Wednesday, August 31, 2005

..and the rich get richer

So, even though the U.S. supposedly added jobs last year, and supposedly reduced the defiect, somehow the number of citizen hitting the poverty level have increased - by 1.1 MILLION! Oh - and this has been on the rise for the last four consecutive years.

Let's see...Shrub has been in office for about....oh, let's see....what is it now?......oh yeah...five years. Man, I guess his tax cuts REALLY helped those lower middle class shoot right up there to the upper tax brackets.

But, Hurricane Katrina aside, crude was pushing $70 a barrel anyway. No signs of lowering. AND he's opening up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. So - tell me (and Scalia) why all of Cheney's Energy Commission meetings are secret? Certainly it isn't to systematically screw the public for big business or their friend's gain. Is it???

Saturday, August 27, 2005

I'm Cumming

Oh yes - you have to see this. It's not quite as porn-y as one might think, but it sure won't play in Peoria. It is just the commercial for Alan Cumming's new fragance: Cumming. Swear to g-d!

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Sites of the Month

Yes - multiple sites. But unlike two months ago, which were a mish-mash, these are actually somewhat interrelated. And all were provided from George - so you know they're not completely Grandpa Simpson crazy......

1. A Canadian article on Shrub's on-going War Support Tour '05
2. A way for you to make your own Bullshit Deflector
3. And of course, the good old hypocricy of the GOP

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Thou Shalt Not....

Oh fuck it.....KILL KILL KILL!

Or so says bible teaching, g-d fearing, every man lovin' Pat Robertson. For a moment, let's forget the politics of the situation (Robertson calling on the U.S. to assasinate Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez).

"If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Mr. Robertson said Monday on his show, "The 700 Club." "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war. And I don't think any oil shipments will stop."

You can't argue w/the economics of the situation - I mean, where would we get the troops for a war anyway?

But the thing I have yet to see in print or the rest of the 'liberal media' is that Robertson is advocating killing. A preacher. A man of g-d......supposebly. ....you know - 10 Commandments, turn the other cheek, killing of his only son, blah blah blah. How do his followers and the chr-stian right) justify this shit?

Of course there is the political angle too. Only the State Department and Pentagon tried to distance themselves from the situation. I mean, you can't expect Shrub to comment on it. The man is only on day 339 on his ranch (of in his 4.5 year term). He can't be bothered with this kind of thing....and afterall, Pat is a friend. But most of my favorite is Rummy:

Mr. Rumsfeld dismissed Mr. Robertson's remark on assassination, saying: "Certainly it's against the law. Our department doesn't do that type of thing."

LOL. No - we'd NEVER do that. We'd orchestrate imaginary WMD, start a war, invade a country and liberate them - so much so that said country kill thousands of our own troops. But we'd NEVER assassinate anyone.

Yours in Chr-st!

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Lest We Forget

Frank Rich had a great Op-Ed piece in the NYT today, mostly regarding Cindy Sheehan, though it mentioned the name 'Karl Rove'. Between Ms. Sheehan, John Bolton and John Roberts - the Bush administration has effectively squashed any Karl Rove/Valerie Plame discussions. So much for the 'liberal media'. Though Rich never utters the words 'liberal media', he clearly refers to it in the contrast.

Cindy Sheehan's bashers, you'll notice, almost never tell her son's story. They are afraid to go there because this young man's life and death encapsulate not just the noble intentions of those who went to fight this war but also the hubris, incompetence and recklessness of those who gave the marching orders.

I felt bad when I came across Rove's name - mainly because *I* had forgotten the entire CIA outing incident. Bogged down in other crappy news and the lack of any public follow-up on Karl's dirty deeds, there is no way Middle America will remember ANYTHING either. The man has already walked. In-fucking-credible.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Ramblings of a Downtrodden Man

I'm just venting here and not really looking for comments. Who knows - I might eventually just delete the posting altogther ("I might just delete the posting").

I am in a funk. I cannot get myself out of it...not that I'm trying. Not that I really know how to either. Stuck in neutral.

Mostly it's my job. No shock to most working stiffs. It is not that the challenges aren't there, it is that I can't seem to overcome them. I'm not letting myself off the hook - but I clearly stepped into one bee's hive and knew it when I accepted. Oddly enough, the politics of that I can handle.

What I have trouble with is the feeling ineffective. Financially we are not successful and were expected to lose money this year, but I thought I could pull off a zero balance. Not going to happen. The politics involved going into 2nd year is tough - and the confluence of budget season and possible restructuring are going to overlap leaving me in a percarious position for 2006 fiscal year. If all does not flow in a timely manner (i.e. restructure after budgets are submitted) I will be held to that budget which I can never achieve.

Let's add to that I was just unceremoniously let go from my interm job too. It was to be an 18 mo gig (tops), so I shouldn't be upset. Completely political. Completely out of my hands. Completely not about me (or so says the CEO). But who the fuck feels good about being told 'you'll no longer be responsible for this'?

I compund it with being alone for 2wks and turning 42 (which I swear I don't care about since I probably shouldn't have lived past 30!).

..and you know...typing this all out doesn't really help.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Poor Cindy Sheehan. She is the mother of a soldier in Iraq who was killed. Presently she is camped outside Bush's 'ranch' in Crawford, TX. (oh, let's face it....she's probably not closer than a 10 mile perimeter b/c Shrub doesn't let people who disagree w/him anywhere near him.)

National media and moveon.org have taken notice of her. Countless (ok, you *can* probably count them) have appeared in print and television regarding her quest to personally ask Bush why her son died? I'm sure not why HER son died - but why her son had to die, as she disagrees with his decision to go to (and continue) this war. Of course, he hasn't met with her - and sent two plebes to do his work for him. Didn't satisfy her - and good for her. He should answer...or at least send Jenna to the front lines...even for a month.

But Kristinn Taylor (two Ns in her first name - too many study halls in high school), co-leader of the Washington, D.C., chapter of FreeRepublic.com, which holds pro-troop rallies, said Sheehan's actions are misguided and hurt troop morale.

"She has a political agenda that goes way beyond her son's death in combat," Taylor said.

Um......yeah. And the problem with that would be...............?

G-d forbid that we all act like lemmings and never have an opinion about anything. I suppose if no one protested the Vietnam War, we'd still be there. Ms. Taylor has her opinion, which is political and goes way beyond Ms. Sheean's protest. So F her.

And as for Sheean hurting the troop morale: I suppose inadquate supplies, pushing 1900 deaths and a war based on lies makes everything peachy keen with the boys (and girls too).

Monday, August 08, 2005

Monday Moaning

It's been awhile since there has been a good Monday Moaning.....but this ranks right up there.

And, Ok, I think Bill Gates is just slightly more evil than the ruler of the Empire, but even I can't blame him like this person from Lakewood has managed to do.

"It's ridiculous that the zero key is at the end on the standard keyboard. Logically it should come at the beginning. Someone needs to tell Bill Gates to fix this." - Lakewood

Sunday, August 07, 2005

CUTS YOU UP

It's time to find a better kitchen set-up. The knife block has always worked ok at best. Last night - not so much.

It sits (or sat) on an 18" wide piece of counter....right next to the coffee maker. Now, I don't drink coffee, but was setting it up the night before for Denton. Whatever happened next, I don't know.

The block that holds maybe a dozen knives tipped....and each and every knife fell out. Little steak knives to huge huge Rachel Ray like knives (that's for you Mort!). Any of em could have done some major damage and wouldn't you know it only one hit me: the first one. The last few could have literally taken off a toe or two. As it turns out I just got a nice big gash on the heel of my foot.

At first I wasn't even sure I had been cut. It did not hurt that much and it didn't look so bad. But oy - then there was the blood and the amount of it. Soaked paper towels.

After cleaning and dressing the wound, It felt ok. But this a.m.......not so much. I don't think it was bad enough for me to go sit in an E.D. (it's a department, people, not a room!) for 6 hours. I'm sure it's just sore and no tendon/muscle damage. Ok, at least I hope.

Of course the absolute worst thing about the encounter was that Denton was dishing up ice cream at the time. And it was melting fast and furious as I had to wash the wound while he got neosporin and bandages.

MELTED ICE CREAM. Will this hell NEVER end?