Quote for the day

"People say the glass is half full. But they dont say of what."
Scott Adams

Guest Posting

My Brother came to town on the way home for Christmas. After checking thoroughly to make sure it really was my brother, and not some practical-joking Diety, I took him home from the airport, and we chatted for a while before he drove off in my truck for the holidays. Among the things we talked about was whether or not he'd do a guest post for this blog. He said, Yes.

So here it is.

Dave


I'm sure you will anyway, but check for technical errors only. No editing of content. Got it, mister?

(Got it)

Greetings to all, hoping that this finds everyone enjoying a wonderful holiday season, whatever particular holiday that may be for you. This is Dave's brother, contributing a guest posting upon his request. I've never done anything even remotely like this before, so bear with me as I ramble on for what will seem like an eternity, while saying what will amount to next to nothing. Writing has never really been my strong suit, which is probably why I'm a bean counter now. I'm going to dig deep, deep into my arts & sciences past when I used to write alot (poli sci major - fat lotta good that one did me) to come up with whatever it is that I do come up with, but what the hell, it should be fun.
Well, for me anyway.
As far as an introduction goes, I'll be brief. In fact, since he's done a fair, but not completely accurate, job of describing me, there's really only a couple of clarifications that I want to note. The first is that I have never voted for Dubya.
Never.
I want to stress that.
Alot.
Even when that meant voting for that simp Kerry. God, what a dead fish. I felt like it was the 80's and I was faced with Michael Dukakis again. Ew.
I think Dave still sees me in the light of my college days, though, when I actually was the stereotypical right-wing frat boy. But I've mellowed since then. Basically, I'm a pretty centrist guy with a healthy distaste for extremism from either side. If I had one political wish for the year, it would be for complete Congressional re-districting, done by a wholly independent, bipartisan committee of some sort (former judges and lawmakers who are completely removed from the system - and that by their own choice - usually do a nice job in situations like that). The people should pick the politicians, not the other way around. Not sure who said that, but I agree whole-heartedly. I believe that that would be the first domino to fall in the chain leading to the return of civil discourse in politics.
I know, I know.
That's probably about as likely to happen as Ann Coulter having Al Franken's love child, but a man can dream, can't he?

The second clarification? I loathe and detest everything about Family Circus, including little Billy's trails.

Now that I've got those things cleared up, from here, I think that I'll just do some random, stream-of-thought-type stuff.

- I would suggest to everyone that they include in their day a visit to the comics page of whatever site you enjoy. I use the Houston Chronicle. Never read the actual paper (I'll bet the editorial section is pretty scary - it is DeLay country, after all), but they have a top-notch comics page. Huge selection, and the best part is you can build your own page. You get only the ones you choose, and they're from that day. The only drawback is that they don't carry the Sunday comics on most of the selections. The Washington Post has a pretty broad selection as well. Any way you go, adding that bit of laughter to your day is a nice treat.

- Is it just me, or is the 24 hours of A Christmas Story one of the greatest television programming moves ever? First off, the movie itself is arguably the best Christmas movie out there. And the fact that it's on for an entire day? Genius. Catch a scene here, go do something else, watch another scene later, whatever. My four favorite scenes, in no particular order: 1) The "f dash dash dash" scene. Specifically, the part where Ralphie's mom calls Schwartz's mom to rat him out. The screaming on the other end of the line is hysterical; 2) Ralphie modeling the bunny suit from Aunt Clara; 3) The flagpole scene. Enough said; 4) and finally, Ralphie beating the hell out of Scott Farcus. Not the actual beating up, but two tiny pieces of the scene: the hushed and awe-filled, "Did you hear what he said?" from the crowd, and Schwartz trying to warn Ralphie that his mom was coming, and then trying to play it cool when she got there. Loved it.

- How about Judge John Jones, huh? I think that "breathtaking inanity" is going to be one of my favorite phrases of the decade. Unfortunately, from reading the fallout and reaction from his decision, there's going to be plenty of opportunity to use it. I read where one of the former Dover school board members said that the Constitution does not call for the separation of church and state. Wow. Luckily for him, he's wrong, and the same amendment that makes him wrong also provides for his right to make such asinine statements.

- One month, two weeks, five days before pitchers and catchers report.

- I was sitting in my seat on my flight to Big-D during boarding, and a lady comes down the aisle looking for her seat. She finds another person sitting in her seat, and says, "I think you're in my seat. I'm in 18C. What is your seat?" The person in 18C says, "I'm not sure. Let me check." Now, how do you get on a plane and not know where your seat is? I could see, "Oops. I'm supposed to be in 17C", or "Oh, I thought this was 18D", but "I'm not sure"? Hello, there are other people in the world, and they don't need to put up with your dumb ass. And this person wasn't kidding, either. They had to dig for the ticket stub to find out where they were supposed to be sitting. Amazing.

- Saw a flyer posted to a street light in my neighborhood the other day. It said, "Lost Dog, Miniature Terrier, Lucky". Irony is a cruel bitch.

Well, I think that's all from me for now. It's been fun, but I'm reminded why I don't do this on a consistent basis. I can't seem to just sit down and write off the cuff. It's got to be in final form, for lack of a better term. I suppose that trying to do this more often would be good practice for getting over that, but I guess that's up to Dave.
And even if he said I did fine, could I trust him?
I just found out, for instance, what he really thought about the chili I made for lunch one day during last year's trip home. At the time he said he liked it. In fact, when I pulled out the chili mix package just two days ago to show him that I'd brought some with me (can't get it in this part of the country), he was all excited. But when I got home to Mom's and showed her, she filled me in on how things really were. Sure, he can call me a fascist neo-nazi to my face, but all of a sudden he's too worried about my feelings to tell me what he really thinks about my chili. Oh well, it's not like I can think of a screen name, anyway.

Steve (the Brother)

As a final note, I'd like to add that Mom is wrong. I did like the Chili (Cincinnati-style, over spaghetti. mmmm).

quickie

Busy, busy, busy. But since this is a quickie, I'll let Gisher tag me just this once:

1. I can... slice a pizza into 9 even slices.
2. I love... to print in a darkroom for hours and hours.
3. I have... no football paraphenalia in my house, whatsoever.
4. The Big Sleep ...is my favorite movie (today).
5. I started... writing on computers in 1988, but I still like a good typewriter.

That's all, folks! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone, even the Boys at Homeland Security!

Oh, and a tag to, um...Library Bitch!

Carnival of the Liberals #2

The winners at this week's Carnival of the Liberals are up, and obviously they were having trouble with their mail server because Daveawayfromhome has won a spot in the Carnival, which can only be explained by a lack of entries.

So, quick! Go read everything in the Carnival before they come to their senses!

quote for the day

"There are times when the best light comes from a burning bridge"

Brian Burns

Blogtrolling, so you dont have to

Okay, here's this month's selection of potentially worthy blogs that I've come across during my nomadic wanderings

about the blogosphere:

a very angry woman just started at Anon
*Amuse-bouche: singaporean girl
Automatic Writing: conservative amateur journalist (new one here)
*Trials and Tribulations - Deployment Time: military wife
*Marced for Trouble: about the train commute to Washington DC
*Hollywhatever: actress' blog; funny, profane
*HP Sauce: her comments link says this - "n People Think yogi was not smarter than the average bear and was nothing but a picnic basket thieving little shit"
Get-Well Wishes for Chris Newman: a blog get-well card, kind of cool (update: done, but still lovely)
*Word Salads: nice analogy - earthquakes/social change
Fish or Cut Bait: art!
Define Normal by the Red Pants of Justice
Spastic: amusing
Kevin Mills Photography
*Where Dreams Have All Gone: brand new marriage/blog
*Semper Gumby: from a blogging class, is there a sell-by date?
I like Mad Mustard, I might have to sidebar him
*My Life: college girl
Solo Mojo: ex-stockbroker now journalism student
Tomas Muse, stories n' links
*the Skeptical Observer: sidebar? (now empty, called "Kakmazoo")
My Crazy Naked Girlfriend: is this porn, or real?
*Hope - for Kids that dont fit IN!: educational crusade by a long-distance walker
ephlis01: quotes, poetry, what all
*the Natural Tailor of Natural Joy: whoa. great/disturbing "comic" art
*Misinformed Machine: more cartoons
the Reform Club: decent conservative blog
*Swapatorium: an antique / junk shoppers collection - cool stuff
*Marina Piatkowski: diary of a polish immigrant - real?
*Roots and Wings: college girl from livejournal
*This is the way I serve my sentence: articles + photos
The Working Families Party Man: leftie blog (new site here)
*This Sistah Says: girl in rehab - excellent!
*iamtheshadow: humor
Walking English: poems
*Sloppydawg: politics - "o'reilly/falafel" thing mentioned
Twitz: a strip a day: comix
*the Forgotten Tree: Cries for Help: liberal?
Kiss and Blog: man and woman on dating and sex and so on
thedalyblog: cool sketches - daily!
Paul W Ruiz : Paintings and Drawings life drawings/paintings
Flan: not quite jelly, not quite cake: funny, young punk
*Illusions: optical illusions
*Red Shift: arts reviews
Freedom Now: political - unsure of orientation Conservative
Back of the Napkin:
*The Moon Split: an american girl converted to islam
A Softer World": more comix... well, sort of
Uncyclopedia: not Wikipedia
*ocbkitchen
*War on Christmas: Reporting on the Great Battle for Christmas
everybody cares, everybody understands, a music site

(update 1/22/06 - * indicates a site either dead or more than three months since functioning)

As always, I dont guarantee any of these. For the most part I looked at them once, then noted them briefly and moved on. Now I'm putting them in link form to easier hit them whenever I get a chance or an urge. Eventually, if I like them, they may end up in my Blogroll, or even on the sidebar where my Daily Reads go.

And what have I learned about the "next" button:
If you his a porn site, jump out as soon as possible, or they'll just keep coming.
There are way too many self-involved folks making dark "artsy" blogs with everything stuffed into a small square.
The ones who use different colors and different font sizes for each post are rarely worth the time reading them.
Blogging really is a world-wide thing.
And what is it with the anime imagery? Seriously.

A New Contract with America

I love Rude Pundit. He's one of my "daily reads" for a reason. Here's his suggestion for a new "contract" between the Government and the People:

---

"I (the undersigned) believe President George W. Bush when he says that the United States of America is fighting a 'new kind of enemy' that requires 'new thinking' about how to wage war. Therefore, as a loyal citizen of President Bush’s United States, my signature below indicates my agreement to the following:

"1. I believe wholeheartedly in the Patriot Act as initially passed by Congress in 2001, as well as the provisions of the Domestic Security Enhancement Act. Therefore, I grant the FBI access to:

"a. my library records, so it may determine if I am reading material that might
designate me an enemy of the nation;

"b. my financial records, including
credit reports, so it may determine if I am contributing monetarily to any
governmentally proscribed activities or organizations;

"c. my medical
records, so it may determine if my prescriptions, injuries, or other conditions
are indicative of terrorist activity on my part;

"d. any and all other
personal records including, but not limited to, my store purchases, my school
records, my web browsing history, and anything else determined as a 'tangible
thing' necessary to engage in a secret investigation of me.

"I agree
that I do not need to be notified if my records have come under scrutiny by the
FBI, and, furthermore, I agree that no warrant is needed for the FBI to engage
in this examination of my personal records. Additionally, I agree that the FBI
should be allowed to monitor any groups it believes may be linked to what it
determines to be terrorist activity.

"2. I believe that the President of the United States has the power to mitigate any and all laws passed by the Congress and that he has such power granted to him by his status as Commander-in-Chief in the Constitution as well as the 2001 Authorization of Military Force, passed by the Congress, which states that the President can use 'all necessary and appropriate force' in prosecution of the war. Therefore, I grant the United States government the following powers:

"a. that the National Security Agency, under the direction of the President, may
tap my phone lines and intercept my e-mail without warrant or FISA oversight;

"b. that the President may hold me or other detainees without access to
the legal system for a period of time determined by the President or his agents;

"c. that the President may authorize physical force against me or other
individual detainees in order to gain intelligence and that he may define
whether such physical force may be called 'torture':

"d. that the
President may set aside any and all laws he sees as hindering the gathering of
intelligence and prevention of terrorist acts for a period as time determined by
the President, including, but not limited to, rights to political protest.

"I agree that the Judicial and Legislative branch should be allowed no
oversight of these activities, and that such oversight merely emboldens the
terrorists. I also agree that virtually all of these activities may be conducted
in complete secrecy and that revelation of these activities amount to treasonous
behavior on the part of those who reveal these activities to the press and the
citizenry.

"3. Finally, this document is my statement that I believe the President of the United States and the entire executive branch, as well as all departments and agencies involved, as well as all of its personnel, will treat these powers I have granted them with utmost respect. I believe that these powers will not be abused, nor will any of the information I have given them permission to examine be misinterpreted. However, should such abuse or misinterpretation occur, I agree that such actions are mere errors and no one should be subject to investigation, arrest, or employment action as a result.

"My consent freely given,
"(Your signature)"

---

Hmm. Ready to sign? Looks different all laid out in print, doesnt it? Print this out, and hand it to anyone who still doesnt understand that BushCo is one of the Greatest Criminal Organizations of the last 50 years. If they are actually stupid enough to sign it, send it to the White House. They wont thank you for it, but you can be damn sure they'll use it if it suits their purposes.
Not that they "need" your permission.

this time I'm quoting me

There's a bit of lively commentary going on today over at Polanco Consulting, and I just wanted to post something here that I said over there, because I think it's important:

The easiest way to piss off everybody is to make assumptions about what someone is thinking based on what they are saying. Both Left and Right are grossly guilty of this, and I think it is a major contributor to the political rancor we now "enjoy".
Oddly, though, few people, even as they assume what the other side is thinking, seem to pay attention to what their own side (or even the opposition) is actually doing, despite their words. There is a huge disconnect these days between words and actions, everywhere in America.
Maybe that's what we ought to be concentrating on.

Listen to what they say, comment on what they say. If what they say refers to someone else's words from the past, comment on what that person has done since. Specualtion is all well and good, but dont assume you "know" someone's motives by following a chain of logic(or illogic) from their words to your own conclusion.
You can guess, you can speculate, you can even ask, "is this what you're thinking?", but unless you're looking for a fight, dont say, "Oh, you just think thisansuch" unless they say it.
On the other hand, dont just take them at their word, 'cause people lie like dogs in a sunny backyard. If their actions dont match their words - call'em on it! If their logic has gaps, ask them to fill in those gaps. Maybe they'll get angry - that's probably a hole that can be exploited (and by exploited I mean attacked; but dont expect to change anyone's mind, that doesnt happen much)

That's all. I am trying to contain the madness shown yesterday.
It's not easy.

I may require a cheeseburger.

It can happen here

Credit to Coturnix for bringing this to my attention:

Sinclair Lewis's 1935 novel It Can't Happen Here envisioned an America in thrall to a homespun facist dictator.

By Joe Keohane December 18, 2005 - The Boston Globe

PICTURE THIS: A folksy, self-consciously plainspoken Southern politician rises to power during a period of profound unrest in America. The nation is facing one of the half-dozen or so of its worst existential crises to date, and the people, once sunny, confident, and striving, are now scared, angry, and disillusioned.

This politician, a "Professional Common Man," executes his rise by relentlessly attacking the liberal media, fancy-talking intellectuals, shiftless progressives, pinkos, promiscuity, and welfare hangers-on, all the while clamoring for a return to traditional values, to love of country, to the pie-scented days of old when things made sense and Americans were indisputably American. He speaks almost entirely in "noble but slippery abstractions" - Liberty, Freedom, Equality - and people love him, even if they can't fully articulate why without resorting to abstractions themselves.

Through a combination of factors-his easy bearing chief among them (along with massive cash donations from Big Business; disorganization in the liberal opposition; a stuffy, aloof opponent; and support from religious fanatics who feel they've been unfairly marginalized)-he wins the presidential election.

Once in, he appoints his friends and political advisers to high-level positions, stocks the Supreme Court with "surprisingly unknown lawyers who called [him] by his first name," declaws Congress, allows Big Business to dictate policy, consolidates the media, and fills newspapers with "syndicated gossip from Hollywood." Carping newspapermen worry that America is moving backward to a time when anti-German politicians renamed sauerkraut "Liberty Cabbage" and "hick legislators...set up shop as scientific experts and made the world laugh itself sick by forbidding the teaching of evolution," but newspaper readers, wary of excessive negativity, pay no mind.

Given the nature of "powerful and secret enemies" of America-who are "planning their last charge" to take away our freedom - an indefinite state of crisis is declared, and that freedom is stowed away for safekeeping. When the threat passes, we can have it back, but in the meantime, citizens are asked to "bear with" the president.

Sure, some say these methods are extreme, but the plain folks are tired of wishy-washy leaders, and feel the president's decisiveness is its own excuse. Besides, as one man says, a fascist dictatorship "couldn't happen here in America...we're a country of freemen!"

Scary. Way too real.

tin-hat time, again

Okay, I'm freaking myself out a bit, again.

Remember the late 70's, early 80's. Most people were more or less resigned to the coming nuclear holocaust, it seemed inevitable that it would happen at some time (Reagan didnt help that feeling).
And let's not forget the talk of Armageddon. I remember seeing a movie, in a real theatre, about the coming apocalypse. The primary sign of the coming of the end, was the emergence of the Anti-Christ, right? 666, the Number of the Beast. If you're like me, even if you think it was all a load of crap, encountering that number still sends a little frisson of horror through you.

Now, we've got a Fundamentalist (emphasis on "mental") President, taking our armies into the Middle East, just a few hundred miles from Apocalypse Central. No doubt, in an ignored corner of your mind, you took comfort in the fact that while Bush's first name, George, contains 6 letters, and his middle name, Walker, contains 6 letters, his last name, Bush, contains only 4 letters.
Whew! Monster, but no Beast.

But wait. Wasnt Jewish society matriarchal? So I wondered, "what's Barbara Bush's maiden name?"

Pierce.

P-i-e-r-c-e.

6 letters...

Good thing I'm not religious, huh?

heh, heh...

heh.