On cute - essay

My TV has been off all day. I absoluely cannot bear to hear another word about the election. I want it to be over. I want John Kerry to win decisively. I want to feel safe again. Not safe from terrorists, I don't feel afraid of terrorists. I am afraid of unemployment, of losing Social Security, Health Care, privacy, my right to have my vote counted, afraid the Stock Market may crash, the value of the dollar might collapse even further, and things like that. If Bush were to win I am not at all clear as to what I might do. So here is another essay to help you keep your mind temporarily off the election, in so far as that might be possible.



I don't know precisely what the essence of "cute" is but I think I recognize it when I see it. It's always repulsive for one thing. Saccharine. Maudlin. Mushy. Disgusting. Women who crinkle their noses when they talk are cute. THE ELECTRIC KOOL-AID ACID TEST is cute. FOR COLORED GIRLS...WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF is super cute, even moreso than DAD OH DAD MOMS LOCKED YOU IN THE CLOSET AND IS FEELING SO SAD, both of which are enough to make you sick to your stomach, certainly enuf (enuf is cute just by itself) to make one not want to hear about it. That is, if you're on the anti-cute side of the world as I am.
It's obvious to me that the world is divided into two camps on this - the pro and anti-cute, whether equally or not I'm not quite certain. I fear the pro-cuters may be the majority as there is so much cute around. I don't think there is a large middle ground on this either.
"Love is" followed by whatever latest little homily is perhaps the longest running contemporary cute. Sandy Duncan is cute. Children talking like adults is cute. Old people talking like children is likewise cute. I (heart) followed by a picture of dogs or cats or something is cute. His and hers is cute. Baby talk is cute. I once received a resume from someone wanting a job which had a little heart shaped balloon drawn on it and started off with "Hello, I'm Dennis." Now that's transcending even the normal limits of cute by an unforgiveable margin. It could be argued that there are really only two kinds of people, those who think cute is cute and those who despise it with an intensity that those who like it could never possibly comprehend. Those who like it seek others like themselves, like friend Dennis above. You'd have to be absolutely dedicated to cute to give him a job. Little, especially little-girlish, is cute even when the poor unfortunate little person doesn't even want to be cute. This is a genuine handicap as, for example, when you're 30 years old, the head of your household, and everyone asks to speak with your mother.
Cute is two people sitting in a bar singing YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE to each other, wearing a heart shaped patch on the rear of your designer jeans, putting out a sign that says "attack cat," or even worse, "save me from things that go bump in the night." Diane Keaton is absolutely, unbelievably, persistently, totally, unmistakably, almost indescribably cute, especially as Annie Hall. Sickening. Writing with no capital letters is cute. Valentine's day is cute. Naming your cat Mr. Muddles is cute. Putting clothes on your dog is even worse cute. Apparently people who do these things not only enjoy it but give enjoyment to others like themsevles. They are oblivious to the suffering these things cause others. "I brake for Elves" is cute, at least the first time you see it, as is "One Nuclear Bomb Can Ruin Your Whole Day." For some people cute just doesn't seem to run out, they stick with it day after day, week after week, until you begin to wonder if there isn't something wrong with yourself instead of them.
I guess those who are into cute must have had parents that were like that. If people want to be cute in the privacy of their homes that's one thing, imposing it on an unwilling and unreceptive public is quite another. But, then, I suppose you can't really be cute in private. It seems to demand an audience. "Ye Olde..." is cute. "Shoppe" is cute. Wearing your husband's shirts is cute. Making faces is cute. Being "naughty" is cute. Saying "ever so much" is cute, as is dressing young and going "potty." It seems you just can't escape it. There's always one in every crowd, at least one. And worst of all, those who go for cute are constitutionaly unable to understand those of us who don't. They obviously believe that being cute is cute. Isn't that cute?

BUT DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!

Heil Bush

Well,

here we are with only two days before the election. The polls this and the polls that. The polls now are little more than nonsense. I predict a Kerry victory by two or more percentage points.

I stand by my claim that Osama bin Laden’s recent videotape was meant to help George W. Bush. It may not do that, but that was what it was intended to do. As one Republican spokesman put it, anything that reminds Americans of terror is good for Bush (as Bush, presumably, has more support for fighting terrorism than Kerry). But even though the intention was to help Bush it could well backfire. It could remind people of Bush’s failure to get Osama bin Laden “dead or alive.” It could also remind them of Bush’s claim that he was no longer really concerned with bin Laden. This, along with the explosives scandal and the absolute chaos in Iraq could well spell the end of the Bush pretend Presidency (do not forget that he was not actually elected).

I have just seen the video, Going Upriver, the story of John Kerry’s valor in Vietnam and subsequently in the anti-war movement. It is very moving and should be seen by everyone. And by the way, whatever happened to the Swift Boat Veterans for (un)Truth? They seem to have more or less faded away. Small loss, that. I believe Kerry’s testimony before the Congressional Committee was absolutely brilliant. It makes everything coming out of the mouth of Bush sound like a braying jackass, which, of course, it is. There is no doubt that compared with Kerry Bush is simply a mental midget. But somehow there seems to be a fairly substantial number of Republicans who admire mental midgets (probably because he is so much like them). Does anyone really want a President who is just a nice guy to have a cup of coffee with? Not me. I want a President who is smart as hell and reads newspapers and books. I would also like one who is not a serial liar and will tell me the truth about how bad (or good) things truly are.

I have been around now for much longer than I like to admit to. But I have never seen our country in such a mess as it has become under the Bush/Cheney Administration. This is an absolutely critical moment in American history. Either we will survive as a democracy or become a fascist state. This latter fate is almost upon us. Get out and vote! Help rid us of these monstrous tyrants with their delusions of imperial grandeur. Did you see that recently at one Bush rally the entire crowd was asked to recite, en mass, an oath of allegiance to Bush. Heil Hitler!

Osama bin Laden

Well,
On this date 75 years ago the Stock Market crashed and I was born. I could have said, I was born on this day 75 years ago and the Stock Market crashed. But I do not really believe there was any causal nexus between these two events. I was going to write something like “Reflections on Turning 75,” but Osama bin Laden upstaged me.

Why would Osama bin Laden, looking healthy and well dressed, suddenly emerge from hiding to make a videotape four days before the election? What could he possibly gain from this? Who would gain from this? It seems highly unlikely that bin Laden truly believes that the American people, or the present Administration, would take his advice seriously and give up on their policies of supporting Israel and trying to dominate the Middle East (controlling oil, that is). So what is this all about?

I am not ordinarily much of a conspiracy theorist but I confess this has me truly puzzled. As near as I can see, the only person who could possibly benefit from this sudden emergence of the world’s number one terrorist is George W. Bush. We might have suspected a terrorist attack but is this not the next best thing? There are people, knowledgeable people, who believe there is a relationship between the Bush family, the Carlyle Company, the Saudi Arabians (including Osama bin Laden who has not been disowned as they claim), the CIA, the drug trade, some of the world’s largest banks, and the attempt control the world’s drug and oil supply (see Crossing the Rubicon by Michael C.Ruppert). There is also the most practical consequence of diverting attention away from the explosives scandal which is most embarrassing for Bush and which he cannot adequately explain (another glaring example of the unbelievable incompetence of the Bush/Cheney Administration).

There are many who believe the only thing that could save the failing Bush Presidency
would be a last minute attack on the United States by the terrorists. Indeed, apparently half of all New Yorkers believe the Bush Administration knew of the impending 911 attacks and let them happen. Osama bin Laden for the first time has admitted he ordered the attacks, which then became the excuse for invading Iraq, which had nothing to do with it, but which enabled the conspiracy to grab control of Iraqi oil and try to establish themselves in the Middle East.

I admit this seems somewhat far-fetched. But what could be more far-fetched than the present Bush Administration? They have defended the Saudis even though it is obvious by now that they helped finance the terrorists, and, indeed, most of the hijackers were Saudis. They have made an ally of Pakistan even though Pakistan favored the Taliban (as did the United States until their plans for an oil pipeline began to crumble) and also blatantly helped the spread of nuclear weapons, contrary to the policy of the United States.

More importantly, it is inconceivable that Osama bin Laden could not have been captured by now had there been any consuming desire to do so. Many knowledgeable persons argue that bin Laden’s whereabouts have been known for a long time. As he may well still be a CIA “asset” this is even more obvious. So why was no genuine effort made to capture or kill him? Why did Bush say he was not even a person of interest? Why was our attention directed to Iraq which had nothing to do with terrorism? The true reasons for this strange misdirection have never been made clear by the Bush/Cheney Administration, although it is obvious that oil had mostly to do with it. What, if anything, does the growing drug trade have to do with it?

I submit, that at the very least, there is much more here than meets the eye. What might happen if the Bush/Cheney administration has to eventually admit the truth of their evil machinations around he world?

Republican dirty tricks

Well,

it seems abundantly clear that the Republican campaign is determined to suppress as many votes, especially black and minority votes, as possible. Obviously this is because they know that a smaller turnout will favor Bush/Cheney, but more importantly, they know the minority votes will almost overwhelmingly go to Kerry/Edwards. Concentrating on the so-called “battlefield states” they are doing everything they can to keep democrats from voting. This is true in Florida, Ohio, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, and quite probably most everywhere else. Never mind that all of these attempts are blatant violations of the Federal Election Laws. So where is the Justice Department? Where is John Ashcroft (remember him?). You better remember him because if Bush/Cheney through some criminal activity get elected he may well end up on the Supreme Court. Think of that!!!

Pity the Bush/Cheney attempt to avoid any responsibility for the missing 380,000 tons of explosives. One of their media toadies has gone so far as to suggest that it is all the Russians fault. Giuliani , in a real no-brainer, suggests that it is the fault of the troops rather than Bush (somehow this betrays an ignorance so profound as to boggle the mind). Others are trying to claim that the explosives, all 380,000 tons, were moved prior to the “war.” Right! As if no one was watching either before the “war” or during the “war.”

The more Bush insists that Kerry is unfit to lead, the more he proves that he is himself unfit. George W. Bush is the worst President in my lifetime (which is extensive) and quite probably the worst President in American history. Perhaps I should say Dick Cheney is the worst President as he obviously is in charge of the mindless puppet who apparently never reads or thinks. The present administration is a national disgrace. The United States will never regain its stature in the world until we are rid of them, apologize for our temporary insanity, and hold them responsible for the horrendous blunders that have led to the current disastrous situation.

Barring some inconceivable development, Bush/Cheney and their coterie of national and international gangsters are going to be history – that is, after they are out of office and held responsible for their actions. They must see the end coming. I will not be surprised to find them taking refuge in Uruguay or Paraguay like the fascists before them.

WAR CRIMINALS BELONG IN JAIL - NOT THE WHITE HOUSE!

Missing explosives

Now let me see if I can get this straight. Dick (the Slimy) says that John Kerry is just a Monday Morning Quarterback because he is concerned about the missing explosives. The Shrub insists that Kerry is speaking without knowing the facts. So let us consider what the facts are.

No one disputes that there were 380 tons of extremely dangerous explosives at the site in question. No one disputes that those tons and tons of explosives are now missing. No one disputes that at the moment no one knows what happened to those explosives. No one disputes that it would have taken at least 38 large trucks to move the explosives in question.

The argument the Bush/Cheney people seem to want you to believe is that the explosives might have been moved before the “war.” What in the hell does it matter when they were moved? They mean before the war they weren’t actually watching and paying attention? With the weapons inspectors on the ground and constant overflights and presumably U. S. intelligence focused on Iraq, they didn’t pay any attention to a munitions dump with 380 tons of explosives? And after the “war” they were so busy protecting the Oil Ministry they couldn’t be bothered about a mere 380 tons of explosives? Doesn’t this imply at the very least that someone took their eye off the ball?

What it indicates to me is what we already know. The invasion of Iraq, the so-called “war,” was the most ill-conceived, badly planned, incompetently executed, and stupid foreign policy blunder in the history of the United States. And this ignores the fact that it was completely illegal, unconstitional, and the most universally condemned action ever perpetrated against a sovereign nation. It was a war crime, pure and simple. And in its execution further war crimes were committed: violating the Geneva Convention by illegally arresting and holding prisoners with no rights of defense, torturing prisoners, war profiteering, lying to, and deceiving the Red Cross, secretly moving prisoners from one country to another, looting national assets, and more.

What I wonder is, if John Kerry does win the election, which I believe he will, what will be done to hold these war criminals responsible for their absolutely reprehensible and illegal behavior? Surely they cannot be simply rewarded for their murderous, profitable, and unnecessary “war” by letting them just retire with their ill-gotten gains?

Now they have the audacity to request another 70 billion dollars for this pit of shame? Another 70 billion for Halliburton and its subsidiaries? Let us make it eminently clear on November 2nd that enough is too much. No to this endless “war” and the evil cabal that brought it about and wants to perpetuate it forever.

Polls

A mere 380,000 tons of explosives missing? What’s the problem? John Kerry is simply a Monday morning quarterback for even raising the question, according to Dick (the Slimy) Cheney.

Illegally trying to suppress the vote in Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Oregon and no doubt elsewhere? What’s the problem?

What was that bulge under your coat? Ah, well, some people say it was some kind of device, I don’t know, if someone would tell me how it works maybe I’d understand it. It was really my Tailor’s fault, a bad shirt.

I believe it is possible, perhaps not all of the time, but most of the time, to tell when someone is lying. When I saw Bush’s response to this question there was no doubt whatsoever in my mind that he was lying.

And then there are the polls. Most everyone with a brain larger than a pea knows that the polls being reported are utterly useless. And yet we keep on being polled and given the results as if somehow they have meaning. Somewhere I read that recently there have been 112 separate polls. Some show Bush ahead, some Kerry, but always we are being told that the race is too close to call, a dead heat, unpredictable. If you pay no attention to this polling nonsense and consider other developments it makes no sense to conclude that the race is going to be close. First, there is the massive registration of new voters, mostly by Democrats. There is the fact that cell phone users are not even being polled and most of them are younger voters who favor Kerry. Related to this is the massive registrations of University students who also favor Kerry by a large margin. Then there is the fact that so many newspapers, even those who previously endorsed Bush are now endorsing Kerry. There is also the fact that Bush/Cheney are almost universally despised by people around the world as well as Democrats here at home. It is known that a majority of women believe in a woman’s choice and do not want abortion rights taken away. Most of the big labor unions are going for Kerry. A very large majority of black voters will vote for Kerry and likewise a majority of Hispanics will also. Even many Republicans, even lifetime Republicans, have announced they will support Kerry or, in the case of some, will simply not vote. The New Yorker magazine, breaking an 80 year old tradition, is endorsing Kerry. If the Dow Industrial Average is below 10,200, which it currently is, the incumbents will almost surely lose.There is simply no way this election will be too close to call – unless, of course, Republican dirty tricks can somehow salvage the day. Although they are certainly trying, this seems to me unlikely. Democrats are not willing to just give up this time without a real fight. And as justice is clearly on their side they will ultimately win.

Bush/Cheney and their neocon thugs should just resign and throw themselves on the mercy of the court. With their record of deceit, greed, arrogance, incompetence, and serial lying they should not be allowed to even run for office, let alone expect to be elected. And they should not expect mercy.

Where are the rank and file Republicans?

Citizens having to sign loyalty oaths to even attend Bush/Cheney speaking events, being removed from such events because they are not wearing the proper t-shirts, or because they are known democrats, and even a soldier removed because he was standing by a democrat! The purging of felons from the voting rolls, refusing to count provisional votes, the dumping of Democrats registration forms, improper registrations, having to register on only a certain type of paper, phone calls to tell people to vote in the wrong places, the illegal registration of students as Republicans, the intimidation of voters, particularly black voters, changing the location of voting booths, and more. These are all tactics being employed by Republicans to suppress the vote and try to insure the election of Bush/Cheney. Is this what democracy is all about? The real question that needs to be asked here is where are the rank and file Republicans? Do they support and condone this kind of behavior? Have they all abandoned even the pretense of democracy? I know there are Republicans who will vote Republican not matter what. People like my mother-in-law who pays no attention to what is happening and simply says she will vote Republican because she always has. But are there no Republicans who actually care about democracy? Who think people should have the right to vote without coercion, without being cheated and disenfranchised? It has already been made clear there are no honorable Republicans in Congress, but is it the case that there are no honorable Republicans at all? Granted that lying during the campaigns is commonplace, deliberately trying to steal the votes through dirty tricks is quite another problem. Republicans seem to have mastered the techniques and employed them much better than Democrats. Will the Republican base be truly satisfied to have stolen another election through such devious and illegal tactics? Is this what American democracy has become?

Forget the polls. They lie. They also make absolutely no sense. Especially this year as they don’t even include cell phone users. And they cheat in other ways as well. One positive sign that things are going well for Democrats is that the rats are beginning to leave the sinking ship. Think of all the newspapers, including the New York Times, that previously supported Bush but now have switched to supporting Kerry. Think of the fact that apparently Wall Street money has been drying up for Bush. Think of all the thousands of new voters who have registered and are overwhelmingly for Kerry, especially young people. Without the cheating this would be no contest. The best outcome will be if Kerry/Edwards win with a sufficiently large margin to make any challenge simply irrelevant. So get out and vote your conscience. For those Republicans who seem to have no conscience, you deserve what you get.

Cats - essay

I am sick of politics. Sick of George W. Bush. Sick of Dick Cheney. Sick of the neocons. Sick of lies. How about an essay to temporarily ease the pain?




Cats

I lived for a time in the middle unit of a three story apartment building. Immediately adjacent was an almost identical building so that the deck of my apartment was only six feet away from that of my neighbor's. My neighbor, an obese and unattractive lady had a cat named, for whatever unfathomable reason, Lester. Each morning without fail and precisely at seven she would emerge onto her deck and call: "Here Lester, Lester, Lester, Lester, baby, baby, baby, Lester, Lester, Lester, Lester, baby, baby, baby." At five in the afternoon she would repeat this dreadful performance. Sometimes she would have to keep calling for several minutes before Lester, a truly wretched looking long haired calico creature would deign to obey. As she had an unusually shrill and piercing voice her calls could be heard over a very long distance. Although everyone laughed and shook their heads at this, as far as I know, and to my utter amazement, no one ever complained, not even me.
What is it with cat lovers anyway? Even an otherwise perfectly normal, even dignified person, when it comes to their cat, cannot seem to resist babbling baby talk and even worse: "Ooh, how's my little snookum wookums this morning; is little kitty cat wanting his/her breakfast wekfast; does my little sweetie pie darling warling want some tuna wuna; come and give mama/papa a nice smoochie woochie; here's your breakie wekie in your nice crystal bowlie wowlie," and on and on. Have these people no sense of how utterly absurd this sounds? Are they oblivious to the fact that even their best friends want to vomit when forced to listen to this unspeakable drivel? They would certainly never think of speaking to another person like this - even, I bet, in the privacy of their own homes.
And if this manner of address is not ridiculous enough they treat their cats as if they were even better than royalty, lavishing gifts upon them: little kitty snacks, fake mice filled with catnip, little three and four story apartments, entirely carpeted no less, plastic birds that flutter helplessly, encouraging the little beasts to practice the only thing they know: if it moves, kill it. And of course they don't kill without torturing first. Wonderful pets it would seem, if you happen to be a sadistic voyeur. Why don't the owners think of this when their little darlings proudly drag in songbirds and mice and lizards and moles and anything else they can manage to catch and then playfully torture to death right before their eyes?
Of course these ungrateful animals have to have only the best foods, special foods, gourmet foods. There are endless varieties and combinations. In one small supermarket I counted no less than 20 varieties of dry cat food. There are, for example, Trophy Fish and Liver, Alley Cat, Just Good Cat Food, Blue Mountain Special Menu, Atta Cat Cuisine, 9 Lives Crunchy Meals, Friskies Gourmet, Friskies Ocean Fish Flavor, Whiskas Seafood Recipe, Whiskas Original Recipe, Special Cats, Alpo Gourmet Dinners, Trophy Soft and Moist, and more. Having reviewed the dry cat foods I began to look at the tinned varieties. There are even more! And the variety is virtually endless! Friskies (with gourmet flavor), Chef's Blend (with four, count 'em, flavors), Friskie's Buffet for Cats (Mariner's catch, Salmon Dinner, Turkey and Giblets Banquet, Sliced Chicken in Gravy, Liver and Chicken Dinner, and even something called Elegant Dinner, whatever that is). For the even more discriminating there is Shebas Poulter Liver in Aspic, Turkey in Aspic, and Salmon in Aspic. This is by no means all. Do you eat as well? I thought not. And on a more serious note, what about all those people on earth who don't eat at all?
Not only do these useless pampered housepets have to have special foods, they even have to have special materials for their private bathrooms: There are, for instance, Trophy Scoopable, either scented or unscented, Tidy Scoop, Scoop Away, Johnny Cat, Good Mews (I am not making this up), and something called Natural Select, which is also scoopable. It is even possible to buy special liners for your cat boxes, presumably to make it easier to clean up the end products of all the above including Mousers Tender Treats which I neglected to mention.
Whatever happened to just plain old barn cats who lived out there where the action was and paid their way by keeping the hungry rodents away from the grain? These cats survived without all this ridiculous pampering. Oh, sure, they might have been rewarded once in a while by a little milk fresh from the cow or something like that. It does make you wonder, doesn't it? Brings up that eternal question: What is the world coming to?

The coming chaos?

Okay, I admit it. If it has not been obvious up to now, I am a Democratic partisan. I absolutely cannot stand Bush/Cheney. Although I no longer watch much news on TV I confess than on those occasions where either Bush or Cheney are speaking I turn it off – immediately. I cannot bear to either see or hear them. Nor can I tolerate any more lies, and you can be certain that if they are speaking they are lying.

As the Republicans have no positive accomplishments to run on (unless you think tax breaks for the filthy rich are a positive accomplishment), they have nothing to use except negative ads and remarks about John Kerry. Thus they are reduced to having to figure out ways to steal the coming election – which they clearly are doing in virtually every state in the union; throwing out Democratic registrations, tricking students into registering as Republicans, intimidating black voters, changing voting places at the last minute, illegally denying felons the right to vote, etc., etc.

Unless one party wins truly big time there will be endless litigation. Republicans will not give up as the stakes for them are too high – possible jail time or worse. And the Democrats, finally, have made it clear that they will not just roll over this time and let the election be stolen again. I hesitate to say it, but this may trigger an actual revolution. A revolution of Democrats against would be fascists. Unthinkable up to now in the United States. But what other recourse might there be if Republicans insist on holding on to power even though defeated in the election?

I do not believe Republicans can possibly win if there is a legal election. The best scenario, and one I believe might actually happen, is if there is an overwhelmingly Democratic vote that cannot possibly be challenged. In spite of the nonsensical polls that claim a toss-up I believe the citizens of he United States are poised to eliminate these warmongering, war profiteering, neo-fascist thugs once and for all. If we have not learned our lessons by now, God help us all.

With the Dow at below 10,000, the unemployment rate very high, the national debt at an all time high, the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan disastrous, the economy perilous, the environment under attack by corporate interests, and millions in poverty and without health insurance, science being ignored in favor of religious fervor, how can Bush/Cheney possibly survive? They can’t, unless they pull off the most miraculous con job in the history of the world. We must see to it that this does not happen. Vote, and make sure your friends vote. This is absolutely the most important election in your lifetime. Freedom or economic and political slavery is the choice. This is not to be taken lightly.

Please, Mama

The Program on International Policy Attitudes has concluded that Bush/Cheney supporters are virtually detached from reality. They continue to believe that Sadam Hussein had something to do with 9-11 and with supporting terrorists even though it has now been established that these beliefs are totally without foundation. This does not come as news for me as I have believed for the past three and a half years that anyone who could support Bush/Cheney, by definition, must be divorced from reality.

What I find absolutely fascinating, however, is that 11% more women supported Al Gore than men. And this is predicted to be true for the coming election. If this is true, what on earth could be the explanation? Bush is a loser in every sense of the word. He has failed at every opportunity he has had. Failed as a businessman, failed as an oilman, failed as a member of the National Guard, and failed dismally as President. So why would men vote for him? Someone suggested to me that it is really quite simple: men are more stupid than women. Perhaps that is so. Are men really taken in by the fake macho, swaggering bully John Wayne imitation? The all hat no cattle pretense? The anti-intellectual mangling of the English language? The litany of lies that emanate from his mouth on a daily basis?

John Kerry is a genuine war hero, a decorated Vietnam veteran, a military man who distinguished himself on the battlefield, in spite of all the lies to the contrary. Bush is a draft dodging, priviledged draft dodger who stayed out of Vietnam because of his family’s influence. He says he didn’t ask to be exempt. Of course he didn’t ask to be exempt, he didn’t have to. It was just in the nature of the case that he would be, along with other wealthy Texans who received the same treatment.

So what kind of men would vote for this loser? Those who are guilty that they could not do what John Kerry did? Those who want to spite their wives? Those who somehow believe that tax cuts for the very wealthy are good for the economy? What? It is inconceivable to me than any reasonably intelligent man could possibly vote for George W. Bush. John Edwards is right, we do have two Americas. Actually we have more than that. We are divided, rich and poor, men and women, fundamentalists and the more sensible, those who want to return to the Middle Ages and those who want to enter the twenty-first century. Bush/Cheney could care less, they are only concerned with profits for Halliburton and General Electric.

Please mama, HELP!

The Cancer on the Presidency

Well, it looks like Bush/Cheney are going to win. Not the election, the race to keep all the scandals from doing them in before the election. Remember the lawsuit over Cheney’s energy meetings? Remember the Plame case? Remember the unanswered 9-11 questions? The DeLay bribery question? The Texas redistricting case? Bush’s AWOL from the National Guard? The Abu Ghraib torture chain of command? I’m sure there are more that I have forgotten – as it has been so long since any of them have featured in the news. And why have they not featured in the news? For the same reason none of Bush’s outrageous lies have not been exposed by the media. The same reason the polls are being manipulated to convince people the race for the Presidency is close. The corporate media are on the side of the Republicans because they are part of the fascist plot to take over America. As Jimmy Breslin said today on The Smirking Chimp, anyone who would believe the polls has to be insane. I believe he is right. And I also believe that without all the dirty tricks the election would not even be close.

But with armies of lawyers on both sides, and several lawsuits already filed, what will happen no matter who presumably wins? Can the outcome be tied up in the courts forever? And if so, who will be President? Will Bush continue as President until the issues are settled? Will Kerry, if he presumably wins, be installed as President on time? Or will there ultimately have to be a revolution? There is no way Bush/Cheney will give up no matter what the vote is. The consequences for them will be too grave. And it looks like Kerry/Edwards are just as determined to prevail. The only hope is that Kerry will win by such an overwhelming margin there simply cannot be any question about it. He may. Get out and vote. Make it eminently clear that Americans are absolutely fed up with Bush/Cheny and the neocons who have led us into this almost incomprehensible mess. Let us tell the world that we are sorry for this temporary aberration, this insanity that has poisoned our land, this obscenity that pretends to be the Government of the United States. As in the case of Nixon, there is a cancer eating away at the Presidency. We must get rid of it before it is too late.

The pathologically stupid

In the emerald forest
a tiny fawn
with innocent eyes
hides in the ferns,
as beauty hides truth.


What is the matter with the American public? At least a large portion of it? Can they not see the absolute ENORMITY of the crime that has been committed? Bush/Cheney lied to Congress and the American public in order to bring about a “war” that was totally unnecessary. Iraq was NOT a threat to the United States. Iraq was NOT involved with terrorism and 9-11. Bush/Cheney and the neocons planned an attack on Iraq even before 9-ll. Iraq had NO weapons of mass destruction. They had NO means of attacking the United States. They were NOT trying to build nuclear weapons or any other WMD’s. As a result of the Bush/Cheney lies thousands upon thousands of perfectly innocent people have died, to say nothing of more than 1100 American troops. The Bush administration is despised all around the world. American prestige and credibility has disappeared. Bush/Cheney who should have been impeached (at he very least) are actually running for office. And somehow, in all this madness, there are citizens who actually support them. How can this be? Are we really a nation half moron and half free? I am sorry to have to say it, but you would have to be virtually pathologically stupid not to understand this.

I am not certain I can survive another two weeks of electioneering until November 2nd. I no longer watch any tv news as I live in fear that I might actually have to either see or hear this bumbling stupid man recite a prepared text to a carefully screened audience of mindless cheering fools who seem to believe that God does, indeed, speak directly to George W. Bush. We are now being forced to review The History of Warfare Between Science and Theology all over again. In short, we are reverting back to the Middle Ages. Bush may believe in his intuition and gut feelings. I do not.

There are things about Kerry that I do not like. For example, his apparently uncritical absolute support for Israel. I also do not like his support of continuing on in the lost Iraqi situation. But unless you want another four years of incompetence, insanity, and national suicide you had better vote for him.

It's positively Rovian

I think I heard Bush say today that John Kerry was engaging in the politics of fear. This was when he was talking about Kerry’s position on Social Security (Bush seems to think Kerry is trying to frighten the elderly by criticising Bush’s plan for privatization - at least that’s what I think it was about). It really doesn’t matter what it was about. What struck me about it was the absolute Chutzpa involved in Bush accusing Kerry of the politics of fear when the entire Bush Presidency and his only hope for election is based almost exclusively on exploiting the politics of fear. Dick the Slimy was at it again also, carrying on about the dangers of someone bringing in a dirty bomb in a suitcase or some such thing. But not to worry, the multi-billion dollar missile defense system that doesn’t work, and probably never will work, will protect us from suitcase bombs. And if not, just regard it as money well spent for the defense industry. Have to keep them going, you know.

But what really got me thinking about this is what seems to be a pattern of the Republican campaign strategy. Think about it. John Kerry has a distinguished service record and was awarded medals for valor. Bush was a National Guard drop out, most probably AWOL for much of his time. So what better strategy than to attack Kerry’s war record?

Bush has flip-flopped on virtually every important issue of his Presidency. No 9-11 commission, yes a 9-11 commission, no Rice testimony, yes Rice testimony, no nation building, yes nation building, only one hour with the commission, no limit on time, no Homeland security, yes Homeland security, weapons of mass destruction, no weapons of mass destruction, no drugs from Canada but vaccines from Canada, etc., etc. etc. So what better strategy than to label Kerry a flip-flopper?

Having turned the largest projected budget surplus in history into the largest budget deficit in history why not accuse Kerry of being a tax and spend liberal (rather than a credit card spend and spend lunatic and passing the debt on to our children and grandchildren)?

While wearing $2000 to $3000 dollars suits why not accuse Kerry of wearing $200 shirts and getting expensive haircuts?

Having failed miserably in everything he has attempted, including his Presidency, why not accuse Kerry of not being a leader?

Having virtually no record of accomplishment as either a businessman or a politician why not attack Kerry’s record as a senator?

Bush was born with a silver spoon in his mouth into an exceedingly wealthy family and is himself wealthy. So why not pretend to be a Texas cracker and criticise Kerry for being wealthy? And what is worse, having a wealthy, intelligent, and outspoken wife.

Am I the only one who sees a clear pattern here? A pattern that has Karl Rove written all over it? Rove is a master of turning defeat into victory, black into white, failure into success, down into up, fantasy into truth, hogwash into statesmanship, and more. Let us hope Kerry is right and Bush’s lies are catching up with him. As far as I am concerned they caught up with him a long time ago.

Spend and spend

Republicans, having tried and failed to destroy Kerry’s distinguished service record, obviously because Bush’s military record is so much more dismal, and having failed to label him as a flip-flopper, because it became obvious that Bush was much more of a flip-flopper, and having also failed to ridicule him as being wealthy, because Bush is also wealthy, have now fallen back on their typical old-fashioned canard: Kerry is a tax and spend liberal. This, too, is doomed to fail, not only because it is an accusation so overworked and out-of-date, but also because the reply is so devastating: Better to be a tax and spend liberal than a credit card spend and spend Bush Republican conservative. How anyone who has turned a several billion dollar surplus into a several billion dollar deficit in the space of a mere three and a half years can accuse Kerry of being a tax and spend liberal has such an awesome chutzpah that it almost has to be admired. As there is nothing else that can be admired about the Bush Administration I guess that’s the best we can hope for.

In yesterday’s blog I believe I might have made a minor mistake. I implied that the Los Angeles Times had endorsed Kerry. I do not believe this is true as they may not as yet have endorsed anyone, and, given the nature of the ownership, they may well not endorse Kerry. But on the other hand, they might. In any case it is certainly true that Kerry has many more endorsements from major newspapers than does Bush. Personally, I think the New York Times endorsement says it all the best.

Is this not the very best time of the year? The harvest is about over, the garden is about to be shut down for the winter, the pig is going to the butcher tomorrow, the tomatoes, peppers, leeks, beets, apples and carrots have been taken care of, the pears have been canned, the walnuts have fallen from the trees. Life is good. How wonderful to enjoy the seasons! Autumn, for me, is the best time of the year, in spite of the sadness that somehow goes with it.

Shame and an Essay

Lying to the American people and the Congress of the United States is an impeachable offense. Attacking a basically defenseless country that is not a threat to you, has not attacked you, and is trying to avoid a war with you, is a war crime. Violating the Geneva Convention is a war crime. Torturing prisoners is a war crime. War profiteering is a war crime.

The national debt is at an all-time high. Unemployment is rampant. The economy is questionable. The lack of health care is a national scandal. The environment is being systematically destroyed because of corporate greed. More people are living in poverty. More have lost their health care. Every state is experiencing a financial crisis. The entire world holds the present administration and its leader in contempt. The country is more divided than at any time since the Civil War.

In spite of all this the Spokesman-Review has outrageously seen fit to endorse a lying, incompetent, warmongering war criminal to be President of the United States. Shame, I say! Shame!

Contrast this absolutely thoughtless endorsement with the truly fine endorsements of John Kerry by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Seattle Times, and the Boston Globe.

Essay:

These days, what with no fault divorce, the causes of divorce are no longer a legal question. They are, however, still an interesting academic question. Besides, not everywhere has no fault divorces. It is fairly common to read (especially if you read a bit of cultural anthropology now and then) that among the so-and-so peoples, barrenness is grounds for divorce, or adultery is, or the failure to mind your mother-in-law, or neglecting the children, failing to cook dinner, things like that. In more "civilized" lands there are more abstract concepts, general categories like incompatibility, desertion, irreconcilable differences, failure to provide or communicate, mental cruelty, and so on. It's all nonsense, no matter where you are.
The fact is, there are almost as many reasons for divorce as there are divorces. And the real reasons are usually quite specific and mundane although, granted, usually exacerbated over time. Backseat driving and reading over someone's shoulder are too obvious even to mention. Chewing with your mouth open, that's a genuine cause for sure, and probably not uncommon. Talking when your spouse is reading is another, as is interrupting sporting events to describe the latest spring fashions. Naturally you can't sit up there in court and testify that you want a divorce because your spouse talks when you read, or discusses fashion when you want to watch the Dodgers or bowling or something like that. Of course you can't, you'd look pretty stupid (to say nothing of cranky) if you tried something like that. But there are lots of other reasons, probably an infinite variety. Denigrating Tommy Lasorda, for example. Being too predictable, like saying, without fail, every single time you pass an ice cream shop, "Oh, I just love ice cream, can we stop?" Or worse yet, "There goes another pound," every time they use the bathroom.
Still another cause for divorce, although not so commonly recognized as such perhaps, is the "force your spouse to say something he/she doesn't want to" syndrome as, for example, "Darling, please tell them that joke you told last night at the Jones's." The more subtle and even more destructive version of this is, "Isn't this a lovely room (or whatever)," upon entering someone's godawful green and orange living room with the checkered drapes and the meant-for-outdoors carpeting. Mud pack probably ranks up there as a cause for disillusionment and divorce along with hair curlers. It's really the little things that break people up, the big things you can overcome. What's a little barrenness or failure to provide between friends? It's when your love cannot understand, no matter how many not so subtle hints you drop, that you can't bear the sound of him/her eating that apple when your're trying to read that gets you.
Picking your teeth at the table after every meal will do it too. Bubble gum in an adult can be a disaster as can habitually putting your feet on the coffee table. Contrariness is a more important problem and a sure breakerupper. Why is it that some partners to a marriage seem to think it is their obligation to be contrary? If you want to plant it here they want to plant it there. If you say its nice out, they say its not. It doesn't take much time for this to result in divorce, but those who do it just can't seem to stop. They seem to believe that's what marriage is all about, "being free to have differences of opinion."
Even blowing your nose can be hazardous to marital stability, especially if you are overly noisy or idiosyncratic about it. Interestingly, failing to blow your nose can also be problemmatical, depending upon circumstances and sensibilities. All in all marriage is a dangerous affair; living with another is a difficult enterprise complicated by who knows what little insignificant but significant behaviors that can spell doom to even the most stable of personalities. Let's not delude ourselves with all kinds of grandiose generalizations about what causes divorce but remember the real nitty gritty and beware.

Letters to the editor

A letter to the editor I wrote to the Spokesman Review on September 8th was finally published today, October 16th. I have no idea why it was held over for so long. Happily, it was still more or less relevant.

A letter I wrote on August 30th was never published. It contained a list and I was told that the paper didn’t publish lists of things. So I will repeat it here:

“I didn’t realize the 2004 Presidential election was about who earned their medals and who did not. I assumed it was about whether Bush/Cheney deserved to be elected for a four year term on the basis of their accomplishments to date. I expected to hear about:

unemployment
economy and national debt
social security
treason (outing of CIA operative)
poverty and health insurance
the environment
failures in Afghanistan and Iraq
failure of the so-called “road map”
the secret Cheney energy plan
intelligence failures
lies that led us to “war”
war profiteering
the “Patriot Act”
torturing prisoners
possible criminal acts by the Vice President
our lost credibility in world affairs

It is not surprising that Bush/Cheney do not want to discuss these issues. It is also not surprising that Bush/Cheney do not want John Kerry to discuss them either. So let us just continue to argue over the medals while the United States continues to slide further and further into the dustbin of history and the gutter of international relations.”

On a more recent note, three teachers were removed from a Bush speech and threatened with arrest. Their violation: wearing t-shirts that said “Protect Our Civil Liberties.” One would think that not even proto-fascists would have the nerve to publicly object to protecting civil liberties (however much they seem to have no desire to protect them).

There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that the Republicans are embarked on a highly coordinated nation wide campaign to illegally interfere with the democratic process. In state after state there have now been instances of attempts to alter voting rolls, intimidate voters, failures to produce enough ballots, actually altering requests for absentee ballots, attempting to avoid having to leave a paper trail of votes, etc., etc.

In the meanwhile Bush/Cheney keep appearing before their apparently totally mindless carefully screened supporters telling lie after lie and being wildly cheered by what increasingly seems to be an out of control mob screaming for even more blood and violence. If you do not see the threat of fascism here you are simply looking in the wrong direction. These corporate nazis and lunatic fundamentalists cannot be allowed to take over our beautiful and wonderful country.

Bush/Cheney - WMD’s

What debates?

Eighteen more days until the crucial election, almost certainly the most important election of our lifetimes. You can be sure the Republicans will try to pretend that the debates never happened, or if they did they were dead even. Of course no one in their right mind would believe this, but the Republican base has not been in its right mind for years. There is no doubt what happened in the debates – Bush was publicly exposed for the absolute fraudulent phony President he has been and is. His lies and hypocrisy were exceeded, if that were possible, by Dick the Slimy and his wife who have expressed outrage over the fact that Kerry said their daughter was a lesbian and would no doubt admit that she had been born that way. It is not as if she was being “outed” by Kerry, everyone knows she is a lesbian and has known it for years. Indeed, Cheney himself has acknowledged this when it suited his purpose. Republican hypocrites are the best in the world.

There are rumors now, based mostly on his personal appearance during the last debate, that perhaps Bush has had a stroke (the turned down left lip, spittle on his mouth). Still another rumor has it that the bulge in his suit coat is a defibrillator because he might have a somewhat defective heart beat. Most believe he was simply wired for the debates because he could not be trusted on his own. Still another idea, based upon his appearance and performance, is that he simply wants to get it over with and get out. He is tired, the work is hard, and he’s just had it. At least one intelligent observer I know thinks he may be having a nervous breakdown. I have no idea if any of this is even remotely true and, frankly, am skeptical. But it is true that he did not take his annual physical in August and has postponed it until after the election. They claim he has just been too busy, and perhaps that is true. But what if this is not true?

For the remainder of the campaign Bush/Cheney will continue to simply bad-mouth Kerry as they having nothing positive to run on, the Republicans will resort to their usual dirty tricks and more, everything will become increasingly negative if not absolutely vile, and the voting public will have to demonstrate that they actually have brains and integrity or not. Personally, I see Republican rats deserting a sinking ship in increasing numbers. Even Republicans, at least some of them, must still have some sense of decency and honesty. At least I hope so.

Fascists

Am I the only one who noticed the absolute nonsense Bush wants us to believe about importing Canadian drugs? On the one hand he claims he doesn’t approve of importing drugs because they may be dangerous. But now that he is confronting a shortage a vaccine who does he propose to get it from – Canada! Maybe others picked up on this but just believe that it is so typical Bush it’s not even worth reporting.

Fascism, Mussolini told us, is when you marry corporations to the government. Can anyone doubt this is what has been happening in he United States? Is it not the case that corporate donations are driving politics? Corporations even financed the debates – a real coup as they can claim donations to both parties simultaneously, no doubt tax deductable donations.

And can anyone doubt any longer that Republicans are employing purely fascist tactics to acquire and maintain power? A woman handcuffed and arrested for wearing what they regard as an improper t-shirt? People having to sign loyalty oaths just to get a ticket to hear Bush/Cheney speak? The FBI intimidating black voters? Throwing blacks off the voter rolls? An RNC financed voter registration drive that tears up democratic applications? Congressmen being offered bribes to vote in certain ways? Instructions to black voters that the election is actually being held on the wrong day? The theft of democratic e-mails? Jamming democratic phone lines on election day? Arresting demonstrators doing nothing but exercising their rights of free speech? Usurping prime time television programs to show an anti-Kerry movie just before the election? And this says nothing about the endless attack ads against Kerry – almost exclusively attack ads as Republicans have absolutely nothing positive to run on. The corporate media refusing to criticize Bush/Cheney for their absolute litany of lies and distortions? Their failure to discus any of the real issues in favor of commenting on style and demeanor? Deliberately distorting the polls? If all this isn’t part of a fascist attempt to take over the United States I don’t know what is. We should have known what was coming when Tom DeLay ordered his thugs to Florida to disrupt the vote counting (I think it was DeLay who was responsible). These are certainly not the tactics of truly democratic politics. But they have become the tactics of choice for the Republican party, a party that is promoting candidates that should be ashamed to show their faces in public. Indeed, if they had any decency at all they would resign and admit to their deceit and disastrous failures.

Our best chance to save our democracy is to stop this right now. Get rid of this evil bunch of warmongering murderers and war criminals. Apologize to the world for our temporary insanity and begin again with a clean slate.

Given what has happened in the past three plus years, plus the four recent debates, plus the report on the complete absence of WMD’s, plus the reality of what is going on in Iraq, Israel and Palestine, plus the historic national debt, plus the war profiteering, plus the unprecedented secrecy of the administration, plus the loss of personal privacy, plus the absence of any plan other than stubbornly insisting on more of the same, how in the world can any sane person still not be decided about who to vote for? Never mind the insistence by the media pundits that it will be too close to call, the American people will come to their senses in large enough numbers to reject this band of international cutthroats. If I am wrong, God help us all.

Bush flunks again

Another truly dismal performance by our faux President who seems to think he should be actually elected to the office. At least eighty percent of the time he seemed to have no understanding of what he was talking about. The other twenty percent he shifted from whatever the question was to his education programs. Ask about jobs, education, ask about the minimum wage, education, ask about immigration, education. He seems to think that his greatest achievement has been the No Child Left Behind Act that he grossly underfunded. But not to worry, his “armies of compassion” are going to make things right. He did manage to not scowl or otherwise make strange facial gestures – he kept that strange lip-curled-down smirk the whole time while he pretended to actually be paying attention. I do not regret saying it: George W. Bush is no more than a marginally retarded puppet being controlled by Dick the Slimy and his band of murderous war criminals, primarily in the interests of Big Oil and Israel.

Linda believes that he was also wired again this time. I’m not certain. But as she has actually studied the relationship between verbal and nonverbal communication she may well be correct. Be that as it may, when you try to convert some of his language into ordinary English it is very difficult to understand what he means, or, indeed, if it has any meaning at all.

The moderator, Bob Schieffer, an obvious Bush crony, seemed to me to not allow Kerry his allotted rebuttal time on several occasions. I could be wrong about this. Certainly he should not have been chosen as a moderator as he is known to play golf with Bush and is clearly not a true nonpartisan. Instead of asking Bush, “what role does religion play in your decisions,” he could have asked: “Did God actually tell you to attack the Taliban and Iraq?” Or do you ordinarily have conversations with God who tells you what to do? Or is God really on our side against the Muslims? Or even, do you believe that when the Jews control all of Palestine the Rapture will ensue and believers will be saved while everyone else will be doomed? Indeed, he could have been asked, do you believe that Israelis truly want to see a viable Palestinian State? And if so, what do you propose to do about it? I’m surprised he did not ask this of Kerry, as that would have worked even more to Bush’s advantage, provided Bush was not asked the same question. Of course no one dares mention the real problem of the Middle East – the Israeli/Palestinian problem.

Kerry trying to debate Bush is a perfect example of a well-informed Democrat trying to discuss politics with a Bush Republican. It is exactly like a rational person trying to communicate with the insane. Either they are like my mother-in-law who is going to vote Republican no matter what, or else they try to convince you that black is white, failure is success, you should believe what they say, rather than what your own eyes and senses tell you is actually the case. Bush Republicans live in a fantasy land created by Republican lies and spin: Sadam Hussein was a threat to the United States and his neighbors – false. Sadam Hussein has something to do with 9/11 – false. Sadam Hussein was in league with Osama bin Laden – false. Sadam Hussein had WMD’ – false. The Iraqis would welcome us with open arms and flowers – false. Iraqi oil would pay for the “war” and reconstruction – false. We would be liberators not occupiers – false. We have no intention of staying in Iraq permanently – false. We were interested only in the liberation of the Iraqis – false. We were not there for their oil – false. We would enforce the Geneva Convention – false. We would not unnecessarily kill innocent civilians – false. We would ensure a truly democratic election – false. Our predictive attack on Iraq has made the world safer – false. We would not engage in nation building – false. The United States is bearing 90% of the costs of the “war” and “peace” in Iraq. True. Perhaps. It may be only 89.9%.

What a wonderful world has been created by the Bush/Cheney Administration. War and violence as far as the eye can see. No end in sight – ever. Unless, perhaps, the Rapture actually occurs and the true believers can ascend and leave the rest of us sinners behind. I know where the true sinners are – in THE WHITE HOUSE!

Let us pray

I am now convinced that Bush was in fact wired for the first two debates, and no doubt at other times as, for example, when he was discussing the situation in Indonesia. The question for tomorrow evening’s debate is: will he have the nerve to try it again? All it would take would be a pat on the back from Kerry to disclose this dirty little secret. And if he is not wired how will he perform? All sharp eyes on tomorrow night’s debate!

And now, Sinclair. That huge corporation that controls 62 television stations is going to order them all to usurp the usual programming to show a blatantly dishonest anti-Kerry film, thus putting Fox News to shame for their relatively wishy-washy partisan coverage of American politics. In one way this might be a good thing as it will now set to rest for all time the question of whether or not the major media are part of the fascist conspiracy to take over the United States. Ah, the disgusting liberal media is at it again. As this is almost surely illegal it might not actually happen. Let us hope.

Now a comment on my mother-in-law. She is a nice lady, friendly, generous, kind, gregarious, and in her own way, I think, even well-intentioned. However, she is also totally uninformed about what is going on, doesn’t watch the news, doesn’t read the newspaper, doesn’t surf the web, refuses to even watch the debates, and knows absolutely nothing about the current issues or politics. And doesn’t want to know! She simply says she is a Republican, she and her deceased husband have always voted Republican, and she is going to vote for Bush. So much for an informed electorate, the backbone of a democratic society. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is typical of the Republican base. We can only hope that such people do not constitute a majority of the population.

I will go out on a limb and make a prediction. Barring some illegal activity or some totally unusual occurrence, John Kerry will win the election by a fairly large majority. The polls have obviously been manipulated to make it appear that it is a very close race. I do not believe this is so. The media polls and the powers that be are trying to make it appear close because if it isn’t really close Bush will have no chance even to steal it again. All the evidence is on my side. The huge and unprecedented voter registration bodes well for the democrats. The fact that young people are registering in record numbers bodes well for the democrats. Many of the major newspapers, even those who were for Bush previously, are coming out in favor of Kerry. The debates have made it crystal clear that Bush/Cheney both lie constantly. They have also made it clear that Bush is nothing more than a simple minded puppet who takes his orders from Rove and Cheney. They have also made it very clear that Cheney is an absolutely pathological liar. Recent events and the debates have also demonstrated that Bush/Cheney are totally divorced from reality. And the fact that Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, Wolfowitz, Perle, and the rest of the neocons have virtually become invisible indicates that they know they have been found more than merely wanting. All of their lies are now coming home to haunt them, and rightly so. Unless Bush puts on a absolutely miraculous performance tomorrow evening he is finished, done in by his own ignorance, arrogance, and lack of interest. There is no doubt he will be remembered as the worst President in the history of the United States.

Of course a Kerry Presidency is probably doomed from the beginning. How could anyone possibly clean up the absolute mess that Bush/Cheney have created? The massive deficit, the almost universal hatred of the United States, the distrust of the entire world, the legacy of murder, torture and civilian deaths, the uncritical support for the Israel theft of Palestinian land and water, the wanton destruction of the environment and the economy? I am not a religious person but things are so bad it may be that prayer is the only hope.

Liars just carry on

Having been away for a week let me try to review things. First, it seems clear that Kerry won the first debate hands down. Although Bush might have done a bit better in the second debate Kerry appears to have won that one also. Indeed, Bush demonstrated nothing other than the fact that he gets angry and confused. I am also convinced that he was, in fact, wired. At first I thought this might just be another conspiracy theory but I no longer think so. In addition to what I said in yesterday’s blog, the two photos that show something suspicious under Bush’s suit coat, the fact that he demanded no photos from the rear, the claim by a former interpreter that he had to have been wired when dealing with the Indonesians, and his behavior in general which my linguistically trained wife insists demonstrate that he was wired, there is also now a statement by a highly respected London tailor who makes expensive ($2000 to $3000 dollar suits) that no such suit would ever bunch up like that. The only claim to the contrary is by Bush’s own tailor who said it was just a wrinkle (one has to assume that he has a vested interest in continuing to make suits for the chimp).

Now, about the Vice Presidential debate. It is virtually impossible to find a single thing that Dick the Slimy did not lie about. There is no point in reviewing this here as it has already been done by others. The one lie that puzzles me the most is when he claimed he had never seen Edwards until that night. There are photographs and records that demonstrate unequivocally that he had met Edwards on at least three previous occasions. So what I don’t understand is why this particular lie? What was the point? He must have known it wasn’t true. He must have known it could be shown to be untrue. So why do it? Either he thought everyone would be too stupid to check on it or he felt that for some reason it was worth lying about. Perhaps he meant to simply denigrate Edwards for his attendance at Senate functions? But if so, it was entirely foolish because his own attendance record is far worse. What I think, based on his record of lying, is that he is plain and simply a pathological liar. He lies about everything, all the time. He lies even when there is no need to lie. He lies even in the face of all evidence to the contrary, as in the case of the presence of nuclear weapons in Iraq and the relationship of Iraq to the terrorists. He seems to lie for the mere joy of lying. And the major media lets him get away with it, time after time after time. Perhaps that is why he does it, he knows they will not actually challenge him. That tells you something about the media (as if we don’t already know about the American Pravda).

Now to Sinclair, the media giant which is apparently going to appropriate prime time a couple of weeks before the election to showcase a blatantly partisan and dishonest film slandering John Kerry. This will probably violate the law, and perhaps they will not actually do it, but in the meanwhile they are keeping this absolutely disgusting, dishonest, and totally reprehensible attack in the public eye. You should either write Sinclair and protest or, better yet, simply boycott all of their stations.

Back at Sandhill

Morialekafa is back from vacation. As I feared, things have deteriorated further in my absence. But first let me tell you what I have learned. The Napa Valley is 30 miles long and varies in width between 1 and 5 miles. Virtually the entire area is devoted to raising grapes and making wine. It is the most blatant tourist trap probably in the entire world.They actually boast that the AVERAGE price of a bottle of Napa Valley wine is $53.00. Think of that! In Europe, that is at least in France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, and most other countries people drink wine with their meals just as a matter of course. Can you imagine ordinary people in Europe paying the equivalent of $53.00 for a bottle of wine? Of course not, wine is simply part of their meal. There are fine local wines that are inexpensive, delicious, and merely part of everyday life. They are not something reserved for the very wealthy who apparently are mostly interested in proving how much money they can spend for one of the ordinary pleasures of life. Wine tasting is the big thing. It costs usually $5.00 just to taste a wine. For this price you get a tiny bit of wine in the bottom of a glass. You are supposed to swirl this around, smell it, taste it, and then proclaim that it has a blackberry, cherry, fruity, nutty, dry, wet, or some other particular character that makes it what it is. As near as I can tell, all it tells you is that it is wine (obviously I am not an aficionado). I can tell if it tastes like wine. I can’t tell you all of this other stuff. And I’ll bet that for the most part the tourists who are engaged in this rather absurd behavior can’t tell the difference either. I grant there may be a few individuals in the business who might be able to actually tell the differences between some of these wines. But I’ll bet money that most of the tourists who participate in these tastings can’t tell one from another. Blindfolded, I’ll bet many of them can’t even tell the difference between reds and whites. It’s not just the wine that is absurdly expensive, the restaurants are the same. While it is true that there are fine restaurants, it is also true that they are terribly overpriced. Usually what you get is a few dollars worth of food and many dollars worth of service, and what is worse, art. Meals are apparently viewed as works of art, so they are gussied up and made pretty. We have decided that we are not really interested in food as art. We want our food to look like food! But enough of this.

The second Presidential debate was about as absurd as the first one. Bush continued to lie, Kerry continued to look Presidential, and most everyone seemed to think that Kerry won again. Bush obviously became angry, shouted and waved his arms around, and said absolutely nothing worth remembering. I kind of thought Bush looked a bit better than he did in the first debate but I find that most others didn’t think so. The most interesting thing to emerge from this is the possibility that Bush was “wired” to receive information and answers from someone else. At first I thought this was probably just another conspirancy theory but now I believe perhaps not. There are photos of Bush in both the first and second debates that seem to indicate the presence of something on his back under his suit coat. There is also the fact that the Bush people insisted there should be no photographs from behind (a condition that was obviously ignored by the photographers). More to the point, there is a claim from a previous interpreter who believes Bush had to be wired when he engaged in a dialogue with Indonesian leaders. This interpreter believes that Bush could not possibly have known certain details of Indonesian politics and must have been being fed information by others. As Bush probably doesn’t even know where Indonesia is, or anything whatsoever about it, and can’t be bothered to read newspapers or anything else, this has for me a genuine ring of truth about it. There is also the fact that those who have examined his behavior, oral and otherwise, believe some of it can only be explained by his relying on information being given him over a wire. Indeed, my wife who is herself a linguist, insisted to me before any of this became an issue that he was obviously wired.

Finally, for today, let me call your attention to a fine article by Charley Reese on Antiwar.com. This article says simply that if there is to be no Palestinian State, there will never be peace in the Middle East. And it is clear now that Sharon/Bush have made it clear there will never be such a state (as long as they are in office). I believe this absolutely, as I have been saying for a long time. Of course there is little chance that there will ever be a viable Palestinian State if Kerry is elected either as he claims to support Israel wholeheartedly. I do not agree with Kerry on this, nor do I agree with his military position on Iraq, but I do believe he is an environmentalist, will support a woman’s right to choose, will at least try to do something about universal health care, and will, in general, be better about the middle class that Bush and his corporate base would like. There are some real differences between the two, in spite of what the egomaniacal Nader would have you believe. There is, at the moment, no alternative to getting rid of Bush/Cheney and their lying, warmongering, criminal and totally unethical gang of murderous war criminals.

WAR CRIMINALS BELONG IN JAIL - NOT THE WHITE HOUSE!

Being an Only Child - essay

Morialekafa is going on another vacation. In the meantime:

I'm an only child and proud of it! I'm sick and tired of being stereotyped because of the accident of my birth (this is not to suggest that I was simply an accident). Throughout my entire life, which is a considerable number of years now, I have been automatically assumed by everyone to be spoiled and, as a result, selfish, self centered, and bratty. All because of something entirely out of my hands. Through no fault of my own (in fact, in spite of being an only child I actually don't have faults - at least I don't think I do) I have been stigmatized for life. No judge, no jury. No empirical evidence. No statistics. Nothing. Guilty and cannot be proven innocent. This judgement is passed on me even by people who have met me for the first time and barely said hello. The only information they need to completely understand me is the simple fact that I have no siblings.
Now what right does anyone have to assume that I was (and presumably still am) a greedy, selfish, self-centered little autocrat that was given anything and everything I ever wanted and always had to have my own way? I prefer to think of myself as a strong personality who knows his own mind and has the courage of his convictions. As a matter of fact, I wasn't given everything I wanted. And I certainly didn't often get my own way. My parents were not stupid. They were perfectly aware of the dangers of the "only child syndrome." How do you think they feel when I stand accused? Don't you think it might well be insulting to the parents of only children to be automatically classified as doting, weak-minded, and inept? To be accused of constantly caving in to the demands of some puny, mewing little bundle of undisciplined protoplasm? Why doesn't anyone ever assume that the reason people have only one child is because they quickly come to the conclusion that one is enough. That children are better seen than heard? That they are too expensive and not worth the trouble? No, the assumption is always that your parents were overprotective, overgenerous, and overconcerned, to say nothing of outmaneuvered, outsmarted, outguessed, and, paradoxically, even outnumbered by a party of one.
If the sociologists and psychologists are as concerned about stereotyping and labeling as they claim to be, why don't they look into this insidious business? Being stereotyped myself I can sympathize with Blacks, Reds, Yellows, Browns and all other assorted stereotypes. But they don't sympathize with me. They assume I am just as rotten as everyone else does. It's not fair. Is there a Benevolent Order of the Only Child? Group Therapy for only children? Are there any specialists in only children at all? Special stores? Agencies? Grants in Aid? Any Only Children Anonymous? If not, why not? Only children need love and undertanding just like everyone else. How about a Big Brothers and Sisters for Only Children Agency? Or maybe Adopt an Only Child Day? Perhaps an Only Child Hotline? What about Equal Opportunities for Only Children? Whatever, the time has come to do something about this prejudicial and discriminatory practice that has run rampant for long enough. Only children of the world, unite
rialekafa is going on another vacation. Be back in a week. In the meantime:

Kerry, yes!

It seems clear by now that virtually everyone believes John Kerry did far better in the first debate than did George W. Bush. Indeed, many think it was an absolute blow-out. It seems not to have fazed Bush as he was out today mouthing the same old tired phrases over and over. Frankly, I find it inconceivable that there could have been 37% of the viewers who thought Bush did better than Kerry. But, then, I find it inconceivable that ANYONE could support this marginally retarded puppet.

Before the debate I saw somewhere that many people thought Bush would do well as he would come across as nice looking, personable, likeable, the kind of guy you would like to have a beer with, etc. I confess that is not the way he appears to me. I find him not in the least attractive, a smirking, arrogant, swaggering, stupid bully. He was supposed to contrast favorably with Kerry because Kerry is supposedly aloof, cold, and, horror of horrors, French looking. To me he comes across as intelligent, serious, well informed, and on top of things. He also has a nice smile and stands up straight. In short, he is Presidential, which is far more than you can say for the petulant, frowning, I-wish-I was-anywhere-but-here Bush. I have no doubt Bush would do anything to get out of the next two debates. Watch for something to happen to bring that about. A new terrorist threat making it impossible for Bush to leave his “hard work?” A pretzel induced illness? The capture of Osama bin Laden (remember him)? A Korean crisis? An Iran crisis? There is no telling what lengths these Republicans might go to steal another election.

In the meanwhile I can hardly wait until Tuesday when Edwards/Cheney debate. Do you think Cheney might be able to speak out of both sides of his mouth? Look anyone in the eye? Say anything other than his fantastic claim that Osama bin Laden was in cahoots with Sadam Hussein? Will they, in fact, be able to pry him out of his bunker long enough to even show up? I am surprised that with all the negotiations over the debates the Republicans didn’t insist on having Bush sit on Cheney’s lap while debating Kerry. It appears to me that finally, at long last, the Bush/Cheney lies are going to catch up with them. Not that it would matter to the lunatic bunch that would support Bush/Cheney even if they were caught red-handed stealing from the collection plate, or cavorting with prostitutes, or stealing candy from babies. Are they really so divorced from reality they don’t recognize the disaster they have created? Or do they just not care so long as their corporate cronies are still raking in the big bucks at taxpayer’s expense, war profiteering. Basically, however, it was, and is, about Oil. The theft and control of Oil. Never lose sight of this basic fact. But it also has to do with Israel and the theft of Palestinian land and water. Make no mistake about it, the Bush/Cheney hole-in-the-head gang is the most evil administration in the history of the United States. To allow them another four years of killing, burning, torturing, raping, pillaging, lying, and destroying the country we all love and revere is absolutely unthinkable.