junk and crap, amen

Here is another clear thinking figure of some historic import who reinforces my belief in the theory of Ernest Becker - that god and religion are invented by societies in order to soothe the fear of dying -

"I cannot believe in the immortality of the soul.... No, all this talk of an existence for us, as individuals, beyond the grave is wrong. It is born of our tenacity of life – our desire to go on living … our dread of coming to an end." - Thomas Edison, American inventor (1847-1931)

He could easily have added '...our belief that we are in dominion over the earth'.

Labels: Moment of Reason, religion

One word.

Monsanto.

The company of death. The corporation that manufactures, packages and sells death.

Here's a little rundown of a few of their products:

• saccharine - causes cancer
• Dioxin - birth defects, diabetes, cancer, etc...
• Agent Orange - used in the Vietnam War, dropped on the countryside in order to defoliate the jungle, in the process poisoning women, men, children, the elderly, wildlife, fish, soil, etc....
• Bovine somatotropin - causes infertility, birth defects, cancer and immunological derangements.
• Sterile Seed Technology (aka The Terminator Gene) - a genetically modified seed that cannot reproduce, so farmers can't save seed and must buy from Monsanto new seed every season virtually enslaving them.
• Operated the Oak Ridge National Laboratory - where the US Govt. conducted the Manhattan Project and developed nuclear weapons.
  

A fun little list.

What defies logic, no - what rips logic to shreds, burns it and dumps junk and crap (amen) over the ashes is that this company, which looks to be run by Satan, has virtually been put in charge of the global food supply. Their genetically modified seeds cover the planet, threatening biodiversity, public health and the existence of independent farmers.

The corporation of death with control over the stuff of life.

How could this be? What madmen could possibly have planned and approved this corporate criminality on such a huge scale? Turns out that Edgar Monsanto Queeny (CEO of Monsanto, 1940) has a Republican history, and in 1985 Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle & Company, of which Donald Rumsfeld™™ (© Bush Inc., 2006) used to be CEO.

I'm getting too disgusted to continue. Feel free.

Labels: Mangled Logic, Monsanto, Rumsfeld

The most powerful men in the free (sort of) world (at least publicly) are...George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

None of whom have their full mental ablilities avaliable to them (none can remember what they do, why they did it or when). All are demonstrated liars. All are documented criminals in regards to the US Constitution, the International Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Convention, conflict of interest, corporate misconduct, and if tried in front of an impartial jury would be found guilty and, under US law, executed.

Unbelievable.

Labels: Bush, war criminal

What do you think they have on him? I mean, no one acting of their own free will would continuously say things publicly which make them look like a fool. Literally over and over and over again. It's like being trapped on the funhouse ride in an endless loop.

Either he is unable to remember, from one day to the next, what he's doing or saying which would make him mentally handicapped - or - someone owns him. Someone - some very powerful someone - has either bought him outright or is blackmailing him.

I mean, he was a respectable guy. Not to say he was a good guy, far from it, but when he took this latest stint as Sec. of Def., he had some credibility...he was respected. He was a congressman, an ambassador, a businessman. So he's not an idiot. He knows what he's saying.

So lets have a look:

• While he attended Princeton his roommate was Frank Carlucci, former tool of the CIA in the Congo where he helped assassinate Patrice Lumumba, and former Sec. of Def. under Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and the current Chairman emeritus of the Carlyle Group, whose primary business is selling weapons to the US Gov. and various other tyrants.
• Rumsfeld served in the United States Navy from 1954 to 1957 as a naval aviator and flight instructor, and then in 1964 was elected to Congress in Illinois' 13th district (which looks to be the suburbs of Chicago) and was re-elected three times. While a Member of Congress he served on the Joint Economic Committee, the Committee on Science and Aeronautics, and the Government Operations Committee (PDF), as well as the Subcommittees on Military and Foreign Operations. He then resigned from Congress to work for Richard Nixon as the Director of the United States Office of Economic Opportunity, and later Counselor to the President in December of 1970, Director of the Economic Stabilization Program; and member of Nixon's Cabinet (1971-1972).
• Nixon, in case you didn't know, was a creation of Prescott Bush, a Nazi sympathizer who actually did business with Hitler during WWII, George H. W's dad and little George W's grampa. A search for 'Nixon Bush connection' turns up this - references to The Kennedy assassination. Hmmm.....
• Rumsfeld was Gerald Ford's Chief of Staff in 1974, and then his Sec. of Def. in 1975. As part of the Ford administration, Rumsfeld helped formulate the White House response to the death of CIA scientist Frank Olson, a sordid tale of biological weapons experimentation and human rights abuses. This also where Dick Cheney rears his ugly head.
• From Wikipedia: From 1977 to 1985 Rumsfeld served as Chief Executive Officer, President, and then Chairman of G.D. Searle & Company, a worldwide pharmaceutical company based in Skokie, Illinois, whose products included, among others, the oral contraceptive pill Enovid. During his tenure at Searle, Rumsfeld led the company's financial turnaround that in turn earned him awards as the Outstanding Chief Executive Officer in the Pharmaceutical Industry from the Wall Street Transcript (1980) and Financial World (1981). Rumsfeld is believed to have earned around $12 million from Searle's sale to Monsanto. It was under Rumsfeld that Searle got the Food and Drug Administration's approval for the controversialartificial sweetener, aspartame, which it marketed as NutraSweet. Some believe that aspartame's approval was influenced by conflict of interest and that persons involved in the aspartame approval process were rewarded with high-paying jobs or consulting positions.
• He spends the next 15 years he holds various government posts, serving under Reagan, Bush I and Clinton, until being appointed Sec. of Def. again by Bush 1 1/2.
• Upon researching this, the name that pops up repeatedly in association with Rumsfeld is Bush. First Prescott, then George I, and now George 1 1/2.
• He was intrinsic to the creation of Saddam Hussein and the nightmare the Middle East has become. He is a college chum of Carlucci, an arms dealer who is also a good chum of George I and II. He's a member of the Project for A New American Century, was a chairman of the RAND Corporation, sold Nuclear Reactors to North Korea, and got wealthy off the suffering and exploitation of others. He helped orchestrate the militarization of the US economy, their aggresive, illegal foriegn policy, and probably the clandestine surveilance being carried out on the US population in direct violation of their constitution (with the most likely purpose being to gather information in order to blackmail people).

Donald Rumsfeld is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bush Inc., and will do and say anything they tell him to.

Labels: Bush, war criminal

In reference to my previous post, I'd like to propose a solution.

Allow the Government to become drug dealers.

Really.

Set up a facility wherein crack is made available to anyone who wants it. The only stipulation being that it must be consumed on the premises, with none being allowed to leave with any. Maybe every half hour or hour, the attendants would distribute another dosage and observe it being smoked. Make it so cheap that addicts would have no reason to buy from a dealer on the street, and no reason to resort to crime or prostitution to raise funds.

Could this be any worse than the situation now? No. The war on drugs has been a monumental failure (unless you own a prison, are corrupt, own a chemical company, have a racist agenda or run a financial institution).

Now the situation is in the control of organized crime, who aren't exactly known for their concern over their customers' health and safety.

Take the control from the criminals and give it to the people.

I live in a drug abusing neighbourhood. There are crackheads walking the street in front of my house all day and night. There are prostitutes who stand on the sidewalk at the end of my walkway, and I've caught them with their clients in my backyard. I've seen a woman, in broad daylight, pull down her pants, bend over and let fly her urine from about 15 feet away, not caring in the least if anyone sees her, and then, still in sight, get picked up by a john. People regularly urinate or defecate (defecation not as much, to be fair) around the property I rent with three other musicians, and our neighbor's property. Hell, the house right next door was a full blown crackhouse for six months of last year. I've seen women and women, women and men, and the elderly violently fighting with each other over crack. I've seen the progression of a normal person into a full on crack addict. I've seen police brutality. I know people who've been shot at.

I've seen kids, younger and younger, selling crack to other kids.

I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I live in a country with one of the best social safety nets of any in the world.

I live right next door to a country with one of the worst social safety nets in the world, and they are exporting their shit here, to my neighborhood, like a skin rotting disease.

Let me explain that statement. There is this one drug dealer who's been around for a few years, regularly pacing up and down the street, making himself easy to find for his enslaved customers. Lets call him Dick. Dick is only around in the summer. He makes his first appearance around May, engages in his murderous business until September or October, and then disappears until next year, nowhere to be seen all winter.

This year, one of my roommates decided to try and find out what was going on with Dick, and so approached him in a casual, non-threatening sort of way and asked him where he was from. He replied that he was from the US. Nothing specific, just from the US. What he does is sell crack down south in the winter, probably somewhere warm, and in the summer he comes here to practice his aberration of entrepreneurship.

It seems as though it's worth it for him to risk crossing the border twice every year to come to my beautiful city and kill people. Apparently Dick's Canadian operations are more profitable than his US activities, or why would he bother? Because of people like him (drug dealers I mean, not Americans), good people move away and abandon their neighborhoods to this scourge. Is the fate of Toronto to be that of Detroit?

Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Little Italy, Little Portugal, Little India, Korea Town, China Town, Little Ethiopia, etc.....all cultures of the world are represented by large communities. And it works. People live, for the most part, in peace. Toronto is one of the safest cities in the world. You'll see little old ladies alone on the subway at 1:30 in the morning, and women on the streets at night, walking without fear (but maybe with a little caution).

I'm not trying to imply that the US is responsible for the crack problem in Toronto, but Dick and his ilk (he couldn't possibly be the only one) are speeding this city's disintegration. Crack use is spreading daily, as is the crime and violence that is intrinsic to it, and the last thing we need is Americans setting up franchise operations here.

Dick, get the fuck out of my city. And don't come back.

Just surfing around and I came across this (no pun intended...really) from back in '03.

Yeah....I think my son's sons will be safe.

...gotta go.

I seem to have invented the word 'politiclone' in a previous post. I just did a search for it online and the only reference is to this blog (and once on an Italian forum, but that's a different language so I'm not counting it).

I rock!

I hereby coin the term:

politiclone (puh-LIT-i-klohn), adjective
def: a political pundit or commentator who is unable to think for her/himself.

...and order it's usage forthwith.

I know it's not quite on par with 'suiciders' or 'misunderestimate' or 'embetterment', but then, I didn't go to Yale.

"All religions bear traces of the fact that they arose during the intellectual immaturity of the human race -– before it had learned the obligations to speak the truth. Not one of them makes it the duty of its God to be truthful and understandable in his communications." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Religion is the obfuscation of truth, the discouraging of understanding, the demonizing of free thought and the propaganda of ideology.

Labels: Moment of Reason, religion

A word or two on abortion, rape, religion and the morning after pill. This one's a doozy.

The situation, in a nutshell, is this; Some men exist who are sub-human. Because they exist and because they act, and because their actions prove them to be of a different genus, there exists rape. A brutal form of torture. Sub-man rapes woman. Woman fears becoming pregnant, and as a man I can't realistically conceive of what kind of nightmare that would be. Luckily for her, society has deemed her to be of equal status to men and to be the master of her own body and a drug exists which would prevent her from becoming pregnant. A drug which levels close to horizontal the balance of power between men and women and would eliminate the need for a likely abortion in the near future - eliminating the possibility that weeks later, she would endure another violent physical assault undertaken voluntarily as a consequence of the first. Possibly even more humiliating, and the antithesis to any sort of healing.

So, upon hearing of this drug, the woman decides to use it. But when she asks her doctor for a prescription, he refuses on the grounds of ignorance and religious belief. He refuses, because his religion tells him that he would be murdering an unborn baby. That he would be murdering a potential life, one conceived in a frenzy of rage and torture and humiliation and terror. One whose mother did not want. His religion forces him to curse this woman, who has come to him in desperation as her only hope. He denies her her right of equality. He humiliates her, and really rapes her a second time. Not physically, although one could count a future abortion as that, but mentally. He tells her that god, acting through him and the rapist, are her masters. What she believes and what society has deemed to be so don't matter.

Should one conclude that god is pro-rape? Or anti-woman? Should we surmise that doctors are the chosen deliverers of god's will unto humanity and we are obliged to obey? Perhaps women are simply too feeble, unable to fend for themselves, and require male domination in the name of a masculine god?

Or should we conclude that the refusing doctor is a criminal, or at the very least a sociopath, not too far removed from the rapist himself, and should be treated as such? And also, should we not conclude that the idea of god is ridiculous, invented to soothe our fears of death, and leads humanity down a path of self-hatred and destruction?

You can think about it for a while.

The morning after pill is available in Canada without a prescription (because there is no need for one) to any woman who asks for it.

Thank Zeus. Wait...make that Venus.

Labels: abortion, birth control, Mangled Logic, rape, religion

Talk of reinstating the draft in the US is making the rounds again.

While I wouldn't wish military service on anyone, at least in todays world (except maybe Howdy Doody and Dracula), I have to wonder. In the volunteer system the US uses now, the majority of recruits come from lower income households, with many using the military to try and escape their likely economic fate. If there were a draft, and if, if it were done transparently, then recruits would represent all portions of society in equal amounts according to demographics. I contend that, if the politicians and corporate executives stood as much of a chance of having their son or daughter killed in a war, there would be far less of them, even with the militarization of the economy. Actually, potentially this could start a reversal of that.

There is also the question of what the armed forces could ethically ask a soldier to do if he/she were serving involuntarily. For example; in an army of volunteers it would be easier, I think, to dismiss soldiers' concerns and to justify unethical orders - " Hey, you volunteered remember? Shut the hell up." Whereas under conscription, the onus is on the military to justify itself to it's members, which is potentially everyone in that society (after a few generations).

But I think there is a third option. Why not a draft in which draftees have a choice of service? Germany, for instance, requires two years service to their country from their youth. But they have an option of choosing two years of community service in varying capacities instead of military service. I learned of this through my Parents, who regularly volunteer at a home for the mentally disabled. The organization is called L'arche, and exists across Canada and Internationally. A large portion of the full-time staff (people who spend most of their days helping the mentally disabled live a fulfilling life) are Germans who chose community service over military.

Maybe not a bad idea.

The Royal Bank of Canada reported profits of 1.18 Billion in the third quarter of 2006.

...and money's upward mobility continues. In Canada, the gap between the rich and the poor is wider than any point in history (PDF). Croatia, Pakistan and Rwanda (just to name a few) have more equitable distribution of wealth than we do.

As usual, Noam Chomsky puts things into an historical perspective.

He contends that Hezbollah was attacked because of the support they provide to the Palestinians. He also reminds us what the conflicts in the middle east are really all about, and debunks the "we (Israel) attacked them because they kidnapped two of our soldiers, so it was justified" obfuscation swallowed by the media (but unraveling every moment).

Here is another of his articles, from 1996, on virtually the exact same thing.

And another from 1993.

-not to say he's redundant, but that Israel is.

Labels: conspiracy, terrorism

Indeed? Then god is insane.

This demented quotation comes from one of the looniest (and dirtiest) political figures I've seen in a long time - Katherine Harris of Florida. She utters the statement above in an interview with The Florida Baptist Witness.

Here are some excerpts:

Why are you the best qualified candidate?
".....And I think that I have a history that proves I'm not going to do what'’s popular. I am going to do what'’s right.
-apparently what the population feels is good, isn't. Luckily she's there to set them straight.

Some day all of us have to give an account before God for what we have done. Are you certain in your own heart that when you come thathat point of accounting that you'll spend eternity before God in heaven?
"No question."

One day when you stand before God, and if He says to you "Why should I let you into my Heaven?" What would you say in response?
"That'’s an interesting question. Because I loved Your Son and because I know He died for my sins. I know He was resurrected at Your right hand and I served Him. You know we'’re covered with, our sins are covered with His blood and so we are blameless before Him. We are as white as snow."
-notice there's only one reference to love, and nothing else like forgiveness, charity, peace, or all those other groovy things Jesus talked about. Also, inherently racist.

What role do you think people of faith should play in politics and government?
".....and over time, that lie we have been told, the separation of church and state, people have internalized,.....God is the one who chooses our rulers."
-Ha ha ha ha ha ha. What can you do but laugh? Hey Kathy, READ THIS. If people who place religious priorities over all others are elected to office then religion defacto becomes the state. Since elected officials set policy (theoretically at least) government becomes a tool for religion. It's not complicated.

Do you support civil rights protections on the basis of sexual preference?
"Civil rights have to do with individual rights and I don'’t think they apply to the gay issues."
-a disingenuous question and an inane answer.

What public policy limits on abortion have you supported or will you support in order to decrease the number of abortions in our nation?
"First and foremost, one of the most important things we can do is encourage abstinence in the schools......Clearly I would only, from a public policy standpoint, I would limit abortion to rape and life of the mother and incest, but for my personal standpoint, I would not have an abortion for any of those cases."
-Hello? Birth control? And her personal standpoint, as she makes clear in her earlier statements, are what drives her political agenda.

Why should Florida Baptist care about this primary election?
"If you are not electing Christians, tried and true, under public scrutiny and pressure, if you'’re not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin."
-Thats right, scare people into voting for you.

What a freak! I've never been to Florida, but they sure do seem to produce the wackiest politicians.

-Note: orginally this read as her being from Texas, but I've been corrected. Although Texas has their fair share of embarassing public servants as well.

Labels: religion

Today's nugget of wisdom comes to us from Mark Twain:

"Our Bible reveals to us the character of our god with minute and remorseless exactness... It is perhaps the most damnatory biography that exists in print anywhere. It makes Nero an angel of light and leading by contrast" -Reflections On Religion, 1906

To appreciate the force of this statement, here's what Nero was like.

...and more Samuel Clemens - "The War Prayer" - not published until after his death.

Labels: Moment of Reason, religion

Pluto, that crazy little planet known for how little we know about it, isn't.

It's been demoted to a dwarf-planet since the International Astronomical Union adopted new criteria for planet classification, after intense pressure by the Incredulous Lobby of Vague People for Uranus, or ILOVEPU for short.

The feud between the two celestial orbs came to a head when Pluto reportedly proposed that he would tremendously enjoy having a nice sniff around Uranus' airspace. Uranus, understandably, accused Pluto of untoward behavior, to which Pluto replied that to be curious of Uranus' airspace was only in his nature and was certainly not meant personally.

Pluto has officially registered a complaint with the Intergalactic Little Planets Association and is considering a lawsuit on charges of discrimination and infantile humour.

My apologies to Walt Disney.

Are there computer programs that can be used to secretly fix elections?

Yes.

How do you know that to be the case?

Because in October of 2000, I wrote a prototype for Congressman Tom Feeney [R-FL] I wrote a program that did just that.

There you go.

This video, of a computer programmer testifying in front of a Congressional Hearing in 2004, that in October of 2000, a US Congressman (Tom Feeney, who wasn't a member of congress at the time, but -get this- the speaker of the House in Florida, a lobbyist for the voting machine company, and a corporate lawyer!) asked him to, and then proceeded to write code that could be (and in his opinion, was) hidden inside voting machines that would allow the votes to be undetectably switched 51-49 for anyone, anytime, and anywhere if the machines are networked together, is undeniable.

US Congressional elections are in November. Less than three months away. Why is no one talking about this? This needs to be set on a loop on every television channel for the next week, and the transcript should be published on the front page of every newspaper.

Even if you're a gun-toting, bible-thumping, Arab-hating, scared shitless and obediently brainwashed Bush supporter, this has got to register on some level. Surely the sheer force of the corruption must produce an irritating itch in your cranium? A dull pressure on your skull?

Christopher Brauchli, writing for counterpunch.org, has todays ode to insanity. Beyond the ridiculousness of the situation, there is the tragedy of it. And there should be outrage as well.

Props to my home and native land for stepping up, or at least trying to. Canada does do some things right. Hey Albania, let them c'mon over.

Labels: Afghanistan, Bush, Mangled Logic, torture, Uighurs, War of Terror

This article is damn funny. I love the title-"Inside the Alleged Mind of Bill O'Reilly". To be fair, he moves around and makes noises, so he must have a mind.

His interview with Marilyn Manson is pretty entertaining too. At times he looks really stunned. You almost expect him to make the sign of the cross with his fingers and start murmuring the lords prayer.

Labels: media

Greenpeace is accusing the Canadian Government of inaccuracy and incompetence in it's 'scientific' justification of the annual Harp Seal Hunt.

Specifically:

Failure to accurately reflect the actual number of seals killed in the hunt rendering the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) quota figures scientifically indefensible. The Total Allowable Catch (TAC) or quota for harp seals in 2003 - 2005 is 975,000 but this figure does not take into account seals that are “struck and lost”: illegally hunted, killed and discarded due to pelt damage and those killed for their organs and therefore not included in the pelt count.

Population projections are based on assumptions that environmental and biological factors remain unchanged over the short and long term, a premise that is highly questionable in light of the escalating impact of climate change on the oceans and ice conditions.

Quotas are based on a seal census conducted at five year intervals. Because the hunt focuses on seal pups (nearly 95% will be over 14 days old but under one year old) that do not reach breeding age for five years, impacts on the herd can take as many as 10 years to show up and 15 years to establish any meaningful trends. This renders DFO conservation milestones and monitoring virtually meaningless.

Just for some perspective.

Maybe we could just classify the seals as terrorists, with their unprovoked attacks on our sense of pity.

Incompetence, short sightedness, mismanagement, callousness in the face of greed. Where have we seen this regarding marine life before? Hmm............

Oh yeah, here. Did you know that if you live in Newfoundland, even if you live on the shore of the Atlantic, you are not allowed more than 5 cod per day for your own or your family's subsistence. But if you are a large, foriegn owned commercial fishing operation, it's balls out baby!
This is mismanagement and incompetence at it's worst.

By the way, I used to live in Northern Canada. In Yellowknife, NWT to be exact (nowhere near where the seal 'hunt' takes place). The quality of the light in the picture, the deep orange hue, reminds me of the long, gorgeous sunsets that happen in the summer. The sun dips below the horizon only for a couple hours, so you can sit outside and watch it slowly set for hours, wait awhile, then watch it come back up. I highly recommend finding a warm, pink rock just outside of town, and bring a little smoke and a good friend or two...

Labels: arctic, wildlife

Amnesty International has released a report today which accuses Israel of being guilty of war crimes against Lebanon. Specifically for purposefully targeting civilians and infrastructure. A synopsis from the report:

* Massive destruction by Israeli forces of whole civilian neighborhoods and villages;
* Attacks on bridges in areas of no apparent strategic importance;
* Attacks on water pumping stations, water treatment plants and supermarkets despite the prohibition against targeting objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population;
* Statements by Israeli military officials indicating that the destruction of civilian infrastructure was indeed a goal of Israel'’s military campaign designed to press the Lebanese government and the civilian population to turn against Hizbullah.

The last item really caught my attention. It is the exact same tactic used by fanatical extremists in the Middle East over the last few decades. They would commit terrorist attacks against the infidel governments in their own countries, in the hopes that their actions would inspire and mobilize the population against these governments. It kept failing and they kept intensifying their activities. Of course it's doomed to failure. The whole idea rests on the supposition that the population attempting to be mobilized is ignorant and unable to determine their own lives, that they are sheep just waiting for someone to come along and tell them the way they ought to be living.

Also, The United Nations has revealed that Israel has dropped cluster bombs on at least 170 villages and other areas. Cluster bombs are weapons that are dropped from airplanes, explode in the air, and release hundreds of much smaller 'bomblets' which then disperse over a wider area, exploding as they near the ground causing a wide area to be blanketed with shrapnel. Not exactly 'precision'. The fun thing is that these bomblets are small and brightly colored, and since there are always at least a few of them which don't explode before they hit the ground, that means there are lots of bright, colorful little things for curious children to pick up and play with....and then blow their arm off. Or blow their head off. These weapons, when used in a civilian area, WILL KILL INNOCENT CIVILIANS. There is no way around it. Cluster bombs are little pre-fabbed war crimes.

Remember that oil spill in Lebanon caused by an Israeli airstrike a few weeks ago? Well, Greenpeace Lebanon reports that the oil on the seabed is so thick it can be physically picked up by divers.

Also, the UN reports that Lebanon's 15 year long struggle towards economic recovery from civil war has been wiped out. The UN estimates that the Israeli attacks have caused around 15 billion in damage. Approx. 35,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed.

And yet another reasonable, free thinking, former Pres. of the USA:

"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma." - Abraham Lincoln, 16th President and the first from the Republican Party.

Imagine how long he'd last today politically if he publicly stated this. Old Abe would be run right out of the convention, cuz he just ain't got his head screwed on quite right.

I think the positioning of these last two posts puts a bit of perspective on things, no? It's almost like whatsisname is flipping Abe the bird.

Labels: Moment of Reason, religion

Whoa. That's three posts in a row about, ah, whatsisname. No more for a while.
Except for this, which is what comes out of his mouth every time he opens it:

Labels: Bush, war criminal

Here's more on the 'Is Bush an idiot?' question that Joe Scarborough of MSNBC posed to us a few days ago.

Halfway through he interviews some politiclone named Terry Holt, who had this to say in the presidents defense (at 7:37):

...ultimately there's nobody else better at articulating the vision and the inspiration that we need to get back on our feet."

Seriously.

Besides the sentence having no real meaning, he seems to sincerely believe that nobody else can articulate vision and inspiration better than Bush. He's just the best damn orator in the entire country, or at least the entire Republican party. He simply needs to open his mouth and people's lives are instantly crystallized into optimistic focus.

It must be the warm, friendly, patronizing tone he often uses. Or maybe it's the commanding deer-in-the-headlights look he gives people when someone has asked him a question that requires him to think. Maybe it's the eloquent mispronunciation of words, or the mis-quoting or constant repetition that's so inspiring. Maybe it's when he makes up completely new nonsensical words, that assist his efforts at disengenuousness, which people feel cradling them down the road to destiny.

Labels: Bush, Mangled Logic, stupidity, war criminal

I just watched this video of a Bush press conference today and............!%$#@!?*

The press just lets all of this nonsense slide by, except for one feeble little question about what Saddam had to do with 9/11. Oh man do they need to start doing their jobs. In this one clip they could have called him on (in chronological order):

• 00:09 - Zarqawi was never a threat to take power in Iraq, until after the US invaded.
• 00:20 - The main reason, the FIRST reason, stated over and over, was that Saddam was responsible for 9/11.
• 00:25 - Capacity obtained from the USA.
• 00:28 - The suffering in Iraq, before the US invaded, was largely the consequence of US sanctions and blockades. Of course, since the invasion, human suffering has increased almost exponentially. Now they're free alright. Free from peace, free from safety, free from basic necessities, free from dignity, self determination, free from goodwill towards you, Mr. Bush.
• 00:37 - Imagine a world where Saddam Hussein was allowed to decline (as he was), where the people of Iraq were left to fashion their own destiny. Imagine a world where 3,500 hundred of them weren't being slaughtered every month.
• 00:42 - A part of the world that has been brutalized by colonial powers for generations.
• 00:47 - Once again he tries (does he even know what he's saying?) to tie Iraq with 9/11.
• 00:52 - No one is saying everything was just fine before. They're saying that everything is WAY WORSE NOW! What exactly does he think a hornets nest is?
• 01:05 - The US has been fixing elections, training terrorists, fostering extremism, backing dictators, waging wars, and destroying popular democratic movements in the Middle East since a wee bit before 9/11.
• 01:12 - Here is the timid question from the press corpse.
• 01:14 - What did Iraq have to do with what? WHAT? What's the reason for this fucking press conference, exactly?
• 01:20 - How does he sleep at night? Maybe he thinks he's dreaming this whole thing.
• 01:25 to 01:39 - Cliche Bushism. La la la la.
• 01:39 - Conditions he is responsible for. What the hell kind of word is suiciders?
• 01:53 - This is funny. He tries real hard to come up with a way to 'defeat resentment'. He comes up with 'hope'. And the best way for him to "do hope is through a form of government". Uh......Didn't the Soviets have a form of government? The average soviet citizen wasn't exactly chock full of hope.

Suiciders, according to the Urban Dictionary.

I can't believe I just did this.

Labels: Bush, media, war criminal

But he does agree that roast pigs are some good eatin'!

Here's the story. Basically the legal system in the US has found him guilty of violating his oath of office, specifically the part about swearing to uphold the constitution.

This was Bush's response (watch the video).

Man, I wish I could do that: 'I'm sorry Officer Bob, I strongly disagree that this here marijuana cigarette is illegal. Run along now.'

IMPEACH! IMPEACH! IMPEACH! IMPEACH!

Did I mention impeach?

Impeach the little dictator and then throw him in jail, and take his master Dick 'Dracula' Cheney, his court jester Donald 'Don't Worry Be Ignorant' Rumsfeld, the can't-hold-me-responsible-cuz-I-wasn't-elected Richard 'Think Tanks for Tyranny' Perle, and the machiavellian Karl 'Evil Inside' Rove. They could form a prison gang and corner the market on smokes.

Chicken Monkey Shoes? Anyone?

Labels: Bush, war criminal

I thought I'd stick with former US Presidents for a while (the US being currently without one):

"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His father, in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter."
-Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to John Adams, April 17, 1823

Maybe one day, a descendant of Peter Jackson will produce the movie spectacular of the century - 'The Lord Of All Things' - done in three parts. Part one is the old testament, part two is the new, and part three would be the forget-about-the-other-two-testaments testament, written by a 6 year girl in Namibia who suddenly realized she had good common sense and subsequently used it. After it's publication, the people were so impressed that they decided to start taking children seriously.

It'll be the blockbuster of summer, 2150. Watch for it.

Labels: Moment of Reason, religion

Chicken monkeys are extinct now, but when I was young, the alpha male of our group would tell legends of the shod beasts; the powerful head and torso of an ape but the weak, frail legs and feet of a chicken. To support their top heavy bodies, they fashioned ingenious three pronged shoes out of bamboo. These shoes proved to be so useful at tidying up after oneself, they were universally adopted and renamed 'rakes'.

- This was a random question in my profile, and my answer was too long too fit. So what the hell...let's start a blog!

Alright. This is it, the final design of this blog. I'm done screwing around with it.

I reserve the right to renege.

I had to return to Fidel Castro and the documentary I watched last night.

One of the things I believe is that all of our actions and words actively change the world around us, whether we want them to or not. We are the creators of our reality. What we say, do and think is reflected in our daily reality.

With that in mind, watch the video referenced above, the way Castro interacts with his countrymen and the way he is greeted by millions around the world, and compare that with George (Wha?) Bush's reality (which fits nicely with the title of this blog).

There is also this story by Salim Lamrani. Here's a little snippet:

Jose Antonio Llama, a former CANF director, revealed publicly what everyone knew for a long time: the CANF is a terrorist organization. Llama acknowledged that he, along with members of the organization's hierarchy, had set up a paramilitary group to carry out attacks on Cuba and to assassinate its president, Fidel Castro.

The CANF (Cuban-American National Foundation) has been carrying out terrorist activities against Cuba for years from it's headquarters in Miami, all with the blessing of the US Government (and I do mean blessing - halleluja).

Compare this with the saga of The Cuban Five. I'm guessing that they aren't having an anniversary party.

Once again, this illustrates the utter hypocrisy of US foreign Policy.

Today I start a regular series where I provide you, whether you want it or not, with a quote from history on the subject of religion.

"What influence in fact have Christian ecclesiastical establishments had on civil society? In many instances they have been upholding the thrones of political tyranny. In no instance have they been seen as the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty have found in the clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate liberty, does not need the clergy." - James Madison, the 4th President of the USA.

The founding fathers of the USA were very outspoken in their desire to distance religion and government. It was enshrined in their constitution because they believed religion was a tool for repression and ignorance, and was the antithesis to the nation they were trying to build; one based on reason, justice and personal liberty.

Madison's last line "A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate liberty, does not need the clergy" should replace "In god we trust" on American dollar bills.

Maybe an unjust government needs the clergy.

I used up some great quotes in this post.

Labels: Moment of Reason, religion

With Castro being all over the news lately, I thought I'd get some historical perspective. Here's Fidel: The Untold Story. A well done documentary about a truly astounding man. (damn I love google video!)

What struck me the most was the amount of joy and love and genuine friendship surrounding him. Would've loved to have met the guy.

It will be a sad day for humanity when he's gone.

This is a great interview.

Wow, check out his website. It's amazing.

Harvest is my favorite Neil Young album. Got it on vinyl.

Just when you're feeling down, Neil picks you up.

Labels: music

Labels: Mangled Logic

Labels: religion

Labels: police

Labels: racism

Labels: music, stupidity

Snapped this photo on my street recently. It sorta looks like the leprechaun is giving the cop a psychotic "I'm coming to get you" kind of look. Where are all the leprechauns, anyway?

Labels: police

Labels: Bell, corporations, telecommunications

Labels: religion

Labels: racism

Labels: media

Labels: racism

Labels: music

Labels: Iraq

Labels: media

Labels: racism

"The Bush Administration... was closely involved in the planning of Israel’s retaliatory attacks. President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney were convinced, current and former intelligence and diplomatic officials told me, that a successful Israeli Air Force bombing campaign against Hezbollah’s heavily fortified underground-missile and command-and-control complexes in Lebanon could ease Israel’s security concerns and also serve as a prelude to a potential American preemptive attack to destroy Iran’s nuclear installations…. Israel had devised a plan for attacking Hezbollah—and shared it with Bush Administration officials—well before the July 12th kidnappings."

Labels: Bush, war criminal

Labels: Israel, Lebanon, Mangled Logic

Labels: Mangled Logic

Labels: Stephen Harper

Labels: Orwellian

Labels: police