At LAST….. The PUP has come BACK to Atlaaaaaaaaaataaaaa!!
(If you know where this is from, cool points.)

So here’s the big change happening with my life. As of today, I have accepted a new job that will allow me to move back to Atlanta and have given my notice to Sprint. The new job is different from what I do now and my education, but I’m excited at learning some new things. I think it’ll be a good experience in the long run.

I’ll get to travel for this new job which I love to do, and there may also be opportunities for international travel which I’m very excited about. Then of course, there’s the Atlanta thing. As some of you know, I’ve been trying to get out of Kansas and move back to Atlanta for a while now. So Yay!

There are some big unknowns of course that I’ll have to get accustomed to. For one, I’ll be working from home. I’m one of these people that enjoys going to a different place for work, and seeing people. With just me and pup all day every day, I may go totally insane. One positive with this, with no commute, gas can now go up to $5 a gallon.

It took me a while to talk myself into the job. I was leaning toward saying no to this position, but things happened and I decided to go for it. The main thing being that there probably isn’t that much room for advancement here in my present job in the near future, and as I’m not a patient person when it comes to this, I decided to head for greener pastures. This new job will be vastly different, in both job duties and work environment, but I’m willing to give it a shot.

Moving back to ATL will mean that I’ll be able to hang out with a lot of my friends and be able to see my nephew (I won’t have to be trapped in the phone anymore) and niece (from now on be called baby-girl) all the time. With a strong established network of friends and family already in ATL, I think my quality of life will definitely improve.

Even more awesome, I’ll be able to start looking for a house. Maybe with a yard for a dog (Wink Wink CC). To have a house, a yard, and a dog would just kick SO much ass.

So I’ll be busy with coordinating all the moving, which is just the most expensive thing EVER, and preparing to leave my present job. Things will be hectic for a while so the posts maybe a bit more random.

Happy Hump Wednesday!!

Non-Political Stuff on My Mind.

Coming into work this morning I saw an email from our CEO stating that we have met the $100,000 donation match from the company. So Team Pup's contributions are out of luck.

However, since I did promise double contributions to everyone who has given me money, Pup and I discussed it and has decided to fulfill its promise and personally double everyone's contributions.

So yay and thanks to everyone for contributing!

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College football was terrible this weekend as Ohio State lost a thriller to Freaken Texas. At least it wasn't to Texas A&M cause then there would be chairs and windows broken.

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There's going to be some big exciting changes going on for me and Pup pretty soon. I'll fill everyone in when I get everything confirmed.

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Yesterday, my two year old nephew asked my sister to call me. He does this pretty often. I think the reason is that everything I talk to him on the phone I say "Help! I'm trapped in the phone Scotty! Tell your parents to call me so I can come out and play!"

Being a two year old, he doesn't quite understand the concept of the phone yet, so this is a funny thing. So Scotty will usually say "call uncle Pup" a couple of times a week.

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After a 2.5 week break from Ultimate Frisbee, I went back and played on Sunday. After an hour, I thought I was going to die. It was pretty hot, and I think at points my heart was actually hurting from beating so fast.

Who knew you could get so out of shape so quickly.

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Ok, I have to sneak in one political thing. 38% approval, 55% disapproval rating for the president. Guess all you people that voted for him for his "moral" values forgot that this is a real job that has a lot of responsibilities and requires real leadership/administration skills. The presidency is more than being 'moral'.

Good judgement there on electing this guy.

Happy Monday!

Please give me a break!

You know, I WANT to write a normal non-political post, I really do, but the administration refuses to give me a break. How much insanity can you people create?

The craziness continues.

From CNN:

“President Bush issued an executive order Thursday allowing federal contractors rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to pay below the prevailing wage.”

Have you gone totally fucking insane or have your true self-serving self of catering only to the rich finally showing itself?

What is your response to one of the worst disasters this country has ever seen? First, you are slow and unresponsive to help the poor majority that was affected. They’re poor, fuck’em right? Now, you want to use this disaster to help these rich and big companies even more? You ARE a fucking great leader for this country.

What exactly do you think this will do for the country and for the people affected? At a time when people need to rebuild their city and their lives, they need to make some money. What do you do? You take that wage right under them. You give these big companies the right to pay people LESS?!

Oh my fucking lord!! What the fuck is wrong with you?

Do you somehow think this will lower the cost of rebuilding? The federal contracts use strict formulas to decide how much money should be spent. These formulas include things like prevailing wages. They calculate that and then add a profit percentage on top of it.

Of course, that was until now. Now your ignorant self-righteous self has made it ok for the big companies that are rewarded with these contracts to pay less than the normal wage. These savings aren’t being passed on to anyone but their profit bottom line.

Basically, the companies get the same money from the government, but they have lower costs because they don’t have to pay their people as much.

This will NOT create more jobs, and if it does. It just means more people are making less than sustainable wages. How the fuck does that help the people affected or anyone but the companies? Oh please explain that to me oh wise one.

The law that you revoked was created for a reason. To protect greedy fuck wades like you and your friends from taking advantage of people in the lower socio-economical status during a disaster.

You, Mr. President, are a fucking embarrassment.

_____________________

Corinna Corinna?

I’m not saying that I pronounce things clearly or correctly all the time, and at times I mumble, BUT

I think I would know enough by now to not call this Hurricane Corinna as the first lady, Laura Bush yesterday. Not once, but twice.

Fan Fucking Tastic.

_____________________

Now for a Friday Funny

Jon Stewart: The president has vowed to personally lead the investigation into the government's failed response to Katrina? Isn't that a job perhaps someone else should be doing?

Samantha Bee: No, not at all, Jon. To truly find out what went wrong, it's important for an investigator to have a little distance from the situation. And it's hard to get any more distant from it than the president was last week.

--The Daily Show



Have a good weekend everyone!

Back to our regularly scheduled program

For those of you that think me and others who are criticizing the failure of the hurricane relief for political reasons instead of the intent of wanting to do what we can to help those in need, take a look at what the administration and FEMA is doing. Tell me they are not only thinking of saving themselves after this pathetic and life destroying failure.

Please read this article from yesterday’s Salt Lake Tribune.


This is totally fucked up.

Instead of using these firemen and women who are search-and-rescue certified, paramedics, and haz-mat certified for emergency worker duties, FEMA has them doing fucking PR work. The PR work involves basically handing out a flyer with FEMA’s number on it.

What in the Hell?!! How completely incompetent are you people over there? Who the hell is running things at FEMA and came up with this brilliant plan? Talk about a completely misuse of a very valuable group of resource.

When the firefighters began to complain that they are not being utilized to the best of their skills, FEMA has the gall to say this.

“I would go back and ask the firefighter to revisit his commitment to FEMA, to firefighting and to the citizens of this country," said FEMA spokeswoman Mary Hudak

Are you fucking kidding me? First of all, they have no commitments to FEMA. They do however, have commitments to firefighting and the citizens of this country that you are not allowing them to fulfill. They are here to help people. Not to be your damn PR zombies.

How the hell can you people even be thinking about PR in a time like this? Emergency crews are still needed. People are still missing and there is still hope to find them. Why in the hell are you using our best people/hope of finding the people still missing for PR and handling out fliers?!!

Damn you people! Can't you stop thinking about yourselves for even a second?

This is a clear indication that the mentality of the administration and its agencies has changed their purpose. No longer is their main purpose to serve the people. Clearly, the administration and its agency’s mentality is public relations machine first, and helping others second.

I think this paragraph from the article sums things up quite nicely.

“But as specific orders began arriving to the firefighters in Atlanta, a team of 50 Monday morning quickly was ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew's first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas.”

Human backdrops. Now that’s a good use of our skilled fire and rescue personnel.

And now, for something different.

Don’t worry, I have much more ranting about things going on, but I’m going to take a break with a post about something else.

A good friend from work is leaving for San Antonio. He was in the same group as I, in the same field, and sits in the cube next to mine. So we spent quite a bit of time together everyday. He’s leaving because of something crazy about not wanting to live thousands of miles from his girlfriend. Whatever.

Seriously though. It’s been great hanging out with him this last year. It’s no secret that I don’t like where I’m living, but it was a lot better with him around and I got to see a lot more of the city (mainly bars) and met more people, then I would have by myself. Besides that, it was the small stuff like going to lunch or even the Best Buy trips after work that made the work day not seem so bad.

Besides that, it’s hard to find someone to talk about what we do (job wise). We do a pretty specific thing and most people would probably find it painfully boring, so I’ll miss that too.

There are still some friends to hang out with here, but I’m sure it’ll be a lot more different.

Good luck in San Antonio and at your new job!

“Ah, how beautiful....let's all turn this disaster into a partisan issue.”
*Updated*


My Response.

Please look at all the information around you. Do not automatically assume that your party and your political leaders always do the right thing as quickly and efficiently as possible. Do not be so quick to dismiss criticisms and different views simply as a political move.

Republicans won the elections. Republican leaders control the presidency, congress, and have appointed most of the leaders involved in this matter (FEMA, homeland security, etc.). If the response for this tragedy was good, they would have taken the credit, as well they should if they did a good job.

For example, think about the response to 9/11. I believed they did do a good job, and no one said anything but praises for Rudy and the administration for their quick response.

How in 4 years’ time, with the restructure of FEMA and other organizational changes did we come to see what we did in New Orleans? This is what we are asking. FEMA went from a fast powerful responsive agency that can take over situations like this, to a slow bureaucratic impotent agency after the administration restructure and gutted the agency.

Not only have the administration have 4 years time to plan, but they’ve used billions of dollars, and have appoint all major leadership in these agency to plan for a disaster response. This response to the hurricane is what the last 4 years of planning has gotten us?

It is not the far left or the crazy liberals that are saying the reaction to this disaster is an embarrassment. If you would like, I can get you quotes from all the republicans coming out saying that the response so far has been unacceptable. I believe even the president has said that the response has been unacceptable.

What I don’t understand is how ANYONE can say that the response was acceptable or say that the administration is doing what they can. Good God it took 4 days!! The media and red cross was there within hours and days at the most. How can you tell me the government couldn’t have gotten in there within the same time frame? Now they are in there with the thousands of troops and we're supposed to be impressed by that?

Too little too late.

Please don’t use the ‘I don’t think Kerry could’ve done any better’ response. That doesn’t matter because we will never know. Bush is the president and for better or worst, he is the leader for all that’s happening and all responsibilities ultimately go back to him. I’m sure if the response had been at all successful he would’ve taken all the credit.

Good leaders take responsibilities for their action or lack of actions. They don’t blame others for mistakes. Since this administration is not filled with good leaders, here they go with blaming the state and local authorities for the lack of response.

That’s real classy.

It may sound like I’m attacking the administration on a political level, but I’m angry for the people in New Orleans. Their government was not there at a time when they needed them the most. You should know by now that my concern is for the well being of the people. I could care less what type of political affiliation one is with or whoever the hell you are. Just find someone that can fix problems, and fix them now.

In this case, the leadership of the country has failed its people, and speaking out to ensure that something is changed so this doesn't happen again is the only thing I have the power to do, so that's just what I'll do.

I can't be down there helping anyone. I've contributed money, and done what I can to help. Trying to vent some of the anger and frustration for those in New Orleans and Mississippi that other wise don't have a voice is what the blogging community can do for them.

I would like you to send me a response, I will gladly post it on my site. We are opened to differing opinions here, and I would like to hear what your views of what's going on. It doesn't help to disagree if I don't know what the other points are.

*Update*

Perhaps we can agree that the newspaper of New Orleans would know best about the situation in New Orleans. The following is a letter they published to the President.

***

We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our devastated city and the Gulf Coast and said, "What is not working, we’re going to make it right."

Please forgive us if we wait to see proof of your promise before believing you. But we have good reason for our skepticism.

Bienville built New Orleans where he built it for one main reason: It’s accessible. The city between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain was easy to reach in 1718.

How much easier it is to access in 2005 now that there are interstates and bridges, airports and helipads, cruise ships, barges, buses and diesel-powered trucks.

Despite the city’s multiple points of entry, our nation’s bureaucrats spent days after last week’s hurricane wringing their hands, lamenting the fact that they could neither rescue the city’s stranded victims nor bring them food, water and medical supplies.

Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection. On Thursday morning, that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor trailers headed into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city.

Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown New Orleans streets. Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid Thursday, and his efforts were the focus of a "Today" show story Friday morning.Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people whose job it is to quickly bring in aid were absent. Those who should have been deploying troops were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to reach.

We’re angry, Mr. President, and we’ll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That’s to the government’s shame.

Mayor Ray Nagin did the right thing Sunday when he allowed those with no other alternative to seek shelter from the storm inside the Louisiana Superdome. We still don’t know what the death toll is, but one thing is certain: Had the Superdome not been opened, the city’s death toll would have been higher. The toll may even have been exponentially higher.

It was clear to us by late morning Monday that many people inside the Superdome would not be returning home. It should have been clear to our government, Mr. President. So why weren’t they evacuated out of the city immediately? We learned seven years ago, when Hurricane Georges threatened, that the Dome isn’t suitable as a long-term shelter. So what did state and national officials think would happen to tens of thousands of people trapped inside with no air conditioning, overflowing toilets and dwindling amounts of food, water and other essentials?

State Rep. Karen Carter was right Friday when she said the city didn’t have but two urgent needs: "Buses! And gas!" Every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially.

In a nationally televised interview Thursday night, he said his agency hadn’t known until that day that thousands of storm victims were stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. He gave another nationally televised interview the next morning and said, "We’ve provided food to the people at the Convention Center so that they’ve gotten at least one, if not two meals, every single day.

"Lies don’t get more bald-faced than that, Mr. President.Yet, when you met with Mr. Brown Friday morning, you told him, "You’re doing a heck of a job.

"That’s unbelievable.

There were thousands of people at the Convention Center because the riverfront is high ground. The fact that so many people had reached there on foot is proof that rescue vehicles could have gotten there, too.

We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We’re no less important than those from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued.

No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn’t be reached.

Mr. President, we sincerely hope you fulfill your promise to make our beloved communities work right once again.

When you do, we will be the first to applaud.

You can’t make this up.

Grover Norquist sent this memo (PDF) out today. Getting rid of the Death/estate tax has been a long time goal for the Republicans.

Is this guy fucking serious?

From the memo:

“The 2003 tax cut lifted economic growth far beyond what most people expected. We know repeal of the Death Tax will also have a similar effect. And higher levels of economic growth is exactly what the residents of the Gulf Region need at this time to start the rebuilding process for their neighborhoods and more importantly for their lives.”

The estate tax cut is what the people of the gulf region needs?!! Could you be MORE of a whore for the rich? With people still suffering from the hurricanes and all the problems still ahead, you’re telling us that a Death Tax cut is what’s on your mind and what these people need?!

Luckily, Norquist can rest easy tonight.

From Think Progress

“Senate Finance Committee members were informed this morning that Sen. Bill Frist will move forward with a vote to permanently repeal the estate tax next week, likely on Tuesday, ThinkProgress has learned.

One stands in awe of Sen. Frist’s timing. Permanently repealing the estate tax would be a major blow to the nation’s charities. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has “found that the estate tax encourages wealthy individuals to donate considerably more to charity, since estate tax liability is reduced through donations made both during life and at death.” If there were no estate tax in 2000, for example, “charitable donations would have been between $13 billion to $25 billion lower than they actually were.”

As they did after 9/11 and during the lead-up to the Iraq war, conservatives have placed tax cuts for the most wealthy and well-off over the spirit of shared national sacrifice. What a stark contrast to the outpouring of generosity being shown by the American people in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.”

How do any of you live with yourselves? Frist, I didn’t think you could get any lower, but once again, you prove me wrong.

Along these same lines, the confirmation hearing for John Roberts is also supposed to begin next week. Business as usual for the Republicans. No need to worry about the tens of thousands of displaced people. How very nobel of all of you.

Even for someone who can’t stand this administration, I hope this is false.

Shopping? Are you fucking kidding me?

From Gawker:

“According to Drudge, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has recently enjoyed a little Broadway entertainment. And Page Six reports that she’s also working on her backhand with Monica Seles. So the Gulf Coast has gone all Mad Max, women are being raped in the Superdome, and Rice is enjoying a brief vacation in New York. We wish we were surprised.

What does surprise us: Just moments ago at the Ferragamo on 5th Avenue, Condoleeza Rice was seen spending several thousands of dollars on some nice, new shoes (we’ve confirmed this, so her new heels will surely get coverage from the WaPo’s Robin Givhan). A fellow shopper, unable to fathom the absurdity of Rice’s timing, went up to the Secretary and reportedly shouted, “How dare you shop for shoes while thousands are dying and homeless!” Never one to have her fashion choices questioned, Rice had security PHYSICALLY REMOVE the woman.

Angry Lady, whoever you are, we love you. You are a true American, and we’ll go shoe shopping with you anytime.”

I usually laugh when people say something has gone Mad Max, but it’s not funny when it’s true.
There is no excuse for this. None. Someone please enlighten me cause I can’t think of any reason or scenario where this would be ok. Please don’t say she can do what she wants on her own time. In a crisis this big, the secretary of state does not get the luxury of personal time.

What the Fuck FEMA?

I can’t tell you how disappointed I am at how FEMA has performed so far in this crisis. FEMA is the emergency agency that takes cares of major crisis such as this. I think my anger is also cause by my former fascination with FEMA and their ability to come into a crisis situation and get things done quickly and efficiently. FEMA is given a lot of power to take over a crisis situation (including declaring Marsha law). Whatever is necessary to take control of a crisis situation.

In years before, FEMA has always been bad ass. Coming into a crisis situation HOURS after something bad has happened, taking control, and getting things done. As of yesterday, the Major of New Orleans was still looking for people from FEMA.

I know I’m not there. Perhaps FEMA is there, but obviously, they are not doing a good enough job. This isn’t the CIA. People want to see FEMA people swarming around. Letting people know that help is there and everything will be ok.

This is the first test for FEMA since they were placed under the control of the Homeland Security Department. I don’t know why they have become another slow bureaucratic government agency. I don’t know how they could’ve been so ineffective in this situation. This is your whole purpose for existence, and you’re letting the people that needs you most down.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michael D. Brown leapt into action, mustering all the emergency disaster management skills he learned as a lawyer for the International Arabian Horse Association Legal Department (from which he was fired). His money quote: "Paula, the federal government did not even know about the Convention Center people until today."

Please don’t think I blame the individuals out there helping out. I know all the emergency crew, national guard, military personnel, and others are all doing as much as they can to help everyone with what they have. There is just something horribly incompetent about the leadership right now that didn’t send help sooner and are not better organized.

Just throwing it out there.

Sprint Nextel is currently matching all employee contributions to the Red Cross Hurricane relief fund. If anyone is interested in having their contributions doubled, email me and let me know how much you want to contribute and I can send one check for all of us. Then it will be doubled!

No pressure, just wanted to throw it out there. I promise Pup will not steal all the money to buy booze with. Feel free to post this elsewhere.

I have until September 12th to get the money to the company to be matched, so if you’re interested, send a check to me soon.

In case you didn’t know, Sprint and Nextel merged about a month ago. Yesterday was our big Customer Launch. You should be seeing a lot of yellow from us soon.


Save some money this weekend so you can send it to me! Drink domestics instead of the fancy stuff. Have some Pabst or stay at home and get a 40 oz. If you do get a 40, remember to pour some out for your homies.

Not that I’m inferring anything would be different… (Updated)

BUT.

Take a look at this article from the New Orleans City Business (Feb. 7th, 2005).

The Bush administration's proposed fiscal 2005 budget includes only $3.9 million for the east bank hurricane project. Congress likely will increase that amount, although last year it bumped up the administration's $3 million proposal only to $5.5 million.

The New Orleans district has at least $65 million in projects in need of fiscal year 2005 funding. In fiscal year 2006, the need more than doubles to at least $150 million.

Coming into 2005, the New Orleans district already owed about $11 million to construction companies after funding dried up last July, well before the end of the fiscal year. The project needed an absolute minimum of $11 million this year (2005), and they got $5.5 million. In 2006, the projects needs $22.5 million next year to do everything that needs doing, and the first $4.5 million of that will go to pay four contractors who couldn't get paid this year.

Beginning in 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA) dropped to a trickle. The Army Corps of Engineers (who are in charge of this project) never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars.

I don’t know how to convey the message any more clearly than that each action from this administration causes a major cancer to this country. Every major thing they’ve pushed through has had horrible side effects. Steroids is destroying our society? Let's put a man on Mars? Why don't you grow up and worry about real problems like a real president instead of making up more conflicts?

The Republicans love to cheer and gloat about their tax cuts, but if you looked at it now, how has that help the majority of Americans? It hasn’t. The tax cut has, however, sheltered much needed money for a second mansion for the wealthy. Fantastic.

All that job growth would have come back naturally. Giving the rich more money has not caused them to put in more jobs. That just simply isn't how it works.

War is expensive. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but there has NEVER been a time in the history of man where there was a tax cut during a war. If the population supports a war, they will be glad to pay more taxes to support it. Think about it, you had to buy off the country to go to war? What kind of war are you fighting? Certainly, it's not one of public support.

Hurricane Katrina and her devastation in New Orleans were bound to happen. This was no secret. This is no Tsunami where there were no warnings. The Army Corps of Engineers has been working SELA since 1995. They’ve used $430 million on shoring up levees and building pumping stations, with $50 million in local aid. But with least $250 million in crucial projects remained, the money dried up.

In early 2004, as the cost of the conflict in Iraq soared, President Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps said was needed for SELA.

All that for what? A war built on lies? Where’s the WMDs?!! Don’t change the fucking reason for the war to some crap about having to save Iraqi’s and get rid of a bad dictator. There are far worst humanitarian atrocities happening in Africa. Where are we going there?

Oh right, no oil. Your Halliburton friends won't make money, so I guess the people of Africa are screwed.

I know most of you already have the same political stances as I do, but those that do not, please look around. It’s not all as pretty as the administration’s spin machine would like you to believe.

I want to keep these thoughts in mind, but right now, it's more important that we all try to help.

American Red Cross
1-800-Help-Now

* Update *

President George W. Bush is reported to have said this on ABC's "Good Morning America.":

From the BBC:

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did appreciate a serious storm but these levees got breached and as a result much of New Orleans is flooded and now we're having to deal with it and will," he said.

Holy shit. Are you in that much denial or are you just really that ignorant about your actions? Either way, how can anyone have any confidence in you?

Sea Horse - Caesar's - Las Vegas 05'

Further down the Spiral

Drunk with power

Here are 2 prime examples that the Republicans/NeoCons are totally mad with power.

Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, who had been the top Corps of Engineers' top procurement official since 1997, was demoted recently. Greenhouse had been the one who publicly criticized the Pentagon's decision to award Halliburton Co. a no-bid contract for work in Iraq. Her main objection was the issuance to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root of a no-bid, five-year contract to restore Iraqi oil fields shortly before the Iraq war began in 2003.

Hmm.. coincidence that Halliburton would get a contract to restore Iraqi oil fields BEFORE the war? Yea, don’t think so.

Greehouse was demoted for what the Army called ‘poor performance’. What the fuck? Who in the hell is going to believe that? This demotion also violates an earlier agreement with the Army to suspend her demotion until "a sufficient record" pertaining to her complaints is complete.

So basically, there wasn’t sufficient record to prove that she had ‘poor performance’, but they went ahead and demoted her anyway. As Greenhouse’s lawyer wrote "The failure to abide by prior commitments and the circumstances surrounding Ms. Greenhouse's removal are the hallmark of illegal retaliation." "Her removal will send a message to all concerned that if they dare stand up to corrupting influences within the Army contracting world their careers will be destroyed," her lawyer added.

That is exactly the message that this administration wants to send. As Bush has said before, you’re either with us or against us. Obviously, anyone who dares to speak up against the administration and their doings, however correct and just, must be against destroyed. How can we stand by while this reckless blatant disregard for the law that the administration obviously doesn’t think applies to them happens all around us?

On a similar note:

Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher recently pardoned everyone, current and former members of his administration, who have been charged in an investigation into alleged improper hiring.

Apparently they didn’t get the memo about not basing hiring decisions solely on age and/or political affiliation rather than Merit. Guess what political party he’s affiliated with and who they were hiring?

Among the nine that are indicted is a former Fletcher administration member who has been indicted on 22 felony counts of evidence or witness tampering. This is some good hiring Fletcher has been doing and keeping as his employees.

Now, amidst the allegations, Fletcher is claiming that the Democratic Attorney General (Stumbo) is just playing political games and compared the charges that have been brought to minor violations of fishing laws.

Hey dumbass, hiring discrimination is a big fucking deal. Just because you’re in the state government and that you’re the governor doesn’t make you above the law. The Attorney general is doing his job. Prosecuting your law breaking discriminating ass.

A lot of my work is in employee selection so this pisses me off more than usual. Where in your little ignorant mind do you think that laws that applies to everyone doesn’t apply to you? And to just flatly give pardons to all these people? WTF? Do you somehow think this is less of a crime than anything else? Well it’s not asshole.

People get hurt because of discrimination. It’s not physical like a violent crime, but people are hurt. Think Civil Rights you redneck fucker.

Of course, as you would expect, a member of the Republican national committee says “I think the governor made the right decision because we need to move the state forward.” Forward to what? The only thing you're doing is moving the state backwards to the pre-civil war prejudice slavery days. Is that where your ignorant ass wants the state to go?

Wait, don’t answer that.

Sadly, for the short attention population that we are, with Katrina on our minds, this story will of course just sail right through.

Dry thoughts goes to the people that got hit by the hurricane. Since our government has given all their money to big corporations, rich people, religion, and weapons to kill people with, Red Cross could really use our help.

Please donate.

American Red Cross
1-800-Help-Now

The downward spiral….

This administration and the other Republicans continue to live above the law while driving this country into the ground.

Here are some examples:

The US poverty rate climbed to 12.7% of the population last year. This is the 4th consecutive climb in the number of broke ass people in America. That would 4 years since 2000. 2000 when W became president.

Not that I’m making any inferences or anything.

Take a look around, gas prices are insane, no one’s got any health insurance (45.8 million without to be exact), and for many, they may not be in poverty because of their income, but they’re up to their eyeballs in debt.

Look at what you have to do for kids nowadays. I don’t remember having to do all these fund raisers and paying for all my own school supplies (well, my parents paying) when I went to school.

Here’s a nice example of what’s going on from Nanner. I don’t think this is the exception either.

Although to be fair, I must say that companies like oil and drugs are having record profits and wealth separation continues to grow further apart. That’s good isn’t it? Won’t the rich eventually get too wealthy and throw us some scraps for us to fight over?

Ah yes, utopia. Great plans you have for us, you evil neoconservatives.

BTW, where in the hell is all this money that you keep saying you’re giving the education system? Where are the raises for teachers? Where are the supplies? Why is ‘no child left behind’ the biggest fucking joke around?

You know where all the money is going to? Funding your damn faith-based initiatives, so that quacks like this fucker can continue to get money to preach his hate. Also, so these idiots out there can come up with more dumbass ideas like ‘Intelligent design.’

Way to beef up the education system, W. Just because you don’t like learning and what little you have learned is twisted and wrong doesn’t mean you have to make the kids go through the same thing.

On a related note, as if Florida could be any more screwed up, Cheri Yecke, Ph.D., was recently appointed as the new Florida K- 12 Chancellor. In case you didn’t know, Yecke is a right-wing fanatic that was recently dismissed as the Minnesota Education Commissioner. Here are some of her professional opinions:

1. Local school boards should have the latitude to introduce alternative theories, such as "Intelligent Design", and

2. the Santorum amendment provides legal justification for that action.

Neither of which is true. Read this.

I feel sad for kids in Florida.

That is all for now. Happy Tuesday!

Vegas.. Hum… What is it good for?

So I guess I’ve dragged on long enough about telling tales of Vegas 05’. The fact is, I’ve been thinking about it for a while and well, there isn’t that much to report that were different from the previous trips.

Like a teenager (or a 40-yr old T) getting some for the first time, all the good stuff came out too quickly.

The trip started out great. Everything to do with getting to and the actual flight went really well even though I had to fly Southwest. I hate the herd mentality that is the Southwest gating process. In case you’ve never flown Southwest, there are no seat assignments, They break you into ABC section, they release the sections one at a time, then it’s first come first serve.

The flight to Vegas came in early, and I met up with one of the Furdells. Everything was working way too well. Even the cab ride to the hotel was fast and included a great story from our cabbie about White Magic, Black Magic, and the Adult Film Awards.

As I told the Furdell, ‘things are going well… too well’.

Later that night, we went to the highlight of the trip in my mind. There was a great DJ, Bad Boy Bill, playing at a local club. Even with our oldness, we were still allowed in. They did have to send Furdell home one time before they allowed him in.

It could be that it’s been a while since I’ve been to clubs or that I never did go clubbing, but more to raves, but things sure seem different. First off, there were seats around the dance area.

The seats all had velvet ropes around and it turns out that how you get a table is by buying a couple of bottles of liquor. It’s actually not THAT bad of a deal if you have some people with you. Sharing a $200 bottle of Absolute (with all the mixes included) isn’t that bad if you and your friends were all planning to drink a lot anyway.

After the first hour, it was pretty obvious the dance culture that I loved is nothing but a distant memory. I’m sure there are still some out there, but it's certainly not here. The women had on 9 inch heels, and the men all had black pants and stripped shirts. That my friends, is not dancing gear. I think we were the only ones in baggy pants, and I didn't see one pair of wings anywhere in sight.

If you’ve read this blog for any period of time, you should know that I’m a pretty liberal guy, and I generally am. For some reason, when I go to clubs, I instantly turn into the dance Nazi.

So many things just drive me nuts. I think the main thing is that a lot of the people here aren’t really here to dance. They’re just here to drink and maybe grind up against a couple of chicks/dudes. Argh!

People, when will you understand this? Stripper dance, and bump and grind are not dancing! See what I mean? Total dance Nazi.

There were a couple of company girls who danced on stages in the back as part of the decoration. They danced pretty well for the most part. Although they did look very good doing it. And yes, there is a difference between looking good dancing, and actually dancing well. Once again, dance Nazi.

Even with all that though, I am happy if people go out and dance. After all, it’s just about moving your body around to music, but still. I know, I've got issues to work out with this. It's just that it's so much different than going to the raves of old. People were there to dance. I would never have said anything about anyone's dancing then. Then again, there also were that many drunks rubbing on each other either.

In case you were wondering, yes, I did dance. For a really long time. It takes me a little bit to warm up, but once I start, it’s on. How was I? I think I did ok. All I know is that I would serve any of those fools there if there was a dance off.

We got home around 6am I think. It’s been a while since that’s happened. Good times had by all. All was good.

Then it happened. Somehow I got a sinus infection the next day, I started feel bad, but not bad enought to stop partying, so I didn't. Oh how I chose poorly. By Sunday and Monday night, I could barely stay up, and I didn't get to do much after that. I have never been in a Vegas hotel room for as long as I did this trip.

Other than the tale of the club and a fabulous dinner on Sunday night, the other eventful trip was our trek outside of the strip to a Minor league baseball game with the Las Vegas 51's. It’s hard to describe tastes, so I won’t describe the dinner other than that they had a cool computer tablet that had over 5000 descriptions of wines they had in stock.

The baseball game was fun as it's always fun to watch baseball games live. By the time we went to the game, I was nearly dying from the sinus infection. Things were bad, but I tried to tough it out. The game was fine. There were a group of loud hecklers that were quite amusing.

A great thing about an outdoor sports event like a baseball stadium that is that no matter what you yell, most people don't care/can't hear you. So I was testing this theory by yelling things like 'Stop Pollution!', 'Ozone will kill us all!', and 'Bring out your dead!'. Yup. No one even turned their head.

Besides that, the gambling was terrible to me as I couldn’t play craps to save my life. I believe craps accounted for 95% of my losses this trip. My losses which was more than my rent. Eek.

I know you’ve all been wondering this, so here are the results for Blogger Roulette. The winner is…..


KO!! His 8 hit 2x when I was playing.

Other people with winning hits were:
Sloth – 1x
Jamie – 1x
E-Lo – 1x

I know I say this every year, but I suggest we move our yearly trip from Vegas. I suggest Cananda.

Happy Monday Everyone!

I know you are all probably pretty tired of this by now.. But..

More tirades from Me.

Stole this from the DailyKos:

The tenements of Religious Extremists. Take a look and see how close the Christian Fundamentalists are becoming like the extremists we are fighting abroad.

(In red are my comments)

• Though not strictly part of government, hold such substantial political power as to be able to dictate many government policies, with well-known religious figures holding forth in frequent public court on government policies and actions. This is very evident by the advisors that this administration holds close ties to. Also, think about how often religion is used as an argument in all major events that has come up recently.

• Extremely distrustful of science as being contrary to religious values. Generally anti-intellectual. Intelligent Design?! Oh my fucking lord, don’t get me started on that again. Intelligent design is a bastardization of both science and religion.

• Intolerant of those with differing religious values; view other religions -- even generally closely related sects -- as illegitimate. Associated persecution complex which presumes religious-neutral or religious-absent law to be intentionally oppressive of their own beliefs. As I heard one scary evangelical preacher once said “It’s time we raise up and make our laws the laws of the land”.

• Attempting to weaken state-based education systems in favor of a government-funded network of religious schools dedicated towards the teaching of strict fundamentalist values. The entire faith-based initiative is a clear and direct example of how this administration funnels millions of tax payer dollars to specific religious causes. Guess who’s in charge of giving out the money and who the majority of recipients are for this initiative? Also, since when did Americans decide it was ok for government sponsored religious programs? That totally go against the separation of church and state.

• Demand government support for their religious agendas, including the passage of laws based on their particular religious beliefs, under the assertion that the country was "divinely founded" and therefore inherently subservient to their religious sect. Oh there are just too many to name. Everything from Abortion, to right to life, adoption, etc. Most every law out there has come partly out of some religious beliefs.

• Generally dismissive of the rights of women. Constant push for Anti-Choice legislation and rape shield laws.

• Generally dismissive of the rights of minorities. If you’re not Christian, you obviously don’t need to be living here. Also, what? You can't live off $5.15 an hour? God must not love you.

• Calls for God to "remove" political opponents by killing or otherwise rendering them unable to serve. Hello Mr. Robertson.

• An extensive worldwide fundraising network that includes financial connections to the bloody West African "conflict" diamond trade and other questionable financial activities. The number of investigations against leaders of evangelical groups and their leaders are not just coincidence. The fact that one church I know of in Tennessee owns 3 planes for its pastor and has an annual budget that’s more than some countries is very concerning about where these funds are coming from. For a non-profit, they sure are doing well. BTW, the pastor makes well over 7 figuresexemplify examplify the Jesus thing of living modestly and helping those in need.

• And finally, as we have seen in the last few days: willing to publicly endorse the utility of violence against international foes. Significantly, actions against purely political or socioeconomic foes are justified based on questionably religious grounds. Hello Mr. Robertson. As the leader of the Christian Coalition, you are an inspiration for all your sheeps.

Have a great weekend everyone!

More evidence that these people are all actually evil.

Warning: This is long. You all know how I am when I get started with this kind of thing.

Conservative U.S. evangelist Pat Robertson, the founder of the Christian Coalition, the 700 club, a presidential candidate in 1988 and of course, one of my favorite people, called to ‘take out’ Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (leftist) because of his strong opposition of Bush policies.

Among other things, Robertson on Monday of Chavez, one of Bush's most vocal critics: "If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it…" "We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability." He made the comments during his "The 700 Club" television program.

On Wednesday, Robertson said that what he meant by ‘take out’ was misinterpreted.

What the fuck? What kind of ignorant ass people are you trying to fool here? Listen, not everyone in America is part of your mindless flock.

When you say, “our special forces could take him out”, that only means ONE fucking thing.

Robertson later said that ‘take him out’ could just involve kidnapping. Oh my fucking lord. Is that supposed to be better? That you are saying we should take out someone that is not doing any harm except expressing his views against yours? Is a government sponsored kidnapping supposed to be better than a hit or something?

What the hell is wrong with you, you damn senile ignorant old fuck?

Since you obviously don’t know, let me spell it out for you.

Some are arguing that this is just the view of a private citizen, but oh, you’re not JUST a private citizen are you Pat. Robertson is the Christian Coalition and millions of people, however misguided, look to him as their leader. Even without an official political title, you are no private citizen. Your views influences millions of people and when that influence turns to one of ignorance, intolerance, and violence, I say you become a religious extremist and you need to be stopped.

You ran for president. What the fuck? Can you imagine how this country would be like with you leading? Just going off ‘taking out’ people who opposes different views than you. Way to join the ranks of Stalin, the Nazis, and countless dictatorships throughout history.

As you have so often compared yourself to, how exactly DO you think Jesus would think about ‘taking out’ someone? You damn wanna be megalomaniac? Not that I’m a biblical scholar or anything, but I have read it cover to cover a couple of times. I remember reading about a LOT of people who disagreed with Jesus and his views, but yet, no taking out. Not even one kidnapping. There could be pages missing from the version I read, but you tell me.

Maybe there was a secret book that the Vatican isn’t releasing about how the Apostles went around taking out folks or kidnapping people that didn’t believe in Jesus. Yea, probably not.

To even suggesting that you are a Christian is a fucking joke Robertson. You have no idea what the concept is, no idea what Jesus was about, and I was about to say that if Jesus did meet you, he would stick his foot up your ass, but then I remembered that Jesus probably isn’t an ignorant violent fuck like you.

Don't worry though. I am. So you should hope we don't meet.

The lines between Christian fundamentalist like you who are preaching violence and those in the Muslim world are beginning to fade. The name maybe different, but you are both instigating the same thing. Using the idea of God to achieve your own personal absolute rule of power.

To all you followers of evangelical Christianity, when the hell will you wake up and see that your ‘leaders’ are all wolves in disguise? They all talk a great game in front of the cameras and have special effects to dazzle you, but look beyond that. Look at the millions they make, look at the total self serving lives they live, look at all the things they speak out against, and those that they won't. If you truly believe in the bible, then read it for yourself for once, and not just the little passages of compliance that your church keeps pushing on you. Read what it is really about.

On a second note.

The administration of course did what you would expect it to do in this matter. After a well known citizen publicly suggests the our government ‘take out’ the leader of a foreign country, they simply distance themselves from him.

Can you imagine what would happen if some leftist liberal had said this? If Michael Moore came out and said to ‘take out’ a foreign leader? OMG, I think this administration may bring back the public stoning.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called Robertson's remarks about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez "inappropriate." That was the end. There were no condemning the message, nothing about how it’s just not the policy of this administration to go into a country without the support of the UN to take out its leader without some solid air-tight evidence that they were about to harm us. I mean, come on.. we’re not savages here.…

um… never mind.

Being that Robertson has such close ties and a core spiritual leader of Bush, some wonders if he does speak for the president or at least a good portion of the Republican party. If not, one must wonder why no one (except Democrats) has spoken out against this. Even if Robertson doesn’t speak for Bush and other Republican leaders, know that this is the man that is whispering in their ears.

Yes, that is scary.

My question is to Bush, are you too afraid to stand up to your own Conservative Daddies? Are you afraid they may not like you anymore? Your policies and approval ratings are going down the toilet. Perhaps just satisfying this small ignorant group of religious conservatives is not the best strategy huh?

You’re the Fucking president of the United States. That’s the WHOLE US with all people that live here. Start acting like the president and not just the puppet of the religious fundamentalist.

The United States and other countries have been increasingly pressuring Saudi Arabia and other countries to renounce their close government ties to religious extremism. Lets not kid ourselves, people like Robertson are religious extremist. Unless we want to be perceived as being as hypocritical as we actually are, we might be wise to do the same.

I could go on about this forever, but I’ll stop for now. Thanks for indulging me.

Have a good thursday!

Vocabulary Lesson


1) Runnin' It: -v. defn. Like when you controllin' the flo' of thangs.

e.g. When Ray-Ray showed up for work this morning he told the first white boy he saw to give him $10. Whitey gave him $100 and ran. That's runnin' it.

2) N nee-way: -adv. defn. Like what I got to say about something I just done heard or something that just done happened.

e.g. civil man: My baby mamma come around with her weave sayin' "Gimme some money, boo. I gotta get my hair done."

civil woman: N nee-way!

3) stunnin: -v. defn. Like what you just done said is doo-doo and I aint hearin' it.

e.g. Little Suzy told Bobby he's nappy. Little Bobby said, "Bitch! I aint stunnin you!"

4) bounce: -v. defn. Like when you're ready to leave.

e.g. Yo, kid. Finish yor 40 and let's bounce.

5) spook juice: -adj. defn. Like any really really REALLY black person that when s/he smiles in the dark all you see is beady white eyes and vicious white teeth.

e.g. white woman: AHHHH! It’s the boggey man!!!

Spook juice Jones: Damn! I knew I should've worn my white shirt tonight.

6) trippin: -v. defn. Like you out your damn mind.

e.g. mother to child: I best not find out you sellin' dem drugs and f*ckin' dem ho's.

child to mother: Bitch, you trippin'

7) stripper 'ho: -n. defn. Like any 'ho giving you a lap dance for money.

e.g. Paul: You mean I can't even look for free?

Mike: Nigga, you better throw yor cash at that stripper 'ho!

8) stank 'ho: -n. defn. Like any broke ass 'ho that will do N NEE-THANG for a dollar.

e.g. Shelly: How yor mom doing, Aiesha?

Aiesha: That stank 'ho spent the night with Tyrone and Willie again. Rent must be late.

9) 'flicted: -adj. defn. Like when you've been messed up by something terrible (the ‘flicted condition stay wit you for life).

e.g. Mother: I dropped my baby when I answered the phone. Now his little peanut head is ‘flicted.

10) my man: -n. defn. Like your man, man!

e.g. "What's up my man?" "10 dollars a nickel, 20 a dime bag, 100 a quarter." "My man!!!"



BONUS: duckin' five-oh: -v. defn. Like when you avoidin' po-po cuz they shootin' at you or you forgot to check in wit yor probation officer or just because.

e.g. airek: Yo, T why you sweatin'?

T: Yo, I'm ducking 5-0. I swiped a box of Magic cards from Wal-Mart. Here's your pencil lead.

Only 48 hours to go!

It’s that time again. When those emails that started at the beginning of the year is finally realized. The emails with the subject line: Vegas.

Starting Saturday morning, I will begin my 4 day journey of blissful drunkenness and altered states of mind in ultra hot Las Vegas. Once again, it’s time for our annual trip to Vegas with my old college roommates.

We’ve been taking trips together once a year ever since college ended. I think we tried once to go somewhere other than Vegas, but with our different interests, we keep coming back to two things that we can all relate to. Gambling and Booze.

Even though my gambling craze has died down now, I still wouldn’t miss it for the world. After living with these guys for 2 years, it’s hard to just see them just once a year. It’s been about 7 years since college, but every trip, it seems like we’re still living in Clifton towers having our daily Mario Kart tournament.

“Yea, that’s a tasty beverage, bitches!!”

I just found out a kick ass DJ (Bad Boy Bill) is playing this Saturday at a club in Vegas. As the Furdell has pointed out, “we’re old”, but I think we’ll still go and teach these young-ens some good old school dancing. And hopefully, we won’t break a hip.

All I know is that there better be a dance-off during somepoint this weekend.

Anyway, just for giggles, I did this last year, and everyone picked horrible numbers, so let me try again this year.

Roulette: Blogger Style

{insert roulette pic. here}
(Stupid work firewall not letting me upload pics.)

Since I’ll inevitably play some roulette this weekend, I thought I’d get all my fellow bloggers to play along since you won’t be there (and so I won’t miss you too much).

Pick a number between 0 and 36. Just one. I’ll play all the numbers I get and I’ll let you know which ones come up when I get back.

This will be a good judge of your excellence in super fun macktastical luckiness. By good judge I mean completely random of course. If your number keeps repeatedly hitting (landed on), I will send a plane for you.

I’ll get a nice Vegas present for the person with the best choice of number!!

Happy Thursday!

So Flip-Flopping is your big attack strategy huh?

This is too good to not steal and post.

How can people have such a short memory? What the hell is this Republican Amnesia that is affecting the American people?! Must be nice to have such a short selective memory.

From the Daily Kos:

Quotes from when Clinton committed troops to Bosnia:

"You can support the troops but not the president." --Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years." --Joe Scarborough (R-FL)

"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?" --Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99

"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy." --Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy." --Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy." --Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of George W Bush
"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning . . I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area." --Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)

"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today" --Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." --Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)

Oh Tom Delay, the most corrupt politician around, how I despise you.

I saved the best for last.

"Let me tell you what else I'm worried about: I'm worried about an opponent who uses nation building and the military in the same sentence. See, our view of the military is for our military to be properly prepared to fight and win war and, therefore, prevent war from happening in the first place."
~George W. Bush November 6, 2000 Chattanooga, TN

What exactly are our troops doing right now in Iraq Mr. President? Military not to be used for nation building huh? Very interesting idea.

Check out this clip from the Daily Show. One of the Best EVER from Jon Stewart.

Bush vs. Bush

Help me understand

I’m not a smart man. I don’t understand a lot of things. This is especially true of things that have been going on during this administration. So please help me understand the following thing.

Tit Choice Yes. Birth Choice No.

The federal Food and Drug Administration recently gave preliminary approval to the use of silicone breast implants. As you may or may not know, silicone implants were made illegal in 1992 when strong safety concerns were raised by women who were experiencing significant side effects from the implants. Side effects like having silicone ooze out of them.

Recently, in a surprise decision, the FDA gave preliminary approval to putting the silicone implants back on the market. According to Dr. Richard D’Amico, chair of the Breast Implant Task Force of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, "women would have a choice again."

Here is what I don’t understand. Why wasn’t I invited to a breast task force? What kind of credentials do you need to be on this breast task force? I think I have all the necessary qualifications. I don’t think anyone can discredit my love for them.

Seriously though, what I don’t get is that a panelist from the FDA told The New York Times that it was important to give women a choice of implants. "And it isn't to have a choice. It is to make a choice," she said. "We'll be working . . . to allow women to finally have a choice,"

So basically, they’re saying they support women’s choice to have control over their own body right? That’s great right?

It just so happens that there’s something else up for FDA approval this year: over the counter emergency contraception. In terms of choice, this is by far a much more important choice to give women. For those that isn’t ready to have children, those that become pregnant through rape or incest, or a number of other reasons, this choice could save a lifetime and perhaps a cycle of pain.

As you would expect, the FDA is dragging its feet to approve this drug that it has already declared as safe in 1997 due to the administration and congress’s deafening screams against giving women that choice. Even after 2 advisory panels approved of its status as an over-the-counter drug in 2003, the FDA has continued to ignored the recommendation.

So the FDA is touting the ‘choice’. They are saying that women should have the choice to choose what to do with their boobs. Even when there is no clear evidence that silicone implants has become any safer. However, they live in irony in saying NO in giving women the right to choose what will happen to their bodies and the rest of their lives.

Good call FDA.

______________

T, you've finally IT!

On a lighter note, I guess I’m out of the running for what women want. Apparently, T is now the new model of feminine desire.

Playgirl’s hunks? The hairy, chubby, and poor.



Although I must say, I think all these women are lying.

Welcome to Choke City

Population: Me

This weekend was our end of the summer league tournament for Ultimate Frisbee. The last two months of games all lead to this last Saturday. Our teams had our ups and downs and ups again. The same goes with my level of play. So it was all up in the air in terms of who was coming out to play this weekend.

In the last couple of games, I’ve been playing a lot better and accepting more responsibilities in terms of handling the disc. I had pretty good confidence about how I was playing and felt good when I left for the fields that morning.

It was a wet and cloudy day. It had been raining heavily the night before, and the sky continued to threaten the fields with a down pour. When I got to the field, I found out who we were playing, and the darkness really started. No, not the weather. It was who we were playing.

There’s a team every year that no one likes. It’s usually a team of young cocky jackasses that thinks they’re better than they are. We’ll start referring to them as Team J (for Jackass). All season long I was looking forward to playing Team J, and when we finally did 2 weeks ago, we won the game 7-4 (the game was shorten because of lightening). They whined about the game being shorten. They whine all the time about everything cause that’s just what they do. Little whiny bitches.

Upset that they lost, Team J was ready for revenge. Our team was confident though. We had good personnel on Saturday, we’ve beaten them before, and we can do it again. Our game started late, but we came out on fire. Before you knew it, we were winning 7-4 once again.

The horn (time limit) sounded which meant that only 2 more points can be played. Being that they were down by 3, the game should be over. However, they whined and whined until our captain gave it and made it a game to 9. Being up 7-4, we didn’t think it would be much of a problem.

I am not saying this as an excuse as we do not have one, but our team fell apart after the horn.

One by one, we kept making little mistakes, and Team J kept taking advantage. Before we knew what happened, it was 7-7. Then came our big chance to finally get a score. I had the disc very close to the goal line. One of our guys made a great cut and I threw the disc to him.

The throw was bad and it sailed out of bounds. We later lost the game 7-9. They had scored 5 straight fucken points.

I was more than upset at this loss. Not only cause we lost, but we lost to them, and we lost after blowing such a big lead. It was a really tough loss. Screaming ensued.

Lots and lots of screaming.

Even though it was only about 10am then and we had many games still scheduled, we all started drinking. Not heavily, but beers were opened.

After losing the first game, we were put in the beer/loser’s bracket. This meant that winning this bracket will give your team a giant bucket of beer. It’s actually a better prize than winning the actual tournament which gets the team 1 trophy to share.

So after the pressure was off, and some drinking ensued, we started our next games. We played like champs. We were relaxed, having fun, and we dominated the rest of the games. During one of the games, a downpour started, and we played on. Even better than before. Nothing was going to stop us.

We did end up winning the beer bracket. So that’s something. But I played so crappy in that first game and against such a bunch of jackasses. I’m kinda pissed at myself. I think I have a choking problem. Just not being able to rise up to the big games. WTF? I could go into all the what ifs’, but I know I shouldn’t. It’s only a game.

Oh well, there’s always next year.

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Because I’m in such a pissy mood, you get another session of…

What the fuck is wrong with you?

This is my semi-regular segment on, What the fuck is wrong with you people? A commentary on how society as a whole or groups in society is pissing me off.


$2.45/Gallon

That’s what I fucking paid today at the pump. I remember the first time I got to pump the gas for my parents, the gas was $0.75. During college, not really that long ago, it was still only $0.99. How did we get to this $2.45 bullshit?!

Funny though, as the oil prices on the consumer side keeps going up, so does the profits for big oil companies. Is that not weird to anyone else but me? Last quarter, ExxonMobile made something like 4.3 BILLION dollars!! Quarter!! That’s 3 fucking months!!! And that's PROFIT!

They keep breaking records for profits while I’m deciding if I should eat or get some gas.

You know what would be a good idea to help the gas price instead of fucking up the Alaskan wilderness or getting our people killed? How about trying to control these big fucking oil companies?! Or are you having too good of a time getting a nice lube job from these guys to step in?


Supreme Secrecy

Someone please explain to me exactly why the fuck they think it’s ok to NOT disclose all the information about the Supreme Court candidate John Roberts? What the hell is this secrecy stuff? This man is getting a job for LIFE. He’s not going to have to look for another job EVER. What he does in PUBLIC should not and cannot be labeled as private matters. Why would anyone care about sharing what he’s done in the past unless there’s something to hide?

Among other secrets like the fact that Roberts is part of a conservative Federalist society was never resolved, now other trickles of omissions keeps springing up.

For example, the fact that Roberts once lobbied for the cosmetics industry. Albeit not a make or break, this is information that we need to know and should know to place a man in such a powerful position. In case you have forgotten, Supreme Court justices are there FOREVER. There is no just waiting 4 more years.

Last week the Justice Department said it would NOT provide the Senate with internal records from 16 cases in which Roberts dealt with issues including abortion, affirmative action, school prayer and capital punishment.

What the fuck?!! Why in the hell are you not providing this information? Do you not think issues dealing with abortion, affirmative action, school prayer and capital punishment is important? Are these issues somehow fucking trivial to you? Well, I’m pretty fucking interested, and as someone who will be one of the supreme judges of the nation that I live in, I think I should fucking know what his stances are.

Is that really asking all that much?

Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican who will preside over the September confirmation hearings, said in a letter to Judiciary Democrats it was fair to withhold certain internal documents to "protect ... the deliberative process."

To protect the deliberative process?! From what?! Facts?! By withholding information, is that what you fucking think is part of the deliberative process? Have you EVER deliberated in your life? Because it certainly doesn’t sound like it if you think withholding information is part of getting all the facts and thinking about things. Or would you just rather make things up, cause facts just gets in the way?

Maybe you should run for president.

Not only withholding information, but the administration also screens documents for potential political liabilities before handing them over. What the fuck? So the only information that we get on this Roberts guy is censored information controlled by the administration?

Guess you guys are following the pattern of your leader. Will you guys mislead to get Roberts on the bench and then later you can change your reason for putting him on there? That seemed to have worked out this last time. Progress in Iraq is fantastic by the way.

I’m sick of this control of information just to get your way. Why the hell is the American population tolerating this underhanded crap?! Why is there absolutely NO integrity in this administration? Why aren’t people more aware of what the hell is going on?

I’m not saying I don’t like this Roberts guy because frankly, I’m not allowed to have enough information to make up my mind. I guess that’s just the way the administration like it. Apparently, most of the country doesn’t care either and just want the administration to spoon feed everything to them.

What in the hell is wrong with you?

"We got to get some beer
We got no atmosphere
From looking into the sun!!!"

the pixies, "d = r*t" (Distance Equals Rate times Time)

I’m feeling a bit odd today. I guess I’m more rhythmic than usual. I wrote two poems. Nothing fancy; just two small shallow poems. If only I can meet a girl and write stupid love poems for her…. But such is life.

The first combines my love for Magic the Gathering, and my friend Dave, for whom I have much respect. I dis him cuz I know he can take it.

Ode to the Samurai

Sam eats spam and mayo on rye
Sam kicks Dave's ass and makes him cry
Dave works eh, sometimes, I tell no lies
Bushido 1, 2, 3--Go! Go! Go! SAMURAI!!!

The inside joke is based on the game. I built a samurai deck that I call SAM I AM and a mutual friend built a deck that she calls Dave, inspired by our facetious friend, Dave. Everything else is just jelly donut filling.

The second involves my good friend ariek. Last night I wondered if he would join me for a beer or two at the local pub. He declined my offer so I didn’t go out. This morning he tells me that he did go out and didn’t bother to call.

what am i going to do about you?
you say beer not, but beer you do.
i’m ashamed for beering, cuz you have no brew;
then i passed out--beer can get the better of you!

what am i going to do about you?
beer is my life, it's all i do!
i'm ready to drink and it's 3:02;
should i ask you to beer? nah, fuck you!

It’s really an open invitation to “beer” whenever.

What the fuck is wrong with you people?

This is my semi-regular comment on, What the fuck is wrong with you people? A commentary on how society as a whole or groups in society is pissing me off.

There are too many things going on for me to stay on topic, so here goes.

You deserve much worst

After pleading guilty to being a role in the downfall of the entire telecom industry, former general account for WorldCom Buford "Buddy" Yates received one year and one day and a hefty $5000 fine.

What in the fucking hell is wrong with this picture? One year? People getting caught with a little bag of weed get more than a year. You fucker destroyed an ENTIRE fucking industry, made thousands lose their jobs, and fucked the retirement plans of millions of others and all the while getting rich yourself. You get a fucking year and a day?

Want to know why the extra day? The extra day in the sentence means Yates will be eligible to have his prison term reduced, although only by a matter of weeks, for good behavior. Fuck you and your good behavior. There’s no such thing for you.

Even if you are repeatedly ass raped and made to toss salads to the nastiest ass people we’ve got, a year’s not fucking enough. Think of his family you say? Think of the thousands of other families that were affected by this. So no, I don’t give a fuck.

Also, what the fuck is this $5000 fine?! He and others stole MILLIONs of dollars. Where the fuck is the logic in 5 grand? What the hell is that going to do? $5000 wouldn’t hurt most average people. This rich sonabitch isn’t going to care a bit about some $5000. His ass probably has it in his wallet in the court room.

All you fucks out there talking about judges, why don’t you ever talk about these judges? They’re the ones fucking up the country by protecting the rich and basically saying ‘even if you screw thousands of people, as long as you’re rich, you’ll be fine’. Is that really a better message to send than when a judge is trying to get rid of discrimination based on sexual orientation?

I hope the rest of the WorldCom and Enron people get much worst. I'm sure they won't, but there's always hoping.

Ozone alert

Why isn’t this shit on TV or on other media? Why aren’t people fucking talking about this?! I can’t believe that this trend of increasing severity and frequency of ozone alerts isn’t getting more attention. This is not fucking normal people.

Do you fucking understand what this ozone alert means? The air that you are breathing, and that which is a big requirement of you being alive, is slowing becoming toxic. Guess what? You don’t really have a choice about breathing this air either.

In case you didn’t know, ozone is created when the heat, humidity and sun cook the air into a chemical soup of pollution. There is an exponential growth in the number of asthma (esp. in children), and other respiratory problems in the last few years. Guess what’s causing that genius.

Hey assholes, guess what, this and so many other problems are NOT caused by a couple of happily committed gays getting married. Try focusing on some real problems. You know, when you’re not too busy getting paid off by the oil producing/using lobbyists. You really want to make sure a child is born just so that they can suffer a life of shortness of breath and life-long health problems? Fantastic. That’s thinking of the children.

Everywhere you look, there’s fucking ozone alert everywhere. In Atlanta (I’m sure there are many other cities), they get purple days. Fucking purple!!! That’s one above red! They actually had to make up a new color above red (which usually means really really bad already). How does something like this not get more attention?!!! Why isn’t this on anyone’s fucking mind?

Now there’s actually one above Purple. Maroon. The advisory for purple is ‘Do NOT go outside, hazardous for children and old people’. What the fuck is the advisory for Maroon? ‘Breathing the air will cause your lungs to disintegrate’?

That’s fucking fantastic. Hey, you selfish little dick motherfucker in that hummer. Not that you care, but it’ll get you too. You’re not safe in your 9 mile-a-gallon monstrosity. I see you sitting there all comfy and shit as me and big red pulls up next to you. I want to follow you to the gas station and watch you spend $100 on gas every week so I can taunt you.

Then I’ll probably kick your ass.

Traveling Pup - Atlantic City/Philly

I know there were promises of rants, but I need to get this down before I forget. These next few weekends are going to be jam packed with stuff and I want to make sure I keep things straight and everything down.

So I went to Atlantic City this weekend. On the drive down from Philly, we saw the coolest lightning show. There were huge lightning bolts everywhere. Not only that, there were chain lightning, lightning that turned the whole sky white, and I swear I saw this, an orange lightning (I didn’t know there were orange lightning). Along with the loud cracks of thunder, that was just fantastic to drive in. Strangely, there were little to no rain.

All I know is, Inland lightning/storms got nothing on the coastal ones.

The games of chance was ok in AC. As Ko will tell you. Listen to ME about when to gamble!! I have some serious experience in this. Superstitions? Maybe. But it’s all true!

Morning gambling will bring you nothing but pain. Gambling Gods disapproves!

Anyway, I did get to witness one of the coolest things ever in AC. Well, maybe not cool, but impressive. At the craps table we were playing at, an old man walked up. He throws a big wad of cash on the table. I was expecting it to be $20s or maybe even $10s. There was just that much of it and anything other than $20s was inconceivable to me.

So the table boss spread out the money. All play halted as the pile of 100 dollar bills covered the table. After a long count, the pit boss said ‘pay out 10,000 dollars’.

Holy fucken shit. $10 grand.

I think the old man got lucky. After a couple of crap rollers, I think he was down a lot. Luckily, the next guy hit a lot of numbers. At one time, he had $900 on the 6 and 8 (each). The old man quit soon after with $13,700. That’s a quick $3700 in less than an hour. He was nice enough to leave with a $400 tip for the table.

There was also an instance of a very drunk guy coming up to the table and yelling ’25 dolla yo!!!’. We all kinda laughed at his drunkness and silly bet. Boy did we feel stupid when the next roll was an 11.

Sheese.

That was Friday night and on Saturday, I had one of the best desserts EVER!! If you’re lucky enough to be here this weekend, I’ll try to replicate. It’s basically fried bananas with sweet condensed milk for a dipping sauce. OMG, that’s a fucking party in my mouth. If you’re lucky enough to be here this weekend, there'll be a party in your mouth too… ummm… nevermind.

Later that night, I went to a going away party for someone I didn’t know. What I do know is that a 250 sq. foot apartment is not a good place to host a party for about 30 people.

I met a friend of a friend’s cousin who was working as a DJ in the Philly area. Very sketchy person I think. Nice guy and all, but he was a good reminder of why I don’t think I could be a DJ full time.

Maybe it’s because I DJ for different reasons than he does. He loved being a DJ for the free booze, drugs, and women aspects of it. He knew lots of people, and can get in almost any clubs for free. So basically the perks of being a DJ.

In my case, I think I DJ because of my love for the music. I want other people to hear it and dance to it. Of course, with me, there is also a big element of control associated with being able to make people dance. Dance I say… DANCE!!!

I don’t care for and actually am annoyed when people try to talk to me when I’m DJing. It’s not like I take requests or anything. So with that and needing to suck up to club owners, I think I’m going to have to stick with my day job.

I’m not saying I’m better or anything, just different reasons for DJing.

He also stole some alcohol from the party. That's total party foul.

On the flight home, there was an hour delay after we got on to the runway. We just sat there on the plane waiting. So what does the couple in front of me AND behind me start to do to kill time? That’s right. Full blown making out. I think that’s the first time I realized what that sounded like. In stereo.

Total Ewwwwwww!!

Maybe I was just jealous.

Ok, that’s about it. Hope everyone’s having a good Monday!

Home Pup

I had a 4 hour conference call I had to be on yesterday, and the call started at 7:30am. Pup doesn’t wake up at 7:30am, much less awake and be able to be on a call. I talked my boss into letting me take the call from home. So yay, work from home!

I was on the call with just my Spongebob boxers and a t-shirt. This SO should be the dress code. Was I any less productive? No. So there. I think it’s settled.

I was reading this article yesterday about people hooking up in Taxi cabs.

I’ve always wondered about that. The situation has never come up, as I don’t ride cabs that often, but I’ve always wondered how far I’d go if it presented itself.

It’s not that I’m shy about performing in public or anything. I’ve been busted by the Po-Po(s) a couple of times in my day. Talk about embarrassing. Nothing worst than having a cop shine that big ass search light in your car.

“ Can I see some ID?”
“ ummm…. No”
“ Do you not have any with you?”
“ I do, but I can’t find my pants.”

Actually, now that I think about it, it’s not me that I have to worry about. I just go out with the wrong kind of girls. HA!

So… anyone want to catch a cab? ;)

This reminds me of a story. The last time I was in Philly, the subject of open hook ups came up. Our taxi driver gave us some great stories about all the things that he’s seen in his backseat. My favorite was about one regular customer that he had who worked as a lady escort.

So on a pretty regular basis, she would call him for a drop off and pick up. After each pick up, she would tell him about her latest job. Much like a debrief after a mission accomplished. She would tell him about what she did, how the guy was, what kind of freaky stuff she had to do.

During one particular pick up, she was visibly frustrated and upset. She asked if he minded if she did something. Of course not he said. So she proceeded to pull out this big blue vibrator and started using it in the backseat. While she was enjoying her self, she told him how small this last guy was and how he finished so fast she couldn’t get off. Then she proceeded to tell him how quickly she usually gets off, and then showed it to him by showing him her still moving vibrator coated in her.. umm.. ‘stuff’.

Of course, the cab driver could’ve made this all up, but it’s still a good story.

So, anyone got any good stories about some public conquests?

Now for something completely different.

Some numbers for you:
49 - the number of vacations that Bush has taken since he was inaugurated in 2001

5 - the number of weeks that Bush will spend on vacation, starting yesterday. It is the longest presidential vacation in at least 36 years.

319 - August 3, 2005 was the 319th day Bush has spent on vacation since his 2001 inauguration.

20% - the fraction of Bush's presidency that he has spent on vacation

I don’t care what mask you put on him, or how much you spin and make over his image. He will always be the lazy spoiled little rich boy playing his game.

In case you’re wondering why I haven’t posted as much political stuff lately, it’s not because I don’t want to. There is just too much shit going on from this administration and the Republicans. Besides, I’ve got some important thinking on my mind right now.

Rest assure, the rants will be back soon.

Have a good weekend!

I'VE GOT A POST!!!

So I’ve been invited to a dinner outing tonight. People I know, yadda, yadda. The thing is I don’t think I want to go. Most everyone going will be coupled. Been there done that. There’s one other guy going stag. And I aint looking to hook up with him!

I aint even looking to meet new people neither. It won't happen anyhow. Your married friends aren't looking to hook you up. They wanna swap partners or whatever. Anyway, they’re all coupled; what the hell do they care about me?

So if I don’t go that other guy will really look gay. The gay guy hanging out with his married friends. Haha! You fag. Wait. I’m not homophobic. I’m just saying. What a loser.

Anyway after dinner they plan to go to a comedy club. That could be fun…for couples!!! I don’t know. I’ve been to comedy clubs before and I always had a blast.

I’m not coupled. I don’t feel like laughing.

Fuck ‘em.

I'll find out what airek's up to tonight. Maybe have a few beers.

GWednesday

Good God I’m tired.

After playing ultimate in the 90+ degree weather last night, a friend and I went to our usual bar for some cheap appetizers and beer.

I know I suck, but we had already decided earlier that day that we would not be able to go to the Gwar concert. I had to be at work by 7:30 am today and he had to catch a flight early in the morning for an interview later that day. He thought being drenched in blood/goo the night before wouldn’t be a good idea. Also, with 2 bands playing before Gwar, we would be out late.

Looking back, that was just crazy talk. We went to the bar, got us some tasty appetizers, and lots of cheap beer. We played some darts, which by the way, is my new favorite thing to watch on TV. It’s British, it’s in a pub, and these guys are really good.

“One hundred and Eighteeeeeeeeey”. I love it when they say that. “180” is getting 3 triple 20s. Crowd goes wild for that.

Anyway… After winning a close tie breaking 3rd game, we went up to the bar to hang with the bartender. That’s what’s great about being a semi-regular at a bar. It might seem kinda silly, but I like knowing people at work and have them bring us food and drink without us having to order.

There was Goodfellas on the TV with captions. Sweetness. We started talking with this nice couple sitting at the bar. Yada Yada. We were taking shots with them later.

So I have no idea when I got home, but it was way way too late. Getting up this morning was amazingly painful. So here I am. 7am at work. Eek.

I’ll leave you with something funny.

"North Korea is making several demands in exchange for giving up their nuclear program, including a promise from America not to attack them. Which is a little strange because for us to attack them we would have to have `slam dunk' proof that they have weapons of mass destruction. I mean, for Gods sakes people, we're not maniacs. It would have to be an air-tight case. We wouldn't just come in there and start bombing you..."--Jon Stewart

This current administration is just ridiculous.