Occassional Rambling

2007-12-12T10:11:00.001-08:00

OMG, it has been forever and a day since I've posted anything on this blog. I have been focusing so much time and attention to my other endeavors Masonic Traveler and Freemason Information, and my local lodge, that I haven't spent anytime developing this jewel.

I think my schedule is only going to get more hectic though, but who knows... I think I want to start looking at things in a more local light.

We'll see....

Stay Tuned for Further Broad Casts...

Billy Goats Gruff...

2007-04-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Now I know where the story of the Billy Goats Gruff came from. This story about the Florida police department likes to stock its bridges with its own Trolls to eat its little children.

In all seriousness, it’s a shame when a law enforcement agency has to house people it needs to monitor under bridges. What’s next, housing them in the sewers? I’m all for tough laws on criminals, but to ostracize people in society to live on the fringes is creating exactly what were scared of: monsters.

Feel the Nuys...

2007-02-21T17:12:00.000-08:00

I just ran into this guys blog. I like finding other locals, espicially when they have interesting things to say. It kinda feels weird too knowing that I grew up in Van Nuys, the name sake of this blog.

Whats even scarier, I think I do feel the Nuys...no matter how many showers I take.

Maybe the 2 people that read this blog will like him too :)

I'm not a Gay Drug Addict Pastor..........anymore.

2007-02-07T00:13:00.000-08:00

Is it me, or is the Ted Haggard thing just lame?

So today, he's no longer Gay, he says, so has he kicked his drug addiction too, or was that just a passing fancy? What about his attraction to gay masseuse drug dealers?

I'm cool with a pastor being Gay, I think its fine, God loves everyone, even when you sin and ask forgiveness. But I'd be pretty miffed if I was a parishioner and had contributed money to a church leader who lied, lied some more, and then said Jesus cured me of being gay.

It just sounds lame.

Funny too, the church he worked for "suggested he leave town" and "pursue secular work". I guess they are less forgiving.

Congrats, I guess, to you Rev. Haggard. But really, its ok if you like guys...........still. Just be careful and practice what you preach.

Ted Haggard | gay |National Association of Evangelicals | New Life Church | Colorado Springs Jesus

The Smog Genie is Out...

2007-02-01T22:43:00.000-08:00

The world's leading climate scientists said global warming has begun, is "very likely" caused by man, and will be unstoppable for centuries, according to a report obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

Not Maybe, not kinda, not well possibly, but very likely. Not enough to convict a man in a criminal trial, but strong enough to condem us to a hotter, stormier, and fouled planet.

What I would like to know, from industry and the gross polluters, is what do you think I should tell my children. The one thing I will tell them, and make sure they remember, are what products not to buy and what companies to hold at fault.

This isn't a joke, I don't care if it bankrupts you, I actually hope it does. We should carve your names in stone, so centuries from now our ancestors (should any make it) will know who was at fault... The automotive, energy, oil and the US policy makers who continue to turn a blind polluted eye.

Remember, your children and grand children will be living through this too.

Nothing new.

2006-11-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Nothing you probably didn't already know...

http://www.bushflash.com/thanks.html

No Jesus for Christmas

2006-11-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

One2believe thought it was a harmless gift, that there was no underlying motivation to the donation... Only the Toys for Tots program isn't one faith centric...

Great heart, but agendas always seem to get messed up when you try to do something like this. Maybe the kids left toyless this Christmas in Iraq would love the 4,000 gifted dolls.

California - Proposition 85

2006-10-16T00:12:00.000-07:00

PROPOSITION 85
WAITING PERIOD AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION BEFORE TERMINATION OF MINOR’S PREGNANCY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

Amends California Constitution to prohibit abortion for unemancipated minor until 48 hours after physician notifies minor’s parent or legal guardian, except in medical emergency or with parental waiver.
Permits minor to obtain court order waiving notice based on clear and convincing evidence of minor’s maturity or best interests.
Mandates various reporting requirements, including reports from physicians regarding abortions performed on minors.
Authorizes monetary damages against physicians for violation.
Requires minor’s consent to abortion, with certain exceptions.
Permits judicial relief if minor’s consent coerced.

Summary of Legislative Analyst’s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact:

Potential unknown net state costs of several million dollars annually for health and social services programs, court administration, and state health agency administration combined.

The Pro’s on this one include a Catholic newspaper publisher James E. Holman (Los Angeles Mission (1994), San Francisco Faith, and La Cruz de California (1997), Catholic Conferences of Bishops, the California Pro-life Council, and the governor (see he really is a Republican) and out-of-towner Tom Monaghan, owner of Domino’s pizza (whom I’ve written about before).

The Con’s are Planned Parenthood, ACLU, League of Women Voters, And Colleges of Gynecologists and Obstetricians.

The initiative is funded by the same guy who wants to build Catholic town, and is likely funded by money funneled in from the Catholic Church. I am cautious to say that this is an initiative being pushed by the Catholic Church (see church/state separation) when it’s backed and funded by a bunch of church guys. The line from the La Times by the proponents that says: “Without secret access to abortion, teenagers would avoid behavior that could lead to pregnancy. With parental notification, teen pregnancies and abortions would decrease”. My thought is that it would just lead to more abandoned babies or more babies born to teens in dictatorial households. Maybe we should inject some criminal charges to parents who allow their minors to become pregnant.

If a teen becomes pregnant with no means to take care of the child, then I would hope they would make the right decision for them, whether it means an abortion or not. Putting the decision in the hands of the parents alone is really too little control to late. Where was the parent in the first place? Maybe the Catholic publication and Catholic bishops who support this can answer this one.

My Vote is NO on proposition 85.

Los Angeles | California |2006 Election | proposition 85 | James E. Holman | Tom Monaghan | Catholic Church

California - Proposition 84

2006-10-15T23:35:00.000-07:00

PROPOSITION 84

WATER QUALITY, SAFETY AND SUPPLY.
FLOOD CONTROL. NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION. PARK IMPROVEMENTS. BONDS. INITIATIVE STATUTE.

Funds projects relating to safe drinking water, water quality and supply, flood control, waterway and natural resource protection, water pollution and contamination control, state and local park improvements, public access to natural resources, and water conservation efforts.
Provides funding for emergency drinking water, and exempts such expenditures from public contract and procurement requirements to ensure immediate action for public safety.
Authorizes $5,388,000,000 in general obligation bonds to fund projects and expenditures, to be repaid from the state’s General Fund.
Summary of Legislative Analyst’s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact:
State cost of about $10.5 billion over 30 years to pay off both the principal ($5.4 billion) and interest ($5.1 billion) costs on the bonds. Payments of about $350 million per year.
Reduction in local property tax revenues of several million dollars annually.
Unknown costs, potentially tens of millions of dollars per year, to state and local governments to operate or maintain properties or projects acquired or developed with these bond funds.

This one was interesting to me. The Times reported that the Pro’s include the Democrats, the governor (shhh he’s a Republican) 100’s of conservation groups and a lots of water districts. Its intent is to invest in infrastructure, clean up waterways, and create better access to nature.
The con’s are essentially from the Republican’s and that it will cost too much. I guess they don’t want to pay for the arguments against this one say that it’s costly and only pet projects for conservationists.

I find it interesting how Arnold crossed the divide on this one, but if it means better water habitats and cleaner water then it sounds like a win, and the expense seems like a pittance at the end of the day.

My vote is Yes on 84

Los Angeles | California |2006 Election | proposition 84

The 2006 California Election Ballot Measure 83

2006-10-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, election season is coming and as a citizen of Los Angeles, and of California I thought going over the initiatives, state and local, is pretty relevant and may help spur others to get off their bum and VOTE. Like other people who vote, the ones that don’t vote really shouldn’t be allowed to be citizens. I don’t mean this in any Orwellian kind of way, but the right to vote is why were here. It’s the reason we have 100,000 soldiers in Iraq and why we can write and publish stuff like this.

Biographicially, I am a white male, employed, married, with 2 children, and intelligent (or at least like to think so). Does what I think matter? Probably not, but I am a voter and I care...and so should you.

Some of the initiatives and proposition descriptions come from, in part, the Los Angeles Times, Sunday edition on October 15, 2006.

I’m sure all 3 people who read this will take the time, but I really hope this reaches other voters. So, without further adieu, I present to you, the California Initiatives for 2006.

Proposition 83

SEX OFFENDERS. SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATORS. PUNISHMENT, RESIDENCE RESTRICTIONS AND MONITORING. INITIATIVE STATUTE.

Increases penalties for violent and habitual sex offenders and child molesters.
Prohibits registered sex offenders from residing within 2,000 feet of any school or park.
Requires lifetime Global Positioning System monitoring of felony registered sex offenders.
Expands definition of a sexually violent predator.
Changes current two-year involuntary civil commitment for a sexually violent predator to an indeterminate commitment, subject to annual review by the Director of Mental Health and subsequent ability of sexually violent predator to petition court for sexually violent predator’s conditional release or unconditional discharge.

Summary of Legislative Analyst’s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact:

Net state prison, parole, and mental health program costs of several tens of millions of dollars initially, growing to a couple hundred million dollars annually within ten years.
Potential one-time state mental hospital and prison capital outlay costs eventually reaching several hundred million dollars.

Net state and local costs for court and jail operations are unknown.

The pro’s on this one say that it will keep sex offenders from living near schools and parks, which would protect children. Because we (the non-offender good guys) will know where the offenders are (the bad guys) because “the bad guys” would need to wear electronic ankle bracelets to tell us where they are.

The con’s say only a small number of offenders attack strangers which doesn’t reduce the risk to the crime of opportunity or family predators. And by restricting where the offenders live will push them out into rural areas where law enforcement is less able to deal with them.

I’m torn on this issue. I despise sex offenders just like the next parent, but at the same time wonder if we can continue to punitively punish someone once they have served the required prison time for the crime? I’ve also looked at the Megan’s Law site to see who lives nearby and found I had a “former” pedophile living 2 blocks away from me. It was a hard to suppress anxiety and anger but I had to temper that with knowing they served their time and had been “rehabilitated” through our prison system. That was a joke; I really don’t feel our prison system does anything to rehabilitate anyone.

In the end, I am for this initiative, but concerned about the exile of these offenders. Sooner or later, with no where to go, we may will end up with tiny communities of offenders in places where they can live a quarter mile away from a schools or parks, and then what? What about those cities we are pushing them into? My guess is that it will push them into lower economic cities, putting them in contact with more criminals, adding to the civic diversity. Maybe it will make them build more parks?

As I said, this one is doing something. I just wish the initiative had something in it with some funding to help lower recidivism in the ones who could be treated.

My vote is Yes on 83

Los Angeles | California |2006 Election | proposition 83

Despotism (1946) Encyclopedia Brittanica Films

2006-10-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is a great film from 1946. Pay attention to the scales, espicially the 2nd set..

Despotism (1946), Film, 11:00min

Measure how a society ranks on a spectrum stretching from democracy to despotism. Explains how societies and nations can be measured by the degree that power is concentrated and respect for the individual is restricted. Where does your community, state and nation stand on these scales?

Rep. Mark Foley

2006-10-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

Disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley said Tuesday that he was sexually abused by a clergyman as a teenager...

But...

accepts full responsibility for sending salacious computer messages to teenage male pages.

But his lawyer went on to say for him..."He continues to offer no excuse whatsoever for his conduct." - except that he was molested as a teenager... Did he mention that? Just wanted to make sure you got it...

oh, and "Roth also said Foley was under the influence of alcohol when he sent the e-mails and instant messages." - but no excuses here...

I really hope he gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I wonder if we can sue him for mis use of tax payers money, while he was Chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. I guess he finally found some...

I really hope this criminal burns.

Mark Foley | history |government |
liar | Republican

Onward Christian Soldiers...

2006-09-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Found this at a cool site

The best way to teah them is to teach them young. Maybe they'll eventually start telling them Jesus wants them to blow un-believers to bits.

"I begin with the young. We older ones are used up. We are rotten to the marrow. We are cowardly and sentimental. We are bearing the burden of a humiliating past, and have in our blood the dull recollection of serfdom and servility. But my magnificent youngsters! Are there any finer ones in the world? Look at these young men and boys! What material! With them, I can make a new world. This is the heroic stage of youth. Out of it will come the creative man, the man-god."
- Adolf Hitler

Christain boot camp | history |Jesus | evangelical

Dance Monkey, Dance

2006-09-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

I've really been giving this some thought lately. But his video really sums up a lot of what I've been thinking.

So dance Monkey, dance.

Monkey | dance | God | History

Christian Fascism

2006-08-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

Facism is back in vogue, and the Bush Administration is tossing the word aound now about Islamist fundamentalists, which is probably a good coupling.

But it brought to mind another story from the other day where Congress woman Kathrine Harris said:

"that separation of church and state is "a lie" and God and the nation's founding fathers did not intend the country be "a nation of secular laws."
"If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin"

Isn't this a form of "Christian Facism"?

I mean if, according to her view (and the GOP's by proxy), that God is the ONLY rule to govern by, wouldn't anyone who had a differing faith be screwed?

Facism is in the dictionary is defines as:

noun, a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.

If the Christian Conservative GOP got their group prayer answered (see here) then wouldn't they then make the US a fascist Christian state with "only laws deemed just by God"? I gotta ask, what would Jesus do?

Maybe the GOP's plan is to just fight fire with fire, the Christian fascist state fighting the Islamic Fascist state. Viva la diferance'

Evil

2006-08-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sure there is another side to this, but honestly, this is a great (if you call it that) example of evil in the world today.

"The foster parents of a disabled 3-year-old boy wrapped him like a cocoon and left him for two days in a closet, where he died while they attended a family reunion"...
"Marcus was wrapped in a blanket and wrapped in tape with his arms behind him -- and this was not the first time,"

Is there really puniishment enough for this? I hope they are made to remember this for the rest of their life.

evil | news

Is God imaginary?

2006-08-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

I just ran into this site. Interesting to watch and read what they had to say. I think it's speaking more to the "Christain" sect than to just people with faith. Maybe it takes a more literal belief in the bible to relate (or rebel) to what the site talks about.

You decide, horse-shoes or otherwise.... Its your decision afterall.

God is Imaginary

No comPassion for The Gibson

2006-08-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

There is no excuse. I guess this is old news now, but i really think there is no excuse for Gibson.

Let his own statement speak for itself.

"There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark,"
Gibson said in a statement issued by his publicist.

"I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge."

"I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena," he said. "As a result, I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologize directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words."

A moment of insanity my ass. Your words say it all. We should not excuse you nor tolerate such hate-filled remarks? Based on your own words, right...

"Fucking Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." "Are you a Jew?"

I don't take it to mean your asking to celebrate the Passover. Gibson, your a hater, and an anti-semite. Admit it and move on. Stop lying to us and to yourself.

Mel Gibson | Antisemitism | hate | true colors | career suicide

Jiffy Lube sucks

2006-06-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

This is reprehensible. And what gets me more is that I've had my car serviced by these places.

I think it's safe to say I WILL NEVER GO TO JIFFY LUBE AGAIN.

Folks you've lost a customer, and I hope you lose more.

JiffyLube | oil | shermanoaks | san fernando valley | KNBC

Bring us the Head of FEMA

2006-06-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, a hurricane comes and blows your home down, and what do you do? You go on vacation to Hawaii, or better still, you get a sex change operation.

I'm all for helping people in an emergancy, hell I live in California and experienced the northridge earthquake. I remember FEMA here giving loans to people. But what the heck is up with a billion dollars in mis-spent money. Wasn't there any oversight? Whose responsible for this?

Just some of the hilarity:

The FEMA money was intended to help victims pay for food, housing, clothes and other essentials. The subcommittee said that based on the information in the GAO report, it has referred 7,000 cases to the Justice Department for prosecution.

In its report, the GAO found that prisoners applied for assistance from jail phones. Using false identities, they routed the assistance checks to the homes of relatives or friends. One inmate collected $20,000 using a post office box address.

A Texas man filed 19 applications and used the money for a sex-change operation. Elsewhere in Texas, a recipient used FEMA money to buy a diamond ring and other jewelry worth $3,700. FEMA gave an individual $2,358 in rental assistance while paying an additional $8,000 so that same person could stay at a Hawaii hotel for more than two months.

I think Chertoff needs to step down, or be taken down. This is very poor management. I agree with Clinton too, let FEMA be a stand alone agancy, who reports to the President, and not an agency of Homeland Defense.

They admit they were at fault. And so now, tough luck America?

During the hearing, FEMA was attacked for failing to impose controls or checks on the process. Dannels said the agency has taken a number of steps to reduce the potential for fraud, including a new system to verify the identity of individuals registering by telephone.

Someones head needs to roll. Bring us the Head of FEMA

FEMA | Chertoff | Katrina | sex | Bush

One of my Senators is listening...

2006-05-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

This is the note I recieved from one of my local senators (i sent the article to all 3 of my local leaders). Mind you I sent my first missive about "getting out of Iraq now" to them May 5th, 2006. This response came to me May 8th. I'm proud to say that one repsonded, but worried that it's just a form letter. You decide.

Dear Mr. Stewart:

Thank you for contacting me about the war in Iraq . I appreciate hearing from you.

I traveled to Iraq last year, and my trip confirmed my view that the United States must begin to redeploy our forces out of Iraq . Passing the three-year mark in Iraq , I believe our presence has become counterproductive.

Despite widespread sectarian violence throughout Iraq , the Bush Administration is failing to plan for the threats posed by the possibility of a full-scale civil war. On February 23, 2006 and again on March 29, I wrote to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, asking him to explain his plan for the worst-case scenario: our troops getting caught in the crossfire of a civil war. Given the administration's past failure to plan for the insurgency in Iraq , I feel it is imperative that we have a plan for the growing possibility of an all-inclusive civil war.

The administration's refusal to publicly discuss any exit strategy or even the specific conditions that must be met by the Iraqis in order to begin bringing our troops home leads me to believe that they envision a permanent U.S. presence and a never-ending war in Iraq. President Bush's comments that we will be there as long as he is President as well as his request to build permanent military bases in Iraq are very troubling and are unacceptable to me and to a majority of the American people.

On June 30, 2005, I joined Senator Russell Feingold (D WI) in co-sponsoring Senate Resolution 171, which calls on the Bush Administration to provide Congress with a time frame for achieving its military goals and withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq . After three years of battle and tragic losses endured by both American forces and Iraqis, I believe that Iraqis have to take control over the future of their country.

Once again, thank you for your letter and for caring deeply about this critical matter.

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Please visit my website

Boxer | Senator | Congress | Iraq

Shhhhh, the government is listening...

2006-05-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

We are "not mining or trolling through the
personal lives of millions of innocent Americans"
George W. Bush, May 10, 2006 on the release of
telephone records to the NSA.

So they don't care that your talking to your hairdresser, or that your best friends mothers brother passed away...Their looking for terrorists. But their listening to you in the mean time...just in case.

Ok, well there have been jokes that the government is listening, but now, they are fessing up, they really are. It's not really a joke, haha, Big Brother is really there, on the phone lines, listening to you talk about your best friends mothers brother.

Specificially:

...Last month, a former AT&T technician said in a sealed court document filed in federal court that the company cooperated with NSA to install equipment for "vacuum cleaner surveillance" of e-mail messages and Internet traffic, according to his lawyer.

Attorney Miles Ehrlich of Berkeley, California, told CNN that his client, Mark Klein, said there is a special room inside an AT&T building in San Francisco that is entirely controlled by NSA personnel and contains equipment that can sift through large amounts of Internet traffic.

But the article also quotes that the NSA says ...

"Given the nature of the work we do, it would be irresponsible to comment on actual or alleged operational issues; therefore, we have no information to provide.

"However, it is important to note that NSA takes its legal responsibilities seriously and operates within the law."

So maybe it isn't "illegal" per-se, but is it permissable? Where did we ever sign off on saying it was ok for our calls and e-mails to be monitored and watched? This is not ok and should not be tolerated. Even if it's to look for terrorists, it's still not ok. Are we losing control of OUR Government who, like a vouyer, listens to what we talk and write about? Shame on the phone companies who bowed to the pressure of the NSA. I never said it was ok for them to listen to me. I once worked for a telco company and it was a HUGE deal when someone would monitor a line. A HUGE DEAL. So who decideds now that they can fish through our records? Who decides who is a terrorist or not? This is not tolerable.

I think i'll send this to my Senator and Congress person too. Lets see if I get a response.

Bush | NSA | ATT | Verizon | Qwest | telephone

Innovate.

2006-05-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

This is a joke. Let the prices remain high, invest in R&D (that thing we don't want Iran to do) and come up with some alternatives. Oil is going away, it's high time we pay the world cost for oil, and stop whining how we want it cheaper.

Innovate. Innovate. Innovate.

Just imagine if we invested 10 Billion of money earmarked for the war into inovating technology, maybe we could get beyond this issue of oil. We are stuck in the morass of consumption. What will we do in 10 years, 20 years? Why does it have to be a fixed by Labor Day?

We are missing the point. That is our nations failing.

oil | Bush | innovation | USAtoday

Get Out of Iraq now.

2006-05-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

It's an Op-ed piece, published in the LA Times. I'm not big on Op-Ed's, opinions are like something else we all have...But this one made a lot of sense to me.

What "we" want does not really matter in this ordeal of nation-building. Removing a head of state and wiping out a system of government does not create an air of stability to create something that never existed in the first place. Instead, we continue to try and make something work that can't.

A civil war in Iraq is inevitable. Like water, the people need to find their balance. I think the problem here is that "we" don't like who "we" see as the victors being. Just like in Palestine, we pushed for an open and democratic election, and now, we don't want to talk to "terrorists" even though they are the elected leadership.

In my Op-Ed, I think "we" are in for a world of problems, all thanks to the Bush administration and the big businesses getting fat from the billion dollar spending bills we keep passing in congress.

We need out of this war, now. I think I'll send a letter to my congress person about it. I wonder if they will have anything to say about it.

Los Angeles's Day Without an Immigrant

2006-05-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

May Day has long been a focal point for demonstrations by various socialists, communist, and anarchist groups, including the Day Without an Immigrant march yesterday. Web sites abound with images and the media has done a good job of covering it. Hell, I even got a half-day out of work because of it as I work on Wilshire, near Fairfax. But I had to comment on how striking it was that the "Day Without an Immigrant" happened to fall on May 1st, which is globally known as May Day.

The ideas and arguments seem to mirror those of big labor and it's efforts to mobilize and sign-up members so as to have a bigger saber to wield at big government. But is doing this, an about face, a real the way to enforce laws? Do we cheapen our American laws by suddenly allowing millions of trespassers, solely on the premise that they have been here, to become citizens. Do they deserve it just because they were here? It sound slike a squaters arguement, "its mine because I was here".

We have laws for a reason, and they have a process for change. But as a citizen, born and raised here, I don't want to give away something so precious. I am neither racist nor Anti-immigrant, but if you’re going to be here, be here legally. Blanket amnesty would be a mistake in the long run, but then so would walling up our borders. If we allow people into this country, to have them break the law and stay illegally, and then flaunt it and expect a say in OUR Democracy, then I feel they are mistaken. The signs of the protestors are true, we were all immigrants, but American Freedom came at the barrel of a gun, not a presumed entitlement.

Circling back to the May Day celebration, just in my humble opinion, the day dedicated for this march is too coincidental to be happenstance. The veiled image of a socialist march is unacceptable. I wonder how many of those marching got the connection. Did they know they were being used as tools to promote the Communist or Socialist agenda?

For those unfamiliar with Communism, here are but a few of the quotes:
Marx wrote of the stage of communist society before the total disappearance of scarcity,

Freedom in this field can consist only in socialized man, the associated producers, rationally regulating their interchange with Nature, bringing it under their common control, instead of being ruled by it as by the blind forces of Nature.

The point is made most clearly by Engels:

With the seizure of the means of production by society, production of commodities is done away with, and with it the dominion of the product over the producers. Anarchy of social production is replaced by conscious organization according to plan. The whole sphere of the conditions of life which surround men, which ruled men up until now comes under the dominion and conscious control of men, who become for the first time the real, conscious lords of nature, because and in that they become master of their own social organization. The laws of their own social activity, which confronted them until this point as alien laws of nature, controlling them, then are applied by men with full understanding, and so mastered by them. Only from then on will men make their history themselves in full consciousness; only from then on will the social causes they set in motion have in the main and in constantly increasing proportion, also the results intended by them. It is the leap of mankind from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom.

Or in other words, a Dictatorship.

My own experience, it was a slow work day, traffic was light. And it seemed less crowded on the streets. That's a good thing in Los Angeles standards. Someone told me it only took them 22 minutes to do a drive that typically takes an hour plus. Maybe more days without immigrants would be beneficial.

Happy May Day, I'm sure Castro, Chavez, Marx, Engels, Stalin and Lenin would be proud.

Just for reference, this is what May day looks like in other places...the Soviet Union in 1959 and Switzerland in the 2000's

Immigrant Solidarity
Or the other side
Minuteman Civil Defense

Day Without an Immigrant | communism | immigration | Los Angeles |

Happy Earth Day - World Festival 2006

2006-04-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Pretty cool fest, the family and I just got back from spending a few hours at World Fest in the San Fernando Valley. The music and vibe was cool, but it felt more like a peace rally/save the animals event rather than an Earth Day celebration. What happened to all the Eco-Friendly businesses?

One bit of irony there was all the printed literature people were giving out. I know its message driven event, but I thought we were celebrating earth day. How many trees went into the literature?

The Mayor Villaraigosa was there too, which was cool, but the save the elephants in zoo's people were a little bawdy during his speech, which made the event not so pleasant. I'm all for protesting, but just being jerks isn't cool. Dude, there are kids there, remember. Then one dope wanted to throw down with someone else who was telling him to calm down.

Save the elephant protest for the new pen opening at the zoo. It was earth day, not save the elephant day. I was actually looking forward to seeing the mayor. Big jerks. Boo to Save Elephants in Zoo

Worldfest | San Fernando Valley | Villaraigosa | Earth Day

Long Live Star Trek...

2006-04-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

I wonder if William Shakespeare ever felt upset at the continual bad representations of his plays. I'm sure Roddenbury is rolling over in his grave now.

Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you Star Trek 90210.

The next Star Trek feature, slated for a 2008 release,

"would center on the early days of "Star Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission."

I'm smelling teen spirit here.

Their time lines coincide, at least on this site they do, but do we really want to see a young Kirk and Spock picking up chicks?

Star Trek | 90210 | entertainment

uggabugga

2006-04-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

uggabugga
Relevance in simplicity. Let the quotes speak for themselves. They can speak volumes.

brainhell

2006-04-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

brainhell

This story is a classical example of the love / hate relationship of Coke.

they used to say that Coke ads life, but i heard they changed that because in China, Coke ads life translates into Coke brings back your dead relatives.

I always wondered if that was true. Not the part about the translation, but the relatives part...

Why old radio sucks.

2006-04-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

These are the reasons that I abandoned terrestrial radio. I know, big deal, satellite radio is wack, but you know, since I've had it, the only station I listen to is NPR, and that's only on the days I'm wanting to feel sophisticated.

I bought into the idea of satellite when Howard Stern went over back in January. I honestly didn't like the idea of it, but wanted to listen to Stern. For the first few weeks, I would only dabble in the channels, listening to an occasional song, but then going back to my usual stations here in LA.

Now, I don't think I've listened to FM since the end of February.

It's stories like this one though that remind me why I don't give a rip about old-fashioned radio. But I had to comment, it seems that Clear Channel, the media giant, has sacked 2 station's talent in the last month. So much for the diversity of Los Angeles. I guess our market isn't big enough for good programming. Honestly, I recommend anyone living in LA reading this, look into Satellite Radio.

Otherwise, your just making Clear Channel money to not give you what you want to listen to.

I actually hope they get fined into oblivion by the FCC.

Los Angeles | satellite radio | Howard Stern | Clear Channel | L.A.

The Benchwarmers...

2006-04-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Just a quick glimpse of the pop-culture in which I live.

This past weekend, I won tickets from KIIS FM for my sons to play an short game of baseball with the cast of "The Benchwarmers". The game was held at UCLA, which was beautiful, and then after we were treated to a screening of the movie down in Westwood.

The purpose of the post here is to show off the proximity of my family in society and the mysterious world of entertainment industry. Of the notable celebs there were Rob Schneider, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Jon Heder, Jon Lovitz, Molly Sims and a bunch of other people I don't know about. The highlight was that the governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was there to, but I'm sure not it it was in an official capacity as Governor or not. I actually got a photo of him in the same frame as me.

The movie Benchwarmers was pretty good. it's more of a summer time kids flick than an adult drama, but flicks that celebrate at Shakey's Pizza can't really be for to mature of an audience. It did seem like it had a lot of Gay jokes in it, which is funny, but having to explain why a man wants to wrestle another guy to a 10 year old is a bit awkward. But all in all, the film was pretty funny. It was a total pop culture moment seeing Lovitz drive up in KIT and the Bat-Mobile, but I would of liked to of seen more of that. The frightening thing is I know some guys with rooms like that with all the Star Wars stuff in it. Filmaticially, I thought it was jumpy. It was fun seeing it on the screen, but some of the cuts were quick in changing scenes. It was good to see Rob Schneider in a staring role (if that's what you'd call it). I like his style of comedy and it was pretty straight in this flick. My kids enjoyed it and that's what mattered the most. I think I've spoiled them early on Sandler and his films.

All in all, the day was fun, and it was a nice party. They gave away some pennants for the kids, which was cool, and my son's got to spend a few minutes in the presence of Real honest to goodness movie stars. The highlight was hearing my son Kristian tell how when he was on first base (after hitting a grounder) with Jon Heder (remember Napoleon Dynamite). Standing on the bag, Jon says to Kristian
"You guys are going down".
Which brings out of Kristian
"No way, Friggin idiot".
To which Jon says
"GOSH".
Hearing my son tell that story was hilarious and totally worth the day.

Benchwarmers | Adam Sandler | Jon Heder | Rob Schneider | Movie

Los Angeles Cerebral Landscape

2006-04-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

I wanted to point out a great site about everything LA. (I added them in as a link on the side too.) the blog is an overall navigation of the Los Angeles terrain, in all it's cerebral vistas. I was just turned onto it too but it's owner/operator/writer/editor and compiler who is an acquaintance/associate on mine. She's actually taught me a lot and probably has no idea of it.

It's a site worth the time spent exploring it!
The L.A. Brain Terrain

Money as a Message

2006-03-04T20:48:00.000-08:00

I ran into this site while just cruising around looking for something else. What struck me was the power in messaging money. Everyone wants it, everyone works for it, everyone wants to spend it. So it means a built in audience.

would everyone get it? Probably not. But It's still getting a message out for people to think about. Guerilla like, I love it. Subversive even.

money | vandalism | subversive

Domino's Pizza is owned by a Hypocrite

2006-03-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

"NAPLES, Fla. - If Domino's Pizza founder Thomas S. Monaghan has his way, a new town being built in Florida will be governed according to strict Roman Catholic principles, with no place to get an abortion, pornography or birth control." Yes, He wants to make Catholic Town.

But I bet they will Still Sell junk food like pizza. But then maybe peddling nutritionally excessive food isn't a sin. I wonder if the pope enjoys Dominos? According to Wikipedia, Pope John Paul thought we needed saints who did. But when the low wage pizza delivery guy who screws up your order (personal experience), then runs over people delivering your pizza's, their will be nothing for them to do to entertain themselves when their off work. Maybe they can go to church.

And, they will still most likely deliver pizza's to the world, spreading only waist-lines and not bible verses.

The story says:

"The town of Ave Maria is being constructed around Ave Maria University, the first Catholic university to be built in the United States in about 40 years. Both are set to open next year about 25 miles east of Naples in southwestern Florida."

It goes on read that the owner believes "all of history is just one big battle between good and evil. I don't want to be on the sidelines...". Instead, he just wants to deliver them both pizza. Feeding the good and the bad equally. The president's brother even likes the idea, at least so the story goes.

Is it me, or is this just crazy? I wonder what the Pope thinks.

crazy | Domino's Pizza | Catholic Church | Pope | good vs evil

Bush on the UAE Port deal

2006-02-22T10:17:00.000-08:00

This is what the President had to say about the port deal. A direct excerpt from a doc downloaded here

I don't think its an issue of their security record in other ports. It's ownership of our port. If a foreign power owns it, then we lose some control of it.

Remember, these guys came from the United Arab Emirates:
from Wikipedia:

Hamza al-Ghamdi and Marwan al-Shehhi

Organization

U.S. authorities believe that the hijackers were in two groups: six core organizers, who included the four pilots and two others; and the remaining thirteen who entered the United States later in pairs in the spring and summer of 2001 via the United Arab Emirates.

Try to remember, the ports are the gateways to our nation.

Bush's Comments
Q The understatement today, and one of the concerns of lawmakers seems to be that they want more of a briefing, and they want more details about the things that you know, that have given you confidence that there aren't any national security implications with the port deal. Are you willing to either have your staff or to give any kind of briefing to leaders of Congress --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Look at the company's record, Jim, and it's clear for everybody to see. We've looked at the ports in which they've operated. There is a standard process mandated by Congress that we go through, called the CFIUS process. I'm not exactly sure if there's any national security concerns in briefing Congress. I just don't know. I can't answer your question.

Q It seems like -- you've already heard from different administration officials, saying, not in as strong terms as you have today, that there aren't problems with this deal, that the deal should go forward. But they seem to want more of a briefing.

Would you be willing to give any additional briefings, either --

PRESIDENT BUSH: We'll be glad to send --

Q -- either in a classified basis, or --

PRESIDENT BUSH: I don't see why not. Again, you're asking -- I need to make sure I understand exactly what they're asking for.

Yes. Oh, you're not the press.

DAN BARTLETT (counselor to the president): I could ask a question. You showed some strong leadership today -- (laughter.)

Q Why is it so important to you, sir, that you take on this issue as a political fight? Clearly, there's bipartisan --

PRESIDENT BUSH: I don't view it as a political fight. So do you want to start your question over? I view it as a good policy.

Q Why is it -- clearly --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Are you talking about the energy issue?

Q No, I'm sorry, the ports issue.

PRESIDENT BUSH: It's not a political issue.

Q But there clearly are members of your own party who will go to the mat against you on this.

PRESIDENT BUSH: It's not a political issue.

Q Why are you -- to make this, to have this fight?

PRESIDENT BUSH: I don't view it as a fight. I view it as me saying to people what I think is right, the right policy.

Q What's the larger message that you're conveying by sticking to this UAE contract, by saying that you're not going to budge on this, or you don't want to change policy?

PRESIDENT BUSH: There is a process in place where we analyze -- where the government analyzes many, many business transactions, to make sure they meet national security concerns. And I'm sure if you -- careful review, this process yielded a result that said, yes, a deal should go forward.

One of my concerns, however, is mixed messages. And the message is, it's okay for a British company, but a Middle Eastern company -- maybe we ought not to deal the same way. It's a mixed message. You put interesting words in your question, but I just view -- my job is to do what I think is right for the country. I don't intend to have a fight. If there's a fight, there is one, but nor do I view this as a political issue.

Q I say it because you said you'd be willing to use the veto on it.
PRESIDENT BUSH: I would. That's one of the tools the President has to indicate to the legislative branch his intentions. A veto doesn't mean fight, or politics, it's just one of the tools I've got. I say veto, by the way, quite frequently in messages to Congress.

Bush | UAE | ports | sovereignty

Who Owns Our ports?

2006-02-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

I think I agree with the Governors, Congressmen, and Senators that are against letting a foreign power that we are "kinda" at war with have control over our ports.
Bush saying:

"the United States is sending "mixed signals" by attacking a Middle Eastern company after the ports were run by a British firm for several years."

Is ridiculous. Britain is on our side, remember?

We are involved in a War on Terror, not a war with England,Not a war with France., But a War on Terror, where 2 of the "enemy soldiers" came from the UAE. Were not at war with the UAE, but they have pretty porous ports to let 2 terrorists though to come blow up our Homeland. And we want to let them take over OUR ports?

The idea is offensive.

Since the War on Terror is this vague war on shadow villains, why do we want to give the keys to our home to a country that has already spawned and shipped 2 notorious Terrorists who helped blow up 3000 people? Sure it's the wrong message. It's not a mixed signal, it's pretty clear:

"NO, we don't want them CONTROLLING OUR PORTS".

This isn't out of bigotry, but out of concern. The owners of the ports don't set security, but they will manage the port operation, and could easily let though anything they wanted. Why do we as a nation insist on selling ourselves out to send a message. So what if the message is considered mixed. Was this a mixed signal?

We need to retain our sovereignty, and stop selling out to other countries or we will become beholden to everyone else, losing our national heritage. What's the next step, contracting out T.S.A. to Iraqi security firms because they are the lowest bidders? We are already sending our tax financial data to India for data processing. And we allow China to own U.S. Dollars in such quantities that they can affect our economy. These are sovereignty issues to me.

We need to stop selling ourselves out. That's not a mixed signal, thats pretty clear.

Bush | port | sovereignty | UAE | security | Homeland

Rantings of a Sandmonkey: Boycott Egypt

2006-02-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

Rantings of a Sandmonkey: Boycott Egypt
I ran into this one from a friend Dinah Lord.
This is classic. It's a good example of timing. when this published in Egypt in 2005, it was no big deal. Now, its embasy burning time...

From the Sand Monkey:

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Boycott Egypt

Freedom For Egyptians reminded me why the cartoons looked so familiar to me: they were actually printed in the Egyptian Newspaper Al Fagr back in October 2005. I repeat, October 2005, during Ramadan, for all the egyptian muslim population to see, and not a single squeak of outrage was present. Al Fagr isn't a small newspaper either: it has respectable circulation in Egypt, since it's helmed by known Journalist Adel Hamoudah. Looking around in my house I found the copy of the newspaper, so I decided to scan it and present to all of you to see.

This is the original Cartoon printed in egypt:

Cartoons | Islam | Mohammed | overreaction

Irreverent Political Cartoons

2006-02-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

Dr. Seuss, the acclaimed children's book illustrator, also had a career as a political illustrator. His hay-day was early on in World War II and spanned the gamut of war, politics, and American life.

I stumbled on them by accident, looking for something all together different, but was impressed at their satire and wit. This was back in a day when "political correctness" be damned.

I find it admirable that he tackled the "Jim Crow" laws, still rampant then too.

Maybe this is a testament to the power of illustrations, that they can incite people to war, but I would suggest that there needs to be a will before there is a way.

But like comedy, do these cartoons just speak an unsaid truth that collectively we all thought anyways? Is that fair to say? I'm not tryingg to draw any parallels to the Cartoons being rioted about today, but these seem pretty racy to me. It's not a bomb in a turbin, but a message all the same. In many of these instances, it's about American war efforts and the coming Nazi threat.

They make for an interesting examination of W.W.II cartoons.

Cartoons | Seuss | war

Probably old news

2006-02-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

I know this has been around for a long long time, but I finally managed to find myself there today. The arguments are pretty convincing and make a lot of sense, but I wonder if we (America) even care anymore about this. Have the years since 9/11/2001 blurred into obscurity for why we say were are in Iraq?

I'm no Nostradamus, and I have no crystal ball, but my prediction is that we(our government) wanted Iraq as a foot hold to do what we want in the Middle East. A forward base of sorts to attack Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, or whom ever. Why not, we have all our resources there, right?

This same chain made me wonder, if we are building a 100,000+ army of US trained Iraqi's, then we would have an even larger force to walk into Iran, and we lose even fewer US troops.

All of this in the name of oil. I think the US needs to get off the need for oil. Alternative fuels, horseback, hell bicycle or walk. This crack like addiction to oil will be our undoing. We need to find alternatives. Maybe if we put half the $ amount into government research for alternatives that we are for the "war" effort maybe we'd find some.

This really will be our undoing. And were all worried how the Arab world will respond to cartoons. We have an unholy dependance to foreign oil that we are fighting for, pandering to, and paving with bodies. Is that worth the gas in our SUV's?

911 | Bush | oil | Iran | iraq | truth

Beats the pet rock

2006-02-09T12:25:00.000-08:00

I always wanted a pet Dinosaur. I guess now I can get my own! And their reasonably priced too. No isolated island for my little baby Dino.

I just wonder when the rescue shelters will open, maybe I can get one on discount once someone decides they don't want it anymore.

It's only an opinion

2006-02-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

Is it really being taken to seriously? I'm not a fan of Ann Coulter, so does that negate the sentament, or is it really an expresison of the reality?

Is it that big of a deal or an excuse to get pissed off?

How not to hide in a crowd

2006-02-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

This is a great example of how not to hide in a crowd. I wonder what makes him stand out?

From the Smoking Gun.
"Iowa man accused of assault has guilt written all over face"

Sympathy

2006-02-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

"Principles are one thing, sympathies another. In principle I support the right of any newspaper to print cartoons of Mohammed and the right of anyone else to reproduce them. As far as sympathies go, can I just say that if you side with a group of effete right wing pseudo intellectuals in making sport of a decent, inoffensive and hardworking group of people like my Muslim neighbours, then you ought to be fucking well ashamed of yourself. Repeat this statement on your own website. Refusal to do so is equivalent to self-censorship."

Having sympathy for an individual is one thing, but to self censor for sake of not offending an entire peoples? I don't buy it.

Sure, we could not print the image with the accompanying words, but the offense would still be the same. But maybe blowing people up is reason to not print them. Being made to be afraid because someone will riot, is that our cause not to pause?

The guy working at the restaurant isn't the guy the illustrationis drawn for, and would probably not incite him to burn down buildings. Maybe he'd spit in someones food, but I doubt it. Just like anything inflamitory, it's going to affect those who want to be incited by it.

So what. It offends me to think that people will burn a building for an illustration. I say publish it in the New York Times. Why does a religion think they have control over what other countries or religions say about it? Is it insensitive, sure, but so are a lot more things to belly ache about.

Mohammed as a Cartoon

2006-02-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

To some people in the world, it's ok to blow people up and kill randomly, but you'll be damned for rendering an ancient founder of religion in a cartoon. Is it me or is this going on a bit to seriously? I'll be the first one to say that there are injustices, but to get pissed off and riot over a cartoon? A cartoon?

Maybe printing and publishing it is a good thing, it takes some of the rub off, or better yet, the American media (who is afraid to re-publish it) should bow to the political pressure to not reprint it. You know, we are so big on the idea of not offending anyone, to keep the riots from being about us. But is that really fair? Are more Muslims blowing themselves up than Christians? At the moment, no. So then why is the imagery not a fair representation? Are they pissed because it's an iconic representation, is that the excuse they want to use to burn flags and shoot guns in the air? Maybe it's the disrespect they feel for the illustration, infering Mohammed as a bomber. But then, if people are bombing in his name, maybe he is.

Is it really a question of media freedom or being bullied buy a radical religious group? Maybe the evangelicals will start burning TV's in front of the office of CNN. Religion cannot be made to dictate to society. This is not the 10th century, we are enlightened. Is this the fight we are approaching?

When will we STOP trying to make everyone think the same way?
Cheers.

mohammed | islam | cartoon |

Are you in it 2 win it?

2006-02-02T23:37:00.000-08:00

I love winning contests. I just wish I applied to some to actually win them. Usually all I ever win is a free liter of soda pop. Does that count?

Look at this cool site, she knows what she's talking about.

Buddy Jesus

2006-01-30T14:11:00.000-08:00

You may get offended by this, if you even read it, but I have to say that I really do like the idea of the Buddy Jesus. It strikes me that if Jesus was an X-Gamer, hanging with Tony Hawk, and watching Bam Magera on Viva la Bam, that this would be the guy you'd meet. he's not some stuffy over bearing guy who disapproves of you being different, and he's not some latin speaking pontif. he's a 30 something guy trying to relate to people his age to get his message out.

He's your buddy, Jesus.

Are you offended by that? Why? Jesus can be your buddy too.

Russia to open moonbase mine

2006-01-28T00:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah Right, and We're just sending names on a chip into space? WTF is up with that?
Russians on the moon....

Send yourself to space.

2006-01-28T00:52:00.000-08:00

Random, but fun
Put your name on Dawn and send it to space.

Empress Oprah was duped

2006-01-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

Oprah, was duped, and them defended her poor judgment on Larry King, only to find out that who was really duped. I actually read this on the Smoking Gun when it was published a few weeks back. Power is an important ting, wield it carefully.

From the CNN story:"It is difficult for me to talk to you because I really feel duped ... But more importantly I feel that you betrayed millions of readers," Winfrey said to Frey, who wrote the hugely popular "A Million Little Pieces."

Maybe this will help temper her willingness to influence how other people think, or better yet, maybe it'll help others not be so easily duped when the empress proclaims the beauty of her new clothes.

"I made a mistake," Frey told Winfrey on Thursday. And so did we in trusting you.

Secrets

2006-01-23T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is a really inspiring, if in it's own hidden kind of way site. We all have them, and need to let them out I think.... Even if their really something small and not really secret at all.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Meow....or just ow?

2006-01-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

I wonder what if this is what happened to some poor bloke way back to make the Cycops of Illiad fame. Joining the ranks of the 2 headed snake.

It's like selling guns on the street

2006-01-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

Boys, pay attention here. Fines if you don't have a condom in your pocket, and death if your not caught without one. Just make sure your packing.

BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) -- A western Colombian town has angered the influential Catholic Church with a novel scheme to cut AIDS infections, threatening males over age 14 with fines if they fail to carry a condom.

Young men in the community, most of whom start having sex at about age 15, according to a poll, should carry condoms just as they have to carry identification cards, Tulua town councilman William Pena told El Tiempo newspaper.

Those who fail to show a condom would have to pay a small fine or take a three-hour course in AIDS prevention in Tulua, where 14 people died of sexually transmitted diseases last year.

"This is a country with a lot of sexual activity and Tulua is no exception," Pena told El Tiempo. "This measure would not oblige anyone to have sex, only to protect themselves."

Father Jesus Velasquez of the local Catholic church said he wouldn't let the measure pass without a fight, comparing it to "selling guns in the streets."

Why do we suffer the traffic in Los Angeles?

2005-11-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that we accept the over population and growth in Los Angeles, ignoring the fact that our Freeways are antiquated and small. We are a car culture, and we pay a lot for in taxes, both income and sales, and yet, a 17 mile drive averages and hour plus.

For those of you reading this wondering where it takes an hour+ to drive 17 miles, it is the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles. In particular, the stretch between the 105 freeway at LAX to the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley. 5, 6, and at times 7 lanes of parking lot. Are we allowing to many people to move in and live here, is government hoarding our tax revenues for their special interests? Why are our freeways parking lots? This city is being poorly managed and left to sit and wait in congestion and gridlock, while we pay through the nose.

Is there a solution? Do we control growth, limit housing growth, or just raise taxes? What is the solution, is there one? We need better, stronger leadership to tackle this problem and rid LA of it's CalTrans parking lots.

Come on Arnold, and you even live here...

a "different kind of war"

2005-11-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

They really are doing anything they want to keep oil revenue flowing.

I love Connie's remarks...Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sidestepped questions on secret prisons Tuesday, saying the United States was in a "different kind of war" and had an obligation to defend itself.

We are liars....our country, our president...

it reads:
"What is the actual and potential damage done to the national security of the United States and our partners in the global war on terror?"

We end up being liars to the world. Out flew the righteous cause.

Rice told reporters, "We, our allies, others who have experienced attacks, have to find a way to protect our people."

Wow, we really have lost our moral compass

The full story...
or here...
USA today.
Frist, Hastert call for probe of CIA prison story leak
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert called Tuesday for a congressional investigation into the disclosure of alleged secret U.S. interrogation centers abroad.

The Washington Post reported Nov. 2 on the existence of secret U.S. prisons in Eastern Europe for terror suspects.....

We Do not Torture!

2005-11-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

Every time we say "we do not torture" just remember this image.

I wonder if Abu Ghurayb Prision would of ever of been prosecuted if the photos had not been released? Are we just becoming a nation of butchers for the sake of protection?

Today, Bush declares: 'We do not torture'

PANAMA CITY (AP) — President Bush vigorously defended U.S. interrogation practices in the war on terror Monday and lobbied against a congressional drive to outlaw torture.

"There's an enemy that lurks and plots and plans and wants to hurt America again," Bush said. "So you bet we will aggressively pursue them but we will do so under the law."

He declared, "We do not torture."...

But we did, and have, and will continue to do so, but now Dick Cheny wants to make it legal to do it for America.

Here's some more details how we do not torture.

Jesus Juice...

2005-11-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

I so wish I thought of this. I wonder if it tastes any good...or does it turn you into Peter Pan?

Text stolen from the Smoking Gun.
NOVEMBER 7--In a full-bodied blend of blasphemy and ingenuity, a Los Angeles couple is seeking to market a wine called "Jesus Juice" that bears a label showing a Michael Jackson-like figure appearing to be crucified. "Jesus Juice" merlot, the label for which you'll find below, is the brainchild of actress Dawn Westlake and Bruce Rheins, a veteran CBS Evening News producer who headed the network's coverage of the Jackson child molestation case. Westlake and Rheins filed to trademark the "Jesus Juice" name in January 2004, two months after the entertainer was arrested and days after news outlets first reported that Jackson used the term "Jesus Juice" when referring to wine he allegedly gave minors. On October 1, Westlake and Rheins provided USPTO officials--who are still reviewing the trademark application--with a copy of the proposed "Jesus Juice" logo, which features a photo of a barely clad man with a sequined glove, shiny loafers, stringy hair, and a black fedora that obscures his face. While carrying the name "Rheins-Westlake Winery," it appears that the wannabe winemakers's merlot production has, so far, been rather limited. In fact, two Westlake web sites seek a partner (preferably "a vintner with a sense of humor, but a seriously good line of wines") or someone to purchase the "Jesus Juice" trademark rights.
from: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1107051jesusjuice1.html

Something I found...

2005-10-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Found this, thought it was good to know. I may put it on my side bar.

Make the pie higher!

2005-10-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm not a bleeding heart liberal, but I'm not a right wing nut either. But I have to include these classic bits of wisdom and eloquent speech.

MAKE THE PIE HIGHER
by George W. Bush

I think we all agree, the past is over.
This is still a dangerous world.
It's a world of madmen and uncertainty
and potential mental losses.

Rarely is the question asked
Is our children learning?
Will the highways of the Internet become more few?
How many hands have I shaked?

They misunderestimate me.
I am a pitbull on the pantleg of opportunity.
I know that the human being and the fish can coexist.
Families is where our nation finds hope, where our wings take dream.

Put food on your family!
Knock down the tollbooth!
Vulcanize society!
Make the pie higher! Make the pie higher!

thanks from:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/piehigher.asp

Gregory Stewart dot com

2005-10-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, Like all good blogs, this is my first post for a very likely to be ignored blog about very likely nothing important. I know we all like to feel that what we have to say means something, but does it really?

If you haven't already noticed, I am the editor for another site, http://www.freemasoninfromation.com as well as some additional subordinate link sites that point to the same page.

The whole goal and purpose my name site is to help promote art, help promote myself, and leave a good impression on the web as a whole. I am not very political, but opinionated, so very likely, I'll be spouting about that stuff.

And, like all good masons, attached in this first post is my mason mark.

Talk soon, probably later.