Its like music to the ears. Forty-Nine percent. That's how much of the U.S. approves of President Bush's job performance, according to the newest Gallup Poll. This is the lowest ever of the Bush presidency.
...and there was much rejoicing and mbare danced in the streets saying, "See, i told ya he sucks!" (Possible pictures later.)
...Anybody wanna send some of theirs to our house? Pepco (power company here) sucks. Huccircanes suck. Homework by candlelight is... different. Showers by flashlight are... weird.
Kitty is hyper. Still not named. Though JLB suggested "Yo Yo" today. I kinda like that one.
Kitten pictures in the gallery! Click over there ------> on the pretty picture.
Well, I got a kitty. He's real fun. He's very curious and rather like a kangaroo with REALLY sharp claws.
His shelter name was "Violin." But I'm going to change that. So far the suggestions have been:
Antonio (short for Antonio Vivaldi, who wrote a lotta good violin music)
Boyd (name of the crazy violin player in The Dave Matthews Band)
Fiddler (Mom suggested that, but Mikey thinks its too much like Hitler, I agree.)
JLB has been calling him "Freakshow." That might stick.
Post your music-related name ideas in the Comments, maybe you'll be the lucky choser!
(This is the first in a series of new posts.)
"The 2004 Election Has Already Been Rigged"
I already knew this. But see... I read that article and I wanted to kick someone's ass. Bass read that article and said, well, I'll let him put it in the comments if he wants.
Of course, it is an opinion article, but its a pretty good one. Real stats, information and testimonials all contribute to its well-rounded view of the world of balloting.
I for one, want to invest in electronic voting companies, if not start my own as a summer project. This could be a billion dollar market as only 9% of the U.S. uses an electronic system, and because of new legislation all over the place, needs upgrading (thus massive state/county contracts?). Of that 9%, two of them control 80% of the market. After the U.S. has proven to have a working system, the international community will want a piece of the Apple. Apple... hey there's a good idea - "The new Apple G5 iVote!" Err.
The problem is in the machines themselves. These companies won't release their machines' code because of "proprietary/trade secrecy protections." So how can people like the ACLU who are concerned with protecting the voter test these things for accuracy? They don't release the code because they realize these things aren't secure/easy to tamper with.
Anyone want to invest in or work for my new (I say new as if I have others already. Heh.) company and its soon to be patented Ballot Pallette? I'm in need of developers, marketers, instructors and an office. The company needs a name. vLog (short for vote log.. like blog. hmm.)?
Or maybe I'll umpire baseball again instead.
Take a look at American University's General Hurricane Preparedness plan.
Then take a look at how far away the ocean is.
Lame. 'Course I could be wrong..... But that's never happened. *blink*
Reporter: After the blackout last month, is the east coast really ready for another natural disaster?
Bush: We won't be threatened by these... terrorists.
Reporter: Sir, its a hurricane.
Bush: Today freedom is under attack. It happens almost daily these days.
Reporter: Are you calling Mother Nature a terrorist?
Bush: 200 mile per hour winds? That's like what happens in a nu-clear attack. Sounds like terrorism to me.
Reporter: Mr. President how is the nation's capital preparing for the amount of rain that could fall on the Washington area at the end of this week?
Bush: I am asking the networks for some prime-time time sometime to tell the nation I will ask congress for $29 Billion to buy the people of D.C. some umbrellas.
Reporter: How is the White House preparing?
Bush: Sand bags. All our boys over in Iraq protecting freedom... We thought... They want to come home so bad. Well.. TOO BAD! They ain't coming home unless each carries back 10 sand bags and stacks them around the White House. We won't have those boys from the internet coming around asking so many questions about what we knew this time.
Reporter: Have you been in touch with the National Weather Service?
Bush: The who? I thought I cut all their funding?
Reporter: No, sir, they predict this storm will dump several inches on the D.C. area sometime late Thursday and into Friday.
Bush: You know what I think about the National Weather Service?
Reporter: Sir?
Bush: We will not tolerate these organizations that aid terrorists. Thursday you said? A week after the 2 year anniversary of September 11th? That's no coincidence. I'm sending our Department of Justice boys to have a little talk with those weathermen.
Reporter: Mr. President do you plan on leaving D.C?
Bush: That's just what these terrorists want. They want to interrupt our lives - let me tell you something... A little water and wind isn't as strong as our resolve. United we stand!
In 2001, I was a student in Milwaukee. On the evening of September 11th, for the first time in my life, I saw people weap for their country, on a bench near a flag that was flapping calmly at half mast. I had always taken that calm flag for granted. I realized that night, that it and those who protect it, had failed many of my fellow Americans.
Last year, here in D.C., I went downtown. I did not to partake in any of the annoying and misguided protests or triumphant warhawking patriotic rallies for Mother LIberty, but to try to understand better what had happened.
I toured the U.S. Capital, a tour which has become a waste of time. The people's house is now just another government hideout. You get a short introduction to the rotunda, the old Senate meeting room with statues from each state, the old supreme court room, and a short walk to the crypt and just about nothing else. It used to be the case that anyone could just walk through the door and sit down and listen to congress in session.
I also went to the Corcoran Art Gallery, a block from the White House, to visit an exhibit of photographs related to September 11th, 2001. The photos were mostly of people suffering. Others visiting were weeping, unable to stand, looking for something in the photographs that they would not find - comfort. The images from that day discover within each of us a fear we can't really deal with.
I found that patriotism is becoming synonymous with fear. 'Freedom from fear' was not only attacked on 11 September, 2001, it was basically destroyed. The government explanations for this are hopeless. Many things people want to know can be known if they're willing to accept them. Other things ought to be known by all, which are not.
What may become "Patriots' Day" could very easily be called "Fear Day." Sept. 11th is a reminder that we are fragile. Thomas Hobbes claimed every one entity is vulnerable, because it must sleep. Our administration and those who we trust to protect us were sleeping, we all paid and still pay the price for this. A Japanese Admiral said after the attack on Pearl Harbor, "perhaps we have just awakened a sleeping tiger." It is a shame that that tiger was again sleeping.
There's really no basis on paper for the actions of those who sounded the alarm. The closest thing is the Charter of Hamas and "Death to America" videos. These are people who make statements with the loudest possible voice, through violence. Because, as the Charter says, "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors." As a pacifist, I find this very difficult to understand. Though what we all need to understand is Islam and the Arab World. I don't remember learning anything at all (besides the 1991 Gulf War, when I was in 2nd grade) about the area until my freshman year of college. Multicultural studies should be a high school requirement.
Though I must say, I too thought I was invulnerable. Any reminder of our mortality is difficult to deal with, like today's top headline on netscape.com: "U.S. Says 'Major Terror Attack' May Come Today" (CNN article). History should view this day as a day when fear became the dominant force in American political culture.
Bush dropped his dog. Poor doggy. :(
"President Bush, along with first lady Laura Bush and members of the Waco Midway Little League Softball World Series championship team, react as Bush accidentally drops his dog, Barney, at TSTC Airfield in Waco, Texas. Bush quickly scooped up the dog, who was not injured." - CNN
Bush To Address Nation Sunday at 8:30pm...
"I will not seek, and I will not accept..."
We can hope, right?
Rather than gather up a few rocks and write 'HELP' in the sand of Iraq, or ignite an oil well to send panicked smoke signals, the U.S. will ask the United Nations for help with keeping the peace in Iraq. So here it is, the draft of the U.N. resolution to be presented to the Security Council by Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Negroponte:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and United States of America: draft resolution: Resolution s.o.s. 91103
September 4th, 2003
Before the United Nations Security Council, New York:
Recognizing the threat Iraq’s non-compliance with unilateral United States military occupation poses to international peace and future success of Campaign Bush 2004,
Recalling that the United States blew off this assembly the last 18 times it visited,
Further recalling the United States gathers intelligence like a 3 year old,
Deploring the fact that Iraq has resisted to tear down its own statues without the help of U.S. Marines,
Further deploring the fact that previous resolutions of this body caused the United States to wet its diapers and cry,
Recalling that Iraq would cease embarrassing the United States in the world court of opinion,
Admitting the United States has bitten off more than it can handle...
It is resolved:
The United States acted immorally, defied this Council, is unable to guarantee a return to self-rule for the peoples of Iraq,
The preemptive strike against the sovereign country of Iraq gained more warriors of terror than any other action,
The small nearly unilateral force in Iraq cannot solely keep the peace as desired because of irresponsible budget management, shotty intelligence, and oft-attacked military of the United States.
It is concluded:
We would appreciate your confirmation of the above as a correct reflection of our situation and seek assistance in mending the issues.
Naturally, we may need other practical arrangements when proceeding with peace. We would expect in such matters, as with the above, the world's cooperation in all respect with no questions asked. Because we said so. Neah. Neah. (funny face).