when the world is running down

Time to Blog

2007-10-19T09:22:00.000-04:00

Jeez, I haven't blogged in over a month, I've been busy with work etc., but mostly I have been utterly discouraged with the run-up to the 08 election. Just like every other American election $$$ is king, Hillary has it and now she is lording over the others and acting like she is already the nominee. Very discouraging. On a better note I am going to see The Police in a few weeks, I was a bit too young to catch them the first time around so I am excited about this chance. I have to start blogging more.

Fascism On The Rise

2007-09-18T17:14:00.000-04:00

The boys on the right would be proud of this Republic and the direction we are headed. Free speech seems to be as endangered today as it was in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Cops tasering a kid in Florida because he went on too long in questioning John Kerry, tear gassing anti-war demonstrators in DC, Invading 3rd world countries to force "democracy" on them at gunpoint and then we deny civil liberties at home? Nice example for the rest of the world. I have always feared the rise of the police state after discovering George Orwell in high school, and now seeing the actions of my government and its agents I fear it even more. I mean c'mon the Patriot Act? Renaming 9-11 "Patriots Day." Our civil liberties are in danger from the right and the left in this country. Hillary Clinton kicks the code pink anti-war group out of her speeches, W does not allow protestors within earshot of his appearances. Things are getting bad, and we have to speak out. If we don't, we'll wake up one morning and realize our birthright given to us by the Founders is gone. powerful forces in this country would very much like to limit your right to speak freely, assemble, and bear arms. We must be vigilent.

Has It Been Six Years?

2007-09-11T18:28:00.000-04:00

Every 9-11 anniversary brings the reality of that most horrible of days back full force. Today as we remember those that died at the hands of brutal medieval fanatics, I can't help but realize how ironic it is when a 4-star General Officer tells my Senator that he is "not sure" if the US presence is making us any safer. Of course it isn't. Finishing the war in Afghanistan, spending money on port security, that would make us safer, but we can't afford this due to the bleeding of funds and lives in Iraq. Each anniversary since W invaded Iraq I find myself more pissed than ever at how the neocon cabal took advantage of a gullible US publics anger and fear after 9-11 to start an utterly unnecessary war that has had a terrible cost. As a Democratic victory looms in 08 I can only hope that the current regime hasn't brought us too far over the precipice.

Big Show

2007-09-04T20:44:00.001-04:00

A friend of my wife and I, just scored tickets for us to see Elvis Costello and Dylan in Charlottesville Va, later this month. I am beside myself. I love both of these guys and them playing together is a great billing. I saw Dylan and Willie Nelson a few years back when they were touring minor league ballparks and that was a cool show, but this promises to be great. This is my 5th Dylan show and my 3rd time seeing Elvis. I was a huge Elvis fan in high school, I especially love Armed Forces and Trust, some of his 90's work was a not so hot, but I really like his last record, The Delivery man. I really like Dylans newer records, but as anyone who has seen him live knows his shows can be spotty. My first time seeing him was in 91 and he was wasted and the show was horrid, but the past two shows I have seen he was great, except for the annoying insistance of never playing guitar, just keyboard. Nevertheless I can't wait.

What A Week

2007-08-28T16:59:00.000-04:00

So the week starts off with the incompetent little Attorney Generallissimo quitting the ship, and then we get a GOP Senator from Idaho who is staunchly anti gay marriage, anti gays in the armed services, voted to impeach Clinton, and has run as a "family values" conservative, getting outed for trying to solicit gay sex in an airport mensroom. Excuse me for gloating but teehee. Foley, Vitter, Rev. Haggard, and this guy, can't conservatives keep it in their pants? These clowns who crucified Bill Clinton, well it looks like the chickens have indeed come home to roost. One more nail in the GOP coffin.

Genealogy, And Family History

2007-08-22T20:25:00.000-04:00

I've been researching a few branches of my family tree lately, a task I have done in the past, but which is much simpler now with the many tools available online. I always knew that the English and Scottish branches of my family came to America in the early 17th century, but I had never really dug into their lives before that. Interesting stuff to find out why your ancestors decided to seek a better life. Mine were small farmers and landholders who saw an opportunity for a better life and some upward mobility in the colonies, not so different from the later immigrants to Ellis Island or todays immigrants from Latin America. The promise of a better future for oneself and ones family is a powerful motivator. That is the main reason why I can't support those who wish to close the borders. I know amnesty to people who have broken the law isn't right, but can you blame people for doing what millions of our forebearers have done as well? I'm all for new immigrants doing what past immigrants have done, learn English, obey the law, pay taxes, and be good citizens, but I also think it should be easier for folks to become citizens. Immigration is a tough issue, it always has been, but for this country to remain a beacon to poor immigrants, we have to welcome those who sincerely desire citizenship.

Obligatory Dog Pics

2007-08-22T20:21:00.000-04:00

I love dogs.

The Architect's Legacy

2007-08-13T17:47:00.000-04:00

The Machiavelli of Mayberry, Reichs Chancellor Karl Rove resigned today. Ironically I received the September issue of The Atlantic Monthly last week and the cover article was "Lessons of a failed presidency, Why Karl Rove couldn't deliver." Talk about timing, it was a well written piece by the journalist Joshua Green. Rove's brand of electioneering was simple, brutal, and effective. His lust for power and subsequent hubris with members of Congress and even others in the White House made him a hated figure even among House GOP leaders. Will Rove leaving affect anything at this lame duck stage of W's presidency? I doubt it, but it sure feels good to see the co*****ker leaving in a bit of a disgrace. In some ways we as Democrats should be grateful for a guy like Rove, he may have set back the conservative movement by decades, his brand of neoconservatism is now firmly in the minority in the GOP. Rove will go down as a political genius who used his power to allow the most unqualified person of the past century to become President. Rove who saw the election of 2000 and 2004 as turning points in US electoral history didn't realize that although they stole an election in 00 and smeared and scared one in 04, they were anomalies, Bush campaigned as a moderate and governed like anything but, he was on his way to one term wonderland, when 9-11 hit, and we all know the rest of the story. So goodbye Mr. Rove, I'm sure the subpoenas are coming, your years of power are now over, and with the election of 08 hopefully the country will continue our natural progression towards he center-left.

Breeders Gone Wild!

2007-08-06T20:51:00.000-04:00

This is the Duggar family. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar just welcomed their 17th child into the world. They are Fundy Christians who are in a sect called Quiverfull, which eschews contraception or family planning and believes you must procreate as much as possible, its God's will. The Duggar's are , surprise, homeschoolers, and Jim Bob has run for statewide office in Arkansas as a GOP family man. I have nothing against these folks personally, but man thats weird. Michelle Duggar is 40 years old and has been pregnant for over 11 years of her life! Am I the only one who finds this creepy?

Dr. Strangelove Type Moments

2007-08-06T18:13:00.000-04:00

So in the last week a Democratic frontrunner, Obama, says that he would possibly invade Pakistan, and use nuclear weapons. A GOP bottomfeeder, Tom Tancredo says he would nuke Mecca and Medina, the Holy Cities of Islam. WTF? Have we lost our minds? I think these two need to sit in a room and watch Kubrick's masterpiece and realize how much they are sounding like our pal Gen. Ripper here. One would expect asinine statements like this from a moron like Tancredo, but what the hell is Obama thinking? Trolling for those reactionary, "turn the Middle East into a glass factory" votes Barack? I was going to send this guy a contribution until this broke, I think I'll take a wait and see attitude now.

It's Heating Up

2007-07-29T11:22:00.000-04:00

Interesting week for the two Democratic frontrunners, Hillary poopooed Obama for wanting to, gasp, have diplomatic talks with nations like Cuba and N. Korea. The more I watch the debates and listen to Hillary the more she bothers me. She has this hubris that reminds me in a lot of ways of W. Of course I agree with 90% of her positions, but I will forever hold her accountable for voting for the Iraq war and never admitting she was wrong. Today's Gallup data shows that she is overwhelmingly being supported by women and African-American voters, Obama is polling better with men and independents. I think I am now firmly in the Obama camp. Richardson can't win, Edwards is getting a bit whiny for my tastes and I still can't get my head around a populist getting a 400$ haircut, Gore apparently isn't running, so that leaves me with Obama. At first I thought he was a bit underqualified, he didn't do too well in the first debates, and he didn't have all of his policy worked out. Now he looks great, he has his facts and figures straight, he oozes charisma and charm, and he isn't afraid to take on the Clinton juggernaut. Obama speaks and reminds me of Bubba, in fact he is the heir apparent to Bubba in my eyes. Hillary, try as she may just has none of her husbands skills, she just isn't likable. Obama makes a more attractive cantidate to me in the general election as well, he isn't a polarizing figure like Hillary, and he would have appeal to the independents. His anti-war stance is in line with my thinking, and I think he has an appeal that would resonate with middle-class voters. My wife and I differ on this, she is a firm Hillary supporter, she is in the perfect Hillary demographic, 30 something, married, college-educated women. That may be the reason why Hillary will win the nomination. I just hope the people who vote for Hillary aren't blinded to her many flaws, simply because of her gender. In the meantime, I'm going to donate to Obama's campaign today.

Asskickin

2007-07-16T20:19:00.000-04:00

Man did Jim Webb kick Lindsey Grahams ass on Meet The Press this past Sunday. They were debating the war and Graham kept drawling, let them win, let them win, to which Webb responded with statistics about how the troops really feel about the war, and telling Graham that the military fight for the country, we don't let the military conduct warfare just for their own sake. Two of the GOP Mandarins in the Senate, John Warner and Dick Lugar went off the reservation this week, but some of the diehard chickenhawks didn't get the memo. It's interesting when a guy who was in the Marine Corps and was decorated in Vietnam, has to tell a guy who was a stateside Air Force Reservist that its time to end this misguided adventure. Webb of course has a son who has served in Iraq and is going back later this year. Webb never mentioned this during the debate, but it speaks volumes to his character that he wants his son and his comrades out of Iraq. Graham and the other GOP chickenhawks in the Senate and in the House could learn a thing or too from a real warhero, and a guy who has a personal stake in ending this costly war. I'm so proud of the people of this Commonwealth for electing a guy like Jim Webb to the Senate.

Pickin Up Hookers For Jesus

2007-07-10T21:18:00.000-04:00

Another sleazeball GOP politician, Lousiana Senator David Vitter is exposed for the hypocrite that he is. Hustler magazine leaked that his # was on the DC madams list, ooops. Now a persons sexlife is his or hers own business in my opinion, and quite frankly I see no reason why prostitution should not be decriminalized, but this assclown made a point of being the self-proclaimed moral compass of the Senate, and he has been lockstep with the Christian Right. His hypocrisy is astounding. His wife has made remarks about Hillary to the tune of she would be more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary if her husband committed adultery, hope your wearing your armour-plated athletic supporter Dave.

One Year On

2007-07-08T12:50:00.000-04:00

July 2nd was the one year anniversary of my humble little blog. As an avowed Luddite it was quite a feat for me to even start a blog, and as I got into it and discovered many of the other great blogs and people who blog about politics it has become a labor of love and an enjoyable way to vent. Thanks to everyone who visits and comments on this blog, you guys continue to inspire me to keep working for change.

Tagged!

2007-07-08T10:14:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged by Snave at one of my favorite blogs "Various Ecstasies" I have to reveal 8 things about myself that I haven't previously posted about. here ya go,

1. I am obsessed with small terriers, Jack Russell's to be exact.

2. When I was a little kid I despised getting my hands dirty, if I fell off my trike or big wheel I would immediately run to my mother to get her to wash my hands.( what a little freak) I still wash my hands at least 20 times a day.

3. I met my beautiful wife at a restaurant I worked at and she asked me out.

4. Like most Southerners I am obsessed with history and love old decayed things.

5. I met Bill Clinton in college, well I shook his hand, and he is as engaging as people say, Bubba's a Rock Star.

6. I have voted Rupublican, I voted for Mccain in the 2000 GOP primary in Virginia.

7. I am an oenophile and a degenerate foodie, I could live in a shack as long as I had good food and wine, I'd be OK.

8. My given name is Carlton Scott Mitchell, yeh I know, ha ha Carlton just like the cheap cigarettes.

Sickos

2007-07-05T18:23:00.000-04:00

I think the wife and I will try to go see Sicko this weekend. I am a fan of Michael Moore, sure sometimes he's not 100% factual, and he's prone to silly (but entertaining) stunts, and he says some remarks without thinking, but you gotta love the guy. He is the true master of agitprop for our side. I really liked Roger and Me, Bowling for Columbine was OK, and Fahrenheit was fantastic, I think Sicko may be his best work according to some reviews I have read. I heard Moore on Howard Stern's show on Sirius a week or so ago and he was great, funny and self-deprecating and he handled the callers who said he was a "commie" with aplomb. Moore's true gift is his humorous satire which usually ends up pissing you off. I'm glad he tackled the healthcare problem because it is truly embarassing that in the world's richest country we have people being denied healthcare in our for-profit broken system.

Happy Independence Day

2007-07-02T20:51:00.000-04:00

As we all pause to remember this Republics independence from Great Britain and the tyranny of a portly Hanoverian named George III, we must remember the "elected" aristocrat, one George II who is currently hiding out in Maine as his administration rots from within. With approval ratings in the 20s, he can pretty much act with impunity, whats the worst that will happen? Why have this President and VP not been impeached? On a lighter note enjoy the 4th, I will. I plan on cooking outdoors, drinking icy beer, watch some fireworks over the James River, and savor the unravelling of King Georges regime. We'll make it through.

Above The Law

2007-07-02T20:34:00.000-04:00

So George the Second commutes Scooter's sentence today, after careful prodding by Uncle Dick and his base. W "respects the juries decision," but he knows best. Obstruction of Justice just ain't what it used to be. Of course Bush was within his Constitutional rights to issue this commutation, Libby was a bit of a fall-guy for Cheney who's malfeasance in this matter certainly eclipsed Libbies, but c'mon, its just plain wrong. I find it rather ironic that a supposed GOP frontrunner, Fred Thompson had a support Libbies defense fund header on his website, this from a former Senator who voted to impeach one William Jefferson Clinton for obstruction of justice, but apparently doesn't feel that a guy who is actually convicted of the crime needs to serve prison time. Ahh the stench of hypocrisy wafting through the sweet summer air.

Our Favorite Harpy

2007-06-28T17:24:00.000-04:00

So by now everyone has seen Ann Coulters command performance on Hardball last night, where she defends saying that John Edwards has a bumper sticker that says "ask me about my dead son" she defends this spew to Elizabeth Edwards by saying she said that three years ago, oh thats ok then you get a pass. This woman is deranged, and the wingnuts just eat up everything she says. I know politics is a full contact sport, but insulting a families dead child crosses all lines of decency, I won't deny she is entertaining to watch, like a traffic accident you can't pry your eyes away from, but she is obviously insane. I just love how the GOP the self-proclaimed pro-family party gives this kook the time of day. One more person who is making this country a much worse place.

Bloomberg?

2007-06-20T19:15:00.000-04:00

So Mayor Bloomberg quits the GOP today, and he is mulling over a run as an Independent for President. I like Bloomberg on paper, a poor son of immigrants who became a billionaire, he's pro-choice, pro civil-unions, is for pulling out of Iraq, and generally has done a good job as Mayor of NYC. He's got more money than most 3rd World nations, so he can self-finance and also not be beholden to special interests. That being said I don't want to see him run because he pulls voters away from the Democrats, sort of a Ross Perot in reverse. Who would vote for Bloomberg? Dissatisfied republicans, dems that don't like the dem cantidate, alot of New Yorkers, conservative dems, etc, but in general I think he hurts us more than he hurts the GOP. Christian Conservatives won't vote for him, he couldn't win a single state in the South, so he pulls votes from the Northeast and upper Midwest which we need, This might not be good. Time will tell, but if I go into the booth in 08 and my ballot has Hillary, Rudy, or Bloomberg as my choices I think Mayor Mike could possibly get my vote. There I said it, I don't want to be like the Naderites, but I would have to hold my nose to vote for Hillary. Whats a pissed off Democrat to do?

Sonvolt

2007-06-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

This is a very bad cameraphone pic of a fine altcountry band, Sonvolt. Jay Farrar who is the songwriter and singer was one half of one of the best songwriting duos since Lennon /Mccartney (in my somewhat warped opinion) He and Jeff Tweedy were in a fine punk/altcountry band called Uncle Tupelo and when they split up Tweedy founded Wilco and Farrar started Sonvolt. I saw these guys last night at an outdoor concert series that we have in Richmond at a botanical garden, its a great intimate setting to see a show. Sonvolts first album Trace is one of my favorite records of the 90's. Sonvolt has stayed a bit truer to the altcountry genre, pedal steel, etc, unlike Wilco who has dabbled with electronica and 60's pop, their new record has some downright Beatlesesque tunes on it. Farrar has also penned some more overtly political tunes of late, his song "Jet Pilot" is a stinging rebuke of W. It was a great show.

Why Bono Matters

2007-06-12T19:42:00.000-04:00

Heres a picture from last weeks G8 summit on the Baltic with German Chancellor Merkel, Bob Geldolf, Youssou N'Dour, Bono, and some lady who I don't recognize. Quite a gathering, I understand the protests at the G8, globalization is scary and many are being left behind. So why is the singer from a post-punk Irish pop band hobknobbing with W and Co.? Simple, to save lives. By becoming an ambassador for forgiving 3rd world debt, spending more on AIDS and malarial drugs, Bono has shamed many world leaders into ponying up, even W. Despite hating Bush's politics a guy like Bono can put that aside when these issues are at stake. My wife picked up this months Vanity Fair which Bono guest edited, the Africa issue, with 20 seperate Annie Liebovitz covers, its really an eye opener. When you see that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have given more money to African AIDS relief, and education than the govts of China, Italy, and S. Korea combined, it makes you realize how powerful a guy like Bono really is. I wore my cassette of the Joshua Tree out when I was in middle school, U2s activism and opposition to US involvement in Central America and to apartheid made an impression on me and stirred me towards activism as a young teenager. Rock stars aren't always the most well-informed folks, but guys like Bono have inspired individuals and govts to care about issues like poverty, and for that he should be thanked.

Thug Life, Country Style.

2007-06-03T16:17:00.000-04:00

I've been debating on posting about this for a while. As most now know, Atlanta Falcons and Former Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick has been implicated in a huge pitbull fighting and gambling ring. Vick grew up in the same corner of the world as me, in rural SE Virginia, he bought some land in Surry County Va and he has been raising and fighting dogs at his compound there. Now his cousin was living there and Vick is claiming that he had no idea what was going on on his property, sure. Local people have known about this for some time, and it finally took his cousin going down on a drug charge to get a warrant for the place. In Va, the Commonwealth's Attorney, who is the lead prosecutor in a city or county is an elected position. The CA in Surry is currently dragging his feet on indicting Vick for numerous reasons, first Vick is enormously popular all over VA, secondly he has ties to Vicks family, and unfortunately he is playing the race card, Surry County is over 60% African-American and the CA thinks by prosecuting Vick he will lose votes. Utter BS, I have long been a fan of Vicks, I think he is a tremendously talented athlete, and until recently I thought he was a decent guy who gives alot away to charity. I now think he is a cruel thug who needs to be prosecuted. Dogfighting in VA is a felony and carries up to 5 years in jail. You can't excuse vicious animal cruelty like this, anyone who would treat dogs like these guys did is a borderline sociopath. Undoubtedly Vick has paid off the local Sheriff and others, but now the Humane Society and other animal welfare groups are involved and hopefully this matter goes to court. Maybe the football pundits are right, Vick doesn't have the smarts to be a Superbowl caliber QB, sheer athleticism only takes you so far if your a moron, and any sick bastard that raises dogs to kill each other so he can bet on them is most certainly a moron.

Memorial Day 07

2007-05-28T12:57:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day is one of those holidays that its easy to lose sight of the meaning of. As everyone is eating and drinking and travelling to and fro, we often don't remember the men and women who have sacrificed their lifes and limbs for this country. This is a holiday that was born out of the horrible fratricide of the Civil War, and now hundreds of years later, we are still seeing young people dying in large numbers. Needless deaths for a failed foreign policy idea aside, it is still vital for us to honor the people who have fallen, and it is still vital that we try to give them a government and a nation that is very much worth fighting for.

Why I Still Love Jimmy Carter

2007-05-21T17:11:00.000-04:00

Jimmy Carter is getting all kinds of flak for saying that W's the worst President from a foreign policy standpoint ever. Now I won't argue that James Earl was a great President, but he is certainly a good person. He's also right about W, no Chief Executive has ever done more lasting harm to our national security than W. History will bear that one out. I disagree with some of Carter's recent statements about the Palestinian -Israeli conflict, I think he is a bit unfair towards Israel who is after all the only democracy in the Middle East, but on this point he is dead on. Carter has more integrity and honesty in his little finger than W has in his whole body.

Death Of A Hillbilly Huckster

2007-05-16T17:28:00.000-04:00

Here in the South we have an aversion to speaking ill of the dead, but other than having sympathy for his family I can't think of anything good to say about Jerry Falwell. Falwell and his ilk wrap themselves in the Bible to promote their bigotry and intolerance. This was a guy who was a segragationist, supported apartheid, and called a true man of God, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a "phony." This man was a huckster who scammed money from poor elderly folks in order to build his "university," and his numerous business endeavers. Falwell was quick to swoop down and buy the PTL ministry after Jim and Tammy Faye went down, he was an opportunist who claimed way too much credit for Reagan's win, and his influence on the GOP was always exaggerated in my view. We have something in the water here in Virginia that grows this type of person, the other titan of televangelism, Pat Robertson has his hq and "university" in Va Beach. Falwell to me was anti-american and anti-constitution to the core. He was against free speech, (remember the trial with Larry Flynt?) against the separation of church and state, and blamed gays, feminists, and the ACLU for 9-11. What a class-A asshole. May his empire built on lies and bigotry crumble.

Northern California Rocks

2007-05-12T21:17:00.000-04:00

I just got back from a work trip to the Napa Valley and the Sonoma Coast as well as a few days in San Francisco and all I can say is wow. I'm not a big fan of SoCal, but I have to say San Francisco and wine country especially the Sonoma Coast are stunning. I love being in a city where my liberal ass is considered "conservative." Solar panels on every other house, great mass transit, good baseball, amazing restaurants, and plenty of freaks, I was in heaven. One thing that really impressed me was when we visited two of the wineries that we represent, one of them is on the grid but is generating enough solar energy to sell some back to the power company each month, no small feat, especially when you consider the fact that they produce 30,000 cases of wine a year. The other winery in Mendocino is totally off the grid and is a biodynamic farm. My 1500 square foot house uses more energy from nonrenewable sources than these two wineries that produce over 60,000 cases of wine a year, absolutely amazing.

Lite Blogging, Again

2007-04-29T12:20:00.000-04:00

Sporadic blogging for the next week, I am going on a work trip to Napa and Sonoma, yeah I know real tough assignment. It should be great, I get to meet some winemakers and owners that my company represents, and Northern California is a wonderful place to spend any time in. I'll post some pics when I get back.

Losing A Great Journalist

2007-04-29T12:05:00.000-04:00

David Halberstam died last week in a traffic accident, he was a journalist and writer of great talent. His Vietnam era reporting and books, "The Best and the Brightest," and "Quagmire," were some of the finest works on the Vietnam disaster. Halberstam had won a Pulitzer and in recent years had turned into a damned fine sportswriter. I got a chance to meet him after he lectured one of my PoliSci classes at George Mason in 1995. He was incredibly generous with his time and stayed for over an hour after his lecture to answer our questions. He was self-effacing and really fascinating guy. Halberstam was one of those great old-school war reporters who was instrumental in helping change public opinion about the war in Vietnam, he will be missed.

Some Impressions

2007-04-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

I finally sat down and watched the debate from last week, and I have to say, Blaaah. Is this all we have to choose from? I know this is the first debate and all, but Obama looks completely unqualified and inarticulate, Hillary is still a calculating ice queen, and Edwards wasn't much better, and a guy who runs on the theme of two America's shouldn't be getting a damned 400 dollar haircut. The only guy that I liked was Bill Richardson, he stumbled a bit but I liked some of his answers, and he is by far the most qualified guy. Please tell me Al Gore was watching this and is going to save us from ourselves.

Blogging Break

2007-04-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

I won't be posting until later next week, the wife and I are taking a little vacation. Some friends of ours are getting married in Naples FL, so we are headed to the land of palm trees, alligators, and retirees. Hopefully we will experiance some warm weather, this has been the coldest spring I can remember here in VA. After all the tragedy, and a very busy work week, it will be nice to not turn on the computer or tv for 5 days, hopefully.

Horror In Blacksburg

2007-04-16T16:12:00.000-04:00

As I sit here watching CNN the death toll from the senseless killings at Va Tech continues to grow, right now it is 31 souls. This is absolutely shocking and I can't even process it. I have spent alot of time on that campus, and seeing news footage of a tragedy like this in a place you are famalier with is unsettling. My Dad, Uncle, Sister-in-Law, and many good friends went to Tech and the sleepy mountain town of Blacksburg seems like an unlikely place for a massacre like this to happen. The details are still sketchy but it seems that the gunman was looking to kill his ex and her lover and apparently as many others as he could find. What makes people decide to do things like this? My thoughts and prayers are with these kids families and the whole Tech community. What makes this country so prone to these mass killings?

So It Goes

2007-04-12T09:13:00.000-04:00

Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday at the age of 84. Vonnegut was one of my favorite writers in high school and he has remained a favorite. His blend of satire, science fiction, and social criticism was always a joy to read, Breakfast of Champions and Slaughterhouse Five are some of my favorite works by a 20th century American author. Vonnegut witnessed the horror of WWII firsthand and his novels always had a strong anti-war current running through them. His disdain for rampant American consumerism was also a mainstay in his black satire that made me question things as a young reader. Vonnegut was a truly unique writer who will be missed. I think I'm going to reread Cat's Cradle for the tenth time. RIP Kurt.

Smoker's Rights?

2007-04-10T17:50:00.000-04:00

OK, first of all I friggin hate cigarettes, secondly I live in Virginia which is the colony that tobacco built and my city of Richmond is the worldwide headquarters for Philip Morris the biggest tobacco company in the world. For the past three years a GOP legislator in the General Assembly has introduced a smoking ban in restaurants and public spaces, last year it failed by less than six votes and this year the Governor signed on, but it still failed. It will eventually pass, the public outcry in favor of the ban was vocal and to tell the truth surprised me a bit. Secondhand smoke causes cancer period, and the Governors support for the bill was to protect restaurant workers who are exposed to second hand smoke. This is something near and dear to me as I worked for years in restaurants and my wife's family owns restaurants so she is exposed to smokers. The "smokers rights" morons were all over this vote and were loudly decrying the ban. Screw that, you don't have a right to blow toxins in my face in a public place, smoke at home, in your car, or outside, is that so damned hard? Cities and states that have enforced bans have seen upswings in bar and restaurant revenues in almost every case. I say all this as a former smoker, I smoked my last at the age of 25, I'm 33 now, so its been awhile. If cities like NYC and Dublin can pass bans, I think we can get one here, I'm going to have to send more letters and emails next year.

The Scientists Speak

2007-04-07T08:32:00.000-04:00

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is releasing their report on global warming and it is dire. Millions of miles of coastline threatened, melting polar ice and glaciers, intense storms and droughts, just for starters. Not surprisingly the report has been toned down thanks to some pressure from the US, China, and Saudi Arabia. Why is our govt so f'ing anti-science? You can argue about how fast the effects of global warming will be felt, but some of W's "scientists" deny that it exists. We will have had 8 years when Shrubs term is up, in which we have rolled back environmental protections and drastically increased our CO2 emissions. It will take alot of work to undo the damage that this administration has wrought.

Pot, Meet Kettle

2007-04-03T21:10:00.000-04:00

So today while holding his little press conference in the Rose Garden, and criticising Speaker Pelosi for attempting, Gasp, diplomacy! W rebuked the Congress for being on vacation and not giving him the blank check he wants for Iraq. This from the cocksucker who has been spent 2 out of every 5 days during his presidency at his freakin ranch in Texas! Thats not even counting his days at Camp David. Absolutely incredible the shit that spouts out of this morons mouth.

Please Shut Your Trap

2007-04-01T16:25:00.000-04:00

Jesus Rosie O'Donnell is an idiot. People like her make all of us Democrats and Lefties look like morons. I have no problem with her criticising Bush policy etc., but spouting off whack job conspiracy theories about 9-11 and how Bush caused it is asinine and counterproductive. The Right has kooks like Ann Coulter and Pat Robertson, and we get stuck with her. Rosie stick with what you do best, stand-up, and adopting kids, throw in an occasional barb at the GOP, but leave the nutter conspiracy stuff at home. Thanks.

Henry Kissinger, How We're Missing Ya......

2007-04-01T16:11:00.000-04:00

Remember the old Monty Python song? Well guess what Bushies? The fat lady has sung, so to speak. Kissinger said yesterday that Iraq is not winnable and that we should begin pulling our forces out. Why do they insist on prolonging this thing, will it play out like the fall of Saigon? Will the stubborness and ineptness of this administration continue to bleed the armed forces and the treasury?

Rule Brittania?

2007-03-29T18:10:00.000-04:00

As someone who has spent alot of time in the UK, I have to say that I am dismayed by the capture of the Royal Navy sailors by the Iranians while on a anti-smuggling patrol. This is a stunt that the Iranians have done to embarass the Brits and to take attention away from the growing nuclear crisis there. The British have always been Euro skeptics and have preferred to usually go along with the US on foreign policy, the current debacle in Iraq has proven to perhaps be the straw that broke the Atlantic Alliances back. More and more Britons are wanting to become more integrated in the EU. This would be a shame for this country to lose our oldest and best ally, but it may be inevitable if we pursue our current neocolonial foreign policy, pretty ironic if our former colonial masters split with us because of our imperial ways in the mideast.

A Little Easter Humor

2007-03-29T17:41:00.000-04:00

My childhood Easters always revolved around two things, chocolate Easter bunnies and those awful jellybeans that tasted of wax. My family wasn't particularly religious so sometimes we would skip Easter services and just look for eggs that we all hated to eat in the backyard, still in retrospect it was fun.

Four Years On

2007-03-21T16:26:00.000-04:00

The four year anniversary of the war in Iraq has come and gone, and I can't help but wonder how we let our President get us into this shit. For the love of God WWII and the Korean War didn't last as long as this mess. What has been accomplished other than the erosion of American influence around the globe? The leadership role that we had in the war against Islamic terrorism after 9-11 has been squandered with American and Iraqi lives and massive amounts of our tax dollars. I feel like most Americans were asleep at the wheel when the ramp up to this war was going on, and thats what the administration was banking on. I, and I'm sure many of the regular readers of this blog yelled and screamed and wrote letters and made calls and sent emails and attended protests, but back then we were in the minority, not so anymore, its just sad that it took so many lives and so much treasure to arrive here today.

New Wilco

2007-03-19T19:55:00.000-04:00

My favorite band is Wilco, and they are releasing a new record on May 15th. When the last record, A Ghost is Born came out, my friend Matt gave me a leaked copy of the record a month before it came out. Now I have already heard three tracks from this new record at a great used bookstore, I'm sure the guy that owns the shop would burn me a copy if I asked, after all I buy a shitload of books from him, but I'm thinking I will wait until the release date. The three tracks I heard where great, but maybe I'll wait. I always buy the actual record for the art, liner notes etc., maybe I shouldn't wait, oh hell I'm going to get me a leaked copy.

Tourney Time

2007-03-17T17:07:00.000-04:00

I haven't been posting much because I am a complete March Madness addict. This year my alma mater VCU made the NCAA, and they beat Duke! Hell yeah, they now play Pitt on Saturday. For the first time in a long time Virginia has three teams that advanced past the first round, VCU, UVA, and Virginia Tech. I'm pulling for all of them, but especially VCU. I love when a mid-major school upsets a team like Duke. March is the best time of year for collegiate athletics.

Ancient History?

2007-03-13T21:46:00.000-04:00

It dawned on me this week while talking to some employees at a wine store that I frequent, that current college students have no recollection of life before the Berlin Wall fell, no Cold War frame of reference. A kid born the year the wall fell would be a senior in high school now! Now I feel ancient, the pivotal event of my high school years, happened 18 yrs ago. I was always conscious of the threat of nuclear war during the 80's as a kid, and it scared the hell out of me. As I studied the fall of Communism in college a few years after the fact I realized that the Soviets had been broke for years and that the Cold War was something that realistically should have ended much sooner. In some ways I may have preferred the state of affairs in my youth to the uncertainty of the current global situation. Rogue nations, failed states, preemptive wars, Islamic terrorists, and the fact that Russia and China still have plenty of nuclear missles pointed at the West. Things seemed a bit more cut and dried back then, even if the threat of mutually assured destruction was terrifying. The collapse of Communism was a much heralded event, but now almost twenty years on are we any safer from a cataclysm? I don't think so, we in the West have squandered a real chance to make the world a safer place.

While Trying To Enjoy An After Work Malted Beverage....

2007-03-13T20:53:00.000-04:00

I see that annoying little nasally prick of an Attorney General, Alberto Gonzalez. This ahole fires 8 US attorneys for partisan reasons, never mind their records, they were deemed "not loyal." I thought Ashcroft was the Antichrist, but this clown is about as bad, with the new Patriot Act excesses coming to light, and now random firing of US attorneys because they don't tow the administrations political line. I gotta start putting records on instead of cable news when I get home.

Conservative Values On Display

2007-03-12T20:40:00.000-04:00

Fun with right wing blow hards! Heres a pic of Uber Conservative defender of Christianity and the flag, Sean Hannity at a brothel Outside of Reno called the Bunny Ranch, with its owner Dennis Hof, and presumably one of the workin gals there. Nice, send this one to all your wingnut friends, looks like someones about to get "Hannitized!" Is it just me or is that hairy Irish cro-mag sporting wood?

Cut Em Off!

2007-03-12T17:51:00.000-04:00

Cute move by the Board of Directors at Halliburton, the energy and defense contractors that have posted billions in profit during our current misadventure in Mesopotamia, they up and moved to Dubai in the UAE. Good job fellas way to avoid paying those corporate taxes while you bilk the US taxpayers out of billions. The Pentagon is currently investigating these theives for overcharging billions for work done in Iraq, and you can bet more will be coming out. I wrote a letter to my Senator, Jim Webb today calling for hearings in Congress to strip Halliburton of all govt contracts , just like the Dubai Ports fiasco, these greedy bastards are not a US corporation and they shouldn't be getting my tax dollars. Absolutely incredible the balls on these SOBs.

Nostalgia

2007-03-11T16:36:00.000-04:00

My stepsister and her fiance just recently got back from a trip to Germany, Austria, and N. Italy, she sent me some of her pics and it made me want to plan my next trip to Europe for my belated honeymoon. I started looking at the pics that my then girlfriend, now wife, took the last time we were in Paris and now I am longing for a return visit. Paris to me is the most lovely big city in the world. Its not hard to see why Hemingway, Stein, and Fitzgerald settled there. I'll confess to a little bias, I'm a wine geek and a foodie, and my wife is quite the francophile, so perhaps this clouds my perception, but strolling through the 6th Arrondissement, seeing the Tour Eifel at night, and simply eating at any corner bistro are singular experiances that cannot be replicated anywhere else. I wish I was independently wealthy and could travel the world, but until then I will carefully plan my next foray to Europe and revisit my past trips through my pics. Damn I love travelling.

Dr. Gonzo Says Gun Control Sucks

2007-03-09T21:41:00.000-05:00

So I see today that a federal court has ruled that the Districts ban on guns is unconstitutional. I gotta say bravo. I went to college and lived in Northern Va and I spent alot of time in DC and had friends that went to GW and Georgetown that lived in the District. This was in the mid nineties when DC was the murder capital of the US, and I always found the fact that you couldn't exercise your 2nd amendment rights in the nations capital quite strange. Now I'm not some raving gun nut, I don't think people should be able to own full auto machineguns, and I think that full background checks are a good thing, but anyone living in a high crime area should have the right to own a firearm to protect themselves. Where I disagree with the NRA and other pro-gun groups is this, automobiles kill way more people every year than guns, you have to have a license to drive, the same thing should apply to firearms. I have no problem with anyone who buys a gun being required to take a class in general firearms safety and having to prove profiency, what I do have a problem with is a blanket gun ban in a city or state, its contrary to the Constitution, and every American has the inherant right to self-defense.

Poverty

2007-03-09T21:13:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men." The great Depression era narrative of Southern poverty by James Agee with amazing photographs by Walker Evans. The book chronicles the lives of three Alabama sharecropping families in 1936. None of these people had indoor plumbing or electricity and lived desperate lives farming cotton. I remember seeing Evan's haunting photographs a few years back in a retrospective at the National Gallery and they have stayed in my subconscious ever since. This book was written two years after my late Grandfather was born, and it illustrated to me how it must have been to grow up as a small child during the Depression. My Grandfather had better circumstances than the people in this book, his family owned their small tobacco farm in North Carolina, but his father died when he was young and I imagine his experiances were similar to those in this book. I'm a lifelong Southern Democrat, and the poor whites and small landholders of my Grandfathers era were as well, the New Deal saved many of these people from ruin, most of my family would have lost everything if not for FDR. It's amazing to me now that the sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters of these folks throughout the South have been tricked into voting Republican out of some kind of misguided patriotism, against their actual economic interests. When LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act he predicted that the Democratic party would lose its white support in the South for fifty years, so far his prediction has been right. Its time that the Democratic party reconnect with Southern voters, W's incompetence has given us the opportunity to do so.

Whats The Skinny?

2007-03-09T20:49:00.000-05:00

I gotta post on this issue, Hollywood and the media in general glorify skininess, but lately its gotten insane. Millions of young women, and men are growing up with stick insects as their image of beauty. The pervasiveness of the emaciated look is apparent to anyone who reads fashion rags or peruses the tabloids. To me denying yourself the pleasures of the table and of the vine is like living in hell. I have young teenaged nieces and cousins that I know will have body image issues and often times this is reinforced by family members and peers, its sick. I am well aware of the obesity epidemic in this country, but it seems to me that we are either one or the other, morbidly obese or dangerously skinny, we gotta find a happy medium.

Mixed Feelings

2007-03-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

I have to say that while I am heartened by the Libby verdict, I do feel somewhat sorry for the guy. He was a loyal servant for Cheney and now he gets thrown under the bus, he's the fallguy. The guys years of loyal servive are rewarded like this. Obviously Rove and the VP were complicit in this and Libby took orders from them, I'm not condoning his perjury, but I do think he deserves a light sentence. Will he get a pardon? Quite possibly a Christmas pardon in 08 after the elections who knows? I'm no fan of Libby, but I do feel that he took the fall here, while others got off scot-free.

Wheres The Outrage On The Right?

2007-03-05T17:06:00.000-05:00

I peruse several Right-leaning blogs and since the Walter Reed scandal broke you haven't seen them blogging about it. It's great to wave the flag and slap a yellow ribbon on your Hummer, but actually paying up so that wounded men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are well taken care of when they return home, nah give me my tax cut. Rumsfeld slashed the military hospitals and VA system in cost cutting measures that have come back to haunt them. The system that has sent these soldiers to war has failed them upon their return. The wingnuts rail on about anti war demonstrators and not being patriotic, but when it comes to looking after casualties of their own making, the cash isn't there. F that, all Americans deserve affordable good healthcare, and especially those that have served their country with honor.

Oh Ann!

2007-03-02T20:18:00.000-05:00

So today Ann Coulter referred to John Edwards at a GOP event in a backhanded way as a "faggot." Real nice, this coming from a skeletal post-op tranny who hangs out with the Queen of right-wing sleaze Matt Drudge. Has this bitch lost it or what? There I feel better, but seriously every time I hear this woman talk I think she just can't possible get any crazier, and then she proves me wrong. What an absolutely heinous human being.

New Car Smell

2007-02-27T18:41:00.000-05:00

I went car shopping this weekend, and the wife and I came home with a new Toyota RAV4. I hated the way the old models looked, like plastic toys, but this model won me over. We had narrowed it down to either the Honda CRV, the Toyota, or the Subaru Forester. The Toyota won out, its drives and handles well, has a ton of cargo room, has alltime 4wd and still gets 30mpg with a 3.5 v6. We were committed Honda devotees until we drove one of these things, If there exists a thing that is more dependable than a Honda, I think it has to be a Toyota, I remember a friend in college had a Toyota pickup that had 270,000 miles on it with only small repairs done on it, the only other car I can think of with that kind of legendary reliability is Volvo. Anyway I will get high on the new car fumes for a bit longer and long for warm weather so I can load this sucker up, slap a canoe on top and head for the Blue Ridge for some camping, new cars rule!

Would You Vote For This Guy?

2007-02-27T18:17:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney, he looks like the poster boy for clean living and brylcreem, but is America ready for a Morman President? First of all a cantidates religion is of secondary importance to me, I want to know where he stands on policy, but often times a cantidates views are shaped by their respective religions. I am a Protestant Christian, of the tolerant Presbytrian/ Methodist branch. I don't begrudge a cantidate's faith or their bringing it up in speeches, but I have to admit that the Morman's have always seemed a bit out there to me. Now most of this view of mine is based on the decided right-wing slant, politically, of the Mormans I have known, the other stuff, the Jesus in Utah, the funny drawers, and the poligamy is just fuel for the fire. Now don't get me wrong the Mormans I have known are nice, polite people, I just don't like their politics, the same attitude I have against Southern Babtists and certain other denominations. Does this make me anti-Morman? Probally no more than not voting for Pat Buchanan make me anti-Catholic, but I do feel uneasy about a guy whose great-grandaddy had multiple wives.

Please, Run Al.

2007-02-27T18:02:00.000-05:00

It's gonna happen, Gore is running in 08. I sat through the long boring Oscar show on Sunday just to see what he had to say, somewhere between Ellen's unfunny jokes, Gore stepped up to present with Leo and the guy joked about running, judging by his body language, he's running. He is going to let Hillary, Obama, and Edwards batter and bruise each other and then our boy is going to step in to save the day. He will pick Obama as his running mate and they will win in an electoral juggernaut. At least that is my dream scenario. This is Gores golden chance to give a giant middle finger to the Clintons and the hell that they made his life. Hollywood has already turned on Hillary, Gore has deep pockets now, he sits on the boards of Google and Apple, his fundraising will make Hillarys look like a church bake sale. The American electorate knows what the consequences of 2000 are, they are prepared to right that wrong. Gore is going to run and the GOP is scared.

Fuzzy Buddy

2007-02-22T16:30:00.000-05:00

Lately alot of my friends are posting dog pics on their blogs, so I thought I'd join the party. This is JackieO my 8 year old Jack Russell, doing what she does best, sleeping in the sun. The wife and I are thinking about adding another canine to the family this spring, something of the smushed face variety, Boston Terrier and French Bulldog seem to be leading the list right now. Dogs kick ass I wish I lived on about 100 acres in the country so I could have like 10 pups, but for now I think 2 would be a perfect number.

Happy President's Day

2007-02-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

Here's my man Bubba, my favorite living President. I have seen a lot of polls on the net and in the newspapers today on who Americans consider their five best Presidents. My personal list would be this,

1. George Washington, he could have been President for life but he took the route of Cincinattus.

2. Lincoln, he perserved the Union, even if he did suspend the Writ and overreach his powers.

3. FDR, His leadership and insight during the Depression and WWII saved this country and Europe from tyranny.

4. Thomas Jefferson, his intellect and reason make him one of the few true genious Presidents we have ever had.

5. Theodore Rooselvelt, I know he was a Republican, but he truly was a reformer who fought the robber barons of the Gilded Age, and he started the US on the road to being a superpower, his far-sighted establishment of the National Park system is reason enough for him to be in my top 5.

So there you have it my list, what do you guys think? Who's on your list?

It Was Bound To Happen

2007-02-13T19:17:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite bands ever is touring again. The Police are reunited and I couldn't be happier. I was too young to catch them the first time around, I was 12 when they broke up, but I will sure as hell see them this time. I still think Sting can be an arrogant ass, as his recent solo albums demonstrate, but to see him playing again with Stuart and Andy would be great. Just three great musicians who wrote some great songs, not Stings bloated huge band that he has on his solo gigs. I think I got copies of Outlandos D'Amour and Synchronicity on vinyl when I was 11 or so and I played them till they wore out. Stuart Copeland is probally my favorite drummer of all time, I gotta get some tickets.

If Girls Ruled The World

2007-02-13T19:03:00.000-05:00

First off I have to admit that I have the hots for this lady, Segolene Royal who is the Socialist cantidate for the French Presidency. She is my freakin moms age but she's beautiful. Reading a profile of her today in the Atlantic Monthly it dawned on me that by 2008 three of the most powerful countries in the world, France, Germany, and the United States could have women as their chief executives, has this ever happened before? Maybe we could trade Madame Royal for Hillary, I like her politics better, unlike Mrs. Clinton she has never supported the Iraq mess and she also admits to her mistakes. Women in the West are rising to positions of power and I think it has to be a good thing, but will female leadership really change the way things run in the Western democracies? Food for thought.

Dog Breeds And Personalities

2007-02-08T12:08:00.000-05:00

I've been conducting my own little experiment lately. I have been noticing other dog owners out and about and trying to match the owners personality to that of their dog. Sometimes its easy, the young wannabe gangsta with the pitbull or Rottweiler, the old lady or socialite with the poodle or Yorkie in a purse, and the classic nuclear family with a smiling Golden Retriever. Some are a bit more complex, my friends and family with the pound adoption dogs who have wonderful temperments, the 90 lb. twentysomething girl that lived in my old neighborhood with a ginormous English Mastiff, and the fat guy with the Dalmation that I used to see at the dog park. Maybe there is no way to match peoples personalities with the type of dog they choose to own, or maybe a good dog is just a good dog regardless of their breed. As a Jack Russell devotee I tried to find well known owners of the breed to see if I had anything in common with them, it turns out the Prince of Wales owns a couple, lets see I didn't leave my hot wife for an old bag, I'm not a billionaire or the future heir to the throne, but I am into organic farming and sustainable agriculture, Hmm, then I find out Mariah Carey also owns a Jack, never mind.

Terrorist Plot Foiled In Birmingham

2007-01-31T20:18:00.000-05:00

MI-5 and other British counter terrorism units foiled yet another terrorist plot today this time in the city of Birmingham. The plot was taken right out of the old IRA playbook, capture a British soldier, however unlike the IRA, these guys were going to capture a Moslem soldier and behead him on the internet. Last week the BBC aired an undercover story about extremists preaching jihad in the biggest mosque in London, the iman in the secret footage preached for an overthrow of British law in favor of sharia, as well as the inferiority of women and the opinion that they should be beaten until they wear the hijib headcovering. This lovely fellow also said it was permissable for older men to marry girls as young as 9. What the hell is going on in dear old Blighty? As a secular nation Britain should do as the French did and ban medieval headscarfs altogether in public schools etc, I have spent a fair amount of time in England, I first went there in 95 when the IRA was still blowing up things in London, and I remember people being kind of nonchalent about the threat, stiff-upper lip and all that. I think that attitude may have led them to be complacent about the extremist that now are plotting their destruction. The IRA only wanted "Brits out of Ulster" these maniacs want to overthrow the British govt and establish sharia in the birthplace of the Magna Carta. It does seem that the intelligence services in the UK are being proactive and are foiling plots, I just hope by Blair supporting W's asinine war, the Brits haven't made themselves more vulnerable at home.

RIP Molly Ivins

2007-01-31T19:55:00.000-05:00

Molly Ivins lost her struggle with breast cancer today, the long time columnist from Texas was one of my favorite political satirists and she was a fierce critic of the current administration as well as idiotic politicians of all stripes. She was the first to re nickname W , "Shrub" while he was still Gov. in Texas. Some of her many quotes that I loved were, "Any nation that can survive what we've had lately in the way of government, is on the high road to permanent glory." or this one about growing up in the segregated South, "I believe all Southern Liberals come from the same starting point, race. Once you figure they are lying to you about race, you start to question everything." I loved her Southerisms like "guvment" and "bidness" and her biting intellect. She was like a cool great- aunt that would bake you biscuits and then talk politics with you around the kitchen table. A truly distinctive American voice has been silenced, she will be missed.

Why I Like Chuck Hagel

2007-01-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

So today Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel dressed down his GOP colleagues for not supporting the non-binding resolution that goes against W's call up of more troops to secure Baghdad. Hagel's speech took courage and he spoke eloquently as he tried to shame the Senators who have rubber stamped every thing that the White House has sent their way. Even a presidential stalwart like VA Senator John Warner has come out against this hare-brained scheme. The Congress really needs to step up and nip this plan in the bud before it happens, its doomed. Who wants to be the last GI to die in Iraq for W's hubris?

Hell Yeh

2007-01-23T22:28:00.000-05:00

I have never been prouder of one of my elected officials than I was tonight by the excellent democratic response speech by Jim Webb. What a brilliant response to W's tripe. Webb brings up great anecdotes about Jackson, TR, and Eisenhower, and called W's war "reckless," while bringing up the contrast between his family and that of the President and VP, he and his son have seen combat. I loved the references to modern day CEO's and the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age. Give em hell Jim!

Its Official

2007-01-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton annouced today that she is doing what we all know, she is running for President. Now don't get me wrong I like Mrs. Clinton, but I think she is a coward for not recanting her yes vote for Mr. Bush's war, and I think she makes her policy decisions totally based on polls. I like the way she isn't scared to act in a bi-partisan way in the Senate, but she also needs to remember that she is a Democrat sometimes. Right now she's not my cantidate, I'm holding out for Gore and I really like Obama and Edwards, but rest assured if she gets the nomination I will campaign for her like there is no tomorrow. I just really hope she doesn't get the nod.

My Card

2007-01-19T09:52:00.000-05:00

Here is my blogs card in the vast library of right-wing incompetence. Hat tip to Snave at http://variousmiseries.blogspot.com/ for this excellent link, go make your own card kids.

Happy MLK Day

2007-01-15T16:53:00.000-05:00

On this day as we pause to remember the life and work of a great American, I can't help but wonder what Dr. King would think of our present leader and our current conflict in Iraq. Something tells me he would be a thorn in W's side.

Madame Speaker

2007-01-04T18:39:00.000-05:00

Well friends, today was a historic day for the American Republic. Our first female Speaker of the House was sworn in today. Pelosi did a nice gesture when she brought the House to order, she had a whole passel of younguns with her on the podium. As we take control of both Houses of Congress today my wish is that we actually act in the best interests of the nation. If Pelosi's list of what she wants done in the first 100 hours is any indication that is exactly what will happen. Pelosi keeps party discipline with an iron fist, and I think she will keep most of the dems on the reservation, which is easier said than done. For us to show a unified front against the GOP thats exactly the type of leader we need. It reminds me of the old Will Rogers quote "I don't belong to any organized political party, I'm a Democrat." I think Nancy Pelosi may be the party leader that makes that quote an anachronism.

Death of a President

2006-12-28T16:22:00.000-05:00

As one who was born during the death throes of the Nixon Administration, August of 1973, I have always been fascinated with Watergate and I must admit I have always somewhat admired Gerald Ford. By now everyone has heard the talking heads and historians talk about how decent of a man Ford was, how devoted he was to Betty, etc. etc. I have to say that if I was of voting age at the time I would have been outraged that he pardoned Nixon, but in retrospect it was the right thing to do. America had to move on after the excess of Richard Nixon. Thankfully he was VP instead of the even creepier than Nixon, Spiro Agnew. Despite LBJ's quip that Ford seemed like he had played too much football without a helmet, I think Ford's openness and uncomplicated nature was what the American people needed in the Oval Office after a truly dark and Machiavellian President like Nixon. Ford was certainly one of the good Republicans that was pro-choice and not an idealogue. He has gone up further in my estimation with Bob Woodwards posthumous release of his interview with Ford from 04 where he is highly critical of the Iraq adventure and has sharp words for W and for Ford's two former Wunderkinds, Cheney and Rumsfeld. Words of wisdom from an honest Republican from the grave.

New Years Plans

2006-12-27T20:22:00.000-05:00

This New Years holiday my wife and I are taking the short hop up I-95 for a weekend in DC. We will be seeing the Redskins play the Giants on Saturday, and on New Years eve we will be eating at Le Paradou, a Champagne fueled debauch will ensue. The morning after the game though I will be going to Arlington to make my yearly trip to the grave of John Kennedy. It always puts me in a reflective if somewhat somber mood. I often think of how different this country might have been if Kennedy had not been killed. When you take the measure of a man like Kennedy and compare that to our current Chief Executive, you can't help but wonder how we got ourselves into this state of affairs. America eats it best and brightest, Jack, Bobbie, and MLK, all snuffed before they had their biggest impact. JFK , along with FDR have always been my political heroes and woe upon any wingnut who speaks ill of either man.

RIP JB

2006-12-25T21:16:00.000-05:00

The hardest working man in show business passed away yesterday at the age of 73. James Brown for all of his personal demons, wife beating, cop evasion, heavy PCP use and all was still one bad-assed artist. His influence can be heard today in every musical genre from Soul to RandB, Rock, and HipHop. He was a central figure in the Civil Rights struggle and he even launched the career of Al Sharpton. His music inspired people around the world to "get up off of that thing" even an uncordinated little white boy from the sticks of VA. James had the baddest backing band around with guys like Bootsie Collins backing him up his sound was unmistakable. I remember hearing an LP of one of his early 70's live performances as a kid and it blew me away. Nobody with the exception of E wore a rhinestone cape, and sweated through a performance like JB. The worlds a much less funky place without the Godfather of Soul around.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-21T10:57:00.000-05:00

I will be blogging lightly over the holidays, so Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to everyone, I wish you much peace and happiness in the New Year.

The Best Band In The World

2006-12-20T16:35:00.000-05:00

OK so Wilco is the best band in the world to me. Starting out of the breakup of the fine altcountry band Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy and Co. have refined the sound from altcountry with punk rock influences to more 60's inspired pop, with electronica. A Ghost is Born has to be one of my favorite albums of the last ten years. Lately I am hearing rumblings of frontman Jeff Tweedy falling apart, two stints in rehab, and an incident in October where he socked a fan who wandered on stage during a concert. I've met the guy twice and he seems like a mellow kinda guy to me, he sure as hell is a great songwriter and musician. Don't crack up on me Jeff I need at least 4 more good albums out of you guys.

Keep On Blogging!

2006-12-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

Hat tip to Lizzy over at the excellent http://ocd-gx-liberal.blogspot.com/ who posted this first, Time magazine has named us in the blogosphere as the person of the year. This election cycle I think really illustrated the power of bloggers, especially those of us on the left, to change the balance of power and influence elections. I have only been at this for less than a year and I thank everyone who visits or comments on my little blog. This medium gives every man and woman with access to a computer the power to exchange ideas and opinions in a way that has never before been possible. If Jefferson were alive I think he would see this as I do, a great equalizer for citizens in this Republic and a real way to strengthen our democratic ideals.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-14T18:38:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from The King, may we truly have Peace on Earth.

Who's Best

2006-12-14T18:15:00.000-05:00

So I have always been a huge Who fan and recently I was talking to a friend and debating which album is their finest. A few years back I would have said "Live at Leeds" but now I gotta say its "Quadrophenia." I have always loved the album, but had never seen more than snippets of the film. Now I have a dvd copy of the film and it has changed the way I feel about the album. If you haven't seen it I recommend it, especially check out Ray Winstone's (Gal from Sexybeast) performance, and a very young Sting as a hotel bellhop and Mod with a badass scooter. I'm glad Roger and Pete didn't die before they got old.

Wingnuts Gone Wild!

2006-12-10T21:32:00.000-05:00

Man, since the Baker commission has come out the Right Wingnuts have gone ballistic. Like this angry little person. They simply can't bear the fact that a bipartisan committee has come up with the same results that about 70% of the American public believes, its time to clean up the mess in Mesopotamia. Rush, Hannity, Malkin, Coulter and the rest are apoplectic. My real fear is that W is not going to listen to a damn thing that the commission recommended and is going to continue being the "decider." Arrogant fratboy that he is, he looked like he had been called into the Dean's office when Baker and Hamilton met at the White House. The wingnuts are calling the commission a bunch of political fossils, hmm in 2000 when Baker was sent to Florida to count votes he was a brilliant statesman. The neocons and far right need to suck it up and realize its over. They have no support from the public or from the Generals for that matter and its time for the Iraqis to sink or swim.

Unwed Mother

2006-12-06T20:37:00.000-05:00

So The Vice President aka Darth Vaders daughter Mary is preggo. I wonder how the GOP base feels about that. Remember they think its only a family if you have a husband and wife, none of those damn queers or unmarried folks, they aren't real families. I wonder how Mary Cheney can sleep at night as an openly gay woman, in a relationship with a woman that she can't marry (because they live here in Virginia) and yet she has worked tirelessly for the GOP and her fathers reelection. The very bigots that want to deny her and her partner their civil rights and enshrine that bigotry in the US Constitution. Gay Republicans have always baffled me. I have known a few and the only conclusion I can draw is that they are more worried about their tax bracket and well to do lifestyles than the rights and well being of their fellow gay sisters and brothers, essentially greed taking over conscious. Its rather like Primo Levi or any other Italian Jew supporting Mussolini because he made the trains run on time. Mind boggling.

What Happened Condi?

2006-12-06T19:47:00.000-05:00

Ok Ok, so this graphic may be a little distasteful, its still funny and true. I just finished reading Bob Woodwards book, "State of Denial" the 3rd in his Bush at war series. Of course the villians of the book are Cheney and the neocons and especially Rummy, but the person who stands out in the book for her incompetence is Condi. Even Bush 41 is quoted as saying that Rice is in over her head, and has quote "been a disappointment." She was one of the inner cabal that kept W insulated from bad news and from experts that didn't share the opinions of the neocons. Colin Powell also comes off rather badly in the book, he was at the height of his influence and power as Secretary of State, and while he had many valid reservations about the war, he went along with it, breaking with his own Powell doctrine. His now infamous UN speech will haunt him for the rest of his life. Almost all of the people Woodward interviews and quotes in the book, from Jay Garner to weapons inspector David Kay, all remark about the absolute lack of intellectual curiosity on behalf of the Chief Executive, and the absolute bunker mentality in the Oval Office which allowed only rosy and inaccurate assessments of the Iraq war to be presented. This war was an absolute horrible, ill guided, preemptive mistake which was poorly planned and executed and a lot of US troops and Iraqis have paid the cost for the sheer incompetence of the planners of this adventure in post-colonialism. They wanted to fight a war on the cheap, they never planned on a long occupation, they never forsaw a protracted insurgency, and they never had a plan to rebuild Iraq, Powell hit it on the head with his "you break it you own it" quote. I have an undergraduate degree in Political Science with a History minor, with no military experiance and I knew that this war would be a debacle. Any armchair strategist could have told you what would happen when you disband the Iraqi army, chaos and a brutal insurgency. The US has never before Iraq waged a preemptive war, and Al Gore is right when he said today that this is the worst foreign policy disaster in US history. I couldn't agree more. Apparently so does the Baker Commission.

What Would Papa Do?

2006-11-29T19:49:00.000-05:00

So I was polishing my old Beretta A390 shotgun today in preperation for a hunting trip and I started thinking about life and death and nature. Pretty philosophical stuff, maybe it was the powder solvent I was using! I grew up in the rural South and I grew up hunting, especially ducks and geese, and fishing, it was something my dad and I did to bond over. As I got older and went off to college, I stopped going and I started to look upon killing animals as not something that I wanted to do. Perhaps it was my series of vegetarian girlfriends but thats another post altogether. As a grew older I began to realize that it was rather hypocritical for me to buy chicken at the grocery that was raised in cages and killed by some poor immigrant worker. I was paying someone else to do my killing. I am now once again an avid hunter as well as a Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy member. The animals I kill have had a much better life than some poor chicken thats been pumped full of hormones and antibiotics and forced to live in a cage. I somehow feel better eating the goose or duck or venison that I killed and butchered myself, maybe its my carnivore inner Neanderthal coming out, but I have to say that my appreciation and respect for nature has been a direct result of spending long periods in the woods and waters of Virginia. I am at peace with my place on the foodchain.

Jim Webb Is The Shit

2006-11-29T19:23:00.000-05:00

So the Washington Post is reporting that the White House hosted an event last week for incoming members of the Senate and Jim Webb attended. Webb has a son who is in the Marine Corps and is serving in Iraq. Bush asked him, "How's your boy?' Webb replies, "When are you going to bring them home?" W replies, "Thats not what I asked, I asked hows your boy." Webb replies, "Thats between me and my boy Mr. President." That fucking rules! Webb has real cajones to stand up to W on his home turf. Webb is a crusty old Marine officer who calls it like he sees it. Screw being nice to a chickenhawk who has set back US foriegn policy for the next 20 years. Give em hell Jim!

Influential Americans

2006-11-26T16:52:00.000-05:00

I am a subscriber to The Atlantic Monthly, and I have to say it is a great magazine, with well written articles on foreign policy and interesting historical pieces as well. This month they published the 100 most influential Americans, they were chosen by a panel of ten historians and professors including David Kennedy and Doris Kearns Goodwin. The top ten were 1.Lincoln
2.Washington
3.Jefferson
4.FDR
5.Hamilton
6. Ben Franklin
7.John Marshal
8.MLK
9.Edison
10.Woodrow Wilson
I have to disagree with that list. C'mon no Madison the architect of the Constitution or Jackson? Edison, Hamilton and John Marshal aren't in the top ten. The list also has no JFK, but it includes Brigham Young and Joseph Smith? Two guys who started a religion that 2% of the population adheres to make the list but not the President who led us through the Cuban Missle Crisis? They also list Reagan at 17th ahead of Harry Truman, which I disagree with, Reagan belongs in the top 20 but not ahead of Truman. Anyhow these lists are always fun to read and you really can't argue with the top 4, Lincoln, Washington , Jefferson, and FDR, pretty solid there. Great food for thought.

Rupert Pulls The Plug

2006-11-20T20:51:00.000-05:00

So the most disgusting story of the last week, double killer OJ Simpson will not be allowed to air his FOX broadcast about how he "would" have killed his ex and Ron Goldman. The House that OJ built, FOX has decided to pull this disgusting tripe from the airwaves after they were facing an internal revolt from their affiliates and personalities like Bill O'Reilly. Murdoch also owns Judith Regans publishing co. that is doing this sordid book. Murdoch and the FOXIEs have made millions on these murders and I guess Rupert decided to finally have a bit of a conscious or perhaps a bit of shame. Just shows how depraved Murdoch and Newscorp is and how it took a public outcry to pull the plug on this. Greedy, tabloid news spewing, Aussie bastards!

OpinionJournal - Featured Article

2006-11-16T23:18:00.000-05:00

OpinionJournal - Featured Article
This has to be one of the best things I have read from a politician in years. Jim Webb just may be the future of the Democratic Party.

The Best Man Won

2006-11-16T21:17:00.000-05:00

Well, Speaker Pelosi has lost her first battle. She wanted Jack Murtha to be Majority leader over Steny Hoyer who was in line for the position. Murtha of course is a hard critic of the Iraq war, and an outspoken critic of W's policies, which I generally agree with, but he is prone to grandstanding and making wild accusations. The real reason that I am glad that he lost to Hoyer is that he is a corrupt old bastard. He was caught on camera 28 years ago during ABSCAM sort of taking 50 grand from some slimy fake middle eastern sheiks. To me Murtha is just as bad as Delay, Cunningham, Ney, and Jefferson, just another corrupt Congressman. The House Dems made the right call here, the people voted for change, and despite my agreeing with Murtha on his basic premise that Iraq was a mistake, he's still a crook and has no business in my parties leadership.

I Friggin Hate Cigarettes.

2006-11-14T13:24:00.000-05:00

So I read an AP story yesterday that said with the Democrats back in power, tobacco may be regulated as a drug and more laws against smoking may be in the works. Here in VA a GOP state senator has introduced an indoor smoking ban the last two sessions of the General Assembly and last year it almost passed. That would be amazing if in the home of Philip Morris we could get that law through. Cigarettes are vile and 2nd hand smoke kills. Screw all the idiot smokers who say these bans infringe on their rights. Most of them will end up dying of smoking related diseases that will make my health care costs go up, or because many of them end up indigant my taxes go up. I'm in favor of giving smokers one year to quit and if you don't you can't get health insurance, its pay as you go for your lung cancer and emphysema or let big tobacco pay for the care of their profit base. Screw em.

Weddings Rock

2006-11-14T13:19:00.000-05:00

Well I went and got myself hitched on Saturday. Heres an early pic of the new Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell. The wedding was great, weather was sunny and nearly 80 degrees, not bad for Virginia in November. Thanks to all and especially to Matt, Curt, and Brian. Ah wedded bliss......

Finally

2006-11-13T23:35:00.000-05:00

So this week ground was finally broken for a memorial to Dr. King. High time in my opinion that one of the greatest men of the past century is honored. King stood for all that is right and good with this country, and its a shame that it has taken almost forty years to properly honor the man,

Adios Rummy!!!

2006-11-08T22:15:00.000-05:00

If you had told me a few months ago that on this day the Democrats would hold both Houses of Congress and Rummy would get kicked out on his keister, I would have said you were dreaming! Pinch me please. My faith in the inherent goodness and intelligence of the American people has been restored in spades. Halleleujah!!

Landslide

2006-11-08T07:59:00.000-05:00

The Democratic juggernaut was impressive. I predicted a takeover of the House but picking up over 30 seats? Amazing! Looks like the Senate may be in our hands. Here in VA Webb looks to have won by about 7000 votes, but if Allen wants a recount we won't know till December. Hopefully Tester holds out in Montana. If this happens W better take a quick lesson in humility and compromise if he doesn't want his ass impeached. Happy Days are here again!!

VOTE

2006-11-06T16:12:00.000-05:00

Well we are nigh on election eve, I really hope the GOP is thrown out on their cans. I am optimistic and I feel especially good about the Senate race here in VA. Its gonna be a long night. Just for the record here in the Commonwealth I predict Jim Webb 51% Felix Allen 48% Gail Parker(I) 1% I hope I'm right.

Oh My

2006-11-03T08:56:00.000-05:00

So Rev. Haggard who is the leader of the evangelical Christians, who has provided counsel to W has been outed by a gay prostitute. This hypocrite has railed against gays and gay marriage for years, while secretly sneaking around on his wife and five kids to have sex with a hooker. Nice. It never ceases to amaze me that the people on the right who howl the loudest against immoral behavior, and the "gay agenda " turn out to be the biggest hypocrites. Sad.

HAHA

2006-11-02T15:15:00.000-05:00

So someone who never lets us forget how intellectually superior she is has been charged with voter fraud in Fla, which is a felony. Apparently Ms. Coulter forgot which precint she votes in. Come on Ann, someone as supposedly smart as you should know where to cast your ballot!

RIP William Styron

2006-11-02T08:36:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite writers passed away yesterday at the age of 81. William Styron was born in Newport News VA, which is where I was born. His novels were to me a revelation when I discovered them in college. The Confessions of Nat Turner, Lie Down in Darkness, and Sophie's Choice are some of the finest American novels of the last half of the 20th century. Styrons early novels chronicled life in the South and explored the lifes of the black and white denizons of Tidewater Virginia. To me he was a natural heir to Faulkner, but his prose had much in common with Hemingway and even Fitzgerald. The Confessions of Nat Turner chronicled the only slave insurrection in the US that almost succeded, and it is a riveting fictional account of Turner and the event. The insurrection took place in Southampton County Va, which is adjacent to Isle of Wight County where I grew up. I remember after reading the book, driving to Southampton and looking for the state historical marker that chronicled such an important event in history, to my shock there was no mention of the rebellion, this was in the early 1990's. A group of historians and writers including Styron appealed for some recognition of the event and a marker was put up, but the event showed to me how dark and buried the past was in my native Tidewater. Styron was a gifted writer and a brave person who chronicled his bout with crippling depression in his memoir Darkness Visable. Styron's death has robbed us of one of our finest writers.

Happy Halloween Kids

2006-10-31T15:34:00.000-05:00

Book Banners

2006-10-28T10:44:00.000-04:00

So the Queen of right wing mudslinging, Matt Drudge breaks the story that Jim Webbs novels have adult content! My word Webb's novels deal with the Vietnam war, they are not children's stories. This is an absolute desperate measure by Allen to smear Webb. I would remind Felix Allen that when he was drinking bourbon and culturing his racism, Jim Webb was a combat Marine who was highly decorated. What a complete nonstory.

Semantics

2006-10-25T19:24:00.000-04:00

So yesterday White House Press Secretary Lurch, I mean Tony Snow announces that the administration will no longer use the term "stay the course." Today they announce that they will begin using "benchmarks" to decide when to pull out US forces, but don't worry neocons "benchmarks" are not the same as timetables which the party of cut and run has proposed. Face it Schrub your fucked, let the Iraqis fight their own civil war. You ain't foolin anyone with your semantics game, the neocons have lost, you backed the wrong side.

El Rushbo

2006-10-25T16:09:00.000-04:00

So this fat tub of shit goes on his show and lambasts Michael J. Fox for doing commercials in favor of stem cell research to cure Parkinson's, Fattie claims that he was "acting" and had not taken his medication before the shoot. Well we all know that Rushie knows his medication. Jim over at http://majorconflict.blogspot.com/ has a great post about this and the Fox ad so you can see for yourself what a mean spirited jerkoff Limbaugh is. Saying you disagree with Fox is one thing, making fun of his condition is quite another. What will you do for an encore Rush? How about making fun of Stevie Wonder being blind or Sheryl Crow's breast cancer? How can these right wing zombies listen to this clowns drivel? The so called voice of conservatives who is a lying drug addict and who goes on sex junkets to the Dominican Republic and then gets busted with enough Viagra to kill a goat. He certainly seems like an upstanding righteous conservative to me.