneath this event. Listed below are some facts and figures that may help people look at this disaster from another angle, and realize that this event was truly a spectacular one, geologically speaking. I studied earthquakes for a few years way back when in grad school, and they have always fascinated me. I have actually been in a couple of good size ones, and have seen first hand how people's whole lives can be wiped out in about 12 to 15 seconds. They are just one of those natural events that are truly frightening, yet at the same time utterly exciting and fascinating. I cannot really explain it. It's the same way that I feel now about having spent time in Vietnam. It's one of those once in a lifetime events that really scares the crap out of you, and while you're in it it's all about death and destruction. But if you make it out, later on in life, once you are past the trauma and get your head screwed back on, you are so glad just to be alive. You really do get to a point where you are just happy to wake up every morning, and be surrounded by family and friends. People are what is truly important in life. The human species is very resilient, and eventually life will get better for those people directly affected by the trauma and tragedy. Even for those that have lost everything, eventually time will heal some of the pain.

This event is what geologists call world shaping. I mean that literally. Events of this magnitude literally change the face and the geography of the earth. The earthquake occured on December 26, 2004, at 00:58:53 (GMT), 07:58:53am local time, at 3.30N, 95.87E, at a depth of 30 km, and had a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale, which is basically a measurement of the earthquake's yield as opposed to intensity. There were three major tectonic plates directly involved in the magnitude 9.0 earthquake, and if you take into consideration that the places that I've listed all sit on different tectonic plates, then you could say that at least seven were involved. The major ones directly involved were the Eurasion plate, the Australian plate, and the Indian plate. The earthquake took place approximately at the intersection of these three plates. So much land and ocean was displaced over a 1000 kilometer length of fault line that the actual levels of the oceans were raised: off of San Diego, CA, the ocean rose 9 inches; off of Manzanillo, MX, the ocean level rose 8 foot 6 inches; off of Callao, Peru, the ocean level rose 19 inches; and off of Jackson Bay, N.Z., the ocean level rose 25 inches. This event literally changed the face of the earth, as you probably are aware of some of the islands off of the coast of Thailand, for example, Phi Phi Island is mostly underwater, and will probably stay underwater because of the ocean levels rising. Knowing that an event of nature has the power to move land masses is more than mind boggling to me.

This was the fourth largest earthquake in the world since 1900, and the largest since the Alaskan earthquake of 1964, which had a magnitude of 9.2. The Alaskan earthquake pushed the ground level up forty feet in some places. The earthquake of Dec. 26, 2004 produced the equivalent of an explosion of 32 billion tons of TNT. To give you some perspective the Hiroshima bomb was equivalent to 20,ooo tons of TNT, or 20 kilotons. If my math is right that means that the Indonesian quake was equal to about 1,600,000 Hiroshima bombs, or in more modern terms, equal to 320, 100 megaton bombs. That's an unbelievable amount of power released in a matter of seconds. 32 billion tons of TNT is about the equivalent of the amount of power that the whole of the United States uses in a year! Impressed yet?

Here are some more interesting facts. Since the first big earthquake of December 26th, there have been approximately 119 more earthquakes in the general area of the first big quake. Some are aftershocks. Others may or may not be. Scientists have to look at all of the data collected, and as you well might imagine, there is a lot of data. Since the big quake, there has been 1 quake with a magnitude of between 7.0 - 7.9; 14 quakes with a magnitude between 6.0 - 6.9; 89 quakes with a magnitude between 5.0 - 5.9, and 15 quakes with a magnitude between 4.0 - 4.9. These are not small earthquakes. I think that anyone can see by the data that this is a geologically active earthquake zone. Luckily none of these aftershocks or smaller earthquakes have produced another tsunami. If they had, the same problems would be faced as they were on Sunday, Dec. 26th, except that maybe this time with the US Navy and other ships in the area a warning could go out, assuming that anybody on board these vessels knew what a tsunami looks like when it's in the middle of the ocean. It would look like a little speed bump compared to what it looks like when it hits the continental shelf, and then land. Tsunamis don't enlarge until they come into shallow water.

So there you have a little different perspective on this event. The end results are still the same. Lots of people dead, lots of people are homeless, and lots of people need shelter, food, clothing, and medical care. It will probably take up to ten years to rebuild the affected areas, assuming that they can rebuild. Again some of this land is now underwater and will remain uninhabitable. Although tsunamis of the magnitude seen last Sunday are generally rare in this area, they can happen! I hope that all governments of the countries affected by this tragedy will come to realize that the expense of a tsunami early warning system is in the end a lot cheaper than the expense of cleanup, and the cost in human lives and misery. One thing that looking at the data may not immediately impart to governmental agencies is that a similar event will eventually take place again. It may take some time, but that's all it is, just a matter of time!

Hope For The Human Race?

2005-01-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

On some of the news stations, on the web, and I'm afraid even some of the more evangelical type Christians that attend my church are voicing opinions about last Sunday's earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, and surrounding areas as a sign of God's displeasure with his people on earth. Generally, I don't have a problem with how they feel or what they say even though I don't always agree with what they are saying. I've learned that sometimes it's best just to let certain things go in one ear and out the other, because you will never change their opinions no matter what. I have some good friends that are evangelical Christians and we are always arguing (discussing), things to do with their views on the "end times", which they feel we are in, and I love to argue (discuss) what it means to be "born again" with them. My views are somewhat different, but hey, that's what makes America great, the right to disagree and argue (discuss). One thing that I and my friends usually agree upon is the state of the "human race." I don't hold out much hope for it generally speaking, that is until today when I found myself actually sticking up for humanity. It amazed me!

Now, I realize that my friends opinions are also shared by some other evangelical Christians. You hear about them on the news and you read about them on the web, and in the paper. I don't necessarily blame them entirely for their opinions either. Some or most of the responsibility has to be given to or accepted by that person standing up there behind the pulpit preaching this stuff, and interpreting scripture. The pastors are the so called leaders of the flock and what they preach influences the flock. So this morning after church, I and some of my friends were discussing the disaster in Indonesia and one of my friends is expressing his view of things, while his wife's head is nodding in agreement, and wouldn't you know it, so are the kids. Four little kid heads, nodding up and down like some bad cartoon. It would have been kind of funny if it hadn't been all too "clone like."

So, here we are, eleven of us standing around in the parking lot, and I'm listening to these people preaching about the wrath of God and about sending food and Bibles to Indonesia. Yeah, that'll work. Let's send Bibles to one of the largest Muslim countries on earth! In the middle of this argument (discussion), here comes the pastor, and he doesn't miss a beat. He starts nodding his head, up and down. They all look like the back window of some giant 'bobble head' Cadillac! By this time, I have had enough of the parking lot proselytizing committee, my girl friend had left and gone home, and in my book when she leaves that's permission for big dog to come out and play. So, I verbally flip out! After getting over my original shock of so adamantly defending the human race, and my own concept of God, the tirade followed. I don't think any of my friends, nor the pastor were prepared for the social commentary that followed. I told them all that first of all no kind of a loving God would intentionally destroy a couple of hundred thousand people, especially on that side of the world just to prove a point. What did these people do that was so bad that they should deserve this? Secondly, earthquakes and tsunamis are not caused by God. They are caused by shifting tectonic plates, that's all. There is no "bad button" in heaven or next to the throne that God hits out of spite! Ridiculous! Thirdly, what lesson is this going to teach anybody? Is it meant to convert the Buddhists, and Muslims to Christianity? By what method? Killing so many people that these simple, poor people will see the error of their ways? Doubtful! I look right at the pastor and say, "You know pastor, if you want to teach or somehow tie a lesson into this disaster, try this one.

I said, "Pastor people always ask why does God let bad things happen, right? He nods. " I don't know why, that's your job to come up with the answer, but I'll tell you this much, it's got nothing to do with God's wrath or the end times or punishment for sins." "And after seeing the outpouring of humanity, money, and caring coming from all parts of the world I've got to say that I believe that there is hope for this world, and believe it or not, even hope for mankind." " Sometimes, and this is the sad part, sometimes it takes a disaster in some part of the world for all of us to remove our heads from our collective asses long enough to realize that we haven't got it so bad. Maybe it takes a little reminder, if you believe in this, that if we were all made in the image of our creator, maybe we should act like it, and not just in time of need. Believe me, there is enough crap in the world that if we all started now it would take ten lifetimes to fix."

They were all looking very confused by now, and to tell you the truth I couldn't believe that it was Mr. Sarcasm himself, saying all of this. Did I stop? Of course not, I continued, "God isn't punishing anybody here. Sure it may seem like it, especially if you happen to live in the middle of all of that death and misery. If you claim to be a Christian, then maybe God is just giving you a little tap on the shoulder to say, here's your chance to actually do my son's work and take care of, and feed the poor. From what I have been seeing and hearing, the world is rising to the occasion." I don't know whether I offended them or made my friends think a little. None of them said a word, well except for my good friend Gary. He just looked at me and said, "Hhhmmm." Turned around and left. Oh well.

Hopefully, there won't be any more of these types of disasters, although I know that is wishful thinking. There are daily ongoing disasters in poorer countries where people die daily from starvation and disease. Now that I have regained my good feelings towards humanity, I wonder how long that it will take me to lose those feelings? Will we ever, as a global community get through this disaster? How about the next one? What about the ongoing ones, in the Sudan for instance. That has been swallowed up in this newest one, but travel there. It still exists. To Gary, and my good Christian friends, whom I'm sure are either totally confused by me or totally pissed off, God love em'. But please, do me a favor for now. Quit it with the end times stuff, the idea of sending these people Bibles, proselytizing, and converting them to Christianity, at least until you help out, send some money, get your hands dirty, and your hearts broken a little. Listen to the pastor preach his weekly message, fine, pray for those poor people, and put some money in the box to help feed those people, good. Get these people fed with real food first before you entertain the idea of sending Bibles and missionaries, or you might find that the 'manna' you are sending in the form of all of those free Bibles make a pretty good tasting stew, especially those leather bound editions.

What Does a Blog Feel Like?

2005-01-01T08:48:00.000-05:00

If a blog had feelings, I'm sure that I'd be one today. It feels just like there is some idiot smashing on a keyboard that is connected to what is left of my brain.

I had a couple of thoughts this morning shortly after I was rudely awakened by some jerk shining a huge, bright, yellow light in my eyes. The first thought was where the hell did I stash the good painkillers? Come to think of it that was my only thought. On my way to the closet to get out of the yellow light that kept following me around my apartment I looked in the computer room and this idiot machine was on. I cannot believe that I would have tried to write anything last night or earlier this morning. I do not think that the aliens dropped me back off much before 6:00am. Jeez, those guys can party!

Found the painkillers. Going back to bed in the closet. No light. Hopefully, this hungover idiot will wake up. Idiocy seems to be the theme of the day so far. I'm sure that it is a theme that will carry through the rest of the day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Finally, that idiot has stopped pounding on the keyboard!

South Asian Natural Disasters: History of Death

2004-12-31T15:56:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday's major earthquake and tsunami were not the first, or even the second time that a major geological event in Indonesia has killed thousands. The devastation wrought by last Sunday's tsunami was a vivid reminder that south Asia is tied together by geology, as well as by trade and culture.

I don't care how much death and destruction one person has seen throughout their own lifetime, one cannot help but be moved by the myriad of video, and still pictures that assault our senses daily on the local and cable news programs. Such devastation is almost unfathomable. Over the last couple of days I have even heard persistent rumors emanating from the press in Thailand, (Bangkok's: The Nation), suggesting that the Thai government deliberately did not issue tsunami warnings because it would have affected the 'tourist business.' Thailand's, Meteorological Department, who supervises the Seismological Department did not issue any tsunami warnings, that's true, but why? I believe the question at least needs to be asked if any of these deaths could have been prevented. A spokesman, (no name given), for the Thai government denied that warnings were not issued because it is presently "high season", meaning peak tourist season. OK. A tsunami warning was not issued based upon an original Richter Scale reading of 8.2. Apparently, this led some scientists to believe there would be no tsunami. Hhhmmm! They were wrong, of course, and I've just got to ask. You only got one Richter scale reading from this event? And, even with that one reading, an 8.2 in an area that is known to produce tsunami's? Hhhmmm! Curiouser and curiouser! These geniuses also cited an earthquake that took place in 2002, relatively in the same area, with a magnitude of 7.6 on the RS. It produced no tsunami. I've got to tell you that to base a decision on a difference in RS readings between 8.2 and 7.6 is absolutely insane. The Richter Scale measures magnitude exponentially. Just the difference in those magnitudes is appx. the difference between the energy released by 1 billion tons of TNT and the energy released by appx. 160 million tons of TNT. The difference itself is huge!

Next, Papua, New Guinea in 1998, in which they did issue a possible tsunami warning, although one never materialized. The Thai tourism board claims that the warning had hurt tourism. Gee, I bet you they still feel a lot better than the 3000 people that were killed from the actual tsunami that was produced from the earthquake off of Papua, NG. One minute after the earthquake, the first wave hit, 3000 people on Papua ceased to exist and 6000 were homeless. The tsunami's effects were localized, and for fucks sake the Thai officials are whining about tourism! And after all of this, these same scientists and officials brought up the Krakatoa explosion of 1883, citing no tsunami development. Not for Thailand maybe, but tell that to the 40,000 people who drowned in the tsunami that roared through the Sundra Straits, and destroyed 295 towns and villages. When you consider that this tsunami was generated by what's called a 'point source', it's truly amazing to think of the destruction that Krakatoa caused.

I would have to think that a couple of more misguided attempts at saving the 'tourist industry', because at the end of the day it sure sounds like that consideration entered into the equation, and Thailand as well as any other country with a beach in those parts are going to have it all to themselves. Saving the lives of your own citizens might not be a bad idea also. Let's see, tsunami warning system and education, or life is cheap and who cares? Let's add it up shall we. Let's add up the cost in lives for the last couple of hundred years in the Sumatra, and Java Straits, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, New Guinea, the Nicobar & Andaman Is., Bangladesh, and the Maldives.

First, a little geology. This area of the world is one of the most geologically active zones on the planet. It is the tectonic intersection of three plates, the Indian plate which is moving north/northeasterly at about 6cm a year. It crashes into the Eurasian tectonic plate forming the Himalayan mountains, and is bordered on the south by the Australian tectonic plate. It is near the triple joint junction of these three major plate boundaries that last Sunday's major earthquake took place. Earthquakes and tsunami's have been taking place in this region for millions of years. We will only go back a few hundred years with the intent of showing why a tsunami warning system, and an educational program would be beneficial to the inhabitants and tourists of this region.

In 1815, the eruption of Mt. Tambora, located on Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, had far reaching, even global effects. Not only did the eruption itself kill 100,000 people on Sumbawa Island, but the volcano belched so much ash into the atmosphere that 1816 became known as, "the year without a summer" in the U.S. It may even have spurred the westward migration of pioneers from the eastern United States after the failure of crops in New England, thus speeding up the conquest of the country. There is no actual number of recorded deaths from Mt. Tambora, because this event occurred before the advent of the telegraph and world-wide newspapers, but to think that a catastrophic event that occurred thousands of miles away might have had something to do with the history of the American movement west is purely food for thought.

When Krakatoa blew itself to pieces in 1883, this story and its after-effects were well documented by Reuters. When the mountain and surrounding island blew, the tsunami's that were generated killed at least 40,000 people on Java and Sumatra. The explosion was heard as far away as Australia and India. A naval vessel in the area was pushed 3 kilometers by a wave and ended up settling 10 meters above sea level. What a ride that must have been! Krakatoa threw millions of tons of volcanic ash into the atmosphere that affected global weather for years. Earthly temperatures cooled around the world and sunsets worldwide were said to be spectacular. The 1883 explosion of Krakatoa may have helped explode the first Islamic jihad in Indonesia. Imams on the northwest coast of Java preached that the eruption was a sign of Allah's displeasure with the infidel, 'Dutch', rule.

From the period between 1900 to 1980 no less than a total of 348 earthquakes struck this region of Indonesia, but only 5 of those quakes were of greater magnitude than 7.1. One of these quakes struck on June 26, 1941, in the Andaman Sea, with a RS magnitude of 8.0. It produced a major tsunami that killed more than 5,000 people when it struck the east coast of India. Unfortunately, the media incorrectly reported this event as a storm surge. This incorrect reporting was blamed on poor communications and the fact that World War II was ongoing at the time. It slowed down aid in arriving to the affected areas.

On August 19, 1977, a major earthquake occurred in the Java Trench to the west of Sumba Island. The quake had a magnitude of 7.7 on the RS, and was widely felt as far away as Perth, Australia. A major tsunami was generated with wave heights at 30 meters on adjacent Indonesian coasts, and 8 meters in Australia. Casualties were low, with only about 200 killed, but 4000 were left homeless. A lot of the low casualty rate was due to the remoteness of the area.

Then, of course, there was Papua, New Guinea, on July 17, 1998, in which 3,000 died and 6,000 were left homeless. Before Sunday's 9.0 earthquake, there were at least 5 previous earthquakes above 7.0 in the region since January 1, 2004, most with some loss of life. I would say this qualifies as a pretty active fault zone, geologically speaking. Since we can assume that the death toll from last Sunday's earthquake, and tsunami will continue to rise, even conservatively adding up the loss of life for the last 200 years we can come up with a total of at least 300,000. Remember, that this number only represents the number of people that have actually been counted. There are some estimations that the death toll from last week could go as high as 400,000 or higher. Add all of this up, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to stop and think that even without a sophisticated tsunami warning system, and with just a little tsunami education taught to residents and vacationers some loss of life could have been prevented. Three quarters of a million people in 200 years is a lot of people to lose to something that could be somewhat prevented. It just costs some money.

The people who live near the oceans in this geologically active earthquake and tsunami zone must be taught that when you "feel the ground shaking beneath you, don't hesitate, get to higher ground." The governments of country's surrounding these 'active zones' must stop playing God with peoples lives, and decide what is more important to them - money or life?

Either invest in a Tsunami Early Warning System and promote tsunami education by either splitting the cost with the countries that do promote tourism, or;
Don't invest, and either start initiating tsunami warnings when you are advised to, or you can keep playing with fire, as they say.

I'd say that you have about one more chance with that. Sure, now there are some tourists coming back to the beach in Thailand. I saw that on the news today. I would bet that they are thinking that the odds of another tsunami hitting again are pretty slim. I wouldn't take that bet. I wouldn't count on the tourist industry lasting for too long if the government of Thailand takes this as a sign, and blows last Sunday's disaster off. I would do the right thing. If your country is largely dependent on tourism for income I think you will find that beaches can be a real lonely place when they are empty. Take this time to think about what happened last week, and instead of using previous earthquakes to justify the non-issuance of a warning, I would suggest to keep going back a little further, and remember the loss of life. Base your decision on that and nothing else.

Happy New Year, US Air!

2004-12-29T11:59:00.000-05:00

I'd like to thank US Air for helping to make my Christmas, my girlfriends Christmas, and my girlfriends sons Christmas just fucking lovely. I'd also like to thank all of the people who work for US Air that called in sick last weekend. Without your participation, this story would not have been possible, and my wallet would not be $600 lighter. Bless you, I hope you all lose your jobs, assholes! But, I digress!

The boy, who lives in Pensacola, FL, wanted to surprise his mom and come home for Christmas. He doesn't have a lot of money. Who does these days? He got a round trip ticket on US Air, flying standby which of course has a few drawbacks, but usually you can get where you're going. He got to NY no problem. He even got here a few days early and did surprise his mother. It was a nice Christmas. I should have known that the proverbial shit was going to hit the fan when I heard about Comairs computer system crashing on Friday. Not so much that their system crashed, as much as that Comair didn't have a backup? What the hell kind of way is that to run an airline? The airlines in this country want to know why they're in trouble. Look in front of your face! Then there was the US Air stunt.

Either this was a huge coincidence, or the flight attendants and baggage handlers took a page right out of the 'blue flu' handbook. I'd bet you dollars to donuts that it was the latter. I don't care how much their union denies it. The boy was supposed to leave for home yesterday. He's got a job to get back to and a life. Well, wouldn't you know it, all of the 'standby' lists are all backed up and screwed up. US Air can't even begin to tell him when he might be able to get a flight out. They couldn't even give him a day. They told him to just keep showing up at the airport every day, and that they would do the best they could. Nice going, Jerks! I hope US Air goes belly up tomorrow for all I care! It just cost me $600 to get this kid on a DELTA flight to Pensacola because of US Airs little blue flu incident.

There is just no excuse for this kind of thing. It's expensive enough to fly in this country, and every time something happens to give the airlines a hit, they expect the government,(the people), to bail them out. One of these days some of these regional type airlines are going to dig themselves into a hole that may just be economically infeasible to bail them out of, then what?
As far as I am concerned I will never fly US Air again. I'd rather walk, and if you think I'm joking, then you don't know me. Of course, if they would like to mail me my $600 bucks, I may reconsider!

Let The Exchanging Begin!

2004-12-26T18:34:00.000-05:00

While I was out today returning a Christmas gift, I believe that I may have stumbled upon a most insidious shopping scheme. In previous years, when returning gifts from the larger stores, like Old Navy you would show them the 'Gift Receipt', and you could either:

exchange the gift for another; for example (1) that fits
get cash; which was always my personal favorite
get something like a gift certificate

Imagine my surprise this year, when after standing in line for exactly: 1 hour, 41 minutes; under ordinary circumstances 1:45 would have been child's play. Unfortunately, I succeeded in breaking my back not to long ago, and sometimes just the thought of standing in a line is enough for some part of my idiotic gray matter to start imagining the different sizes, shapes, weights, and loads of bullets and their casings. Anyway, I get to the service desk and this polite sales person tells me that I can either exchange the original shirt for one that fits, (no surprise there), or I may have, (a Drumroll Please...):

a Christmas Gift Store Voucher - made out for the exact amount of purchase for the original item, redeemable in any Old Navy store.

What? No cash? Nope! No cash. This has got to be a plot of immense and insidious proportion. How far it stretches and who and what it involves can only be guessed at. No cash. Why, it's un-American. We can only hope that the forces for good will eventually uncover the evil behind this insipidous plan and eventually destroy it. Until then, we are all at it's mercy! Let us just hope and pray that our economy is strong enough to survive the hit that we will inevitably suffer from this villainous, dastardly scheme. Pray, ladies and gentlemen. Pray, that we survive this upcoming, impending, 'cash shortage'!

"Whad'ya Mean I'm a Cheapstate?"

2004-12-25T11:30:00.000-05:00

I was somewhat disappointed yesterday whereupon perusing the 'net' I ventured across an article from that illustrious herald of philosophical journalism, 'The Christian Science Monitor'. The title of the article alluded to yours truly living in a state that shall we say was less forthcoming with charitable donations, and therefore, I by proxy of residing in that state, was also a cheapskate. Not only was I stunned by this observation, but this set in motion such a gastro-intestinal explosion of rare proportion and magnitude, that I am fairly certain that around the world seismologists are trying to discern what caused the small jump in their seismographic instruments at precisely 9:11AM EST this morning. To make matters worse, after downing my fourth cup of coffee, and third pack of Tums, the phone rings. It's my uncle, who by this time had apparently read the same article as I, and is calling me to weigh in with his opinion. What follows is a somewhat redacted form of that conversation:

(ring ring) (click): "Hello"
"Hello, nephew is this you?" "Yes uncle it is. How are you? Merry Christmas."
"Heh, heh, you little scallywag. I'm quite fine for a man of many, but you know me."
"Yes uncle I do, so is this a social call?"
"Well, actually I called because I was quite disturbed to read an article in the paper this morning, something about you being some kind of 'cheapskate', hold on."
"Simpson, put that piece of coal back in the bin. It's quite warm enough in here. Put another sweater on and get back to work!"
"Jeez! Mr. Burns I was only tryin' to...."
"Be gone you obsequious, poor excuse for an employee, or I will fire you again today, you overweight, overstuffed, obnoxious, odoriferous seat-cushion!"
"Dooope!"
"Hey, uncle remember me? This is costing you money, and I know how you are about money."
"Nonsense now nephew, you know that every year I give everyone in the family (1) brand new, shiny, thin gold ducket." "Don't I nephew?"
"Those are real coins uncle Burnsie?"
"Heh, heh, always the jokester nephew." "Of course they are real."
"Yah, yah, ok, I knew that. I was just foolin' with you. How much are they worth? Do you know?"
"Well of course I know you little scoundrel."
"How much?" "Do you get them from the bank?"
"The bank, oh my heavens no!" "No."
"No nephew, I get them from Smithers." "Smithers?, you're kidding?"
"No nephew, I never kid, you know that. Well, maybe to those nuclear power plant inspectors, heh heh." "I can tell you're just bubbling over with excitement, nephew"
"Smithers gets them from his baseball card sets. If he collects so many sets he can send away for a gold ducket."
"What?" "It's too much for you isn't it my boy?"
"I'm going to go now uncle."
"Oh, the excitement is just too much for you isn't it nephew?" "No uncle, I'm having a heart attack!"
"EXCELLENT!" "Yes uncle, excellent."
"Well boy, you take care. Will I see you over New Years?" "I don't know uncle. Right now I'm looking for a box of bullets!"
"Ah, thinking of going hunting, eh nephew?"
"Oh ya uncle, you could say that I have a real strong urge to kill something right about now."
"Excellent, let me know if I can help."
"You could stand still." "What?"
"Nevermind uncle. Hey look, I'll try to get to Springfield after the holidays, ok?" "I know you're busy, but we'll all get together."
"OK nephew, goodbye."
"Bye uncle."
(click) (dial tone)

I just got done making a list. I can't believe the revelation that just went through my head. I still don't necessarily think I'm cheap, but it's pretty obvious that I come from a long line of cheapskates, and you know what they say, "the apple don't fall far from the tree." Like I said, I've got a list. My uncle has been giving me these worthless tokens for years and I've been selling them to my friends at top dollar. I'm a dead man. I didn't even bother to have them checked out!

We've already done the Christmas thing here and I figure that if I hit every ATM in town and then spread out into the county, I should be able to get a good chunk of change out of my account. Combine that with my Christmas money and I should just have enough to pay my friends back, then if I start now I can hit all of the 'rescue missions', Salvation Army 'red buckets', Morgan Memorial 'food drops', churches, temples, and synagogues. All these places will be serving food today and they always need cash, or I can volunteer. Oh god, listen to me, I am cheap. I'm going to hell! You can't buy your way into heaven or can you? Wait, isn't that what tithing is? Kind of? Maybe, just maybe if I get busy starting today I can do it. By the time I kick the proverbial bucket to eternity, I'll have bought myself a one-way, first-class ticket on the "Heaven Express." yah, right! Oh God, I'm burning!

This concludes our little Christmas play here at Faneufy's Truth. We would like to thank our cast of characters, all one of them, for his participation. Without Faneufy's participation and imagination this little expression of yuletide cheer and morality would not have been possible. So please, try and remember this. The holiday season is pretty much over! While you have been wasting your valuable time trying to find a pair of socks for uncle Bif or auntie Squalus, God has been keeping track of your absolute selfishness pertaining to charitable giving. It is probably much too late to start now to correct the problem. A better solution may be to buy a US Air Force Fireproof Crash Suit with the hopes of sneaking it by satans security forces. If this is not feasible -- happy burning! The staff at Faneufy's Truth.

Dear Mom!

2004-12-21T14:40:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,

I realize that it has been a while since I have written. You know how it is with the family and all. You just never seem to have enough hours in the day to accomplish all of the things that you would like to. Everybody here is fine. Life, as you well know can at times throw you curve balls, but as you used to say when we were kids, "When the world gives you lemons, make lemon.?$#&%$@!/? Mom, are you nuts! Isn't that your condo?

When you said you wanted to move closer to the water a few years back I did not realize that you meant you wanted to live in the middle of an LNG tanker route. Pack up your stuff! I am coming to get you!

Your loving son,
Joe

The True Cost of War!

2004-12-20T13:14:00.000-05:00

I've got this counter on the front of my blog. It alleges to show the cost in dollars of the war in Iraq. I was watching it earlier click off the dollars as I was trying to decide whether or not to write this blog. I usually do not like to write about personal things. I realize that in itself may sound like an unintelligent statement to make in a world surrounded by personal weblogs, but I usually rant about world events, and how, well how pretty "sucky" the world is. To that end, this blog has a chance of fitting right in.

Over the weekend I went to visit my nephew who is in a VA hospital a couple of hundred miles from here. I didn't know until recently that he had been in there for a couple of weeks, until my sister called and asked me to go and see him. He was a marine, and served both in Afghanistan and Iraq. He saw his share of shit. I was hesitant to go at first, mainly because of my own demons that I had to deal with when I came home from Vietnam some thirty four years ago. I decided to go however, because he's blood, and a good kid, and my sister said that he wasn't talking to anybody at the hospital. His name is Jon, and he told my sister that if I came to see him that he would talk to me. I went.

I'm not going to say what we talked about because it was private, kind of like two soldiers just talking. I will say however, that the boy is totally "fucked up", and has a long road ahead. He has a lot of questions. The same questions that I had thirty four years ago. I must say though that he seems to have a lot more help being offered to him than I did. I dealt with most of my shit by moving out into the woods for two years away from everybody and everything. Eventually, I made peace with the demons. They're sneaky little bastards, the demons, they wait until you are at your weakest to come, when you are asleep. He's going to have a long road. I told him that I would help him the best I could, but if I found myself getting pulled back into the shit, I would have to get out for awhile. He just smiled at me and nodded. He's a good kid.

The point I'm trying to make is this. We tend to measure all things in this country by what they cost in dollars and cents. You can't measure lives in dollars and cents. Anybody that has ever been to war cannot help but to be affected by it. It never goes away. You have to try and make peace with it, make peace with the demons. Even today, emotionally, I have trouble. When I'm happy, I'm ecstatic. I want everybody around me to be happy and try to make them happy. When I'm sad, I'm afraid to cry, because I fear that I will never stop. When I'm angry, I want to kill somebody! Just like that. No in between. It scares the shit out of me. So I usually do not react to anything except happiness. Everything else I try and suppress. That's the true cost of war!

The true cost of war is not in dollars and cents. It's in lives. Lives lost. Lives ruined. Lives fucked up. Families broken up. Someday I would like someone to invent a little counter that shows the cost of the war in lives. I would put that counter right on top of my page. Maybe it would mean something different if each number was a life instead of a dollar, I don't know?

It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas

2004-12-17T22:49:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed how the Christmas season seems to bring out the worst in everybody? I'm not talking about the workers in the stores or at work. I'm talking about people within your own family. I swear to God that there is some kind of nasty gnome Christmas gene present within certain family members in everyone's family. Like mine for instance. Allow me to set this little Christmas play for you, complete with cast members, setting, and plot.

First, there is me, Joe, and the wife L. For purposes of protecting the innocent I will use pseudonyms for the remaining family members, and mainly due to the fact that they read this blog and will most likely know who they are from my descriptions of their idiotic behaviors, I will never hear the end of their ceaseless whining. However, by the use of a somewhat obfuscated name and description this will allow me and L a certain amount of leeway in disavowing any connection to the real persons.

L's sister & family: the Jones', they live at Jonestown
L's brother & family: I call them: the Others
L's mother: MIL, nice lady, has dementia, loony as a bug, in a nursing home
L's son & wife: the Kids, newly married, new baby, new house
L's son: N, lives in Florida, professional, nice kid
My family: all friggen nuts, they don't really have anything to do with this little play, but deserve an honorable mention, because my mom always has an opinion.
the Kids: R & C, C is R's wife, her family is fighting about something entirely different, has nothing to do with our little fiasco.

OK, let us begin. Our little play begins roughly four months ago in September when N from the Jones family, who is my wife's sister mentioned to her that she would like to have the annual Christmas party this year. We had it last year. Now the Kids had just bought their first house, and just had a baby and had already mentioned an interest in hosting the annual Christmas party. You know how it is, starting new family traditions and all. Everybody seemed cool with the Kids having the party. The invitations went out, the menus, the itinerary, the whole nine yards. It's quite the thing. Usually, in the past for gifts, to keep the cost of gifts down, people would draw names and buy one gift for that person for about twenty dollars, nice, but boring. This year, the Kids had an idea that was based on a game called 'Steal Bingo.' I do not really know the particulars, but it sounded like fun. Well, if you haven't got the connection yet the Jones', from Jonestown had a problem with the game. The Jones' you see are genuine, born again, something or other, cult leading, wack job, cool aid drinking, crazy zealots of some religion. I really have no idea of what kind, but apparently they had a problem with the word 'Steal' in the 'Steal Bingo' game, and said they wouldn't come if we were going to play a game influenced by Satan. I tried to talk them into coming. I told them that we would have kool aid for the kids. They hung up.

The next problem arose concerning mom. It seems that the Jones' were going to pick up mom from the home, but when they cancelled from the party they called the nursing home, and told then not to let any of us heathens pick mom up to bring her to the party. The Others now decide to get involved by trying to make piece with everybody. My wife's brother decides to call everybody, and like John Kerry starts promising everything to everyone. He will get the Kids to nix the game. He will get the Jones' to go to the party. He will get mom from the home. He will call N from Florida who by this time had called and said, "Fuck this, I'm not coming home for this shit!" The Others had also called me, and politely asked me to stop calling the Jones', and telling them to please come to the party for the grape Kool aid, and to please stop telling them that if they didn't come that I would send a congressional committee over to their compound to find out why and to make sure that they were not holding any of their children against their will. I told the Others that I was just doing a public service because they were ruining Christmas for everyone, and trying to prevent a repeat of the original Jonestown. The Others hung up.

It all came to a head a couple of days ago when in the mail arrived a printed Christmas card?, I think, from Jonestown. It was nuts! The leader of the cult or as I refer to her, the high priestess, had these cards printed up telling a story about my wife's father, and how he's in heaven partying with Jesus, and Dale Earnhart. Drinking beer in heaven, ya right. What the hell happened to the kool aid? All over a game this happened. Needless to say, the Christmas party has been cancelled. The kids hearts are broken. My wifes heart is broken, and she is not speaking to her sister, the high priestess. If her brother, the Other doesn't keep out of it, he'll be next. And mom, the last I heard she was standing by the door of the nursing home with her coat on still waiting for the high priestess to fly in on her broomstick and pick her up for the party, which of course wasn't supposed to be until next week. The staff would continually take her coat off, and ten minutes later she would have her coat back on waiting for the broomstick. Me, I sent the Jones' ten assorted kool aid packages in the mail yesterday with directions for mixing up a big batch. I don't give a shit if anybody thinks I'm cruel. They deserve it.

I really do not understand how these religious fanatical jerkoffs could have ruined two kids dreams of having the family over for Christmas in their new house. It just seemed like the right thing to do, and all over some stupid game. All they had to do is not play. And here's an update for you. The wife just got a call from someone in the family informing her that the Jones' were having their own Christmas party, and they were inviting the Others, and would be picking up mom from the home. Ah, let them have the party. At least they'll have plenty of kool aid. Me and the wife are going over to the kids house and we are going to give those kids and that little baby the best Christmas they ever had. Florida boy has changed his mind and coming up for his brother. We'll have a good time and make the best of it. There is just no reason for this kind of stuff to happen during what should be a joyous time of the year. I guess some people will never learn to be happy for who they are, what they have, or how wonderful it is just to be alive. Well, if you can't be happy, please go somewhere else and don't stink up my Christmas. I hear the Jones' are having a party, and they've got plenty of kool aid.

It's Official - "Liberty is Dead!"

2004-12-15T08:52:00.000-05:00

It is truly a sad day for America.

In Deference to Mr. Kerik

2004-12-14T21:17:00.000-05:00

Alas, poor Bernie. What can you say, yet better still, who cares about his past 'faux pas', his shady business deals, his little "love nest." I think the only people who cared about Bernie Keriks past were members of the esteemed press corps. No news that day? Wait a minute, Kerik's got a love nest. "Stop the freakin' presses, call Clark Kent, get Jimmy Olsen, and that other chick." "You mean Lois Lane?" "No, I mean Ashley Banfield." What ever happened to her anyway. I always got the feeling that she was only one cup of coffee away from a total psychotic break anyway. Speaking of presses the Washington Post wrote a funny article about Bernie today. It's a good read. That, however, is not why I have called you altogether today.

I believe that we may be losing a lot of good and qualified people to the vetting process. I also believe that this is entirely wrong and should be corrected. Just because one has a so called past, or has a few shady business deals, and maybe a mistress or two, I ask you. Is that any reason to disqualify an otherwise qualified candidate from being considered for a top level, or even mid-level job in government or industry? I think not. So, I have decided, in deference to Mr. Kerik, and because I myself next week have an upcoming job interview for a top level position in government, to spill the beans, come clean, fess up, and unlock my skeletal closet for all to see. I have to go through the vetting process myself, and want no misunderstanding or misrepresentation of who, or what I am. I do this in the hopes that by everybody out there bearing witness to my illustrious, and sometimes illicit past that it will set a precedent for people to come forward, let it out, and realize that no one cares. You are qualified for that job, and a little bit of past should not discourage you, or prevent you from going forward, with your head up high, ever onward. Walk right into that prospective employers office, resume in one hand, your colorful and unique history in the other, walk right up to Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. or Miss. Interviewers (<--politically correct) desk, throw your resume and history right on the desk, and proudly say, "This is who I am!" Don't do it for me. Do it for Bernie. So, here we go Bernie, this is for you:

I was not born unto my mother. I, as well as my brother were found under a rock. I know this because my father would remind us both of this many times daily.
For the first seven or eight years of my life I thought that my name was Jesus Christ, Dammit, Idiot Boy, or Dumbass. It was and still confuses me to this day.
My nanny was from Columbia. I don't know if she was an illegal immigrant, but she always had great weed.
My kid brother was a "top-shelf guy." He slept on the top shelf in the pantry until he was fourteen when mom and dad told me that he had to go away to live at an insurance company called 'State Farm'. I didn't realize until years later that I had missed the word 'Funny' in between 'State' and 'Farm'.
When I was 13 and on vacation in Florida with my parents I was kidnapped by pirates. For three years I was forced to be the cabin boy for the captain. Eventually, I escaped. Thinking back on it now I find the memories of that experience disturbing, yet at the same time somehow titillating.
I went to catholic school for three days. Sister Superior called my mother after I apparently gave a nun a nervous breakdown and told my mother to come and get the "Antichrist" out of her school. (this one is actually true)
I lied to my friends and told them that I was drafted back in 1969 right before I went to Vietnam. I actually had volunteered to go to Vietnam the first time because the recruiter told me that I would see the 'little people' there. I thought he was talking about the munchkins from the Wizard of Oz. I loved those little munchkins.
I volunteered for my second tour in Vietnam because I was totally "fucking nuts!"
I was "killed" in the stock market, and it didn't cost me a dime. It cost me $1000 for a lawyer to settle my debt claims from everybody.
I havX a coXpXX XX oustXXXing warraXXX (nevermind)
I was once the chief of security at a prestigious corporation. 7-11. I was asked to leave after breaking up what I thought to be a large slurpee theft ring. I didn't know until after the boss got his son and friends out of jail who they were.
I used to work at a place that had ties to the mob. Some guy named Vinnie used to come into this tie shop I worked at to buy ties. (ha, ha) Hey, that ones true also and the owner would always tell me that Vinnie was connected. I found out years later he meant connected to a piss bag.
I have never been a bodyguard to a mayor. I have however, been a bodyguard to 3 dogs, 2 cats, 4 goldfish, and a turtle named Sam. That turtle was a tough assignment.
I have 2 ex-wives, a porche, 2 love nests, '1 secret love nest', 3 girlfriends, 1 mistress, a crapload of money, and I love "passionate liaisons." (This ones true also) Ya, right!

There you have it Mr. Kerik, as I said before, in deference to you buddy! Don't let it get you down. There are always jobs for colorful people like you and me, and if in the eventuallity because of my true confessions here tonight, I am not hired for this high paying government job. I will pick myself up, dust myself off, go out and get hammered, make a scene, probably get arrested, and be able to add a number 15 to my list. Goodnight Mr Kerik.

Peterson

2004-12-13T23:39:00.000-05:00

I didn't really pay much attention to the Scott Peterson trial, although today I was curious and watched the news conference with the three jurors. I was struck by a statement that one of them said. Stephen Cardosi, I believe his name was, said when asked by a reporter why the jury had come back with a first degree guilty verdict for Lacy, and second degree for the baby, that the jury had done that because even though Peterson had stated that he did not want children, his behavior around children was pleasant, and he was good with children. (I'm paraphrasing). I couldn't find a quote anywhere. That statement struck me as rather odd.

The prosecutions whole case was built up around premeditation. If the jury bought that in terms of Lacy, then I would think that they would have to conclude that Peterson knew that he was going to kill his unborn son. Hence, premeditation, and therefore first degree. I'm not a lawyer, so who knows, and it's California law which I understand is different from most states. Whether or not Peterson played well with children shouldn't enter into it, should it? I don't know, just an observation.

He'll be on death row for the next twenty years in California anyway. I'm not a big fan of the death penalty to begin with. I don't think it solves anything except vengeance. It's not that I have a problem with killing, I never have. I have a problem living with it. I hope the jury can live with their decision.

Comparing Iraq to Vietnam

2004-12-12T23:41:00.000-05:00

Finally, someone has done a well written article on the comparisons between Iraq and Vietnam. His name is Kevin O' Leary and he is a senior research fellow at the Center for the Study of Democracy at UC Irvine. It is well researched and well worth the time to read whether you agree with it or not. Link:

Not Tonight Honey, They'll See Us!

2004-12-11T14:51:00.000-05:00

This little item has got to be the dumbest thing the government has come up with since the floating tank. What I am referring to is this 'super secret', (oh crap, the feds are outside the house now), orbiting tin can called a stealth satellite.' What the hell is a stealth satellite? I was under the impression that, for the most part, all satellites, especially spy satellites were stealthy. They orbit around the earth at what, between 100 and 300 miles up. I've never seen one, have you? However, the geniuses at the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office), apparently don't have enough toys to play with, because now "anonymous sources" report that they are trying to develop a 3rd or 4th generation more than stealthy, stealthier satellite. I guess there are some already in orbit, but they can be tracked. The money for this project has so far reached $9.5 billion. That's a bucket of change, and for what? Seriously, think about this logically for a moment.

The cold war has ended. We know this, because the guy in the white house keeps telling us that Ronald Reagan whipped the commies, red, white, and blue, and then we all went out for ice cream! The 'former' Soviet Union has broken itself into states with more colors than just red and blue, so what are we bitchen about? Point: Not a threat. Why do we need a multi billion dollar infra-red, ultra-violet, gamma-ray, laser beam throwing, magnetizing, micro-chippin', stealth satellite to spy on the Russians anymore? What's the point, really. Now, don't get testy. I'll get to the real point in a minute, because I've got a secret weapon. I actually took some astrophysics in college, so just hold on.

Most of the threats from smaller countries like Iran, and North Korea have or can move there weapons facilities underground, which they already have, or are working on. So any satellite is useless. North Korea has so many tunnels underneath the country that I'm mildly surprised the country hasn't imploded. The theory behind a stealth satellite is that satellites can be tracked from the ground, and orbits can be plotted. Another reason for stealth would be if you wanted to move your satellite within close proximity to another countries satellite to destroy or disrupt that other countries satellite. I don't think that al Queda would have an earth station set up in the middle of Fallafilville to track satellites, at least not for very long. They don't need to. They have money, and can buy orbit plots from France, or anybody else. This other thing about sneaking up on another countries satellite. This is in itself an expensive, and scientifically tricky thing to accomplish. Again, I ask who are we going to use these things to spy on and is it really worth the $9.5 billion spent to develop these little jewels so far. That's a lot of scratch tickets.

Satellites and terrorists? Not a good match. How are you going to figure out who these people are from 300 miles up while looking down? They don't wear uniforms, and unless they happen to look up, smile into the camera and say, "Death to America," you are not going to get a good idea what these people look like. They blend in with everything. You thought I was going to say that they all look alike huh? They are not trying to operate on a large scale either most of the time, and again, how would you know what that would look like. Money would be better spent developing human intelligence against the threat from terrorism, than global satellite technology. Have we forgotten so soon the lessons of 9-11 when nineteen men armed with boxcutters infiltrated the most technologically advanced security of any country on earth, and wiped out 3000 people. All the technology in the world did nothing to stop that attack. I tend to think as Napoleon once did that if we had just one well placed spy within al Queda before the 9-11 attack, that spy would have been worth 20,000 soldiers in preventing that attack!

Now, here's what really bothers me about this. Stealth, as you probably know is hard to detect, and hard to track, but it can, and has been done. It's in the Washington Post article. Satellites travel around the earth in an orbit. From what I understand, that orbit can be manipulated somewhat, but mostly up and down, as opposed to side to side, or shifting orbit tracks altogether. It takes fuel to do that. It would seem to me that some genius out there in another country such as Canada, or France, someone with the technology for sophisticated tracking has already tracked all of the space junk, satellites, STS's, space stations, UFO's, and God only knows what else is floating around up there. One day genius boy gets a new tag on his radar. It looks like space junk, but it wasn't there before. He starts a plot, and before too long he has compiled enough data for a track. He doesn't have to know that it's a US stealth satellite. The point I'm trying to make is that it's the orbit factor that is the weak spot here. Everything that goes around the earth does so in a defined orbit, and that orbit can be tracked, and that information can be bought. I just think that $9.5 billion and then some could be better spent. Everybody knows they are up there anyway.

Spending this kind of money would have been OK back in the cold war, but the cold war is supposed to be over. Since 2000 this country has blown through $8 trillion dollars, and eventually someone is going to have to write a check for that money. We are borrowing money from countries that this satellite system would be spying on, for instance China. The next time they park some ships off Taiwan to run a war game what do we say to them? "Hey, boneheads, move your boats!" I can just imagine the reply, "Ah, you Americans are so funny. You give us our money back plus interest, and then we move, OK?" I've got a great idea. As long as we are spending money, let's spend it on getting some armor on the trucks, and humvees in Iraq. We are going to need those troops to kick China's ass when we default on the loan.

The threats we face from people wishing to do us harm are changing. The threat of some kind of 'Doctor Strangelove' scenario playing out is remote at best. We face smaller threats from terror groups. Hot spots like Rwanda will flare up. Every once in awhile we may have to invade some third world backass country like Iraq, although I think that was a mistake. The military needs to be mobile, and fast. We need to develop our special forces capabilities, and yes, I'm going to use the 'C' word, even our covert capabilities which must only be used very carefully unlike in the past in El Salvador, for instance. We had better get away from relying on technology alone for intelligence or surely a lot of us are going to die with 'blue eyes.' So, how do we recoup our loses on this fantasy satellite system?

Here's an idea. Some day some nice conservative, Christian couple from Paducah, Kentucky is on vacation in LA, cruising the sights, and aghast at the evils on Hollywood Blvd. Up ahead a sign post. Now entering the stealth zone. As they look up, directly ahead, to their collective amazement they see in front of them on some giant roadside bulletin board an advertisement for a porn flick filmed with the newest technology known to man, developed by the government, in techno-infrared-ultraviolet, digital imaging, stealth-sensurround. Right there, surrounded by xenon flashing lights, Bob and Joan Paducah starring in all their un-stealthy glory in the newest XXX rated, comedic block buster to hit the strip -'Not Tonight Honey, They'll See Us!'

How To Find A Relative In Fallujah!

2004-12-10T22:51:00.000-05:00

I came across this website the other night, and I really don't quite know what to make of it. This guy was apparently let into the city of Fallujah to take pictures of the dead in order to show them to people living outside the city in hopes that they may identify the bodies shown in the pictures, then claim, and bury them. The US is still not allowing civilians back into Fallujah for a bunch of reasons, mostly sanitary. Usually, this means decaying bodies, and every abandoned dog that hasn't eaten in days is now chowing down. It isn't the animals fault! You have to understand that it's the armies job to kill people, and destroy things, not to clean things up. I'm not passing judgment, but that's just the way war is. Back to these pictures.

I don't know what to make of them. They are not all that bad, which by the way was my first tip off. They are taken from a distance, and you really can't see any kind of identifying features on them. This made me a little suspicious. They also look as if they are photos of photos that are contained within some kind of notebook. There is nothing written near any of these pictures, such as identifying marks, etc. The guy who put them on his website also put little captions underneath the pictures. Nothing inflammatory, but also nothing to do with ID'ing anything. And then, there is the comment section. OK, I do not get this. The comments are weird, and range from weird to weirder, to downright stupid! I don't get the point, unless!! That would be the P word.

I kept going through these pics, and I have to say first that I don't know anything about this guy, or his web site, but why did he put these pics up there on his site? If he used some guys legitimate ID pics to propagandize the war in Fallujah that's pretty tacky. Like I said previously though, these pics just don't look like ID pics to begin with. If he put them on his web site for propaganda in the first place, then hey buddy, grow some testicles, and say so! Don't hide behind some other guys work! Lastly, if he put them up there just to show people the legitimate horror of war, then say so also, and then I would applaud the guy. I think people should see this crap. It ain't pretty. I saw plenty of this stuff years ago. It does not go away.

At the bottom of my blog is a link to this website. The only reason I am putting this link in here is for people who want to see a little of what soldiers see, and live with every day, and what the refugees come back to, can. It's usually the civilian authorities that are left to clean up the mess. This link isn't for gratuitous voyeurism! Go somewhere else, like a shrink! Please do not reproduce or repost these pics on the web as they are copyrighted. Tell me what you think.

http://www.dahrjamailiraq.com/

What Intelligence?

2004-12-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

I hate to say it, but the very word, intelligence scares the crap out of me. "Central Intelligence," now there's an oxymoron if I ever heard one. This nation seems to be preoccupied with intelligence. It starts in school when they give you those idiotic I.Q. tests at about six years old. Next thing you know all of the smart kids disappear from class, and you're left taking wood, and metal shop. When you bring that first lamp home mom, and dad just sort of pat you on the head, and say, "That's nice dear." Later on you hear them accusing each other of having the family with the 'bad genes', and that's why, you!, little Charlie are in the stupid class. "Shhhhh! Dear, he'll hear you." "So what, let him hear, let him hear how his mother shortchanged him." "I hate you!" "Ya, ya, ya!"

Anyway, when you get older intelligence takes on an entirely different meaning. It's no longer something possessed, but something to be gathered, nutured, developed, handled, listened for, sought after, bought, stolen, and disseminated. I'm sure that I've left out some other intelligence gathering techniques, but you get the point. So to that end the House, and Senate pass the new Intelligence Reform Act of 2004. Catchy name ain't it? Just the title scares the hell out of me for a couple of reasons. 1.) I remember years ago when I did my duty for God, and country, and fine duty it was. You could get shot at, and a tan at the same time. Anyway, anytime that we had a mission brief that started with the words, "Intelligence reports....", ah shit! We just knew that it was going to be a bad day, or week, or month. 2.) Anything with the words 'intelligence', and the word 'reform' in it should send a red flag right up to friggen Mt. Vesuvius! It usually means that we, and I mean we as a people are going to lose some more of our rights.

I don't care how you cut it, slice it, dice it, or package it, you cannot increase intelligence gathering, whether out of country or within the country without giving up something, and that something is just a bit more of the Constitution. Whenever you centralize something, like this act does by creating a cabinet level post of a National Intelligence Director you tend to centralize power within the government instead of the people where the power of oversight should rest. Supposedly in this bill there is a provision for some kind of oversight committee, but they will be appointed by the president, serve at his pleasure, and have no subpoena power. Ya, that'll get a lot done! There could be, and I say could be just too much temptation for abuse.

I saw the same TV that everyone else did on September 11, 2001. It was a horrible day. I also remember though that I was not that surprised. I knew who bin Laden was, and I also knew that we had a lot of enemies that were trying to find a way to do us harm. The death. I've seen that before also. Lot's of it, so that was nothing knew. It's almost scary how you sort of get immune to stuff like that after awhile. I also know that we have to increase our intelligence capabilities to try, and prevent future attacks like 9-11. Me, I don't worry about it a whole lot, because I know that sooner or later it will happen again. Al Queda is very, very patient. Revenge is a plate best served cold, my friends. What I worry about is the kind of nation that we may become in the name of "preventing terrorism." Will that statue in New York harbor still mean what it did to those people coming to this country seeking a better life? Will we still stand for that message? Will we still stand for those rights, and liberties guaranteed to us under our Constitution, a constitution penned by a great patriot, Thomas Jefferson? I wonder if someday some kid will still ask, "Grandpa, are the streets in America still paved with gold, or are they littered with the human waste of persecution, bigotry, neighbors spied upon, and paranoia?"

"What's This?" Mr. Rumsfeld!

2004-12-08T18:24:00.000-05:00

How soon we forget. I believe, not too long ago during somebody's election campaign the incumbent, (Uncle George), made quite a habit of jumping into the challengers face over something about a vote. I believe the vote was something to do with body armor. For months, especially on Fox News, (there's a flash), all I kept hearing about was how John Kerry didn't vote to fund 'body armor' for the troops in Iraq. Actually I believe that the vote was for a second $87 billion, or some odd bucks, to help fund the fiasco in Iraq, and John Kerry didn't vote for it because it had a bunch of riders attached to it giving Haliburton a bunch of 'no bid' contracts. All that is behind us now, or is it?

Today, Mr. Rumsfeld after giving his usual, "let's go kill 'em speech," to some soldiers in Kuwait, who were on their way to Iraq, committed shall we say an error, a faux pas if you will. "You go to war with the army you Have," I believe his words were. Picture a few months ago if John Kerry had said that same thing in front of the troops. We would still be hearing about it. The Swift Boat Veterans for Bullshit would have another 'lying' add out, John O'Neil would have an office in the White House, Sean Hannity would have a stroke, Ann Coulter would write another book without a single word of truth in it, and every republican pundit from Boston (wait, there are no republicans in Boston, come to think of it Massachusetts would secede), well let's just say there would be a lot of republicans on TV having fits, and blasting angry spittle all over the camera lens. It would not be a pretty sight.

The point is simply this. A stupid answer like that is one of the quickest ways that I personally know of to screw up morale. From the sounds of the questions some of these kids were asking it sounds like morale is already beginning to take a nose dive. You didn't hear much rah!, rah!, rah! Sending troops into battle unprepared is a real good way to watch the casualty count increase, and Rumsfeld should go if that's how he feels! He's one of the idiots who got us into this war. What does he care how many get killed? The only terrorism that Iraq has to with is the terrorism that we invited in by invading that country in the first place. It has become a recruiting poster for every jihadist in the middle east. The least that Washington could do is see to it that we send our young people in there with the right equipment to fight with. If not, get out!

Salvation Army Has No Stop/Loss Program

2004-12-06T22:10:00.000-05:00

Times are tough all over when the Salvation Army can't get enough army to do the job.

Apparently, the Salvation Army has no Stop/Loss program like the US Army has. Once your enlistment is up you are replaced by a cardboard replica of yourself, and given a choice duty station. Usually inside of a nice temperature, humidity controlled mall somewhere. Nice gig if you can get it. The real story behind this little picture here is about a friend of mine, who for the sake of a rather nice southern state will remain nameless in order for that state to avoid the embarrassment of having him as a resident. Well, not really, it just goes with the beginning of the story.

He happens to go into a store where they have one of these cardboard bell ringers outside one day, and gets a warped idea. Why the idea of a cardboard Salvation Army bell ringer would somehow offend his Christmas spirit, or his utopian views about the day is beyond me, but it did. He comes back the next day with a pocket full of monopoly money with a note attached, and dumps the bundle in. Ha, ha. Real funny. The note said something about paper money for a paper bell ringer, or some idiotic crap like that. I told him on the phone that he was a moron. He got offended, why I don't know, and hung up. Jerk!

The next day he calls me back all humble like, and starts to tell me this story. Later on, the previous evening he winds up at a friends house, and this friend had a couple of his friends who were already there. They sat around drinking beer, and got to talking. One of these friends of his friend told everybody that he had volunteered this year to be one of the people to go around to pick up the money at the cardboard bell ringer stations for the Salvation Army. Can you guess where this story is going? Yep! He starts to tell the half-drunk lads about going to this one store where apparently some jerk had left a bunch of monopoly money in one of the collection buckets with a stupid note attached to it. Of course everybody including my friend was getting in on the 'what a jerk' tirades, and really having a good time. I wish I could've been a fly on the wall. The story has a good ending though.

I am also friends with Tom, who by the way is the friend that my idiot friend went to see the night of his little paper exchange. A couple of days later Tom calls me, and was talking to his friend, you know the guy who picks up the money. Low, and behold a couple of days later when he was making his pick up rounds he found a brand new, crisp $100 dollar bill in the bucket at the store that he found the monopoly money at. There was also a note attached to the money. It said, "Sorry that I was a jerk!" So you see Virginia, there is a Santa Clause. He lives down south in a nice little town, in a nice little southern state, and I'm happy to say that I know him!

Democracy, Our Way!

2004-12-05T20:25:00.000-05:00

It has to be the best feeling in the world knowing that if you're a US citizen, and happen to commit, oh say, a crime against humanity, in any one of 139 nations in the world that have signed onto the establishment of the International Criminal Court, most likely you will not stand trial in that international court! Isn't this wonderful. I had no idea that this was a benefit of being born in the USA. Oh, what's that you say? It's not a benefit. The United States refuses to sign onto the world criminal court. Why? It's connected to the UN. How? The war crimes tribunal. But, I thought that the International Criminal Court was an independent body, and not affiliated with the UN. The UN has its own court called the International Court of Justice, and they don't do war crimes, and stuff like that. OK, so why is that bad? The US is afraid that if you are a soldier in a foreign country, for instance Iraq, that you could get sent to the ICC without permission from the US. Oh, excuse me! So, you're telling me that 139 other countries have signed onto this world criminal court system, but our country has not. Gee, I would think that by us not signing on it's just one more thing that sends a bad message about us around the world. People across Europe, and especially in the Middle East might get the idea that the United States thinks itself too good for international justice. Worse, that maybe if you are the last of the worlds superpowers, possess the worlds largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, have the worlds most technologically advanced, and best trained army, and live in the worlds most advanced country run by arrogant, egocentric, know-it-all men, and women, that you can do damn well anything you want to in this world, whatever the consequences! What a great philosophy! We are above the law, everywhere, and if you don't agree, we'll nuke you! With our image problem in the world lately, I was a tad amazed when I came across this article outlining the relationship between the US, the ICC, and its allies in the Boston Globe entitled, "Aid cuts threatened by U.S. over tribunal."

It's an interesting little article about how the US blackmails countries that have signed onto the World International Criminal Court into signing an agreement with the US to the effect that they would promise not to send American citizens to the court without US permission. Those countries failing to sign this agreement have had their military aid withheld since 2002, under what is called the, 'American Servicemen's Protection Act of 2002'. An amendment to the new budget bill before Congress would now give the government the right to withhold nonmilitary aid from those countries refusing to sign. Are all the mob guys now working for the government? If I did business like this, I would get busted for extortion! The major problem with this amendment is that it targets nonmilitary money that was to be used to fight terrorism, improve security, and upgrade law enforcement. It specifically targets an economic support fund, which helped to foster democracy, and human rights throughout the world. Some of this money was earmarked for Muslim countries to help in counterterrorism efforts, and helping to promote democracy, and the rule of law. I've got to tell you that I bet this does wonders for our image throughout the world. Isn't passing this amendment, and the blackmailing of other countries around the world for this purpose like, 'cutting off our noses to spite our faces'?, or as William Pace, head of the Coalition for the ICC put it, "The supporters of the amendment are so irrationally paranoid of the International Criminal Court that they are literally willing to shoot themselves in the foot in opposing it." This makes me feel real good about some financial aspects of the Bush administrations, "war on terrorism." Withholding aid for this reason, not only makes us look like the spoiled rat bastards that we appear to be, but it's just one more huge nail in our countries already established, world wide lack of credibility when it comes to issues such as keeping our word, middle east peace, antiterrorism, and bringing democracy to Iraq. What kind of democratic values are we encouraging by acting like financial and economic terrorists ourselves?

I myself have no problem if the United States does not want to acknowledge the authority of, or sign onto the participation in such a world court. Though, by doing so it might establish just a little more credibility for us as a nation attempting to spread democratic principles around the world, especially our efforts in the Middle East. However, when you attempt extortion, and blackmail to attain your goals, not only is that unfair, and corrupt, but I believe that in most states it would be considered illegal. Why then is it OK for the country to do this to the very allies that are helping us in our fight against terrorism? I don't get it. It's not how you win friends, and influence people for the good! Think of how the world looks at this, and before the right-wing, idiot, brain dead Sean Hannitys, and Ann Coulters of the world say, "We don't need anybody. We can do this thing alone." All I've got to say is that I hope uncle Usama finds your houses first, you morons! As far as the country is afraid about its citizens, i.e. soldiers, being sent to the world court, maybe sending them is justified in some cases. Other countries seem to be alright with this, and their soldiers are held to the same standards. Are we to think that we cannot control the conduct of our soldiers in a combat situation? Who the hell do we think we are?

There have already been incidents in Iraq where US soldiers were accused of war crimes in an attempt to get them sent to the war crimes tribunal, and it didn't work. It was realized for the propaganda that it was. If we are going to have any kind of viable international community that is capable of fighting terrorism, and their networks, then we had better start learning to trust each other, and try to get along, at least enough to cooperate with one another. If we cannot accomplish this the terrorists have already won!

Pictures From The Front!

2004-12-04T20:56:00.000-05:00

I just can't help saying this, but you really got to be brain dead to have your picture taken messing around with prisoners. There really is no excuse for this type of shit, especially from a Navy S.E.A.L. It's one thing if a bunch of National Guard soldiers in a prison do it, because their command structure is screwed up to begin with. I say this because usually National Guard people aren't regular army, and neither are their officers.

This will set off another investigation, and it will just give the Iraqis, insurgents, bin Laden's crew, and all Muslims in the middle east some more ammunition to use against the United States. I don't know when the hell the military, and especially the Bush administration is going to realize that these kinds of pictures, whether or not there is any abuse taking place, don't do the administrations cause any good. I blame them directly for these types of incidents too by the way. Because of poor planning, extended tours for the troops already there, and not having enough troops to do the job in the first place, this kind of thing happens. The Iraqi police, and the Iraqi army couldn't fight their collective asses out of an unarmed street fight. They would throw their weapons down, and run, thus now you would have an armed street fight. I get a kick out of some of these right-wing, ultra-conservative republicans who blame things like the UN oil for food program, or hidden funds left over from Saddam, and foreign countries for arming the insurgents. Hell, the Iraqi army gives them hundreds of weapons every time they desert, or abandon a police station, or abandon their posts.

We didn't find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. We should have left after arresting Saddam. These kinds of things are going to happen more often the longer we are there. Morale begins to be affected. I don't care what the reason is that you're fighting for. The longer we are in Iraq, and the more these questionable incidents occur, the more hatred will be generated toward the US by all Muslims, not just by Iraqis. That's how these people think. They do not think like us.

There is a good article that Michael Scheuer gave UPI about his thoughts and predictions on the outcome of the war on terror for the US. Scheuer was the CIA's head of the bin Laden unit until he quit last month. I saw him on Hardball with Chris Matthews, and he seemed like a very intelligent guy. You can link to it at the end of this post. I've got to tell you though, these kinds of incidents have to cease, and above all, no more pictures! This isn't Scoobie Do! If this senseless stupidity continues we may as well run up the white flag, and say that all those men and women died for a George Bush pipe dream! He's the captain of the ship. He's the one that has got to get it under control!
Link ...

2004-12-03T20:15:00.000-05:00

I'm Not Feeling Too Good Here Mark!

They Don't Look Too Forgiving Mark!

2004-12-03T13:03:00.000-05:00

It's ironic how fast we can turn from being the 'all life is precious' Christians that we pretend to be, to what we really are. We are nothing but an immature, dangerous race, of unforgiving, vengeance loving creatures that barely deserve a dishonorable mention on the evolutionary scale of the universe!

It is very convenient, for instance, for us to label ourselves as a people who follow the 'ten commandments', claiming to be Christians when it suits a purpose, or cause, such as opposition to abortion, or when defining what constitutes a marriage. However, when the issue is something a little more controversial, or makes us, as human beings, deal with behavioral issues like anger, or forgiveness, we fail miserably to take the next evolutionary step. The issue you may have guessed is the penalty phase of the Scott Peterson trial. I'm really not a trial buff, but the way that I've heard some people on TV talk about killing this guy amazes me. People talk as if they might be stepping on a bug. It's disgusting! I would not presume to say that I know how Laci Petersons parents feel, or for that matter, even Scotts. Laci's family has every right to feel, and express the their anger. I would want to kill Scott Peterson myself if I were in their place, however; I, myself having been in a position to take a few lives while in the military have to tell you that you still have to live with the consequences of your actions. Even justifiable actions.

The larger issue is this:

Do we, if we profess to be Christians, and claiming to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ have the right to kill, or have someone put to death because of a murder they have committed? "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15)
If we, as Christians claim that 'all' life is sacred, and precious, and a gift from God, then do we have any right to take that life? If the life of the unborn is to be protected, and sanctified, then does not Scott Peterson have a right to cleanse, and sanctify himself through repentance?
Where do we draw the line between the laws of God, and the laws of man? Is there such a line? If not, then the issue is mute, and Mr. Peterson should get life without parole.

The question of capital punishment is not an easy one. It is not supposed to be easy. Jesus said that the path to the light, or truth was not an easy one. The best, most important, and most rewarding experiences are usually not easy for a reason, especially when the God that made us in his image endowed us with emotion, and the ability to reason. Throw in 'free will', and you certainly have a recipe for confusion, and turmoil. I would like to believe that I would, after initially being angry, and wanting to kill the bastard, do the right thing - forgiveness. I don't know what will happen to Mr. Peterson, and truthfully I do not have much sympathy for a murderer, but I do care about hypocrisy when I hear the same people condemning Peterson to death, while upholding the right to life of the unborn, and the banning of gay marriage when used in the same breath.

Remember this! When Christ was hanging on the cross, with roman spikes driven through both his wrists, and his ankles. While he was bleeding from the wounds of his scourging, suffocating, and drowning in his own fluids filling his lungs. As Jesus watched from the cross as the Roman soldiers gambled away his garments, and as they laughed, and joked with each other while watching Jesus writhe in agony. As Jesus was being MURDERED! by strangers, and just before he breathed his last breath, he himself, forgave his murderers,and then uttered the words that I'm not sure that I could have, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Not only did Jesus forgive those who had trespassed against him, but in a last full measure of 'human' kindness, Jesus asked his father, God, to also forgive his trespassers. If that is not love, and ultimate forgiveness, I do not have the capacity to understand anything in this world then.

I would not presume again to tell, or sway a jury on how to vote on a persons life. I could not ask Laci Petersons parents to forgive Mr. Peterson, although I would hope that deep inside all of us somewhere is the capacity to be Christlike. If we are truly made in the image of God, then we all have the ability somewhere. If we are not created with the capacity, then our beliefs are for nothing. Our values, and morals are for nothing. Our belief in a God is false, and life is nothing. I hope that I do not see that come to fruition. As a bunch of us used to say some years ago, you talk the talk, do you walk the walk?

Same Words - Different Place, Different Time, Different Language!

2004-12-01T16:41:00.000-05:00

The linked article, "Insurgent waits to fight another day," is something I've heard before. I heard this man speak thirty four years ago when he was a prisoner of my unit. He was blindfolded, pissed off, and waiting to be transported up to the HQ interrogation people from a little village about 12 kilometers southeast of Saigon, called Nha' Be'. He knew that the interrogators would not go easy on him, and resigned to his fate launched into a tirade of reasons why we (the U.S.) would not win the war in his country. Even in early 1970, this guerrilla fighter (VC) thought of South and North Vietnam as one country, his. I didn't know it then, but he was right. I, and many other of the men and women serving in Vietnam, (Republic of), learned that when you are fighting against a 'cause', or well entrenched ideology it's almost impossible to win.

When I read this article about an insurgent who fought at Fallujah, and escaped I could hear the same words that were spoken many years ago. The words might have been in a different language, the time, and place also different, but the words, especially the meaning behind the words were the same. The simplest, and most noble of all reasons to fight, a cause. I began to get a bad, almost sick feeling in my stomach as I realized the full weight of what I was thinking. 'We can't win!' As bad as that may sound, and believe me when I say that I would be the last person to think such a thing, but I've been there before when I heard the words from a VC guerrilla. You'll have to read the article to understand. This man, this insurgent is not a foreign fighter. He is an Iraqi, a father, and a family man who believes that he is defending his homeland from the invaders, and fighting to drive the occupiers, and enemies of Islam from his homeland. I'm not quite sure how we turned into the bad guys, but we have. It's very difficult to beat that kind of a cause, and self taught ideology.

I hope to God I am wrong. I don't think we should have ever gone into Iraq except to depose Saddam, and then left. We were first hailed as liberators after the fall of Saddam, however; a month later we are seen as 'occupiers', just like the Israelis in the West Bank. Our government got duped by listening to Ahmed Chalibi, who is a crook by the way, but they just couldn't admit that and get out? The Iraqis have been fighting between themselves tribally for two thousand years. Whomever has the biggest stick, and controls the tribe, or controls the masses is the big cheese. They don't care about democracy, because they don't have a clue what the hell it is. If it isn't mentioned or ok'd in the 'Quran', then it isn't good for Muslims. Bush got us into this thing, and he went about it all wrong from the 'git go'. He should have listened to his senior military planners, but nope, why listen to anybody whose job it is to know this stuff when you've got Rumsfeld. I hope they sleep well at night knowing they got a lot of kids killed because of their foolish arrogance. Unfortunately, now we are more or less stuck there, because to pull out now would be seen by radical Muslims as a prestigious, and glorious victory for Islam. Nothing would suit bin Laden or al Zarqawi better then for them to say that they drove the murderous, godless infidels from Muslim lands. Because of Mr. Bush's, and Rumsfelds poor planning we are going to lose many more of our young men and women needlessly. I personally am heartsick after reading this article, because I know this is how 'a cause' begins, by one person believing, and then another, and another, and so on. I also have family in Iraq, and I am afraid for them. You can fight men, women, and even boys with guns, but you can't fight a cause. We tried and failed in Vietnam!

All I am sure of is this - when the very people you went to "liberate" are now fighting you, and they are fighting, and dying armed with something much more powerful than weapons, we have already lost. We have lost the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. We have already lost our cause when we went from looking for weapons of mass destruction to something else. We have lost what little support the Iraqi people had left to give. We have lost the battle to a steadily increasing ideology, and because of this we have already lost the war!

It's Beginning To Sound A Lot Like Iraq!

2004-11-29T15:40:00.000-05:00

Come on all of you big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam,
over yonder in a place called Iran.
So come on everybody pick up a gun,
we're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it's one, two, three, what are we fightin' for?
don't ask me, I don't give a dam.
Next stop downtown Teheran.
And it's five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates,
it ain't no time to wonder why,
whoopee, we're all gonna die!

I wonder how many have noticed lately that the tough talk, and rhetoric emanating from Washington in the last couple of weeks sounds an awful lot like the talk preceding our little excursion into Iraq. This time around, however; it appears certain that Iran is actually working towards constructing a nuclear bomb.Having said that, I still remember the dance at the UN security council; the anthrax show and tell project; the color, 8"x10"" glossy photos with circles, and arrows on the back explaining how each was to be used against Iraq; and the lengthy, and wonderfully colorful, recently declassified for public consumption intelligence reports, which as we all know by now turned out to be a big pile of horseshit! So, I was just wondering George if maybe you might have attacked the wrong country? Of course I know, and you know that you would never admit to doing so because of that little personality problem of yours. You know, the one about never admitting that you're wrong about anything. But hey, we common folk don't possess the resources to be as wrong as you either, hey buddy? When all else fails you've got a list of people you can throw on the sword, and then when the heat dies down you can always, I don't know, say, give them another job like Secretary of State, or Secretary of Defense. Yep!, now there's a job for a top notch intelligence screw up. Since your administration did so well with the Iraq issue you now want to turn your attentions, and questionable credibility towards Iran. I will give you credit for creating what I like to call the administrations most dangerous, and valuable secret weapon. That would be the, "Weapon of Mass Obfuscation.", your press secretary, Scott McClellan. I, for one am so confused about why we originally went into Iraq because every day the reason for doing so would change. No weapons of mass destruction went to deposing Saddam, then liberation of the Iraqi people, then democracy for the Iraqi people, then better to fight terrorism there than here, then aren't we safer with Saddam gone?, and so on, and so on, until I lost count of the thirty or fourty reasons why we attacked Iraq at all! Now comes Iran. If someone down there in Washington doesn't start paying attention, you're going to get us all killed!

The Iranians apparently went to the same school as the N. Koreans too I bet. Both countries sound like a broken record. One day they're going to play nice, and the next day they're not. Why?, because like all good blackmailing, jerkoff countries they want something. Maybe, they want to string the Europeans, and the US along until they get that bomb they claim not to be working on, and then blow Israel back into pre-biblical history.

There's nothing like a good tirade, and now that I've had mine, albeit a minor one, there is one question that I'm dying, no pun intended, to ask. What now George? What's the big plan for Iran, or is it one of those secret plans? You know the ones I'm talking about. The plans where you have absolutely no clue what the hell to do, because the options are fairly limited. It's just a guess, but I would think that military options are just about non-existent. That may be due to having most of our military committed to Afghanistan, which I'll give you is legitimate, and in Iraq, which I'm sorry to say, I believe is pure folly. I've made my reasons plain, and clear before why I believe this to be true, even in spite of Fox News', 'fair and balanced' regurgitation of the administrations policy to do so. If you had read the interview given by the good General Abizaid to USA Today on monday last, you would never guess that we were anything but ready for military intervention, if necessary. As far as warnings go this one is to the point, and fairly self explanatory, if not an out and out threat. However, the Iranians, for their part weren't taking any rhetoric by us or from the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) talks in Vienna as anything more than another platform for their usual diverse verbiage on the subject of their uranium enrichment program, as reported by the BBC who monitors Iranian radio.

So as not to be outdone by Iraq, the Iranians even got into a tizzy over twenty centrifuges, which are used in a certain process of uranium enrichment, not used in the US at the moment. Gee, I think I remember something about centrifuges leading up to the Iraq fiasco also, although the Iranians at least admit to having them. In fact, for awhile over the weekend Iran wasn't going to give them up. Oh boy, the memories! Alas, on Sunday they caved, or did they? The Bush administration in a vaguely familiar tune says that no one should trust Iran because of their track record over the past year and a half. The IAEA has stated that the disputed centrifuges are now included in the enrichment freeze, but does the administration believe them? Let's see. Let me flip back a few pages in my report on the events leading up to the Iraq war, nope! Not only does the administration not believe Iran, but guess what they want to do next? Come on, take a guess. Can you say the UN Security Council? I think you can. Because of this last minute deal with the IAEA, which by the way is a UN watchdog, Iran for the moment has escaped possible UN censure. The deal in the name of the European Union is not legally binding to begin with, and because of its supposed voluntary nature it only prevented the IAEA from referring Iran to the UN Security Council for possible economic sanctions. I'm sure the Iranians are quaking on their magic carpets right now while they are practicing their bombing runs on a mock up of Tel Aviv. The Bush administration, per the pre-Iraq plan has reserved the right to go it alone,(there's a shock), and do its own referring to the Security Council. Sharpen up your bayonets boys!

If this whole re-enactment of a bad dream with Iran isn't almost verbatim what lead up to Iraq, then I haven't been paying attention. I just wonder what is going to happen when the UN does nothing, and then Europe, led of course by our life-long friends France, and Germany, then what? I'll have to start looking in my mailbox for an invitation to the newly reactivated Senior Infantry Corp. Yep, our motto is, "You wheel us to the battlefield, and we'll die like old people. Oorah!"

I sincerely hope that the Bush administration at least lets the European Union attempt to settle the Iranian dilemma. Maybe, if Europe fails, and I mean fails on their own, without meddling from the US, then Bush may have a better chance of having the Europeans see it his way. Although what his options at that point would be I believe are few. A blockade in the Gulf would be about the only military option available, because our Navy is already there. Since oil is Iran's chief export, I would suspect their economy would suffer greatly in a couple of weeks. There is enough dissent from groups inside Iran that want change, and maybe, with their economy suffering, they would move on the mullahs. Who knows? If anything I have learned over the years, while in the military, and out of the military in my dealings with people is that no matter how you try to set up a scenario, people always seem to do something completely unexpected.

One thing remains a given, and that is I truly believe that Iran wants a bomb, and they are somehow going to get one, or try. Whether Israel blows Iran's nuclear facilities away, or whether the US, or the Europeans get tougher and intervene militarily, remains to be see. Bush still insists that any deal involving Iran's uranium enrichment programs must be verifiable. The Europeans want Iran to live for a few months under surveillance, but the Iranians want quick concessions. In the past, given the Iranians track record, I would not expect this deal to last longer than a month. Iran will then move to the front of the administrations terrorism spotlight. The BBC did a good article about the foreign policy view in the Bush administration that will probably set the course for the next four years. It is a good article, because it demonstrates the administrations mindset about how they view the war on terrorists and jihadists. I've heard this same view expressed from friends that work inside the beltway. There is no separation between Iraq, Iran, and bin Laden, for instance, the war in Iraq is really viewed as part of the 'war on terrorism', and some people have stated that the administration just doesn't get it when it comes to why bin Laden is attacking us, even though he has openly stated his reasons. The administration only sees his reasons, and all terrorism as basically 'evil', and unjustifiable. I hope they get it soon.

If I'm not mistaken, the next step in the process should be something like this. 'Headlines': 'Iran Backs Out of Deal With Europeans'. Shortly thereafter, the Bush administration will push for a referral of Iran to the UN Security Council, and of course, sanctions. The Europeans will hem and haw, and say "give us another chance." I'm not quite sure what Tony Blair might do. He could go either way, I bet, because militarily England is worse off than we, and his political climate is unstable, to say the least. The Iranian problem will most likely end up in the Security Council, and then the games will begin. I believe the administration should have dealt with Iran long before entertaining any thoughts about going to war in Iraq, and now, because of their pre-determined folly, our options, especially militarily are limited. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a war monger, however; considering where and what we are dealing with in Iran, in this particular case I think that at least having the threat would make the Iranians think twice.

The middle east continues to live up to its reputation as being the toughest neighborhood to live in. Militarily it remains the worlds biggest challenge, and above all, politics in that region will give any ambassador grey hair in a month. I don't see the political climate changing, nor any kind of love fest happening between Israel, and the Arab states within the rest of my short lifetime, and probably not within my grand daughters life. Sometimes I think the best we can hope for in the middle east is a negotiated 'truce', whereby The jews and the arabs tolerate each others existence, and a kind of DMZ is established, and patrolled by NATO. What our country does, in terms of its policies concerning the middle east, and our general attitude towards treating all peoples in that region with respect today will affect how this country is perceived, and dealt with twenty years down the road. What we have done, and how we have treated that region twenty or thirty years ago is now coming back to bite us all on the ass, and the chunks being bitten out will continue to get larger if we do not change our mindset, and policies towards that part of the world.

Why Do Muslims Hate Us?

2004-11-26T15:10:00.000-05:00

I came upon a paper written by the Defense Science Board the other day that basically stated anti-Americanism was prevalent in the Muslim world, even among once-divided extremist groups. My first thought was, Duh!, and my second thought was I wondered how much money the government spent on this report? Maybe, no one down there in Washington has noticed this before, but the Muslim world has hated America for quite a while. I wish the government had called me and paid me the money they wasted on this board to tell them this.

For the most part, according to my Muslim friends, Muslims don't necessarily hate the average American. They hate the American government and its policies toward the middle east, and they see most of our policies in that region as an attack against Islam. They hate our policies regarding Israel and that we support Israel, both politically, and (here's the biggie), we give them 4 billion in aid per year, and the latest military equipment. Israel, in turn uses this money, and military equipment to kill Palestinians. That's how the Muslim world sees it. It doesn't matter to them how we see it, don't you get it? To a lot of Muslims, the state of Israel does not have the right to exist. This hatred towards Israel goes back many years, and believe me, it's reciprocated on the Israeli side towards Muslims by many in the Israeli government.

There is another reason that some Muslims don't like the West, as a whole. It has to do with hatred that is still left over from the crusades. The middle east had been occupied by the British for many years in the past. The British, like us are predominately Christians. Some Muslims don't separate every nation as distinct, and separate entities. We're all Christians and imperialists, and it was the Christians that killed Muslims during the crusades. Some of this hatred goes back a long way, and is perpetuated from generation to generation. Uncle Osama still sometimes refers to the west as "the crusaders". He didn't make this up! Up until the 1940's there was some sort of occupation by some western country or another in the middle east, and that's the way it's looked at by the Muslim world, as - occupation. What's worse, when the British finally left there was no rhyme or reason to how the British split these countries up, and then once gone, most of the Arab world, except for Israel was forgotten. While the rest of the world progressed, and prospered, most of the Arab countries did not. This attitude of hands off the middle east, except for oil imports, has led to an environment of poverty, uneducated people , unemployment, (especially among teenagers), and has created an atmosphere of extremism. Some younger Arabs see this extremism as the only way to bring money into the family. Remember, at one time the Arabs had a great civilization. They gave us advances in mathematics, science, astronomy, and medicine to name a few.

Some in the Muslim world do not like the way the United States deals with and has relationships with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and others in the middle east. They believe that we prop up these 'apostate' regimes for one purpose - 'oil'. Our military bases in some of these countries, and the placement of any troops in Muslim populated countries is seen as an affront to Islam, especially during the first gulf war when we had troops in Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden saw this as an abomination towards Islam! Any influence by the west, and the United States is seen as trying to weaken Islam. In Saudi Arabia, where the power is held by about a thousand princes and a king, a form of Islam called, 'Wahabee' is openly taught in Islamic schools. This type of Islam is seen by the west as being a much more radical form, and dangerous. The Saudi's have started to crack down a little on terrorism in that country, but they have to walk a fine line, because there are many in that country that would like to see the royal family gone and an Islamic form of government installed. Unemployment is rampant throughout the middle east, especially among the young, and this is where the next generation of Islamic terrorists are going to come from if we, the west, don't realize the real problems within the Muslim world and culture, and do something about it. If we do not address the real problems, we will be faced with a war between 'civilizations', and not just a war on terrorists.

In today's world of instant news there is Aljazeerah, and many other Arab TV networks that give a more Arab perspective to the people in that part of the world. The U.S. has accused Aljazeerah of being a 'terrorist network', and has said they contribute to getting Americans killed in Iraq. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that the Muslim world sees the attempted U.S. suppression of that station as another attempt to weaken Islam, and deny the Muslim world its due, and just more American imperialism. The Muslim world sees the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the overthrow of governments in those countries as 'occupation', and yet even more attempts to weaken Islam.

I don't think that, if after 9-11 we had gone after bin Laden there would have been too much of an outcry from the Muslim world against this act. After all, Jihad dictates the right of protection if your society is attacked. However, we didn't do that. We overthrew the governments in both Afghanistan, and in Iraq, and have stayed there trying to set up a form of government which the Muslim world hates. The Muslim world sees an occupation of two Muslim countries, and these occupiers as the enforcers of the suppressionist policies emanating from our own government in Washington. If we stay on this track, and think that we can institute western type democracies throughout the middle east, we're not only crazy, we're very foolish, and have no understanding of the Muslim world.

The next time the government wants to get some 'think tank' to write a paper on the Muslim world, or Islam, I have a great idea. Dress up like a regular person, and go out to the Muslim communities in the U.S., and talk to some. Better still, and I realize this is a radical concept - Get some Muslim friends, like I have. You may be surprised about the similarities in beliefs, and a free exchange of ideas, and culture. You can always learn something new, every day. That's what my dad used to say. Of course, if you are just looking for an excuse to hate Muslims, or blow them up, keep going the way you are down there in Washington. You're on the right track!

Falwell's At It Again!

2004-11-23T17:35:00.000-05:00

.... Jerry Falwell is back, not that he really ever went anywhere, but it seems he is back with a vengeance and an agenda. This man has been very busy. Apparently, taking a cue from the recent re-election of George Bush, and the republican victories in Congress, Rev. Falwell has formed yet another coalition. The name of this organization is the, 'Faith and Values Coalition' , or 'TFVC', for short. This is, as the good reverend states a, "21st century resurrection of the Moral Majority." I love the choice of words here, (resurrection), it's very Freudian.

.... The purpose of this so-called coalition is, as you can probably guess, to promote yet another religious agenda for Falwell. Link to the TFVC website, and you will see exactly what I mean. He does not even try to hide the fact that he is obviously attempting to influence constitutional law, and push his religious political agenda. What do you have to do to get this guy to understand that you cannot legislate morality? Falwell disbanded the 'Moral (self-righteous) Majority' in 1989, but like a re-emergence of the plague, and as soon as conditions are right, a sympathetic president, republicans controlling the house and senate, and propaganda TV, such as Fox News, setting the ground work, He's Baaaack!

.... What is it with right wing republicans, and the religious right that allow them to think they can rectify thirty years of helping to screw things up by trying to influence politics with religion, and legislating morality? This nation has been on the wrong track for years, and everyone in government, everyone in business, the supreme court, parents, and churches can all divide up the blame. There is enough to go around. Trying to legislate morality by amending the Constitution, or electing evangelical legislators is not the answer. I cannot believe that anyone would try and use the Constitution to define what a marriage is. It is absolutely, astoundingly absurd!

.... The founding fathers saw no need to include a definition of marriage into the Constitution. They knew what a marriage was. These men had faith, and wrote the Constitution with Christian principles in mind. I would suggest that strong faith was so much a factor in the writing of the Constitution, and the establishment of the government that even when the 1st Amendment was added, there was no fear or uncertainty when writing, 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...' The founding fathers even went so far as to state in Article VI of the Constitution that officials could be either bound by oath, or affirmation in support of the Constitution, and that 'no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.' The founding fathers purposely kept church, and state separate because they knew morality was built into what they wrote, religious freedoms were one of the reasons the pilgrims had come to this land, and I'd bet you dollars to donuts that they knew that religion and politics, do not mix, I don't care what kind of moronic logic you use to try and see it that way. If our society is failing, it's certainly not due to the lack of a marriage amendment, school prayer, or saying the words, "under God" in the pledge of allegiance. If you really want to get into an arguement, how about getting into one over pledging an allegiance, or an oath to a piece of cloth. How 'Orwellian' is that?

.... Religion should be taught in the church, and morality begins at home, and is taught by 'good parents', and nutured by the church. The Constitution is no place for amendments defining marriage! Stop trying to take the easy way out of this, and do the right thing. It took this country many years of apathy, bad parenting, and a permissive society to get this way. It will take a few years to fix it. There really isn't a problem if elected officials have a strong moral character, and vote on some measures with conscience, as long as these votes bring about change that is good for all, including the minority. When you actively target politicians, and use coercion under penalty of being voted out of office, that's wrong! That's part of an agenda! When you target these same politicians, and threaten to punish them for not voting to seat conservative judges in order for them to institute, uphold, or shoot down laws, that's wrong! That's part of an agenda. When you attempt to subvert the Constitution in order to use or change that supreme law of the land for your own benefit or ideology, that's wrong, that's treason, and that's more than an agenda!

.... If you want to teach morality, and values I've got a great idea, teach morality, family values, and religion where they belong, in the home, beginning with good parenting. Before you begin this little endeavor, I would seriously take a look within, and without. I think you will find that a little house cleaning must take place within your own house, (the church), so to speak. I wish that the 'religious right' would scream, and protest just as loudly, if not louder over, death penalty issues, that is unless all life really isn't sacred, and taking care of the poor, all of the poor. Jesus' ministry was all about the poor in the first place, or don't you get it?

.... The church should stay out of active politics, and concentrate on saving souls through people having a relationship with Jesus Christ, and by trying to include, not exclude people in nurturing their faith and morality.

What Time Is It Boys & Girls?, It's Foxjazeerah Time!

2004-11-18T18:31:00.000-05:00

I think if the Democrats were thinking that the Republican right was going to reach out the hand of friendship towards them, well, I wouldn't hold my breath. Sitting around last night I decided, with nothing else to do, to turn on the TV and watch a program that I usually don't. I don't watch this propaganda rag for a lot of reasons:

It's on Fox News
It's on Fox News
It's on Fox News

The program I watched was none other than that famous duo, Hannity and colmes. There is no mistake with the small 'c' in 'colmes' name. The guy's a geek, and if this is the best that the show can muster to combat that lying weasel Sean Hannity with an opposing democratic view, we're all doomed! The first guest on was none other than that esteemed champion of the woman's movement, and journalistic integrity, Ann Coulter. They also, probably as an afterthought had Bob Beckel on. He's some kind of democratic pundit. I can't keep up with them all, and usually don't care what most of these people have to say, but this guy is usually intelligent, and he's got a sense of humor. Anyway, I'm sorry that I ever turned the thing on. When you get Coulter and Hannity on together they suck the intelligence right off of the planet, and you need a referee to make sure that their collective lies are at least based in some reality! I have never heard such hatred, and lies spewed out anyone's mouth like the lies exploding from both of these idiots. I was almost wishing that some genius would invent 'punch o' vision' for Hannity, and since I was taught right and wrong, i.e.; you do not hit women, 'tape o' vision' for her.

My nightmare started over some cartoons. Apparently, some cartoon genius drew a cartoon that depicted Condaleeza Rice in a bad light, having to do with Bush nominating her for Secretary of State, and it might have even been construed as racist - one cartoon - out of four or five that were drawn about her that day. All questioning her credentials and abilities for her new appointment. Big deal. I agree. She didn't do a real good job leading up to 9-11 from where I sit, and I'd be more than happy to discuss my reasons for thinking so with anybody, intelligently. Hannity and Coulter, in their usual style, called the Democrats, and Bob Beckel "racists", because Beckel wouldn't condemn all of the cartoons as racist, which they weren't. I thought Beckel was going to have a freakin' heart attack, go through the camera, and punch the crap out of that idiot Hannity. I would have paid to see that. I just don't get this moron. I understand that Foxjazeerah wants to air a political show that causes a little friction, and maybe even a little intelligent discussion, however; this isn't the show! I have watched 'Hannity & colmes' a few times in the past, and each time I have tried, really tried to stay open to it, and have tried to remember that it is, "just a TV show." Unfortunately, I think that Sean Hannity has some kind of genetic anomaly, a 'hate' gene if you will. A gene that makes him hate everything except, maybe himself, make things up as he goes along, or as defined by Mr. Webster, lie, and at the same time, makes anybody with half a brain watching the show, hate him! He reminds me of the kid that you always wanted to beat up every day at school just for showing up. Ah, but I won't fall into his trap, because alas, I am a Christian from a blue state, and it's against blue state rules to arbitrarily beat someone with a red state mentality. Such is life.

I kind of figure that if we all wait around long enough the republican party will implode anyway. They owe too many favors to too many different groups. Sooner or later these groups are going to want some pay back, and then as the Romans used to say, "The games will begin." Until then I guess that I will just hang up here in 'Looneville', sip my suds, and watch the world go by. Tomorrow I intend to 'Vchip' Foxjazeerah, and throw away the code before all of my grey matter is sucked dry. I'll be sure to give them a fair and balanced send off.

It Happens, It's A War!

2004-11-16T13:24:00.000-05:00

I don't suppose there isn't anyone on the planet that hasn't heard the news by now of the shooting. You know, the one coming out of Iraq about the marine who allegedly shot an unarmed prisoner. Apparently, the incident was witnessed by an NBC camera man who was embedded with these marines. The alleged incident happened in Fallujah, in a mosque that had been previously used as a firing position by insurgents. I'm not going to get into what supposedly happened because I wasn't there, and I certainly would not even attempt to pass judgment or condemn this kid because I've been where he is. I'm sure the marines will figure it out and waste a lot of time doing it while tying the hands of everyone in this kids squad, and generally screwing up the morale of everyone that hears about the incident. In fact, anyone reading this article most likely won't like a damn thing I've got to say about the incident. In case you live on Mars and don't know what happened here's a link to an article on the subject.

Assuming that you now know what happened here's something you will really enjoy -- it's a war!, people are supposed to get killed in war!, especially the bad guys!, and tough shit! He won't live to run away and kill any more of our children. If you want to blame somebody for this incident, do not blame this poor kid. Blame Bush for putting him into the position to feel that he had to do this in the first place.

I am not sorry to say that these things happen in war. You put a rifle into a eighteen or nineteen year old kids hands, expertly train him to use that weapon, turn him loose on his opposite number, who as far as he knows is also expertly trained, both are trying to kill each other, throw in noise, confusion, explosions, screaming, 8 gallons of adrenalin, smoke, dust, all kinds of weapons fire, stuff coming at you from every direction, wounded comrades, hunger, heat, sweat, exhaustion, and oh, by the way, while you're trying not to get killed, remember the rules? Ya, good luck!

Now, they will pull this kid off the line, and ask him a bunch of dumb ass questions which will completely screw him up, screw up his squad, and most likely screw up his whole platoon. Why? The answer is painfully obvious. However, as the saying goes, you can lead the horse to water, but you can't force them to think for themselves! Look folks, this is a WAR!, this is not hippity hop to the freakin' barber shop! Let me tell you something about the rules of engagement, which state that I am allowed to use deadly force if I even suspect danger to me or my squad. As I stated before, having been exactly in the same kind of situation as this poor kid, and having had to make a split second decision to fire or not fire, guess whose writing this? It ain't my ghost! This crap really pisses me off. The idiotic news people are the worst at stirring things up. I don't know where they come up with these morons who apparently can, from the safe confines of a news room in NY, watch a tape, and determine that some kid commits some kind of battlefield atrocity. It should be mandatory that all wanna-be news people should have to do a stint on the front lines of some war some where. They wouldn't be asking any stupid questions then, I guarantee it!

If you are really looking to blame somebody, blame those morons in the white house. You know, the ones who were looking for weapons of mass obfuscation, then liberation, and now those geniuses think they can establish democracy in a country that's been fighting tribally for two thousand years. The Sunni's hate the Shite's, the Shite's think the Sunni's are dogs, and the Kurd's don't want any part of the south. When we didn't find the weapons we should have got out, and I don't know, maybe spent the money on our security at the borders or seaports. Nope, the moron squad down in Washington has got to try and prove a point. Why do you think Powell really left?

In closing my intellectual tirade for the day let me end with this. Leave this poor marine, whose fighting for himself, and his buddies, and to get his ass out of that sand hole that somebody ordered him into. It's war, it sucks, people die. That is what you do in war. You do not win hearts and minds. You do not rebuild. You kill, you destroy, and you live! I wish to God that people back here could get this through their heads! This isn't a game! I had a friend once who went home from the war. He went home in a plastic bag the size of a sandwich bag! That was all that we could find of this kid. We couldn't even find his boots! Just part of a finger, part of a belt buckle with a piece of him hanging off of it, and a piece of some unrecognizable bone fragment with flesh on it, that's all. Live with that day after day for awhile, then tell me this kid did wrong! This kid did exactly what he was trained to do, and from my vantage point it looks like he did it pretty well.

So You Want To Fix The World?

2004-11-14T15:27:00.000-05:00

I've got to say that I did not want to believe all of the vicious rancor and hype being exchanged on both sides of this argument concerning the new religious right being responsible for putting Bush back into the White House. As far as I am concerned, there are extremists on both sides of the issue that seem to take great pleasure in writing and saying things they know will send the other side into hysterics. Anti-Christian, anti-gay, anti-liberal, anti-this, anti-that. I've got a great idea for all parties concerned. Grow up!

Now, having said that, I do believe that there is in this country a very small, I repeat, very small minority of, whatever you would like to label them today, people who for some reason feel as if they have to start messing with, or manipulating the Constitution of the United States of my America. The land that I fought for and have left pieces of my backside all over this God-forsaken world for. That is what I object to, and I believe that is what most of the other people object to. You know, those people that the more outspoken religious right leaders have called anti-Christian. It is hard to make sense of things sometimes when all around you seems to be chaos and you see things that frighten you a little. Messing with the Constitution is one of those things. I say again, you cannot legislate morality!

The moral short comings in this nation are every ones fault, every ones. It's my fault, your fault, the liberals fault, and the right wing Christian, Moral Majority or whatever, everybody! Morality begins at home and is taught in the churches, not in the halls of congress. Years ago when the supreme court upheld Roe v. Wade, the jennie was let out of the bottle and now you want to put the jennie back into the bottle. It isn't that simple! Maybe, to some it is. Who really cares if we go back into a sort of 'abortion dark ages', where 911 people are picking up bleeding or dead women in alley ways, or we have police raids on illegal neighborhood abortion clinics, or God forbid we go back to the days of the coat hanger abortion. It just isn't that simple to get the damn jennie back into that bottle. We haven't been able to do it with nuclear weapons yet.

Why do some people feel that you must change the Constitution to enact morality? Beats me, but it won't work, and it will not happen. Look, this country isn't filled with 53% of god-fearing, religious right wing Christians, and 47% of godless, left-wing, anti-Christians. That's absurd! Most people in this country believe in something, some kind of godhead, and are both religious and attend church regularly. This country was founded by people who believed in and valued Christian principles. In theory and principle there is nothing wrong with electing so called right minded officials, with strong moral character. The problem comes in when people want to elect officials for the expressed purpose of fulfilling an agenda. When a well known TV evangelist or another influential personality looks into a TV camera and says that he wants every one out there watching and listening to pick up their phone, call their congressmen, in order to persuade people on religious grounds, to vote someone into office, or to vote someone out of office, that's going too far. Especially, when in the same breath this personality is spouting out a litany of items such as, we need judges that will vote out Roe v. Wade, we need a marriage amendment, the right to say school prayer, and the right to say 'under God' during The Pledge of Allegiance. That ladies and gentlemen is an agenda, I'm sorry, and you don't use the Constitution to obtain what amounts to a religious or moral agenda.

I've got no problem with changing anything if it's done the right way and it's a decision wanted by all of the people. As I said before, morality begins at home. Why don't you start there. It is not that difficult.

"Mom, what's that place downtown with the XXX on the front window? You can't see inside?"

"Come here Johnny, and let's talk," says mom. Of course if moms too busy then little Johnny is left to his own devices or should I say 'free will', which I believe is a godly endowment.

Even the town can get ticked off and every one can attend the next town meeting. They have those you know. Get together and vote the XXX store out, or is the problem deeper than that? You go to the town meeting, every one griped, and the town manager or mayor says he or she will take it under advisement. What? What the hey is this, just vote it out every one says. But, turns out that it just isn't that easy. Why? Money, that's why. This porno store that little Johnny is so curious about brings a lot of money into the town in the way of taxes. You know, taxes for the schools, taxes for the roads, property taxes, taxes, taxes, taxes, and we all know how we feel about taxes, don't we. So, who was it that said that money was the root of all evil? Maybe, just maybe we should start changing this countries morality with the basic concept of how we perceive the almighty dollar bill. I am fifty four years old, and I have watched this country turn from what little that I had as a kid to the I and me concept of life.

I, I, I, me, me, me, gimme, gimme, what's in it for me?, how much do I get?, I need more money, I need a cell phone, I need a Benz, I need more credit cards, we need to borrow on the house to put the pool in, we need to borrow on the country to fight terrorists, we need more money to build another building for the bible fellowship something or other, we need to print more money. The answer is simple folks. We are a country of people that love money. We love spending money and we love making money. We are generous to a fault at times, I'm not faulting the American sense of giving or fair play. What I'm saying is that I think that for whatever reasons, we have replaced the family, family time, love, taking the time to explain to a young person where the stars come from, saying 'Thank you' for a job well done, saying 'I love you', with here's twenty bucks for taking out the garbage. I'm probably not doing a good job explaining this, but we are just going too fast. How do you explain morality to a kid that gets instant gratification from a machine that seems to have the answers to everything? We need more family, not constitutional amendments! I know this because I never had a close family, and still don't. I learned morality the hard way, although my parents did teach me the difference between right and wrong.

We need to all slow down and stop these attacks on both sides that now are verbal. What happens when words spill over into violence? It's happened before. I don't know what Jesus you know, but the one that I know preaches love, understanding, and tolerance. His last and greatest commandment to his disciples was to love him as he had loved them. Remember, while every one is throwing the word Christian around what it really means. In simple terms, it's about a father who gives up his only son to die for the transgressions of others. That's love, and by the action itself transcends morality. Teach love, and morality will follow.

I Secede, You Secede, We All Secede From The Union

2004-11-12T13:35:00.000-05:00

I thought that I actually was going to, well you know what to myself the other day. A friend of mine, who is so distraught over Kerry losing the presidential bid, met me for a beer, (I wonder if this goes with his medication?), after he got out of therapy. We were talking, or I should say that he was talking, and I was just standing in for his therapist so he could continue with his fifty-minute hour. He and his friends apparently have been talking about moving out of the country or even somehow getting the northeastern states to secede from the union. OK, now what do you do?

Sit there very calmly and looking your friend straight in the eye you say --- take me with you.
Sit there camly and -- order another beer.
Do what I did.

As I picked myself up from the floor, and tried to cease my hysterical laughter I could not help but notice the look of pain and hurt on my friends face. Composing myself I retook my seat and ordered two more beers. That's all they would give me at once, believe me, I wanted six because I knew where the rest of this conversation was headed. I apologized to my friend although I didn't quite know why, and asked him if he didn't think that he and his therapy buddies weren't taking this re-election business just a tad too badly. I told him to look on the bright side, Bush can't run again. I thought he was going to have a coniption-fit or the top of his head was going to explode! He was screaming about not having a country in four years and stuff about religion and Armageddon. He was beginning to scare me a little. Not the gloom and doom stuff. I was beginning to think that my friends oars had left the water!

I figured that I had to calm him down, finish my beers of course, I had pounded the two and ordered two more, then make my escape before I caught whatever the hell he had. I got him calm, and then to focus him I said to him that maybe he had something with this secession thing, although it didn't quite work out too well back in 1860. His eyes lit right up. I had him thank God. He told me that he knew it would probably never happen, but if enough people started talking about it, then the Bush administration would have to take notice. I suggested that the only government entity that would likely take notice would be the FBI, and maybe Homeland Security. He hemmed, and he hawed, and almost started to go into a tirade about the Constitution, and I figured that if I didn't want to hear about the Federalist Papers and the Magna Carta, along with the Amendments to the Constitution that I had better do something drastic. What follows is an excerpt of that frantic measure that has since ended our friendship:

"Ok,ok, Mikey, calm down, I got you. Look if your really serious about this then you guys should look into Canada."

"What," says he.

Says I, "I'm serious. Bush and Canada haven't been hitting it off too good over the last four years." "You know, the borders are loose." "They let anybody into the country with or without a passport and they'll even give you money, then tell you to come back in sixty days for an immigration hearing." "You also know that Quebec province hasn't really been seeing eye to eye with Canada, don't you?"

"Ya, so," says he.

"Mikey, don't you see it?" Weird, confused look. "You guys get together with Quebec and hook up." "What a deal." "You'd have in-roads and trade routes all the way into Maryland and up to Hudson Bay, and by the way they make great clothes, and you could negotiate with Canada, for like a travel lane along the top of the United States to Washington State." Real confused look now. "Once you've got that lane you can hook up with the west coast blue states, and you'll have the red states kind of surrounded." "That ought to send Bush through the freakin' roof!"

The veins were sticking out on Mike's head and throat and I knew that I had gone too far. Might as well finish it.

"Once you guys build an army you can have the McKenzie brothers come down through New York, cross that little strip of land in Pennsylvania, just not during hunting season, and then with Bob and Doug leading the 'Army of the Hoseheads', take Ohio back for the blue." "Think of it Mikey, a huge army of hoseheads handing out beer and tuks along the way. Everybody gettin' drunk and shit." "Now that's what I call a 'hearts and minds' campaign." End excerpt.

I haven't seen Mike or talked to him since that little exchange. I was told that he made an extra therapy appointment the next day. I hope that he and all the other Mikes out there get it together soon. It was just an election. Trust me when I tell you. We've been through worse, and right now I think that I am more concerned about what's happening in Iraq. I heard that Vincent D' Onofrio flipped out on the set of Law and Order the day before yesterday because of the Bush re-election. They said that he fainted, but some of his friends stated that he hasn't been 'right' since the election. Apparently, a big Kerry supporter. Come on guys, this has really got to stop. Pull it together because in four more years we all go round again and I'm not sure if they let you vote in the nut house. Then again, if all of this gloom, doom, and Armageddon stuff happens before then, well, you can't vote if we're all burnt to a nice golden brown color either. Look on the bright side!

Veterans Day Remembered

2004-11-11T17:18:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to whine about anything today. This is not a day for whining. This is a day set aside for Veterans and being one myself it's best to keep it that way.

On this day, I can't help but think about what is going on in Iraq, especially in Fallujah. No matter what you think about the war in Iraq, remember this. The men and women serving and fighting in that country today didn't ask for this. A true warrior and soldier NEVER wants war! I don't care what anybody on TV says. There's no John Wayne, American flag, moms apple pie or any glory in war. There is just death and destruction. I have seen it. I have felt it. I have no desire to feel or see anymore of it.

What these guys are doing now in Fallujah is the scariest and toughest kind of fighting on the planet. Clearing a town, house by house, can really wear on you. Some one asked me once what it was like to clear a block going house to house. The guy said to me that it probably had to be scary because you never knew what was around the next corner. I really wanted to give this guy some profound answer. I just couldn't think of one so I said, "Well, ya Bill it's scary, but you always know what's around the corner. Death." "You just don't know how it's gonna get you and you kind of think, you know because of your training and shit, that it never will." "Somebody else will get it, the poor bastard, but not you."

Anyway, I'll go back to whining about stuff tomorrow, but now I'm going to finish the frosty I've started and probably have one for the men and women fighting over seas, hell I'll probably have a crap load more. After all, it's my day.

An Idea On Exporting Democracy

2004-11-09T12:32:00.000-05:00

I don't know if you have seen or heard of the stories floating around on the net of late or that these same stories have been picked up by a few of the more mainstream media. I speak of stories, scary stories, stories only barely whispered about. Stories of November election faux pas.

Not going into great detail, but in Ohio and in Florida on election night there seems to have been, well, a few voting irregularities, (go figure). Apparently, in Warren County, Ohio the local press was locked out of the vote count by the county officials for, guess what, Homeland Security concerns! I knew that it was just a matter of time before Warren County, Ohio made it to the top of Uncle Osama's target list.

In Florida it seems that in some counties where it is pretty well known that registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans, Bush ran away with the election, (go figure). I've heard that some of or all of these counties were using optical scanning voting machines of the kind manufactured by that illustrious company out of Ohio, (go figure), whose slogan is - 'We won't rest.' I guess not. In fact their machines apparently kept going, and going, and going for Bush! Anyway, MSNBC's, Keith Olbermann, who is a much better writer than I, although his sense of humor needs work wrote a good blog on the above subject this past Sunday evening. It makes good reading and I don't have to repeat the whole story again. Thank you Mr. Bloggerman.

What I have come up with instead of everybody getting into a tizzy, and calling for all kinds of investigations is a way to make this work for the country and our way of Democracy. I have come up with a way to put these good people and machines to good use. Send them to Iraq! Seriously, it's obviously too late to influence, I mean to help with the Afghan election, but it's not too late to show the Iraqis just what we're made of and how a truly democratic process works complete with the people and machines behind it. Think of it, what a deal! We pack up the whole kit and kaboodle of them, the Warren County officials, the EMS directors, lawyers, (you can never have enough lawyers), everybody involved and to complete the package deal, we can throw in every optical scanning machine used by us in our election. I can't think of any better way to help the Iraqis get off on the right foot with their first 'honest' and real election. We can really show them the American democratic voting process in action. Every vote counts, five times, no three times, no I mean twice, no once. Jeez, sometimes even I get confused because it's so hard to keep each states individual voting rules in my head.

Now, it's just a guess on my part, but I'll bet you dollars to donuts that our newly re-elected administration would like to see the present administration continue in Iraq after the January elections there. After all, I've heard that it is unwise to change leaders during a war. You could invite another more horrific attack or something like that per Mr. Cheney. What better way to ensure complete victory for the newly founded democratic Iraqi way of life. Let's really show them the right way to do it. Think of it, every time an excited, first time, vote casting, smiling Iraqi would cast their vote for Muqtada al-Sadr or the Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani, faster than you can say optical scanner, you've got five, no three, no two, alright three is good, votes for Ayad Allawi. After the election, as the vote counting begins, this is where the professionals from Ohio come in. All of a sudden the big announcement, "Everybody out, Homeland Security concerns." The beauty of it is that the Homeland Security thing will actually work over there. A couple of hours later, a hearty congratulations all around, and everybody goes back to work. Another victory for exported American democracy!

Sometimes, I really wonder what it would be like to be an Iraqi, who, while getting ready for work in the morning, assuming that he has a job, is drinking his morning coffee and reading his morning paper, reading about our elections and democratic process. I wonder what the hell is going through this guys mind. Is he asking himself what is the difference between what these Americans want to give us and what we had under Saddam? Wait, hear me out. To an Iraqi, his country is still under occupation. His countrymen are still being tortured because he's seen it on Aljazeera. The Americans are still killing his countrymen and his own people are killing their own. At the very least it must be very confusing and a time of fear and great unknown. Sure, we can point to Afghanistan and say, "See, it's working there." I don't think we can make that assumption until the coalition forces are withdrawn and the afghans are left to their own devises. Then time will tell.

Don't get me wrong. Democracy is a good thing, but maybe we should work a little more on cleaning up our own act a little or a lot, ok a lot if we are going to be in the business of exporting democracy to countries that for the most part haven't a clue what democracy is. Sure, we can always say, ah come on!, the system works, so it's got a few kinks, it ain't perfect, we're still here. Granted, although we've had a few hundred years to get used to it, even if we haven't got it entirely right yet. Now though, if we are going to try and establish or encourage totalitarian governments to become more democratic I think that what we export should be of the highest quality and with the highest chance of success. We've got to keep our word if exporting Democracy is going to be a big part of our foreign policy. We had better make sure it doesn't fail or we are surely screwed.

I don't know. If all else fails we can always fall back on our foreign voter exchange package. You know, if all else fails.

A Fallujah We Will Go!

2004-11-08T10:06:00.000-05:00

Dam, I love that name, "Operation Phantom Fury." Sounds like it was picked by a computer or something. I used to love those names like "Phoenix" and "Rolling Thunder" and all those other names that they say are randomly picked by a computer program. Who programs the thing anyway, the Marquis de Sade? I wonder what the computer would have picked out for a name if they had asked it say, last friggen March?

I realize that there are many logistical and political problems when you invade a foreign country, but I just can't help thinking that it would have been easier to secure Fallujah last March or April before the insurgents had a chance to dig fortifications and set the whole damn town to explode. I really thought that we would go into that town last March after those wonderful examples of humanity had shot up, burnt up, and hung up those civilian contractors from one of the bridges in Fallujah. What do I know? Apparently, I'm sure there were some pressing political considerations to think about. Maybe it was some kind of military plan conceived at the highest levels of government to wait for a few months until a whole country load of terrorists could infiltrate the country and concentrate in Fallujah. Sure there would be some casualties. A few people would get kidnapped and lose their heads. Some of our best and brightest would lose their lives. It's just the cost of bringing democracy to a foreign country that hasn't got a clue what democracy is. While we're at it, since we want a good fight eventually, we can send a hastily formed group of ex-Iraqi soldiers into the town knowing that they will desert and join the insurgents. It will keep things honest until we do attack and hey, the insurgents could use the extra help, right? To make it a real fair fight let's wait until after the election until we attack. If it goes badly, well Bush is already in. Can't do much about it now.

I'm sure none of the above had any bearing on why we are going into Fallujah now instead of six months ago. It makes perfect sense to me. Holy crap, I just saw a pig fly by my window!

Suicide At Ground Zero

2004-11-07T11:30:00.000-05:00

As I was looking through the news on the web this morning I came across an article about a young man that had been found dead at Ground Zero in New York City. The article stated that he had probably committed suicide because of the re-election of President Bush. At first I didn't think too much about it, people kill themselves every day. Sometime later this image of this twenty five year old young man lying on the ground with a shotgun nearby kept getting in my head. It wasn't so much the image maybe, but the reason that his family had said why he had done it. His family had said that he was distraught over the re-election of the president.

I worked crisis intervention for almost eighteen years and I have dealt with my own share of suicides. This is the first one that I have ever heard of over a presidential election. I'm sure that if we looked hard enough into this kids background there was probably some history, some warning signs, some depression maybe, although I'm not quite sure that's the point. For some reason this bugs me.

Maybe it was because this election was the dirtiest, most underhanded political race on both sides. There was nothing that was out of bounds. Nothing! More money was spent on this election than any in history, especially on dirt. I just wonder if it's possible we went too far? Just a thought.

Please believe me when I tell you there is nothing in this world worth killing yourself over. Absolutely nothing! I have seen first hand the pain it causes to the families and loved ones left behind. They are the ones who are left to wonder why. They are the ones left bearing the guilt. They are the ones left to bury the dead. If anybody out there is thinking of or if you know anybody talking about suicide, DO NOT HESITATE! Get them help. Here is a link to a web page with suicide hotlines in every state. Use it.

Maybe, we should think about this kid the next time around. Are there more like him out there. Has this country sunk to a new low of suicide politics?

Where Have All The Blue States Gone?

2004-11-06T14:05:00.000-05:00

Where have all the blue states gone?
long time passing,
Where have all the blue states gone?
long time ago.
Where have all the blue states gone?
gone to red ones everyone.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Will some one explain to me what the hell the conservative right is talking about now! As if they don't have enough to gloat about, and yes they are gloating, they are now trying to explain their miraculous winning formula in terms of red and blue. According to some of the more high profile conservative talk show hosts the country has now been divided into red states and blue states. Were we supposed to be notified by mail of this change because I don't remember getting any such notification.

Apparently, there are more red states than blue states and if that's not enough even within the blue states there are hidden and well entrenched red strongholds. It was further explained that the red states contain good and morally decent, god fearing, conservative type people while the blue states contain liberal types who are basically evil and godless heathens, who eat their first born. O.K., maybe I went just a bit too far, but hopefully you get the gist of the thing.

I was also not aware that within these red states and hidden red enclaves within the godless blue states live the people that were solely responsible for re-electing Mr. Bush to a second term. These people would be the 'religious right', who according to a well known evening Fox TV talk show host implied that the conservative religious right came out in droves to vote for Bush because:

liberals live in the blue states
the people who live in the blue states don't understand the people in the red states
the blue state people are godless
people in the blue states are arrogant and elitist liberals
the people in the blue states think the people in the red states are ignorant

My personal favorite was:

the people in the blue states don't know that the people in the red states exist

Now, come on, that's baloney. Everybody from the blue states on the east coast know that in order to get to the blue states on the west coast you have to pay a toll when you enter the red states at Missouri in order to travel through the red states.!

O.K., again a little levity, but seriously I have heard of giant piles of crap although until today I have never actually seen one. This red state, blue state breakdown of voting in the presidential election is just mind boggling to me. I'm not making this stuff up folks. It's one thing to break down voting patterns by saying that this state or these states did this or these states did that, but these right wing nut jobs are treading on very sensitive ground here.

It can be very divisive and dangerous for any one group to claim a lock on morality and religion. To imply that liberals, therefore Democrats, therefore people that live in the blue states are morally bankrupt and have no religion or the wrong beliefs is absurd. I live in one of those so-called morally deficient blue states and as I sat there watching and taking this all in I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was hurt and quite angry!

I am a Christian and have a very deep and profound relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am not afraid to shout it from the roof tops if need be, but for the most part I do not wear my faith out there on my sleeve. I really didn't know that in a democracy you had to have any kind of faith to run for public office. I guess that I've got this separation of church and state thing all wrong. If that makes me a bad person, fine I won't run for political office. I consider myself more in line with the democratic philosophy on things than the republican philosophy although I do not agree with the entire democratic agenda. Arnold Swarchanegger doesn't agree entirely with the republican agenda either and yet he is still a Republican.

Maybe I have been having a little too much fun with this red and blue state thing, but what I'm trying to say is this. As Americans we should all try to remember that although it is true that this country was founded on Christian principles the founding fathers wanted a separation between church and state. In order for a true democracy to work it must be secular. Once you start legislating based on religious doctrine and/or beliefs you no longer have a democracy, you have a theocracy and we might as well all have a revolution, convert to Islam, and move to Iran. To infer that all Democrats are liberals and by proxy Godless is absurd. To infer that all Republicans are conservatives and by proxy religious or part of the Christian right is absurd.

Talk show hosts, both conservative and liberal are given a platform to express their opinions and views that very few of us will ever have. With that platform comes great responsibility. With the power of cable and the air waves you have the power to persuade and dissuade. Use this power wisely! Years ago there was a time when people thought in terms of blue and grey. It was not a very good time in our history. History has a real bad habit of coming back to bite this country on it's backside. Bush won because more people voted for him. That's just the way it is. Get over it!

Here We Go Again!

2004-11-05T16:29:00.000-05:00

Here we go again. Four more years of Bush and Bushies. This should be at the very least interesting to sit back and see if W will end up having a second term like most presidents. Most presidents would like to forget about their second terms. Uniter or Divider, let's see, flip a coin. At 51% of the popular vote he's already proclaiming a mandate from the people, (huh!), and he has apparently built up some kind of political capital which he intends to spend. I sincerely hope that this refers to some fictitious kind of monopoly money and not real money. The thought of borrowing another 160 billion from China just doesn't sit right with me.

There is at least one good thing that has come out of this election so far. A friend of mine is a stand up comedian and you'd think that he just won the lottery. He's happy because he's got some job security for the next four years. I'm happy for him anyway. Me, I don't worry about things the way I used to. Since crossing the mid-century mark a few years ago my life has taken on a kind of sitting on the front porch, watching the world go by attitude. I used to worry about whether or not social security would be there when I got to be retirement age. It either is or it isn't. With only seven years to go until retirement it seems kind of foolish to keep worrying about it. Nowadays, I'm a happy camper if I: 1.) wake up in the morning, 2.) my arthritis isn't bothering me too much throughout the day, and 3.) if I can remember where I left the keys to my truck. You see, life isn't so bad.

I should add a number four to the above list which would be to try and remember the point of what I was writing. Oh yeah, so Democrats, cheer up! There will be another election in four years. A little advice from the old people might go something like this. The next time try not to nominate someone who's the most liberal person in the universe. Just a thought. To the Republicans I say, suck it up while you can. Some guy a couple of million years ago said that all glory was fleeting, I'd remember it. While we're on the subject of fleeting here's a little advice from the old people. I wouldn't expect the Democrats to take the hand that you are thinking of extending across the isle. You are likely to get it bitten off.

Ain't politics fun!